Arc 10, Chapter 21 – "Six Tongues"
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――A peril unprecedented for the Kingdom of Lugunica, a crisis of the nation's demise.
Subaru: [――――]
Sat up atop the bed, the first thing Subaru did upon hearing of those circumstances was pinch his own cheek. Ouch. In other words, this was reality, well and true, and not a continuation of his dream.
That was to say――,
Subaru: [At this point it'd feel better to just be told that this was the continuation of a nightmare, that's how much the "what the hell"s keep on coming… am I cursed or something? There's way too many shocking events…]
Beatrice: [In that case, Subaru isn't the only one who is cursed, I suppose. Rest assured, in fact.]
Subaru: [I don't feel assured in the slightest, but thanks for being cursed with me. I love you.]
Beatrice: [Betty loves you too, I suppose.]
Lowering the hand he had used to pinch his cheek, he instead moved it to pat Beatrice on the head.
His reliable partner who insisted that they would share in the same fate by the bedside, it seemed like she had not heard much beyond what Subaru had regarding the current situation.
And so, he wished to ask many things this time around to the ones who appeared to hold most of the information here, White Sheep, and Russell, however――,
Russell: [――"Shocking". Meaning to be surprised, or to be shaken, was it?]
Subaru: [Huh? Ah, yeah yeah, that's correct… it's correct, but how? Otto's the only one who can decipher the words from where I come from on the first try.]
Russell: [No, it is nothing so impressive. Merely, in the letters Roswaal has been sending of late, there are occasionally such unfamiliar words mixed in… Cryptanalysis does require a bit of extra effort, so I'd prefer him to stop such foolish antics.]
Beatrice: [Exchanging letters, with Roswaal… in fact?]
As Russell revealed the reason he had managed to react to Subaru's vocabulary, Beatrice narrowed her round eyes, and slightly heightened her wariness.
Usually, one might think that the name of an associate being brought up would serve as due justification for some peace of mind, but the fact that it could not so easily be taken as such, was truly the epitome of Roswaal.
And, seemingly having come to the same thought, Russell shrugged with a "Good grief",
Russell: [While it is none of my business, I cannot help but worry about how Roswaal interacts with you, Natsuki-dono, and the other members of your camp. If I may advocate for myself, he is an old friend of mine. We have been acquainted for around fifteen years now.]
Subaru: [Fifteen years…! That's… quite the long relationship. Eh, then perhaps, when you helped out during the Subjugation of the White Whale…]
Russell: [Ah, you need not worry about that. Business and friendship sit upon two entirely different lines. When I assisted you back then, Natsuki-dono, it was a decision of my own, there was no room for Roswaal to intervene. Rather, what if I told you that had he asked me, I would have refused?]
Beatrice: [Hmph, it seems like you have a correct evaluation of Roswaal, I suppose. If you had said that you were such best friends that you always knew what the other was thinking, we would have gotten out of here immediately, in fact.]
Subaru: [Beako, the fact that disparaging him only makes you seem more reliable, feels so in line for Roswaal…]
Be that as it may, the answer Russell gave here made Subaru glad.
The White Whale Subjugation that Crusch and the others had planned: in order to enter into an alliance with them, Subaru had spontaneously come up with the idea to persuade Anastasia and this very Russell.
If it had turned out that the negotiations which had brought in Russell were actually set up by Roswaal, even if the result was the same in the end, it would put a bit of a damper on his self-evaluation.
White Sheep: [U-um, Silver Fox… wouldn't it be better to carry on with the matter at hand?]
And, the one to interject there was White Sheep, who had been left out of the conversation.
Turning an apprehensive upward gaze towards Russell, she seemed to be urging towards a smooth progression of the central topic, but she had included a few superfluous words that caught Subaru's attention.
Subaru: [――Silver Fox, huh? Would it be fine for me to assume that you'll explain that side of things in more detail?]
Russell: [Of course. Given that we are receiving you like this, Natsuki-dono, we too must lay our hearts bare, and show that we do wish to seek your cooperation. However, before that…]
Subaru: […Before that?]
Russell: [I would like to confirm that you are not a dangerous element, Natsuki-dono. ――Indeed, to "check", was it? In your hometown.]
Having likely learned that from Roswaal's letters too, Russell stroked his well-groomed beard, deepening his smile as he looked at Subaru.
Unwittingly, Subaru's throat produced a low rumble, a reflex to the sensation of his mouth rapidly feeling dry. ――Hearing the words "dangerous element", what instantly flashed through his mind was the suspicion Black Dog had previously spoken of, that of Subaru being a Sin Archbishop. An affront of being treated in the same category as the bunch who deserved to be called every insult in this world.
However――,
Subaru: [Russell-san, I don't know how to prove it, but those doubts are wrong. Something like me being a Sin Archbishop, that sorta thing is…]
Russell: [Any verbal testimony is meaningless. That is what makes the Witch Cult so dreadful. You ought to know that already.]
Subaru: [――――]
Russell: [――And so, please take this.]
A cold, unshakeable assertion, one that made Subaru cast down his eyes. Within his vision as he did so, an item was suddenly held out by Russell, who had walked up to him from the entrance of the room.
Laying his eyes upon it, Subaru swallowed his breath. After all, in front of him was――,
Subaru: […My cellphone?]
Spilling a hoarse murmur, Subaru stared at the cellphone handed to him without blinking.
Without a doubt, it was a cellular telephone. Moreover, it was the flip phone that had seen habitual use by none other than Subaru himself, one of the few items he had brought with him from his original world, and something with which he had long since parted.
He had not forgotten the details of how he parted ways with it either. After all, it was the very item he had exchanged to Russell, the man now stood before his eyes, as compensation for his cooperation in the White Whale Subjugation. ――In addition, he cunningly phrased his words in a manner such that his declaration of the cellphone functioning as a sensor to notify of the Witchbeast's arrival would not be a deceit.
Subaru: [No, um, Russell-san… I guess I really don't have any room to make excuses for this, but it's not that I had any malicious intent, it was just something compelled out of necessity, so if you're going to bring up who is or isn't in the wrong, then I'd definitely be at fault, but…]
Beatrice: [W-w-what's the matter, I suppose, Subaru, you're being excessively incoherent, in fact.]
Subaru: [I just never imagined that a symbol of my sins from the past would come up again in a place like this… e-even so! Treating me as a Sin Archbishop for a crime like this is really going way too far, or rather, unlike those guys, I could make a proper apology!]
Russell: [――No, that is sufficient. I have secured confirmation. There is no discrepancy regarding you being Natsuki-dono.]
The Sin Archbishops could not apologize. ――No, there was also a Sin Archbishop who would voice the empty words of "thank you" and "I'm sorry", but there ought to be none who were capable of sincerely feeling sorry and apologizing.
And so, trying to deny being a Sin Archbishop with that as his foundation, Subaru was conversely taken aback with a "Huh" at Russell's unthinkable response.
Subaru: [You managed to confirm everything by just handing me a cellphone… ah, is it because I knew the word cellphone? Is that the evidence that I'm innocent?]
Russell: [No, you are mistaken. Natsuki-dono, before you handed this over to my hands, details such as where you might have shown it off, or to how many people you might have spread its name, are not things that we can know for certain. Hence, it is not due to any such external factors―― I have ascertained it with my very eyes.]
Subaru: [Eyes… you mean something like a merchant's sense?]
Russell: [Well, that is not entirely incorrect. It is a Divine Protection. The Divine Protection of Evaluation, so it is called, allowing me to ascertain the value of the items I lay my eyes upon.]
Pointing at his own eyes, Russell revealed his Divine Protection of Evaluation, and redirecting that finger in the direction of the cellphone in Subaru's hands, Russell continued "Thus",
Russell: [Only when that Meteor is present in your hands, Natsuki-dono, does it shoot up in value.]
Subaru: [――Hk.]
Russell: [I suspect it is an article that nobody other than yourself is capable of using effectively, Natsuki-dono. When I or other individuals take it in hand, the Meteor emits no radiance whatsoever. However, that is not the case when it is in your hands. Then again, it has been quite a long time since it has fallen silent…]
Subaru: […It's probably out of battery. But, you're saying it still glows when in my hands?]
Russell: [Indeed, to a glaring extent.]
Subaru: [I see. I guess because the only one who could recharge it would be me…]
With the exceedingly nostalgic weight and sensation in his hand, Subaru digested the words spoken to him, and comprehended the logic Russell had used to determine his authenticity.
The cellphone could only be used by Subaru. Hence, if it shone when in Subaru's hands, it would be proof that Subaru was the very same existence as he was back then――,
Subaru: […Huh? So does that mean, Russell-san, you knew from the very beginning that you yourself couldn't use the cellphone…?]
Russell: [I only became fully convinced after you had already handed it over as compensation. It did not hold any value in either my own hands or those of my subordinates. I had thought that if I ever got the chance to question you about it, you would certainly be quite surprised.]
Beatrice: [It's the fault of the one who got deceived… hah, Subaru wouldn't let that fly, I suppose.]
Subaru: [I'm glad you understand.]
At the scene of the fair negotiations, Subaru had gotten Russell to believe in the value of the cellphone without telling any lies. Also present there, Crusch had guaranteed that with her Divine Protection of Wind Reading―― and yet, just as Beatrice said, Subaru still feeling guilty about it was a separate matter.
Be that as it may, Subaru had never thought that a reunion with his cellphone would serve as a certification of his identity. That was what he wanted to say here, but the issue was still far from resolved.
Subaru: [This isn't something I want to say, but all this proves is that I am the same me that I was back at that discussion. Supposing that even before that, I was… I was… I was in the… I was in the Witch… the Witch Cult, hk.]
White Sheep: [Eh, you're having an awfully hard time with that what-if.]
Beatrice: [That is simply how much his body and mind rejects the idea, in fact. His feelings are understandable, I suppose.]
Subaru: [Anyway! What if I was part of the Witch Cult even before that? And moreover, a Sin Archbishop?]
It was a supposition that even he hated, but if he was going to clear the suspicions, he desired to prove himself completely innocent. Even if it was the worst possible assumption, there was meaning in Subaru voicing it himself.
Perhaps even that act of his would be slightly beneficial if it was taken as grounds to give him credence――,
Russell: [Before that, you say… so approximately around the declaration of the Royal Selection's commencement, correct?]
Subaru: [Yeah, that's right.]
Russell: [When it comes to the Royal Selection's commencement, Natsuki-dono, that would be when you raised quite the bold and inflammatory words at the Royal Castle.]
Subaru: [Y-yeah, that's right.]
Russell: [It seems that you won the animosity of many of the individuals there present, however, I have heard that this fortunately did not lead to any violent outburst of the surroundings, with your reputation instead being damaged as a result.]
Subaru: [T-that's right…?]
Russell: [In such a state, would the Witch Cult really take your place, Natsuki-dono?]
Subaru: [I see… back then, even the Witch Cult would have left me in the dirt…]
Were he to cling to his human emotions, Subaru's heart would have been shattered by the ruthless, yet sound argument.
In truth, it would have been foolish for the Witch Cult to approach Subaru, thinking they could use him, after knowing what he had gotten up to in the Royal Castle, and supposing they had already approached him beforehand, Subaru would have been an idiot to do what he did at the Castle. ――In other words, by the foolishness of his own actions, Subaru had proved his innocence.
Subaru: [Outside of my own mental growth, to think I'd ever be glad that such an event happened!?]
Furthermore, based on what he had just been told, it seemed like his mock battle against Julius in the wake of his actions, due to the influence of Julius's name having been eaten, had been made to have never happened, so the hatred that the Royal Knights bore towards Subaru had likely turned into something outrageous.
Surely not, but was it possible that had played a part in the current circumstances of him being pursued?
Anyhow――,
Subaru: [So then, Russell-san, your standpoint is that I'm innocent?]
Russell: [Indeed. As I see it, Natsuki-dono, you are a capable individual with numerous contributions under your belt, one upon whom the current Kingdom of Lugunica would most like to rely on; it would be no exaggeration for me to declare as such.]
Subaru: [Oh, ohhh, ohhhh… I'm saved…! Just now, my heart was saved…!]
Beatrice: [Why are you so overcome with emotion at this man's words, in fact!? The one who believes in Subaru the most, Betty, is right here by your side, I suppose! Emilia and the others too, in fact!]
Subaru: [Well of course that makes me so happy I could die, but when it comes to being believed in by your own people, and being believed in by an outside person, there's simply a difference in emotional profoundness. I guess you could also call it a difference in the level of difficulty.]
Beatrice: [Hmph, Betty's feelings have been hurt, I suppose. Next time you are suspected of something, there will be a five minute penalty until Betty takes Subaru's side, in fact.]
Subaru: [Five minutes until Beako takes my side…!? Would I even be able to hold out that long…?]
Pulling Beatrice up onto the bed as she turned her face away and puffed out her cheeks, Subaru plumped her down in the center of his criss-crossed legs, before turning to look back at Russell with a "So".
Russell had finished his evaluation of Subaru. In that case, the next thing was for Subaru to hurry up and ask his own questions.
Subaru: [It's about time you tell me. The Kingdom being in trouble is also important, but before we have that important conversation, Russell-san, you gotta tell me the truth of what you guys really are. You aren't just a distinguished merchant of the Royal Capital, now are you?]
Of course, in everything until now, he had somehow managed to explain it all away as just being a merchant capable of doing good work. However, Russell had said it first. ――The very survival of the Kingdom was in jeopardy, and that was something brought about by their sworn enemy of many long years.
Subaru: [Being a long time sworn enemy of an opponent that's capable of laying waste to the country; it's unthinkable that a mere merchant would ever say something like that. Same thing goes for you being called Silver Fox, Russell-san. White Sheep-chan over there and the rest of you, in truth your job is something else entirely. That would be――]
???: [――Six Tongues.]
Subaru: [――!?]
Subaru firmly pressed ahead, attempting to prompt Russell to speak up, however he was instead shocked by a voice that came from an unexpected direction, and he turned to face it.
The one to raise their voice was neither Russell, nor White Sheep. Having seemingly kept silent while listening in on Subaru's conversation until now, the person who had been waiting for the right opportunity――,
Subaru: [Rachins, since when were you awake?]
Rachins: [For a while now. With this many voices yapping, how the hell'd I be able to remain asleep? I gotta admit though, when Russell Fellow made his appearance, I almost let out a yelp.]
The one to answer had been Rachins, raising his body up on the couch. He had taken off the clothes which had been sullied by the sewer water, dressed only in his underwear with a blanket wrapped around his body, and seeing his status, Subaru took a momentary relief in the fact that he seemed to be unharmed.
Subaru: [Enough about you eavesdropping while pretending to sleep… what was that you said earlier? Six…?]
Rachins: [The Six Tongues. To put it plainly, it's the intelligence agency that operates in the shadows of Lugunica… I never doubted that it was actually real, but to think it was headed by the chairman of the Commerce Guild.]
Subaru: [Intelligence agency… so like, a spy organization!?]
As soon as he processed Rachins's explanation in his head, Subaru's unwittingly sprang up.
Spy―― while they occasionally made appearances in fiction, they were a prime example of something that was seldom encountered within nonfiction. Ninjas were in a similar category, but he had seen a real one with his own eyes, and if anything, had even tasted their dreadfulness firsthand.
However, to think after coming this far――,
Subaru: [In other words, the shadowy leader that runs things behind the scenes in the Kingdom of Lugunica, was Russell-san's true identity all along!?]
Eyes widened in shock, Subaru straightened his posture and gazed towards Russell once again.
Receiving Subaru's excessive reaction, Russell slightly raised his eyebrows, before slowly shaking his head from side to side,
Russell: [You mustn't spread it around in such a loud voice. ――After all, Natsuki-dono, it's your life on the line.]
And, following his experience with ninjas, an answer was given that made him taste in the dreadfulness of a spy.
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Russell: [Originally, the Six Tongues was formed in the aftermath of the Demi-Human War for the purpose of the Kingdom's counterintelligence operations. This was because the prolonged nature of the Demi-Human War stemmed from underestimating the intelligence gathering capacity of the demi-humans.]
Subaru: [Ah, I can see that. I have a friend who's able to camouflage himself against walls or the ground.]
Russell: [Indeed, such special traits, Divine Protections, or Meteors… A specialized organization equipped with knowledge of such things and the capacity to deal with them was required. It was on such grounds that the Six Tongues was founded, and I hold the position of its current Director.]
Subaru: [Director…! That's the first time I've heard that title on this side…!]
Beatrice: [Subaru, why are you so moved over every little thing, I suppose? The shadiness of these people hasn't changed in the slightest, in fact. If anything, it has only grown, I suppose.]
Subaru: [Nah, you're exactly right. But in this case, a secret agency is the sort of thing where the shadier, or rather, the deeper the mysteries go, the more appealing it becomes…]
While pressing a finger against the sulking Beatrice's cheek, Subaru examined Russell with a glance.
Russell dealt with them with an unchanging posture, an unchanging expression, but knowing his identity as the head of a secret intelligence agency, his very presence and the pressure he exuded became far more convincing.
Indeed, the history of the formation of the Six Tongues made perfect sense. ――Subaru's friend who could camouflage himself was Hiain from the Pleiades Battalion, but there would have been many demi-humans who had participated in the Demi-Human War against the Kingdom. And it was not just combat strength that was useful in war.
Russell: [Incidentally, from whence did you become privy to the existence of the Six Tongues, Rachins-dono? From your esteemed father, perhaps?]
Rachins: [Ahh? You think my old man would prattle on about the Kingdom's secrets just 'cause we're family? It's just that I thought it'd be natural for such a thing to exist, and then it was just a matter of piecing together the words from rumors I'd hear every now and then. I never thought a fuck like you would be their leader, even for a second.]
Russell: [Is that so? Truly, Rickert Hoffman-dono is an exemplar of a loyal subject. Have you not been in contact with your esteemed father since?]
Rachins: […Oi, your bad habits as a spy are showing. Right now, it's your turn to fucking talk, it ain't the time for me go on and on about this or that. Don't get carried away.]
Russell: [Quite right. Please forgive my discourtesy.]
As Rachins sharpened his shihaku eyes even further, Russell gave a theatrical bow. However, from that exchange, the lineage Rachins had revealed in the sewers―― that his family was truly that of the Kingdom's nobility, seemed to be substantiated.
Following that response, Russell turned his gaze toward Subaru, and saying "Once again",
Russell: [I cannot elaborate on the details that pertain to classified information, but our ultimate objective is the national defense. Those of us who serve in the organization, myself included, conceal our status, fabricate our identities, and engage in counterintelligence work. Even my title as chairman of the Royal Capital's Commerce Guild is merely a cover to hide the truth.]
Subaru: [Isn't that a bit too high-level to use as a cover? I mean, head of a guild?]
Russell: [It is the result of having given careful thought to the balance of the public-facing authority and influence required. Worry not, it is not the case that all of the influential individuals throughout the Royal Capital are members of our organization.]
Beatrice: [――And yet, it now seems like it would have been better had that been the case, in fact.]
Russell: [Indeed, I am ashamed to admit that it is precisely as you say.]
Slowly shaking his head, Russell made a subdued expression in response to Beatrice's observation. He could not tell to what extent that face represented his true feelings, but it appeared they could finally broach the main issue at hand.
The present peril assailing the Kingdom of Lugunica―― it was surely not unconnected to the reality of Subaru's group having been cornered, with the tendrils of evil having even reached Emilia and the others.
At the center of it all was――,
Russell: [――The Beloved Children. That is the name of our… no, the Kingdom's greatest enemy at present.]
Subaru: [Are you saying those guys are trying to tear down the Royal Selection?]
Russell: [You would not be mistaken. However, rather than the Royal Selection, it would be more accurate to say that they are attempting to tear down the Kingdom itself.]
Subaru: [The Kingdom itself… and the repercussions of that is the current mayhem in the Royal Capital, huh…? Come to think of it, earlier you were saying something about how they've been a longstanding enemy of yours, what was that about?]
Russell: [That is correct. According to our records… they have been documented as operating behind the scenes starting over thirty years ago.]
Subaru: [Thirt… hk!?]
Subaru's eyes shot open in surprise at the number, stated so indifferently, that exceeded all his expectations.
He had imagined five, ten years, but thirty years was beyond the pale. To begin with, if the Six Tongues was an agency established after the Demi-Human War, it should have been around forty years since its founding.
Subaru: [And then thirty years… so you've been fighting them nearly the whole time since you were formed…]
Russell: [Indeed. As such, the history of the Six Tongues can be said to be a history of its hidden conflict against the Beloved Children. However, the Beloved Children were an opponent of whom we knew little, whereas we were always one step behind… in a constant state of having our hands full just barely containing them from doing as they pleased within these borders.]
Rachins: [Hah, you're supposed to be an organization backed by the Kingdom, but that's just damn pathetic. You plan on losing forever?]
Russell: [I have no retort. In fact, throughout the Kingdom, there have been numerous abrupt changes of heart by nobles and people of influence, as well as some of them acting against our interests by providing intelligence to the other nations, too many to count in fact. Even in the decade or so since I took over as Director, lacking any decisive blow to end this deadlock, we have continued with such stopgap measures. ――However, the situation has changed.]
Subaru: [Changed?]
Russell: [Indeed. ――It was White Sheep and Black Dog.]
Hearing this, Subaru fell silent as he looked toward White Sheep, waiting behind Russell.
Black Dog, named alongside her, was not present here, but together, they were allegedly the ones who had allowed the Six Tongues under Russell's command to escape from the dead end they had been stuck in.
As Subaru questioned how on earth they had done so, White Sheep placed a hand over her chest, and as her charming features slightly tensed,
White Sheep: [I was formerly one of the Beloved Children. Black Dog was also in the same situation.]
Subaru: [――Hk! You got members of the enemy to switch sides!?]
Russell: [It was a situation where several coincidences aligned in our favor. Nevertheless, as a result, regarding the Beloved Children whom we had opposed for so long… we were blessed with the opportunity to learn of their true nature.]
White Sheep: [Yes… That said, there was no way I could have properly known about everything, and there were some things I could speak on, and others that I couldn't, but…]
Subaru: [No, even so, I'm sure the things that could be gained as a result were huge. You did well to make that decision…]
White Sheep appeared hesitant, but that seemed to run counter to Russell's evaluation.
After all, since she was a capable individual who had become the key to shifting a battle that had lacked any progress for thirty years, the Six Tongues must have felt an elation tantamount to that of discovering an oasis amidst the desert.
At that reaction of Subaru's, thinking such things, White Sheep slightly lowered her gaze, and,
White Sheep: [――. Yes, it came as a surprise to me as well. To think I had such courage in me… If so, I should have sooner…]
Subaru: [――?]
White Sheep: [Ah-, no-, it's nothing-! Anyways, that's my situation.]
Subaru faintly frowned and held his tongue in response to White Sheep as she waved her arms back and forth.
However, before he could delve into that point of concern, Rachins's vulgar voice chimed in with an "Oi".
Rachins: [About their betrayal, can you really trust that? Come on, couldn't they have had enough of you fucks being such a pain in their ass or something, that they sent these guys over as a trap in order to manipulate you however they pleased?]
Russell: [If that were true, it would have made far more sense for us to have been crushed long ago. It has already been over a year since White Sheep and Black Dog joined us… during that time, we have thwarted the Beloved Children's intrigues on more occasions than can be counted on a single hand. There would be no purpose to contribute so much.]
Rachins: […You can't be so sure of that. I don't think you're being wary enough.]
Russell: [――Please do not worry yourself. I have taken proper measures to prevent any betrayal from them. On account of that, they have bought my trust… no, they have earned it.]
With pointed gazes, Rachins and Russell exchanged looks as well as opinions.
From Subaru's perspective, while he understood Rachins's point, he had a strong impression that Russell was cunning in his manner of doing things. He could not manage to leave behind his first impression of Rachins as a back alley thug, so there was a clear distinction in prestige between the actors.
Subaru: [Is it heartless of me to think that way after he came to help us…?]
Beatrice: [If speaking only in terms of the number of times, safeguarding us here is the goatee's achievement, I suppose. If you count being saved in the sewers, it's even between the delinquent and the goatee, in fact.]
Subaru: [For sure. As expected of my Beako, being good at math――]
White Sheep: [――Umm, Natsuki Subaru-san?]
As Subaru was swaying together with Beatrice, enclosed by his crossed legs, at a loss as to whose side he should take, at that appeal from White Sheep, he let out an awkward, "Mmuh?".
However, after thinking she was staring at him quite earnestly, she bowed her head deeply toward Subaru.
And then――,
White Sheep: [It was thanks to you all that we were able to slip out of the Beloved Children. Thus, I've wanted to express my gratitude for the longest time… thank you so much.]
Subaru: [Uh, you're welcome, but what exactly are you thanking me for?]
White Sheep: [Of course, it's the subjugation of the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Sloth!]
Subaru: […Of Petelgeuse?]
White Sheep nodded vigorously with a "Yes" upon Subaru's questioning reply, her eyes transfixed.
From the events at the Royal Castle symbolic of his dark past, to the White Whale Subjugation involving his cellphone, today was a day that incessantly dug up events from around the outset of the Royal Selection.
However, whilst receiving praise for defeating Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti was one thing, the reason for which White Sheep conveyed such direct gratitude to him, he did not know.
Subaru: [No way, you're not gonna tell me you used to be one of that shithead's Fingers or something, right?]
White Sheep: [Fing…? That is incorrect, but, it did cause Mama to be rattled, and we slipped out amidst the kerfuffle… and here we are.]
Subaru: [Hm? Hm? Hm? Hold on, hold on, you've lost me again. A Mama who was rattled due to Petelgeuse's passing? And what the hell is up with that kerfuffle…]
White Sheep: [――For the longest time, I was also unaware of her true identity. Whenever I met her, she took on a different form, and I've never had a proper conversation with her either… but, it finally came to light.]
Subaru demonstrated his perplexity, but White Sheep also seemed unable to control her heightened emotions as she spoke somewhat excitedly. Instead of answering Subaru's inquiry, her eyes glittered as she proceeded to open the lid to a secret she had borne within her for all this time.
White Sheep: [The personage whom I… whom we Beloved Children had been obeying for all this time, she is…]
Subaru: [H-hold on, my emotions haven't caught up yet…]
White Sheep: [――Capella Emerada Lugunica.]
Subaru: [――Huh?]
At the unanticipated, turbulent echo pounding his eardrums, his perplexed contemplations immediately froze over.
The myriad of information and emotions he had yet to process all fell silent as though deluged with water, and Subaru held his breath as he fixed his eyes onto White Sheep.
She nodded back to his gaze, and once more set her thin lips into motion, delivering her statement with clarity.
White Sheep: [――The Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugunica. She is the evildoer who compelled us Beloved Children to call her Mama, and obey her.]
Subaru: [――. ――――. ――――――――. Are you for real?]
Catching the name that White Sheep had vocalised, it took quite some time for him to process it.
Crunching it, chewing it, swallowing it, and ruminating once again; he continued to repeat this process.
Subaru: [――――]
In this interval of Subaru's silence, Russell called out "White Sheep".
He laced his voice with a slight nuance of reprimand,
Russell: [I had intended to divulge these things in a sequenced order. It was somewhat hasty of you to have revealed that name.]
White Sheep: [Ah-, m-my apologies-. I-I started feeling impatient…]
Russell: [I did intend to inform him, but you ought to be prudent in how you handle information. Your hand of cards is tantamount to your very life. I ought to have taught you so time and again over this past year.]
White Sheep: [Y-yes…]
Her shoulders dropped disheartenedly, White Sheep shut her eyes upon Russell's words.
However, though he felt apologetic to the slumped White Sheep, it was thanks to the time she spent being lectured that Subaru had been given the chance to recover from the shock that had caused his mind's functions to cease.
――The Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugunica.
All of the Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult could have been expressed in a singular phrase, the worst, but even compared to the other Sin Archbishops, Capella's wicked disposition was the target of Subaru's utmost revulsion.
He had encountered her only once, at the skirmish in the City Hall at the Watergate City of Pristella, but in all honesty, she could have been rightly stated as the first in his list of people he wished to never meet again if he did not have to.
Of all things, to think he would hear Capella's name at this juncture.
Subaru: [Mama, and the Beloved Children…]
Beatrice: [When you list them out together, they make for a revolting combination of words, I suppose.]
Subaru: [On top of that, I can totally imagine her saying it… No wonder White Sheep-chan wanted to get out.]
Wrinkles forming by his eyebrows, Subaru bent his lips whilst Beatrice anxiously veered her eyes towards him.
Fortunately, Beatrice had not witnessed Capella in the flesh, and Subaru felt that was how it should remain. The Sin Archbishops were all a baleful influence for Beatrice's developing sensibilities. Especially Capella, he would say.
White Sheep: [Mama… Capella, she gathers all kinds of children from all kinds of places, and treats every one of those children as her own little ones. Bidding us to think of her as our mother. But…]
Subaru: [Wicked, crazy, psychological harassment, I can imagine all of that… But you can't let go of the habit?]
White Sheep: [It is quite difficult, I would say… It was seared into everyone's bodies to ensure we never forget, after all.]
Manifesting a smile far too pitiful to be called bitter, White Sheep told of her past.
Despite being estranged from the Beloved Children, and having escaped Capella's reign of control, to still call the object of her terror something like "Mama" to this very day was testament to the magnitude of the crisis she had savored.
And if Subaru and everyone else crushing Petelgeuse had assisted her in getting out of that hellscape――,
Subaru: [I'm really glad. That you were able to get out, White Sheep-chan.]
White Sheep: [Natsuki Subaru-san…]
Subaru: [Ah, but I think that Black Dog guy is lacking in gratitude. He seemed like he was intent on burning up both me and my adorable Beako to a crisp. He's trying to repay the favor with spite. Unless he apologizes, I won't forgive him.]
Beatrice: [Won't forgive, in fact.]
Matching with Subaru as he firmly extended his finger, Beatrice pointed toward White Sheep with her own finger in an identical gesture. Watching the two fingers thrusted before her, and Subaru and Beatrice's coinciding winks, White Sheep blinked her eyes and subsequently gave a slight smile,
White Sheep: [Yes… I understand. I will most certainly make Black Dog apologize.]
Subaru: [That would be great. Although, the enemy is Capella… is "Beloved Children" something like the name of a contingent inside the Witch Cult? Like Petelgeuse's Fingers, or Regulus's Brides…?]
Beatrice: [Sylphy will give you a good thrashing if she were to hear of this rendition, I suppose. Don't say anything too heedless, in fact. Sylphy doesn't think too favorably of you as is, Subaru, I suppose.]
Subaru: [Even though I did contribute quite a bit for defeating Regulus… well, I welcome anybody who'll support Emilia with open arms, so I've gotta talk to her about our number one fave sometime so we can get hyped up together.]
Sylphy, one of the members on standby at Roswaal Mansion, was a woman who was originally Regulus's bride, but now a firm backer of Emilia's. Now that he thought of it, in this predicament of their camp, wherein Subaru was being pursued and even Emilia had been seized, those who had stayed behind at the mansion, including Sylphy and Ryuzu, along with the other Ryuzu Meyer replicants, were a cause for concern.
On that front, he had no choice but to set his hopes onto the personnel who could mobilize outside of the Royal Capital―― Roswaal.
Subaru: [Bearing in mind the worries for that front… how was it from your perspective, White Sheep-chan?]
White Sheep: […At the very least, I have never harbored that perception of myself. Neither have I ever met Witch Cultists.]
Subaru: [Is that, so… is the nuance something like a squad detached from the Witch Cultists, or a private army that includes the Sin Archbishop? Either way, calling them something like her beloved children just rubs me the wrong way.]
Although it was not that he despised her to the point of hating everything that had to do with her, when considering it was Capella who was involved, Subaru's sentiment inclined toward the desire to find faults in every little thing.
Subaru: [――――]
Subaru reflexively glanced at Crusch, asleep atop an adjacent bed.
Setting aside the matter of Subaru's own arm and leg, the Dragon's Blood poured into Crusch's body was likewise a scar bequeathed by Capella. In Pristella, there were droves of people slumbering within ice, their forms having been changed by her hand. ――Same as Gluttony, Lust brought ruin to the lives of far too many people.
Subaru: [Also, it makes sense why Russell-san's group was never able to get a lead on her for thirty years. She can freely alter her shape and form as she pleases. That's why…]
Russell: [Until now, her identity was never grasped with certainty. The occasion upon which it became patent, at long last, was when the intel of the Sin Archbishop of Lust, wielding her Authority as she exposed her form at Pristella, coincided with the details of the being whom White Sheep and the rest were familiar with.]
Subaru: [So she can really just carry out conspiratorial plots and secret maneuvers as much as she wants…?]
Russell: [Indeed. The changes of heart and treasonous acts of the lords and the powerful, would be of no mystery whatsoever. ――Perhaps every single one of them has been replaced.]
Subaru: [With what she's capable of, that sorta thing isn't out of the question. Truly, that would be the worst case――]
Assenting to Russell's conjecture, as he was about to spit at its vileness, Subaru took notice.
Were this conjecture to be fleshed out, it would lead to affirming something unthinkably dreadful. And that was unmistakably―― a quiet and total invasion, a crisis of the Kingdom's very survival.
Rachins: [Oi, oi, oi, don't tell me…]
Beatrice: [――The worst, in fact.]
Simultaneously arriving at the same thought as Subaru's surmise, Rachins's voice quivered, his countenance tensed, unable to articulate the possibility that lay ahead.
Likewise, Beatrice, shuddering, huddled her shoulder close to Subaru as he sat cross-legged.
Subaru: [Russell-san…]
Russell: [Indeed. All three of you imagine correctly. Thus, this is the Kingdom's greatest peril.]
Subaru enquired, fearful of even listening to the answer he must nonetheless hearken, to which Russell gave a deep nod, having long since completed his battle against that shock and advanced onto the next stage.
And, the Director of the Six Tongues, the man vested with the duty to protect the Kingdom, divulged thus.
Russell: [It is highly feared that the Kingdom's Council of Wise Men, as well as the majority of its upper nobles, have been replaced by Capella Emerada Lugunica, matriarch of the Beloved Children, and that the Dragon History Stone now lies in the hands of the aforementioned Lust.]
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