CHAPTER 100: MEMORIES BURIED IN DUST
—Searching blind isn't going to get them anywhere.
This was the conclusion Subaru reached after running around the village in search of the missing Lewes, overtaxing his lungs, every breath excruciating and painful.
Subaru: “—Haaah, haahh, haaaa...”
Hands to his knees, his shoulders heaving violently, Subaru parcels oxygen into his aching lungs. The mental fatigue from the past few days contributes to the heaviness in his feet, as if they were jammed full with lead. Even breathing is difficult.
Otto: “Are you alright, Natsuki-san? I truly have to say, you're excessively quick to tire.”
Subaru: “Shut, up... Kinda, just remembered something right now... I was still in the middle of medical treatment, and with all the problems that've come up since coming here, my exhaustion's definitely hit peak...”
Otto: “Right right, I hear your sour grumblings of defeat. Now, sit down over there for a moment. Let's give ourselves a rest and use the break to think. I'll go fetch us some water.”
Says Otto, only lightly puffed, to an entirely exhausted Subaru. He points to a shaded tree, indicating it to Subaru, before heading off toward the waterin' spot to get some water. Watching Otto go, and grimacing at how pathetic his own self is, Subaru seats himself in the tree-shade and concentrates on calming his breathing.
Subaru: “—”
It's been about an hour of sprinting around SANCTUARY in search of Lewes Theta, now. He and Otto were presently engaging in human wave tactics for it, but presently nothing has come of it. Their inability to openly recruit more helpers results form the same rationale as not doing it for Emilia's search. They must not let the citizens of SANCTUARY or the evacuees know that Lewes, representative of the place, has gone missing and seemingly abandoned her post. And because Garfiel is thinking in the exact same way, he's probably searching alone.
Subaru: “Emilia's...”
Speaking with entire sincerity, Subaru would rather worry about Emilia's well-being than Lewes Theta's. He doubted she would pull anything rash, but considering how mentally feeble she would be in her current probably-alone state, the desire strikes him to immediately dash to her side and support her. But the real priorities exist unfeeling, and indeed Lewes holds higher precedence. Subaru's self-interests have no room to butt in on that.
If only Ram's separate search effort could find Emilia for us, he thought.
Subaru: “Feels like that'd mean conceding something to Roswaal though.”
Ram is pretty plainly on Roswaal's side. She is assisting in the Emilia search out of concern for Roswaal's future societal well-being, and not out of support for Subaru and Otto. Her efforts in backing Roswaal just happen to aid Subaru and Otto this time.
The optimal flow would be for Subaru and Otto to secure Lewes, then dovetail into securing Emilia. If Subaru can spearhead both these conversations, that would be best. But ideals remain ideals. Empty rhetoric. Counting chickens before they etc.
Subaru: “Things stay like this, and we're gonna hit time without securing either of them. That's the absolute worst case, absolutely cannot happen. ...Have to do something.”
Stewing over it will not present him any results. Would it not be more worthwhile to concentrate on combing through SANCTUARY, than stopping to ruminate like this?
Subaru: “But if that would find them, Garfiel should find them first. An hour's gone by already. He can get around at more than twice the speed as me and Otto, and him not finding them yet means...”
—Lewes was fleeing, without even Garfiel finding her.
Subaru: “—”
Thinking that far, Subaru feels a tugging in his mind, his breath stopping. Something here is off. Lewes was fleeing from Garfiel. That much is fine. Or no, it's not fine. Why was Lewes fleeing from Garfiel? Wasn't Lewes Theta fleeing because she wanted to avoid interaction with Subaru? Subaru's thoughts had been that she didn't want to encounter him and have to talk about challenging the TRIAL, and so she'd gone into hiding and was waiting for her rotation to end.
But there was something strange about this. If Theta's motives were truly to reject conversation with Subaru, and distance him, then all she had to do was mention that desire to Garfiel. Should Garfiel have clear reason to, he would not hesitate a moment in removing Subaru. And if Garfiel seriously attacked him, Subaru had no means to fight back.
If Theta is truly intending to keep her past a secret, she should incite Garfiel into this. Why hadn't she done this, had gone without doing this?
Subaru: “She's running, because she wants to be chased... maybe?”
Otto: “No, surely you run because you wouldn't want to be caught. What are you talking about?”
Subaru touches his chin as he mutters, for a killjoy to interject. He looks up to find Otto, flabbergasted and with a pitcher of water in his hand, presenting the drink.
Otto: “Although I do understand what it's like to get discombobulated with so many things to think about. Back when I spent four consecutive days without sleeping, dashing around doing business negotiations, on that last day I was loopy.”
Subaru: “Stockpiling that war story away for a chat over tea another time, anyway it's not like I've gone crazy. ...I'm not crazy, I don't think.”
Otto: “You've lost your confidence about it.”
Accepting the presented drink, Subaru gulps the water down from the pitcher's watering-can spout. Relishing in the coldness slipping down his throat, Subaru organizes his muddled words. Subaru: “What's your take on why Lewes-san's disappeared?” Otto: “...That'd be because she'd rather not participate in an inconvenient discussion, wouldn't it?
Regardless of whether she's willing or not, if she comes across you today, she'll have to have that talk. ...Well, considering the fact that she can't leave for the outside, I cannot deny that it feels like a stopgap.”
Subaru: “Right, it's a stopgap. But you know if Lewes-san seriously wanted to do something about the problem from the bottom up, she's got an easy way to do it?” Otto: “—You mean Garfiel.”
Otto scrunches his brows as he crosses his arms, in thought. Otto: “Yes, that logic does... which means, perhaps Lewes-san would rather Garfiel not know about her disagreement with you, Natsuki-san.”
Subaru: “But that said, Garfiel's already suspecting that we're involved in it. Straight out, hearing his theory about how any abnormal events happening in SANCTUARY right now're because of us tripping the flags had my jaw dropped.”
Garfiel's ideas had pierced accurately to the core of it. Either way, the root cause of Lewes' disappearance has leaked to Garfiel. Lewes should be a capable enough person that she could anticipate what Garfiel would think of her actions.
Subaru: “Meaning there's two conceivable possibilities.”
Otto: “The possibility that she is truly hiding, thinking that she must not meet either yourself or Garfiel. And...” Subaru: “The chance she knew we'd search like this, and's waiting to be found... maybe.” If it's the former situation, then Subaru and Otto will likely have to throw in the towel. If petite
Lewes sincerely attempts to hide, then definitely she can buy enough time to waste half a day. The only one who could find her would probably be Garfiel, with his initiative and sense of smell. But if it's the latter situation, it's a fifty-fifty between Subaru's group and Garfiel. And in that case, Lewes would surely have made proper preparations for them.
—If a method other than blindly searching at random has potential to find her, then... Subaru: “We should search somewhere related to Lewes-san.”
Otto: “But in that saying, she was absent from her house... And her legitimate home is where Emilia-sama went missing, making that situation even more problematic.”
Subaru: “Right, you're right. Really doubt she's gone to Roswaal's, and the test site... is probably where Garfiel went first. Meaning...”
Where there's an equal chance for Subaru and Garfiel, not somewhere that Garfiel would immediately investigate first, the place Theta would choose would be...
Subaru: “...Otto, I think I got it.”
Otto: “T-truly? From just this minute conversation? You're certain you're not misapprehending?”
Subaru: “No clue why you're being negative on me, this's likely to be it. Or actually if this isn't it, then that's basically the towel.”
Nodding at the stunned Otto, Subaru gulps down all the remaining water in the pitcher. He wipes his mouth as he stands up, gazing in the direction of his IDEA. If Theta was there, then she had not fled. She had simply been waiting in a spot appropriate for this conversation.
Waiting for Subaru, or perhaps waiting for Garfiel.
Subaru: “Don't you damn notice this, Garfiel. —We're gonna be finishing up the interview with your guardian before you can.”
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Fortuna: “We're about to have an important talk, so could you wait here for just a second?”
Emilia: “Yes, Mother Fortuna.”
Replied Emilia obediently to Fortuna, who had brought the girl to the Princess Room and instructed her to wait. A smile arose on Emilia's face at Fortuna's send-off, and Fortuna's eyes widened slightly in seeing in. But she then stroked Emilia's long, silver hair, and just gave a gloomy sigh.
Until now, Emilia had displayed plain and extreme dissatisfaction about staying in the Princess Room. While Emilia had intended to hide her displeasure, those puffed-up red cheeks and averted eyes would inform anyone of the young girl's piled displeasure. That simple-to-decode attitude of Emilia's had been absent for a while now. Of course Fortuna would think it suspicious.
Fortuna: “...Emilia.”
Emilia: “Whaaaat?”
Fortuna: “—Nevermind. It's nothing.”
With her hand entwined in the girl's hair, and having been on the verge of asking some question, Fortuna shook her head. She departed Emilia and her innocent gaze with a quiet smile. Something about this did not feel right to her, but she would best welcome Emilia's lack of fuss. She was also making the visitors wait, and so for the moment, Fortuna accepted Emilia's attitude.
Emilia waved Fortuna goodbye, and the sound of the door's bar clunking into place to echoed from beyond the thing's closed face. The door to the room was soundly locked, and Emilia was alone in the Princess Room. —Or no. Lately, that had not been the case.
Emilia: “It's safe to come out now.”
Emilia waited for a minute to confirm that Fortuna was not coming back, before calling to somebody in whisper. She was naturally the only figure present in the room, and there would clearly be nobody to answer her—when the pale-blue lights crossed into the somewhat bright chamber.
Emilia looked at them, glowing their dim glow, for her amethyst eyes to waver in delight. These were the mysterious creatures which Emilia had abruptly become capable of consciously interacting with during her time in the Princess Room—the fairies, as Emilia called them. Truly they were minor spirits, and while Emilia's name for them was close, the nuance was slightly disjointed. Regardless, the minor spirits went without chiding young Emilia for her rudeness.
Emilia: “Fairies, thank you for today again.”
Said the girl, thanking them for giving her company. The lights expressed themselves by dancing about, gleaming.
Emilia: “—”
Emilia gazed at the sight of the dancing spirits. Her recognition that these lights were good allies to her simultaneously intensified. Once they sprinted into this room she had believed lonely and isolated, they would do everything they could to help Emilia fulfil her desires. Whenever Emilia neglected in proper vigilance, and she was close to being spotted while walking around outside, they would indirectly inform her about it.
—She had made countless escapes from the Princess Room, now.
Apparently no one noticed the penetrable gap in the roots of the tree, for Emilia succeeded in constant escapes from the room through that passage. Her forceful manoeuvring at the beginning meant she had injured herself and damaged her clothes, but now that she had worked out the knack to it, those things no longer presented concern. She had used excuses two, three times in sequence about her dirtied clothes, and it had been getting really about time for them to stop working and for Fortuna to realise what was happening. A close call.
Emilia: “She definitely was sooo suspicious. But it's all ok now. Hehem.”
Emilia puffed out her chest as she bragged of her improvements, and the blue glimmers frolicked around her head in praise of her. It stung her eyes very quickly, giddied her.
So while Emilia had been escaping on the regular, her grand adventures outside ultimately amounted to cute little capers. She would peep on the adults' conversations and eavesdrop as she had the first time, or eat the fruit from the trees without permission, or sneak into people's houses and move the objects around, leaving them there, that par of mischief. But mischief is a thing which compounds in intensity, and not even a homespun girl like Emilia presented any exception to that.
Emilia: “Okay. Say it's about time to head out today.”
Fairies: “—”
The lights swayed in agreement with Emilia, and with this heartening reinforcement, she magnificently escaped the Princess Room. She spread out the gap between the branches, considerably slackened from these repeated ventures, winched her little body into the opening, and dragged herself out of the tree-hollow. Emilia tumbled down the moment she exited the hole to land on a soft cushion of piled leaves. This was an escape device that she had prepared over countless tumbles and falls.
Emilia: “What'll I do today?”
Emilia asked the lights beside her as she plucked the leaves out of her hair. She knew that they wouldn't speak back, but seeing them respond by strobing the intensity of their gleam made her know that she was not alone. It was fine and good that she was outside, but her usual deeds were not anything quiet. Her mischief had leaked as being her doings, and it might even leak that she had been escaping the Princess Room. The hole getting plugged would be no good at all.
Emilia: “Gotta play it hands off 'till the fires cool down.”
Muttered Emilia as she affected the air of a crafty criminal before walking around the village without any particular intention. Everybody would be in the square in the middle of the woods, just starting their talk with the black-cloaks like always. The black-cloaked people would give presents, and the adults would accept them. Mother Fortuna would talk with the tall man during this exchange, and after sighting him countless times, Emilia had noticed people calling him ROMANÉE-CONTI or JUICE. She herself mentally referred to him as JUICE.
But even though she had found the adults' conversations enrapturing at first, repeated occurrences of eavesdropping had robbed them of their freshness, and Emilia steadily tired of them. Fortuna and Juice would talk about lots of things that young Emilia did not understand. That she still frequently listened in on them was because they would mention her mom and dad's names like they had the first time, and Emilia reckoned she could learn where they were and what they were doing. Very unfortunately, Emilia's plots had yet to succeed.
Emilia: “Hokay...”
How about sneaking onto the wagons that Juice's group owned?
If Emilia slipped her small body into the shadow of the luggage of those canopied wagons, she could probably be ferried outside of the forest very easily. Emilia had yet to see Juice and the others inspect the wagons when they left the woods. With the fairies' help, she should at least be able to find an opening and sneak in.
Emilia: “...Hrm.”
After thinking in this vein, Emilia immediately gave up with a: No way I could. Because attempting to leave the forest would violate her most important promise to Mother Fortuna. —She absolutely must not leave the forest. There were lots of things outside that would be scary for her, and it would be dangerous for her until she grew up, so no! Was how she had been firmly instructed.
That she was not selfish enough to, although already breaking a rule that very moment, dismiss other promises as the same case and break them as well was the virtue of this girl called Emilia. And thus she scrapped in the draft phase her plans of escaping hidden in the wagon. By deciding that there were other ways she could find out what her mother and father were doing.
Emilia: “—Hup, hup.”
During her time spent thinking, Emilia arrived at the spot where the adults and Juice's group were talking. Emilia darted up a nearby tree, lay belly-down atop the branches, and strained her ears. As always, Fortuna and Juice were chatting off to the side while the deliveries were going on. But Fortuna's expression today was especially warm.
Fortuna: “Emilia's been so cheerful lately, and sooo full of energy. Though it's really troublesome how she keeps getting covered in mud and dirtying her clothes.”
Juice: “Gracious me... it is good to hear that she is well. If your will suits, we will provide you with replacement apparel. The cold season will soon visit outside the woodlands, so I am sure many garments shall be discarded in favour of dress more apt for the season.”
Fortuna: “We're already imposing entirely on you, and now it's like we're demanding things too, I really am so sorry. ...Will that include adult's clothes?”
Juice: “Certainly. I am sure you will look very nice in them, Fortuna-sama.”
Said Juice, his expression mild, for a complex shade to arise on Fortuna's face. She scratched her cheek embarrassedly.
Fortuna: “...Where could you've learned to say that? I know we've known each other a long time, but since when have you been able to tell these jokes?”
Juice: “I was merely voicing my honest appraisal? I must have said something peculiar.”
Fortuna: “With your nature I know you're not lying, which really makes dealing with this impossible...”
Fortuna put her hand to her forehead with her expression astonished. However, the smile etched over her lips proved that she assuredly did not find that exchange unpleasant. Or no, actually, it in fact looked that maybe, Fortuna enjoyed that exchange.
Emilia: “...Hmp.”
For some reason, seeing her mother looking like that made Emilia feel unamused. Fortuna tended to give the impression that a stern face was the norm for her, and her showing such a plainly gentle expression happened rarely to her fellows, and often to Emilia. It was like something important of her mother's had been stolen, and it peeved her.
Emilia: “Hhrmph, dumb Juice.”
Said Emilia, lashing out at somebody in her one-sided acquaintance. She puffed out her cheeks, determining that if Juice continued to not say anything she found interesting in this conversation, she would pull some kind of mischief on his wagon today.
Maybe make cloths catch in the wheels, or spill oils on the luggage bed. Such were Emilia's petty revenges, but these heart-rending scenes of vengeful tragedy would not be occurring.
Juice: “—Now then, is the seal fine?”
Juice lowered his voice as he asked Fortuna the usual question. Fortuna nodded, and like always,
Fortuna: “No changes. Same as always, it's a sturdy thing.”
Juice: “For that is its purpose. Regardless, the season is the season. While the predicament may be cyclical, this year notably hosts many nights where the moon is hidden, and the mana circulation is insufficient. I find myself wondering if perhaps, it may negatively influence the seal deep in the forest as well... I cannot keep from the anxiety.”
Fortuna: “The moon... of course, agreed. So that's why the forest's lesser spirits have been doing poorly lately. ...Understood. It's not impossible the seal could loosen, so after this I'll go check it myself.”
Juice: “I bid you may.”
Fortuna responded to Juice's bow with a serious gaze and a prompt nod. While eavesdropping on their conversation, Emilia muttered, “Deep in the forest...” to herself.
Emilia had explored essentially the whole of the elf village. She naturally had conquered all the places in the forest where Fortuna permitted she may go, and while she would not voice the sentiment, she did think of the forest as her own garden. But not even Emilia could envision this DEEP IN THE FOREST place that Fortuna and Juice were talking about. Most likely it meant one of the places deep in the woods that had been deemed off limits—so they were hiding things again. Emilia's dissatisfaction entirely compounded.
This was where Emilia's dissatisfaction piled to the utmost. They had said nothing about her parents that Emilia wanted to know—as always—and even her once-exciting adventures outside the Princess Room were getting trite. And to top it off, despite how they talked themselves blue about the things Emilia mustn't do, the adults themselves were both lying and keeping secrets, and so much proof for that had arisen just in this short timespan.
—How about she give everyone some trouble?
Who could fault Emilia for thinking this? Nobody faulted or criticized Emilia's mischievous spirit back then. They had allowed it to swell, which accelerated the coming of THEN.
And so were there anybody who would fault Emilia for this, it would be Emilia herself. She could rebuke her own self's past foolishness beyond compare, and it would still not suffice for all the sins that resulted.
—But those future regrets do not reach young Emilia.
Just when Emilia rolled up her sleeves with misplaced motivation, Fortuna and Juice finished their talk. The exchanging of goods also ended without any problems, Juice's group bowed, and the adults saluted their departure.
Emilia easily sprung down from the branches before speeding back to the Princess Room. She soared through the gap in the tree roots, reaching the hollow, before frantically composing an alibi. She quickly finished some drawings, changed her dolls' clothes, and gobbled down her sweets. It was when she finished her work and wiped the sweat from her brow that she heard Fortuna calling from outside.
Fortuna: “Sorry for the wait, Emilia. Were you a good girl today?”
Emilia: “Ueh... I-I was a good girl. I was. Mm, yes, I was very good.”
Fooled her with my great performance, thought Emilia with her expression satisfied. Fortuna silently narrowed her eyes as she stared at the girl. Although she felt uncomfortable with the sharpness of the gaze, Emilia judged that doing anything strange here would only intensify Fortuna's suspicions.
Emilia: “W-what is it, Mother Fortuna? Looking at me like that, when me, I haven't done anything. I ate my sweets, drew pictures, and played with my dolls. I didn't go outside at all. I'm telling the truth.”
Fortuna: “—Well, then it's all fine.”
It appeared Emilia's acting had deceived Fortuna utterly. Although it did guilt her to deceive her mom, Emilia scolded herself that she must not be bothered by this, and proceeded to plan out the script for her merciless revenge.
Fortuna and Juice had talked about a SEAL or something deep in the woods. SEAL meant it was a place where they were hiding something, was how Emilia's memory decoded the term. So basically, they were hiding something that would be trouble, if it got outside.
—The manner for Emilia's revenge against Fortuna and the others was decided.
She would find where they were keeping this secret SEAL, deep in the woods, and when Fortuna and the others scolded her, she would use it in her rebuttal as a bargaining chip. She determined to utilize the seal's location as her trump card for when they learned she was escaping the Princess Room.
Her eyes sparkling at the majesty of her genius plan, Emilia failed to notice the contradiction in escaping the chastisement for exiting the room by sullying her hands with something even worse.
Her mother took her hand and guided her out of the Princess Room. After bringing Emilia back home, Fortuna said she had some things to do. Going by her conversation with Juice, Fortuna was going to check the SEAL. And so,
Emilia: “—Please do it, okay?”
Emilia begged the pale-blue lights to follow her mother, one eye shut. A snapshot of Emilia's matured and beautiful visage, enough to enrapture another with only a smile, had already begun to bud in young Emilia back then.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
This was the second time Subaru had visited this place, and in this loop, a first.
The buildings stands isolated atop a small hill. Not a seedy enough place for 'shabby' to be an appropriate descriptor, more of a mediocre family home, absent of any notable characteristics. A bedroom and a living room comprised its floorplan, the lounge hosted a simple kitchen, and the whole thing divided its rooms like an old world apartment. Not constrained enough to be uncomfortable if living alone, but probably cramped for an adult and two kids.
That is the sentiment Subaru harbours as he finally divines the significance of this building. He stands before the door, knocks. A short period of silence comes before he hears a “Go ahead,” from inside, and the knowledge that his idea was correct relieves him.
He immediately strains that relief taut, put his hand to the knob, and opens the door. The faint scent of old house wood skims his nose. The air is lukewarm on his skin as he steps inside, and,
???: “Yer got here later than I thought.”
There in the back of the room, upon the austere bed, sits a figure. It seems they had just deemed this moment as about time to get a refill of tea, for they are pouring boiling water into their cup. That was probably the culprit behind the dampness pervading the room. Subaru confirms that three cups rest atop the table—but only one is filled.
Subaru: “So I'm the first guest to arrive?”
Lewes: “That's right. Yer the first, Lil' Su. Hope yer don't mind yer tea being brewed strong.”
Subaru: “Either way doesn't matter. Say it's strong or say it's weak, leaf flavour's still leaf flavour.”
Lewes: “There's a statement with no favour fer tea. Now I understand what Ram wers grumbling abert.”
Smiling wryly at Subaru, Lewes—Theta—pulls an empty cup over to herself. She pours the boiling water into the cup, puts leaves in to soak, and pushes it over to Subaru.
Theta: “Here, yer throat must be thirsting. Glug a cup, tardy.”
Subaru: “I feel like when I'm done sculling this cup, my HP's gonna be something where I'm headed off to church. Anyway that aside,” itadakimasu.
With his joking making Theta's brows knit in confusion, Subaru blows on the cup to cool it before bringing it to his lips. The thick flavour of grass passes over his tongue and down his throat. No matter what kind they are, and no matter who brews them, leaves are leaves.
Subaru: “I couldn't even get used to Rem's tea... my body just doesn't accept this stuff, seriously.”
Theta: “Now there's enough of yer impressions, didn't even have ter ask ter know 'em. I ain't ever brewing fer yer again.”
Glaring at Subaru as he scrunches his face and sticks out his tongue, Theta drinks all of her tea in one go. She strokes at her long hair, her sleeves trailing as she plomps herself back on the bed, opposite Subaru again.
Theta: “I was thinking that wouldder settled us down befer getting ter the talk, but lerks like it just caused unexpected trouble.”
Subaru: “When you throw information from sidestories into the main text, the readers who just happened to miss it will wind up being confused so let's go without any of that. Switch gears switch gears switch gears, and let's have our talk.”
Theta: “Sure is easy ter say it...”
Sighs Theta, dumbfounded, before staring intently at her small hands. Her gaze then passes through Subaru, seeming to stare beyond the door, to the outside.
Theta: “But leaving that ers that... so it wers you after all, Lil' Su. Thought it would be. Yer'd be more likely ter show up than Lil' Gar, er otherwise neither erv yer would think of the place before my rotation.”
Subaru: “...You sure set up some disadvantageous terms for Garfiel. He'd probably start grieving if he heard that.”
Theta: “Grieving, bawling, it's good fer him to do that. ...But I'd anticipate a more serious reaction. If it'd been Lil' Gar who came here, that wouldder done away with that worry...”
Theta looks at the living room wall, her smile somewhat sad.
Subaru follows her gaze, to see hanging on the wall the silvery metal shields—two of them, crossed over each other, decorating the wall as they had been before.
Those were the shields Garfiel and Frederica had used to play battering matches when they were young, full of memories—in short, this place is Garfiel and Frederica's family home.
Subaru doesn't understand Theta's motives in choosing this place for the final conversation. But thinking back on the time he spent here in a previous loop, this was a place which held special significance for both the Leweses and Garfiel. Subaru had relied on that memory to lead him here, and Theta was here just as anticipated, waiting for Subaru.
Theta: “It's a good thing yer came here alone, Lil' Su. This isn't something I erspecially want people ter hear.”
Subaru: “Yeah, I left Otto behind. Didn't seem like I could bring him along for what's coming up here.”
While the statement sounds like one of discarding a warrior who lacked in sufficient strength, that isn't what Subaru is aiming for. It's simply that Lewes's past is probably going to need to touch on the WITCH. It's fine that Subaru be the only one to intrude on that topic. And so Otto was presently tasked with another role.
Subaru: “Theta-san, I'm safe to think you're one of the Lewes-sans who's been in the tomb, yeah?”
Theta: “Theeter?”
Subaru: “Ah, my bad. For expediency, been calling you that. Yesterday was Sigma-san, the other two are Alpha and Beta. I doubt you really like it, and I mean I can hold back on it...”
Theta: “...No, dersn't bother me. I see, so that's what it meant. Ah, I see, I do see... it's surprisingly nert that bad.”
After muttering “Theeter, Theeter” to herself multiple times, Theta's cheeks slacken in embarrassment. She closes her eyes, and after several seconds of silence,
Theta: “What I'm abert ter talk about is everything I've seen erv SANCTUARY's foundation, and... a part of the events leading up ter Lewes Meyer being sealed in the crystal.”
Subaru: “—Right.”
Theta: “Just what yer gonner think in hearing it, and what yer gonner say fer me afterward... will be something which, as one erv the four representative Leweses of SANCTUARY, I will leave up ter fate.”
Theta smiles. Subaru swallows his breath.
Theta: “It's something yer'd better tackle with careful attention, yer see.”
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