Chapter 167: A Joke
"Relief? I didn't expect something so inexplicable to come out of your mouth."
Echidna said this while looking at Subaru with puzzled eyes.
"I find it strange. You clearly possess considerable strength, and also decent wisdom. Don't those things give you a sense of relief?"
"Of course that's far from enough. Maybe when facing people weaker than me I could feel relief.
But the enemies I've faced so far—none of them have ever been weaker than me.
Under those circumstances, I don't believe my strength or little bits of cleverness could ever give me relief.
Besides, more than the kind of relief that comes from strength, what I want is the kind of relief that comes from absolute trust."
"In the end, it still comes down to trust, huh?
The more I talk with you, the more I feel, Natsuki Subaru, that you're just like a child.
After all, only children would hold such naive notions.
After all… absolute trust does not exist in this world."
Subaru pulled away to widen the distance between them. Turning his head, he looked around at the surroundings before speaking slowly.
"Maybe not in this world. But I know someone I can trust absolutely. And…"
At this, Subaru shifted his gaze back to Echidna.
With a faint smile, he continued:
"To me, as long as I feel that someone can be trusted, then I will entrust them with all of my trust unconditionally. Even if the other person doesn't trust me, for me that alone is enough."
"Is that so… Then what does it take, for you, to gain your trust?"
"Feelings."
Echidna looked at Subaru's expression, which carried no sign of deceit. With a sigh, she stood up, walked around the table, and let her finger trace along the edge until it landed on Subaru's chest.
"It seems that for us to make a deal, something crucial is still missing. So I won't keep you here any longer. But you are the first of your kind I've ever met.
The unknowns surrounding you stir my curiosity intensely.
So I'll generously grant you a chance. Consider it an investment toward gaining your trust. I look forward to meeting you again."
As she finished, Echidna pressed lightly with her hand. The pressure was so slight it couldn't have moved him—but Subaru felt his body step back.
When he regained balance, he realized he was no longer at the Witch's Tea Party.
Subaru carefully looked around, then frowned and stepped back. Now was not the time to press forward. He knew too little about this place.
And he had to confirm Emilia and the others' safety as soon as possible. Otherwise, if something happened too late to fix, he would never forgive himself.
With that thought, Subaru turned and ran back toward the entrance he had come from. It didn't take him long to leave that place.
But just as he stepped outside, his eyes, having grown used to the darkness within, were suddenly struck by the blinding sunlight outside. He could hardly see anything.
In that moment, a voice reached him.
"To walk openly out of this place… quite the courage you have, outsider!"
Even before his thoughts could catch up, Subaru's body reacted first.
He twisted to the side and caught the hand that had been reaching for him.
"Oh? Interesting."
The one speaking was a boy shorter than Subaru. Yet Subaru immediately felt the powerful strength in his grip.
Seeing the relaxed expression on the boy's face, Subaru quickly released his hold and stepped back several paces to widen the distance.
"Who are you?!"
"You want to know my name? You're not qualified, outsider! Come on, let's have ourselves a good fight!"
The boy clenched his fists and slammed them together in front of his chest.
Though he looked somewhat small and thin, the exposed muscles on his body were the real thing. Beneath that nearly flawless musculature, Subaru felt his own meager build was nothing but a joke.
"Outsider, huh?"
Muttering softly, Subaru shifted his gaze toward the side, where Otto was lying on the ground motionless.
He didn't seem to be badly injured.
Patrasche, still pulling the dragon carriage, stood calmly not far away—there had been no clash with this boy.
Seeing this, Subaru lowered his guard slightly and turned his eyes back to the boy before him.
"What's wrong? Don't want to fight anymore? How boring. In that case, do me a favor and lie down obediently."
The smiling boy prepared to move. Subaru's gaze grew strange, and just before the boy struck, Subaru spoke quietly:
"You're Frederica's younger brother, aren't you?"
Though phrased like a question, Subaru was one hundred percent certain.
The boy before him was definitely Frederica's family—most likely her brother. Even if not, then still surely family.
After all, they both had the same golden hair, the same sharp teeth, and, most importantly, the same blue gemstone at the neck.
"Why is that name coming from the mouth of an outsider like you? Do you know that traitor?! Where is she now?!"
The boy shouted, his voice filled with teeth-gritting, almost feral anger. But despite that, he had withdrawn his stance, no longer immediately ready to strike.
Though Subaru couldn't yet be certain whether the boy truly cared about Frederica, he had a way to test it. And at the same time, it would let him gauge the boy's strength.
"She, huh~"
Seeing the boy's expression grow even more hostile, Subaru pulled a blue gemstone from his pocket and continued:
"She cherished this thing right until the very end. From her hand—"
Before he could finish, Subaru's pupils shrank, his heartbeat spiking in an instant.
Time seemed to slow as he hurriedly raised his arm to block at the last second. But the boy's immense strength sent Subaru's body flying backward before he even had time to feel the pain in his arm.
With a feral expression, the boy was already charging at him, each step cracking the ground beneath his feet.
Realizing he had just stepped on a landmine, Subaru roared out lowly:
"Overdrawn Burst!"
Before the boy's fist could smash his skull, Subaru managed to block.
"Wait! I was just joking just now! Frederica is safe!"
"You think I'd believe that, you bastard?! I'll make you regret ever coming to this world!"
"Do I look that untrustworthy to you?! Okay, I admit I was wrong, but this is going too far… Alright, compared to me making such a reckless joke, maybe your rage isn't so unreasonable."
Subaru quickly lashed out with a kick at the boy's arm, once again creating distance between them. In that brief gap, he shoved the gemstone back into his pocket.
As the boy readied to charge again, Subaru drew in a deep breath, steeled his gaze, and flexed his fists as the youth barreled toward him.
"I'm very sorry! It was my fault! I shouldn't have made such an inconsiderate joke. It's just… your tsundere personality made me want to confirm your true feelings! I really am so sorry!"
The boy stared at Subaru, now kneeling on the ground, and for a moment didn't know whether or not to let his raised fist fall.
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