—To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never call anyone by name.
—Howling, bone-cutting cold wind engulfed the entirety of the Absolute Glacier.
"————"
Even bundled in thick cold-weather gear, Subaru endured the air's piercing chill as it cut straight through him, desperately pushing aside the white exhalations that threatened to obscure his vision, and looked ahead.
If all he had to deal with was the cold, there were plenty more layers he could have piled on. But the true enemy he had to face here was not the wind or the snow battering him.
It was a far more distinct threat—one that thrust a blade directly at his life.
"…Are you afraid?"
He heard the voice ask that, and became aware of the gentle warmth of a hand in his own.
The heat he felt through their clasped left hands was the warmth of a partner whom, no matter how dire the circumstances, he could trust absolutely—a partner of nothing but trust and affection, who would never abandon him.
"Actually, there are plenty of other positive feelings I could pile on—protectiveness, fondness, passion, you name it… I just don't have enough words to sing your praises, is all."
"Heh heh, naturally. I'd love to hear every last one of those insufficient words, if time allowed… but right now, I'm afraid there are a few uninvited guests."
"True that. …Dammit, I knew it, but I really wish you'd let it slide."
He agreed with his adorable partner's words, shrugging as he kept his gaze fixed forward—maintaining an unwavering vigilance toward the presence standing before them, even as they exchanged casual barbs.
Honestly, no matter how much tension and vigilance he poured into his opponent, he could never say it was enough.
"As a measuring stick for power, I'm not sure he's really functional anymore… but compared to how ridiculous you are, Regulus is practically cute… no, wait, he's not cute at all. Regulus is nothing more than a flea."
"…I shall accept that as a special evaluation from you, and treasure it accordingly."
The other party picked up on his grumbling with uncanny ears and responded with perfect composure. Subaru narrowed one eye at him.
A relaxed stance, a tall frame dressed in splendid attire, eyes that projected the unwavering resolve to enforce a terrifyingly powerful will, and skin that was faintly tanned—as if from mild sunburn. On that skin, a mysterious pattern resembling Sanskrit characters glowed faintly—a tattoo.
The man who cut an unmistakably extraordinary figure was indeed no ordinary being. —At the very least, if one surveyed the entire world as it stood, there was not a single person who could defeat him.
—He was known as the "Mad Prince."
And now, in the depths of a blizzard that whirled through the Absolute Glacier, he was the formidable enemy they faced.
"Confrontation, huh… Why is it that we have to fight each other?"
"Are you asking yourself that? If so, then you ought to question the very attitude of questioning. As for why—we, the Mad Prince, have already exchanged words with you at length. We reached a stalemate. And so it has come to this. —For my part as well, this is anything but what I desire."
"Anything but what you desire? What do you mean by that?"
"I bear you no grudge, no hatred. The reason we must face each other thus has nothing to do with fondness or enmity. However—"
The Mad Prince paused, narrowed his eyes, and lowered his gaze slightly. In doing so, Subaru could tell that his attention had shifted from himself to the partner beside him.
In that instant, a thick, viscous, never-ending hatred leaked from the other man.
That was an emotion the Mad Prince would never direct at Subaru himself—and at the same time, it was the fundamental reason the man and Subaru could never coexist.
Oozing that undisguised hatred, the Mad Prince declared: "—That filth is why you and I cannot coexist."
"First off, I can't wrap my head around your aesthetic sense—catching my super adorable partner and then calling her filth. That's why we can never be friends."
"Most regrettable. Truly regrettable—and yet, regrettable as it is, I will not withdraw."
The Mad Prince shook his head slowly, sighing as if lamenting his failed persuasion. But if he'd genuinely intended to persuade them, then the chasm between their values would never be bridged.
"He really can't hold a conversation, can he… Cecilus would have been easier to talk to."
"Don't compare—poor Cecilus. Cecilus could actually hold a conversation… it's just that the conclusions always land wherever Cecilus wants them to. The logic of the strong, you know?"
"But we can't let him have his way. …You know that, right?"
"—Yeah. Goes without saying. Though hearing you say it does pump me up."
He squeezed their clasped hands tighter, exchanged a glance, and shared a brief smile.
Facing a formidable foe, the sense of solidarity with his partner was more than sufficient. —And the reason he had chosen this place as the battlefield, spending so long on dialogue, suddenly made itself felt.
At the edge of his vision—a flash, a fleeting glimpse of an ice prism— "—E.M.M.!!"
In an instant, their overlapping voices completed the incantation, and the absolute defense magic enveloped both Subaru and his partner, shifting their existence half a step out of this world, nullifying all interference.
Passing through their slightly blurred forms, the white light that pierced through from the other side was aimed to blow clean through their legs below the knee. Had they not put up a defense, the two of them standing side by side would have had their legs shot out from under them, rendering them combat-ineffective.
And that attack had also been aimed at the Mad Prince—but— "—All out? Or are you trying to make me angry? If that's meant as a provocation, I'll make sure you receive the consequences. I'll be the one delivering them, and you'll be the one receiving."
The Mad Prince had caught the white light between two raised fingers.
The light slowly lost its radiance at his fingertips, eventually revealing the true form of a long needle—then it, too, scattered and dissipated into mist. —A needle constructed of magic, fired at super-high speed. It was known as— "Hellsnipe… so that means—"
"—It's you again? You never learn, do you? Doesn't matter how many times you come, it's always the same."
"————"
A voice suddenly descended from above, and Subaru reflexively held his breath.
The wind was still howling. And yet—why was it that even in the midst of such a gale, that voice could reach his eardrums so clearly?
Or perhaps the logic of the truly strong could bend even the laws of nature to its will.
If that were true, then it made perfect sense that the voice could cut through the blizzard and reach them.
After all, the being who had appeared with such composure in the sky above the Absolute Glacier—she was— "—It's been a while, '
"Don't talk to me like we're acquaintances. I'm not your friend, not some casual associate, nothing. Whether I'm doing well or not is none of your concern."
"That's where you're wrong. At present, you and the gentleman beside you are a definite obstacle to achieving my goals. If you were feeling unwell, I would absolutely seize the opportunity."
"Oh, is that so? Then if I spread a rumor that I'm in terrible shape, will you come waltzing right in? How sweet—drop dead."
She clapped her hands lightly in front of her chest, and the woman floating in the frigid sky smiled cruelly.
"————"
She was a beautiful woman.
Long, reddish-brown hair tied with a ribbon, wearing a dress patterned with a unique blend of pink, light blue, and gold.
Her outfit, which left her slender white shoulders exposed, would be unbelievable attire for an extreme cold zone—but for her, who didn't even produce white breath, it apparently posed no obstacle.
Just as the sound of the blizzard could not drown out the beautiful tones that escaped her lips, neither heat nor cold nor inclement weather could interfere with her doing as she pleased, dressing as she wished.
"—You've come."
That call pulled Subaru's consciousness back—he had been frozen, bracing himself.
His partner, gazing up at the same figure and undoubtedly arriving at the same state of mind, was nonetheless holding back the emotions threatening to spill out, considerate of his feelings.
He didn't feel pathetic or apologetic for being the one in need of that consideration. —But he refused to squander her kindness. He took a deep breath.
And then— "—At last, we meet again, ■■■!"
"————"
He raised his voice and called out to her through the white, swirling wind.
Unfortunately, unlike her and the Mad Prince, he had no power to bend the wind to his will.
And he absolutely refused to do something so embarrassingly lame as claiming he hadn't been loud enough to reach her—after having held onto this moment for so long.
Just how long had he waited for this instant?
How much powerlessness had he chewed through, and stepped over, to make it here?
Seeking the fruition of all of that, he drew a breath—and
Gazing, he spoke.
"I'm going to get you back, ■■■. —Bring it on, fate!!"
That was the declaration—the culmination of every day Subaru had decided to devote everything to, the fruit of all the long, agonizing time it had taken him to set foot upon this frozen land.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never bear anyone's burden.
--- —Dark. Dark. Dark. He drifted in a dark abyss.
Vague as a doze, uncertain as eternity, diffuse as a mire.
As though perpetually suspended on the boundary between dream and reality within the pages of a book, he drifted through a darkness that was vague, uncertain, diffuse—and endless.
Just how long had he been like this?
Just how much longer would he continue like this?
Just how far would this seemingly endless moment stretch?
Such natural thoughts, questions, and propositions were all stretched thin by the darkness.
The stretched-out version was like flimsy paper—a single firm poke and it tore easily, its seams became impossible to find, and eventually it lost its original shape entirely.
Surely, he had repeated this many times already.
Gathering the scattering fragments of his consciousness, piecing them together, stitching them into place—only to destroy it all again with the slightest miscalculation in how he applied force, scattering it once more into smithereens.
At this point, having been shattered beyond counting, perhaps he should just give up trying to hold it together. —And yet, he couldn't.
—Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark. He continued to drift in the dark abyss.
Vague as a doze, uncertain as eternity, diffuse as a mire—but never alone in the darkness.
Not alone. He would not be alone.
The moments that stretched on, the failures repeated again and again, the darkness in which he continued to drift—none of these he would allow to be destroyed, because he was not alone.
His definition of self was incomplete, and the grounds for not being alone were shrouded in black fog—yet still, he could not give up, could not let go, could not resign himself.
He couldn't resign himself. —Because resignation didn't suit him.
And so— --- "————"
The instant his vision opened and he was thrown back into the outside world, a flood of information crashed into his head, thoroughly scrambling his consciousness, and his body convulsed violently.
"—!"
His vision flickered, red and black alternating in a brutal assault on the world.
His outstretched limbs tensed, and with the involuntary brakes released, the strain placed on his body terrifyingly seized the muscles of every joint from his fingertips to his groin, one after another.
Pain. Pain that spread to every corner of body and mind—it seized him, and wouldn't let go.
"It's scorched through—!! Oh my, wait wait wait! Is this all right!? Are you like a fish washed ashore!?"
"Silence, Lumera. No matter how extraordinary your appearance may be, I never permitted you to scream in my ear. This is, after all, the natural result."
"Natural!? Your Excellency, did you just say 'natural'? You knew this would happen!?"
"My 'Solar Sword' burns what needs burning and cuts what needs cutting. However, since I delivered it through non-standard means, some complications are inevitable."
"…Did you warn us beforehand?"
"You should have known without being told. You are all older than I, and yet still lack the wisdom to comprehend such things. Or did you all slack off throughout your entire lives?"
Senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch—were swallowed by the torrent of information rushing in from every direction, forcing his consciousness into a state of confusion. Above him, voices were flying back and forth.
Those voices were also new information—another thread in the flood.
"Bad bad bad bad! If you die like this, all those years of effort will go to waste!? I've been running around everywhere, groveling on the ground, and finally managed to pull it off… ugh, I won't be able to show my face to anyone!"
"This is no time for that! For a situation like this… yes, emergency treatment! A little pain is elegant if it produces results! Surely Master will smile upon us for this!"
"That's right! Can you do it, Lumera!"
"Absolutely not! I'm entirely fire-attuned to the point of combustion! The only things fire can do are the destruction part of destruction and renewal! Ah ha ha ha!"
"So was this whole thing just a huge waste of time!?"
Even amid the torrent and flood, certain voices were louder than the rest, chattering left and right.
He could feel the exchange happening on either side of him, but mixed in with the pain of body and mind was a slowly approaching threat—the information of difficulty breathing.
"—Oh."
His stomach wall spasmed, and the tube serving as his airway was being squeezed shut by internal contractions.
A tragedy caused by the body's unnatural peristalsis—but what awaited beyond was a comedy no one could laugh at. His already severely depleted body was losing function due to respiratory failure.
And yet, in the chaos of information overload, he couldn't find a way to address it.
"Are you really making all that noise at a time like this? This man is about to die. He's a stranger to me, so his death would be of no consequence to me—but you can't say the same."
"That's absolutely true, but we've also burned through all our resources down to the last drop, so we're pretty strapped! What if we put him back in that sphere from before? Just kidding, I know it won't work—"
"You jumped to the conclusion awfully fast. A man who can amuse himself. —Hmm, let me see. Even with my Radiance, there's nothing I can do for a man on the brink of death… but for the other one, it's a different story."
"What do you intend to do?"
"What do you mean, looking at me like this is someone else's problem, 'Cloud Dragon'? —Setting aside that man, there should be something you can do for this dear girl, shouldn't there?"
The pain kept building and building, with no end in sight.
That pain, that agony, that convulsion—it swallowed everything, and the moment that should have been stretched to eternity was now being covered by a thick shroud of finality.
Like this— "————"
—Like this, would it all end?
"—Subaru!"
In that instant, another piece of information battered his consciousness, which had been on the verge of being sealed shut in darkness. But this time, it wasn't something that merely prolonged his pain and suffering.
It was something that wiped pain away with pain, suffering away with suffering, information away with information.
And— "Don't die. Don't you dare die…!"
And that information, that suffering, that pain—it came from someone precious to him, someone he knew well.
"—Ah."
His spasming stomach wall, his closing throat, his stumbling tongue, his flickering vision, his consciousness about to be swallowed by the moment, his life that should have scattered into the dark beyond—all of it held.
Don't let go of anything. Don't throw anything away. Cling to the world.
If he didn't do that—if he couldn't do that—if the only way was— "Oh… uh… h…"
"Subaru!"
Flickering—the blinding red and black light vanished, and through the backlit haze, he saw tear-filled eyes staring at him.
Eyes with a distinctive butterfly-like pattern, a voice that called his name—beloved, precious. A small body with an enormous presence, desperately holding together the existence that threatened to scatter.
"Uhh… h…"
"—Yes, that's right. That's right, isn't it? It's all right. I'm right here."
With a body that wouldn't obey him anywhere, a heart that had gone brittle and broken from the numbness, he still tried to prove his existence, tried to convey that he remembered her, and stitched together fragile words.
She accepted them. Like walking across a bridge of trust with eyes closed.
"No matter what happens, if it's Betty and the others, we'll get through it, Subaru."
He clutched that dependable, reassuring promise tight to his heart, and his consciousness faded.
—And that was the first day of the resumption of Natsuki Subaru's journey.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never think of yesterday.
--- When his eyelids feebly opened, the first thing that entered his vision was an unfamiliar ceiling.
"—Ohh."
He tried to say as much, but his parched mouth and ravaged throat wouldn't produce a proper sound—only an ugly groan escaped.
It sounded like the death rattle of a crushed frog.
But— "—You're awake, I see. What a terrible sleeper you are—a bad boy, you are."
At his bedside, the one who had been waiting for his awakening—he had just enough function to convey to her what he wanted. A small hand reached out and brushed his forehead along with his bangs, tickling him, and Subaru squinted as he looked toward the source. There sat
An unchanging figure, an unchanging gaze, unchanging warmth—she was there.
Without question, without the slightest difference, with the same form that had been seared into his consciousness—it was Beatrice.
"Uhh… B—"
"That's right, it's Betty, no mistake about it. No need to worry, so don't push yourself, all right? Right now, Subaru's mind and body wiring is a complete mess, and he's extremely limited."
"Hh… au…"
He hadn't exactly been trying to push himself. He'd just wanted to stand up, lift Beatrice into his arms in the grip of his surging emotions, dash outside, and spin around together in some wide-open space.
But apparently, even that was too much to ask in his current state. —Mind and body wiring, as Beatrice had put it.
"—Ohh."
In truth, it seemed Subaru's brain had genuinely forgotten how to move his body.
The edges of his immobile eyeballs could barely capture Beatrice, which was how he'd managed to find her—but neither his fingers nor even his eyeballs would roll the way he wanted.
Forget sitting up—the fact that he could breathe at all felt like a miracle.
He should be grateful that his heart hadn't forgotten how to beat.
"It's actually no laughing matter. While you were trapped in there, Subaru's vital functions had almost completely stopped. It was as though the body had forgotten how to do even the most basic things."
"—Ah."
"That space… it was some terrible thing woven together with shadow magic that Betty didn't recognize. Without question, Mother had a hand in creating it. How that man came to master the forbidden technique Mother created—the mystery is never-ending."
"—I…"
"I have no desire to discuss that with you, Subaru. No matter what you say, Mother is Mother to Betty—irreplaceable. Hmph."
Subaru's only contribution was a raspy, half-formed interjection.
But Beatrice accepted it with remarkable comprehension, and continuing to hold her hand to his forehead, she puffed out her cheeks and turned her face away with a "hmph."
That posture—impossible to pin down as either affection or dissatisfaction—was heartbreakingly endearing.
"—Is she really having a conversation? From where I'm standing, it looks like Beatrice is just talking to herself and getting worked up about it."
A voice suddenly spoke—one that belonged to neither Subaru nor Beatrice.
Within his limited field of vision, Beatrice had turned her gaze toward Subaru's feet, so the owner of the voice must have been standing there. Unfortunately, Subaru had no way to look that direction.
Beatrice, puffing her cheeks, addressed the person outside his sight: "How rude. Besides, the bond between Subaru and Betty is infinite… as long as Subaru wants to say something, Betty can read it in his eyes."
"Oh, I see, I see. That's what happens with a spirit user and a contracted spirit, huh? I know quite a few people with spirit connections, but that kind of bond is hard for outsiders to intuit."
"The relationship between Betty and Subaru is one of a kind. Well, anyone who's contracted with a spirit probably thinks the same, so it's best not to act like you know better."
"Fair enough. Thanks for the advice. Um, then—would it be all right if I introduced myself now?"
The voice beyond his feet seemed to have asked Beatrice for permission to approach.
Beatrice gave a small sigh, then turned her large eyes toward Subaru, as if to ask: Shall I let him? Subaru answered with a feeling, nodding.
"—Ugh."
"Reluctantly, I'll allow you to see his face. Show your gratitude—so she says."
"My, how generous! You really don't mince words, do you? Just as I'd heard."
The voice spoke as heavy footsteps approached across the floor.
There was something familiar about the manner of speaking—but the voice itself was new. All Subaru could do was wait for this unknown person's approach in a state of complete helplessness.
Slowly, Beatrice withdrew, and into the cleared space of his vision, a face leaned into view.
It was the face of an unknown gentleman with green-toned clothing, a large hat, wavy gray hair, and androgynic features— "Hello, nice to meet you, Natsuki Subaru. —My name is Nicola Suewen. I hold a number of titles, but I find 'merchant' is the most universally understood."
The gentle-faced man—Nicola Suewen—introduced himself.
When Subaru heard that familiar surname, "Suewen," his eyes went wide. But the man pressed on without stopping, only compounding Subaru's shock.
"I know this must be startling, but while your body can still barely move, allow me to deliver some even more shocking news, as blunt as it is. —It has been approximately four hundred years since you were sealed by the 'Traitor,' Al Debaran."
————.
————————.
————————————.
"—. ———. ——————ah?"
"Four hundred years. Do you understand? You… rather, you and Beatrice awakened four hundred years after the era you came from. Also, let me tell you this as well—"
His comprehension couldn't keep up.
It wasn't the quantity of information that overwhelmed him, but the quality—drowning, swallowed whole. Before Subaru, the gentleman who had unleashed this devastating torrent—Nicola, who bore a striking resemblance to a dear friend, a man with the same distinctive traits—continued: "—No matter how you slice it, you've kept them waiting far too long, Natsuki-san."
Delivered across four hundred years, with countless lives interspersed along the way—it was an exasperated rebuke from a friend.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never mourn anyone's death.
--- "It really was a long, long history of hardship. Truly, it was a great enterprise passed down through generations of the Suewen family. —The recovery of you two, sunken at the bottom of the Mogorede Great Crater."
As he spoke, Nicola twirled his removed hat between both hands, sighing deeply as though reflecting on the hardships he'd carried.
His bearing as he spoke of those burdens, his tone that seemed to say "it couldn't be helped"—Subaru could feel the common thread between Nicola and their mutual friend Otto Suewen, and it tightened his chest.
They were alike. The more he tried to deny it, the more hollow the denial became.
But if he accepted that resemblance, he would have to accept something else as well.
That the situation Natsuki Subaru now found himself in was not a dream or an illusion—but reality.
"Nicola, I understand you're excited, and I can't thank you enough. But Subaru's barely recovered—literally. Actually, just seeing your face and hearing your name nearly made him faint. You can't push him, okay?"
"No, I know, I know—but I've been waiting just as long, you know? I've had to hold back, endure… even at the salvage site and our first meeting, they wouldn't let me approach—when am I going to actually get to experience the fulfillment of the Suewen family's four-hundred-year wish!?"
"If you want fulfillment, Betty has already given you plenty. Do you want to be bounced around through more 'Door Crossings' or something?"
"Don't say it like I asked for it!!"
Nicola's exasperated, eyes-wide reaction was a dead ringer for Otto.
But Nicola was slightly younger and slighter than Otto. His hair was longer, tied at the middle of his back, giving him the air of a scholar rather than a merchant.
The differences in detail, the similarities—Nicola Suewen was, without a doubt, exactly as he'd self-described— "He's the type who responds to everything you throw at him. Truly Otto's descendant."
"I can only imagine what kind of relationship our ancestors had with you two. Honestly, I'd feel sorry for them. Well, I suppose the closeness is what breeds this sort of familiarity."
"That's right. He was a good man, a capable man. To think he'd go so far as to have his descendants dig up Subaru and Betty—going above and beyond, truly."
It felt more like a testament to sheer tenacity than capability.
Certainly, Otto had been an indispensable asset to their camp—active in ways that seemed impossible for someone who'd joined on a whim. But what truly made Otto, Otto, wasn't his political skill or the power of his Divine Protection of
That relentless stubbornness that would spare no effort to achieve his goal. —That was Otto Suewen's greatest weapon, and it had ultimately led him to harness even his descendants like Nicola to bring it all to fruition.
Truly, an incredible man. —And yet, the chance to praise him directly no longer existed.
He could no longer talk with him. No longer laugh together.
"—Uh."
"Subaru…"
As Subaru was engulfed by the tears that welled up without mercy, Beatrice noticed and gently wiped the drops away with a handkerchief.
As Beatrice's kindness washed away his grief, Subaru broke into sobs.
He acknowledged it. He had no choice but to acknowledge it.
The cruel passage of time. And their defeat.
"————"
Slowly, gathering the scattered fragments of Natsuki Subaru's consciousness, his last memory before awakening was a scene at the
After that, Subaru and Beatrice had remained sealed, spending four hundred years before awakening in the present era—an era where no one from their time remained.
"—Ih."
The sobs and tears that escaped—he couldn't hold them back.
All he could think was how utterly worthless he was, how he wished he had just died.
Pathetic, wretched, disgraceful, so embarrassingly lame he wanted to die—an idiot.
A single failure could set off irreversible consequences. He knew that. Priscilla's death should have taught him that.
And yet, Natsuki Subaru had failed.
Failed and abandoned everything—duty, mission, all of it—right up to the present.
"—!"
He wished he had died.
This wasn't merely the reasoning of someone wallowing in self-pity and powerlessness—this was a 'death' that had practical value, one worth pursuing.
If he could use "Return by Death" now, he might be able to go back—to four hundred years ago.
But— "————"
Subaru's body wouldn't move. He couldn't even die on his own.
Even setting that aside, Beatrice—who never left his side for a moment—would never permit the decision to wish for death.
He couldn't die. He couldn't.
Even 'Death' had now slipped from Natsuki Subaru's grasp.
"I understand the desire to cry. Cry as many tears as you want, Subaru. No matter how many you shed, Betty will wipe them all away."
Beatrice's gentle hands continued to wipe away the tears that streamed from Subaru.
Unable to embrace even the hope that might drown in those tears, yet simultaneously comforted by Beatrice's compassion, Subaru's heart was torn apart by the contrast of hope and despair.
If he had been cast into this incomprehensible future alone, there was no doubt that Natsuki Subaru's mind would have shattered—leaving nothing but decay.
But if Beatrice hadn't been here, Subaru might have chosen self-destruction. Of course, in his current state where even death was beyond his ability to choose, that was merely a theoretical possibility.
"————"
Hope and despair, life and death, past and future—they ravaged Natsuki Subaru's soul.
Nothing could be done. Nothing was possible. Nothing could be changed.
Yet, in the dead end of this despair, there was one single— "—Ah."
One single point—a question that made the ravaged soul smolder with heat.
That was— "—Eh… i-a…"
"—I know."
The trembling lips had produced uncertain sounds, but Beatrice received them as a certainty.
Four hundred years had passed. The world had changed. The many people who had lived in the world Subaru and Beatrice knew were no longer anywhere in existence. But there were still some exceptions.
Even after four hundred years, there were beings whose lives had not yet ended. The foremost among them was— "Nicola."
"Yes. —Lady
"————"
It was like clinging to a thread—a spider's thread descending from the heavens.
And yet, when that name was spoken so matter-of-factly, Subaru's heart leaped so fiercely it hurt. With that momentum, he tried to sit up, to grab Nicola by the collar and shake him—but his body wouldn't cooperate.
But his intensity must have come across, because Nicola flinched slightly, saying "That's scary,"— "I was already asked about this, so I've told Beatrice… the thing is, regarding Lady Emilia—"
"————"
"—I honestly don't know."
"—Ah?"
He had endured with the feeling that his heart was being crushed in a vise, only to be given the brush-off.
Without thinking, a threatening rasp escaped his disobedient throat, and Nicola hurriedly waved his hands in front of his face, saying "No no no—"
"P-please don't get angry. I'm not teasing you or being coy—I genuinely don't know! Whether Lady Emilia is safe or not!"
"…You should explain the reason as well. Otherwise, she won't be satisfied."
"That should come from Beatrice's mouth… no, that's too harsh. Ugh, I really can't leave this to Lumera or Lord Rosind—what a losing hand."
He scratched his own head vigorously, then sighed and said, "Fine, fine." Then he held up a finger and said, "Listen—"
"First, to be clear—Lady Emilia is alive. That is without question. However, we have no means of reaching her, so we cannot confirm whether she is unharmed."
"…I… ah…"
"You don't understand the meaning, do you? Let me break it down further. Lady Emilia is currently located in the Agzadd Canyon along the border between the United Empire of Vollachia and the Holy Kingdom of
"————"
"—She did it while trapping the 'Traitor,' Al Debaran, inside the ice along with herself."
Subaru felt as though his ears were deceiving him. The information was pumped into him, and once again he found himself unable to breathe.
If his eyelids had been more mobile, he would have blinked several times in rapid succession. That was how shocking the fact Nicola had just revealed was.
—Emilia was alive. But she was frozen in the great canyon, together with Al.
"————"
He understood the mechanism.
It was the same principle as the Cold Sleep used on the victims of the Authority of Lust in the Watergate City of
She had done the same thing to herself and Al—encasing them both in ice.
And the reason— "To keep him from dying, presumably. And that means…"
"Oh… ah… re…" (That means—) "—She preserved the method of saving Subaru and Betty, so that it wouldn't be lost."
Beatrice reached the same conclusion Subaru had, and he agreed wholeheartedly.
Emilia's reason for freezing herself together with Al—it could only be to keep Al alive. And she had done this because Al, having been the one to seal Subaru and Beatrice, was the only person who knew how to break that seal.
At the very least, if Al's life were lost, the option of extracting that information would be lost forever.
Emilia had taken drastic measures to prevent that.
"In fact, given what the 'Traitor' Al Debaran had done, he wouldn't have escaped execution even under the circumstances of that time. Well, in the end, you were freed by other means, so his knowledge wasn't actually needed—"
"And yet…"
Since he'd been saved, Nicola had no grounds to criticize Emilia's struggle. But conversely, with Subaru and Beatrice now recovered, the reason for Emilia to remain frozen and prevent anyone from interfering should have been gone.
If that was the case, then it should be possible to release Emilia from the ice. —Though he had no idea what to say to Al, who was frozen alongside her.
If Al's goal had been to permanently exclude Subaru from the picture, then his aim had failed—a conclusion that would only become apparent centuries later, with no winners.
Even so. Even so. If only he could see Emilia— "—Actually, that's not all there is to it. There's another reason Subaru can't see Emilia."
"—What? I didn't hear that. I thought that once the ice was melted, you could get Emilia out. Did you lie to me!?"
"Don't say something so terrible! I didn't lie—it's just that the situation is more complicated, so explaining is difficult… anyway! Emilia froze herself together with the ice to prevent anyone from interfering, but there's a problem beyond the fact that it's powerful magic."
"Wha—what is it?"
"—The 'Witch.'"
"————"
At the unexpected word, Subaru and Beatrice both gasped.
Here, of all places—to face the 'Witch'—whether it was the
But Nicola's next words shattered even that expectation.
Because— "—The 'Witch of Melancholy' has made her lair in the Absolute Glacier where Emilia is, and she attacks anyone who tries to approach. That's why no one can intervene."
It was the rise of a 'Witch' unknown to Subaru and Beatrice—a figure who had emerged across the span of four hundred years.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never embrace anyone.
--- "—Natsuki Subaru! I heard you've awakened!"
"Gah—ha—chof—"
The door burst open with a bang, startling Subaru and sending the congee he'd been eating down the wrong pipe.
As Subaru coughed violently, Beatrice—who had been feeding him—caught the expelled congee full in the face, cried "Ugh—!", and toppled over.
In an instant, the bedroom was on the verge of becoming a scene of total carnage.
"Why—why did you deliberately cough right at Betty's lovely face!? Every single grain of rice hit Betty's face!"
"Ah… uhh… because… I was… looking… at you…"
"Hmm… then I suppose it can't be helped. Here, let me see your face. Let me wipe around your mouth."
Beatrice, having already wiped her own face clean, sighed and wiped Subaru's face as well—though her accompanying remark was somewhat cold.
Not directed at Subaru, though. It was directed at the person who had caused this in the first place.
That cute but thorny tone from Beatrice made the newcomer's shoulders shudder violently.
"You came barging in awfully loudly. If you're visiting someone recovering from illness, shouldn't you show some manners?"
"A-ah, Lady Beatrice… I assure you, I harbored absolutely no malicious intent whatsoever. I've simply been burning with prayers for your well-being…"
"Then you nearly punctuated those prayers with your own hands. …I know you didn't do it on purpose, so there's no need to shrink like that."
"Oh my! I may be bigger than Lady Beatrice, but this Lumera has grown and grown, blazing like a towering inferno!"
"When you get worked up, the room gets hot—so for Subaru's sake, rein it in."
"Uuu… alright…"
The one who drooped her shoulders at this rebuke was a tall beauty with undulating, bright crimson hair and eyes, wearing a dress in the same striking shade.
She was considerably taller than Subaru—over one hundred and eighty centimeters. Her voluptuous figure matched her height, and the combination of her extravagant attire and striking beauty was truly eye-catching.
This was yet another unfamiliar woman. Subaru, propped up in bed with Beatrice personally spoon-feeding him, blinked in confusion.
"Eh… um?"
"Oh my! Oh my, oh my, oh my! You look so much healthier than Nicola described—I'm burning with joy! And Lady Beatrice, you haven't changed a bit either… from the bottom of my heart, I'm so happy!"
"Lumera! You're hot… no, already scalding!"
"My word! How embarrassing, for someone as blazing as me!"
The beauty—Lumera—barreled forward with enormous strides, but Beatrice planted her small body between them and pushed back. The beauty called Lumera pressed her hands together in front of her chest, flushing with embarrassment over her own intensity, and laughed shyly—"Oh ho ho!"
Through her enthusiastic approach, Subaru could feel a definite wave of heat. What Beatrice had said was true—Lumera was clearly resonating with the ambient mana, generating heat.
And it was an unconscious, intense heat, responsive to the surge of emotion. From this fact and her somewhat otherworldly aura, Subaru dimly grasped her identity.
"Spirit…?"
"—Yes? Absolutely—burning with confirmation! Of course, I'm no ordinary spirit. I am a Great Spirit! A long, long time has passed, but this Lumera has ascended to the rank of Great Spirit!"
Lumera beamed, placing a hand on her generous chest with pride.
In other words, she was a human-form Great Spirit like Beatrice. —When spirits grew, they could supposedly choose their own form, but very few chose to take human shape. So having two human-form spirits—Beatrice and Lumera—together like this was an extremely rare sight.
Yet Subaru noticed something odd in Lumera's manner.
"Can't… quite… follow the conversation…"
Lumera's speech patterns were a bit idiosyncratic, so maybe it was just unusual word choice. But there was something in her attitude that conveyed more than just happiness at reuniting with Subaru—it carried the nuance of a reunion with someone she'd known before.
But Subaru had no memory of her. He barely knew any spirits in the first place, so there was no point searching his recollection.
"————"
"Oh? Oh my, oh my, oh my? What's wrong, Natsuki Subaru… Could it be that you're not happy to see me again? That would be horrifying."
"That's going a bit far. He's probably just surprised to hear that you've become a Great Spirit. You'll get used to it soon… Subaru?"
Lumera, sensing Subaru's poor reaction, grew anxious. And it was Beatrice—of all people—who came to her aid.
Beatrice, who should have been Subaru's staunchest ally, somehow failed to notice that Subaru had no recollection of Lumera, and instead wore a knowing expression.
Not sure how this misunderstanding had occurred, Subaru tried to clear it up— "I… ah…"
"—Yes! That's right!"
"…Eh?"
The instant he tried to say "no," Lumera suddenly answered in a loud voice. Her face brightened instantly, and Subaru's eyes went wide once more.
Unfazed by his surprise, Lumera placed a hand on her chest with visible relief— "Oh, thank goodness from the bottom of my burning heart. I was worried that Natsuki Subaru had forgotten me… but to be addressed by my name again after so long—it makes me so happy."
"Na… me…?"
She said he'd called her name, and Subaru thought about it.
But almost immediately, he realized what he'd said that made Lumera think that—and what it meant. He caught his breath.
She had genuinely reacted to hearing her name called.
Because Lumera— "Your… name?"
"Yes! That's right! This is the first time we've met in this form. —I, Lumera Ia Juukulius, have been searching for you, Natsuki Subaru and Beatrice, to fulfill the burning special mission entrusted to me by my Master!"
"————"
At that vehement, blazing affirmation, Subaru stared at her intently.
Lumera Ia Juukulius—called Ia, she had affirmed that name. She was indeed someone who had every right to celebrate reuniting with Subaru.
She had contracted with
Four hundred years ago, Subaru had once been aided by her when she was still a quasi-spirit. Now, that Ia had appeared before him as Lumera. —No, that wasn't quite right.
She had also lent her strength to the effort to recover Subaru and Beatrice.
"Lumera is Nicola's collaborator. She helped pull Betty and Subaru out of the Mogorede Great Crater. All at Julius's request."
"Julius… did…"
"That's right! Right now, the six of us spirit princesses govern the Juukulius territory as minor nobles. Really, Lapicha, Soyone, Dorena, Chiara, Shinica—they all would have burned with joy to see Natsuki Subaru again, but they couldn't be here, which is so regrettable."
"I… see."
Lumera surged forward, blazing like a raging flame.
The names she'd listed were presumably the names of the spirits Julius had once contracted with—now that they had become Great Spirits, each had adopted a new name. Their original names became middle names, and they took Juukulius as their surname.
"…After four hundred years, you kept your promise with Julius. How dutiful."
"My word! We are all blazing with devotion to our Master. To grant his wish, four hundred years is nothing! For that, we cooperated with Nicola—no, no, that was the wrong way to put it. I should say we cooled down and corrected ourselves."
"Cool… ed down?"
"To be precise, we cooperated with each generation of the Suewen family. The accumulation of years finally bore fruit, and it was fulfilled in the present generation."
Not claiming credit for themselves alone wasn't just because Lumera was honorable—it also reflected the good relationship she'd built with Nicola.
Behind all of this, Subaru could sense the presence of Otto and Julius, and he let out a sigh.
"…Idiot."
Binding the spirits he had contracted with, who had served him faithfully, with an oath that would persist even after his death—it was a choice lacking in the elegance one would expect from Julius.
And to carry it out in cooperation with Otto, of all people—the man he'd been at odds with in the
"Everyone…"
With Nicola and Lumera providing the most direct connection, the consequences of their actions were easier to trace. But the others—they couldn't possibly have had nothing to do with it.
He knew. He was certain. —Everyone had fought desperately for Subaru and Beatrice's sake.
Garfiel. ■■■. Frederica. Ryuse. Meili.
Emilia, who had used her power to leave a means of rescue in the future.
Everyone else in their camp—there was no way they hadn't moved to save Subaru and Beatrice. After the sudden loss, they must have gone through indescribable times to arrive at the present.
Just how had everyone spent their era? How had it ended?
"—!"
Everything had been ahead of them.
Getting better, striving to make things better—all of it had been ahead of them. A future that should have existed was lost, a hope that should have reached them was missed, and now he understood nothing.
"…Lumera, how much do you know about Betty's companions?"
"I'm terribly sorry. Regarding your camp, I don't have extensive knowledge. So much happened before and after the Agzadd Canyon became an ice field, after all."
"…Completely useless."
"Uuu… I'm a Great Spirit who now stands shoulder to shoulder with Lady Beatrice, and yet I still can't raise my head against someone who's lived as long as the Four Great Spirits…"
Subaru slumped. When Beatrice realized that Lumera couldn't provide the answers he sought, she deliberately said something cold to deflate the large spirit princess.
It was Beatrice's way of easing the awkwardness between Subaru and Lumera. Understanding that, Subaru felt even more pathetic for being so dependent.
At the very least— "Even one… day sooner…"
He had to get to the point where he could move through this world with his own hands and feet.
Because in his current state, Natsuki Subaru didn't even have the right to regret like some pompous know-it-all.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never leave my own name behind.
--- Beatrice called it a complete mess—the wiring between his mind and body. —Properly reconnecting it, she said, would require long and grueling rehabilitation.
"It's a sequelae from having his soul separated from his body for so long in that space. A human bound to a flesh vessel and a spirit like Betty are fundamentally different."
"It's… been a while… since I was… a physical… existence."
"I'm only articulating the difference between yourself and Betty so you don't blame yourself too much. How dare you suspect Betty of being mean. Hmph."
Beatrice turned her face away with a cute "hmph." Unlike Subaru, she showed no symptoms of having been exposed to Al's Ol Shamac. The reason was as she'd explained—while it was a relief that Beatrice was unharmed, the frustration was also very real.
Unlike a spirit like Beatrice, whose body and od were directly connected, Subaru had to verify the connections between his soul and body one by one, and then retrain his brain to operate the reconnected body.
If he got the wiring wrong, he might try to move his arm and have his leg move instead—such disjointed chaos was entirely possible.
"Re… hab…?"
In his wretchedly limited condition, Subaru managed to murmur the word.
Subaru himself had never encountered such a condition, nor had anyone close to him, so it was purely hypothetical—but for someone who had been bedridden for a long time, rehabilitation might involve similar hardships.
If so, the key was probably the same: don't rush, hold firm to your goal, and advance toward it one step at a time.
And on the point of advancing toward a goal, there was probably no one alive with a stronger motivation than Natsuki Subaru.
That said— "—What's this? I expected at least some improvement, but you seem unchanged from last month. Wasting my time is an act of disrespect, you know—disrespect."
A voice harshly evaluated Subaru's rehabilitation progress.
It was a harsh assessment, but Subaru had no comeback. Objectively, the evaluation was correct. His efforts had yielded far from sufficient results.
Seeing Subaru unable to retort, the one who had passed judgment snorted— "You don't even have the spirit to fight back. How pathetic. At the very least, grit your teeth and refuse to be outdone—the people who gave their time for your sake won't rest in peace otherwise."
"Your Excellency, that's too much…"
"Even to a dragon, it's pitiful to watch."
"You're… being too harsh around him. He chewed his food properly—that's a good boy. Managed to swallow—that's impressive enough. —Why don't you drown yourself in tears of self-pity and die?"
"Okay, now that's going too far…"
He certainly hadn't signed up for that level of abuse, and Subaru did get angry—but the other party calmly let the怒声 wash over her, which made her all the more infuriating.
"If you're here to interfere, you can leave, Rosind. Subaru is busy with his rehabilitation. You're supposed to be busy too, aren't you, United Emperor?"
"To be busy and still make time to visit—only to be treated so crudely. Lumera and the rest of you spirits—how long do you intend to remain outside the world's order? The land you inhabit and the food you eat—it all comes from my territory, you know. Beatrice, if your appearance weren't the pinnacle of loveliness, I would have already had your head cut off."
"What was that? …She said she came because she was worried and couldn't concentrate on her work."
"Watch your tongue, 'Iron Maiden.' Your respect for me is lacking—as is the 'Cloud Dragon's.' Don't push your luck just because I happen to appreciate beautiful things."
The figure—indistinguishable whether she was being harsh or not—sighed with a hand to her forehead. The two flanking this person exchanged glances: a silver-haired dog person and a small girl with black horns—both faces that Subaru and Beatrice recognized.
Not from this era, but— "You two also have your burdens. —
"No need for a dragon to overextend courtesy."
"Better than Cecilus."
They responded alternately to Beatrice's words of concern—two of the "Nine Divine Generals" of the Vollachia Empire, old acquaintances from four hundred years ago.
Amazingly, these two, who had reunited in this era, had not changed in appearance or standing, and continued to exist as members of the Vollachia Empire even now, four hundred years later.
And leading them was— "You lot have some nerve. Do you know who I am? I am the great United Emperor, Rosind of Vollachia! To ignore me is an act of disrespect—disrespect!"
Speaking with all the disgruntlement appropriate for her age, the young girl—Rosind of Vollachia, the current Emperor, and descendant of Abel and Medium—erupted.
The proof was in her haughty speech and imperious bearing, hallmarks of the Vollachia imperial family—but her golden hair, blue eyes, and the round, endearing eyes that contrasted with her tone bore a strong resemblance to the O'Connell siblings that Subaru knew well.
Once, when Subaru had been shrunk by Orbart, Medium had also been shrunk—and this Rosind bore a striking resemblance to that Medium.
"At this rate, even if she's as blunt as Abel, she'll just be cute… hmm…"
"I'm talking about
"Don't. You don't have to."
"You must! You must hear the legend of 'Blue Lightning'!"
She stomped her short feet impatiently, pestering them loudly. To this request, Arakiya wore the most withering expression imaginable, while Madelin looked on with exasperation.
Subaru had grown accustomed to Rosind's visits—this was far from the first. The young emperor apparently idolized Cecilus immensely. But since the people who knew that era, like Arakiya, were tight-lipped, she turned to Subaru as a substitute.
Of course, Subaru had countless stories about the "Blue Lightning" to share.
"Your visits throw off his rehabilitation schedule, you know. Arakiya, just tell her—you were with Cecilus until the end, weren't you?"
"Entirely different."
"Different? If you were there when he died, there's nothing wrong with saying you stayed together till the end. That's what a dragon thinks. Besides—"
"—What."
"Since Cecilus asked, I helped search for these two."
At Madelin's devilish grin, Arakiya's expression twisted to its absolute limit.
Having apparently given up arguing, Arakiya fell silent. But knowing the reason she had lent her strength for Subaru's sake left him with complicated feelings.
To think that Cecilus had entrusted the stage after his departure to Arakiya.
"It seems you left behind more than you realize, you lot. The reason I lent you the flame of the 'Solar Sword' was also based on a story passed down through the Vollachia imperial line… thanks to the plea of the oni girl."
"————"
"Without my 'Solar Sword,' you would never have seen the light of day. Don't ever forget that."
As she spoke, Rosind drew the 'Solar Sword' from its empty sheath, holding it in her raised hand.
Subaru smiled wryly at the young emperor's attitude as she flaunted the crimson blade—this was not the first time he'd heard this story, and he took it deeply to heart.
The 'Solar Sword' Vollachia, passed down through the Vollachia imperial family—its tremendous power had destroyed the black sphere of Ol Shamac that had sealed Subaru and Beatrice.
This was the result of Nicola and Lumera seeking help, and the reason Rosind had agreed was tied to her earlier words—the existence of an oni girl who had pleaded with the Vollachia imperial family, securing a promise of aid for Subaru and Beatrice's salvation.
"—Rem."
Little by little, the trail of footprints became clearer, and Subaru found himself experiencing—once again—the sting and warmth of tears that never got easier to bear.
Rem, too, after the tragedy that had struck Subaru and Beatrice, had gone to the Vollachia Empire to do what she could, negotiating with Abel and the others. Perhaps even Cecilus's decision to entrust the future to Arakiya had been influenced by Rem.
Far, far too many people had tried to save Subaru and Beatrice—and they had actually reached a future where that salvation was possible.
So— "I'm…"
"Come to think of it, I heard something. You two intend to challenge that Absolute Glacier once you're able to move. —To take on the 'Witch.'"
"—Yeah."
Subaru nodded tersely, confirming Rosind's question.
Right now, the purpose of his rehabilitation was to regain his body's freedom—so that he could reunite with Emilia, said to be in the ice field. —Nicola and Lumera had warned him that it was extremely dangerous, and they wanted to discuss it once he could move, but he refused to waver.
Certainly, through everything that had happened, Subaru and Beatrice had been forced to let go of many things.
But Emilia was different from things lost because they were truly out of reach. Emilia was definitely there. That could never be an excuse to give up.
"It's a thorny path, but the determination to walk it is not a bad thing. The Witch Cult vanished along with the kingdom's destruction, and fear of the Witch of Envy has all but become a formality—but in a world where the title of 'Witch' still commands terror, it is because of the 'Witch of Melancholy.' If that were to end, it would have meaning for me as well."
"————"
"Hm? Why did you go silent? That's disrespectful—disrespectful."
"There are times when silence is warranted. You ought to learn a bit more about showing consideration. For Betty and the others, events like those recorded in history books are still recent. More than that—to have the kingdom… Lugunica, gone—can you even process that?"
"If you can't overcome the hardships that bear down on you, you perish. Whether it's a person, a land, or a nation—it makes no difference. Lugunica and
She shrugged, as if commenting on the natural order of things—the United Emperor of Vollachia, the empire that had swallowed Lugunica and Kararagi whole.
Honestly, with so many unbelievable events crashing down upon him, Subaru wasn't sure he'd fully processed this fact either. Without question, more than the truth that four hundred years had passed and everything had been left behind, nothing had shaken Subaru and Beatrice more.
And yet, having been fully invested in the royal selection for that kingdom's throne until just recently, the news of its destruction was not easily accepted.
"In the flow of time, some things change. Some things don't. No matter where you place your value, to merely drift along and lament is foolishness."
It was perhaps the advice—or the warning—of an ancient dragon person who, despite her youthful appearance, had lived alongside humans for over four hundred years, observing their endeavors.
Even Madelin and Arakiya, and even Rosind—the emperor of Vollachia—could not stop the flow of time.
That was why, she was advising them not to simply drift along with it.
In any case— "—Let's do it."
"That's the spirit. Betty will support Subaru with everything she has."
Time was precious. Time was never enough, no matter how much one had.
No matter how desperately one cherished it, the grains of sand that slipped through one's fingers could never be gathered back. That was why he had to act while they were still in his grasp.
So that he would never have to learn how blessed he was only after losing everything.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never seek solace.
--- —Despite his eagerness and the frustration of his painfully slow rehabilitation, Subaru's days passed in a gentle, unhurried rhythm—and, ironically, without major incident.
"Per Beatrice's wishes, I'll be handling most of Natsuki-san's daily care. If you need anything, just say the word. A house this large would be too much for you alone, so for now, use as much of it as you need."
Subaru was surprised when Nicola casually handed over an entire house, but in their current situation, there was no choice but to accept his generosity.
Still, when Subaru insisted he would repay the favor— "No need to think of this as a debt. The Suewen family and I agree—settling accounts cleanly is the right way to think. But I don't really consider this a loan to you."
"Why… not?"
"Well… I think perhaps the reason our long years of effort bore fruit is because you two were saved."
"————"
"I'm something of a black sheep in the Suewen family. My siblings and relatives are a bit more composed—or rather, more mature in their thinking. They told me I'd either make something of myself or die in a gutter. And so—here we are."
"This…"
"We've fulfilled the Suewen family's four-hundred-year wish. For now, no matter when I die, I can hold my head high and say I accomplished something before kicking the bucket. So please—don't worry about payment. Just live your days thinking that I'm glad I could help."
Nicola said this so brightly that Subaru couldn't possibly think he owed nothing. And once again, he felt it keenly—the irrepressible Otto-ness in Nicola, who had been treated as the oddball even within the Suewen family.
"Forgive my intrusion, Natsuki Subaru! How are you feeling these days? This Lumera has been blazing with worry!"
Nicola visited frequently, and Lumera—who had established a friendship with Beatrice and seemed to be doing very well—dropped by just as often.
Since the Ia days, Subaru had been in her care continuously. As for the other sisters, they didn't come to visit Subaru personally, but they were brought up in daily conversation.
"It naturally becomes an opportunity to think of Master, and we spend our days with the utmost reverence. Of course, there is never a day we don't think of him—but we're able to savor memories rich with color and flavor."
"That's… a bittersweet way to put it… Come to think of it, when you found us…"
"Oh! You want to hear about it? It was the most burning, tremendous undertaking! You see, the Mogorede Great Crater connects all the way to the other side of the world, and searching through what had flowed in was an enormous effort…"
"…Impressive that you found us."
"Of course, it didn't succeed on the first try. We spent four hundred years gathering the missing techniques and power, and we accomplished it together—all of us."
"————"
"So please, Natsuki Subaru, don't grieve. We—every one of us—was devastated that we couldn't bring you back to Master's era. But…"
"Yeah… I know, Lumera. —Th… anks."
Four hundred years—the words made it sound like a single phrase. But for those who had actually lived through that time, it carried an immeasurable weight.
The days Beatrice had spent in the Forbidden Library had been, ironically, nearly the same span—four hundred years. Unsurprisingly, Beatrice understood the weight of that time.
She knew how long four hundred years was—enough to end the lives of everyone Subaru and Beatrice knew, and then to end the lives of those who came after them, and still not reach far enough.
She knew that upon the backs of countless people—people even Subaru and Beatrice had never known—who had struggled to save them, the Subaru and Beatrice of today existed.
"Pointless sentimentality. For those in our position to be entrusted with hopes by the likes of you—cosmic dust—it is nothing new, and it will never end."
Without even being consulted, Rosind had, with her natural perceptiveness, seen through the doubts and anguish in Subaru's heart, and dismissed it with a derisive laugh.
It was certainly an outrageous attitude in response to genuine worry. Yet Subaru felt no anger—partly because her appearance bound him, and partly because her true feelings were nothing like the sharpness of her words. Her actions and manner of dealing with people made that abundantly clear.
"Even so, there's been no real progress on your part. When are you going to reproduce that legendary 'Sparka' they used to talk about on the Gladiator Island?"
"As if I could pull off something like that!"
"Don't worry—I'm not planning to pit you against something like Guiltelaun, someone who wouldn't get a joke. I'll have 'Iron Maiden' or 'Cloud Dragon' do it. How about that?"
"That's not the point—are you crazy?"
"Are you calling me a fool? Disrespectful—disrespectful!"
She chuckled, letting her guard slip, and it looked to Subaru like Rosind was using the excuse of hearing legendary stories to let off steam beneath his roof.
Rosind's competence was evident—discounting her age, she likely rivaled Abel. But ruling a Unified Empire nearly three times the size of the one Abel had governed required extraordinary effort.
Subaru had no intention of taking advantage of her, but Nicola and Lumera weren't rushing him either—so Rosind's strict words served as a spur, straightening his back.
However— "Miscalculation. I thought that if that one talked, the Excellency wouldn't bother coming to me anymore."
"But the more she learns, the more her interest grows. Watching Arakiya make pained faces is part of the Excellency's hobby, so we're just along for the ride."
"…Madelin, you won't help me either?"
"Don't try to boss a dragon around. Get over yourself, human."
Rosind's behavior was clearly putting Arakiya to considerable trouble. From Arakiya's perspective, Subaru and the mischief-making Madelin were unwelcome accomplices.
Honestly, Subaru felt that Arakiya still hadn't fully processed Cecilus's death after four hundred years—but he and Madelin would keep using it as teasing material regardless.
In any case— "—Subaru, did you work hard today too, I wonder?"
Whether there were visitors or not, the day always ended with Beatrice.
Facing the person who bore an even greater sense of frustration than he did, Subaru appreciated that Beatrice never let it show—whether that was her kindness or not.
"I've thought about it plenty. I know that rushing won't bring good results. I'm eight hundred years old, you know."
"Eight… hundred… years…"
"Don't—don't you dare say it like that! I'm not rushing you, but I will be cross if you're rude about it! Besides, if Subaru gives up, I'll scold him properly."
"If I… gave up…"
"I would. —Other than that, there's no reason Betty would ever hit Subaru. When you first woke up, I told you. Do you remember?"
"————"
"No matter what happens, if it's Betty and the others, we'll get through it, Subaru."
Right. That's what she'd said.
And he had to truly live up to that. That was his driving force.
Days passed. Without major incident. But he must not accept them passively.
Time was precious—every day, every hour, every second must not be wasted.
That was— --- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never lament failure.
--- —What stood in the way of Natsuki Subaru's stride was an utterly unremarkable, undistinguished moment in an ordinary day—in other words, a catastrophe without forewarning.
"—I think, and I think. I think always."
The large man had intruded abruptly into Subaru and Beatrice's daily life.
Magnificent black attire draped with a white coat over one shoulder. Light yellow-green hair, carefully combed, contrasted vividly against his tanned complexion.
His stern but refined features harbored a contradictory quality of wild elegance, searing his presence into the brain of anyone who laid eyes on him—a profound intensity of spirit.
For that reason, this was unmistakably a first encounter.
Unlike with Lumera, this was not a familiar person who had changed appearance over time. The uninvited man had simply appeared at the dinner table without warning.
As it happened, Nicola, Lumera, and Arakiya were all present at the table that day.
They hadn't planned it—it was just an unusually lively meal, and Subaru had been eager to show off his rehabilitation progress.
"Experience teaches that anger persists for approximately six seconds. Only six seconds. If you can ride out those six seconds, you avoid the maximization of that primitive emotional outburst."
Subaru was dumbfounded by the man's presence inside the house. But setting Subaru aside, the others had changed color in an instant and kicked their chairs back, rising to their feet in high alert.
Moving fastest was Arakiya—who possessed, at this table, perhaps the greatest—no, in all the world, the most formidable power of suppression.
During the Great Calamity in Vollachia, Arakiya had absorbed a portion of
Having further mastered that power over time, she was now called the "Diamond Maiden" and served as the blade at the side of Rosind, the current Emperor, wielding her strength without reservation.
"In other words—"
From Arakiya's entire body, numerous glittering bands of light extended, becoming blades of the highest hardness that cut mercilessly through whatever they touched, erupting violently across the dinner table.
Twelve bands of light—their target was the brown-skinned man who stood his ground without flinching. On his left cheek, a Sanskrit-like tattoo glowed faintly— "—In order to make you feel the full brunt of my anger, I need to finish you off within six seconds."
In an instant, a storm of light exploded outward from the man, sweeping aside the very blades that were meant to carve him apart—and cutting Arakiya into twenty-eight pieces. The aftershock of that slash expanded outward with explosive force, obliterating Nicola and Lumera on either side.
And then— "Six seconds exactly."
The man spoke without a change in expression. In both hands, he now held twin swords—whose blades from the hilt onward were made of light, two strange weapons.
This was the sword dance that had killed Arakiya, and in the aftershock, Nicola and Lumera—and had also left Subaru on the verge of death.
"—Ah."
Subaru lay on his back on the ground, covered in the remnants of the prepared dinner, and groaned.
There was no pain. Ironically, Subaru's body—imperfectly rehabilitated—didn't just lack mobility; even his five senses, including pain, were jumbled, so the sudden catastrophe that had befallen his body felt more like something happening on the other side of a screen.
But— "…Who are you?"
"—Surprising. Surprising indeed. You survived."
Even though his own pain felt like someone else's experience, Subaru could not be indifferent to Beatrice's bravery—she stood with her arms spread wide, shielding him.
The moment before the shockwave hit, Beatrice had reflexively protected both herself and Subaru. Regretting that she couldn't have shielded Nicola and the others, she buried that regret in an instant and glared at the perpetrator.
Her eyes held a fierce anger—and a faint bewilderment. As for the reason for that bewilderment— "A human…? Or a spirit…?"
"Neither and both. I am myself. And—"
"Uh… ah… sto—p…"
His blood-curdling cry of resolve came out as a hoarse rasp, serving more to rally Beatrice's small body to an absurd display of courage than to intimidate the enemy.
The result was, as one might expect, utterly devastating.
"—The corruption called 'spirit' must be eliminated. Six seconds."
With that cruel pronouncement as his last word, and before six seconds elapsed, Beatrice—and Natsuki Subaru with her—were erased from the world in one stroke.
Across the span of four hundred years, through the efforts of so many who had connected threads of hope, the spirit and her contractor had been salvaged from the distant future—only for their final moments to be this heartbreaking.
And that— × × × "—I think, and I think. I think always."
The instant his consciousness cleared, Subaru found himself back at the dinner table where the intruder had appeared—meaning the beginning of the desperate, hopeless quagmire of battle against the "Mad Prince," Veug Adalgard, four hundred years in the future.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never seek anyone's understanding.
--- —The "Mad Prince," Veug Adalgard.
He was one of the four supreme beings of the great nations—standing alongside the "Sword Saint"
If the
He was a member of the royal family of the Holy Kingdom, yet he had personally dispatched over a dozen blood relatives in his own position, and it took an army of thousands seven full days and nights to finally suppress and imprison him—a famous episode, or rather, the only rumor that had ever circulated about him.
From that patently absurd rumor, some had even questioned whether the "Mad Prince" actually existed—whether it was merely a performance by the Holy Kingdom to check the other nations' strongest.
But that suspicion was merely suspicion.
The "Mad Prince" was real. His power matched the rumors—an overwhelming existence of absolute strength. From the standpoint of knowing all three of those who were said to stand alongside him, Subaru could declare that he was their equal.
And unlike them, the "Mad Prince" alone had survived to the present day, four hundred years later.
His secret was— "—A human… and a spirit's… half?"
"It's an open secret, you could say. He is the world's only 'Spirit Human.'"
At Nicola's words—which sounded like he was biting into something bitter—Subaru involuntarily held his breath.
Half-human, half-spirit—the fact that such a being could exist was shocking enough. But even more incomprehensible was that this very "Spirit Human" was devoted to hunting down spirits.
Certainly, the world contained spirits like Beatrice and Lumera, who took on forms no different from humans. But their mana bodies, constructed from mana, were fundamentally different in structure from humans—and the notion that they could produce children seemed impossible.
However— "As a fact, he exists. One end of his lineage is comprised of spirits—and he proclaims his intention to exterminate all spirits in the world, posing the greatest catastrophe in existence."
The definitive information from Nicola drove the reality home for Natsuki Subaru.
Subaru had clashed with countless formidable enemies throughout his life, and each time he'd been forced into desperate, grinding battles. But apart from the Witch Cult—those broken screws—the only enemies he'd truly had to face to the death were exceptions like
Even with Todd or Elsa, Subaru sometimes wondered if cooperation might have been possible, depending on the method and the goal. —But those eyes—the Mad Prince didn't have them.
Most of what Subaru loved was inextricably linked to spirits. —Which meant the "Mad Prince," Veug Adalgard, could never coexist with Natsuki Subaru.
Because a being who killed spirits and the people who walked alongside Subaru could absolutely never stand together.
"—Six seconds."
Above all, the Mad Prince's blades, wielded to kill spirits, had no compunctions about collateral damage. Therefore, Subaru would die again.
One time, two times, ten times, twenty times. —The count was being mercilessly accumulated.
That "Return by Death"—which he hadn't been able to test even once in this era of four hundred years later—had activated. That was fortunate, though its restart point being four hundred years ago instead of the present was a source of considerable dismay.
But this left a major problem.
That was— × × × "—I think, and I think. I think always."
Just as the Mad Prince was about to begin his onslaught once more, Subaru returned—still in the midst of an incomplete rehabilitation, unable to stand without someone's help.
"—Six seconds."
And once again, unable to do anything, the helpless Subaru's world was cleaved apart by the flash of light.
--- —Among the spirals of 'Return by Death' that Natsuki Subaru had experienced, the Mad Prince's assault was perhaps the worst-class hardship he had ever faced.
If one were to list comparable ordeals, the chase through the Magic City
Because even after months of rehabilitation, almost no improvement had been seen in Natsuki Subaru's physical condition—he still couldn't walk on his own.
And facing him was an enemy whose power was on par with
Therefore, Subaru died repeatedly.
He couldn't save Arakiya. Couldn't save Nicola. Couldn't save Lumera. Couldn't even get Beatrice away—in fact, with his immobile body, he ended up blocking their escape routes, dying over and over again alongside them.
"How infuriatingly persistent can you be!? For you to target us like this—the Juukulius territory is in shambles because of you!"
Naturally, the Juukulius territory, governed by six Great Spirits, would be the foremost target for a Mad Prince intent on spirit extermination.
There had apparently been clashes before—Lumera's emotions toward the Mad Prince were an equal blend of fear and rage.
"That sword Cecilus wanted. I'll take it and break it in front of his grave."
The twin swords in the Mad Prince's hands—the ones with blades made of light—were revealed by Arakiya's observation to be the 'Cursed Sword' Ion, a demonic blade ranking alongside the 'Dragon Sword' and 'Solar Sword' among the world's foremost weapons.
Its blade wind, which drew upon the wielder's mana to manifest corresponding sharpness, was powerful enough to easily breach even the defenses of Arakiya, the "Diamond Maiden."
There was little they could do to protect themselves from it in their current state.
"Bad bad bad bad! I know it sounds like I'm shifting blame, but this is a completely unpredictable disaster! When the world's most dangerous being shows up without any warning, how are we supposed to be ready!?"
At the scene, unable to move, Subaru was followed by Nicola—who, lacking combat ability, screamed with a face drained of color at this sudden encounter.
Unlike Otto, Nicola seemed to be a genuine merchant in the fullest sense—he didn't have the nerve to face down a battlefield. Though expecting that from someone younger than Otto was perhaps unfair; simply not getting in the way of the fighters was admirable enough.
And above all— "Subaru is protected by Betty. —Betty is all that's left."
No matter how many times the Mad Prince's blades took his life, Beatrice always stood in the way before Subaru's life ran out, shielding him with her small body.
Her unwavering devotion, even after countless deaths, was what stirred Subaru's heart to keep fighting— "—Six seconds."
Even in the spiral of repeated 'Deaths,' Subaru's spirit did not break.
Once broken, he would never rise again. So the thing he feared most was breaking. To prevent that, Subaru— "E.M.T.!"
"—E.M.T.!"
In response to Subaru's desperate expression, Beatrice activated E.M.T.—the field of absolute nullification magic expanded, engulfing Subaru and the others around the table entirely.
Within this field, all mana-related effects were nullified. That applied equally to Arakiya, the Spirit Eater, and to Lumera, the Great Spirit. So if the field simply ended there, it would be an act that only helped the enemy—but— "—It's a magic sword, isn't it!?"
The blade of the 'Cursed Sword' Ion unraveled, its light scattering within the E.M.T. field.
It had hit its mark—severing the effect of the Mad Prince's demonic blade for the first time, distancing them from the cause of death that had killed them dozens of times.
"A strange magic with a strange effect. This was not anticipated."
After being denied his first strike by E.M.T., the Mad Prince spoke—his first utterance without an offensive edge. Into the Mad Prince's exposed side, Arakiya drove a devastating kick.
"Die."
Arakiya, the Spirit Eater, had the spirit powers she had absorbed sealed by E.M.T. But even setting that aside, her physical abilities were among the world's finest.
The full-power kick was cannonball-like in its impact—the collision sound and expanding shockwave held enough destructive force to snap the neck of a trained warrior in a single blow.
However— "Unfortunately, I have no reason to comply with your request, and therefore I won't."
The Mad Prince was also a monster on par with or exceeding Arakiya.
He had caught Arakiya's kick lightly with the hand that still gripped the hilt of his magic sword. Man and woman, hand and foot, offense and defense—he overwhelmed all the contrasting advantages by sheer force.
But the Mad Prince was not facing Arakiya alone.
"I'm here too!"
Shouting that, Lumera brought a chair crashing down against the back of the Mad Prince's head.
Having already abandoned magic use, the Great Spirit had used the opening Arakiya created to circle behind the Mad Prince and deliver a merciless blow from her towering height.
The wooden chair shattered with a crash, and the unprotected blow to the back of the head staggered the Mad Prince forward. A flicker of hope—did it work?— "You've interfered with mana composition. Impressive. Very impressive. However—"
In an instant, light blades erupted from within the Mad Prince's body—severing both of Arakiya's arms, her left leg, and Lumera's torso, slicing them apart.
"What…"
"—'Blessing of Adaptation.'"
As mana leaked from their dispersing forms, Arakiya and the others were blown away. Subaru gasped as the Mad Prince's gaze turned to him.
Immediately assessing Subaru and his allies as threats, the Mad Prince activated the 'Cursed Sword' within the nullification field—its light blade swept in a diagonal slash— "—E.M.M.!"
In that fraction of a second, Beatrice's switch to different magic pulled Subaru's life back from death's edge.
"————"
In exchange for being unable to move, Subaru and his allies had shifted half a step out of phase with the world, and the attack couldn't reach them. But there were other ways to attack.
"Invisible—!"
An invisible black magic hand emerged from Subaru's chest, hurtling toward the Mad Prince's face. It punched through his features, and Beatrice drove shadow magic into the moment of surprise.
Even if Subaru fainted from mana depletion, it didn't matter. What mattered was sending the Mad Prince flying to another dimension through Ol Shamac.
"An obvious feint. A trap? If it's not a trap, then it's simply immature."
The Mad Prince dodged the invisible punch with a mere tilt of his head.
E.M.T. had been countered. The defense of E.M.M. wouldn't last long either. Most importantly, E.M.M. could only protect Subaru and Beatrice—their allies remained exposed.
Both Arakiya and Lumera needed immediate treatment. Naturally, Nicola did too— "————"
Nicola wasn't reacting.
He wasn't a combatant—he should have pulled back to avoid becoming a hindrance.
"Honestly, I wasn't certain this would work, given how sudden everything was—"
Right after Subaru registered this, Nicola, who had retreated to the wall, raised his right hand. His finger snapped with a sharp, resonant sound.
It was a gesture that his ancestor—the man who shared his distinctive traits—had favored when activating something he had secretly prepared.
And that habit, along with his thoroughness, had clearly been passed down to his descendant— "—But nothing happened!?"
Beatrice, who had shared Subaru's expectation, gaped at the lack of any change.
Was it a dud? A scorching anxiety raced up Subaru's spine—but Nicola's expression held no despair. What he wore was the eyes of a gambler who had bet everything on a long shot.
Facing him directly, the Mad Prince holding the 'Cursed Sword' narrowed his eyes— "—That's odd. I distinctly told you not to touch the glacier."
A voice came. —In an instant, countless white lights surged from every direction, piercing through the safe house from outside in a brutal storm of light that ravaged the interior.
"————"
Without understanding what had happened, Subaru stared, transfixed at the scene before him.
In a single instant, the temporary home Nicola had provided for them was annihilated—reduced to a wasteland of billowing white dust where the light had obliterated everything.
The Mad Prince was no longer in front of him—Subaru's mind fleetingly registered that the light explosion must have blown him away. Beatrice, who had leaped to his chest on instinct, gazed at him with wide eyes, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, and gasped.
"S-Subaru, your legs…"
"A… my… legs?"
At the tremor in Beatrice's voice, Subaru looked down at his own body with difficulty. A chill of dread ran through him at her ominous words—but as long as E.M.M. remained active, no calamity could harm them. —Instead, the light had pierced through their shifted, out-of-phase physical forms.
"This… is…"
Blinking, Subaru saw what stood before him—piercing through the afterimage like a needle through cloth—a long, luminous spike.
A needle the length of Subaru's forearm, constructed from mana, had fulfilled its purpose and was now unraveling into scattered motes of light, dissolving into nothing. —He recognized it.
He had been killed by this same light many, many times.
But that was supposed to be something that no longer happened even if he wished for it— "—It's you?"
A low, emotionless voice shook Subaru's eardrums, still dazed.
Subaru and Beatrice looked toward the source—through the billowing dust, faintly illuminating the haze, was the face of the terrifying man, marked with his glowing tattoo.
Standing at the epicenter of the light explosion, the Mad Prince hadn't sustained so much as a scratch.
But across all the near-hundred "Return by Death" cycles, Subaru had never once seen that expression change—and now, for the first time, he saw the color of wariness in the Mad Prince's profile.
And the direction of that wariness— "Pickin' on the weak again? Never gets old, huh, Mr. Mad Prince?"
She stood there—a beautiful 'Witch' in a dress woven of many colors.
"————"
The 'Witch.' Yes, the 'Witch.' At a single glance, and nothing else, Natsuki Subaru—or rather, every living being—would instinctively understand.
When one saw a mountain-sized monster, when one smelled the bloody breath of a beast, when one heard the roar of a dragon that had marked its prey—everyone instinctively recognized the threat to their life.
The same faculty was telling him now: that is a 'Witch.' "I'm taken aback, truly taken aback. To have my actions so trivially reduced—it's disheartening."
Keeping the Mad Prince at the twelve o'clock position and the 'Witch' at three o'clock in his field of vision, Subaru struggled to contain the trembling rising within him.
Perhaps this was the most terrifying encounter the modern world had ever seen.
But for Subaru, there was something more—something more meaningful.
"…Subaru."
No—not just for Beatrice, who had called his name just now. —For Subaru and Beatrice, there was something.
Because the beautiful 'Witch' who had appeared there— "—Was it six seconds? That obsession of yours, Mr. Mad Prince."
"————"
"Well then—"
She tilted her head slightly, her dark, humid gaze fixed ahead, as beautiful words shaped themselves on her lips. But before she could finish, the Mad Prince moved.
The distance between them vanished. The Mad Prince's blades swept toward her slender neck from both sides—yet in that instant, the twin swords that were the Mad Prince's own stopped him, caught in a downpour of light.
The shockwave and the roar generated by the rain of light mercilessly seized the Mad Prince, who was in full combat mode. He deflected them with his swords, protecting himself, protecting, protecting.
But the opening that created was a fatal instant for the 'Witch.' "I'll make it a million times worse. —'Compress Agony.'"
The 'Witch' said this and snapped her fingers. —In the next instant, the Mad Prince's movements lost their precision. The perfectly precise sword dance developed a gap, and the rain of light that poured down pierced through the opening in his defense, driving into his body one after another.
And it didn't stop there. The light plunged deep into the Mad Prince's body, detonated at the deepest point of the wound, and blew apart one of the world's strongest fighters from the inside.
"————"
Overwhelmed, Subaru could only stare at the collision of absolute power and its instant conclusion.
When the light-dimmed vision cleared, not even fragments of the Mad Prince remained. The 'Witch' had slain the terrifying powerhouse alone in the blink of an eye. —No, not alone.
"Good work, Scarlet."
The 'Witch' sighed languidly. Slowly advancing from beside her was a monstrous scorpion—larger than an earth dragon, encased in brilliant crimson armor. A magical beast.
The 'Witch's' companion—the one who had unleashed that overwhelming light—that was its true form.
And behind that combination— "…Hey. Are you still going to fight?"
"—No. It's galling—utterly galling—but I concede. Regrettably, I have lost."
"—!"
A chill raced up Subaru's spine as he turned toward the voice. At a distance of about ten meters from the blast epicenter, the air shimmered—and no, it wasn't shimmering air. It was a translucent, ghostly image of a man.
The Mad Prince, his existence stretched to its absolute limit, stood there like a mist.
"Switching between a physical body and a mana body… that shouldn't be possible…"
"If you want to discuss what's possible and impossible, this form of mine is proof enough. It's galling—genuinely galling. But rather than 'impossible,' the correct word would be 'inexplicable.' Galling as it is."
Beatrice murmured that involuntarily, and the Mad Prince replied with a strange indifference—or perhaps a void—as if discussing someone else's body entirely.
When Beatrice fell silent, the ethereal Mad Prince looked at the 'Witch'— "If you are here, then the Absolute Glacier is lightly guarded."
"Maybe. But it won't work. You think I'd leave without any countermeasures in place? Everyone here is dumber than I am."
"————"
"Don't even think about it. The time I have to deliberate is different from yours. Or should I make it sixty million seconds this time?"
"What are you prepared to pay for that game of yours?"
"Who knows? Does that have anything to do with you?"
Tension crackled silently between the Mad Prince and the 'Witch.' Both appeared to be restraining their emotions, but it was clear they considered each other an impediment.
Sensing the escalation of hostile intent, the beast called Scarlet rubbed its pincers together. Their staredown continued for a while longer—then— "—Unnatural corruption. I will eliminate it all with my own hands. Remember that—and don't forget."
"Then why not start by erasing yourself?"
"That would be too soon. Too soon. —Not yet."
Whether that declaration was directed at the 'Witch' or at Subaru, who was bound up with the corruption she spoke of, the Mad Prince's presence thinned—and he vanished.
Not a feint—he was gone. The threat had departed. But another threat remained.
"Just that person alone, and already I'm sick of it."
The 'Witch' sighed softly at the Mad Prince's absence, shrugging her exposed, slender white shoulders. She stroked the carapace of the magical beast beside her, then turned around.
Her movement set her long, bright reddish-brown hair and the large ribbon holding it swaying in the wind. The 'Witch' strode forward, heading toward Subaru and Beatrice—then passed right by them and went behind.
Hurriedly, Subaru tracked her retreating figure and noticed—behind them were the battered forms of Arakiya and Lumera, with Nicola sheltered between them.
All three had survived the light explosion that had destroyed the house. Just before it struck, E.M.T. had expired, allowing Arakiya and the others to use magic and manage somehow.
However, they were far from unharmed. The most severely wounded was— "Did you do something to me?"
"—! Well, what could you possibly mean by that…"
"Ugh, pointless cat-and-mouse games are exhausting. Listen—magic marks are unique to each individual, so if you examine them carefully, you can tell exactly who cast what. I have all the time in the world to investigate. So it was you. And this is the consequence."
The 'Witch's' white finger pointed at Nicola—who sat sprawled on the ground, his left leg missing below the knee.
"————"
"Does it hurt? Then stop it. Being used for someone else's convenience is unpleasant."
She said this to Nicola, who was sweating and bleeding profusely, then turned her back on Arakiya and the others—staring daggers at her—and stroked her hair.
Without another word to Nicola, to Subaru, or to anyone else, the 'Witch' turned to leave— —and Subaru, without thinking, called out to stop her.
The words he used— "—■■■."
—were the name he tried to call. But for some reason, the words wouldn't form.
"Huh?"
"————"
The voice he'd meant to produce didn't come out, and Subaru questioned his own throat. But he felt nothing wrong with it. If anything, it was the same frustratingly limited throat he'd been dealing with.
He had pronounced it. Called out to the 'Witch.' —The 'Witch's' name, which he should have known.
"■■■… ■■■! Why… ■■■!"
"…You?"
The 'Witch' turned and, for the first time, looked Subaru full in the face.
Her pale green eyes reflected him dimly, slowly forming his image. Hoping that a positive emotion might take root there, Subaru waited for her next words.
Frustrated, the sound stuck in his throat, unable to take shape—he fumbled with it— "—Why that desperate look on your face? Weirdo."
But the 'Witch' showed none of the reaction he'd hoped for. Her eyes still carried their bored gaze across the world, and she left it at that—preparing to resume walking away.
He couldn't let her leave. Not like this.
"Wait… ■■■… please—"
"Subaru!"
His reaching hand didn't reach. His trying legs didn't move. His body, failing at both, collapsed pathetically and gracelessly to the ground. At Subaru's wretched sight, Beatrice let out a sound like a scream and crouched beside him.
"■■■… I…"
He couldn't spare any consciousness for Beatrice's support right now.
Right now, only this—the 'Witch' walking away—mattered. Because if he let her go now, and couldn't see her again, then— So—even one second would do—he needed ■■■, the 'Witch' in front of him— "Hey. Is one second really that important?"
Perhaps Subaru's desperation had caught her interest, because ■■■ was suddenly crouching right in front of him, peering at his face. The 'Witch' rested her chin on her folded knees, tilted her head slightly, and said "If that's the case—"
Seeing this, Beatrice went pale— "St-stop her! ■■■…!"
"I'll make it a million times worse. —'Compress Agony.'"
Right after the 'Witch' murmured this like a lullaby, Subaru's consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
But at first, he didn't know what had happened. It took Subaru a long, long time to slowly unravel it.
After all— "—Ah."
—a million seconds of blank emptiness had been delivered to him by ■■■'s hand.
--- —To the gods, to the Buddhas, to Od Laguna—I swear that for the rest of my life, I will never rejoice in any success.
--- —"Witch of Melancholy" ■■■ ■■■.
That was the trump card Nicola had used to repel the suddenly appeared "Mad Prince," Veug Adalgard—and the spider's thread everyone had clung to in order to survive.
"Losing just one leg was fortunate. Fortunately, magical tools have advanced since your era… so an artificial limb isn't that much of an inconvenience."
Nicola said this with a brave smile, having sacrificed his left leg below the knee to save them.
Obviously, the loss of a limb for someone still so young was nothing to brush off lightly. Nicola had traded his thoroughness, his quick thinking, a future of good health—and given it all to save everyone.
Deeply grateful, yet unable to suppress his questions, Subaru pressed on: "That person who was fighting the Mad Prince…"
"Yes, the 'Witch of Melancholy.' As you saw, she's a walking disaster who spreads danger in all directions—but there is one thing that can be relied upon based on objective fact."
"What is it…"
"The 'Witch' doesn't kill people. So my leg was the only price for my retaliation. All kinds of people have encroached on the 'Witch of Melancholy's' territory for various reasons, but I've never heard of anyone dying directly at her hands. Some have died from botched aftereffects, but at that point it becomes a matter of personal responsibility."
This wasn't an assessment based on the 'Witch's' personality or character—it was a deduction derived purely from objective data, and its grounding in that was quintessentially Nicola.
And indeed, Nicola's prediction proved correct—the 'Witch of Melancholy' hadn't taken anyone's life.
What had been taken was Nicola's leg, and the two weeks Subaru had spent unconscious after being hit by the 'Melancholy' authority—nothing more.
"Tell me, Nicola. How did you summon ■■■… the 'Witch of Melancholy' to that place?"
"As I mentioned before,