3
—Capella Emerada Lugunica. That was the name the Archbishop of Lust had used to introduce herself.
Subaru hadn’t personally heard the introduction, but the name alone was more than enough to catch his attention. In particular, he couldn’t simply dismiss the Lugunica part.
“The only people with Lugunica as their family name should be in the royal family, right? Why claim that name?”
“Isn’t it just to mess with us? The royal family all dyin’ of illness is a pretty famous story, y’know?”
“There must be some kind of scheme behind it. I believe it would be hasty of us to dismiss the matter as nothing more than a prank in poor taste.”
Al and Crusch aired their respective opinions about the doubt that Subaru harbored.
Given this was the Witch Cult, either explanation was entirely possible and worth considering.
“—One thing does come to mind.”
It was then that Wilhelm raised a hand, cutting in with a new perspective.
“And what might that be?”
“While I do not have anything to add about the name Capella…there was most certainly a member of the Lugunica royal family who went by the name of Emerada Lugunica.”
“!!”
Everyone blinked in surprise at this unexpected reveal. Wilhelm touched his chin and half closed his blue eyes as he rummaged through his memories.
“Lady Emerada was alive prior to the Demi-human War…over fifty years ago. I have never met her personally, but records mention that she was a woman of exceptional beauty and wisdom.”
“So is this a case of them impersonating someone who actually existed? Maybe it’s an attempt to ruin someone’s good name?”
That would be a rather petty and spiteful thing to do, but such an unsavory pastime was far from unthinkable when the Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins were involved.
But then Wilhelm retorted with a quick “No,” shaking his head at Subaru’s remark.
“I do not know the opponent’s aim in doing this…but Lady Emerada was not someone who passed away with great deeds to her name. If anything, it is the opposite.”
“You mean…”
“Lady Emerada succumbed to illness at a young age. However, not only was her death not mourned by the kingdom, but she was also denied a state funeral, as would be standard. The stated reason was that conditions at the time were too dire to hold a formal ceremony. However, the real reason is that the kingdom’s people had no desire to do any such thing.”
Wilhelm’s explanation left Subaru with such a disturbing sense of foreboding that he said nothing. Noticing this, Wilhelm let out a tiny sigh.
“Lady Emerada was a terribly beautiful and wise person…but she was also reportedly cruel in the extreme, and constantly shrouded in an unfathomable darkness. As such, though she was part of the royal family, she was branded a heretic, and even news of her passing seemed to have been suppressed for some time.”
It must have been painful for Wilhelm to speak in uncertainties that reflected on the dignity of the kingdom he once served with his sword arm. He had sounded increasingly tongue-tied by the latter half of his tale.
In contrast, choosing to go by the name of Emerada seemed to be a comment on the poor character of Lust after this revelation.
“…There’s no way it’s the real person, so Lust is almost certainly just pretending to be Emerada.”
“Claiming the name of a royal who fell victim to illness is most likely an indirect form of harassment aimed at those who knew Emerada. I believe that most who masquerade as a member of the royal family do so to invite suspicion and mistrust.”
Wilhelm’s conclusion made everyone present sigh with unsettled looks.
Unlike Subaru and Al, who did not feel any particular allegiance toward the kingdom itself, Crusch and Wilhelm seemed stricken by what was happening.
However, the strongest reaction came from someone besides them.
“—That’s unforgivable.”
“Ferris?”
Murmuring in a low growl, Ferris was shaking a fist.
Though Ferris usually seemed ever aloof, rarely concerning himself with anything besides Crusch, he currently wore a mask of raw anger. The sight shocked Subaru.
Lust’s evil intentions were tantamount to spitting on the faces of the royal family of Lugunica. There was no doubt that to Ferris, a knight of the royal guard, this was a desecration of the highest order.
At the same time, Subaru sensed that there was another reason for Ferris’s rage that had nothing to do with fealty for the kingdom.
“—Ah.”
As Ferris harbored such deep, silent anger, Crusch moved close, gently taking his hand. Instantly, Ferris gasped and lifted his face, only to be met by Crusch’s steady gaze and soft smile.
“I-I’m sorry, Lady Crusch. I shouldn’t have lost control like that…”
“It is fine, Ferris. I am the one who should be sorry, for I suspect your anger is largely on my behalf.”
“ ”
From the way Ferris lowered his head, Crusch’s words must have hit the mark. It was probably true that Crusch’s lost memories were the source of his aggravation.
That they could not share that burden gnawed at him, undermining the powerful bonds that should have connected the liege and her retainer.
“Yes, yes, let’s all simmer down. Getting worked up at every little bit of mayhem our opponents cause would just be playing into their hand.”
It was then that Anastasia gathered everyone’s attention with a resounding clap. As Subaru had surmised, she was quite accustomed to presiding over meetings with large numbers of people. She looked at everyone in the room before continuing:
“Whatever Lust might be planning doesn’t change the fact that she’s our enemy. And it doesn’t change the fact that she holds the control towers, which means she has us by the scruff of our necks.”
“Man, you change up fast… No wonder you’re the one Princess pays the most attention to.”
“Why, thank you. The way you put it wasn’t the most comforting, though.”
As Anastasia restored their focus and cleared the air, Al praised her by using his own frame of reference, drawing a troubled smile from Anastasia. Then he twisted his neck and said, “If anything, these Archbishops are so messed up in the head that trying to find the logic in their plans is probably a waste of time. More importantly, what are we gonna do about their demands?”
“Demands? Wait, wait, this is news to me. What demands?”
“Ahh, right, I was just about to bring up the contents of Lust’s threat to get you up to speed, Natsuki.”
Subaru voiced his surprise at Al’s mention of demands, and Anastasia confirmed that an explanation was coming. Her word choice hinted at the menace they were facing.
“The Witch Cult took over the control towers and the city hall, but it would seem their objective is different than, say, destroying the city or massacring the residents. According to Lust, they’re searching for something, and threatening the populace is simply a means to that end,” Anastasia explained.
“Then…in other words, they’ve taken the city hostage as some act of terrorism?”
The reason he hadn’t ever considered the possibility of the Witch Cult doing this sort of thing was simply because terrorists took hostages as a means of negotiation. Such rational acts of evil didn’t match up with Subaru’s internal idea of what the Witch Cult stood for and how they operated.
“Natsuki, are you all right? You seem startled.”
“Nah, nah, I just didn’t see that coming from their crew… Sorry, getting sidetracked. Anyway, what are they looking for?”
It probably wasn’t anything decent. There was also the possibility that with Emilia already secured, they had already gotten what they came for, but from the looks of things, that was unlikely.
As Subaru made those deductions, Anastasia gently stroked the white fox scarf around her neck before she replied:
“—The Witch’s bones.”
“…What?”
That answer was so far beyond Subaru’s expectations that his brain was unable to process those words. While he was reeling, Anastasia spoke up again.
“The Witch’s bones. That’s why they came to this city.”
“ ”
When that incomprehensible fact was thrust in his face once more, Subaru’s words failed him.
Trying to imagine what the Witch’s bones were and their significance was a demand far beyond Subaru.
In the first place, the very notion of the Witch having left her bones behind as some sort of relic sounded like a complete hoax. After all—
“The Witch of Jealousy, who swallowed up half the world long ago, was never destroyed and continues to slumber in a land far to the East, still coveting the world—or so goes the tales that have been passed down for generations.”
Still holding Ferris’s hand, Crusch directly addressed the source of Subaru’s agitation. Swallowing, he simply responded with a “yeah” and a nod. “I heard that from Beako, too. The Witch of Jealousy isn’t dead; she’s just sealed away. But if that’s the case, then how would she leave bones behind?”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but remember his fleeting encounter with the Witch of Jealousy in the Sanctuary.
She was a black shadow of a woman who exchanged only several scant words with him in the span of a few moments—but for some reason, Subaru’s heart rejected, stubbornly, the notion that she was dead in any way. He had no choice but to reject it.
Subaru’s soul wanted to cry out: It’s impossible for her to be dead.
And someday—you will come to kill me, yes?
Yes, those words, which were not a real promise, demanded and begged for him to reject the possibility that the Witch was dead.
“That’s right. There’s no way that’s true. It can’t be…” The uneasiness filling Subaru made his breathing uneven.
“—Calm down, Bro. Look, about these Witch’s bones… It’s not like they have to belong to the infamous Witch of Jealousy, right?”
“—Wha?”
Al grasped his shoulder, speaking those words in an effort to soothe him. Everyone else in the room turned their eyes on Al, though they couldn’t see his expression under his steel helm.
“So how about it? Like Bro and the young duchess were sayin’, the most famous Witch was sealed away and all, but there were other Witches, too, right?”
“There are beings besides the Witch of Jealousy who we call witches as a term of convenience. During the Demi-human War, magic users cooperating with the Demi-human Alliance were often called witches as well, and they were greatly feared.”
“Meaning there’s a precedent. Then…”
“Well, it’s a little different for this city. If a witch is mentioned here, then it must be about a real one rather than some imitation who’s only a witch in name.”
Wilhelm had been the first to answer Al, but Anastasia’s follow-up confidently drew a conclusion that Subaru found difficult to accept.
“From that manner of speaking…I take it that Lady Anastasia has something in mind?”
“Even I wouldn’t be talking like this if I wasn’t almost certain. The reason I wanted to meet up with Kiritaka after hearing Lust’s broadcast is because of that same hunch, even if it meant going out of my way to make it happen.”
Anastasia narrowed her light-blue eyes as she divulged what she’d kept hidden up to that point. She then surveyed everyone’s faces all at once.
“Anyone can find this out with a little digging, but does everyone know how this Water Gate City came to be?”
“…I heard that way back, this was originally supposed to be a trap for catching something.”
Subaru recalled that upon first arriving in Pristella, Beatrice had given him a history lesson as he admired the beautiful urban landscape. She hadn’t elaborated on exactly what was supposed to be trapped, though.
“That’s correct,” said Anastasia, nodding at Subaru’s reply. “Apparently, this city was a trap set for the Witch. The Witch met her end here when the entire place was flooded. According to legend, her bones remain somewhere in this city, even today.”
“But the Witch of Jealousy was sealed and…”
The full story about the city’s past had been revealed in an unexpected fashion. Still, nothing seemed to add up.
As Subaru began to disagree—
“—Typhon drowned in a flood, right…? So this is where that happened, huh?”
—he was interrupted by a faint, halting murmur that originated from inside a steel helm.
“ ”
When Subaru looked over in surprise at the unanticipated mention of a certain name, Al was blithely playing with the metal fixtures of his helmet, having fallen deep into thought. But Subaru had no doubt that he’d just said the name Typhon.
This was the name of the Witch of Pride, one of the six other Witches from the same era as the Witch of Jealousy.
“The answer to your question is simple, Natsuki. There are Witches besides the Witch of Jealousy. There are almost no records remaining, but there certainly are oral legends. And one of them states that in this city…”
“—This is where the bones of the ancient Witch remain.”
Neither Anastasia nor Crusch heard Al’s murmur as they steadily advanced the conversation. As a result, Subaru missed his chance to investigate deeper into Al’s cryptic remark.
Of course, when he took a moment to consider their current priorities, it was obvious this wasn’t the time to get sidetracked.
But if what Al murmured under his breath really was true, the Witch of Pride, whom Subaru had encountered at the Sanctuary—the Witch who was a bundle of youthful innocence—had perished in the very city that Subaru currently stood in.
The thought alone made Subaru’s chest ache.
“What is the connection between the Witch’s bones and Lady Anastasia making haste to meet with Master Kiritaka?”
Returning to the topic at hand, Crusch once again asked about Anastasia’s true intentions. Anastasia began her reply by winking.
“The existence of the Witch’s bones is a closely held secret in the Water Gate City…and the only people familiar with the legends and supposed whereabouts are on the Council of Ten. I figured I might as well try asking one.”
“Meaning only the big shots of the city have any idea… Anastasia, does that mean what I think it means? That you think it’s better to give in to Lust’s demands?”
“Of course not. Complying with someone who threatens people to get what they want will only end with you being taken advantage of every single time. Anyway, I just wanted to confirm the current location of the bones… There’s no guarantee that one of the Council of Ten won’t do something stupid and tell Lust where they are, right?”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
Unlike Subaru’s shallow mindset, Anastasia’s assessments were swift and accurate.
Negotiating with terrorists often did make things worse. In their current situation, the Archbishops would almost certainly flood the city the instant they recovered the Witch’s bones.
That was how assured Subaru was about their deceitful character.
“See, I was looking into the details of this while you were asleep, Natsuki. When Kiritaka makes it up here, we can talk about these bones in more detail. Then we can decide on a proper response.”
“By ‘response,’ you mean…”
“—Whether to fight or to flee, of course.”
There was quiet determination in Anastasia’s low voice. It was as if an angry blue flame had been lit within her.
“I’m the one who called all the royal-selection candidates here to Pristella. Of course I feel responsible for the way things have turned out… I need to extract some compensation from these unexpected visitors after all they’ve done.”
Anastasia was the owner of a major company who didn’t have any notable ability in combat worth speaking of. And yet her soft-spoken pronouncement made Subaru feel like a great beast had just clamped its fangs down on his neck.
This was a sharp reminder that Anastasia Hoshin was one of the last people he wanted as an enemy.
“—Ahh, wait, wait. The conversation mirror’s responding! It must be Julius and the others.”
Just as the conversation reached a lull, Ferris raised a hand with a look of surprise. He was holding the metia up, showing how the mirror’s surface glowed white in search of a response.
Setting it down on the round table so that everyone could see, Ferris gently touched the surface of the mirror with his hand.
“—It seems that Ferris and…everyone else is over there. I take it you can see me?”
A tall, handsome man with purple hair rose to the mirror’s surface. It was Julius Juukulius, who had gone out into the city to save lives.
As soon as it was clear that Julius was on the other end, Anastasia rushed to place herself in front of the mirror with a rapid patter of feet.
“Julius, I was getting worried after you didn’t get in touch for a while. How’s it looking outside?”
“I am very sorry to have troubled you. The situation in the city is chaotic. The residents are becoming increasingly enraged by the Witch Cult… More importantly, there is something I must urgently convey without delay.”
Quickly cutting his reunion with Anastasia short, Julius instantly vanished from the mirror’s surface. Displayed in the mirror in the stead of the tall, handsome man was a little cat-person wearing a monocle—TB.
It turned out that he, one of the three sibling lieutenants of the Iron Fangs, had been accompanying Julius.
“TB? What’s wrong? You seem upset…”
“L-Lady Anastasia, this is very, very bad. Has my older sister returned yet?”
Interrupting Anastasia, TB asked a frantic question. Bewildered by his disheveled appearance, Anastasia answered with a quick no, shaking her head.
“Mimi hasn’t been back. I was worried about her, too…TB?”
A profound sense of dread could be felt from the other side of the mirror. However, there was still more to come. Suddenly, what looked like a ripple glided across the conversation mirror’s glass surface.
“Excuse me! Is Lady Anastasia there?! This is bad! Hetaro says that Mimi’s in trouble!”
An instant later, the third of the linked conversation mirrors connected to the call. Displayed on the mirror’s surface was the dog-man Ricardo, staring into the mirror with his mouth wide open. But as soon as the image became clear, Ricardo’s head was immediately pushed aside by a teary-eyed kitty-person.
“Lady! Lady!! Big Sis is— She’s…!!”
The one pleading in a tearful voice was Hetaro, TB’s almost identical-looking brother. While the boy normally wore a meek expression, his face now was twisted up in abject sorrow.
“Hetaro, calm down. What happened? Speak slowly and clearly.”
“Th-the effects of our blessing— It’s flowing from Big Sis and into us! Sh-she must’ve gotten hurt really bad… At this rate, Big Sis won’t…!”
“‘Blessing’… You mean the blessing of thirds, yes? In other words, Mimi got injured at some point, and it’s affecting Hetaro and TB, too? Do I have it right so far?”
Hetaro and TB nodded simultaneously to confirm Anastasia’s deductions.
Listening to the conversation from behind, Subaru recalled hearing from Mimi that the blessing of thirds—the one that tied the three siblings together—made them share wounds and fatigue.
Once upon a time back at the Roswaal Manor, a sudden change came over Ram when Rem had been in danger. This was similar to what Mimi and her brothers had—which meant Mimi was currently in trouble.
Urgency raced through everyone present, including on the other ends of the conversation mirrors, as they grasped this new development. Just as they processed the striking revelation that one of their own was clearly in mortal danger—
“Yoo-hoo, yoo-hoo-hoo, yahoo-hoo!”
—a brash voice that seemed to not care about the situation at all reverberated throughout the city.
“What the…?”
Subaru, unsure how to react to this abrupt announcement, instinctively turned his face toward the ceiling. The voice was coming from somewhere above. Not from the ceiling, but quite literally from the sky itself.
This was the work of a metia that reached every corner of the city—and the one using the municipal office’s facilities to make this broadcast was the same Archbishop of Lust who had come up in conversation several times already.
“To all you meatbags in the city: Are you having fun? Have you gotten hammered and horny from hearing my lovely voice for the umpteenth time today? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
It was a high-pitched, grating laugh. That haughty voice paid no heed to the feelings of those who were forced to listen. This was an assault on the ears of every person in the city.
It had only taken Subaru moments to come to a realization—the person making this broadcast had a vicious, ugly character.
“So this is Lust… Man, does she have perfect timing or what?!”
“Now then, all you meatbags who can’t help but get hot and heavy at the sound of a beautiful girl’s voice, I have a very important announcement from your oh-so-gentle and merciful broadcaster! So listen up! Pay attention! Cleaned out your ears yet?!”
In contrast to Subaru, who was unable to conceal his restlessness, those hearing this kind of broadcast for the second time displayed a variety of reactions. Wariness, anger, hatred—in any case, they were not nearly as shaken while waiting for the words that were bound to follow.
What was the owner of this maddening, agonizing voice going to tell them?
“Soooo it turns out that even though I asked you so, so nicely, a couple of people who clearly didn’t get the message decided to target the municipal offices… This upsets me so much! Really, I can’t exaggerate what complete and total morons you ignorant meatbags are!”
“…We’re not putting up with this anymore. Ricardo, Julius, listen closely: Go back to the municipal offices with Hetaro and TB and have them find out where Mimi wen—”
As the broadcast continued, Anastasia decided to address the most pressing issue. She gave orders to her knight and her loyal hound through the conversation mirrors to try and secure Mimi’s safety.
However, even as Anastasia strove to maintain her calm, the change in the situation made sport of even her.
—And this came in what was, to all concerned, the worst of all possible forms.
“—Who goes there?!”
Abruptly, Wilhelm shouted sharply toward the entrance to the conference room. As the Sword Devil readied his now-drawn blade, Subaru and the others turned in the same direction.
An instant later, the door practically burst open as a lone figure raced into the conference room.
For a moment, the sudden appearance of an intruder startled Subaru and the others, but the first to shed his surprise and raise his voice was none other than Subaru himself.
“Garfiel?!”
The familiar voice made Garfiel, out of breath and slick with sweat, lift his face.
Noticing Subaru’s presence, he drew near with a tottering, uncertain gait. Subaru only belatedly realized the cause of this uncharacteristic behavior and the strange atmosphere that had befallen the room.
Garfiel was carrying something in his arms.
No one was able to speak a word as Garfiel stopped before Subaru. Once he got that far, Garfiel crumpled to his knees, lowering his head as if clinging to Subaru.
Then when he presented what lay in his bloodied arms, his throat trembled.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, General!! I’m…! I’m useless! Worthless…!!”
There was a shriek. Garfiel howled in grief.
Cradled in his bloodied arms was Mimi, who was visibly at death’s door.
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