Chapter 9-9: "The High-Efficiency Magic Circle Guided Door"

"—Welcome back safely. Relieved."

Those were the few words of joy at Subaru's return from Krind, who spoke so little.

Ever since Subaru had been knighted as Emilia's champion, Krind had taken it upon himself to mentor him—teaching him how to train his body, how to handle a whip, and various other things that had built up to the confidence Subaru now possessed. In effect, he was this world's closest thing to a teacher.

Despite holding that position, Krind had always maintained a certain distance in his day-to-day dealings, both with the people of the mansion he served and with Subaru himself. So it was striking when, in delivering those words of reunion, he placed a hand on Subaru's shoulder and slightly lowered the corners of his eyes.

At the same time, it meant that even Krind, who always seemed unshaken by anything, had been worried.

"Well, that's just obvious, right? I mean, I'm really sorry. I heard you did a ton to help out when Emilia-tan and the others came to pick me up too."

"Not at all. I simply did what I was able to do within my capabilities. And I did receive appropriate compensation for it, so the issue is quite minor. Forgiven."

"Krind…"

"Also, isn't offering apologies in this sort of situation contrary to camp policy? Questioned."

"Huh?"

"If you were to ask how Lady Emilia—your master, who has grown into a pure and valiant individual while still retaining her childlike qualities—would speak in a time like this, what would she say? Pondering."

At Krind's words, Subaru caught his breath.

The evaluation of Emilia that Krind had just voiced oozed with his fondness for the boundless potential of a child, but Subaru understood the point he was making.

At a time like this, if someone had done something for you, Emilia wouldn't apologize— "Instead of saying sorry, you say thank you."

"Yes. Correct answer."

The fact that Krind delivered this response without a smile, his face perfectly straight, was precisely what made him Krind.

Subaru scratched his cheek with his finger and smiled wryly at his inscrutable teacher's manner of being. That ungraspable quality was probably connected to the hardships of Krind's mistress, Annerose, and the complicated feelings of Frederica, who had known him for so many years.

Though, when it came to Frederica's complicated inner feelings, the fact that she mentioned Krind's name so frequently despite supposedly disliking him suggested that an outsider had no business speculating.

"Oh, now that you mention it, in the advance party that went ahead, Frederica was supposed to go along too, but I don't see her anywhere—especially not someone as conspicuously tall as her. Confirming."

"Hm? Ah, yeah, that's right. Initially Frederica was supposed to come, but plans changed at the last minute, and I had her go with Roswaal instead."

Subaru answered Krind's inquiry while glancing toward the distant sky.

Currently, including Subaru himself, the members of Emilia's camp had divided up their roles across various locations in the Kingdom of Lugunica. With Emilia and Otto having departed to report on the events in the Empire to the royal capital, and Ram taking care of Rem, who was recuperating from her memory treatment at the mansion, Roswaal and Frederica had headed to the southern part of the kingdom—the Bariel territory.

With Priscilla dead and her husband Leip Bariel already deceased, the Bariel territory—having lost its lord, heralded as the "Solar Princess"—was expected to be thrown into significant turmoil.

With the aim of keeping that turmoil to a minimum, Roswaal had accompanied Schult, who had chosen to return directly through Priscilla's camp, and Frederica had gone along with them.

"Frederica's good with children, and Schult likes her, so I'm sure it'll be fine. But if it were just Roswaal alone—just thinking about it gives me the creeps."

"I know what you mean, but don't say that too loudly. Roswaal has mellowed out a lot too… This time around, when Emilia-tan asked him to help Schult, he accepted without missing a beat, didn't he?"

As usual, Beatrice was harsh toward Roswaal, which was endearing in its own way, but Subaru was deeply grateful for how he had handled things this time. Emilia, who had apparently spoken with Schult during Subaru's "Sparca" moments, had seemed relieved that Roswaal had taken it on.

Honestly, Subaru couldn't help but wonder if Roswaal's willingness to cooperate so readily in another camp's affairs was driven by a desire to gain influence over the Bariel territory. But even if that were the case, between Roswaal and some other ambitious person, Roswaal was the more trustworthy option—at least, that was Subaru's tentative reasoning.

Besides, when it came to butting into other camps' business, Subaru was far more brazen about it than either Emilia or Roswaal.

"————"

Thinking this over, Subaru reflected on another complicated debt of gratitude toward Roswaal—the fact that he had not carried out his earlier statement when Subaru had been unable to save Priscilla.

Roswaal knew that Subaru possessed the power to redo things—though he didn't know that "Return by Death" was anchored in death itself. After the battle in the Sanctuary, Roswaal had declared outright that he would not allow Natsuki Subaru to accept the path of losing someone precious.

If Subaru ever failed to save someone dear, Roswaal would burn everything to ashes with his own flames to make him redo that world.

That hadn't been a threat or a joke—it had been a sincere declaration.

And yet, this time, when Subaru had been unable to save Priscilla, Roswaal had not followed through by hammering home that terrifying vision of fire.

Whether that signified some change in Roswaal, or whether Priscilla simply didn't count as someone for Subaru to redo in Roswaal's mind, Subaru couldn't say. He didn't know, but he hoped with all his heart that it was the former.

"Well, anyway, that's why Frederica is with Roswaal. If you want to see her face, I could hop over there for you…"

"Regrettably, my method of transportation is not omnipotent. Conditional. And furthermore, I didn't have a particular desire to meet only with Frederica. Denied. However—"

"However?"

"I was simply concerned about how things deviated from the original plan. Minor."

Krind shook his head slightly and added that remark. Subaru raised an eyebrow.

He understood Krind's point, but things didn't always go according to plan. He wouldn't go so far as to call it adaptability, but being too rigid left you unable to move.

Besides, if it weren't Frederica, the person who would have gone with Roswaal would have been Petra. From a camp-internal perspective, that would have been far more worrying.

So this combination had come about through the natural course of events.

"————"

"Krind?"

"——. I apologize for only being able to express myself in ways that feel like food stuck between one's teeth. Apologetic. Given my position, I overstepped my remarks. Considerate."

Krind bowed his head as he said this, and Subaru felt a pang of sadness at the line he drew.

Krind had always been the type to clearly delineate his own and others' boundaries— "I'm not Roswaal, and I'm not Annerose. So when it comes to me, there's no such thing as overstepping. You're one of us too, Krind."

There was also the context of what had just happened with the "thank you."

Someone who had done all that for them and lent them their strength—if that person wasn't a comrade, what were they?

"Both you and I are allies of Emilia-tan, who's healthy and adorable, right?"

"—Yes, indeed. Affirmed. However, unlike you, Subaru, who is expected to grow quickly, I'm in the position of wanting to watch over the sprouting buds of potential as they flourish. Cradle."

"I can feel the irreconcilable factional differences when it comes to our oshi!"

"For the record, Betty feels that Emilia's current growth is something to be proud of on Nii-chan's behalf."

Even within the camp, there were clearly vast differences in how one supported Emilia, but Subaru concluded that Beatrice's take was the most mature of the lot.

In any case, Krind carrying them—along with Meili, who was indispensable for crossing the Augria Sand Dunes—in a single long-distance leap had been an enormous help.

"What about you after this, Krind?"

"Though it was the young lady's order, I haven't been able to focus on my duties as head butler for some time. Reflective. Now that the master and Lady Emilia have returned, there will be busier times ahead once more. Therefore, I intended to hand the others over to Frederica and head back—but, pondering."

Krind narrowed his eyes, a trace of worry visible through his monocle.

The center of his deliberation was clearly his mistress, Annerose.

Despite her youth, Annerose already possessed the spirit of a first-rate noble. She was dependable in some ways, but also precarious in others. As the person closest to her, Krind would naturally feel uneasy about leaving her side for long.

So— "—You'll be fine, Krind. Garfiel's there too. Petra's been getting more dependable by the day too. Go back and put Annerose at ease."

△▼△▼△▼△ That scene aside, Subaru and the others received Meili and set out to conquer the Augria Sand Dunes—which they accomplished spectacularly— "…Seriously, there was no freaking need for me here, was there?"

"See? I told you it'd be fine. We already split up with Krind, so if something had gone wrong, that would've been way worse. I'm telling you, it's great that nothing happened."

"Y'get that? Y'get that, right? But still, I was all fired up, y'know? That counts for something, don't it?"

Standing dejectedly before the main gate of the Pleiades Watchtower, Garfiel hung his head.

Standing in the sand-blasted wind, slumping with his shoulders hunched, Garfiel cut a sorrowful figure—while Meili, the greatest contributor to crossing the Sand Sea, stood with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out.

"What's that s'posed to mean? Like it's my fault or something! If you wanna flex so bad, why don't you and the fang brother just walk back and forth across the sand dunes on your own?"

"Meili-chan, don't provoke him like that! Garf, sorry. Meili-chan doesn't mean any harm. She just can't keep her mouth shut…"

"Petra-chan, your glare is terrifying…"

Meili, who had been sulking, reluctantly backed down when Petra stepped in to mediate.

It wasn't just the incident at Milura's tavern, but the power dynamic between these two was fascinatingly lopsided in Petra's favor.

"Is it really about the relationship between the one who feeds you and the one being fed?"

"Whether that's right is questionable. There's hardly anyone at the mansion who can stand up to Petra. It'd be Emilia and Ram at most."

"Emilia-tan is naturally strong, and Ram is just straightforwardly strong."

Beatrice nodded in agreement, and Subaru concurred with her assessment.

Needless to say, neither Subaru nor Beatrice would have uttered a single word claiming they could beat Petra. They knew their place. Admirable.

"But, man, coming back here really brings things bubbling up inside you, doesn't it?"

As Subaru spoke, something stirred and ached in his chest at the sight of the tower looming before him.

It was partly because this was the place that had sent him flying to the Vollachian Empire, and partly because it was where he'd encountered Spica.

But what ached most fiercely in Subaru's heart at this moment was the thought of her—the one who was gone.

"————"

Shaula. The first person Natsuki Subaru, who possessed "Return by Death," had failed to save.

With Priscilla added to that, Subaru was forced to understand with his very soul—what he had already grasped intellectually—that "Return by Death" was not omnipotent.

That was precisely why he never, ever wanted to taste that kind of heartbreak, that kind of wound, ever again.

"Well, putting that aside, I suppose there's genuine relief to be had. At this point, I really don't want to deal with any more chaos just from entering the tower."

Whether Beatrice sensed Subaru's feelings through their clasped hands or not, she chose not to touch on his sentimentality, and Subaru was able to return a simple "Yeah."

The Pleiades Watchtower itself was visible even from a distance, as Milura had pointed out. The clouds and sandstorms that shrouded it seemed less dense than before, making it almost impossible to lose sight of the tower.

Of course, once the "Sand Time" arrived and the sandstorms intensified, that would change—but now that they'd conquered the tower once and knew about the spatial distortion that connected to it within "Sand Time," they were almost looking forward to it.

"She guarded the carriage the whole way through those sandstorms, avoiding rocky areas and canyons. That's a huge accomplishment, but Garfiel's being way too hard on himself."

"Averting potential crises before they happen was entirely thanks to him too, but for Garfiel, if he doesn't get to use his muscles, he doesn't feel like he's done any work—that might be his challenge going forward."

If you were to straightforwardly rank the contributors to conquering this Sand Sea, Garfiel would definitely be in the top three. Of course, one of the others was Meili, and the other— "I'm sorry for dragging you along on trip after trip, Patrasche. Every single time, I'm saved by your stamina, your breakthrough power, and your elegance."

"——!"

At Subaru's words, Patrasche let out a snort, as if to say it was only natural.

In the Vollachian Empire, of course, and now again on this journey back to the Pleiades Watchtower, she had pulled their carriage without fail. She was unquestionably an indispensable member.

With one long trip after another leaving no room to rest, the moment they finally got back to the mansion and had a chance to settle in, they would have to thank her properly—whether with a brushing, a picnic, or whatever else she enjoyed.

And so, as Subaru and the others exchanged thanks for having arrived at the tower safely— "This is—"

Al, who had arrived after them and stepped down from the carriage, gazed up at the tower in a hoarse whisper.

The fleeting emotion that laced Al's voice was so painfully raw that Subaru nearly let his expression stiffen, catching himself just in time and pinching his cheek to suppress it.

Throughout this journey, Subaru had been careful to avoid making grave or worried faces in front of Al as much as possible. The purpose of the trip was what it was. He couldn't simply ignore that and act normally, but at the same time, he desperately didn't want to treat Al like something fragile that required kid gloves.

Because if their positions were reversed, that was at least how Subaru would feel.

"This is our destination—the Pleiades Watchtower. It might've been a cramped journey, but thanks for your hard work."

With that in mind, Subaru unpinched his cheek and called out to Al. Al kept his gaze on the tower and replied: "…Cramped journey? Nothing like that. The kids took plenty of care of me, and I got treated to a comfortable trip all things considered. All things considered, that is."

"I never intended to treat you like a burden."

"Yeah, sorry, sorry. I'm not being snide or sarcastic. What am I doing. I just can't help saying unnecessary things. An old man my age, how pathetic."

Al shook his head loosely, pressing a hand to the forehead of his helmet as he grumbled. Subaru, who had caught a glimpse of Al's complicated state of mind, struggled to find the right words.

Just as Subaru worried about Al, Al too showed consideration for Subaru and everyone else.

But when you're not actually feeling down, it's hard to put up a brave front convincingly, and the reality was that he was feeling down. The result was a strange mix of forced bravado and an impulse to say things that were better left unsaid.

"No one thinks you're a pathetic man day in and day out. Everyone has moments when they can't hold their heads up. What matters is reflecting on those moments."

"…Well, well. That comfort really hits home. Thanks, Beako."

"—That nickname is permitted only from Subaru. Be careful next time."

Beatrice held her chin up with a prim expression as she replied, and Subaru, feeling tender, patted her head.

Then, turning toward Garfiel and the others who were trying to open the tower's main gate— "—Brother. Thanks."

Al's voice of gratitude landed on his back, and Subaru almost stopped in his stride—almost, but in the end he didn't, and he simply waved a hand behind him as he stepped toward the tower entrance with Beatrice.

There had been many misgivings about coming to the Pleiades Watchtower. Truly wondering whether it was right to seek Priscilla's "Book of the Dead."

But just before actually finding out whether the "Book of the Dead" was even there, Subaru felt certain that the concern he'd shown for Al had not been in vain.

And— "Oh, Subaru. How do we open this big door?"

"Right, it's super huge but not as heavy as it looks. When I threw my whole weight against it and pushed with everything I had, it opened just a little bit."

"You opened it with brute force!?"

"Is that so. The last time, the naked lady and Emilia-nee… plus the Sword Saint opened it, so I didn't know that."

Petra's eyes went wide in surprise while Meili, her chin in her hand, murmured that aside.

It was a little startling to hear the "Sword Saint"—Reinhardt—mentioned from her lips, but it turned out that while Subaru had been away, Meili had visited the tower once more with Felt and Reinhardt to secure the approval of the Council of Wise Men.

In other words, this was Meili's third visit to the tower in a short span. She was probably the woman in the world who had visited the Pleiades Watchtower the most, and she would likely only add to that count going forward.

"So, so, when I came here last—"

"Now, now, hold on a sec. That story's fine and all, but let's get inside the tower already. If it won't open without brute force, then this is my cue—"

Garfiel cut off Meili as she tried to recount her previous visit, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward. The fact that he perked up at the words "brute force," eager to have his moment, was truly endearing. And realistically, Garfiel was the right person for the job.

Thinking so, Subaru was about to push him on and say "leave it to you." That was when it happened.

"——Huh?"

Garfiel, poised and ready to take on the door—before his very eyes, stones grinding against each other, the door slowly swung open.

Of course, Garfiel hadn't even touched it yet.

Shocked by that fact, Garfiel stared—through the gap of the now-open door— "—Well now, surprised? Considering that the number of people entering and leaving the tower will surely increase in the future, I've constructed a new magical formula. It also serves to purify the miasma drifting through the Augria Sand Dunes."

The voice that reached them was brimming with confidence and self-regard.

The source of that smugly delivered statement, packed with a tone of self-congratulation, slowly and steadily revealed itself to their eyes.

Standing there was a figure in a black robe, with neatly trimmed green hair.

"It's a small measure, but by channeling a specific mana into a magic circle, the mechanism is linked to the door. Through this, I've corrected the inefficient nature of a tower that's difficult to enter and exit—starting from the entrance itself! This system, I shall name: the High-Efficiency Magic Circle Guided Door—"

"—It's an automatic door. So, an automatic door."

"Guh!?"

The volume of his voice climbed even higher, and just as it was about to reach its peak, a voice as cool as cold water cut in from the side, killing his momentum.

The green-haired man—short in stature, like a child—stammered and pointed at the person standing next to him while trembling with indignation: "Miss Flamm! How many times do I have to tell you? This is a new technology that may seem plain and its utility hard to grasp, but it will eventually prove useful in countless facilities! That is precisely why it needs a fitting name…"

"But it's hard to say and hard to remember. It's an automatic door."

"That's so reductive…!"

The man's eyes bulged as the pink-haired girl beside him simply shook her head, unhurried.

Having been received—or rather, left waiting by these two of roughly equal height—Subaru called out "Hey!" to the first arrivals: "Sorry to interrupt, but you two are…?"

"Sensei and Flamm-chan, big brother."

When Subaru asked about their identities, it was Meili who interjected.

The words she used—"Sensei" and a girl's name—combined with her obvious familiarity with them, made it clear who they were.

When Meili had visited the Pleiades Watchtower with Felt's group last time, this person had stayed behind at the tower as lookout and liaison—a member of Felt's camp— "Oh, is that Garfiel-sama over there? It's been too long—since the Priestella incident! I hope you've been in good health. I'm Ezordel Hearthsheen."

"Always lively and loud, that's Lord Ezordel today."

"'Loud' is just an insult, Miss Flamm!"

The man who glared at the girl called Flamm after delivering that greeting was, as he'd introduced himself, Ezordel Hearthsheen—the rumored brains of Felt's camp, a magician of considerable skill.

Ezordel greeted him warmly, and Subaru thought Garfiel would be pleased to reunite with an acquaintance—but instead: "Ma-Man, there's my chance again… ugh…"

Garfiel's extended arm drooped limply, and he slumped in dejection.

△▼△▼△▼△ "—I see. I hadn't been told the details, but Lady Priscilla Bariel, you say…"

Upon hearing the news of Priscilla's death, Ezordel offered a silent, solemn moment of prayer.

Even in that act of requiem, his small-framed, childlike appearance belied a discernible air of intellect and composure.

As a member of Felt's camp, he would naturally have recognized Priscilla as part of the opposing faction. Yet rather than flinching at the news of her death, he turned his gaze toward Al: "Lord Al, I offer my condolences. I never had the opportunity to meet Lady Priscilla, but Felt-sama told me she was a formidable adversary not to be underestimated. Her judgment is sound. Your lord was a noble and worthy person, I'm sure."

"…Yeah. Thank you, Lord Ezordel."

Al responded with equal solemnity to Ezordel, who had shown such dignified respect for Priscilla.

The masked foreigner hiding his face behind an iron helmet, and the small-statured figure displaying a maturity beyond his appearance—the two exchanged words with an earnestness that, to an outside observer, seemed oddly natural despite the strangeness of it all.

"So, Natsuki-san and Garfiel-san—you came directly from the Empire to the tower?"

"That's right. It was closer to come straight here than to return to the mansion first."

"I see. Still, leaving your mistress Lady Emilia's side must have been a difficult decision. Lord Reinhardt is much the same—he can't stand being apart from Felt-sama for any length of time."

"They each have their own way of doing things. …Actually, I've got a theory that Reinhardt actually enjoys watching Felt make faces."

The way Felt was so nonchalant about Reinhardt—almost dismissive—was perhaps refreshing for someone like him, who was used to being treated with careful deference by everyone.

If being by Felt's side was the reason, then Reinhardt had good taste too.

"Of course, I'm sure the main reason was the important mistress. But like Ezordel said, leaving Emilia-tan's side was tough for me too. That said—"

The time Emilia and the others had spent away from the Kingdom on their way to the Empire was approaching two months.

During that period, nothing related to the Royal Selection had progressed, and they needed to report the changes in their relationship with the Empire to the royal capital as soon as possible. That included the seismic news of Priscilla's death.

There was simply no option to delay the report.

Alongside that, leaving Al—increasingly despondent—for too long, and tying down someone who wanted to go to the tower, was also difficult. As Ezordel said, it had been a hard decision.

But— "There weren't huge fights about it. Honestly, I knew I was being pushy, but it felt like they'd already anticipated I'd say something like that… I felt bad about it."

Emilia and the others had already known what Subaru would ask for and had prepared the safest, most effective way to accommodate his wishes as best they could.

The things mentioned earlier—the report to the capital, the response in Bariel territory—within the constraints of things that simply couldn't be postponed, what they'd managed was what had brought Subaru and the others here to the Pleiades Watchtower.

"No fights… Hmm, is that how it works?"

"Huh?"

"No, it's nothing—just a personal matter. As you said about your own assessment of Felt-sama and her people, each situation is its own thing. I can only imagine what happened in the Empire."

Ezordel touched a finger to his narrow chin and nodded with an easygoing air.

There was something soothing about the way he spoke and carried himself, and it was easy to see why Meili called him "Sensei."

In any case— "Once we reach the tower, I'd like to rest—but I think there's someone who's too restless with the object of his search right in front of him, so let's get to it."

"To the 'Library,' where the archives are kept. Naturally, I have no reason to stop you. But there's one thing I'd like to confirm first. —Lord Al."

As Subaru, who had been about to proceed toward the spiral staircase descending from the fifth floor to their destination on the third floor, was cut off mid-sentence—Ezordel called Al's name.

Al turned at the sound of his voice, and Ezordel raised a single finger: "I already mentioned that I never met Lady Priscilla, but allow me to say this: from what I have heard of her character, would Lady Priscilla truly want you to read her 'Book of the Dead'? And even so—do you still wish for your deceased lord's book?"

"————"

"Ezordel, that's—"

"Silence, Natsuki-san. I'm asking Lord Al. This is important."

Just after Ezordel spoke these quiet words, the tip of his raised finger glowed faintly, and Subaru felt his voice vanish from his throat. He immediately recognized it as Ezordel's magic and was forced to acknowledge that he was an even more formidable mage than he'd heard.

With Subaru thus forcibly silenced at his side, Ezordel and Al faced each other: "Losing someone close is a painful thing. I've experienced it, as has everyone. But I don't believe that everyone who has had such an experience has come to this tower seeking the 'Book of the Dead'—and certainly not when the very person inscribed in the book does not wish for it."

What Ezordel said was a piercingly sharp yet entirely reasonable opinion.

"————"

Al said nothing, his expression hidden behind the iron helmet and impossible to read.

But the fact was that he was deeply, gravely wounded, and was on the verge of drowning in the pain and bloodloss of that wound. Subaru—and everyone—had wanted to find a way to ease that. That much was undeniable.

So much so that Emilia's camp was unanimous in that desire.

"You're right about what you said, Ezordel. You're right—some people, even when someone around them dies, can pick themselves back up on their own. They don't need the help of a book."

"I'm glad we're in agreement. But I sense there's more."

"There is. There's one more thing you're right about. The princess—Priscilla—doesn't want her 'Book of the Dead' read."

"————"

"But she's dead."

A thin hiss escaped from Subaru's silenced throat.

It was the first time Subaru had heard Al say that Priscilla was dead, and the sensation was like being cut by a blade's keen edge.

More than pain, it was the feeling of blood gushing out, of his body growing cold.

And Al, having said those words for Subaru and Ezordel to hear, continued: "Priscilla is dead. —She can't lecture me anymore."

"—I see."

Ezordel lowered his eyes at Al's voice, low and frozen as if his heart had turned to ice.

Hearing the same answer that Ezordel had, Subaru felt his own heart pierced by the rawness of the glacial period that had visited Al's soul—the loss of his sun, his flame, leaving nothing but desolation.

Ezordel wore an expression that mirrored what Subaru felt, then let out a small breath: "I prodded and forced you to say things you didn't want to say. I apologize."

"…No. It was something I needed to say. For me too—saying it out loud."

Al's raspy reply drew a deep nod from Ezordel.

Then, Ezordel snapped his fingers: "My apologies, Natsuki-san. I simply wanted to ask on my own, without anyone else chiming in."

"A-Ah, ah—I can talk again. What was that just now?"

"Dark magic… or so it would appear—it's actually an application of light magic. I didn't make your voice vanish; I simply raised it to a pitch too high to be heard normally. The range of sound that bats and similar creatures produce."

"Something like that is possible… Impressive. And also…"

Subaru touched his throat and glanced worriedly toward Al. Reading the intent behind his gaze, Ezordel prefaced his response with "I know," and continued: "Ultimately, it's the person's own issue. It's not for outsiders to interfere. That said, if he seemed to be wavering or hesitating, I had intended to gently dissuade him—but if proceeding requires this level of resolve, then there's nothing to do but let him go forward."

"And that's okay with you?"

"What an absurd question. You've all swallowed your own forms of acceptance, haven't you? Besides, personally speaking, if I were to die and someone wanted to read my 'Book of the Dead,' I'd welcome it. I'd want them to know everything about me in life, and then use it as a foundation for the future."

"————"

"In fact—not to put it as a desperate wish—I've already been busy reading a considerable number of 'Books of the Dead' myself! Truly, I'm in no position to talk!"

The composed, adult demeanor from moments ago had vanished entirely. Ezordel's voice had risen, and he'd returned to the same self-confident expression he'd worn when demonstrating the "automatic door" magic at the tower's entrance.

Though surprised by the sudden shift in his demeanor, Subaru appreciated the way Ezordel had used it to defuse the heavy atmosphere he himself had created.

Honestly, coming straight back from the Empire—where virtually every person you met was a potential enemy—simply being treated without suspicion was enough to win high marks.

In any case— "I'm sorry for keeping you in suspense. It feels like I'm stealing Natsuki-san's thunder since you already know, but I'll serve as your guide. —To the main archive of the Great Library Pleiades: the 'Library,' where the 'Books of the Dead' are kept."

And so, the moment had finally arrived for the purpose of visiting the Pleiades Watchtower to be fulfilled.