Subaru, released from his paralysis by Trizz's letter (the existence of which he conceals), takes the diplomatic initiative. He finds himself in Crusch Karsten's office, facing the Candidate for Alliances (Anastasia Hoshin) and (Russel Fellow), with Rem, Felix, and Wilhelm present.
Subaru: (His voice is hoarse, yet carries a newfound authority, his eyes feverish with the urgency he's experienced) "Crusch, Anastasia. I have come to propose an immediate military alliance between Emilia's camp, yours, and Anastasia's."
Crusch: (Her gaze is cold and wary, fixed on Subaru) "Natsuki-kun. Your psychological state was critical just a few hours ago. And now you speak of an alliance. You must understand that honor is essential in such a proposal. What do you offer in exchange for this cooperation?"
Subaru: "I offer victory. We must eliminate two major threats: the White Whale and the Witch's Cult which is preparing to strike. I possess reliable information that will guarantee the success of the first stage."
Anastasia: (Smiling, but her eyes are sharp, accompanied by Russel) "Oh dear! What ambition! The White Whale is too dangerous a threat, Subaru-kun. And the Cult is just a rumor to business people. What makes you so certain of these threats?"
Subaru: "I know the exact location and approximate time of the White Whale's appearance."
Crusch: (She straightens up, a flash of interest in her eyes) "Why do you make such claims? The White Whale is unpredictable."
Subaru: "I noticed a strange thing, an anomaly. On that road, there is an unusual flow of carriages passing at certain times. My friend, 'Frizz', confirmed this theory."
Crusch: (Her face darkens slightly at the mention of Trizz) "Your friend... Trizz. The suicidal genius, whose duel with Julius humiliated the Knight Order. Why should we trust information coming from a man who has shown such contempt for order?"
Anastasia: (She chuckles lightly) "Your friend is fascinating, it's true. He sent a messenger to ask me to come here, after we 'played detectives' in the Capital. But I trust my business sense more than his ramblings."
Russel Fellow: (The elegantly dressed merchant steps forward) "Indeed, Trizz-dono is not reliable. And you, Subaru-kun, what is your role in this game? Your maidservant, Rem, escorted you with unsettling fervor."
Subaru: (He ignores the remarks about Trizz and turns to Anastasia and Russel) "The Roswaal camp is ready to offer exclusive exploitation rights to the Magic Stones located in our territory. These magical resources are essential for Anastasia-sama's trade and Russel-sama's influence. In exchange, we want the military alliance and the elimination of the Whale and the Cult."
Anastasia: (Her eyes light up with greed) "Interesting! Exploitation rights... That is a proposition I cannot ignore, especially if the information about the Whale is correct."
Wilhelm: (The Sword Demon, silent until now, speaks in a deep voice) "Crusch-sama. The opportunity to eliminate the White Whale, the enemy of my past, is too important. If this young man's information proves accurate, the alliance must be made."
Felix: (He intervenes with his usual cheerful tone) "Nya! That's an astonishing proposal! I see the appeal. Crusch-sama, this is a chance to show our strength to the kingdom and obtain commercial resources."
Crusch: (She stares at Subaru for a long time, then turns to Anastasia, her face showing a cold calculation) "Very well. If the White Whale appears where you predicted, Natsuki-kun, we will have an alliance. But where is the proof of your camp's commitment?"
Just as Crusch and Anastasia were about to formalize an agreement, the door burst open, and Reinhard van Astrea entered, wearing the standard knight uniform.
Reinhard: "Please forgive this interruption! Crusch-sama, Anastasia-sama, Subaru, I have an urgent announcement from Felt-sama."
Subaru: (Internal: What? An interference again?)
Reinhard: "Felt-sama sends me here to confirm the alliance of the three camps (Crusch, Anastasia, Emilia) against the White Whale. She promises her logistical support and the use of my abilities in exchange for a mutual agreement."
Crusch: "Felt-sama? What is her interest in an alliance that does not concern her territory?"
Reinhard: "The interest is the improvement of living conditions in the Capital's slums, Crusch-sama. And the instrument of this agreement... is Trizz-kun!"
Subaru: (He blinks, trying to hide his confusion)
Reinhard: "Trizz-kun met with Felt-sama. They concluded a future agreement , Trizz-kun will use his genius in engineering and strategy to aid the people of the slums, relying on the commercial agreement concluded with Anastasia-sama (he points at Anastasia) concerning future inventions and technologies derived from the Magic Stones."
Anastasia: (She leans forward, her eyes gleaming with sudden, excited comprehension) "Ah! I had forgotten my little game with him! The trade of inventions! Trizz-kun agreed to develop technologies that only a genius could create, in exchange for a share of the profits for the Emilia camp. It was a separate deal from Subaru-kun's."
Russel Fellow: (He smiles, an air of involuntary admiration) "What machination! He managed to use his talents to guarantee his camp a commercial future, while securing political influence."
Reinhard: (He turns to Anastasia) "Trizz-kun confirmed that he also accepts your commercial proposition and that the alliance will be necessary to secure future investments. He asked us to bring you the confirmation here."
Anastasia: (She bursts into triumphant laughter) "That fool! He used Subaru-kun to force Crusch's hand, then he came straight to me with an ironclad commercial deal! He transformed the threat into an opportunity!"
Subaru: (Internal: This... this wasn't in the letter! This lunatic pulled a double cross! He sent me to do the political work while he secured the commercial future! And he used me to corner Crusch. Is this his "Plan B"? A crazy double-game!)
Anastasia: "Well done, Subaru-kun. You are an excellent messenger, even if you didn't know you were the second half of your friend's deal. It's a bargain that cannot be refused!"
Crusch, caught off guard by the complexity of Trizz's plan (using Subaru's political alliance to force her hand, and commerce to satisfy Anastasia), sighs, her eyes fixed on Subaru with a mix of constrained respect and antipathy.
Crusch: (She slams her hand on the table, a tone of bitter defeat) "So be it. The Suicidal Genius has won this round. The alliance is concluded. Natsuki-kun, we trust you for the White Whale's location and time. Prepare yourselves."
The alliance between the Emilia, Crusch, Felt, and Anastasia camps was a reality, forced by the lure of profit, the threat of the White Whale, and Trizz's manipulative genius. Everyone in the room was convinced that Trizz was the architect of the entire plan, from the political negotiation to the commercial rights.
As Subaru tried to catch his breath, Anastasia, her curiosity and admiration barely veiled, turned to him.
Anastasia: (A smile of amusement on her lips) "Well done, Subaru-kun. You were an astonishing messenger, you and your little magical Metia. Now, the alliance is sealed, and the elimination of the Whale is within reach. But one question troubles me."
Anastasia: "Where is Trizz-kun right now? The main strategist, the Suicidal Genius who orchestrated this coup. He should be here to prepare for the battle he arranged. I'm sure he's cooking up the next chaos."
Subaru blinked, his mind seizing up. He had been so focused on the diplomatic mission that he had forgotten the initial danger Trizz's absence and his lonely, wounded confrontation with the Witch's Cult in the previous loop.
Subaru: (Hesitating, his eyes scanning the room) "frizz... he..."
Crusch: (Her gaze darkens, suspicion returning) "That is right. A man of this caliber does not simply disappear. He is our strategic asset. Where is he, Natsuki-kun? You are the only one who understands his madness."
Subaru: (He forced himself to remain calm, his voice becoming hoarse again, unable to give the exact location without revealing the truth of the death cycle) "I... I have no precise idea. He tends to disappear once his work is done."
Subaru: "He doesn't need to participate in the elimination of the Whale. His part of the plan, securing the alliances and the commercial future, is complete. He believes the Royal Knights, the Iron Fang, and Reinhard's forces are sufficient for the job."
Subaru: "He will probably return later, after the battle, or perhaps he is hiding somewhere to recover from his injuries, I don't know. But his absence does not compromise the alliance. He said he prefers strategy over honor."
Anastasia and Crusch exchanged a look of disbelief and suspicion. The explanation was weak, but it fit the unpredictable profile of the "Suicidal Genius."
Anastasia: "That's what I call excellent business sense-letting others take the risks while securing the profits. Very well, Subaru-kun. Just make sure the commercial terms are honored."
Crusch: (She stands up, closing the meeting) "The alliance is established. We must prepare the troops. Natsuki-kun, you have one hour to get ready. Your Metia must be precise. Wilhelm, Felix, we move out."
Subaru bowed awkwardly, greeting Crusch, Anastasia, and Reinhard, then left the room, dragging his feet toward his chambers. Rem followed him, her blue eyes filled with worry.
Back in the guest room, Subaru collapsed onto the bed, confusion and panic resurfacing.
Subaru: (Internal: He succeeded. He's alive. But where is he? Is he still in the mines fighting? Or is he safe, waiting for the end?)
He now had a clear mission: focus on eliminating the White Whale, the first point on Trizz's roadmap. It was the key to advancing in the loop and buying time to find his friend.
Subaru took a deep breath. The urgency to act had replaced the paralysis of failure. He had an alliance, Rem was safe, and the Cult was temporarily out of play thanks to Trizz's sacrifice.
Subaru arrived in a large gathering hall, the air thick with the smell of metal, sweat, and nervous tension. Standing before him were knights and mercenaries from the Crusch and Anastasia camps. Among them, one faction stood out ; former knights and soldiers, veterans whose lives had been shattered by the White Whale. Their faces, marked by years and resentment, awaited only vengeance.
Subaru: (Internal: This isn't a battlefield... it's a ghost hunt. These men have lost everything.)
As his anxiety mounted, Ricardo, the massive and friendly-looking demi-human leader of the Iron Fang Legion, passed by Subaru. He paused for a moment, his kind gaze contrasting with the urgency of the situation.
Ricardo: (His voice was deep but soothing) "Hey, you're Subaru, right? The young man who managed to rally all the camps. Your courage, or your madness, I don't know which, is impressive."
Ricardo: "Keep a cool head. Look at these men. They all carry a burden. But that's why they're here. Focus on the goal and trust the plan. We're going to take down that flying fish bastard."
Then, without waiting for an answer, Ricardo walked away. He moved among the veterans, using his rustic calm to tap their shoulders, speaking in low tones, defusing rage and fear, replacing them with cold commitment.
Crusch Karsten stood straight on the platform, her sword plainly sheathed, her gaze sweeping over every man and woman. Her voice, clear and firm, carried far without effort.
Crusch: "Soldiers of Lugnica! Mercenaries! Volunteers! Look around you. This is the last night of oppression."
(An absolute silence falls.)
Crusch: "Before us stands a plague that has cursed our kingdom for four hundred years. The White Whale. It is a monster that does not just kill. It erases. It takes lives, then it takes the memories of those lives. It leaves behind only unmarked graves, and in our hearts, an emptiness we cannot even identify."
Her gaze rests on Wilhelm van Astrea.
Crusch: "Many of us have personal reasons for being here tonight. Some seek vengeance. Others, glory. But tonight, we are united by a single purpose: to restore the memory of the dead."
(She draws her sword, a clean and sharp sound.)
Crusch: "Listen to me well. If you fall on this battlefield, under my command, your sacrifice will not be in vain. You will not be swallowed by the Fog of Oblivion. You will die a hero, your name forever etched in the annals of the kingdom, not erased, but honored. This is the Oath I make to you."
Crusch: "The Whale will try to break us. It will try to divide us. It will make us doubt the presence of our comrades. But we know its power. We have a plan. We have information no one has ever possessed. This is our advantage, and we will use it."
(She points her sword toward the dark sky where the beast is expected to appear.)
Crusch: "The fight will be long and bloody. But we will not retreat. Every sword stroke, every spell cast, every maneuver will be an affirmation of our humanity against monstrosity. We are the protectors of travelers and merchants. We are the defenders of truth and memory!"
Crusch: "Let fear turn into fury! Let justice guide your blades! We will cut down this root of evil that gnaws at Lugnica. When day breaks, the entire kingdom will remember the night the White Whale fell!"
Crusch: "Forward! For Lugnica and for the glory of the forgotten!"
(The roar of the crowd rises into the night, ready for the assault. The combat is about to begin.)
After Crusch's rousing speech, Subaru left the hall, his mind fixed on the plan
After Crusch's rousing speech, Subaru left the hall, his mind fixed on the plan. He had to ensure the troops were ready to execute the clues he had stolen from his friend. On his way out, he crossed paths with two key figures from Ricardo's Iron Fang Legion.
They were two young demi-humans: Mimi, an energetic cat-girl with red hair who held a staff firmly, and her brother, Hetaro, more reserved, who exuded an aura of forced calm.
Mimi: (She approached Subaru with overwhelming enthusiasm, her ears twitching) "Hey! You're Subaru, right? The goofy-looking guy who managed to get everyone moving! Mimi wants to thank you!"
Subaru: (He smiled, a little disoriented by her energy) "Ah, er, yes. I'm Natsuki Subaru. Don't mention it, Mimi. We're doing this for our friends."
Hetaro: (He bowed slightly, more polite) "We are Ricardo's lieutenants, Hetaro and Mimi. We wanted to make sure the man behind this plan is alright. We trust you with this information about the Whale."
Subaru: "The information is solid. The plan is simple , lure the Whale out, exhaust it, and force it down. I have a key role as the bait. Just make sure you and your men follow Ricardo's orders."
Mimi: "Bait! Mimi loves that! Don't worry, we're going to make a hell of a noise! Just for vengeance!"
Subaru: (Internal: At least their simplicity is comforting. No questions about Trizz, just the desire to fight.) "Good. Then prepare yourselves well. It's going to be a long, difficult fight."
Subaru greeted them and continued on his way. He needed to focus on logistics.
Subaru arrived at the courtyard where the carriages and mounts were prepared. He immediately saw his ground dragon mount, Patrasche, waiting patiently. The terrestrial dragon, an animal of rare loyalty and intelligence, approached him with a small cry of affection, rubbing its muzzle against Subaru's arm.
Subaru: (He stroked her, relieved by her reassuring presence) "Hello, girl. Ready to face the world's biggest fish? You're my only chance of survival today."
Next to him stood Rem, meticulously checking equipment and provisions.
Rem: (She spoke in a gentle voice, but with an unusual coolness) "Subaru-kun, you must be careful what you say. I am the most reliable one here. A ground dragon is merely a means of transportation."
Subaru: (He turned to her, amused by her reaction) "Oh, Rem! Are you jealous of him? He's the only living being who has never abandoned me in this world, you know!"
Rem: (She looked away, her cheeks slightly flushed) "I am not jealous. I am simply being realistic. An animal cannot provide the emotional support and injury care that only I can provide. It is a matter of competence."
Subaru: (He laughed softly) "I know, Rem. But today, I need you to stay safe and focus on evacuation if things go wrong. Patrasche and I will be the bait."
He looked at Rem, his smile fading, his expression turning serious.
Subaru: "I'll tell you again I cannot afford to lose you. You stay with the main army body. If you see me in danger, do not move. Trust this ground dragon to bring me back."
Rem: (She nodded, her determination regaining its usual intensity) "I understand. I will trust that dragon... for this one time. But Subaru-kun, remember that I will be waiting for you."
Subaru mounted the black earth dragon, his heart heavy with apprehension. Time was running out. The alliance was in place, and the army had already set off towards the predicted location of the White Whale's appearance.
He headed toward the final gathering point, a place of historical and strategic importance the Great Flugel Tree. It was here that, according to loop 2, the Whale was supposed to appear.
Subaru reached the immense trunk of the Flugel Tree, a natural monument whose age defied time. He signaled the dragon to stop. The troops positioned themselves around him-Crusch, Wilhelm, Ricardo, and Anastasia's mercenaries.
Subaru: (He pulled out his Metia to prepare it, holding it firmly in his hand. He waited for the exact time.) "We are here. This is the spot. Now, we wait."
The air was silent, the tension palpable. Subaru looked up at the Tree, then at the empty sky.
Tic. Tac. Tic. Tac.
He watched his phone screen, waiting for the moment. The fateful hour approached, the time when the Fog of Oblivion was supposed to appear.
Subaru: (Internal: I have to trust him. Trizz. Your plan cannot fail. Not this time.)
His Metia emitted a sharp ring, breaking the silence.
Subaru: "It's time."
At the very moment, a thick, milky mist began to form on the horizon, moving towards them at an unnatural speed. The White Whale's Fog had arrived.
The fog thickened, making the air frigid and visibility almost nil. Then, an immense shadow, larger than a building, drifted silently above the Flugel Tree. The White Whale. Its yellow eyes glowed through the mist, fixing on the small army below.
Before Crusch could even give the order, a figure leaped from the front line. It was Wilhelm. Driven by a rage contained for decades, the old swordsman jumped with an agility that belied his age. He leaped onto the Whale's massive back, his swords drawn, and began to slash at the beast's thick hide in a vengeful frenzy.
Wilhelm: (His cry echoed through the fog) "Theresia! I am here! To avenge you!"
As Wilhelm began his solo assault, many veteran knights remained petrified, their bodies trembling at the memory of the fog that had stolen their comrades and families. Fear rooted them to the spot.
Seeing the hesitation, Subaru made a desperate decision. He signaled Rem, who climbed onto the ground dragon behind him.
Subaru: "Rem! Hold on! Run!"
He launched his faithful ground dragon into the heart of the danger, weaving under the Whale's belly. He began to scream, his voice loaded with calculated provocation.
Subaru: "HEY! BIG FLYING FISH! OVER HERE! Do you remember me?! I'm the one who woke you up! Come and get me if you dare, you sack of fat!"
He pulled out his Metia (phone), waving it like a challenge, the screen's light shining faintly in the mist. The White Whale, attracted by the noise and the strange energy, slowly turned its massive head toward the annoying little spot zigzagging below.
Seeing Subaru, a mere untrained civilian, risking his life with such audacity broke the knights' paralysis. Their shame transformed into determination.
Veteran Knight 1: "That boy... he's not afraid!"
Veteran Knight 2: "For honor! For those we lost! CHARGE!"
The knights, old and new, rushed into the assault, their swords aimed at the Whale's flanks. Their war cries joined Wilhelm's.
At the same time, Ricardo and his Iron Fang Legion charged. The more pragmatic mercenaries used grappling hooks and chains to try to slow the Beast, while Ricardo himself, armed with his serrated blade, threw himself at one of the Whale's fins.
Ricardo: "HA! You won't be so cocky now, you big beast!"
On Crusch's orders, the mages took position. Concentrating their mana, they unleashed a barrage of flaming projectiles.
Mages: "Al Goa!"
Fireballs slammed into the Whale's carapace, illuminating the mist and making the creature howl in pain and rage. The total battle had begun. Subaru, still on Patrasche with Rem, continued his role as bait, dodging the jets of deadly fog that the Whale began to spew.
The battle raged. The flames of the Al Goa spells illuminated the fog while the knights and mercenaries harassed the White Whale. Wilhelm continued his relentless assault on the monster's back, leaving deep gashes. However, the creature remained incredibly resilient, sweeping attackers away with its massive fins and spitting jets of the Fog of Oblivion.
Subaru, on Patrasche, felt the Whale's concentration waver. It was starting to ignore his role as bait. To force it to stay focused on him and to draw it away from the troops on the ground, he made a risky decision-a decision Trizz would have called insane.
He leaned toward Rem, his voice a whisper charged with dark intent.
Subaru: "Rem... listen closely. If I die... I Return between the..."
The moment he uttered the forbidden words, an invisible, chilling pressure gripped him, cutting off his breath. A dark, nauseating aura, the Witch's miasma, intensified around him, becoming almost palpable in the cold air.
The White Whale reacted instantly. Its eyes turned towards Subaru with a new and intense hatred. It had marked him as its primary target.
As he drew the Whale's attention, Subaru noticed a gap in the front line. A group of knights fighting near one of the fins had disappeared. There were no bodies, no traces of struggle, just... an empty space.
Subaru: (Panicked, he turned to Rem) "Rem! The knights over there! Where did they go?! Did the Whale get them?"
Rem: (She followed his gaze, her face displaying sincere confusion) "What knights, Subaru-kun? There was no one in that area. You must be tired."
Subaru's blood ran cold. The Fog of Oblivion had struck. Those men had been erased from existence, and only his cursed ability allowed him to remember them. The true horror of the Whale had just manifested.
Despite the invisible losses, the combined assault was bearing fruit. Punctured by the wounds inflicted by Wilhelm, burned by magic, and harassed by the Iron Fangs, the White Whale let out a piercing shriek and began to lose altitude. It crashed heavily to the ground, shaking the earth.
It crashed heavily to the ground, shaking the earth
A cry of victory rose among the troops.
Knight 1: "We got it! It's down!"
Ricardo: "Finish it off!"
But Subaru, remembering the cryptic details Trizz had left him in the letter, recognized the signal. The fall was too... theatrical.
Subaru: (Screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice broken by panic) "NO! GET AWAY FROM IT! EVERYONE FALL BACK! NOW!"
The knights hesitated, confused by this counter-intuitive order. Crusch and Wilhelm, however, felt the urgency in his voice.
Crusch: "Obey! Immediate retreat!"
Barely had the troops begun to pull back when the grounded White Whale began to emit a blinding white glow. An immense cloud of fog, much denser than the previous one, exploded from its body, engulfing the area.
When the light and fog slightly dissipated, the horror appeared in the sky.
There was no longer one, but three identical White Whales floating above them, their red eyes staring at the decimated army with renewed hunger.
Chaos was total. The three White Whales, tripling the despair, tore through the allied ranks. The Fog of Oblivion struck relentlessly, and every time Subaru remembered an ally, another had already been erased from the world.
Subaru: (Shouting over the roar of the beasts, his voice tearing) "Crusch-sama! We have to separate them! The real one is the highest! I'll lure all three! Reinhard is the only option!"
Subaru, on the black ground dragon, launched into a desperate dash toward the Flugel Tree. The amplified miasma he emitted, coupled with his incessant provocations, was working. The two Whale clones began to follow him with destructive fervor.
As he approached the base of the gigantic tree, a scarlet light tore through the mist. Reinhard van Astrea appeared, his aura so powerful that it repelled the fog around him. He had clearly been alerted by the increasing intensity of the fight.
Reinhard: "Subaru! I'm intervening!"
Reinhard did not waste a second. With a single, superhumanly fast movement, he brandished a sword a knight had offered him. He did not attack the Whales, but the pillar of their position.
Reinhard: "For the alliance!"
With monstrous power, he sliced through the Flugel Tree.
The centuries-old, gigantic tree trunk fell with a sound of thunder. The three Whales, following Subaru too closely, were crushed under the massive fall of the Tree. The two replicas shrieked, then disintegrated into Mana dust, their illusory existence annihilated.
The shockwave from the fall sent Subaru and the ground dragon tumbling away, but the objective was achieved
The shockwave from the fall sent Subaru and the ground dragon tumbling away, but the objective was achieved.
The main White Whale, the sole survivor, let out a roar of fury and pain, finding itself trapped, its massive body partially immobilized by the fallen branches and trunk of the Flugel Tree.
Wilhelm, reappearing from the mist, covered in the Whale's blood, saw his chance.
Wilhelm: "This is for you, Theresia!"
He threw himself onto the Whale's back. Almost simultaneously, Reinhard leaped onto the other flank.
The Sword Demon delivered a tearing finishing blow, plunging his blade with the full weight of his grief into the beast's ethereal flesh. At the same moment, Reinhard struck from the other side.
The Whale's cry tore through the night. He fell back for one last time, marking the end of four centuries of terror. The ensuing silence was an absolute victory.
Subaru, utterly exhausted, collapsed into the mud. The taste of victory was bitter, mixed with the horror of the memories of the men erased by the Fog. He was alive, Rem was by his side, and the Whale was dead. Trizz's plan had worked.
The adrenaline receded, giving way to an abyssal fatigue and mental confusion. "Where was Trizz? Had he managed to survive his own plan against the Cult?"
As the knights began tending to the wounded and celebrating, an unusual detail caught Subaru's attention. Far down the road, crossing the recently quieted battlefields, a carriage was approaching at breakneck speed. It was neither a military carriage nor a merchant's.
(Time skip...)
The carriage arrived in front of the massive body of the White Whale. The door opened and-
Trizz collapsed in front of Subaru, but a few seconds later, he stood up with surprising vigor, as if the sight of the battlefield had injected him with a final dose of will. He was pale, his eyes bloodshot from fatigue, but physically unharmed (contrary to the impression given by his clothes). It was only the dirt and blood covering his attire that gave the impression of an injury.
Subaru: (He rushed towards him) "frizz! You're alive! But...?"
Trizz: (He shook his head, pushing Subaru's hand away) "It's nothing. Fatigue. What matters is the other mission."
It was then that the others saw what Subaru hadn't yet noticed in the urgency-Trizz's clothes. He was wearing a long, stained black robe, splattered with dried blood. It was the uniform of the Witch's Cult.
A murmur of horror and suspicion ran through the allied troops. Swords were raised.
Crusch: (Her voice was icy) "Trizz. Explain that attire immediately."
Wilhelm: (He drew his sword) "A traitor? After all this manipulation?"
Trizz: (He sighed heavily, his gaze empty of all emotion) "I'm tired. But that's a normal reaction, I suppose. I had to take this appearance to infiltrate their convoy and direct the Cult northeast, away from the Mansion."
Trizz: "I managed to destroy half of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth's followers. I wasn't alone. Two people agreed to help me, powerful allies who insisted on remaining anonymous. We cleaned up the area and secured the Mansion, in my own way."
No one believed him. His prolonged absence, his cynical attitude, and now these clothes of Heresy-Trizz was the very incarnation of chaos. Subaru himself doubted, though he had seen proof of Trizz's effectiveness.
Ignoring the distrust and the raised blades, Trizz walked towards the carriage. He opened the door and pulled out a heavy canvas bag. The smell of death and fresh blood immediately wafted out.
He placed the bag on the ground, then, with a sharp, theatrical gesture, he upended it before the crowd.
A deathly silence settled. All eyes were fixed on the bag's contents.
A head with green hair, the face contorted by madness, the jaw violently displaced and torn, the eyes glassy. The horror was absolute, but the identity was unmistakable for those who had crossed paths with him before.
Subaru: (He recoiled a step, his hands covering his mouth) "No... It's..."
Trizz: (He coldly pointed to the decapitated head) "This is Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth."
Trizz: "We took him down. I killed him with my own hands, with the help of my two anonymous allies. We eliminated Petelgeuse, his Six Fingers, and a total of one hundred and thirty-two cultists."