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CHAPTER 2

A SHOWDOWN OF FIRE AND ICE

1

“And? Would you finally explain what is going on, I wonder?”

After putting a fair amount of distance between themselves and the park, Beatrice determined that Emilia and the others were no longer within sight or earshot. Only then did she relax her pace and ask him about the situation, their hands still joined.

As Beatrice tried to stop walking to hold a proper conversation, Subaru said “Sorry” as he pulled her along.

“Subaru?”

“If I could, I’d really like to have a nice, long chat about this in a place without anyone around, but there’s no time. We don’t even have fifteen minutes.”

“…Very well. May we at least discuss it while walking, I wonder?”

Seeing the obvious apprehension in Subaru’s expression, Beatrice did as he asked without a word of complaint.

Relieved by just how quickly his partner had adapted and adjusted, Subaru hurried over to the square as he tried to explain the jumble of thoughts in his mind.

“Right now, we’re heading toward a place where a Witch Cultist is about to show up. We’ve gotta stop ’em.”

“The Witch Cult…”

As Beatrice drew in her breath, Subaru carefully tried to choose his next words.

What made that difficult was the penalty for divulging information related to Return by Death. As long as he only shared the same details that he told Lachins, there shouldn’t be any problems. The fact that he didn’t know this for certain was one of the things Subaru really hated about the Witch’s curse that bound him.

Whenever he tried to share information about Return by Death, evil black hands would come to inflict a penalty—the severity of which seemed to be based not only on the details contained in Subaru’s words, but also whom he decided to tell them to.

In other words, the degree of information he could convey depended entirely upon the Witch’s whims.

If that wasn’t the case, what else could’ve been responsible for crushing Emilia’s heart after he revealed the secret to her? He never, ever wanted to go through that again.

If someone had to get hurt, then better it be Subaru. Of course, the thought of that frightened him, but it wasn’t unendurable—and it was far better than watching those terrifying hands turning on someone other than him.

Even if the Witch held back somewhat with Subaru, she showed no mercy to anyone else. That was why he was being incredibly careful.

“—There’s no need to make such a worried face.”

“Beatrice…”

“You clearly cannot disclose where you came by such timely information…but do I even need to know, I wonder? If Subaru says it is true, that is enough for Betty to believe.”

When Beatrice gently squeezed his hand and gave him a bold smile, Subaru’s eyes went wide.

“…Damn it, Beatrice. You really are a lifesaver.”

The best partner he could ever ask for was supporting his spineless self, assuring him he wasn’t alone.

“Heh-heh. Is that not obvious, I wonder? Now, let’s start with whatever you can share.”

“Right. First, the Archbishop of Wrath is gonna show up…and she’s a pervert.”

“…If you think that is the piece of information you absolutely needed to share first, I suppose I have no choice but to immediately take back what I said earlier.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what’s safe to tell you. Looks like talking about occupation and perversion doesn’t come with a punishment. Well, next is her Authority… It’s like…resonance between senses and emotions.”

“What does that mean?”

Cocking her head quizzically, Beatrice’s eyes made it clear that she didn’t understand.

She could hardly be blamed. Despite having actually experienced it, Subaru still found it mind-boggling himself.

“…I can’t see what kind of threat a synchronization of senses and emotions might pose.”

“Basically, you stop thinking that dangerous things are dangerous. Anyone affected has their emotions go haywire and can’t properly judge situations or act… I’ve had my fill of that one.”

He remembered how the crowd had raised both arms high to welcome the screams of a boy who didn’t want to die.

From any objective observer’s standpoint, that hellish scene must have been utterly revolting. But what was truly terrifying was that everyone there thought they were in some kind of heaven.

“…I suppose I understand the resonance of emotions somewhat. What is this resonance of senses, then?”

“If the other person feels pain, you feel it, too. Cut off the Archbishop’s head, and everyone watching will lose their heads, too… Insane, right?”

When he said it aloud, the hopelessness of it left him practically in awe.

Even if they managed to kill their target, they would die, too. Put bluntly, it was hard to think of an ability that was better at making an opponent hesitate. Because of Return by Death, Subaru had a unique chance to discuss countermeasures beforehand, but it was simply unacceptable to take great pains to win the battle only to get dragged down by the vanquished in the end.

“It’s pathetic, but I don’t have a single card to play. That’s why I want to borrow your strength and intellect.”

“…Well, of course you do. If anything, isn’t relying on Betty the natural thing to do, I wonder?” As she gradually came to grips with the situation, Beatrice assuaged Subaru’s concerns.

“I guess you’re right… We could also play Reinhard as a wild card, but…”

He revealed to her the possibility that Reinhard might be their one ray of hope.

“…if Reinhard’s there, we don’t have to worry about him losing to any enemy. But if the Archbishop dies at his hands, the problem is that everyone else is gonna get annihilated because they’ll die the same way.”

That was exactly how Subaru had lost his life last time.

The possibility of capturing Sirius alive occurred to him, but with no way to convey the finer details of such a plan to Reinhard, Subaru couldn’t eliminate the danger of Sirius’s resonance kicking in if she was knocked out. If they made even the slightest mistake in neutralizing her, the entire kingdom might very well be destroyed by her sinister “soulwashing” ability.

As Subaru mulled over how to make use of Reinhard, Beatrice raised a tiny hand.

“Subaru, there’s something I must tell you. It’s bad news.”

“…Seriously? I don’t really wanna hear any more bad news than I already have if I can help it…”

“I suppose I understand what you mean. Still, I must mention it nonetheless… Should Reinhard and I stand upon the same battlefield, your Betty will likely be reduced to simply being an adorable girl.”

“Huh?”

Beatrice’s sudden announcement stopped Subaru in his tracks.

“You don’t mean that you won’t be able to do anything because you’ll be too busy swooning at him, right?”

“This is no time for jokes… Is it a physical characteristic of his, I wonder? Reinhard is the epitome of abnormalities in this world. His mere presence causes nearby mana to blindly follow suit. Wouldn’t any magic user or spirit caught up in that cease to function normally, I wonder?”

“Wh-what the hell? Is that even…?”

Possible was what Subaru had been about to say when he recalled what had transpired at the Water Raiment the day before.

Right after his first reunion with Reinhard in ages, Beatrice had been particularly wary of him. If that hero really did have such an abnormal constitution, then everything suddenly made sense.

“If it’s something Reinhard had any control over, Betty would indulge him and play the adorable little girl. However, if it is not an issue Reinhard can resolve by himself—”

“Then a choice that leaves Beako unable to act ain’t much of a choice at all, huh?”

The appearance of a new, immense obstacle shattered one of Subaru’s sources of hope.

As usual, Reinhard defied all convention. Unfortunately, that aspect of him was incredibly inconvenient.

“This is bad… Never mind asking him for help. Him showing up would just make things even more difficult…”

It wasn’t anyone’s fault in particular. The cards in Subaru’s hand just happened to be terribly mismatched.

Emilia, Beatrice, Reinhard—any one of them was powerful individually, but if they stood together, their conflicting characteristics and the enemy’s Authority would prevent them from acting at full strength.

All his allies were formidable in their own right. It was Subaru’s failure and his alone that he couldn’t come up with a strategy that let them reach their true potential.

At this rate, he’d end up confronting the eccentric again without so much as a plan—

“—Subaru, just maybe… I suppose I might have an idea.”

When Beatrice said that right as they were on the verge of reaching the square, Subaru felt like those words were sent straight from heaven.

“Really?! You have a plan?!”

“In the end, it is merely a possibility. If the Archbishop’s Authority is as you describe, does that not sound very similar to the high-level spell Nekt, I wonder?”

“Nekt! Yeah, now that you mention it, that spell’s effect really does resemble Wrath’s Authority!”

Seeing Subaru shouting in surprise, Beatrice raised a finger, wagging it as she nodded.

“Ordinarily, I suppose Nekt is a spell for conveying messages between allies without requiring words. To employ it in this manner… It would be the highest of heresies. Is there anything more unforgivable, I wonder?”

Beatrice took great pride in her magic, so it was natural that she was disturbed by the thought of someone misusing it.

Now that she mentioned it, Subaru recalled relying upon Nekt to fight at Julius’s side once, though he would’ve preferred to forget that episode if he could. That was because sharing his vision had been the only way to grant Julius the ability to see Petelgeuse’s Unseen Hands.

This was the proper application of Nekt. It was never supposed to be used as a power to bind others like a curse.

“Moreover, Nekt is not magic that works on just anyone. At minimum, I suppose you would need complete harmony between both subjects of the spell. The Archbishop’s Authority clearly disregards that requirement.”

“It’s probably an Authority that forces people to link together. More importantly…”

“You want to know a way to counter it, I suppose? Put simply, this is Shamak’s time to shine.”

“It’s Shamak time! As per usual, it’s way more useful than it should be!”

Beatrice’s explanation made Subaru unwittingly shout and clench his fist in celebration.

That was how great the existence of the spell called Shamak was to Subaru. In times of suffering, times of bitterness, times of danger, and times of distress—Shamak had been there with Subaru through it all.

Before he’d formed a pact with Beatrice, it was no exaggeration to say that Shamak had lent its strength to the powerless Subaru just as much as Rem and Patlash had.

After Subaru had wrecked his Gate and was unable to use magic on his own, he’d assumed his relationship with Shamak had come to an end—but was Shamak now going to come riding to Subaru’s aid once again?

“I see… Shamak, huh…? If we use Shamak, I’m sure it’ll manage to come through for us somehow…!”

“Even though it is a beginner-level spell with precious few uses, why do you have such a mysterious level of faith in it, I wonder…?”

“Hold up! I won’t let anyone trash-talk Shamak, even if it’s you, Beako…!”

“In all seriousness, what happened to make Subaru this obsessed…?”

Sighing deeply, Beatrice thrust the tip of her finger at Subaru’s face even as he got all worked up.

“Shamak forcibly prevents the spell’s target from sensing the world around them. The strength of the effect scales with the skill of the caster, but for Betty, casting it on anyone is a simple matter.”

“Meaning…?”

“I suppose I could put every person within the enemy’s range under Shamak’s influence. If our opponent compels comprehension and resonance, then Betty simply needs to sow incomprehension and chaos among them.”

“Hearing you put it that way makes it sound kind of terrible…but I get what you mean now!”

Subaru slapped his knees, completely convinced by Beatrice’s reasoning. Her solution had addressed every single one of Subaru’s concerns, and she was proud of herself for suggesting it.

“Okay, let’s go! If we can nullify that ability, the battle will swing in our favor. After that… Uh, what comes after?”

“The only remaining task would be vanquishing the Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins without Reinhard, no?”

“ ”

The point that Beatrice bluntly raised pressed Subaru into silence.

“Just so you know, Betty will be focused on using Shamak, and it will also be necessary to cast Shamak upon anyone fighting the Archbishop the moment the enemy is defeated. Won’t I be too preoccupied to do anything else, I wonder?”

“Damn, okay. Well, this ain’t good. We’re back where we started.”

Having come this far, the initial hurdle had reappeared—Subaru lacked combat strength.

With Beatrice as Subaru’s only backup, even if they could block the soulwashing, defeating Sirius on his own was out of the question. It irked him that the whip he’d practiced with so much would be of little use.

“I’ll just have to talk to the people in the square when we… Nah, there’s no way to know if they’d buy it. I just happen to know his face, so I managed to convince Lachins to hear me out, but…”

There were several people who seemed like capable fighters at the time-tower square. Unfortunately, the real difficulty was persuading them to cooperate.

“In the first place, how do I get them to help when I don’t even know what they’re capable of? I need to think of something better than that…”

“—If that’s the case, since you know what I can do and you can be sure I’ll listen to whatever you have to say, maybe it’s my time to shine?”

“?!!”

The sound of a voice like a silver bell totally wrecked Subaru’s train of thought in the span of an instant.

The all-too-familiar voice made Subaru and Beatrice turn around with looks of surprise. Behind them, a beautiful silver-haired girl was standing there with her hands on her hips.

Her completely unanticipated presence made Subaru draw in a sharp breath, his lips quivering as he raised a question.

“E-Emilia-tan? What are you doing here…?”

“You were acting really strange, so I assumed you were involved in something awful. I think it’s a bad habit of yours to keep me out of the loop when things like this come up, Subaru.”


Emilia glared at Subaru as she scolded him like he was a naughty child. Subaru was too surprised by her sudden appearance to muster a proper response.

“Didn’t you agree to wait in the park? Are you a naughty girl, I wonder?”

Seeing as how Subaru was still in a state of shock, Beatrice answered instead as she peered up at Emilia. Emilia prefaced her reply with a “Sorry” before she continued:

“I really did intend to wait. But then Priscilla said…”

“The girl in red?”

“She said that if I didn’t go after Subaru right away, I would regret it. If nothing was wrong, I planned to go right back…but I can’t leave now after seeing you two talk so seriously this whole time.”

Subaru wanted to curse Priscilla, the culprit who’d gone and pressured Emilia to take action.

She really did like to stir situations up. This was how she complicated things as if she’d planned it all out in advance. Thanks to her, the situation Subaru had wanted to avoid the most had just come together like it was scripted.

“Emilia, I’m happy you feel that way. I really am, but right now…”

“The Witch Cult is going to show up, right? I caught a little part of your conversation… Subaru, I won’t go back even if you ask me to. I’m not exactly uninvolved when it comes to dealing with the Witch Cult.”

“Emilia!”

Subaru inadvertently raised his voice as he tried to somehow convince Emilia to change her mind.

It wasn’t as if Subaru wanted to push Emilia away without good reason. If the opponent wasn’t the Witch Cult, he would’ve immediately asked Emilia for her help.

But given who they were facing this time, that was not an option. He didn’t need logic or reasoning. It was painfully obvious what a terrible idea it would be.

However, Emilia countered Subaru’s pleas by drilling into him with her earnest eyes.

“It’s no use even if you pretend to be upset. The only time it bothers me when you’re angry is when I’ve done something wrong. It’s not me who won’t listen to reason right now—it’s you, Subaru.”

“Argh…”

Seeing those violet eyes staring straight at him made Subaru falter.

On top of that, while Subaru was at a loss for words, Emilia pleaded with him.

“Subaru, I understand that you’re doing this to try and protect me. But that just means you’ll get hurt again, so I absolutely refuse to turn a blind eye to all this. If you’re fighting, then I’m fighting, too. If you’re fighting to protect someone, then I’ll help, just like you’ve been protecting me all this time, Subaru…”

“ ”

“I want a chance to protect you, too, Subaru. I mean, look. You seem like you might cry at any moment.”

He couldn’t let his resolve waver, yet Emilia’s pleas pushed him to the limit.

Subaru had to summon his own courage to keep her away from danger. He needed a heart of steel that could withstand any and all hardship.

And yet in that moment, Subaru was afraid. He was scared. He was terrified.

Subaru had already lost his life three times in a single hour.

Even Subaru Natsuki had never experienced so much death in such a brief span of time. To begin with, even if he had an eternity, it wouldn’t be enough time for him to ever get used to dying.

Death was always frightening. There was no getting used to it, nor could he allow himself to become numb to it.

To be robbed of one’s life meant losing a future. It was the denial of one’s way of life, trampling on their existence, and a defilement of the soul; that was what being killed meant.

Subaru had suffered that fate over and over again. I don’t wanna die was the thought that loomed greatest in his mind at any given moment.

No matter how much time passed, Subaru Natsuki was unable to conquer that weakness.

“…Subaru, it’s time to give up.”

With Subaru unable to mount a sensible rebuttal, Beatrice sighed deeply and spoke for him.

“Beatrice…”

“Don’t you know full well how stubborn Emilia can be, I wonder? Now that she’s aware, there is little you can do to dissuade her. Besides, I suppose Betty understands how Emilia feels and has no inclination to convince her otherwise.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t. She simply didn’t want to. That was what Beatrice, the crux of the operation, had decided.

Emilia gazed at Subaru earnestly. Beatrice gazed at Subaru affectionately.

Under the pair’s gazes, Subaru’s heart finally broke.

“…The Witch Cult is probably targeting you. For starters, please put your safety first at all times.”

“Mm-hmm, okay. I know that you’ll come save me even if I get captured, Subaru.”

“Please don’t say something so ominous… Also, how much did you overhear?”

A smile of relief came over Emilia as Subaru capitulated to her demands. Her expression immediately sobered when she recalled what a difficult foe awaited them.

“I caught most of it. A bad person from the Witch Cult who uses magic like Nekt is coming. Beatrice is going to use Shamak to counter that, and we have to beat the bad guy in the meantime, right?”

“Breaking everything down like that makes it sound like a Sunday morning cartoon, but I guess that’s fine. So I can count on your help?”

“Of course, leave it to me. I’ve grown lots and lots over the past year, you know.”

Putting both fists in front of her, Emilia assumed an adorable fighting stance. She was a little too relaxed, but she had the plan firmly in her mind.

Of course, adding Emilia to the operation didn’t alleviate all his worries, but—

“With Emilia-tan and Beako, there’s no way we’re gonna lose.”

Taking uncertainties and problems and turning them into advantages was just how guys like him rolled.

“On that note, we’re here. It’s time.”

Between Beatrice’s planning session and an unexpected rendezvous with Emilia, they arrived at the time-tower square right before the mysterious interloper was set to appear. The only thing that remained was deciding where to start the operation.

To rescue Lusbel from inside the tower, drawing Sirius away from it would be ideal.

“Emilia-tan, that weirdo’s gonna pop out at the top of the tower anytime now. When she does, launch a preemptive strike with one big shot, would you? It’d be great if you could knock her off it. After that, assuming Beako can get set up, I want you to start combat on my signal. I’ll be providing support.”

“Yeah, leave it to me. I’ll do everything I can.”

Emilia nodded, acknowledging Subaru’s instructions. Counting Beatrice, the three-person operation was ready to go.

Then right after their plans had been set—

“—She’s here!”

—the sight of a dark figure leaning out from the time tower’s window made Subaru unwittingly tense up.

A slender form wrapped in a black robe swayed at the tower’s edge. Beneath her, no one else in the square seemed to notice that someone was looking down on them from that vantage point.

When seen from a bird’s-eye view, it was immediately obvious how fragile the tranquility of a thin layer of ice truly was. With a single action, the stranger peering down from that lofty perch thoroughly shattered the delicate peace.

“ ”

Slowly, Sirius spread both arms wide. Though her bandages covered up most of her form, the ecstasy on her face was immediately apparent even at a distance. Finally, just as she was about to bring her two hands together with incredible force—

“—Ul Hyuma!!”

—Instantly, a giant icicle appeared directly above the tower and collided with Sirius.

A projectile of ice as thick as five Subarus tied together slammed into the tower. The sturdy wall immediately gave way as the icicle’s tip impaled the upper structure of the tower.

The spectacle nearly made Subaru drop his jaw.

“E-Emilia-tan?”

“You said to launch a preemptive strike, so I tried my best… Did I mess up?”

“No, no, good job. You did well… I was just surprised that it was more preemptive than I expected.”

It was Subaru’s fault for not giving more precise instructions about the timing, but it was the eccentric’s fault for being so unguarded that Emilia didn’t even hesitate in her initial attack. That took care of their first problem, at least.

Their initial strike had been launched without sparing even a single thought to waiting and seeing what would happen. That was the kind of shock and awe that was needed to score a surprise victory.

“Beako, think we got her?”

“For the moment, I believe the people around us think we did.”

When Subaru posed his question, Beatrice also displayed signs of surprise in her reply. Lowering his gaze to see for himself, Subaru concurred with what Beatrice had said.

The people in the square ahead of them were all looking at Subaru and company—or strictly speaking, at Emilia after she’d suddenly committed that act of mass destruction. As far as they were concerned, it was Subaru and the girls who were the real terrorists.

He could claim This was preemptive attack to prevent actual terrorism all he wanted, but whether the crowd would believe him was anyone’s guess.

“Errr, we didn’t mean any harm. See, we’re…”

“—It’s no use, Subaru. Get back behind me.”

Subaru tried to persuade the pedestrians with all the sincerity he could muster, but Emilia pulled him back by his shoulder. Then after she took a step forward to shield him, she raised her right hand and swung it in a downward arc.

Instantly, a crack echoed in the air as a blue sword formed within Emilia’s hand. It was a beautifully sculpted sword, boasting a slender, icy blade. Emilia trained its tip toward the crowd in the square without any hesitation.

“Whoa, whoa, that’s definitely too much! If we talk to them, I’m sure they’ll understa…”

“You’re wrong. Look closer, Subaru. Their eyes—they aren’t sane.”

“What?”

Gasping in response to Emilia’s tense observation, Subaru studied the various people in the square. After a brief examination, Subaru noticed it, too. This was definitely not normal.

Bulging veins marred the faces of everyone glaring at Subaru’s party, and their bloodshot eyes gleamed red, not white. Every last one of them wore the exact same expression.

Their cheeks were twisted, teeth bared like fangs as growls rose from their throats—these were the products of nigh-unendurable emotions of wrath.

“Beako! Is Shamak ready yet?!”

Facing a frothing mob to the front, Subaru called out to Beatrice. However, the girl who was the linchpin of their plan ruefully bit her lip at the sight of the throng.

“…I’ve made a mistake.”

“What?”

“This blasphemy is fundamentally different from Nekt! This is closer to a curse or a hex than any proper magic. I suppose you could call it manipulation of souls themselves! This is not something a mere Shamak can deal with!”

Beatrice’s voice trembled with anger and distress. Hearing that, Subaru gritted his teeth.

He didn’t understand the principles at work in detail, but it was enough to know that Beatrice had judged that Operation Shamak could not be salvaged.

And the fact that the people in the square were being consumed by a tremendous wave of emotion far beyond the norm meant that—

“—It reeks.”

He heard a single word trickle out in a muted voice, like someone was casting a curse.

It was a vicious word that seemed to resent all existence.

“It reeks. It reeks. It reeks. It reeks. It reeks. It reeks. It reeks. Itreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeksreeks! It reeks! It reeks, it reeks, it reeks!!!”

A moment later, cracks ran along the icicle that had slammed into the upper portions of the time tower and impaled itself in the wall. In the span of a single breath, new fissures ran along the entirety of the mass of ice; an instant later, the icicle shattered into glimmering fragments.

Standing among that dazzling diamond dust, which scattered under the rays of the sun, a single eccentric stood.

She was not unscathed. Half of her white bandages were soaked with blood, and the tower’s white wall was marred by the ichor dripping from her dangling left arm. As she stepped clear of the fallen rubble, her gait seemed unsteady.

However, the insanity and ferocious emotions residing in the madwoman’s eye was nothing like what Subaru had known until then.

“It reeks…horribly… The stench of a woman. The filthy, abominable, awful stench of the half-demon that stole my precious from me. Even though you are not my precious, your fetid odor bears a remarkable resemblance. Aaaah, how dreadful!!”

On the scant remains of the tower’s top floor, Sirius clawed at her bloody bandages. He’d never seen her spit blood and send spittle flying as she shouted in pure hatred.

Even if she was just as insane as before, her madness was taking a very different form.

“Have you come to test my love, spirit?! Are you not satisfied with stealing my precious from me, filthy half-demon?!!”

Spreading both arms wide in anger, Sirius screamed and lunged forward.

As she hurtled from the top of the tower down toward the ground, the madwoman spouted flames from both hands as she raised them overhead. The crimson fire enveloped the chains around her hands, tracing a flaming trail behind her as Sirius landed in the square.

Landing on all fours, both of her hands still burning, she lifted her face.

She trained her eye upon Emilia, who held her ice sword at the ready, and Subaru, who was standing stiff— No, she was actually focused on Beatrice, who was standing out front as if to shield Subaru.

The next instant, Sirius shouted in a voice drenched in enough rage to burn the entire world to ashes.

“I am! A member of the Witch Cult! The Archbishop of Wrath!”

Bathed in the waves of heat emanating from those rising flames, the crowd in the square raised shrill voices, and all of them lifted their arms high.

The waves of insanity and flames were completely at odds with Subaru’s memories, and within that maelstrom, the madwoman introduced herself.

“—I am Sirius Romanée-Conti!! Shitty half-demon and shitty spirit, I will burn you both to ash, then scatter your remains before the grave of the husband you burned!!!”



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