Chapter 32
ーーBefore the unforeseen spectacle, Subaru couldn’t be anything but dumbfounded as he gazed in amazement .
It was a night wherein curious occurrences were happening consecutively .
Starting from him unintentionally dozing off, to running about in search of Anastasia = Eridna who had disappeared from the Green Room, catching sight of a bird which was not supposed to be inside the tower and chasing after it . Losing sight of that bird at a dead end, and finding a concealed passage by investigating the familiar walls and floorーー,
Subaru: “ーーAfter emerging from the tunnel, what lay before was a country of snow . ”
The persiflage he spilled out made no contribution to explain this queer spectacle .
What Subaru had passed through was not a wall or a tunnel, and neither what lay before his eyes was a snow country, a night where the wind was blowing through the sand sea .
Twinkling stars emerged in the dark sky, and the dim scenery of sand dunes stretching afar was visible from the watchtower’s balcony .
Nothing corresponded with Subaru’s words . Instead of thatーー,
???: “Natsuki-kun?”
Hearing Subaru’s husky mumbling, a person’s shadow, with hair dancing in the wind, turned towards him .
The young girl held her purple wavy hair down with her handーー spherical pale cerulean eyes, skin so fair it was distinctly visible in the darkness, possessor of a lovely appearance .
It was Anastasia, whom he had been searching . Subaru hesitated for a single instant upon her call,
Subaru: “……It sure is the ideal spot with a picturesque scenery in the middle of the night, huh . ”
Hiding his initial astonishment under his tongue, Subaru shrugged his shoulders before Anastasia . Upon his gesture and the topic he brought up, Anastasia smiled faintly saying “Sure ‘s . ”
Anastasia: “‘s true the view’s great . But, it sure’s sad that the scenery’s all black . Would’ve been different had jus’ the town been visible far away too . ”
Subaru: “That’s true, but the charm of glancing into the sea of night isn’t so bad either, you know . Besides, even if you say that…… . ”
Saying so, Subaru pointed his finger towards the sky, instead of the unbroken view . Hooked by that, Anastasia too looked up into the skyーー visible was the entirety of the starry sky .
Subaru: “The air is cold and clear, and stars are really visible . It sure is romantic, isn’t it?”
Anastasia: “‘s true the stars are pretty, n’ I agree the air’s clear…… but it makes you feel somethin’ aside from jus’ viewin’ the stars, no?”
Subaru: “And that something would be?”
Anastasia: “The fact that the stars’re visible itself . Was there ever a night where the stars were visible in the desert up till now?”
Told so by Anastasia in seeming amazement, Subaru clapped his hands saying “A~h” .
What she had pointed out, it was indeed marvelous to be able to view the stars from the balcony like this should the journey through the sand sea up until now be taken into consideration . It was impossible to spot the glitter of stars from the areas surrounding Pleiades Watchtower .
Becauseーー,
Anastasia: “The miasma’s dark n’ thick, and must’ve spanned across the sky like clouds, after all . ”
Subaru: “For that to not be here means that just this tower alone is unaffected by the miasma…… . or perhaps, it may be at a height above the enshrouding miasma . ”
Anastasia: “At this height, well, that ain’t impossible . ”
Though he noticed only after viewing the scenery from the balcony, their current altitudeーー the level pertaining to the fourth layer of the watchtower was not at an height of a few dozens of meters above ground but at an altitude of several hundreds of meters . Though it did not actually feel that way, the stairway from the fifth layer up to the fourth layer was of that length is what it meant .
Subaru: “……But still, I don’t know if it’s accurate to judge distance in the middle of the tower from this spot . ”
Standing parallel to the outer wall, Subaru looked up towards the tower instead of the scenery from the balcony and sighed .
If his conjecture was correct, regardless of being at a position above the miasma, the summit of the tower, seemingly piercing through the clouds, could not possibly be seen . It was far too high up, regardless of the darkness .
That is why the stairway to the second floor had greater than four hundred steps . Therefore it was unquestionable that the tower was wasteful with regards to the outside .
Anyhowーー,
“ーーーー”
Restraining his thoughts regarding the stars and the tower’s height, Subaru had his eyes glance towards Anastasia . Elegantly having her lips smile, with her hands behind her hips, Anastasia made no suspicious movement .
All signs of vigilance or hostility were nonexistent as well .
At the very least, he confirmed she possessed no unconcealed animosityーー,
Subaru: “ーーSo, what’s your excuse for this situation?”
Anastasia: “Excuse?”
Subaru: “Stealthily leaving the bedroom late at night, going through a secret passage nobody knows about, playing with birds in the night’s breeze…… way too suspicious . ”
Subaru raised his jaw and questioned Anastasia, who had a mystified expression .
Birdsーー yes, birds .
In this place, the two of Subaru and Anastasia were facing each other but multiple other spectators crowded the balcony aside from just those two .
With not the slightest movement, they were birds which continued watching over the situation like artificial articles .
“ーーーー”
Not one or two birds, they were not in such gentle numbers at all .
The number of birds halted on the outer edge of the balcony with their wings resting was far greater than fifty . Numbers which would make one think it was an entire horde, but the reason he hesitated to label it as a horde was because the variety of the birds was not uniform .
A white bird, a blue bird, a black bird, a spotted bird, a large bird, a tiny bird, a slim bird, a plump bird, birds of mixed variety with no sense of oneness had assembled as a single set .
That truth alone was quite bizarre, but what made Subaru feel even more ominous was the behaviour of the birds which had constructed this spectacle .
ーーDespite such a multitude of birds present, not even a single flap could be heard, let alone a chirp .
It was not confirmed if birds had the intelligence to mutually understand each other’s will .
But at the very least, these birds without any sense of oneness, had their intent determined as one .
Anastasia: “It can’t be helped that Natsuki-kun’d feel uneasy like this but……”
Regarding such suspicion of Subaru’s, Anastasia had her hand touch her cheek .
Anastasia: “Secret passage, that’s really an exaggeration, ain’t it? After all, Natsuki-kun managed comin’ here too . ”
Subaru: “That’s…… well, the bird sort of led me, you know . ”
Anastasia: “In that case, that’s the same for me too . I was just strollin’ inside the tower at night . Then a bird jumped outta nowhere . I got curious wonderin’ what was up with that, n’ ended up gettin’ here . ”
“ーーーー”
Anastasia: “Why, won’tcha trust me?”
Anastasia straitened her eyes, as she let a bird she was holding with both of her hands fly freely into the sky .
Though obvious, it was not a convincing explanation . He had no basis to deny it, but there’s no way something so convenient happened . Pigeonholing himself, that was the conclusion Subaru arrived at .
Subaru: “This bird is……”
Anastasia: “I wonder, what’s up with these kids . ”
Subaru: “ーー~hk . That’s, what I want to ask . ”
The gaze of the birds watching their exchange from a distance felt apprehensive, though the same also went for the evasive Anastasia’s attitude .
It was difficult to read emotions in the eyes of birds, or perhaps they truly wielded no emotion, he could feel the alienation which would make him think that way .
Just what are these birds, this balcony, this Anastasia thinking .
Subaru: “Knowing nothing like me…… that is way too convenient a story for me to swallow . ”
Anastasia: “I’d also like to say somethin’ about Natsuki-kun not knowin’ anythin’…… but, it’s really troublin’ . Everythin’s been so confusin’ ever after comin’ here . ”
Dear oh dear, saying so whilst putting one hand on her eyebrows, Anastasia displayed behaviour of drowning in lamentation . Looking at that Anastasia without letting his guard down, Subaru suddenly remembered something about birds .
ーーThat birds fly over Augria Sand Dunes, in the direction of Pleiades Watchtower .
He had heard that in the bar they had stopped by to prepare for crossing over the sand sea in order to head towards the tower . The bartender told them to look for birds in case they get puzzled over the way through the desert .
Fortunately, Subaru and the rest did not make a blunder like being stranded in the desert so it turned out to be a warning he almost entirely forgot about butーー,
Subaru: “Looking at this now, makes me think that was not necessarily just some rumour . ”
Despite receiving Subaru’s whispering, the birds gave no response .
They merely had their wings folded silently, and were letting their wings rest as if they despised flying in twilight .
Despite being exposed to the chilling breeze, they did not huddle close to each other and refrained from sharing warmth . They merely had their gaze towards Subaru and Anastasia like exquisite dolls .
Anastasia: “These kids’re always like that . I’m at a loss too . ”
Subaru: “Judging from my experience that’s a bit impossible for me to believe . ”
Anastasia: “Judging from experience, you say?”
Subaru: “Based on my experience, upon heedlessly coming across a scene like this, it’s generally promised that your life is in danger . ”
Subaru had an abundance of near-death experience due to his heedless behaviour .
Starting from being beaten to death by Rem, when he was loitering around the old mansion at night .
A lot of stuff happened back then which is being left out, but Subaru’s experience taught and made him conclude that heedless behaviour = death in its essence .
And judging from those experiences of his, he thought of this situation to be quite dangerousーー,
Anastasia: “If that’s so, then better add a new pattern to those judgements based on experiences of yers . That won’t be happenin’ this time . ”
“ーーーー”
Anastasia: “For the cowardly Natsuki-kun, the worst probability is if I’m plottin’ somethin’ . So I lured you to this tower and spun up some outrageous conspiracy, to harm Natsuki-kun or Emilia-san and the rest beyond repair is what you thought…… isn’t it?”
Having gotten struck at the bull’s eye, Subaru slightly stiffened himself up .
Looking at how Subaru was acting, Anastasia smiled saying “Easy to get” .
Anastasia: “Relax . I’m not thinkin’ about somethin’ so roundabout, n’ I’ve no hostility against Natsuki-kun . Nor for anyone else, in this tower…… ah, not countin’ the trial takers . ”
Subaru: “Shaula and Reid, huh . ”
“ーーーー”
The moment he voiced those names, Anastasia silenced herself with a bitter expression .
Looking at that response, Subaru spilled his voice saying “Ah” .
Subaru: “You didn’t hear about it cause you were sleeping, right? About that guy who newly appeared for the『Trial』of the second layer…… he is Reid Astrea . The first generation『Sword Saint』 . It seems like the arrangement was to have him appear from the past . ”
Anastasia: “This tower, has a questionably outrageous layout…… I wonder, just what was its creator thinking . ”
Receiving Subaru’s explanation, Anastasia lowered her voice and added one more thing at the end of her repulsed comment . Sensing the omission of the Kararagi dialect’s accent in her tone, Subaru halted his breath .
Up until now he had intended to treat her and deal with her as Anastasia . But after all, the true nature of her, who was before his eyes like this, wasーー,
Subaru: “ーーRight now, only you and I are here . How about talking your heart out frankly?”
Anastasia: “Wh……”
Subaru: “To be honest, I can’t make any progress with you, who is wearing the mask of someone else . No matter what I’m told, it’s impossible for me to trust you down to my very core . That’s why……”
???: “ーーYou say that you want to exchange words with me, not the me who acts as Ana . ”
That instant, Anastasia’s presence changed as if responding to Subaru’s proposition .
The mood surrounding her completely changed, though her form didn’t change, the sense of existence he was standing off against definitely altered . The emotions dwelling in her eyes, the expression interweaving her thoughts, had changed completely .
“ーーーー”
And, before Subaru who halted his breath witnessing this transformation, Anastasiaーー no, the Artificial Spirit Echidna who had been acting as Anastasia, slowly turned towards the outer edge of the balcony .
With not a railing to prevent falling, only a fence of a pathetic height is all that the outer edge possessed . She slowly placed her hips on that fence and gently caressed the head of the small white bird standing still right beside her .
Andーー,
Echidna: “ーーIt is indeed the first time, we’ve exchanged words with just the two of us all alone here . ”
Saying so, she accepted Subaru’s proposal with a fleeting smile .
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Echidna: “Won’t you come here?”
Subaru: “No, I mean it doesn’t have a railing, and my counter plans for safety are way too incomplete so nope . ”
Echidna: “Not at all, I won’t push you off even if you get closer with your guard down, you know?”
Subaru: “No way am I trusting that tone . You’re just like the original, when it comes to stuff like that . ”
Subaru distorted his lips before Echidna, who was sitting at a boundlessly hazardous spot and invited him without any malice . But, perhaps she did not like the way he phrased his refusal, and furrowed her eyebrows frankly .
And then, she said “You see?” and raised a single finger as if lecturing him,
Echidna: “I’ve told you several times, but how about you stop viewing me together with that original Witch or whatever? To say it clearly, it is nothing but unpleasant to be compared with someone unknown . That is, even if it is my own creator . ”
Subaru: “That goes for this manner speaking too, but…… I guess so, my bad . I’ll be careful . ”
Echidna: “Kindly be . ”
Echidna appealed to Subaru, with the same appearance and voice as Anastasia .
In all honesty, from what he had pointed it was truly just like the tone of the ill-natured Witch Subaru was acquainted with, her insistence comprised of a circumstance whereby he must earnestly nod in assent . The truth is, if Subaru was told he was an existence similar to Echidna it would be an opinion that would make him respond with something that would be terribly dishonourable as well .
Anastasia: “With that being said, your worries are quite right . Seeing someone night after night head to a place noticed by nobody all alone would naturally make one suspicious . However, on top of accepting those misgivings as a matter of course, I shall deny your misgivings once again . ”
Subaru: “You, sure are bold to be touching that bird without even being vigilant . ”
Anastasia: “……Did you hear what I said just now?”
Subaru: “I heard it indeed . ”
Immediately, their comments were at crossing paths with regards to each other .
However, it couldn’t be helped that what was far more mysterious to Subaru was the small birdーー how she was caressing the ominous small bird’s head like it was some artificial article than what she was saying .
Things would’ve been different had this been a park in the afternoon and the birds gave a further spirit reaction, though .
Subaru: “Aren’t you afraid that you’ll get killed if they, like, swarm together and peck your entire body?”
Echidna: “Well, your imagination is far more frightening . You won’t say that this is another one of your judgements based on experience, would you?”
Subaru: “You see, something happened where cute-looking rabbits jumped on me with all their energy…… . and things turned out like that . ”
Thus ever since he had been nervous of a large number of animals gathering at one spot .
Piling up multiple experiences of『Return by Death』, he had confirmed and could claim that there existed no easy death, but that memory was a remarkably awful manner of dying .
Anastasia: “……You’re actually making a pale face, so I won’t put pressure on you . It’s not as if I am affectionately familiar with these birds, either . ”
Perhaps due to seeing Subaru’s face get increasingly pale, Echidna promptly retracted her hand from the small bird . And then putting both of her hands on her knees, she once again gazed towards Subaru saying “Well then” .
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