The Loot House, found by tracing the route from memory, was a decrepit old building located at the far back of the Slums in the
Whether it was a miscalculation during the Royal Capital's construction or simply a matter of cramming buildings into leftover space to hide it, the place was a massive structure with completely warped proportions.
The system worked like this: people of shady character living in the Slums would acquire goods from all over the Royal Capital through means both legal and illegal, bring them here, and a middleman would sell them off.
True to its name, the place had become a breeding ground for corruption—but— "Completely clean. Not a damn thing left."
Gazing at the former site of the Loot House, now nothing but bare ground, Subaru offered his assessment.
The building of the Loot House had collapsed without a trace, and its debris, hazardous materials, and everything else had since been cleared away. The remnants of the original foundation were still visible in the ground, but if you consciously ignored those, it would hardly be strange to say the Loot House had never existed at all—the erasure was that thorough.
Once again remembering that all of this had been caused by a single swing of a sword— "As expected, Reinhard's gone completely beyond human…"
He conjured up the image of the dashing, good-looking redhead and praised his inhuman abilities without reservation. Of course, whether the man himself would be pleased by praise so laced with negative undertones rather than positive ones was another matter entirely.
"Obviously, there's not even a hint of anyone being around. Subaru, what should we do?"
Subaru had been overwhelmed by the scene before him—more precisely, by the strangely tidy impression it left.
"I think contacting Reinhard would be the best option, but…"
"Yeah, that's what I figured. I was hoping that if we came here, we might find out what happened to
The culprit returns to the scene of the crime—well, not exactly, but hoping there might be some follow-up event on this stage after everything had wrapped up was only human nature.
Reality, however, didn't play out like fiction. After including the fire-thieves, everything had already been thoroughly stripped from the site.
Literally, all that remained here were dregs—and even those were so meager that, with Subaru and Emilia's visit, the wind could blow them clean away.
"That means there's no more business here. Goodbye, Loot House. As an event trigger point, it was pretty effective, gotta say."
He gave a thumbs-up to bid farewell to the memory, then picked up the bag of Linga at his feet, took Emilia's hand, and left the area.
He wasn't the type to linger, always looking back over his shoulder at the past. Goodbye yesterday, hello tomorrow. Newlywed, welcome.
"Anyway, the Slums are dangerous, so let's get out of here quick. As for what comes next… finding Reinhard is still the surest bet, right? Reinhard took Felt with him, didn't he?"
"Yes, that's right. He said he wouldn't do anything to harm her, but… he suddenly changed his expression."
According to Emilia, it seemed he had turned around a conversation that had seemed resolved at just letting things slide. He was the kind of young man who—despite it being only a verbal promise—gave the impression he'd defend it with his life, so the swift retraction of his previous stance left an unpleasant impression that she couldn't shake.
Incidentally, she mentioned that the injured Old Man Rom's disposition had also been decided with Reinhard's involvement.
"I wish we could've dug a bit deeper into the story, but we had our own reasons to get back to the mansion as quickly as possible."
"Meaning?"
"Well, you know—the child whose stomach was torn open? I couldn't think of anyone besides
"Thank you so much for your help back then!"
In the end, it was his own story.
Having shouted his apology at the top of his lungs, Subaru put on a fresh face and said, "Well then—"
"Anyway, in the end the conversation loops right back to finding that handsome guy. From what he casually mentioned before, it sounds like checking the soldiers' guard station would be the way to go…"
Digging through his memory of their first encounter, Subaru offered what seemed like a useful lead. But even as he said it, he didn't find it particularly convincing.
After all, if Reinhard were hanging around a guard station, it would mean the guy had somehow settled into a town beat cop role—which— "A cop like that hanging around left and right? No way. Nine times out of ten, that guy's just a proper knight whose hobby happens to be strolling around town when he's off duty."
With that expensive-looking sword and that grandiose title of "Sword Saint" on top—and if you threw in that combat prowess and called him a common soldier, then honestly, it would be terrifying to the point where you'd never want to walk through the Royal Capital again.
Emilia nodded slightly in apparent agreement with Subaru's take.
"I also think the chances of Reinhard being at the guard station are low. But even if he's not there personally, there should be someone who could serve as a liaison, shouldn't there?"
"Well, whatever the rank, they're both soldiers, so there's probably at least a phone number for the castle scribbled down somewhere at the guard station… Wait, they don't have phones, do they?"
"Phones?"
Emilia tilted her head with a finger pressed to her cheek. Subaru mentally scored that gesture as "adorable!" while racking his brain over how to explain.
"In simple terms, it's a way to talk with someone who's in a different location. Oh, not something primitive like shouting across a distance."
"A dialogue mirror might be there, I think…"
At Emilia's uncertain reply, it was Subaru's turn to tilt his head. As Subaru openly declared his ignorance, Emilia murmured "Hmm" before explaining: "It's a long-distance communication Magic Tool made from a pair of matching mirrors that lets you talk to the person reflected in the other one. For a Magic Tool, they're fairly common—you can see them in various places."
"Ohhh, so there's only one line connecting them, but a method like that actually exists. A mirror, huh… That sounds pretty magical, pretty fantastical!"
In that case, would the mirror reflect you, or the person you're talking to?
Come to think of it, while he'd heard the term "Magic Tool" before, the only Magic Tool Subaru knew was the cell phone—the fake Magic Tool he'd used to con Old Man Rom. Hearing that something like that actually existed in reality made his excitement hard to contain, as was the nature of guys.
"Is this where the story kicks in where I have no talent for magic but a talent for fighting using Magic Tools instead? This time for sure, my streak of victories begins—honestly, I really don't want to run anymore though."
He was fully aware of his inadequacy, but what he truly wanted was to avoid situations that demanded competence in the first place. Before being summoned to this otherworld, he'd spent his time fantasizing about dashing heroic exploits, but once faced with reality, he understood just how reckless those dreams had been.
In truth, when confronted with the brutal reality, what had Subaru been able to do besides scramble for survival in an undignified manner, forgetting all pretense of composure?
He was starting to sink into a negative spiral when he shook his head and banished the thought. The reason his mind had drifted in that direction was because, at some point, a silence had fallen between the two of them.
"Emilia-tan?"
"…Huh? What's wrong?"
She reacted a few seconds late to his call, blinking her purple-blue eyes as she looked at Subaru. Her uncertain response made Subaru furrow his brow.
"*I'm* not the one who should be asking what's wrong. You went quiet all of a sudden and it startled me. Was something on your mind?"
"No… it's nothing. So, are we heading to the guard station?"
It didn't seem like "nothing" to Subaru, but her tone made it clear that any further probing would be unwelcome, and he felt unable to press the issue.
So Subaru was left overwhelmed by her follow-up question, managing only an "Ah, uh, yeah" that could be taken as either affirmation or denial.
"The guard station is in the Noble District, so we'll have to walk a bit from here. If we take too long,
As a side note, originally Rem had expressed her intention to accompany Subaru on his trip to the Royal Capital, but she had too many duties in her caretaker role, so she reluctantly yielded the duty of being Subaru's escort this time around to Emilia.
Right about now, she was probably working herself to the bone at tonight's inn and other locations.
As his hand was pulled along into the path leading out of the Slums, Subaru silently looked at Emilia's back. The white robe draped over her, the solemn attire embroidered with the hawk emblem—its dignity seemed to reject words, giving Subaru the illusion, quite literally, that his mouth had been sealed shut.
Being by Emilia's side and feeling that heart-fluttering, buoyant joy had been an indispensable part of Subaru's daily life recently.
That was precisely why being rejected by her through her attitude was the most terrifying thing imaginable.
What, which, which of Subaru's words had upset her? Filled with a sense of anxiety, he desperately searched for an answer.
If Emilia rejected him, Subaru would be completely alone in this world with nothing to cling to.
Emilia alone was the meaning of his existence in this world.
This kind of self-definition started working in a negative direction, and noise began to run through Subaru's thoughts.
His nerves burned out, his vision flickered. A murky emotion began to spread in his chest, and his subconscious recognized that it was shaped exactly like the black palm he had once seen—and in that state, Subaru's lips trembled along with the surging negative emotions.
*—That's about enough, Subaru.* The voice that suddenly echoed inside his head snapped him back to his senses, and Subaru's eyes went wide with surprise.
Before him, nestled against the underside of Emilia's hood and rubbing his own belly while looking Subaru's way, was
*I picked up on some not-so-great signs, so I thought I'd pour some cold water on it. I'd really rather you not do anything uncouth toward my daughter. —I don't want to dislike you.* Puck spoke in his usual mild tone, toying with his whiskers. His words made Subaru's face stiffen with alarm, and he glanced fearfully at Emilia's back as she walked ahead. But she showed no sign of noticing his distress and continued walking.
*Don't worry about Emilia. I'm only speaking directly to you right now.* *…So even my inner voice reaches you now, huh?* *Telepathy is nearly impossible to establish without a significant gap in power, you know. But well, you can just think of this as the difference between you and me.* Subaru could see Puck laughing silently, without making a sound.
He was no longer surprised by the little cat who could read the color of his emotions, but the discomfort of a conversation called telepathy that resonated directly in his brain was something he'd never get used to.
In any case— *Ah, thanks, by the way. I was acting a little weird earlier, wasn't I?* It felt as though he'd been on the verge of being left utterly alone in the world, desperately fighting against that one possibility.
Reaching out to the one back he thought he could cling to—what had he been about to do with that? He shook his head, and with the sense of oppression from moments ago now gone, Subaru could no longer tell.
But he did have a feeling he'd been running thoughts that weren't really his own.
*To put it bluntly, Emilia's bad mood isn't Subaru's fault. She just stumbled on a memory she didn't like. That's all it was—that's the cute thing about her, though.* Without saying the crucial part aloud, Puck wore a smile brimming with paternal love.
Feeling a sense of alienation as though he'd been left out of the loop, Subaru suddenly realized something.
—That when he looked back, he realized he knew nothing about Emilia.
The Emilia Subaru knew was a beautiful girl with silver hair and purple-blue eyes. A Half-elf, and in terms of status, a Queen candidate for the
She was honest, stubborn, a pushover, willing to sacrifice herself for others without a second thought, tried to act like a big sister but had many airheaded moments, and on top of it all seemed easy to deceive.
The two weeks since meeting her—that was everything Subaru had seen of Emilia.
The fact that all of this was nothing but surface-level information, that he had never once delved into her inner world or personal circumstances—it was only now that Subaru finally realized this.
Come to think of it, Subaru didn't even know what led Emilia to participate in the Royal Selection. He didn't know what brought her to Roswaal's mansion, or even the reason she had been in the Royal Capital on the day they met.
Without question, he had been so absorbed in receiving everything she gave him that he had never even sought to know anything beyond that.
The result was this. Facing Emilia's rejection driven by things Puck knew about, Subaru—who knew nothing—could do nothing but fall silent.
*You keep bottling up what you really feel, so I suppose you're a difficult child in your own way too.* Even if he clammed up upon recognizing his own superficiality, he couldn't silently occupy the depths of his heart. Puck scooped up the surface sediment of Subaru's inner state, and Subaru shrugged his shoulders.
"Didn't the great me get called out for having unparalleled straightforwardness? That observation is a little off the mark, isn't it? The great Spirit still has plenty left to learn, nya~"
He made an exaggerated gesture to brush it off, then tried to signal through his attitude that he was ending the conversation there. But— "Hey, Subaru."
Puck, seemingly not catching Subaru's intention, wasn't done talking.
The words whispered not to his eardrums but directly to his heart couldn't even be rejected—Subaru simply made it known through silence that he was waiting to see how things would play out.
His attitude clearly said "not welcome." But Puck showed not a shred of interest in this response, and continued unprompted.
"—Please don't get my hopes up. And Emilia's."
"…Huh?"
"Hope is a gentle poison. Even knowing it'll eventually consume you from the inside, when it's within arm's reach, you can't help but reach for it. You are, quite literally, poison."
Narrowing his dark eyes, Puck looked at Subaru with his expression wiped clean.
Being stared down by those emotionless eyes, Subaru couldn't help but tense up. Enduring the sensation of being measured up and down, grinding his teeth— "What exactly do you mean by that…"
But before his reply to Puck's cryptic words could reach— "We're here."
Emilia, still holding his hand, came to a stop.
"Whoa."
Subaru stumbled forward, barely managing to keep himself from bumping into Emilia's back, and looked up.
Right in front of him—his attention consumed by the conversation with Puck—he finally noticed the transformed streetscape that had escaped his awareness.
What had been a jumble of haphazardly arranged buildings with a chaotic atmosphere had entirely changed into a street lined with orderly, well-maintained structures.
The Noble District—as the name implied, this was where the upper class lived.
Unsurprisingly, the scenery was more refined than the commoners' district. To put it plainly, the money involved was on a different level. The buildings, the roads, the walls, even the ornamental trees planted for the sake of aesthetics—all of it spoke to that.
Just across one street, the world had completely changed. And as if to seal off the entrance to this different world, a formidable building stood sentinel.
Even among the transformed landscape, it was the tallest structure. Like in his home world, the majority of buildings were two to three stories tall, but this particular facility maintained a height of roughly six stories.
Its rear was positioned against part of an outer wall, and from the terrace installed on its upper level, one could probably survey the entire city. Yet the building's stark, unadorned atmosphere gave the impression that the terrace existed not for enjoying the view, but for looking down on the people below.
Even without knowing the facility's purpose, its sheer presence was enough to make one instinctively straighten up. Subaru recalled that small-citizen feeling of shrinking before a police officer even when you hadn't done anything wrong, and made a grim face.
"This is the guard station that patrols the Royal Capital. They check the identities of people entering and leaving the Noble District, things like that."
"That's why it's built in a place like this. …But really, no matter the era or the world, you just can't resist the strange power a police organization wields."
Even without knowing it was a guard station, that oppressive atmosphere was palpable. It clearly wasn't the kind of place where you could casually drop in to report a lost item or a missing person. A local neighborhood police box would have been far more approachable.
"Anyway, let's go inside and ask about Reinhard… Why are you shrinking like that?"
"Out there in the world, there are nasty cops who target guys like me for questioning. It's just a reflex."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but does that mean you can't do anything bad?"
"As expected—you see right through to the essence of things."
Having perceived the true meaning behind Subaru's words perfectly, Emilia sighed.
She then turned forward and headed toward the guard station's entrance, moving to knock on the door. Subaru followed her hooded back with his gaze, and suddenly noticed that the little cat was no longer visible.
At some point, he had disappeared again. Was he once again hiding within her silver hair?
Puck, who had only said what he wanted to say and promptly vanished. Subaru frowned at the coy behavior and tilted his head, wondering what the Spirit had really been trying to say.
In any case, it wasn't the kind of problem that would yield an answer through brooding.
He quickly abandoned his arms-crossed deliberation and stepped forward to walk alongside Emilia. That was almost simultaneous with Emilia raising her hand to knock on the door—but— "Oh my, what a rare place to run into you."
The guard station's door swung open from the inside, and a young man poked his head out—a moment sooner than either of them.
The young man gave Emilia a courteous bow.
"It's been a while, Emilia-sama. I trust you've been well since then?"
He identified and addressed her as "Emilia" despite her being fully hooded.
That alone was enough to send a jolt of wariness through Subaru's chest, but Emilia, receiving his bow, shifted her stance slightly yet remained composed.
"…Yes, thank you. I'm doing fine. It's, um, Julius."
"I'm honored that you remember. And Emilia-sama, it brings me great relief that your beauty remains as undiminished as ever."
The young man called Julius flashed his teeth in a smile and delivered those teeth-aching lines without a shred of hesitation.
He was a tall young man—about ten centimeters taller than Subaru, putting him at roughly 180-plus. His hair was a bluish-purple, and the longer locks were styled with meticulous, almost ostentatious care. His build was slender but not weakly so—supple was the word for it.
A good-looking fellow whose light banter suited him perfectly, with amber eyes that could enchant the opposite sex, making jealousy unavoidable.
And his attire—from which it was clear he had just stepped out of the guard station— "You're a Royal Knight, aren't you? Isn't it unusual for you to be at a guard station?"
A uniform adorned with brilliant decorations. A uniform bearing a dragon motif, with his arms through the sleeves and a rapier-style sword at his waist. His bearing, more than anything else, spoke volumes about what Julius did for a living.
"I'm combining an inspection of the area with a morale visit for the soldiers… so to speak. A friend asked me to come by, though perhaps it's not so bad to prioritize friendship once in a while."
Julius raised a hand and replied to Emilia in a sing-song voice.
He spun his words as though intoxicated by his own eloquence, gazing at Emilia before him with an ambiguous look, then continued— "Moreover, having ventured out into the city, I had the good fortune of meeting this lovely flower ahead of schedule. To ask for anything more would be asking for punishment."
Saying this, he took Emilia's hand with a practiced gesture and knelt on one spot. Then, without pausing to draw breath, he pressed his lips gently to the back of her white hand.
Subaru watched this entire sequence unfold in a stupor, unable to do a thing about it. A beat later, his emotions boiled over, and he was about to step forward to condemn that smug, nerve-grating behavior—but— "Thank you, Julius. And sorry to spring this on you, but…"
Emilia's palm, extended behind her, stopped Subaru short as he was about to charge at Julius with nostrils flaring.
Unable to grasp her intention, Subaru froze in place. Before him, events continued to unfold at a leisurely pace.
"I have an errand, and I'd like to arrange a meeting at the castle…"
"Ah, I see. That's why you need the dialogue mirror at the guard station. Understood—allow me to show you the way."
Rising to his feet and opening the door, Julius glanced inside the facility.
"Normally, I'd feel rather embarrassed bringing you somewhere as crude as this, Emilia-sama…"
"Don't worry about things like that. Please."
"Then, if you'll step inside…"
At Emilia's words, Julius nodded and turned to lead the way back into the guard station. Seeing Emilia follow after him, Subaru hurried to catch up—but— "Subaru, wait here."
"Huh?"
Before the door could close, Emilia turned around and delivered the words in a cutting tone. Subaru, unable to form a response, gesticulated wildly to convey his dissatisfaction with Emilia's behavior. But Emilia slowly shook her head.
"I'd really like you to come with us, but I think Julius won't be too pleased if you're there, so just wait here."
"What's that? You're prioritizing his mood over mine?"
For a split second, Subaru caught the implication that she was putting Julius before him, and his lips puckered in a pout. Emilia, looking troubled, said, "That's not it—"
"I'm not saying I'm worried about upsetting Julius. I just don't want you to have a bad time, so please don't make me send you in there. Please, understand."
"I've already had quite enough of a bad time, thanks."
The kiss on the back of the hand—an act of reverence—was something Subaru could not forgive, even as such.
He and Emilia had gone as far as a date, and they'd walked through the Royal Capital hand in hand, but she showed no real awareness of him as a romantic interest. Which meant that the kiss, one of the hurdles Subaru would eventually have to clear, had been effortlessly vaulted over by this man—and it was impossible for him not to feel a fierce sense of rivalry.
If he could, he wanted to prevent any further contact between that man and Emilia.
More than that, sending her off alone to meet him in a moment when Subaru wasn't even present was out of the question. That was Subaru's masculine heart speaking—but— "I'll settle things quickly and come right back, so be a good boy and wait. Don't leave the front of the guard station, okay?"
Her tone was gentle, but once again, the color of rejection was strong in it.
Her attitude, which persistently tried to keep Subaru at arm's length from her personal affairs, left him unable to say a word—as once again, he was afraid to cross the line.
And so the door closed between them as though severing the space that separated them. Subaru placed his palms against the heavy door, hung his head, and let out a long, long sigh.
"Man, I look so lame… What am I even doing? It's not like I did anything, but still."
Nothing but self-loathing came out.
To barge in wearing his jealousy on his sleeve, and then not even be able to fully express that jealousy—what kind of state was that? He was fully aware of his own cowardice, and if left unchecked, it would surely lead to depression.
"Still, moping around in front of the guard station forever and getting questioned for suspicious behavior wouldn't be great either."
Catching a glimpse of how suspicious he must look from an outside perspective, Subaru quickly moved away from the front of the guard station.
That said, per Emilia's instructions, he could only move as far as the opposite side of the street where he could still see the guard station. He leaned his back against the wall at a reasonable distance and sighed once more.
"That smug guy… He was a Royal Knight or something?"
If Subaru's understanding was correct, "Royal Knight" meant a knight of the Royal Knights.
If such an order existed, the Royal Knights would be among the elite—nominally直属 to the royal family. But in a kingdom currently without a monarch, what exactly was their standing?
"He radiated 'elite' from every pore, that preening pretty boy. Casually going around licking Emilia-tan's cute little hand like it was nothing…"
With the distortion of a bad memory, Julius's actions were being refined in Subaru's mind into something truly villainous and deeply perverted.
Stewing in dark emotions like this, all he could do was wait—and that helplessness gnawed at him.
He could only pray that Emilia, undaunted by Julius's perverted behavior, would accomplish her original purpose and come back as quickly as possible.
"And then I'll gently welcome Emilia-tan, wounded by a man's touch. 'Subaru, I've been sullied…' 'That's not true, Emilia-tan… no, Emilia. No matter what you've been through, the you I see is always—more beautiful and noble than anyone else, above all else. Your eyes are the most precious jewel in this world…' Something like that."
His delusional story exploded—tears welling in Emilia's eyes, she gently closed them. As he moved to softly cover her lips from above, Subaru suddenly noticed a figure crossing the street.
"N-No way…"
His lips trembling, the mental theater that had been playing out until just now collapsed.
In the midst of the fantasy where an adorable blushing Imagine-Emilia was fading away, Subaru nonetheless found himself unable to look away from the scene radiating overwhelming reality.
—Crossing before Subaru's astonished eyes was a single adorable beastman.
With a small frame that barely reached Subaru's waist, it walked along with a plucky wobble. Every inch of its body was covered in unbelievably fluffy white fur—a perfect beastman form, incomparable to mere demihumans with animal ears.
It was probably a dog, a canine. The fur, pure white as fresh snow, grew long and gave its form a charming, rounded shape.
To be captivated in an instant—this was what it meant.
Subaru, unable to hide the heartbreak from Emilia's attitude, was utterly conquered by the most powerful fluff-ball creature to cross his path. That is to say, total loss of fighting spirit before the battle even began.
His soul as a Fluff devotee, the accumulated frustrations since arriving in this otherworld, the self-loathing that had erupted just minutes ago, the torrent of love for Emilia that would never reach her—all of these combined, and Subaru's free will was completely sealed.
He wanted to bury his fingers in it. He wanted to tangle his fingertips in that white fur. He wanted to hug it as he pleased, rub his cheeks against it, scoop it up and spin around, and declare love to the entire world.
To fluff is love, and to fluff is the foundation of peace, and to fluff is what saves the world.
You can be fluffed without fluffing. But if you're going to fluff, you want to be fluffed in return. The act of fluffing and being fluffed together is the true purpose of a Fluff devotee—and to be fluffed but refuse to fluff in return is, for a Fluff devotee, tantamount to choosing death. In other words, to fluff is life for a Fluff devotee, and without fluffing, the light of a Fluff devotee's life— "While I was busy doing all that, where even am I?!"
Having completely lost sight of the beastman, Subaru snapped back to reality and stood there clutching his head.
Surrounding him stretched narrow, unfamiliar alleyways. He was undoubtedly far from the street in front of the guard station—at the very least, far from that vibrant Noble District he had just been in.
This was the result of neglecting everything else in favor of chasing fluff.
"So I can't even do something as simple as waiting in one spot?! I'm worse than a dog!? Well, I did lose track of myself in a dog-like fluff-ball at the height of estrus, so I guess that's confirmed!"
Distracted by the fluff-ball's appearance, he had been dazedly following it in a haze.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but the longer he stayed away, the more certain Emilia's scolding awaited him.
Right now, she was surely spending her time at the guard station with an anxious heart, wishing she could return to Subaru as soon as possible—Subaru hoped she was thinking that, at least.
And when she finally accomplished her purpose and came back, what would be there waiting was not a boy patiently staying put, but a lost Subaru who couldn't even manage that.
A future where she looked at him with cold eyes flashed through his mind, and Subaru shuddered.
"I'd definitely get abandoned for that one! This isn't the time to be going 'tee-hee' about it!"
He scratched his head, recognizing that he was in an emergency within an emergency.
Subaru had to at least make it to the main road, and he dashed through the alleyways. But unfamiliar with the land and with the winding paths looking all the same, his eager mind and the terrain were completely at odds—and the alleys absolutely refused to let him escape.
"Damn it, why now of all times. Wait! When escaping a labyrinth, if you keep touching the wall, you'll definitely find the exit—that's one of those bean knowledge things! This is a gift! Straight to the wall, and—GYAAAH!!"
He pressed his palm to the wall with great confidence. The grimy wall made contact with his hand and produced a sticky sound, instantly sending his discomfort index to maximum.
"What is this?! It's sticky AND slimy!? Please tell me this isn't some kind of vomit-like liquid!!"
Thankfully, it appeared to be neither vomit nor some corrosive substance. He wiped it on another wall, unable to even rely on grandma's bag of tricks, and stood at a complete loss. And to make matters worse, at a time like this there wasn't a soul around—he, who couldn't survive without relying on others, had no one to rely on.
"Trapped in a labyrinth from which there was no escape, Subaru eventually ceased to think… BAD END, uh, eight: 'Lonely Death'—Yeah, real hilarious."
He was finally running out of room for jokes. Subaru faced his dire situation with a serious expression.
If only he could head toward where people were—just as he thought that— "—You little shit!! You think this is some kind of joke?!!"
—A human presence, one he'd been debating whether it was safe to approach, was clearly picked up by his eardrums.