Subaru let out a short sigh at Petelgeuse's grave and turned his gaze away from the remaining traces of the battle.
When he turned around, he was greeted by Julius, who was brushing off the dirt from his clothes, and the siblings Mimi and Tivey, who climbed down from
The effects of the spiritual pollution on the siblings seemed to have mostly lifted. The fact that its source had lost its life was probably a big factor. The exact mechanism of the spiritual pollution still wasn't fully understood, but he wanted to believe there wouldn't be any lingering negative effects.
"As someone who's had that guy enter his head even once, I'm probably the least convincing to say that. ...I'm sure there's really nothing to worry about, though."
Petelgeuse had been a spirit, and he had once been brought to the point of a contract.
An existence that pushes contracts onto others didn't leave a good impression, whether in his original world or this one. All the more so when it was a madman who'd escalated things to a killing match.
"A killing match... huh. Not something you'd ever say if you were living a normal life."
Shaking his head, Subaru became aware that his sensibilities were being colored by this other world. Even if he couldn't judge whether that was a good or bad thing.
His sudden sentimentality was probably also due to a sense of relief at having overcome the biggest hurdle. Come to think of it, this loop that started in the
With that final objective achieved, it wouldn't be strange to feel a kind of exhaustion.
"Who would've thought I'd get so melancholic after defeating Petelgeuse. ...Get your act together, me. Calm down, look up, and think—there's a mountain of things to do."
After all, the biggest objective of this loop—making up with
It started with their fight and separation in the Royal Capital, followed by the alliance with Crusch's camp and the defeat of the
But, "Compared to getting hurt or dying, that kind of thing is much easier. You only realize how precious peaceful days are once you lose them. I've been a 'love your ordinary life forever' guy from the start, though."
Anyway, he needed to return to the village, meet up with the subjugation force, and discuss their next moves. The group that had headed for the
As Subaru walked across the rocky ground, his mind whirring, his steps suddenly halted. What lay in his line of sight was a bloodstain—a trail leading from Petelgeuse's grave, the path the madman had last crawled, and at its starting point...
"The Gospel."
Had it slipped from the hem of his vestments, or had he tried to cling to it at the very end and dropped it? The Gospel was left there, its cover soiled with blood and mud.
Turning his feet toward it, Subaru picked it up and flipped through its pages. It looked unchanged from the time he'd checked its contents in his previous world. The characters forming the text were still an unknown script, and the latter pages were still blank.
With Petelgeuse defeated, it was no longer possible to get information from a core figure like an Archbishop.
"In other words, this is about the only lead we have... or is it? I'll hang onto it for now and consult with Crusch or Roswaal."
That said, his current comment about Roswaal coming after was purely a matter of trust. The fact that he'd been absent during the crisis had an impact; despite being in the same camp, Roswaal's favorability had dropped across the board. His future performance was now highly anticipated. Though, to be honest, he'd prefer it if Roswaal didn't have to be amazing.
Subaru brushed the dirt off the Gospel and dragged his feet back to Julius and the others. Although he'd suffered little direct physical damage, the phantom pain from synchronizing his senses with Julius's still ached dully all over his body.
Even with treatment, when would the pain of this invisible wound fade? Just the thought was a little scary, but then Subaru noticed Julius's expression had turned serious.
"I'd like to say the matter is settled, but let's return to the village immediately, Subaru."
Before Subaru could ask what was wrong, Julius looked up.
With a stern expression, Julius held in his hand the same type of conversing mirror Subaru had just picked up—it must have been continuously connected to
Frowning at the uneasy atmosphere, Subaru silently urged him to continue, and the knight nodded.
"During Ferris's interrogation, a Witch Cult member said something concerning. Those we evacuated might be in danger."
It was a statement that could shake the very foundation of Subaru's plans.
*** "Welcome back~. Looks like you managed to kill the Archbishop safely, nya?"
The four, who had ridden the earth dragons back to the village at full speed, were greeted by Ferris, who spoke of troubling things while looking thoroughly delighted.
His nonchalant attitude made the tension from before suddenly dissipate, and Subaru sighed. However, that was just how he always was, so he didn't bother commenting.
Looking around, Subaru saw the faces of the subjugation force gathered in the center of the village.
This time, they had launched their ambush from a position of overwhelming advantage. Yet the number of injured was still considerable, hinting at the unfathomable nature of the Witch Cult members. Still, the fact that there were no deaths was a relief for Subaru.
"Everyone... came back, right?"
"I gave the signal—Tra-tra-tra-tra, nya! I made sure to crush the fingertips of everyone except the main one, nya. We captured some prisoners too, and thanks to that, we learned some things, ne."
Narrowing his cat-like eyes, Ferris glanced toward the edge of the village. There, about four black-robed individuals were tied up and captured, including one of the merchants they'd caught earlier.
The prisoners all hung their heads in a dazed state, likely having already lost their mental balance at Ferris's hands.
Feeling both a sense of reliability and repulsion at his skills, Subaru furrowed his brows and silently asked him for more details about the summoning. Ferris, still with narrowed eyes, pulled his chin in.
"From what we got out of the captured one, there seems to be a separate squad, nya. Not hiding in this area, but stationed to监视 the highway?"
"Hey, hey! Don't tell me this is about Petelgeuse's fingertips! We already found ten spots with the forest, cliffs, and that merchant group! Fingers only go up to ten! Don't tell me you're going to bring up toes like a kid!"
"Since the guy himself was at the main body and not a fingertip, that only leaves nine fingers we could have dealt with, nya?"
Ferris pushed back against Subaru's logic. "Ugh," Subaru choked on his words, realizing it was sophistry but also an argument he couldn't refute.
Shifting his gaze, Subaru spun his mind to come up with a plan for that scenario. If the corpse buried under that grave wasn't the last one...
"That's some impressive stubbornness in your eyes, nya."
"Huh?"
"Just now, Ferris-chan thought she was telling Subaru-kun information that would turn his world upside down... but instead of giving up, you immediately started trying to find a way. Mm-mm, that attitude is good, nya."
Winking at Subaru, Ferris vanished his previous demeanor. The sudden transformation made Subaru blink once before a flush crept into his face.
"You weren't just messing with me, were you!?"
"That's not it, nya. That would be expecting too much. If I said what I just said was only a prank, you'd feel relieved you don't have to worry anymore, and I'd kind of want to cling to that... I know that part isn't good, nya."
Hitting the nail on the head with his teasing tone, Subaru clamped his mouth shut again at the unpleasant feeling of being bested. But he suppressed his desire to argue and shook his head.
"Anyway, what you just said is true, right?"
"It's true, nya. Ah, but it's different from the fingertip talk. The 'Sloth' Witch Cult members seem to be the end of it. The ones on the highway aren't 'Sloth' affiliates, nya."
Frowning at Ferris's words, Subaru understood in just a few seconds what he meant.
In this battle, if there had been contact with Witch Cult members other than "Sloth," there was only one possibility.
"A Witch Cult member of 'Gluttony'!"
"If the White Whale was 'Gluttony,' it's strange for it to have been alone, nya."
Narrowing his eyes, Ferris's answer made Subaru nod in understanding and clench his fist.
It was from a previous loop. When the White Whale appeared and cleared the fog, Subaru had a near-miss encounter with Witch Cult members. At the time, they had attacked Otto, who was traveling with him, and the fact that his location didn't align with Petelgeuse's fingertips had been a concern.
In other words...
"So there are Witch Cult members hiding somewhere on the Liffuel Highway?"
"Yep. What to do?" Tilting his head, Ferris asked.
In response, Subaru put a hand to his mouth. If his current assumption was correct, the situation wasn't completely resolved. But he couldn't let panic cloud his judgment. Still...
"That situation was supposed to have been anticipated to some extent. That's why we have insurance, right?"
"You make a wise face as you smile. Where did the weak and cute Subaru-kun go, nya?"
Throwing his hands up in a banzai, Ferris closed his eyes at Subaru's answer.
From Ferris's reaction, it was clear he shared Subaru's sense of relief regarding that "insurance." The insurance Subaru had set up was...
"Why do you think I knew the difficulty of taking on 'Sloth' would increase and still split our main force off with Emilia and the others? I allocated resources precisely for this kind of situation."
As he spoke, Subaru's gaze swept over the faces of those who had returned to the village.
Among them was the person who was the most reliable fighting force in the subjugation party—the Sword Devil,
Before the decisive battle against "Sloth," Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, Subaru had asked the Sword Devil for his assistance not as a sword in the fight, but as a shield to protect those precious to him.
He had originally been wary of the possibility of Witch Cult members hiding along the highway, given the watchposts. That was why he'd sent Emilia and the villagers to the royal capital side, and had taken every precaution to ensure they wouldn't be harmed.
In the fight against Petelgeuse, everyone except Julius, a spirit artificer, was equally susceptible to possession, as they couldn't resist spiritual pollution. The only beings resistant to it were those who were already targets of Petelgeuse's possession and couldn't serve as combatants, making them safe allies who wouldn't turn against him.
Conversely, those with resistance to Petelgeuse's spiritual pollution, like Wilhelm, risked drawing Petelgeuse's possession upon themselves. So Subaru chose to remove all potential targets other than himself from the battlefield, bringing only himself—the one with means to counter possession—and Julius, Petelgeuse's natural enemy.
"Do we know how many Witch Cult members are hiding on the highway? There were nearly a hundred 'Sloth' affiliates in this area alone. Even for Wilhelm-san, it would be too many to handle."
"I said it was a watchpost, didn't I? The numbers don't seem significant, nya. If it's just twenty or thirty, Wilhelm-daji and his adjutant can handle them easily, so there shouldn't be a problem."
Subaru's concern had been a large ambush, but Ferris's words dismissed that. After all, "Gluttony" in the form of the White Whale alone had been more than a threat on that fog-shrouded highway. The idea that there wouldn't be many cultists in such a role held credibility.
"If it were only that, we wouldn't have rushed to get you back like this. Ferris, you shouldn't be so roundabout."
But Julius, who had been behind them looking after the siblings Mimi and Tivey, had apparently not missed the moment Subaru let his guard down. He approached, patting Subaru's shoulder while criticizing Ferris.
When Subaru frowned at this, Ferris smiled slightly.
"As expected, nya~. I believe in Wilhelm-daji's strength, and a small number of Witch Cult members isn't something to worry about, nya. Even Emilia-sama can fight if it comes to it, so there's no concern in terms of combat power. But there's one little thing that's bothering me, ne."
"What is it?"
Making a small circle with his fingers to represent that small concern, Ferris nodded at Subaru's urging. Then, shifting his body to the side as if making way...
"I'll let the person who noticed the crucial part explain it himself. So, please give a big hand for the one who provided this valuable opinion—Otto-kun!"
As Ferris applauded and announced him, Otto appeared from behind him with an uncomfortable expression. At the unexpected appearance, Subaru's eyes widened in surprise, and Otto bowed to him.
"I'm sorry for startling you. First, I'm glad you've returned safely. If you all had lost, I wouldn't have been guaranteed safety either."
"I appreciate your honesty... but what did you notice? Honestly, I've had a bad feeling about this from the start."
As Subaru scratched his ear, he felt his unease growing. Otto, trying not to刺激 his anxiety too much, nodded in a measured tone.
"A little while ago, I noticed that the merchant we knew—Ergreed-san—was one of the prisoners, and he was a Witch Cult member... wasn't he?"
"His name is way too cool for that old guy. ...Anyway, yeah, you're right. If you knew him, then the person named Katty must have been one too."
"That's about Katty-san."
Hearing that an acquaintance had been deeply involved in a malicious religion, Subaru imagined Otto must feel terrible. But Otto showed little concern for Subaru's sympathy; instead, he stepped forward.
"I'm surprised and disappointed that Katty-san was a Witch Cult member, but that's not the problem. ...Katty-san's dragon carriage was used for the evacuation, correct?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, it was. Regardless of the owner, there's no problem with the cargo, right? And we were down to just enough carriages, so we couldn't afford to leave them idle."
"Then, the cargo the merchants had in their carriages was unloaded at the village, and the residents were loaded in instead for evacuation... is that correct?"
Subaru replied with a confused "Yeah." Otto then placed a hand on his chin and shut his eyes, as if confirming something. After a brief silence, just as Subaru was getting anxious...
"Among the cargo that should have been unloaded from the carriages, one item is missing."
"An item that should be there... you mean?"
Following Otto's words, Subaru recalled the various pieces of cargo the merchants had stored in the village warehouse. Originally, many had been planning to deal in iron products in the Royal Capital, so the majority was swords, armor, weapons, and equipment. The outliers were things like Otto's oils, which he had protected last.
"What about it?"
"I told you I rushed ahead to get ahead of everyone, right? That means I heard about the profitable deal in the Meizens territory at the same place as everyone else. Naturally, I had contact with Katty-san two days ago. At that time, something that should have been in Katty-san's carriage was not among the cargo."
"Something that should have been in the carriage...?"
From Otto's tone, Subaru realized the content was turning in a disturbing direction.
To push Subaru toward conviction, Otto slightly lowered his chin.
"—A large quantity of fire-type magical ore. Enough to completely blast seven or eight carriages. It's gone missing."
That's what he said.
*** —The deceased Katty's carriage was being used by Emilia's evacuation group.
After hearing Otto's story, Subaru's brain cells reached that conclusion. The carriages that had lost their original drivers had each been assigned a member of the subjugation party to act as driver.
He didn't remember which carriage it was, but Wilhelm had also been assigned such a role, so the Sword Devil was certainly on one of them.
"Is it true that the ore was loaded on? Could it have been unloaded en route..."
"If they were planning a surprise attack on the villagers and Emilia-sama who were supposed to evacuate, would they do something like that? Subaru, optimism and wishful thinking are different things."
"You're using sound logic at a time like this... No, I know. It's my fault."
Subaru, his lips trembling with impatience, was admonished by Julius, who narrowed his eyes. Subaru sincerely apologized, running his fingers through his hair, then asked Otto for more details.
"There's no sign of the ore in the warehouse. I checked too, and that's certain. Otto, did you see the actual items in the carriages before coming here?"
"Unfortunately, not clearly. They were cheap goods, not even fist-sized, but there was enough to fill a sack. If you broke them all at once, it would be enough for their purpose."
But such sacks had not been found.
Subaru and Julius had confirmed their safety before reusing the suspicious carriages the Witch Cult had used.
"I confirmed there were no magical formulas embedded... but purely considering the ore itself being planted in the carriages was outside my calculations. It's my oversight. My apologies."
"It's not your fault. I should have noticed."
Subaru shook his head at Julius's apology and bit his lip, frustrated by his own oversight.
In a world where using magic was commonplace, it should have been Subaru who suspected physical methods, while Julius the spirit artificer focused on magical ones.
Having overlooked that, Subaru was forced to realize that a situation he thought he'd overcome was once again running aground.
"A Witch Cult ambush is no problem if Wilhelm-san is there. In terms of brute force, there's no one who can break through him. But a booby trap is a different story. That's something you can't do anything about if you don't catch it."
"It's also possible it's a wild goose chase. They might just be suspicious for no reason, and the ore was distributed among the cultists. There might not be any trap in the carriages..."
Otto wasn't trying to console the frustrated Subaru. He was presenting possibilities for Subaru to dismiss. As if going along with that, Subaru shook his head.
"I checked the prisoners and the confirmed dead. No ore, no Gospel or anything like that. ...The ore is planted in the carriages."
Petelgeuse was definitely capable of that level of spiteful obsession. In fact, Subaru knew that Petelgeuse had once blown up an entire carriage with his own body inside. At the time, he'd assumed the trap was on the person himself.
"A similar trap could easily be planted on the cultists, or the carriages...! Ferris! Can we catch up to the evacuation group heading for the Royal Capital now!?"
"That's pretty tough, nya? They departed about an hour and a half ago... and since they're avoiding detection, they won't be moving that fast, nya."
Originally, the "Sanctuary group," whose base they couldn't afford to have discovered, and the "Royal capital group," whose fog threat was unknown to the Witch Cult, had different levels of secrecy. The Sanctuary group prioritized not being found, while the Royal capital group focused on moving quickly down the highway.
There were considerable problems to consider just to catch up.
"Again... is it again? After all this, I'm once again..."
To have the fate of those precious to him determined in a place he couldn't reach—once again.
At the helplessness he felt before, Subaru was nearly knocked down by despair again. But just as that approaching despair clenched his teeth once more...
"May I say something, Natsuki-san?"
Otto raised his hand, interrupting the conversation, his gentle face now lit with a serious light. Subaru recognized that change in demeanor.
It wasn't from this world, but from when they'd truly first met in his previous world—back then, when he was drunk and belligerent, Otto had worn the same face during their talks, right before negotiations began.
In other words, right now...
"You're saying you have something to trade with the current me, Otto?"
"I don't dislike people who are quick on the uptake. —Natsuki-san, I'm currently on the brink of a cliff. The cargo I was peddling might not sell even for a pittance if I missed the timing. I jumped on this profitable deal hoping for a reversal, but because of my greed, I missed the crucial moment—a total disaster. They say 'as long as you're alive, it's a profit,' but I'm not in a position to laugh about that."
A pathetic, even comedic plight to hear about, but there was no luxury to dwell on it now. Subaru nodded and silently urged him to continue.
Otto took a small breath, blinked once, then looked up again.
"Let's make a deal. If you agree to my terms, I will give my all to guide you to the destination—I swear I will catch up to the carriages that went ahead."
"Catch up... you mean? Starting now, how?!"
"Before I explain, I want your assurance. That you'll agree to the deal. What I'm offering has significant meaning even for me personally. I can't cooperate easily. Not even if I were threatened."
"I won't resort to violence. If there's a way, tell me. Whatever conditions you set, if I can meet them, I'll do it."
Grabbing Otto by both shoulders, Subaru demanded the terms he spoke of.
Having already repeated this five times, and now, Subaru had the confidence that he'd achieved a result unlike any before. To throw all that away—he would rather kick aside his resignation and push for one last effort. How much happier would that be?
At Subaru's plea, Otto held his breath for a moment. Because for him, too, the conditions he was about to offer could well determine the rest of his life.
In an instant, Subaru could see the complex emotions swirling in his eyes at an incredible speed. Overcoming that conflict, Otto spoke the condition.
"For Natsuki-san, who is an associate of Margrave Meizens, I'd like you to arrange a meeting for me with Lord Meizens. If possible, as compensation for this feat, I'd be grateful if you would buy my cargo's oil. ...At my asking price. How does that sound?"
Narrowing his eyes into a merchant's expression, Otto tested Subaru.
It was a basic negotiation structure—making an outrageous initial demand to drag concessions out of it. Otto himself likely didn't believe for a second that Subaru would accept a condition that was so extreme. However, in this pressing situation, he saw the possibility of extracting a considerable concession from Subaru.
There was no need for guilt or a guilty conscience about exploiting the situation. Use every situation you can. For a merchant facing ruin, missing a once-in-a-civilization chance would be the height of folly.
Having steeled himself, Otto awaited Subaru's next words.
And before him, Subaru swallowed his saliva, and spoke.
"Is that really all you want? Fine! I'll buy everything! If you want to meet that pervert, I'll arrange it however many times! The deal is off—wait, no, it's on!"
"Hey, that's scary!"
A reflection from his previous world—in a context Otto could never have known—Subaru once again came out on top in their negotiation.
Whether or not he was happy about that no-contest victory was another matter.
*** "I'll have Ia accompany you. If the magical ore is truly planted in the carriages, Ia should be able to sense it. Make good use of her."
Saying this, Julius handed one of the semi-spirits contracted to him over to Subaru.
The spirit, emitting a faint red glow, obeyed Julius's instruction and spun around above Subaru's head. Eventually, as if satisfied, it landed on top of Subaru's head. Settling there as if it had chosen its spot, it became still. The crown of his head grew hot.
"Hey, is there a risk this will make me go bald? My life's greatest goal is to absolutely never become bald or fat."
"The time Ia is materialized isn't that long. Once she senses your mana flow, she'll merge and stay put... see, you can't even see her anymore."
Laughing off Subaru's concern, Julius pointed, and sure enough, the heat on his head was gone. Even though he couldn't see it anymore, he could still sense its presence nearby. So this was what it felt like to have a spirit accompany you, Subaru thought, nodding in understanding.
"Still, are you sure about this? Lending me a spirit like this."
"I don't want to regret sending you, someone without experience, on this. I'd accompany you myself if I could, but..."
Trailing off, Julius's refined features took on a frustrated look. Subaru knew the source of his bitter feelings. It was the person beside him, kneeling on the ground by force, pressing a hand that glowed blue light onto his body.
"Look at you, covered in wounds and being reckless. I can tell you're just holding back. And your mana is almost completely depleted, nya. You overdid it with the big moves, didn't you?"
"The蕾s provided support. I used almost none of my own magical power. Still, that I ended up like this really drives home that I have no talent."
"That's just a snide remark, jeez. Anyway, you're sure it's okay?"
Feeling the spirit's presence nearby, Subaru confirmed one last time with Julius, who was now focused on healing. He nodded, saying "Yes," shortly.
"I'm lending my dear child to a friend. I hope you'll show some consideration."
"Could you please stop calling me your friend with a straight face? I let it slide earlier because of the situation, but I want to have a proper talk about that later."
At the awkward address, Subaru replied curtly. Julius simply smiled and let it pass. Feeling uncomfortable, Subaru deflected by looking at Ferris.
"I'm counting on you to treat the others too. Julius, and those little cat siblings."
"Sure, sure. You be careful too, nya. If Subaru-kun dies, Crusch-sama will surely be disappointed... so."
The tone dropped at the end of the sentence, which was a bit worrying, but that was just part of his nature—enjoying shaking up Subaru's nerves.
Not taking it too seriously, Subaru gratefully accepted the core message, waved to the two, and headed for the village entrance. There, Patrasche and Otto, who was connecting his own earth dragon to a dragon carriage, were waiting.
"Well then, shall we go, Natsuki-san?"
"Yeah, I'm counting on you for navigation and everything else, Otto."
Climbing onto the driver's seat and sitting next to Otto, Subaru looked ahead. Next to Otto's large earth dragon stood the jet-black Patrasche. Comparing them, the size difference was significant, and he felt uneasy about them pulling a carriage together.
"The 'Windproof Blessing' works on earth dragons, so there's no problem even if two of different sizes stand together. They're both females, and from what I 'heard,' they seem to get along well enough."
Reading Subaru's doubt from his expression, Otto, who had climbed beside him, held the reins and said that.
At the word "heard" from Otto's mouth, Subaru tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking that the blessings of this world are incredible. You can think of it as a kind of talent, I guess, but by my common sense, it's just too unpredictable."
"You talk about the blessings of this world like it's someone else's problem, Natsuki-san. Besides, having a blessing has its own hardships. Especially when I was little, I couldn't control my 'Word Spirit' blessing at all."
Responding with a wry smile, Otto spoke of his own blessing.
The blessing of 'Word Spirit' that Otto possessed.
Its revelation and use were the content of the deal Otto had offered Subaru. The effect of the 'Word Spirit' blessing was simple and clear—it made it possible to exchange words with anyone.
"Even conversing with animals, including earth dragons. That's how we were able to take the shortest route and rush to the Meizens territory..."
"My earth dragon... Furufu was pushed pretty hard, too. I seriously asked birds, insects, anything—about shortcuts and bad roads."
It seemed they had used routes that weren't even considered roads to make it first to the Meizens territory. The result was being captured by the Witch Cult, which was no laughing matter.
Anyway, according to his blessing...
"Catching up to Emilia and the others who went ahead isn't difficult."
"No, it is difficult? It's just that the possibility exists. And anyway, cooperating was the condition of the deal, so whether it bears fruit... or first, whether the magical ore that might be planted explodes is unknown..."
"Catching up to Emilia and the others who went ahead isn't difficult!"
"Don't look so confident saying that—it's putting pressure on me!"
Subaru's trust was too heavy, and Otto cried out, but there was no time to address that. Subaru wiped the emotion from his expression and let out a long, quiet breath.
"I'm counting on you, Otto. You're my lifeline."
"...Really, that's your killer line, damn it."
Moved by Subaru's sincere words, Otto sighed with a resigned face. Then, gripping the reins tightly, he gave the signal to the two earth dragons to run.
The dragon carriage began to move. With powerful kicks from Patrasche and Furufu, the chase for Emilia and the others began.
"Ugh, fine! I'll do it! I'll take your debt and suck you dry to the bone—!"
Otto's desperate shout echoed into the sky, drowned out by the 'Windproof' blessing and reaching only Subaru's ears.
*** Following the aforementioned events, Subaru and the others raced down the highway in pursuit of Emilia's group.
The succession of terrible roads up to this point was a nightmare itself; if he started talking, it would take half a day just to list his grievances with Otto. The parade of environmental hazards included actively suicidal acts like charging down nearly vertical cliffs, crossing a rickety suspension bridge that looked like it would collapse any second—abandoned for maintenance years ago (which did indeed collapse right after they crossed it), and multiple near-death drives that made him brace for return-by-death several times.
However, thanks to all that hardship, they had made excellent time once they entered the Liffuel Highway. If he were told to do that same dash again, it would be a miracle if he could, which was the reality of their situation.
"I have to make myself believe that, or I'll be too scared to even touch Patrasche!"
It was Otto who had driven the carriage through those terrible roads, but it was also Patrasche and another earth dragon who had responded to his commands and charged through death's path. If the driver had been anyone else, would such a feat have been possible? It made Subaru worry about how he should interact with Patrasche in the future.
Anyway...
"Let's head through the forest on the left! It's the fastest way to the Royal Capital!"
"That's not even a forest—it doesn't even have animal trails! Are you really sure!?"
"———"
"Why are you silent, you!?"
Ignoring Subaru's shouts, Otto steered the carriage toward the forest.
Helpless, Subaru could only clasp his hands and hope not to hit any trees head-on, lowering his head in the cargo bed in a defensive posture.
The shock of hitting a tree root sent the carriage bouncing, and as his vision turned green, he knew they'd entered the forest. Charging into an obstacle-filled area at breakneck speed seemed like nothing but suicide, but for Otto, who could communicate directly with the earth dragons, it was apparently just a routine matter.
If he was a standard merchant, maybe it was a profession that required more guts than one might think.
"Natsuki-san!!"
Just as Subaru was lost in such thoughts, Otto's voice suddenly rang out. The urgent emotion in that voice made him sit up, and he scrambled toward the driver's seat.
When Subaru stuck his head into the driver's seat, Otto was pressing a hand to his ear, scanning their surroundings.
"What happened? What is it?"
"The trees are noisy... or rather, birds and insects were making a huge fuss, and then they vanished. And Furufu is getting scared... Something's coming!"
At Otto's warning cry, Subaru held his breath and looked around.
But in a forest where his entire view was blocked by trees, that vigilance was useless. Otto seemed to read Subaru's thoughts and nodded.
"We'll turn off and exit the forest immediately. Natsuki-san, watch the rear—"
"...No, that's no longer necessary."
As Otto prepared to give the earth dragons new orders, Subaru stopped him with a hand. His face was turned back, toward the sight behind the carriage where the forest was being left behind in Otto's wake.
Trees were being snapped and sent flying, the forest was being mangled and killed one by one.
Destruction erupted, the ground Subaru and the others had just raced over was thrown up, and *it*, heedless of the damage to its surroundings, was charging straight toward them, beelining for Subaru.
"Floor it, Otto. —Whatever you do, don't let it catch us!!"
"Natsuki-san!?"
Stopping Otto as he was about to turn around, Subaru rushed to the back of the carriage and faced the approaching thing, shouting with rage bare on his face.
"Just how stubborn are you, you piece of shit?!!"
In Subaru's line of sight, a massive shadow of jet black writhed.
It extended black magical hands like dripping slime from a corpse, an amorphous mass of obsession that had lost all human shape—Petelgeuse's remains, pursuing Subaru, closing in from behind.