6
“Thank you! Thank you! My apologies for such an embarrassing sight.”
“You…”
With her performance over, and after the ripples of her singing voice had faded, and she had finished introducing herself to her tearful audience, the Songstress faded away and Liliana took her place.
When Liliana winked awkwardly and gave Subaru a thumbs-up, his shoulders slumped—not because of some inexplicable emotion but because of his own exasperation.
“So you’ve returned to your senses. That is quite the accomplishment by the diva.”
“I don’t really have room to argue. You seemed fine even without the song, though…and for some reason that actually makes sense to me. Wrath’s Authority was creating a resonance with everyone’s emotions.”
For Priscilla, whose ego was so strong and whose sympathetic impulses were so limited, it made sense that the effect of Wrath’s Authority would be weaker. At least that was how Subaru interpreted it, given the calm demeanor she had projected both before and after the song.
The pandemonium in the shelter was unmistakably the effect of Sirius’s ability. The worst possible outcome had been avoided thanks to Liliana’s song, but it gave Subaru chills to think of what might have happened without her.
Most likely, the original impetus had been something trivial, but everyone in the shelter was under intense stress from the oppressive, closed-off atmosphere and the presence of a dangerous group in the city. And when they were unable to fully manage that pressure, darker thoughts started to slip into their hearts, which Sirius’s Authority then amplified until even the most minor friction with someone else in the shelter could set it all off. And when it exploded, the resulting damage created a pandemic of intense emotions that could lead only to tragedy.
And that was—
“That is the unsightly, meaningless reality currently occurring everywhere around the city.”
“ ”
“You described this unpleasant atmosphere as an Authority, did you not? ‘Wrath’s Authority.’”
“…Yeah, that’s right. This is the work of one of the Witch Cult Archbishops.”
Priscilla’s crimson eyes narrowed in distaste. Even without the effects of any Authority, Subaru could sympathize with the ire resting deep within her gaze.
Subaru had thought he had a sufficiently healthy respect for how dangerous Sirius’s ability to amplify and propagate emotions was, but his understanding had been too simplistic. It seemed all too possible now that Wrath’s Authority had extended its reach across every part of Pristella.
And the majority of people in the city had fled to the shelters. If they felt the effects of that ability with so much fear and unease in their hearts, the potential for disaster would be unimaginable.
“The careful training to always go to the shelters if anything happens has totally played into their hands here.”
If Wrath’s ability could share and amplify people’s emotions, the strength of the effect should be proportional to the number of people inside the area of effect. The people around you became mirrors for emotions, and you in turn became a mirror for them, accelerating and amplifying the effect.
People being near others strengthened Wrath’s ability and increased its potential to infect more people and spread. This observation spoke to the lie Sirius was hiding. Hers was not a power for allowing people to understand one another at all. It was a nightmarish power that forced people to isolate themselves and remain alone in a situation where fear and unease dominated the mood.
“That makes me a tiny smidge vexed, so I believe I shall have to hold out a bit longer.”
“Liliana…”
Subaru absorbed Liliana’s words with quiet surprise as she pointed to the deepening furrows in her brow.
It was clear now that her music had the ability to free people from Sirius’s Authority. And she, fully aware that it had that effect, had been traveling from shelter to shelter, singing as she went.
—When she had been staying at Roswaal’s manor and her music had invited trouble, she had gone so far as to say “I don’t want my singing to be used as a tool,” even when her life was hanging in the balance.
For that same Liliana to use her singing like this—
“What the situation calls for is captivating people with song, which is right up my alley!” Liliana said with another lousy wink.
There was no denying she was the city’s Songstress.
“So then that goal you mentioned before is helping Liliana go around to all the shelters?” Subaru asked Priscilla.
If that was the case, that would mean Priscilla was also acting out of concern about the chaos that had struck the city. Right as Subaru was on the verge of reconsidering his view of her and realizing that perhaps he had badly misunderstood what lay in her heart, that train of thought was suddenly interrupted.
“Fool, as if I would bother with something so inconsequential as that.”
Subaru pursed his lips at the textbook Priscilla response.
“Inconsequential? …Fine, then what is your goal? Why are you visiting all the shelters?”
“I’m looking for Schult. If I don’t, he will almost certainly cry. And I cannot stand seeing a child’s teary face.”
“ ”
Subaru’s mind froze at the unexpected response. It was something only Priscilla would say. Not noticing his reaction, Priscilla shrugged as if to indicate she had little choice in the matter.
“Al can take care of himself. The fate of another fool is of no concern to me. But Schult’s charm is irreplaceable, so I have to recover him personally. He’s quite the troublesome retainer.”
Considering there were no stronger emotions in her voice, it was a fair guess that was how she really felt. But the reason she gave for moving around a city embroiled in such trouble—to search for her lost young retainer—was not something Subaru had expected.
It was surprising, but he could accept it. It was indisputable that she was busily walking around looking for her servant, after all. And she just happened to be helping Liliana with her goal as well in the process.
“What’s that look on your face?”
Priscilla looked over at him suspiciously, but Subaru waved it off with a vague “It’s nothing” and a sigh. But he felt like he understood. And that was enough, given the situation.
Taking a deep breath and filling his lungs, Subaru looked out at the now-stable mood of the shelter.
“This shelter should be fine now. I’m going to go now like I said before. I need to meet back up with everyone.”
“Aye-aye! Lady Priscilla and I are going to another shelter now. Music is still needed… I am grateful to be a bard, so now’s the time to cash in and earn some more self-respect!”
“Phrasing!”
Despite the grave situation, Subaru could not help laughing and latching on to how she put it.
He turned to Priscilla again. It had only been a short while, but he was grateful for the many things she had given him. He never would have guessed the day would come when he could interact with her so genuinely.
“Thank you for all your help. Let’s meet again after all this is over. And you should really look for Al, too.”
“As if I would lend an ear to anyone’s instructions. I will simply do as I please. You should run along now and worry about cleansing this city’s befouled waters. If you manage to actually accomplish something, I shall personally reward you.”
“Just so you know, unlike your retainers, I don’t have any particular interest in licking your boots.”
And with that, Subaru turned away from them as Liliana saluted, and Priscilla was not even bothering to look at him anymore. He departed from the shelter and started racing through the city.
Priscilla and Liliana would head to another shelter to stop another latent explosion of emotion that was just waiting to go off. He could trust them to take care of that, so Subaru would need to follow through on his own role.
“First is Muse… If everyone is still okay, then that’s where they would go.”
The Muse Company was far from the fourth district. But he had all the motivation he needed. All that was left was to steel his nerve.
This isn’t even close to being over. Not by a long shot. And I’m going to prove it.
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