5
He wasn’t trying to make excuses for himself, but Subaru’s two very quick deaths were a major part of why he had completely forgotten Reinhard’s existence—and the fact that Lachins, who had been present in the square, was connected to him.
—Subaru had experienced death right after experiencing death, and that made it twice that his psyche had collapsed.
It went without saying that going through this unprecedented experience in the short span of thirty minutes had left Subaru rattled. He felt nothing but astonishment at how little time this loop gave him and how it didn’t leave any breathing room to calmly figure things out.
Accordingly, Subaru had been forced to run ahead at full speed until he rammed into something barring his way forward. Desperately trying to come up with a way to persuade a certain man was no exception.
“I finally found you! You’re not getting away! Please call Reinhard over right now! It’s an emergency!”
“Like hell I am! I don’t wanna hear another damn word of complaint outta that redheaded bastard! Get lost!”
The shouting match that erupted in the middle of the street made passersby glance at one another as they wondered what was up.
The atmosphere resembled a sporting match as several curious onlookers hurled jeers at them. It annoyed Subaru, but he didn’t have the luxury of paying them any heed.
After recovering from the shock of Return by Death, Subaru was following up on his earlier conclusion with swift action.
Asking Beatrice to guard Emilia just like last time, Subaru left the park, ostensibly to go shopping—when in reality, he was looking for Lachins in the square to convey the imminent emergency.
But Subaru had gotten off to a bad start and wasn’t making any progress. It had taken him so long to find Lachins that Subaru had accidentally grabbed the man’s shoulder the moment he happened upon him. He’d apologized several times, but still.
“Anyway, I need you to calm down and listen to me. I’m not joking around. If you don’t want to die, get in touch with Reinhard right now.”
“Huh? You think a snivelin’ brat like you can do me in? I don’t need Reinhard for this. I can pay ya back right here, right now.”
“Damn it, you thick-skulled…”
Taking Subaru’s words as a taunt, Lachins let his anger grow even hotter.
It was difficult to call Subaru and Lachins’s relationship favorable to begin with. On top of that, Lachins seemed to dislike Reinhard a great deal, which apparently made him reluctant to rely upon the knight.
Of course, that stubbornness didn’t even compare with the threat that the Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins posed, but Subaru had good reason to not reveal all the details about the current turn of events. That said, at the rate things were going, the situation would only deteriorate, which didn’t leave him much of a choice.
Suppressing his instinctual fear, Subaru touched his hand to his chest.
“Lachins, this isn’t a joke. I want you to call Reinhard because someone who neither of us can lay a hand on is up to no good.”
“What are you goin’ on about? Talk sense, man.”
Lachins snorted, treating Subaru’s plea like it was nonsense.
The look on his face made Subaru lower his eyes and breathe deeply— Stay away, he prayed privately as he opened his mouth.
“—The people coming…might be from the Witch Cult.”
There, I said it, thought Subaru as he let out his breath. Lachins’s expression stiffened almost instantly.
A moment after he spoke, Subaru looked down at his chest, but nothing had happened. Even though he’d divulged a piece of information gained via Return by Death, no penalty had occurred.
“Nothing this time, huh? …Well, shit, that’s bad for my heart in more than one way.”
Grasping his own collar, Subaru was flooded with relief as he cursed with minor irritation.
It had been a year since he’d experienced Return by Death, but Subaru continued to be regularly tormented by the various penalties that he incurred whenever he’d attempted to divulge the existence of his unusual power.
In one notable example, he’d decided to reveal everything to Beatrice once and for all, only to experience truly hellish suffering like never before.
It was a special present from the Witch of Jealousy—the culprit who stood behind those black hands. The penalty almost seemed to say, Forget about everything that transpired when we parted back at the Witch’s Tea Party in the Sanctuary.
Given the circumstances, Subaru still had yet to disclose the existence of Return by Death to Beatrice or anyone else.
Of course, so long as it didn’t call abject suffering down on himself, he fully intended to tell his partner Beatrice everything that he could. He’d spent a long time trying before reluctantly giving up.
Either way, the important part was that he’d been able to convey to Lachins the coming Witch Cult attack without activating the penalty—
“Hey, brat, how serious are you about what you just said? This ain’t some kinda ruse, right?”
“It’s Subaru Natsuki. Stop calling me ‘brat’ already, Lachins.”
Lachins, who had lowered his voice, clicked his tongue as he received Subaru’s reply.
In this world, invoking the names of the Witch of Jealousy and the Witch Cult was indescribably serious, enough that even Lachins had changed his expression as he instantly grasped the gravity of the impending situation.
“Subaru, you piece of shit, where the hell did you hear about somethin’ like…? Aww, crap. That’s right. You’re the one who killed the Witch Cult’s Sloth guy, huh? Guess you do have some credibility…”
Flicking his tongue piercing with a finger, Lachins tried to figure out how to treat Subaru’s statement. Lachins made some speculation that was a little at odds with the facts, but Subaru’s exploits were apparently enough to convince him to play along.
“Anyway, are ya saying those guys are gonna show up in this city? Or right here in this damned square?”
“So you believe me?”
“You’re the one who said ya ain’t playin’ around. Look, I hate that redheaded bastard’s lectures, but I like starin’ death in the face even less. If you get it, then watch what you say and how you say it.”
It wasn’t exactly trust or faith, but Lachins had made an unexpectedly logical decision. Subaru responded with a quick “Gotcha!” and a vigorous nod.
“All right, I’ll keep that mind. To properly explain, it’s the Witch Cult’s Archbishop of Wrath who’s coming. She’s gonna poke her face out at the top of the time tower in this square. There’s no particular target, so she’s gonna aim for everyone here.”
“That sounds just like the Witch Cult, don’t it? Shit, how much time do we got?”
“Probably less than five minutes. So I’d really like to call him now.”
“Five minutes?! The hell?! Why didn’t ya say that sooner?!”
“That’s why I’ve been asking you since five minutes ago!”
Lachins raised his voice as he suddenly realized how urgent the situation was, but the time limit was a curse that Subaru could not be more aware of. If he had any other choice, Subaru wouldn’t be relying on casting a net out like this, either.
“Hey! This ain’t a sideshow! Get lost, ya damn tourists!”
Lachins had judged that you couldn’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Rudely howling at the people crowding around his and Subaru’s argument at a distance, he thrust his right hand toward the sky.
“Lettin’ magic fly inside the city with nothing goin’ on is against city regs. Ya better be there with me to explain.”
“I’ll do that much any day. I’ll lick someone’s boots if I have to.”
“And you call yourself a knight?!”
An instant after Subaru’s reply left Lachins dumbfounded, Lachins unleashed a red light from his palm toward the sky. The flare spread in the middle of the sky, making the heavens glow and glimmer as if he’d launched some small, cheap fireworks.
To be blunt, it was hard to expect much from something so puny, but it was surely enough to summon that hero.
“Gotta say, though, never thought I’d be working together with Larry toward the same goal like this…”
Subaru wanted to believe that such deep sentiment was a sign he’d made the right decision. If this brought Reinhard running, then surely it would drastically change the situation.
—That vague sense of relief had caused Subaru to forget a natural concern.
That moment, he had a thought that would have never occurred to him fifteen minutes ago—back during the second go-around.
“ ”
The people in the square looked up at the light in the sky, raising voices of surprise and wonder.
Accordingly—
“—My. A ball of fire off in the distance. It glows so prettily. Thank you.”
Naturally, when she heard the fuss outside, the bandaged enigma came out into the open.
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