CHAPTER 47: PARTNER OF POOR AFFINITY
Subaru: “Poor affinity with me, but does anyone with good affinity here even exist!?”
Tsukommis Subaru at the completely restrained girl.
The Witch of GLUTTONY—or so purported—has appeared here before him. The girl settled inside the slantways-standing coffin looks about 150 centimetres in height. Her shoulder-length grey hair is tied in pigtails. Pale and dainty, with a small chest—or really she still looks like a 13, 14 year old child.
Subaru: “Held stuck in restraints, and both eyes covered... agewise is a surprise, too...”
Anyone in her age group would yearn to have SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES BEYOND REACH OF THE ORDINARY MAN or DANGEROUS LATENT POWERS ORIGINATING FROM AN OUTSIDER, MY OWN WILL SEALED AWAY. Thinking back on it, Subaru had also admired concealed-weapons users he'd read about in manga and put sewing needles in his school uniform, back in his middle-school years.
Subaru: “Well, after that time I fell over and got stabbed by needles everywhere I cried and stopped.”
Looking back on that episode of his dark history, wherein he had lacked anyone to even show his chuuni off to, Subaru has trouble deciding how to approach this witch. All the witches Subaru's met so far got their nutso first attacks off before Subaru could do anything, anyway.
But the witch in the coffin just sits there silent, not showing any reaction. The start is critical, is the weight of the silence pressing down on a Subaru hesitating on how to cut the ice. If he at least knew whether she was friendly or unfriendly, he could choose whether to go for being buddy-buddy or go for being a trolly bitch.
Both waiting for the other to move, the quiet dominates the hilltop tea party. Further eating away at Subaru is the overwhelming pressure radiating from the witch before him. Despite being immobilized and blinded, that this petite girl nonetheless exerts threat is perhaps truly fitting of a witch.
Echidna happily got him involved with the witches of PRIDE, WRATH, and SLOTH, but hesitated on this one. Just how definitively different from the others was the Witch of GLUTTONY, Daphne?
Daphne: “...mn,”
Subaru: “—!?”
Brow sweaty from the stress, Subaru wipes his forehead to keep it out of his eyes—when Daphne moves, and Subaru shudders. The neck of the coffin-bound girl stirs, her respiration reaching Subaru. Wondering what she'll do next, Subaru goes on full caution. And,
Daphne: “...zzzmnuh, mmn”
Subaru: “—You were sleeping!?!”
Daphne: “—hnawhuh!?” Subaru enters tsukkomi mode the instant hears what sounds like sleeper's breathing. The grass gives a good crunch as he jumps up, the witch in the coffin startling awake at the sound and his voice. She shakes her head left and right, eyes yet sealed. Daphne: “Wh-wha-at is it? There are peo-ple-who-are, slee-ping here...” It's unclear if her floaty-toaty speech is due to her waking up, or if it's just a thing she does—but either way, the overwhelming pressure disappears. Just me getting the wrong impression? Wonders Subaru, unable to hide his fatigue. Subaru: “Y-yeah, my bad. I got kinda heated up. I didn't mean to yell.” Daphne: “Umm, but getting startled like that, is ki-n-da a problem for me...”
Subaru: “Ghuh... I apologize. So please feel better. No getting mad.” Daphne: “Uhm, but I'm not mad? Being mad means I'm go-ing-to-be, hung-ri-er. But an-y-way, just who are you?”
Daphne rejects his apology and immediately gets to casually asking her questions. The conversation's barely been two, three lines long, but the rhythm's already getting chaotic. Subaru gets the meaning of what Echidna said. —This witch's pace for conversation doesn't match with Subaru's at all.
Sighing, Subaru gives a light shake of his head and expels his displeased expression, giving her the utmost in friendly smiles. Subaru: “My name is Natsuki Subaru. Invited to the witch's tea party by Echidna for reasons, a... well, a tea-drinking friend. Yeah, something like that.”
Daphne: “Wow, so Idna-Idna has friends. Subaruun too, don't you think it's bet-ter-to choose your friends? If they hear-you're-friends, with-a-witch, your real friends and family, might, hate youu...” Daphne starts running out of breath at the end, her shoulders heaving up and down inside the coffin, blatantly exhausted.
Subaru: “Hey,”
Subaru: “Why're you so tired out? Does that coffin drain the life out of whoever's inside, or something?” Daphne: “Not really, no? I just get ti-red, ea-si-ly, or when my stomach's rumbling I have no strength, or... is there, some food, around, any, where... haa, haa...”
Subaru: “Panting just from having a conversation's like the peak of sickly children here... The table only has 'Chidna Tea and some cookies on it for food.” They're more like cookie-ish mystery sweets. Considering the tea is Echidna's bodily fluids, the possibility exists that these cookies are also made of 'Chidna. Subaru had purposefully not gone for them, but Daphne's reaction is extremely clear,
Daphne: “Cookies!?”
Daphne: “Y-ye, ye, yes, that's good. Good so, into my, stick-it in-my mouth, please. Hurry, now, hurryy...” Subaru: “If you ignore where we are, that has incredible potential for misunderstandings so could you please be a little more careful!? Well, but I'm not enough of a sadist to make someone who wants it so much wait.” Subaru picks up the plate of sweets, approaches Daphne's coffin, about to bring the cookies to her mouth. But, before he can—
Daphne: “Ah, but but but, Subaruun can you, wait for a mo-ment?” Subaru: “Hrn? What. Just saying, the flavour's probably one of a kind. Doesn't look like there's chocolate in it so it's plain. If you're gonna say that's no good, all I can tell you is” nintama rantarou reference you must eat all the eggs. Daphne: “That's not it... I know it's weird, to-say-this, when you're fee-ding me, but please don't get too close to me, Subaruun.” Subaru: “That is a pretty damn tricky request when I'm feeding you, that!” Daphne rights her posture inside the coffin somewhat. Daphne: “Please don't mis-un-der-stand though, Subaruun, I don't think you're gross or hate you or find you just unbearable.” Subaru: “Those assurances just made you less credible! The reason! Please tell me the reason!” Daphne: “If you get too close to me, with your smell, that's kinda poison.” Subaru: “My BO's poison now!?” Subaru frantically raises his arms and gives himself a sniff. He doesn't smell anything nose-turning, but then again humans are just bad at smelling their own scent. He looks himself up to down. Subaru: “Smell? I smell? You do know I have been bathing while in SANCTUARY? While yes for some proper soap I'd have to go back to the mansion, but considering I'm with Emilia at least the minimum presentability's... no, this is a mental world anyway, do unpleasant surface things like that even carry over?” Daphne: “Nooo, that's not what I mean. Come onn, ummm, you-just-don't, un-der-stand, you
Subaruun.”
Subaru: “No I don't understand! Stop talking like you're bullying me! Now in a way I can understand it: say!” Daphne: “If I smell you, Subaruun, and start thinking I want to eat you more than the cookie, it'll be a problem I think.”
Subaru: “...Huh? I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understood what you said?”
Daphne: “I like meats more, than vege-ta-bles, or I like soft things more, than hard things, that kinda thing...” A chill runs up Subaru's spine.
He holds his breath and stares at Daphne. Her situation is still exactly the same as it was at the start
—still in the coffin, restrained so that she can't move, her eyes blindfolded. Daphne: “From what I can smell, your meat is muscled, and-sin-ew-y, your bones, are-thick-too, and I really, reeeaallly... think you're to my taste. Your smell's so nice that if you come close, I'll want to eat you...”
Subaru: “E-eat me... like, eat out raw?” Daphne: “Like, eat raw...” Subaru swallows his breath, quickly getting the hell away from her, and grabbing one of the cookies from the plate. Subaru: “I-I'll be throwing aiming at you, but sorry if I miss your mouth, okay?” Daphne: “It's okay, Subaruun. Just kind of lazily hurl it, to hit-the-co-ffin. I'll grab it myself.” Subaru: “That sounds amazingly disconcerting, but... okay, here goes!” Subaru lobs the cookie with a light overhand throw. It flies through the air in a parabola, landing neatly in Daphne's mouth with unexpected accuracy. The result of absolute concentration and never-before-seen control. She catches the cookie on her tongue, swallowing it up.
Daphne: “Mnmnnmm... mmm, yummy. Idna-Idna's flavour.” Subaru: “I can't tell if that means she hand-baked it, or that it really was some kind of black-magic cookie with her body parts in it, but... next one's coming.”
Daphne: “Yess, I can't wait. More... come on, gimme more...” Subaru: “You're throwing off my aim so could you please be quiet?!” Ignoring Daphne's sexually-scented pestering, Subaru throws the next cookie. Playing around with food would probably earn a scolding, but with Subaru's seriousness in this, he would not be applicable for reprimand. Daphne has to move her head around a bit, but the cookie lands well in her mouth. Subaru relaxes in relief that they can probably clear the whole plate like this, when—
Subaru: “—Ah,” A strong wind blows over the hilltop, throwing off the light cookie's trajectory. Its aim shifts, now headed over the table and for the side of the hill. At this rate it'll fall and be food for the ants—is what Subaru thinks, when,
Daphne: “Nooo... that's a waste.”
Daphne's abnormal sense of smell detects that the cookie went off-aim. She follows the cookie's demise with her sightless vision, and the next instant, Subaru sees it.
Subaru: “—!?” Sharp claws gouge into the earth, bringing destruction, making a terrible noise. Up rises a cloud of dust, the horrid noises sounding out in succession to arrive at the spot of the falling cookie.
Daphne: “Ah, mmn.” Daphne stretches out her neck, catching the cookie between her red lips and happily slipping it into her mouth. She chews with inaudible quiet. Once the snack's settled in her stomach, her pink tongue wets her lips and she gives a sensual 'hohh'. Subaru is speechless.
Noticing his silence, Daphne gives a small sniff. Daphne: “Subaruun... you know there's-still, two-left? Don't be mean...” Her cheeks red and lips trembling like a songbird, Daphne definitely looks a loveable girl.
Were the irregularity of the blindfolded eyes, full-body restraints, black coffin— Subaru: “...No, being unfazed here's impossible.” —And crab-legs sprouted from the coffin to cart her around absent, that is.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Subaru: “What... is that, am I okay to ask?”
Not recovered from the shock, Subaru continues with the cookie-throwing. His trembling fingers throw off the aim, but thanks to the coffin's speedy footwork, they all land safely in Daphne's mouth. Enjoying the sweetness to her heart's content, Daphne gets all 'mmmnnmmm,' but somehow manages to notices Subaru's strangled question.
Daphne: “What is 'that'? I can't see, so I don't know.”
Subaru: “That... incredible, exquisitely glimmering mobile coffin there. By my narrow, shallow knowledge, coffins don't have legs, and they don't really zip around in insectoid motions...”
The coffin, with Daphne still settled inside, clatters back to reach her original position. The base of the coffin flomps to the ground and the crab-legs retract like a turtle withdrawing its arms. Apparently comprehending what Subaru's getting at, Daphne smiles.
Daphne: “Ahh,”
Daphne: “You mean the cen, ti-pede co-ffin? It was inconvenient not being able to move, so I made him. He's always so quiet. He's a really good boy.”
Subaru: “Made... that's, a living creature... is it?”
Even if it makes organic movements and has organs, Subaru isn't convinced this thing applies as a living thing. Though that said it's clearly not a machine.
Daphne: “He doesn't eat or, drink a-ny-thing, but the centipede coffin does suck up mana to live. He has no empty stomach, makes me so jealous.”
Subaru: “It eats mana... Or no, probably don't need to probe into that. Anyway, you said that you made it? You can make living things?”
Daphne: “Li-ving things, or really, witchbeasts... It's kinda like, when my will, or my mood, or stuff like that, is all woozy, I just make them.”
Daphne squirms in the coffin, spouting words that give no concrete image of what this entails. But Subaru can sense off the vague feeling of them that what she does is outrageous. —Creating living creatures is surely the work of gods. Humans in the original world had been getting into forbidden sciences of eugenics and cloning, but creating something from nothing was absolutely the work of gods. Though, whether that should be considered a blasphemy on life or attainment of arcane secrets depended on the person.
Subaru: “No, way... Daphne's unpropitious legacy... and creating witchbeasts, meant exactly what it implied?”
Daphne: “Hnnn?”
Subaru: “The White Whale, Blacksnake, Sizeable Hare... are they all like that crab-coffin, things you created?”
Daphne: “Mmmhuu... Those are all, nos-tal-gic names. Yes, they are. The wha-le, and the snake, and the hare, are all children I made.”
Subaru: “Why!?!”
Subaru closes the distance between them, baring his teeth, spit flying. His face goes red with anger as he jabs his finger at Daphne.
Subaru: “Why the fuck did you make those monsters!? In the outside world, four hundred years after you died! Do you know just how much damage they've done!? How many people, tens of people, hundreds of people've met terrible fates...”
Subaru thinks back on the fight with the White Whale. Wilhelm's screams and tenacity, and the cries of rage from the knights in the battle—all originating from the White Whale, a disaster borne from the witch who birthed the whale. Then was the Sizeable Hare attacking SANCTUARY, too. If Subaru's efforts fail to bear fruit, Emilia and all the people in SANCTUARY will be devoured.
Subaru: “What for!? Say it! Why did you create the cause so many people've suffered, create those horrible monsters!?!”
Daphne: “...? But is-n't-it, more fill-ing, to eat something big?” Subaru: “—au, uh, wha?” Daphne answers confused. Subaru comes to a halt at her unexpected answer, making dumb noises quicker than his tongue can catch up to speak. Daphne looks mystified.
Daphne: “The White Whale, was rea-lly-big, wasn't he? Don't you think if he was eaten, lots of people would fill their stomachs?” Subaru: “What, are you...” Daphne: “And the Size-a-ble Hare, can keep mul-ti-ply-ing. He'll multiply even if you just leave him alone, and so with him, you'll never have to worry, a-bout food a-gain.” Subaru: “Multi... hwa?” Subaru's hearing what she's saying, but the meaning isn't getting into his brain. And supposing hypothetically that these words she's lining up mean exactly what they imply, Subaru doesn't understand what this witch here is saying. Truly, from the bottom of his heart, what is she saying? The meaning—
Subaru: “Th, en... what? You mean you created the witchbeasts to solve food supply problems? You made the White Whale and the Sizeable Hare to save people suffering from starvation? Even though how thanks to your thoughtfulness, so many people have died to those things!?”
Daphne: “...? Don't you think it's kinda su-per sel-fish, to eat something, without considering you could be eaten yourself?”
Subaru goes silent. Daphne: “And, if you add up humans and demihumans, I kind of won-der, if there aren't just, way too many people in the world. I think if they can lower that count a little and order things, that'd probably be good.”
Subaru: “Th-then the White Whale spitting existence-erasing fog, and the Sizeable Hare ravaging villages as much as it wants, are...?” Daphne: “I don't care so far, as their hun-ting me-thods. How they grew up, and how much they eat, and where they eat... even if I cared, it wouldn't fill my stomach.”
Seeing Daphne smile as she speaks, Subaru finally understands what Echidna meant. Subaru and Daphne have poor affinity, said Echidna.
Subaru had judged that meant Daphne's exceptionally slow and casual nature clashing with his own impatient one, but that thought was probably overly optimistic and misdirected. —Subaru and Daphne's sense of values didn't align. Or no, this wasn't just limited to Subaru. Nobody would fit with Daphne's value system.
She considered things from a viewpoint in a different dimension from humans and demihumans.
She wouldn't even support the witchbeasts she herself had created. Survival of the fittest—this was the only point of consideration for her. She treated all thoughts as trifling except for acknowledging, propagating, and eating food.
Subaru has no words. His mental makeup fundamentally differs from hers. Meeting the witches he had so far, Subaru had mis-thought that they all had their problems, but were capable of conversion. But she was a witch. They were witches. The only seven in the world, real-deal witches.
Daphne: “You do this too, Subaruun, but... don't you think, ev-er-y-one, looks far too lightly at GLUTTONY?”
Subaru goes silent.
Daphne: “The desire to eat, since you're living, is the most important desire there is. I mean, if you don't sate it, you just can't live.”
Subaru says nothing.
Daphne: “Even if they know no peace, even if they are unloved—even if they can't main-tain their ego, even if they can't vent their emo-tions—even if they can't get what they want, even if they aspire for nothing, a person won't die. But...”
Subaru says nothing.
Daphne: “People will die, if they can't eat.”
Of the seven deadly sins, only GLUTTONY held a direct relation to life. The correct meaning of GLUTTONY is desire for food more than what is needed. But in this situation, Daphne's pointing out the necessity of desiring to eat to stay alive. Subaru can't deny it. Yes, what's she's saying has truth to it as a principle of living. But believing that this comprises everything is mistaken.
Subaru: “What you're saying's partly correct... but, that kind of thinking's...”
Daphne: “Maybe you should try being starved your limit too, Subaruun? If you do... then I'm sure you'll understand the mea-n-ing, of what I'm sa-y-ing.”
It's an exceedingly witchly proposition. Daphne leans herself up from the coffin. Alongside the sound of ripping paper, the belts restraining her easily unfasten. Pushing the restraints aside with her arm, Daphne lands barefoot to stand upon the field. She shakes her arms and legs, checking the condition of her stiffened body.
Daphne: “I hate walking with my own feet, it makes me, just hun-gry, it really, does...”
Those little warm-up exercises are enough to get her out of breath. But Subaru doesn't move a single step. Even his breathing is sealed off. The immense pressure radiating from this little witch grabs Subaru and doesn't let go. It's as if he's gripped in the palm of a giant.
Daphne: “It'd be nice to go on and eat you, Subaruun, but I think Idna-Idna, and Met-Met would get mad... hnnnm, just the left eye, should be okay.”
Standing before Subaru, Daphne's hand goes to blinder covering her eye. Don't unfasten her restraints, don't touch her body, don't look in her eyes—these were the warnings Echidna had given Subaru before unloading Daphne.
However, she freely unfastened her restraints herself, and though it doesn't seem she's going to touch him the pressure keeps him in place. And for the final warning,
Subaru: “—”
Her left eye was golden. And completely mundane, just the round eye of a little girl.
Flipping up the cover on her left eye, Daphne stares at Subaru. The piercing gaze keeps him stuck in place. And eventually,
Daphne: “That's e-nough.”
She says, returning for the coffin with her movements as beleaguered as always. The coffin moves to tenderly catch her as she practically collapses into it. Daphne stirs inside the coffin, trying to find the most comfortable position. Subaru, still motionless, watches on as he silently chews the thing in his mouth.
Yawning, Daphne flips the cover on her left eye back down, blocking off both her eyes. The internal skin of the coffin peels away, writhes to wrap around her small body, binding her. Completely trivial, the restrains upon Daphne operate upon her own will.
Subaru: “What, on earth just... or, you, how come,”
Daphne: “You still have-n't, no-ticed yet?”
How come you restrain yourself? Subaru attempts to ask. But Daphne interrupts him, rocking her body about to check her restraints. Subaru's brows furrow. And he notices it.
Subaru: “Au, ue...?”
Pain. He notices pain. Erupting from his belly is a pain so intense a hole feels to have opened there, making him pitch forward. His stomach constricts in thirst, hunger—starvation. He groans at the unbearable pain, squirming, falling to his knees. Drool spilling from his lips, he frantically attempts to bear the pain. And hunger, hunger, hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger hunger.
Subaru: “A, au, aauah... hur, ts...”
Famished, with his thoughts in such disarray to almost dispel his consciousness, Subaru loses cognizance of reality. He pants and writhes in agony as he rolls on the ground to and fro. The action merely fosters the hunger. Before long, he settles atop the plain, trembling like an insect. Starvation to drive a man crazed. He hungers. Life-threatening. An open hole, in his stomach. Dying and apt to die, no food right now and he will die. He will die. He was dying.
Daphne: “You still have-n't, no-ticed yet?”
Daphne looks down at a suffering, anguishing Subaru—although in reality her eyes reflect him not, between his voice and her sense of smell she appears to have grasped his condition. Subaru didn't understand what she meant. Who gave a crap about noticing, he was starving enough to near drive him insane. Although he comprehended that this was a result of her doings, the starvation beats out resentment. He needed to satisfy this hunger. That he was barely holding onto consciousness was thanks to this thing he'd been chewing for a—
Subaru: “—”
What, was Subaru, eating, right now?
Daphne: “You noticed? That's what GLUTTONY is.”
Hearing her words, Subaru notices his right hand—missing the little and ring finger. Where'd the missing fingers go? No point searching. Right now, in his mouth, his teeth just crushed his pinky to bits. Blood flows from his severed nubs, painting the green field with crimson.
Watching the droplets fall, Subaru's mind goes blank. With the passing of seconds, something comes to fill the blankness. A feeling. Of,
—Ahh, what a waste of blood.
Spurred from simple starvation and thirsting to wet his throat, only disappointment.
78
7 Author's Note from Tappei <<Danger Level of The Witches From the Perspective of an Ordinary Joe>> Envy > Gluttony >> Lust > Pride >>> Greed > Sloth >>>>>>>> Wrath
8 Shout out and thank you to all anons who gave me suggestions, second opinions, and advice for dealing with Daphne's speaking quirk.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login