She waited for Subaru's response with a pained smile.
Catching his breath, moving his tongue inside his dry mouth, Subaru quietly closed his eyes.
Having been scolded for clinging to the chance to save someone right in front of him without thinking of what would come later, having been told something he should not have needed to be told, then at the very least—
Then at the very least, for that one moment, he should do what she wanted
—
"Crusch, please take your time and rest."
"…Sir Subaru…"
"You can leave everything else to me."
"—Thank you."
He could at least fulfill the role asked of him, say the words that she wanted to hear from him.
" "
Hearing that, she exhaled a deep breath, as if relieved. Then she weakly closed her eyes—proof that she had only been carrying on as she had through sheer force of will. Her breathing became shallower, and she was soon too busy battling the encroaching curse again to pay attention to anything else.
In order to free her from that even a minute sooner— "Sorry, Ferris, but I have to go."
"…What should I do?"
Adjusting Crusch's blanket, Subaru stood up and spoke softly. Ferris looked exhausted as he turned to Subaru for some sort of consolation.
Honestly, he wanted to just tell him to stay by Crusch's side. But Ferris's abilities would not allow that, given the situation.
"We need your strength. There are sure to be more people hurt going forward. There are going to be a lot of people we won't be able to save without you. So please."
"…But I couldn't even save the one person I most wanted to save…" "Ferris…"
"Sorry, that was stupid of me… Let me stay here with her a little longer."
Turning away, Ferris sat down in the chair next to the bed. Subaru tapped his shoulder lightly, glanced at Crusch's resting face, and then left the room.
When he entered the hallway, he was greeted by Wilhelm, whose head was lowered just like when he had left. Perhaps realizing what had happened inside, he thanked Subaru.
"You have my gratitude for answering Lady Crusch's wish."
"It's not anywhere near as noble as you make it sound. If anything, she lit a fire in my belly… What the hell is going on with my body, though?"
Absorbing Crusch's curse, and also seemingly weakening the effects of the dragon's blood, and then the resistance to the Witch Factor, and his ability to Return by Death… It was all incredibly shady.
Would he ever get a proper answer to all these questions?
"Either way, I'm going to have to try this again with her after everything else is all cleared up."
"Is your right arm truly well?"
"Yeah, though I know it looks terrible. Guess I'll have to stick to long sleeves and maybe some gloves, too. But if a couple of permanent scars are all it takes to save a pretty girl, then you won't find me complaining."
It was his body, and he did feel a certain amount of reluctance. But his flippant statement was also fairly close to how Subaru truly felt about it. If there was no other solution, then he would be fine with bearing her curse for her. Even if it ended up covering his whole body in that nasty mottled black, he could just apologize to Emilia and Rem and Beatrice and ask for their forgiveness.
"That's something to worry about once we get through all this. Let's head downstairs. They should be getting to how to attack the towers around now."
"—Reinhard is down there now."
As Subaru started to hurry to the conference room, he was stopped in his tracks by Wilhelm's murmur.
For a split second, he flashed back to the scene at the Water Raiment Inn. The reconciliation between grandfather and grandson, and the way it had been ruined and their chance at reconciliation stopped in its tracks—
"Please do not misunderstand, Sir Subaru."
However, Wilhelm shook his head, allaying Subaru's fears.
"I do not feel any resistance to fighting together with Reinhard. But I have one request for you."
"A request?"
"—Could I ask you not to reveal the identity of the corpse soldiers to Reinhard?"
" "
Subaru was at a loss, unsure what the meaning of Wilhelm's soft-spoken request was.
He had only just heard about them from Wilhelm: a technique that desecrated the dead and had been used in the city this time to—
"Do you mean don't tell him about your wife…about his grandmother?"
"Yes. I don't want him…I don't want my grandson to have to deal with my wife being turned into a corpse soldier. He would surely blame himself.
And it is no one's fault but my own."
"Your fault? It's—"
He wanted to say it was not Wilhelm's fault at all. But he could not say something like that so thoughtlessly. Recalling the scene from that morning, he also remembered what Heinkel had said. Something that should have had no credibility at all—but even so, Wilhelm had not denied it.
He'd said that Wilhelm had blamed Reinhard for his wife's death. It was hard to believe, but neither of them had denied the charge.
"Sir Subaru, are you aware that the blessing of the Sword Saint is a unique one?"
"…Not particularly. Mostly just that it's a blessing that all the people called Sword Saint in history had and that having it made them super powerful."
"At a high level, that is not mistaken, but there is one point where the blessing of the Sword Saint is notably different from all other blessings. That point is that it is an inherited blessing."
"An inherited blessing?"
Wilhelm nodded as Subaru exhaled. The old swordsman's eyes were closed, his expression twisted as if he was remembering a painful past.
"It was inherited through the generations, passed down from the original Sword Saint, Reid Astrea. The blessing resides in the Astrea family's bloodline, and the next Sword Saint always arises from a descendent of their house. My wife inherited it from the last Sword Saint, and Reinhard inherited it from her."
"A blessing inherited among family… I see, so that's how it was. So when you lost your wife, it was inherited by Reinhard."
Something caught in Subaru's head as he tried to understand the situation.
The previous Sword Saint had fallen to the White Whale, and as a result, Reinhard had inherited the blessing. It was a painful past, but in a sense, it was just the natural order of succession as well. But the argument that the Astrea family had had earlier that morning did not fit with the official story.
Wilhelm's grief, Heinkel's scorn, and Reinhard's silence—all of them seemed to be arguing against the legitimacy of the blessing's inheritance in some shape or form.
And the reason for that was—
"It occurred in the midst of the battle with the White Whale."
" "
"—Reinhard inherited the blessing while my wife was in the middle of the hunt. She lost her blessing during the fighting and became nothing more than a single regular woman, which left her unable to support the rear guard alone."
—That was the origin of the rift in the Astrea family.
The blessing had been transferred to the next generation while she was right in the middle of fighting during the White Whale hunt. This would have left the former Sword Saint on the battlefield without her blessing. And entrusted with the rear guard of the enormous force, she'd fought to protect the lives of the many soldiers who depended on her and breathed her last in the course of duty.
"It was none other than I who stole the sword away from my wife. It was I who made the woman beloved by the Sword God abandon her sword. And that was what invited her doom."
"Wilhelm…"
"The Sword God did not forgive my wife for her betrayal. Imagining what she must have thought, having her blessing go away on the battlefield, leaving her nothing but the sword I had made her abandon to rely on…I could not accept it. It is true that I berated Reinhard for inheriting the blessing. Fool that I was, I could not forgive my young grandson, who was grieving his grandmother's death and struggling with the far-too-heavy fate he had been burdened with. I assure you—I regret it deeply."
The regret he had shared with Subaru the night before—this was the mistake he had made.
Reinhard was not at fault at all, but despite understanding that, in his grief, Wilhelm had refused to acknowledge the fact. As a result, a fatal fracture had split the Astrea family, dividing them.
"I do not want to go through that pain again. Because Reinhard was not to blame at all for her death. There is no reason for my grandson to shoulder that burden at all."
Because of that, he wanted to resolve it with his own sword, without revealing the truth to Reinhard.
Subaru could understand those feelings, that regret, and that resolve so badly it hurt. In which case—
"Crusch and Ferris, and your wife and Reinhard… If you try to carry everything by yourself, you'll be crushed under the weight of it all. And even if I keep quiet about the corpse soldiers, they'll still show up somewhere."
"That is an unnecessary concern."
"Eh…?"
Subaru was trying to warn him that it was an unrealistic gamble with poor odds, but Wilhelm merely smiled. The Sword Devil's expression warped into a fiercely valiant grin.
"—There is no way that my wife—that Theresia won't come to meet me."
6
" "
The mood tensed when Subaru returned to the conference room.
The reason was Wilhelm. He and Reinhard traded glances, and after a silent exchange of sorts, they adopted positions standing on opposite sides of the room. Subaru could not help the complex feeling he had knowing what Wilhelm had on his mind, but there was nothing he could say, so he reclaimed the empty seat at the table between Garfiel and Otto.
"Sorry for the delay. Where are we at?"
"The explanation is more or less done. How were things up there…?
What of Lady Crusch's condition?"
"…Not great. Not hopeless, either, though. There might just be something we can do for her, but it'll have to wait until we've dealt with the cultists first."
"I see. That, at least, is a bit of good news."
Otto straightened himself up, and the others sitting around the table looked a little bit relieved.
Unfortunately for them, Subaru was not going to explain exactly how he could help her. He knew that if he did, someone was sure to try to stop him, so he would just ask for forgiveness instead of permission if things came down to it. Though the best thing would obviously be if they could beat Lust and find a way to get rid of the mottled blackness entirely.
"Either way, it is unlikely Crusch will be rejoining the fight. And Ferris wants to stay with her, so that means the relief squad and the people from the Iron Fangs will probably need to stay here. How's that sound to you guys?"
"City hall's right in the middle of the city, so it makes sense to set up our command post here. It's not going to change the basic plan for a simultaneous attack on all four of the control towers, either. But…" "But?"
"There's someone who's got her own thoughts about that plan." Anastasia glanced over the table at the person sitting across from her.
It didn't take much imagination to guess whom she meant without even needing to look. Even in their current predicament, the crimson candidate casually fanned herself, showing no spirit of cooperation at all.
"Priscilla? What crazy idea do you have now?"
"It sounds as if you presume to know me, commoner. Then tell me, could you predict this? I shall go to the control tower in the fourth district to behead that Wrath or whatever resides there."
"Wh…?"
Priscilla looked smug as her majestic declaration caught Subaru entirely off guard. He was well and truly taken aback by her plan. Anastasia nodded when she saw the shock on his face.
"See? She's been like that the whole time. I've been trying to figure out what to do about it."
"We have to stop her, obviously…is what I'd like to say, but…"
Ordinarily, her suggestion would be unbelievably rash, but when he thought it through coolheadedly, there was a certain merit to her plan, too.
Crusch had joined the attack on city hall earlier, so he could not reject Priscilla's suggestion just because she was a royal-selection candidate. And there was no way to argue that she was lacking in strength. At the very least, she was powerful enough to easily slay the ferocious demi-beasts roaming the city. She did not pale in comparison to Crusch in her swordsmanship, either. As an amateur who had observed dozens of experts, that was how Subaru rated her strength.
"This is asinine. I possess both strength and beauty. So what reason is there to hesitate? Do not think me a fool who renders herself useless in the opening scenes or some weakling who never had the strength to stand and fight in the first place."
"I do not believe I can allow that to pass without comment. I am certain you could not possibly be referring to my master as a fool, could you?"
"It sounds as if you have someone in mind, old man. Being forced to leave the stage during a warmup before the main performance even starts could hardly be called the action of a person fated to play a leading role. I suppose it was just a misjudgment on my part to have expected more."
Priscilla and Wilhelm were clashing dangerously from word one.
Ordinarily, it was a situation to just let something like that go, but for various reasons, Wilhelm was not quite composed enough to let it slide. And Priscilla was so totally unchanged from her normal self that it was hard to imagine her ever not behaving like that.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm the weakling and the fool, so let's just move on. Quit arguin' among ourselves."
"I'm not so kind as to unconditionally lend an ear to the prattling of a weakling, she-fox."
"Being weak isn't the same as being incapable of winning. And how are you going to get the people around you to act how you want without a little show of magnanimity? We're all pissed off here, so just have a little patience."
"Hmph."
Subaru was amazed at Anastasia's mediation skills as he watched her talk the both of them down and silence their squabbling. They both still looked annoyed, but Priscilla retracted her prickly attitude, and Wilhelm sheathed his sharp aura.
Of course, the mood could hardly be called harmonious. Given the situation, they had to prioritize moving the conversation forward regardless of how some people felt about one another.
"Then, would that mean Sir Al will be accompanying you to slay the
Archbishop of Wrath?"
"Spare me your nonsense. Bringing that jester would only darken my glorious procession. And obviously, I will be leaving Schult here as well.
He is only with me to be a pet."
"…In that case, were you perhaps actually intending to go there by yourself?" Julius pressed in a sharp tone, as if to say there was no way that that could be acceptable.
"Yeah, Princess," Al responded, agreeing with Julius. "Even you can't just declare you'll be fine alone. At the very least, take the Sword Saint with you…"
"Don't go giving away our strongest trump card with a cheap 'at the very least'! And you, do you actually have some plan that makes you think you can win?"
"Of course. And in the first place, don't jump to conclusions. I never said I would be going alone. The diva there and I shall hunt the Archbishop of Wrath together." Priscilla snapped her fan closed and pointed it at the corner of the room.
"The diva…"
Liliana was sitting cross-legged on the ground there, dozing off with her lyulyre in her arms. She snapped back to reality at suddenly being called onstage. Her jaw dropped as she responded.
"Y-you chose me?! And for what reason would you suddenly do that?!"
"Commoner, there was no lie in the previous conversation, correct? That irksome chaotic presence proliferating throughout the city was something evoked by the Archbishop of Wrath's impudent Authority?"
"Y-yeah, there's no mistaking it…"
Remembering how the residents in the shelter had been set free by Liliana's singing, Subaru inhaled sharply.
He had considered using Liliana's music to counter Wrath's Authority as well, but the problems were the danger of bringing her to a battlefield and her reluctance to use her singing as essentially a weapon—a tool to counter that Authority—
"Can you explain, Subaru? What is the connection between Miss Liliana and the Archbishop of Wrath?" asked Anastasia.
"…You heard about how Wrath's Authority works, right? It creates a resonance between the hearts and minds of the city's residents, which has been causing unrest and panic to spread unchecked. We used the broadcast to amplify and spread courage, but Liliana's singing can do the same thing. Honestly, it can probably do an even better job."
After all, they only had to hear Liliana's singing. There was no need for the tightrope walk that Subaru had carefully navigated after carefully choosing his words and mustering what little courage he had to offer. Her music was the real deal—just her singing could captivate people's hearts, and experiencing that pure passion firsthand was enough to free people's hearts from Sirius's Authority.
"How much did your singing move the masses' hearts when we were going around between the shelters before? You need only do the same again.
Merely steal away the hearts of the vulgar masses."
"Wh-what a violent logic! B-but I only encouraged people with my singing. I don't have any confidence at all that I can meet such a weighty expectation…"
"I see. So then you do not have faith that the music you have inherited from your forebears in eras long past will succeed."
The way Priscilla sniffed expressed such disdain that it caused Liliana's eyes to change instantly. She had been trying to beg out of the fight with a servile, polite smile, but her expression suddenly turned serious.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It should not require deep thought to understand. Those are the songs you have so devoutly continued singing, and yet in the moment when people's hearts are crying out for salvation, you shrink back and fall silent? I have no need for such a craven, whipped dog. At least a wild mutt still howls freely.
Hark, a eulogy for a whipped dog."
"A-ah, ah! You said it! There are some things you just shouldn't say! Fine, then! I'll do it! I'll let you hear it! If I remained silent now, I would lose everything! If I hesitated now, Mr. Kiritaka would spin in his grave!"
Priscilla's tremendous instigation brought on a terrific explosion from Liliana. Her face was bright red as she fired back, plucking the lyulyre's strings at high speed.
"I was of a mood to sing a requiem for the fallen Kiritaka, but nay! A scramble to steal away hearts? I say let them come! The songs that I have inherited would never lose to some mysterious ability no one has ever heard of! Because the power of music is even more mysterious!"
In a fit of excitement, Liliana leaped atop the round table and played her lyulyre while lying down. Flustered by her performance, Otto and Schult quickly pulled her back down to the floor. Subaru ignored Liliana, who was starting to compose a rock ballad in the corner of the room, as he looked Priscilla in the eye.
"I know full well that both her singing voice and her stupidity are on the level of national treasures. And I also agree she could be a perfect counter for Wrath's ability. But there's no proof it will work as planned, either."
"I would never embark on a fight where I had any chance of losing. The very logic of this world proceeds only in the manner that is most convenient to me. And there is no one who values her singing more highly than I. I shan't allow her to suffer a single scratch above her shoulders."
"…Singing starts with the diaphragm, so I'm pretty sure it won't mean much if there's anything missing from her waist up."
Priscilla was showing no sign of yielding, but Subaru wanted one final nudge. If there was at least some proof they could point to that Liliana's singing would work against Sirius, then…
"Hey, Reinhard, by any chance, do you have some kind of ability to see the power that people have—right, blessings? Do you have some kind of ability to see blessings or something?"
"There is a divine protection called the blessing of judgment that allows one to know people's blessings. I see. If she truly does bear a songstress blessing, then that could serve as evidence to accept Lady Priscilla's contention."
Reinhard rested his hand on his chin in thought. Subaru had turned to him because he figured he might as well try, but it was only natural that Reinhard did not just magically have the solution to something like that.
"Don't worry about it." Subaru waved him off. "That was too much to hope for. Anyway, if we could just get a little bit of data about how much effect Liliana's singing has…"
"There is no need for that—I was just blessed with one."
"Huh? Blessed with what, a child? You've got to be kidding me, right?" That was the first thing that came to mind at that turn of phrase.
Smiling awkwardly at Subaru's reaction, Reinhard looked closely at Liliana. Liliana seemed to writhe under his gaze, but he ignored her reaction. "That is surprising. She is indeed a bearer of the blessing of telepathy."
"I'm more surprised by you than her blessing, honestly. Huh? Wait, what did you just say? You were granted something?"
"This isn't the time for joking around. Put simply, the telepathy blessing is one that allows the bearer to convey their feelings to others. Ordinarily, it just acts on a level that allows one to share one's thoughts with another who is particularly intimate, but…singing? I had never considered that possibility before."
Reinhard was purely admiring the power of Liliana's songs, but Subaru still had not scooped up his jaw from where it had dropped when Reinhard started explaining the blessing. He had called Reinhard's strength a cheat and beyond superhuman before, but this was just too much. He was way too beloved by God, the world, or fate. Whatever was responsible, simply granting the blessing the moment Reinhard desired it…
" "
When he thought it through that far, Subaru noticed something tripping him up.
There was not really any way for him to describe what had just happened other than by saying Reinhard had received the blessing he desired on the spot. In and of itself, that was an incredibly envious position. But it also felt like something was tremendously wrong about it in a way that he couldn't quite place.
Either way, though—
"Nay! Please entrust this task to me! I shall surely follow through. Have no fear. I shall do nothing but sing. Nothing but…sing. Just singing…right?
There's nothing else, right? Right? Right, Lady Priscilla?!"
"Where'd that concern come from all of a sudden…? Anyway, for now I suppose we can leave the Archbishop of Wrath to Priscilla and Liliana? And we've got Reinhard's seal of approval that she should be able to counter
Wrath's Authority."
"I guess I can accept that. Everyone else okay with it?"
Ignoring Liliana, whose face was blinking back and forth between stop and go, Subaru checked around the table, with Anastasia responding for the group. There was still some reservation on everyone else's face, but they all seemed ready to accept it on a theoretical level.
The only one who looked entirely at ease was Priscilla herself.
"How absurd. I'm the one whose life is being staked on this diva's voice. Do you really believe I would risk my fate on something I did not trust
completely? Her singing is worthy of that much."
When she put it that way, Subaru really didn't have anything else he could say. It was true, after all. Priscilla was the one who had seen the potential in Liliana, and she was the one who would be fighting Sirius while entrusting her fate to that potential. There was no mistaking that she was heroic in her own right and excelled in ingenuity and prudence despite how she spoke and behaved.
"Still, though, I want to do whatever I can to reduce the risks…"
"Why? It would never happen, even hypothetically, but were I to die it would only benefit your master. Her greatest obstacle would disappear
without any effort on her part. Shouldn't you welcome that?"
"Don't you dare assume that."
" "
Subaru immediately shot down Priscilla's intimation with a cold look. Trying to win by increasing the odds of another candidate's dying in order to boost Emilia's chances would be the lowest of the low. He didn't want anyone to die. And he would certainly not welcome that result if it truly did come to pass.
"You got what you wanted, right, Princess? Let's just let it be now… Princess?"
"…It's nothing, I was just caught unawares by a thought I had not considered."
" "
"What, are you sulking? How cute for such a hulking man."
"…It's not that at all."
Looking away, Al propped his head up on his arm as if it was no concern of his. Priscilla harrumphed and leaned back in her seat, done speaking.
Finally the discussion could move on to the next topic.
"After several twists and turns…as for the other groupings…I have a suggestion. The first district, where Lust is waiting, the one we all have a bone to pick with—that is probably where the enemy's greatest concentration of forces will be. The Archbishop as well as two cultists. And possibly a slew of demi-beasts, too."
"You suspect that they are all Lust's personal forces?"
"Given how the demi-beasts look, it seems a safe bet they are connected to Lust. As for the two cultists…"
"—They are most likely sword masters being manipulated by a technique to control the dead: corpse soldiers," Wilhelm interjected.
Subaru was a little bit surprised that he'd volunteered that information himself.
"Corpse soldiers," Julius murmured to himself. "I've seen note of them in past records. The result of a deplorable, forbidden technique from the era of
the Demi-human War. The witch Sphinx's taboo magic."
"She has claimed to be a member of the royal family who is long dead and claimed to have the dragon's blood that is locked away in the castle. Even if the claim about dragon blood is in fact merely a bluff, she does appear to have an extreme obsession with the kingdom and its history. It is possible she is capable of employing forbidden techniques that have been sealed away in the kingdom's dark past."
"It feels as though that logic is a tad of a reach… Can you truly be sure?"
As expected of Julius, he was latching on precisely where Subaru would rather he not dig too deeply.
He could always just say that one of the corpse soldiers was Theresia, and that would be proof enough, but that was exactly the point that Wilhelm had asked him not to bring up around Reinhard. This meant Subaru was stuck trying to figure out a way to get out of it without saying that too explicitly.
"—If they were corpse soldiers, then the one I was duking it out with had to be Eight-Arms Kurgan."
And it was Garfiel sitting right next to him who came to the rescue. Garfiel had his arms crossed and was scowling with his teeth bared.
"A swordsman that strong with eight arms…there ain't anyone else it could be. Not that I can think of, at least. You got anyone else, Finest Knight?"
"You fought with them personally, so if you say so, then I would defer to your experience. Among the many-armed tribes, it is exceedingly rare for one to be born with eight arms. If that someone was also extraordinary strong, then…"
"There ain't anyone else it can be. And that other woman's gotta be on the same level as him."
"Corpse soldiers, you say? And going so far as to use a woman as well. Lust is a rather detestable opponent."
Miraculously, Garfiel and Julius had managed to advance the conversation just enough without dwelling on Theresia's true identity. Reinhard's brow furrowed a bit at the point about one of the corpse soldiers being a woman, though—
"There's no mistaking they are using corpse soldiers. Fortunately, they don't seem to be able to turn the whole graveyard on us. There's either some kind of limit on numbers, or maybe Lust just prefers quality over quantity."
"And the taboo technique of corpse soldiers that disgraces the dead is a fitting technique given the Archbishop of Lust's self-avowed interests. I see. It is painful to wrap my head around the possibility, but there is a logic to it. I can accept it."
"The convincing piece of evidence being how terrible her personality is is a pretty grim indictment, though," Subaru said, grimacing bitterly.
There were similar expressions around the table as they all nodded in agreement.
Capella was the one who had conducted the citywide broadcasts, so she was the one cultist everyone could immediately recognize as being utterly twisted and rotten to the core. And as luck would have it, that shared recognition was enough to convince the room.
"Anyway, back to what I was going to say before… I wanted to leave dealing with Lust to Wilhelm, and if possible Garfiel as well."
"Wh—? General?!"
Once he decided the room was ready, Subaru put forth his original proposal: sending Wilhelm and Garfiel to deal with Lust.
Their reactions were polar opposites. Wilhelm nodded quietly, having already expected this, while Garfiel, who was completely caught by surprise, opened his eyes wide in shock. From his perspective, that was a natural reaction—
"You're going to go save Lady Emilia, aren't you, General? In that case, I should…"
"I'm grateful you'd say that, and trust me, it'd be incredibly reassuring to have you with me. But I think this is our best answer from a forcedistribution perspective… Besides, you have your own scores to settle, right?"
" "
Garfiel fell silent. That line hit right where it hurt.
Wilhelm was not the only one with a connection to Lust and her troops. The man who had been changed into a black dragon by Lust's Authority was someone Garfiel knew. And also, Lust's subordinate, the corpse soldier
Theresia, had—
"Mimi got it bad, and her two brothers shared it, too. All three of them have been unconscious since fighting to get away from the Muse Company—
You get it, right?"
The blessing of the grim reaper was extraordinarily powerful. Just a single wound would continue eating away at someone until their life force gave out. There was no escape from that death without defeating the person who possessed the blessing. Garfiel had his reasons to be fighting on that battlefield just like Wilhelm did.
"As you are all aware, my master, Lady Crusch, is currently suffering due to the effect of Lust's contemptible ability. As Lady Crusch's vassal, I have a duty to fight for my master."
"If possible, I was hoping to learn more about this supposed link to dragon blood from Lust. Was that also part of why you're rarin' to go there, Mr. Wilhelm?" asked Anastasia.
"It is as you suggest. Because of that, I would like you all to leave the slaying of Lust to me…"
Wilhelm's swirling bloodlust filled the room. Everyone hesitated to argue with his unshakable resolve and his loyalty to his master.
All except for his one blood relation.
"—I am against this proposal."
"…Reinhard…"
"You are not calm and collected, Grandfather. I can understand your hostility toward the Archbishop who so grievously harmed Lady Crusch, of course. However, that anger will only cloud your sword strikes."
"…You would argue that I cannot adequately serve Lady Crusch while insufficiently calm?"
"Out of concern for Lady Crusch, we cannot afford to fail to defeat Lust. In that case, it should be I who takes that role. At the very least, I will not fall behind the enemy in terms of composure."
Reinhard's logic was sound and based in a desire to resolve things in the surest way possible. And it was true enough that Wilhelm was not entirely coolheaded about the fight that lay before him.
But when Reinhard said it, Wilhelm's—no, the Sword Devil's lips curled into a sneer. It was by no means a kindly old man's smile—it was the grin of a ferocious beast.
"My not being calm and collected is only natural, Reinhard."
"Yes, but…"
"Who do you think I am? What do you think your grandfather is? I am the man hailed as the Sword Devil. A hopeless man stuck in the middle of transforming himself into a mere blade, and unable to follow through with conviction, ended up falling in love with a woman. But it is precisely because of that half-heartedness that I never once held back in the slightest in the face of what needed to be done."
His fierce grin had banished his gentle expression. And now that he had broken free of that facade, what appeared was the face of a devil starved for blood and the clash of steel. The devil who was bewitched by the blade, his blue eyes only ever seeking a single other light—
"When I've decided to bare my sword, my heart burns with an unbearable heat. Not coolheaded? That is how I always am on the battlefield. And yet I've still lived to this ripe old age. I have no interest in rotting away without fulfilling my duty to my master. Your concern is neither needed nor desired." "That argument is mere idealism…"
"Conviction is nothing but idealism backed by a resolve to see things through to the very end. Having persisted fourteen years, my rusted blade was still sharp enough to claim vengeance for my wife—it is too soon for me to sheathe it for the last time."
It was Wilhelm's conviction that had avenged Reinhard's grandmother in the Battle of the White Whale. And there was nothing Reinhard could say in response to that. However, he averted his eyes, still unable to fully accept it.
"The battlefield that needs you is elsewhere, Reinhard," Wilhelm continued.
"And where exactly might that be?"
"—Please take Reinhard with you in the battle you are about to embark on, Sir Subaru." The Sword Devil looked Subaru in the eye. "You will have to face Greed in order to recover Lady Emilia. Please have Reinhard be your blade for that battle."
"Wilhelm…"
Subaru scratched his cheek and sighed softly at Wilhelm's proposal. He then turned to face Reinhard and met his blue-eyed gaze.
"I was going to get to that next, but…yeah, I want you to help me fight
Greed. There's no way we can beat that crazy narcissist without you."
It was possible to generally guess the Authorities of the Archbishops from the phenomena that happened around them, and based on that, the Authority that Regulus had was on a whole other level in terms of lethality. There was no way to explain what happened as being the result of anything other than something absurd like invincibility. He didn't want to believe it was true invincibility, with no weakness or opening of any kind, but—
"We need someone strong enough to fight Regulus head-to-head in order to figure out how to defeat his apparent invulnerability. In terms of offense and defense, if we compare them head-on, he's almost certainly the most powerful of the Archbishops by far. So I want you to lend me your strength."
" "
"If you frame it as me planning to slam invincibility and the most powerful force into each other to see what happens, that makes it sound like some weird test of strength."
Pair the illogical with the illogical and the absurd with the absurd.
Even if he wanted to fight fire with fire, that was not usually an option, so the one time he actually got the chance to do it, Subaru was not going to be picky about it. He was sure that that was the best choice.
"An opponent who is unaffected by attacks of any kind, you say?
Certainly, if there were a monster like that, then I would be the best choice.
But…"
"—I'm asking you, too. Could you please help the general and Lady
Emilia?"
Reinhard was still unsure, even after hearing about Regulus's invulnerability, but to his surprise, Garfiel stood up and lowered his head. He kept his forehead pressed to the table as he bowed low in order to plead with Reinhard.
"I'm a failure as a guard. Since coming to this city, I haven't been able to carry out any of the roles I was given, the things I had to do no matter what. Because of that, on the biggest stage of this huge fight, I'm here desperately trying to repay the debts I owe other people instead of being able to fight for my own camp…so please!"
Garfiel's fangs were trembling as he accepted his own weakness and the results of his own failures.
"Garfiel…"
The red-haired Sword Saint fell silent for a moment—
"—Then give me your word. Just as you have your expectations of me, I will hold you to the same standards. Give me your word that you will surely follow through on your end as well."
"Ah…yeah. Yeah, leave it to me! Between me and the Sword Devil, there ain't no enemy that can stand in our way!" Garfiel straightened up, his fangs grinding.
"Okay. Then I will trust in your and my grandfather's victory—and I shall become Subaru's blade." Reinhard nodded.
" "
And like that, the Sword Devil and the Sword Saint—grandfather and grandson, two fellow swordsmen—exchanged gazes and shared a firm nod. With Reinhard finally agreeing to join his fight, Subaru was sure he wouldn't feel more confident even if he had an army a million strong at his back.
"Sorry for the selfish request, Reinhard."
"It's fine. I don't mind. No matter the battlefield, I will always do my best. So if I can help you and Lady Emilia in the process, then all the better."
"I really am sorry for always relying on you. I know I've already relied
on you far too much because of how strong you are, but…I'll do my best to make up for anything you might be lacking, so you can count on me."
" "
For a second, Reinhard fell silent, and his eyes widened. Subaru cocked his head at the odd reaction, but Reinhard just shook his head and chuckled softly.
"No, it's nothing to you, I imagine— Yes, I'll be counting on you to take care of whatever I cannot."
"—? Yeah, feel free to get your hopes up, 'cause I know I've got high hopes for you."
With that, they had confirmed the groups that would be attacking the first three control towers. That left just one—
"—By process of elimination, Ricardo and I will be tasked with Gluttony." Julius spoke stiffly, drawing everyone's attention.
As he said, of everyone who had gathered in city hall who could fight, the only ones left who could face Gluttony were he and Ricardo. But— "…Are you all right, Julius? You've seemed a bit off for a while now."
"My apologies for worrying you. However, I am well. If we are talking about physical condition, then I cannot really complain with Subaru here."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Naturally, a consideration for the state of your right leg. Please don't snap at me like that. I had no intention of getting into it with you in this moment."
"Mrgh…"
Subaru felt a little sad getting parried so flatly.
Anastasia was not the only one who felt Julius was acting rather strangely. Subaru did as well. But he couldn't tell what the source of the strange behavior was. And Julius declined to answer the deeper question as he nodded gracefully, a resolute gleam in his eyes.
"Ricardo and I shall take the remaining Archbishop, Gluttony, an opponent we encountered at city hall and have a connection with— In other times, he is an opponent you or Sir Wilhelm would have preferred to have drawn, but having been entrusted with him anyway, rest assured that we will prevail."
"…Yeah, I guess so."
Julius said aloud exactly what Subaru had been thinking.
—Defeating the Archbishop of Gluttony was precisely what Subaru had wanted to accomplish himself. And Wilhelm, with Crusch suffering on the floor above, was in the same position as Subaru.
Gluttony's Authority, the ability to consume memories and names—when Subaru thought of how Rem had suffered due to that power and was even now in a wakeless slumber, he wanted nothing more than to crush Gluttony with his own two hands. Punch, kick, stomp, and make that cultist regret everything until there was nothing but tearful pleas for forgiveness—that was what he wanted to do.
And he was yielding that chance to someone else—
"I really don't want to leave it to anyone else. You know I wanted to bring Rem back myself. I believed that was my role."
" "
"But still, if I don't get a choice about it, if I have to leave it to someone else, then I want to leave it to you. Don't get the wrong idea, this was process of elimination… Still, you are the person I trust with this. As much as I don't like it, you are one of the few people I could bear to have take my place."
Rem's memories and her very existence were still being held hostage.
Emilia was being held hostage and was waiting to be rescued.
They were both precious to Subaru, both people who had to be saved no matter what. He wanted to be able to show off for both of them.
—Because Subaru was Emilia's knight and Rem's hero.
"I'll defeat Greed and bring Emilia back, so I'll let you beat the crap out of Gluttony this time… Don't screw it up."
"—I shall live up to your expectations. This time, this time for sure."
Julius nodded deeply, accepting Subaru's faith in him. The Finest Knight then looked to Wilhelm and nodded slightly.
"Sir Wilhelm."
"Sir Subaru managed to say most everything that I wanted to say. It is true that I cannot forgive Gluttony for what happened…therefore I shall entrust that to you as well, Sir Julius. There are just slightly too many rogues in this city at the moment."
"Agreed. I shall accept your thoughts."
Bathed in Wilhelm's keen battle aura, Julius quietly closed his eyes, taking encouragement from it.
And watching their exchanges quietly, Ricardo opened his toothy mouth wide.
"Man, y'all sure like to talk like I'm not here! Not that it really bothers me, though! And I can't say you're wrong about this bein' the best deployment, either."
"You're the kinda guy who's down for just about anything. And there's nothin' cute about a guy as big as you gettin' all pouty… Take care of Julius, though."
"Don't you worry. You ever known me to tell a lie, Lady Anna?"
"…Could you quit with the names already? I am your master."
Ricardo guffawed as Anastasia's cheeks puffed out in a cute pout. Ricardo's black eyes were filled with a pained kindness as he looked down at Anastasia.
"In that case, all the matchups are settled."
Looking around the table, everyone nodded at Subaru's concluding statement.
"The fourth tower, Wrath, will go to the Priscilla-and-Liliana pair. And
Al will stay behind for defense… That's all right with you, yes?"
"A fool who would dare try to control people's hearts while I remain on this earth? Absurd. I will grant that empty-headed dunce a fitting punishment."
"I shall sing, sing, and sing, for I am but a mass of flesh whose purpose is naught but to sing. I shan't regret my life, but I shall regret my stage. All right, I can do this. I can feel it now! I've got this!"
" "
Priscilla was fanning herself as Liliana focused her all on a mysterious sort of auto-suggestion. Al's expression was hidden, but it was clear as day that he had not really come to terms with the situation yet. And it was just as clear that Priscilla had no intention of paying his discomfort any heed. There were still a lot of questions about how their pair was going to work, but they were the ones most confident of success.
"Next is the first district, Garfiel and Wilhelm taking down Lust."
"Yeah! This is gonna be like Mezoreia's panorama. I'll grab it all with this fist of mine."
"Please leave it to us—we shall settle things with the corpse soldiers as well."
They had a difficult battle ahead of them, but the two of them probably had the strongest spirits. The Sword Devil Wilhelm fighting out of fealty to his master and for the sake of the beloved wife he had never forgotten. And Garfiel in search of a resolution to the shapeless emotions rumbling around in his soul. They were both setting out for a battle with things they could not concede hanging in the balance.
"And the second district. Julius and Ricardo, you two are taking on Gluttony."
"It is the role I've been entrusted. If I cannot live up to that trust, then I can hardly call myself a knight."
"My family got hit real hard by those bastards. I'll knock 'em around 'til they're beggin' for mercy."
When it came to connections with the cultists, the two of them had been relatively far removed from them until today. But having people close to them fall in battle and having been entrusted with the feelings of Subaru and their other comrades, they had more than enough reason to fight. They would be able to wield their swords freely.
They were comrades with whom Subaru had walked the fine line between life and death before. He did not need a reason to be able to trust them.
"And finally, Reinhard and I will take Greed in the third district. I'll be counting on you."
"—Yes, leave it to me. And I'll be counting on you as well, Subaru."
Reinhard nodded easily. However, that alone was more than enough reassurance, proof that his mind was already clear and focused even before the fight began in earnest.
As they were about to take the fight to the cultists, they couldn't afford any mistakes. Subaru pointedly straightened up and stood tall. And with the deployments all confirmed, Anastasia clapped her hands.
"In that case, if everything's decided, all that's left is handing out the conversation mirrors… We have three. Assuming I keep one here at the base, who's going to take the other two?"
"If possible, I'd like the Wrath team to have one. As for the other…either the Lust or Gluttony team would be fine."
"Why's that?"
"Wrath's Authority is affecting the entire city. That being gone or not changes the situation in a big way, so it would be best to get that report as soon as possible."
Hearing that, everyone nodded. As for the remaining one, he figured it was fine for either of the two remaining non-Greed teams to take it.
The reason for that—
"Put bluntly, Reinhard is handling Greed. His Authority seems to be some kind of conditional invincibility, so while I don't want to be overly optimistic, there is a nonzero chance of us finishing up with him real quick. If that happens, I want Reinhard to be able to join up with whichever team needs the most help."
"And depending on how the conditions in the city change, we can give directions to the general populace from here using the broadcast metia. That's another thing that becomes a more viable option once Wrath is down," Otto added.
"That's quite prudent. You're gettin' awfully reliable, ain't ya, Natsuki?"
Anastasia smiled in admiration before tossing the mirror in her hand over to Priscilla, who deftly caught it with her fan and rolled it over to Liliana.
"Wh-wh-wha—?!"
"You take it, diva. I do not carry anything heavier than silverware."
"You lazy… As if that fan of yours isn't heavy enough with all those decorations."
"Don't be ridiculous. Can you not appreciate its elegant design? Do you not comprehend the beauty of this chasing and engraving? It does not begin to compare to that shoddy item lying there. Do not dare hold it to the same standard as mere silverware."
"So it is heavier than silverware…"
Priscilla's obstinacy aside, it was decided that Liliana would take the conversation mirror. After watching her slip it into the bosom of her small outfit, they gave the last one to Wilhelm. It was Julius who made that decision, sliding it across the table to the older gentleman.
"In consideration for the differing number of enemies in both locations, it would be best for the Lust team to have a means of instant contact. I don't believe either of you is likely to fail, but please report in if you deem the situation to be dire."
"Understood. Though I agree that such a situation is unlikely to occur."
Wilhelm slipped the final mirror into his breast pocket in accordance with Julius's suggestion.
With that, they had divided up the squads and distributed the items they had to pass around. They had made their preparations for the decisive battle.
"Let's wait a little bit, and then all of us should leave at once. This is the official start of our plan to take back the city," Subaru said.
There was tension in everyone's face as they all nodded. There was a quiet weight closing in on them that felt wrong to Subaru.
"Do you guys not get the feeling that us looking all serious and depressed like this is just going to lead to everything going wrong?"
"That's another odd thing for you to say, Mr. Natsuki. What are you talking about?" Otto responded with a bitter expression.
"It's not odd at all. It's important. It's an iron rule of life that no matter how many or how few people you manage to bring together, a group with no morale and no unity is just a mob. So what do we do to keep that from happening? Maybe have everyone say something all at once or something?
Even if it's just for show."
Subaru stood up and clapped his hands together loudly. Then he held his fist up for all of them to see.
"Let's do this, guys! We're gonna throw everyone who gets in our way out of the city! We'll show those cultists who's the boss and get our happy ending back!"
" "
Hearing that, everyone looked at one another, and then, a half beat later, they held their hands up one after the other.
"Ooooaaah!"
They all raised their voices, and Subaru's lips cracked into a smile as he felt the electric excitement crackling over his skin.
Their cries were all over the place, they felt aimless, and it was hard to say those gathered were really united given the mixture of fists and palms raised in the air. But these were Subaru Natsuki's comrades. The people he would fight alongside in order to retake the city. It was hard to come by a group as fine as they.
They had been beaten up good, cornered badly enough that for a moment there it had looked like they were not going to be able to recover. But they had returned to fight.
—The final decisive battle for the Water Gate City was beginning.
"—We're gonna win this fight!"
And the meeting of the round table ended with that final, fittingly Subaruesque line.
7
—Having finished her secret conversation with Al, Emilia had returned to the bedroom and disposed of the ice sculpture that she had used as a body double. Nothing seemed to have been disturbed, so it appeared her absence had gone unnoticed. Or else they had been thrown off by the finely crafted ice sculpture.
Emilia regretfully returned the sculpture to mana as she appreciated her handiwork.
"…I'm surprised. I did not expect you to return."
"Eep!"
All of a sudden, a voice called out from behind her, causing Emilia to jolt in shock before turning around. When she did, she saw #184 standing at the entrance, looking right at her.
She had last seen her cleaning up the room Regulus had destroyed, but there she was, her eyes narrowing as she watched Emilia panic before letting out a small sigh.
"You went to such effort to leave a replacement behind. Did you have a change of heart?"
"What? A replacement? I'm not sure what you mean. I've been resting here the whole time since I was tired. Right here in bed… Ah, it's cold! Ah, I mean it's not cold at all!"
" "
The bed was absolutely freezing from having an ice sculpture lying on it the whole time she was gone, so it was practically rejecting her body warmth. But admitting that would only confirm her lie, so she resolutely endured the cold and went to lie down in the bed.
"See, I've been here all along. I would never have done something like run away."
"…Yes, of course. My mistake. But that would truly be odd. Why did you
not simply run away while you could?" #184 asked quietly.
"…If I did that, it would have been bad for you and the other wives and the people in the city," Emilia responded, sticking her legs out of the covers and sitting on the edge of the bed.
#184's eyes were cool and emotionless—but something about her felt off to Emilia. At first it was just a vague feeling of unease, but it gradually came into a fuzzy focus. The emotion hidden deep in her eyes looked almost like a desperate plea.
"Did you by chance want me to run away?"
" "
"But why? If I did that, then it would be bad for you and the others."
Thinking back on their exchange, Emilia started to wonder if #184 had noticed the ice sculpture left on the bed but chosen not to report it to Regulus. By doing that, she would delay the realization that Emilia was gone, which would've given her more time to get away.
In reality, Emilia had had no intention of fleeing, so her effort had gone to waste, but—
"No, if you hadn't hidden it for me, Regulus would have found out I was sneaking around investigating. So thank you anyway…"
"Please don't thank me. In the end it did not amount to anything—I had intended to muster just a little bit of bravery at the end of my life, but even that was meaningless."
" "
With that, #184 tightly clenched her arms. Her hands were visibly trembling. Emilia realized that her delaying the report she was supposed to give had taken every last bit of her courage.
Regulus had casually tried to kill #184 out of nothing more than a mild irritation. If that was an everyday sort of occurrence, then she and all the other wives were living day in and day out with death hanging right over their heads. How much courage had it taken to endure that level of terror that had become an everyday phenomenon?
"Why did you come back?"
"—Um."
"It would have been better if I had just been consumed by his anger after you never returned. Whatever became of the city, whatever became of us. This just means it will go on and on. This unchanging, never-ending time will just continue until it all ends."
#184 spoke fervently, half clinging to Emilia, half cursing her. Biting her lip, Emilia stood up.
"In that case, if you could stand up once, then let's try again together. I haven't given up yet."
"I can't. I gathered what little willpower I had left and got nothing in return. Just thinking about trying again makes everything inside me freeze…
Anything more is impossible."
#184 shook her head desperately as Emilia watched, unable to say anything. Her eyes locked on to Emilia as she continued, the light in her eyes frozen—no, dead.
"You are free to decide that you will not give up. However, I will never have that choice ever again. And I'm sure the other women in this hell are the same."
" "
"I was just a normal girl living in a small village in a mountain valley with my family. In order to marry me, he eradicated my mother and father, my siblings, my neighbors, and all the villagers who merely knew my name and face. All his wives have experienced similar fates."
Her eyes dead and dull the whole while, #184 spoke of what had happened when Regulus demanded her hand in marriage.
It was a horrific, almost unbelievable story, but the only ones who could laugh it off as a joke would be those fortunate enough not to know Regulus. He was more than capable of committing such heinous acts. That was unmistakably something he would do. He had created a paradise of his own making, served by the wives he had forcibly wedded.
"…Regulus said there were two hundred and ninety-one…"
"Yes. And two hundred and thirty-eight have already passed away, leaving only the fifty-three here in this city."
"Those wives who passed away…"
"Do you really need me to spell it out?"
Her hoarse response scoffed at Emilia's question. No, it was more selfdeprecating than that.
#184 was exhausted with existing and with the curse that had consumed their lives. She had reached the present day at the cost of her very will to resist. And after trudging her way through those terror-filled days, she'd stumbled upon evidence of Emilia, the one whom Regulus had chosen to be his new wife, running away. What had #184 felt in that moment?
Her statement that she would never have the will to resist again had surely been true in a far deeper sense than Emilia realized.
Emilia had only just begun to scratch the surface of what it took to spend a life with Regulus, but for #184—for all the women here, it was something that had already shaved away pieces of their very souls.
" "
Though it had not been intentional, Emilia realized just how important a thing she had shattered, and realizing that, she lost sight of what she could possibly say to #184. Even if she said something baseless in the heat of the moment, it would never reach this woman. She frantically searched for the words, anything she could possibly say to reassure or bolster #184.
She was desperately, desperately searching, but she could not come up with anything. There didn't seem to be a right answer. No ideal or essential wisdom.
No matter how she looked, she could not find the words to tell #184 the thing she most wanted to convey. Emilia was terrified from the depths of her heart, as if it would all slip away from the palm of her hand. A cold despair crept into her heart.
And at just that instant—
"—Um, can everyone actually hear me through this? Mic test, mic test.
One, two. One, two."
—the voice Emilia most wanted to hear rang out from above, as if extending a hand to her.
8
It was a faltering performance. Even if a listener was inclined to be generous, it could not be called impressive.
"It looks like this is actually broadcasting, then. First of all, let me apologize for surprising you. I imagine a lot of you were worried or steeling yourself wondering what you would be told next. But please don't worry. I'm not a member of the Witch Cult."
Even though it would have been fine to lie, it was brutally honest even where it did not need to be, not even hiding the sort of thing that would cause the people listening to feel more anxious. And yet, at the very end of it all, it said, as if to kick away everyone's unease—
"—But even so. Even with all that, I can't run away from this. So I'm going to fight. That's the sort of person I am."
It was a shock and almost certainly exactly what Emilia wanted most in that moment. It was the thing that the people of the city most wanted in that moment.
"I want to believe. I'm weak. And pathetic. But I haven't given up yet. Please let me believe that I'm not the only weakling who doesn't know how to give up."
Ahhh, it really is not fair at all.
Trembling and meandering but obviously his best effort, it made anyone listening almost want to cry. It almost felt like the speaker's pulse could be heard through his voice, even though that was obviously impossible. It nearly brought tears to her eyes. "Or am I really the only one?" —No, no you're not.
"Am I the only one who can still keep going…who still wants to fight?" —No, I'm okay. I can keep going.
"I'm not, right?"
—No, you're not. Absolutely, from the bottom of my heart, you're not alone.
"You can still fight, right? You won't let the weakness consume you, right?"
—I can hear your voice, so I'm okay. It's fine. I'm not scared of anything.
"—I am Subaru Natsuki, the spirit user who defeated the Witch Cult
Archbishop of Sloth."
Just hearing that alone was enough to blow away all the cold despair encroaching on Emilia's heart.
Even though just a little while earlier it had felt like she had fallen into an inescapable dark abyss. Even though she had been unable to move forward or backward, cursing her own powerlessness. Just hearing that voice had relieved her. Had satisfied her.
Because he had said it. Emilia's knight had said it.
"—Just leave everything else to me!"
He had said to leave it to him. So no matter how dark things might seem, he would blow it all away. No matter how impossible or absurd, he would overcome all the odds. There was no doubt he would succeed.
That was why—
"…That voice just now…"
"—That was my knight. He's always really trying his best."
The broadcast ended as suddenly as it had begun, leaving a stunned #184 in turmoil. And standing before her, Emilia held her hand to her heart and smiled softly.
" "
Looking into Emilia's eyes, #184 opened her own eyes wide, and she was at a loss for words. It was because of how Emilia looked as she spoke about her knight, but Emilia did not realize it. She then looked #184 in the eye as she continued.
"I won't run. I won't disappear and leave you all here."
"—! Why?"
"You shared your painful past with me, as well as what you're feeling now. But as scared as you must have been, you still tried to help me."
Even if it was only once, even if she felt broken down and lost, she had fought back; she had conquered her fear even if only for an instant. So Emilia would do the same—she would do her best not to bend or break.
"I want you and everyone else to be able to find happiness. A wedding is a ceremony to bring happiness to two people who love each other very much. The bride has to be happy, too."
When she thought of marriage, she imagined a scene of blissful happiness between two people who adored each other. In the back of her mind, she saw the image of Fortuna and Geuse—they had not been married, so they never became husband and wife, but that was what Emilia wished for them. For their sakes, Emilia dearly wanted them to have been able to be married. Their relationship, the way they loved each other—that was surely what a proper marriage should be like.
"I know people who loved each other but weren't able to get married.
And to this day, it makes my heart hurt to think of them."
That was why—
"—I can't stand the idea of a marriage that isn't happy. I don't want that sort of relationship for anyone."
Just thinking of it made her stomach roil. She hated the very idea of it. Emilia fundamentally refused to give in to something like that, so she would not give up on the city or on #184 or any of the women here. She would carry them all in her own hands. And if that was not enough, she would borrow someone else's hands, too—someone like her knight.
"Th-that is a lovely thought, but…as I said before, if there were anything to be done, it would be for you to escape alone." "Alone…? No, that isn't what we should do at all." Emilia shook her head, gently rejecting #184's statement.
#184 had revealed she was alone in the world, with no one left to turn to —but that wasn't true. Not any longer. It was none other than Emilia's knight who had revealed that when his voice could be heard all throughout the city.
But she had no intention of just leaving everything to him.
"I was never alone. That was dangerous; I almost forgot that."
"What are you planning?"
Even though she was insistent that it was none of her concern, #184 was still asking what Emilia's plan was. Seeing her riled emotions, her frozen emotions stirring into life, Emilia could not help an odd feeling that that was the same sort of thing Subaru saw.
To #184's shock, her response was—"We're going to hold a wedding ceremony."
CHAPTER 5
THE PERSON I ONE DAY FALL IN LOVE WITH
1
The preparations for the ceremony in the chapel continued apace as planned.
Fortunately, Regulus's irritation had not exploded in the chapel, and the austere, dignified building was still standing. The gleaming decorations for the ceremony were safely in place.
Having decided to face the wedding ceremony, Emilia was in the wardrobe room getting her hair styled to look the part of a bride by #184 and a couple of Regulus's other wives.
It had been a long time since she'd had her hair set in a style this complex. Puck used to tweak her hair every morning, but she had neglected it ever since he had vanished. She mostly went without doing anything complicated to her hair, excepting the rare occasions when Annerose did something fancy for her.
Her long silver hair was braided and carefully done up. Her outfit was adorned with accessories to accentuate the beautiful, pure white of her dress without verging on ostentation. With that, Emilia's bridal makeover was complete.
Seeing herself in the mirror, she was amazed by their skill.
It was quite different from her usual appearance. She mostly just kept things simple and tied her hair back without much effort unless Subaru was helping out that day, and she usually made a point of not wearing accessories in order to be able to move more freely, but her current hairstyle and accessories were solely focused on enhancing her ladylike allure. "It feels like this is all just wasted on me, though…"
The women who had helped her change all sighed heavily at that.
Just like #184, they had all said nothing more than the bare minimum necessary while helping her change. Feeling inadequate when she heard their heavy sighs, Emilia straightened her back. Her silver hair shimmered like moonlight streaming against her slender back.
"Let's go. Be careful to not upset our husband," a tall, red-haired woman said before taking the lead, with Emilia following behind her. #184, who had been ordered to accompany the procession, was helping carry the train of her dress.
" "
She intentionally kept her expression motionless, but there was a faint unease in her eyes. As the only person who had heard Emilia declare she would face the ceremony in her own way, she had especially turbulent emotions. She had no idea at all what Emilia had in mind for the coming ceremony, but she had apparently chosen not to mention her unease to Regulus. And that was enough. Her simple presence was enough to support Emilia's resolve.
—In the chapel, the guests present were already gathered, waiting for Emilia's arrival.
" "
There was a red carpet over the central path, with the guests beautifully arrayed along either side of the carpet. They were all Regulus's wives—fifty women—every last one besides the three in Emilia's procession. And waiting in front of the altar at the end of the carpeted aisle was Regulus, standing calmly in a white tuxedo.
The red-haired woman led Emilia directly to him. Emilia glanced at the expressions of the women lining the aisle but found nothing more than calculated, practiced, expressionless faces.
Beneath the gaze of this masked audience, Emilia approached the altar. The women in her procession stepped away, taking their places among the women lining the aisle. All except for #184, who moved to the opposite side of the altar, a faint tension on her face as she began officiating the wedding ceremony.
Her body still facing #184 and the altar, Emilia turned to look at Regulus.
"I'm surprised. The previous dress was magnificent, but this wedding gown is truly unmatched. My eyes were not mistaken when I first saw you.
We really are the most fitting pair in the world."
Regulus nodded to himself, satisfied with Emilia's appearance. He brushed back his white hair.
"Still, seeing this, I can see I was right to leave the seat of #79 open. I had a feeling that there would someday be someone worthy to take it. And the confidence and decisiveness to trust in that decision and follow through are quite amazing, if I do say so myself. Believing in yourself through thick and thin is not something just anyone can do."
"About that number… Why was there an open seat?"
Now that she had entered the chapel and was standing before the altar, the first words out of Emilia's mouth were a question. Her question clashed heavily with the mood of the ceremony and didn't complement Regulus or his self-satisfied, flowery rhetoric. But the question didn't dampen his mood. He merely cocked his head.
"Hmm? Ah, that. Previously, there was another woman I set eyes upon who I thought would be fitting for that number. Unfortunately, before we could be wed, I judged her to be unsuitable. But when it came to the most important point of appearance, she was incredibly close to my ideal. I left the seat unfilled in order to remember her, out of a sense of lingering attachment, I suppose…but thanks to that, I was able to meet you. Truly, ours was a fated encounter."
"Before…"
As Regulus spoke of fate, Emilia was hung up on another part of what he'd said.
Something that felt very off. A clear oddity that came whenever she interacted with him; an invisible unease that was gradually coming into view, but one she still could not quite pin down.
And as she was thinking that, Regulus adjusted the collar of his matching tuxedo.
"Well then, shall we exchange our vows? Unfortunately, we will have to settle for a shortened ceremony without official witnesses, but you don't mind, do you? Such an important ceremony is not for fussing over details but for cementing our binding love. Fretting over appearances only to neglect the substance of it all is truly nonsensical, and yet, it is a rather trite and common mistake. Naturally, I would never stoop to such folly."
#184 began her preparations behind the altar as Regulus's torrent continued unabated.
#184 performed the preparations that the officiant was normally supposed to take care of with a practiced ease that indicated this was not the first of Regulus's weddings that she had presided over.
"Obsessing over appearances and losing sight of the point is just absurd. Form over substance? It's all the more unsightly because people like that don't even realize that everyone is laughing at them behind their back.
Though I suppose that by living in ignorance, they are happier for it."
Regulus did not even pay any attention to #184 and her sadly practiced ease.
She seemed something like the leader of the wives. And from the fact that Regulus had tried to kill her on a whim, it was clear that he did not view his wives as actual people.
It was a little late to be reaching that conclusion there, but she simply couldn't forgive his revolting behavior.
"—Hey, Regulus. There are a few things I would like to tell you before the ceremony."
Because of that, she had a declaration for him while she was standing there, face-to-face with him.
#184's face tensed at that. There was a slight wave of unease spreading among the wives lining the pews as well.
"That's true. Once we've exchanged vows, we are man and wife. There are things that can only be discussed before that."
But unexpectedly, Regulus responded with an approving nod.
"In fact, I also have something I should disclose about our upcoming married life. It could wait until after the ceremony, but it is important to be mentally prepared when embarking on something this important. It would be a tragedy for a marriage to suffer the fate of 'This wasn't what I had imagined.' In order to avoid that, we should both freely share our thoughts.
As future husband and wife and as individuals. Right?"
"Yes, exactly. It's really important since we are individuals."
"Yes! Fantastic! It seems like we can truly understand each other. Then, I have insisted on a few promises from my other wives, so I suppose I should start there. Don't worry, the promises are the same for everyone, so it isn't anything too demanding. If anything, you could even say they are almost natural for a wife." Regulus shrugged humorously as he held up a finger.
"The first is—once we have exchanged vows, you are forbidden to smile."
"—Huh?"
Emilia furrowed her brow, clearly failing to understand the point of his demand. Still holding his finger up, Regulus slowly shook his head.
"You see, I like your face. Truly, I love it. I choose my wives based on their faces. A beautiful, sweet, and alluring face is a requirement for my wives. Every last one of the two hundred and ninety-one wives I've wed has had a beautiful face. And your face is lovely as well. That is why I chose to make you my wife. Do you understand?"
" "
"This is something I've thought about for a long time, but there are many people in this world who simply do as they please. Far more than you would imagine. It is common to hear tales of lovers or married couples whose love has faded, no? They presumably loved each other at some point, and yet when they actually began living together, various areas where they were incompatible were revealed. Food preferences, habits, hobbies, schedules… There is a truly large number of people who are trash and offer up selfish excuses for falling out of love with someone they supposedly loved once.
From the depths of my heart, those people are utterly worthless."
Regulus was still smiling, truly enjoying himself as he spoke about such detestable garbage innocently, unrestrainedly, and with a sense of righteous indignation as well as a lack of understanding for people who made light of love.
"They are—each and every one of them—selfish. You loved them? Then why would you drift apart over something as trifling as mere aesthetic differences? Isn't that the height of foolishness? That is why I choose partners based on their faces. As long as they have a face that I love, my love will never fade, no matter what kind of person they end up being. Because it is their face that I love. As long as that remains, my love will be eternal."
" "
"Whether they are the sort of person who doesn't pick up their clothes, whether they are a serial murderer who only kills children, whether they can't cook even if their life depended on it, whether they were sold off by their family to pay off a loan, whether they don't make any effort to prevent colors running in the laundry, whether they are the sort of off-kilter person who snuffs the life from small animals, whether their sense of style is absolutely appalling, whether they are obsessed with money, whether they don't bathe and smell like refuse, or whether they were genuinely planning to destroy the whole world—I don't mind."
Regulus pointed to the other fifty-three women in the chapel one after the other as he spoke.
Emilia could not say how many people in the building actually fell into any of those categories. But she could at least say that he was not lying. He would love anyone without distinction.
It was impartial. He was talking about an unquestioning love— proclaiming that he loved each and every one of his wives without qualification.
But Emilia could not see the connection between that treatise on love and the requirement he was asking of her.
"What is the correlation between that and not smiling, though?"
"It's simple. There are people whose normal expression is cute and beautiful, and yet when they smile, they become ugly, aren't there? I can't accept that. That's why. I said 'forbidden to smile,' but really any and all changes of expression are out of bounds. Basically, the thought that your lovely face might become ugly is unbearable to me. It would be a net loss for the world. That is why. So don't laugh. Don't cry. Don't get mad. Don't rejoice. Just stay like this with your beautiful face, always."
" "
The second part had been a command, with Regulus grabbing her chin and leaning in so close that she could feel his breath on her skin.
That was the promise Regulus wanted. Though it could hardly be called a promise, since it was clear as day what would happen to anyone who disobeyed.
But if it had simply been a command or a demand of obedience, then at least it would not have a hollow ring to it.
"You said you wouldn't fall out of love with someone as long as you liked their face. So what happened before?"
"Hmm?"
"If I hadn't grabbed her arm, she would have died by your hand."
Emilia pointed to #184 on the other side of the altar. #184 froze as
Regulus glanced over at her. And after thinking about it for a second, he nodded slightly, as if remembering.
"Ah, that is an unfortunate misunderstanding. That had nothing to do with a change in my love for her. It was merely that she upset my mood because of
her inadequate attention. That was why I thought she should take responsibility for it."
"What? If that isn't fickle, then…"
"No, that isn't it at all. I still love her face. Therefore my love is unchanged. It would remain unchanged even if she was to die. It's a common thing to hear, right? Even when someone you love dies, they will still live on in your heart. Your love will continue on without fading. That is precisely how I feel."
" "
Holding his hand to his chest, Regulus spoke in the clear voice of a stage actor. It was a perfect, flawless logic that started and ended with him. It left no room for other people's thoughts to intrude. It was entirely flawless in its incompleteness.
In the face of how much he had built up and refined his way of life, Emilia felt completely let down.
Even in that moment, she had wanted to believe. She had wanted to believe that even if he was one of the Archbishops of the Witch Cult, there was some way they could get through to each other.
"By any chance…do you happen to have some complaint with me? If you did, that would be just a little bit vexing. I've made so much effort and compromised on so much out of consideration for you, and you won't even acknowledge it? That's one of those things that make you question a person on a fundamental level. If you ask me, that simply wouldn't happen if you would just spend a little effort thinking about others and putting yourself in their shoes."
When he noticed Emilia's silence, for the first time Regulus's brow furrowed suspiciously.
That probably meant that this was the first time he was truly seeing his bride-to-be. But nothing else changed about how he interacted with her.
"Concern for others is the most basic of basics when dealing with people. And negligence in that most fundamental of things is a sign that you don't view the person you are interacting with as worthy of even that much effort. In other words, it is an action that reveals a contempt for me as an individual.
A grievous infringement of my rights. That is not something I can forgive."
A dangerous mood radiated from Regulus's whole body as he spoke. It warped the air around him, and a dangerous air filled the chapel that almost seemed to grip everyone else's lungs.
And standing directly in front of the madman responsible, Emilia inhaled softly.
"—I think that marriage is something really happy."
"…Huh?"
"It's a ceremony that gives shape to the thoughts of people who love each other and truly want to be together. It is something that happens when a person finds another person that they really love out of all the people in the world, and that person loves them back…and I think that is really amazing."
Regulus looked suspicious as he saw Emilia smiling there in her bridal attire. But while he could not read the situation, the expressions of the women in the pews and #184 behind the altar clouded over.
They were expressions that showed fear of the direction the wedding ceremony was taking and concern for Emilia, who stood at the center of it all.
They were wonderful, kindhearted souls who were worried about what was about to happen to someone else.
"Regulus, why do you refer to your wives by number?"
"A fixation on form of address? That's just another mode of obsessing over form. A truly surface-level relationship. It is simply proof of a lack of confidence in your ability to continue your love without unnecessary trappings. I am not swayed by such trivial self-aggrandizement. My love is unqualified and pure, so that truth will remain without any unneeded elements
getting in the way. Isn't that just the truth of the matter?"
"It is—but I don't hate it when Subaru calls me Emilia-tan."
"Subaru…?"
Suddenly hearing something that he could not let pass, Regulus raised his eyebrows in displeasure. But Emilia ignored the dangerous change and continued.
"The way he feels is all there in his voice when he calls me Emilia-tan. And when he sometimes just calls me Emilia, it is always obvious that it's a special moment. I don't think that is meaningless at all. A name should have that sort of thought behind it."
"You spoke very eloquently on that subject, but who exactly is Subaru? That's a person's name, right? A man's name, right? Isn't a woman mentioning the name of another man when she's standing at the altar about to be married just a little too irrational? Even if he was someone you had hardly any interaction with, it would be hurtful to your partner. It is hurtful, in fact. You know that, right?"
"He isn't someone I've had hardly any interaction with. Subaru is my one and only knight, the one who calls my name while saying that he loves me."
"What?!"
Regulus's dreadful aura swelled at those words. #184 and all the other wives tensed up at the sudden, violent shift in demeanor.
"Don't move! If you do, I'll erase everything below her head."
" "
"Let's have an explanation. Be careful with your words and do your best to make sure there are no misunderstandings. I don't want this wedding to
turn into someone's funeral. You understand, right?"
Regulus's shoulders trembled as he shouted, biting back the humiliation he was feeling.
Everyone in the pews froze, but Emilia faced his swelling rage with an unchanged, calm expression and a clear state of mind.
The broadcast had given Emilia courage. She wanted to be able to live up to that.
"Marriage is something two people who love each other share together.
But I don't have the qualifications for that."
" "
"I've never once loved a man as a woman before. So when Subaru tells me so insistently that he loves me, I can't give him the answer he is hoping for, or the other answer, either. And I know how hurtful that is and how much it has bothered him. But…"
Regulus fell silent. However, Emilia no longer saw the man standing before her. Everyone in the chapel could tell. Regulus was not reflected in her eyes at all. But Regulus could not accept that fact as he bit his lip.
"I've never experienced falling in love with someone. But I am sure that I will fall in love with someone someday. I will love someone as a woman. And when that happens, I already know who it will be. So…"
Taking a breath, she looked at Regulus while focused on someone else entirely.
"—I will not be yours."
"—! So that's how it is! I certainly don't have any more intention of wedding such a selfish, wanton woman as you! So that's a relief!"
When he accepted Emilia's rejection, Regulus's face turned red as he grew enraged. He extended his fingers in a fit of anger as a chill welled up from Emilia's body and she prepared to attack. Her first clash with his incomprehensible destructive ability— "—?!"
Just as both of their attacks were about to start, a powerful crack resounded through the chapel. Something flew through the air like an arrow, striking Regulus head-on. What hit him as he stood there in his white tuxedo was a wooden door—one of the two great wooden doors that stood at the entrance of the chapel—sent flying by a tremendously powerful impact. It had flown all the way from the entrance and struck Regulus.
And—
"We both kicked in at the same time, but the results were so different.
What are your legs even made of?!"
"Apologies, I failed to hold back. I did at least aim properly at the target, though, so could you perhaps forgive my earlier mistake?"
"Yeah, but our coolness levels are totally different now. My kick opened the door, but your kick turned the door into a direct attack…"
Two figures appeared in the doorway of the magnificent chapel, joking around with each other. A black-haired boy and a red-haired young man.
"—Ah."
Emilia's eyes widened at the sight of them, and Regulus brushed aside the door like it was an annoying gnat. He was wholly uninjured, but there was a tremendous displeasure in his eyes as he glared at the two interlopers.
"That is some nerve, barging your way into a sacred wedding. Who are you and what gifts have you brought, I wonder? Well?"
The two wedding crashers glanced at each other in response to Regulus's bluster and then nodded at each other.
"Subaru Natsuki, a spirit knight whose spirit is currently not present."
"Reinhard van Astrea of the Sword Saint family."
Reinhard took a step forward as he introduced himself. Beside him,
Subaru winked at Emilia and then pointed to Regulus, his expression hardening.
"I object to this wedding! I'll be taking that bride!"
2
—The battle that would decide the fate of the city of water—the simultaneous assault on all four control towers—had begun.
Relying on all the information they had gathered, both actively and accidentally, the fighting forces of each camp gathered themselves into their various units and set off for their respective targets, leaving those who remained behind at the base to wait with bated breath for reports of victory.
Or at least, that was the unpleasant fate to which Otto Suwen would have liked to resign himself, but it was not to be.
Instead, he had left city hall alone and was stealthily running around a city roiling with danger around every bend.
"I should be stoppin' ya, but I can't deny wanting to be sure about where the book of knowledge they were wanting actually is— You drew the short end of the stick this time, Otto."
That was what Anastasia had said when she saw him off back at city hall.
She would have preferred that Otto stay put, and she probably had wanted to use him as another set of eyes to analyze the reports that would be filtering in from the battlefield.
With the group at city hall taking the command role for this battle, the more eyes and more heads the better. But Otto had a personal responsibility when it came to the book of knowledge. They were working together with the other factions, but if the situation somehow managed to actually be resolved, it would become a competition again, and he had to avoid any chance the other camps might get their hands on the book of knowledge.
If he was being honest, he would have preferred not discussing exactly what sort of magical book it was in front of everyone else, either, but Subaru and Garfiel were not fond of that sort of covert politicking.
Feeling like he was the bad guy for some reason, Otto heaved a sigh.
"When did I end up becoming the sort of person to run all around like this for other people's sakes…?"
Adjusting his hat, Otto ran into a question that he'd struggled with countless times during the past year. His position was unexpected, his relationship to other people was unexpected, and his own feelings were unexpected.
What would his family think if they saw him running all around with nary a thought about how to turn a profit from it?
"Even Oslo would probably make fun of me, let alone Regin…"
Imagining his older and younger brothers' differing reactions, Otto curled his lips slightly into a wry smile.
Slipping into an emotional train of thought that Subaru, were he there, would surely start raising alarms about triggering death flags and whatnot, Otto ran through the narrow streets of the city, on guard against demi-beasts.
The malformed and grotesque creatures were guarding the control towers being occupied by the Archbishops and were incredibly threatening to any noncombatants wandering the city. But they could be managed with enough caution. That was something Otto had learned during his time out in the city before he joined up with everyone else at city hall.
Because of that, the danger he faced was minimal. If he could not demonstrate the pride of a member of the team who couldn't fight directly in battle now, who knew when he would get another chance?
"…Heh, would have been nice if I could have at least tricked myself."
He clutched his chest, and Otto's expression melted into a selfdeprecating laugh as he felt just how badly his heart was racing.
The Witch Cult, Archbishops, cultists—they were all things tied to terrifying memories for Otto. The events that had led to his meeting Subaru and everyone else a year earlier were just the flip side of how he had almost lost his life. He could not forget the fear he'd felt toward the Archbishop then, no matter how he tried. He could not forget the Archbishop of Sloth's sunken, dark eyes in the moment he'd thoughtlessly stolen away someone else's life. He would never forget the image of the mad fanatics who'd offered up their own flesh in accordance with his orders without any thought of pain or suffering. He could not forget the silence that had filled the world around him as he pleaded for someone, anyone to help him.
He had never been more terrified than in that moment. He had never feared the void as he had then. Facing off against Garfiel, running away from the Bowel Hunter, and being attacked by a mob of demon beasts all paled in comparison.
—That was how dark a pall the encounter with the Witch Cult had cast on Otto's heart.
And yet, there was no mistaking that he would have to face that fear again. He had chosen of his own volition a place to call home where he would surely have to face the Cult again.
He could not just leave Emilia, Subaru, Beatrice, Garfiel, Ram, Frederica, and Petra alone—Otto cared about all of them.
He had never intended to stay in any one place, and yet somewhere along the line it had just become too comfortable. Even knowing he would encounter the enemy that terrified him the most, he could not abandon his home. If it would protect that place he called home, if they needed him to stand beside them, then he would stifle his fear and support them in all the ways they could not support themselves.
Because of that—
"No matter what it takes, I have to take care of my job myself."
His words were to reinforce his fearful heart and also a warning for the enemy to hear.