PROLOGUE
ON THE ROAD
“—I’m not actually the legitimate son of the Juukulius house.”
Sitting formally on the ground in front of the campfire, Julius murmured those words with a gloomy tint to his eyes.
Subaru listened as he combed Beatrice’s hair while she sat on his knee.
As an artificial spirit, her body was always immaculate and in optimal condition. Even so, Subaru considered it an important part of their bonding to always brush out her hair before bed. It deepened his connection with his precious partner while they peacefully chatted about how their day went.
“So why did you pick this exact moment to drop such a massive revelation on us?”
“Apologies. I was just thinking that if I let this moment pass, I wasn’t sure when I would get another chance.”
Subaru furrowed his brow as Julius responded, not looking nearly as apologetic as his words suggested. It was the sort of reaction that could easily be interpreted as haughtiness. That or the relaxed attitude that came with being among friends.
“So by not the legitimate son, you mean…?”
“In the sense that I am not the direct son of the current head of the Juukulius house. Alviero Juukulius, the current head, is my adoptive father. My father is his younger brother, Klein Juukulius. When my father passed away, my current family took me in.”
“I see… Oh, then that means you have two fathers and two mothers,” Emilia commented.
Julius’s eyes widened for a moment. He almost seemed amazed by the idea, but then his expression softened slightly.
“That’s right.” He nodded, still smiling.
“? What? Did I say something strange?”
“No, not at all. If anything, it was just quintessential Emilia-tan. Very E M T.”
“Sorry, I have no clue what you are talking about.”
Subaru grimaced as Emilia pouted. She was practically sulking. He wasn’t trying to be sarcastic or anything of the sort, though. If he was being honest, her completely innocent and naturally kind way of thinking had been incredibly moving, and Julius probably felt the same way.
That was why he was just playing with his bangs like always.
“ ”
The moon was hidden by a few sparse clouds, so the campfire was the only thing that illuminated their surroundings. Looking around at the gathered faces, Subaru was struck again by what an odd group they were.
Leaving the Water Gate City behind, their party had set their sights on the eastern reaches of the world.
Their goal was to contact the Sage rumored to reside in the distant Auguria Dunes. Meeting the all-knowing Sage and famed hero would give them a chance to receive some wisdom.
Even the preliminary information gathering made it sound like an unbelievably difficult journey.
Auguria was a hive of dangerous demon beasts and notorious for a terrifying miasma that stalked the land. More than anything, what made it sound like the most hellish place was—
“A hell that even Reinhard failed to get through… Like I told the man himself, that phrase seriously makes you lose hope the moment you hear it.”
This was the same Reinhard who, as far as anyone else could tell, had returned alive from the moon. The fact that he couldn’t break through those sandy dunes made it feel like they were about to challenge something humans were never meant to overcome.
“That just means we have to do the impossible. This is a rescue mission, not a suicide mission.”
No matter how hopeless the odds seemed, they would have to find a way to persevere. The purpose of this journey was to give hope to all the people whose futures had been stolen away, to grant them the right to have a tomorrow again.
“Your face is getting scary, Subaru.”
As he started dwelling on that somber thought, he felt a poke on his cheek. It was Beatrice, who was leaning with her whole body against his chest. Fiddling with her hair, she looked at him fondly with those distinctive eyes of hers.
“If you’re going to worry so much that it turns your head to mush, then you might as well focus on our skinship instead. Or else Betty’s adorableness will go to waste.”
“What are you talking abou…? Holy crap, it’s true! I can see your cuteness evaporating into the air!”
“It is not! How rude! Betty is as lovely as always!”
She puffed out her cheeks and jumped down from his lap.
“I’m just kidding,” Subaru said with a laugh.
Beatrice was unconvinced and went straight to Emilia, who was waving her over. She leaned against Emilia’s chest as Emilia smiled.
“Emilia, it’s about time for bed. Staying up all night is bad for the body.”
“That’s right. Why don’t you sleep with me tonight as punishment for Subaru being mean.”
“A fitting punishment.”
The two of them were in total agreement that Subaru was the bad guy. Beatrice rubbed her eyes sleepily as Emilia took her by the hand. She glanced at Subaru while leading the little girl away.
After watching them go back to the dragon carriage, Julius spoke up.
“Those two are quite charming together.”
“They look like the best of buds, right? Just a little over a year ago, they couldn’t have been more different.”
“It’s hard to believe…in a single year? If you were involved, I suppose it’s possible.”
Subaru scratched his cheek as Julius looked at him, a twinkle in his eye. There was no denying that Subaru’s presence was a part of it, but he felt acknowledging that fact would just come off as self-centered, so he quickly changed the subject.
“So about what you were saying before.”
“You mean about my family?”
“Right. Emilia is a bit airheaded, and Beako was considerate enough not to say anything, but talking about the past in a situation like this is…”
“I know. I’m sorry if it added another burden.”
Interrupting Subaru as he struggled to get the words out, Julius slowly shook his head. Seeing the way he was acting, Subaru grimaced internally, like he had bitten into something especially bitter.
Due to the Archbishop of Gluttony’s power, the memory of Julius—Julius’s name itself—had been erased from the world. The very fact that he existed was torn from the minds of everyone who ever knew him.
It was the third way this affliction manifested, similar to and yet different from Crusch, who had lost her own memories, and Rem, who had been forgotten by everyone and had fallen into a deep slumber, lost in memory.
Subaru was painfully familiar with that feeling of despair that came with being isolated from the rest of the world.
When Subaru died and time rewound, he always returned with memories of a world that no one else could ever know about. He lost the bonds that he had painstakingly built more than a few times.
Even his friends at Roswaal Manor had forgotten him before.
“It’s hard to relax with you staring at me like that, Subaru. If you have something to say, then why not just come out and say it?”
“You’re…tch, you’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
Subaru looked away.
One time I show a genuine bit of concern for him, this is what I get. That’s the “finest knight” for you.
When Subaru had found himself in a similar situation, recovering all by himself had been a hopeless task. That was precisely why he understood just how amazing Julius was to have managed it alone.
But it pissed him off to admit it, so he just snorted dismissively.
“The only thing I want to do is register a complaint. Don’t go bringing up stuff like that out of nowhere. It ruins the mood. And it’s not something you should be telling me anyway.”
“That’s not true. It’s nothing particularly special. Reinhard and Ferris know, and it is common knowledge among the other knights. Lady Anastasia also knows, of course. Or I should say, she knew.”
“ ”
“It’s something that everyone knew. Which is probably why I wanted you to know it, too. Other than myself, you’re the person in this world who knows me best now.”
After saying that in a soft, tranquil voice, Julius stood up. Gently brushing off his legs, the finest knight looked down at Subaru, who was still sitting next to the fire.
“It’s about time for me to rest. What about you?”
“I… I’m going to watch the fire a little bit longer. It’s a safe road, but it’s still better to have someone on lookout.”
“Understood. Then I’ll rest first.”
With those parting words and a quiet nod, Julius left the fire and returned to the carriage.
Alone with his thoughts, Subaru stared at the flames and touched his right leg—the scar of the wound he had received in Pristella, the black pattern that wouldn’t disappear.
“…What was that…?”
It was soft, almost indignant.
He didn’t know whether he was talking about Julius or himself, but either way, an odd feeling of annoyance had gotten caught up like a little bone lodged in his throat.
“Agh, damn it. What am I, stupid? …Yeah, I guess I am…”
Scratching his head, he vented his annoyance. It wasn’t going to make anything better, but he couldn’t bring himself to not say anything, either.
He glared at the fire when a voice called out.
“—No need to go blamin’ yourself so much, is there?”
It was an elegant, reserved voice coming from behind him. Subaru stopped scratching his head. Slowly turning around, he saw a girl with her hands clasped behind her back.
“It’s hard to tell what I should call you on the spur of the moment…”
“You can just call me Anastasia now and every other time, too. If you don’t, it’ll be a problem for me.”
The first half of what she said had an entirely different tone from the second half. Almost as if the person talking switched in the middle. Of course, the voice itself was the same throughout.
But the rightful controller of that body was no longer actually in control.
“Foxidna…”
“I’m not particularly attached to my name, but I can’t deny that I feel a little bit of resistance at being called that, Natsuki.”
The woman whose pale blue-green eyes were squinting at him was Anastasia Hoshin. Or at least, the body belonged to the royal candidate. However, someone else was inside. Something else.
At present, her body was being occupied by the white fox scarf wrapped around her neck—the man-made spirit Echidna in disguise.
It was like a bad joke. An artificial spirit with the same name as the Witch of Greed was joining Subaru and company on their journey, all while continuing to deny that she was said witch.
Her presence was headache-inducing.
“I wish you wouldn’t be so suspicious of me. I’ve explained before that this situation isn’t what I wanted, either. I even took the job of acting as your guide on this dangerous trip.”
What she said was true. The success of their journey depended on her guidance. Without it, they had no hope of surviving the hell that forced even Reinhard into submission.
Despite acknowledging that, Subaru couldn’t get over the fact that she shared a certain witch’s name.
“Even so, my stance is that your creator is never to be trusted. Believe me, I’d trust you if I could. It would be easier that way.”
“Dearie me. My creator who I can’t even remember must have really done a number on you.”
“ ”
“Anyway, don’t get so upset. It’s scary.”
When he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Foxidna flashed Anastasia’s usual expression and stuck out her tongue before turning away. She started heading back to the carriage, probably planning to sleep.
“You shouldn’t burn the midnight oil so much, either, Natsuki. Especially considering how much you tend to worry about every little thing.”
“…Says one of the things that I happen to be worrying about.”
“Forget I brought it up then.” Foxidna shrugged at his sarcastic response and finally left.
But Subaru really did need to change gears. He was going to accidentally call her Foxidna at some point. He needed to get in the habit of referring to her as Anastasia.
“Now I’ve got even more things to hide. This is the exact wrong way for things to be going.”
Subaru poured water on the campfire and put it out. Returning to the carriage pulled over to the side of the road, he started to lie down on the seat that was his bed.
Emilia and everyone else were already sleeping inside, so he took care to stay quiet as he lay down.
“You look like you have even more things on your mind now.”
“…Were you awake?”
Just as he lay down on the seat, a voice called out to him. Opening his eyes, he saw Beatrice with her hair down standing next to the seat.
“There’s no hiding anything from you, is there?”
“That’s a bad habit of yours. You should share your concerns with Betty. Betty is far more attentive than you are.”
“…Yeah, that’s right. C’mere.”
Squeezing into the seat to make some room, she slipped in close so they could nuzzle together.
Beatrice was the only one who knew the depth of Subaru’s worries. She was also the only other person on the trip who knew that Anastasia and Foxidna had changed places.
The problem was Echidna—who he had been calling Foxidna to distinguish her from the witch. She was an artificial spirit like Beatrice, and she swore that she had no intention of harming Anastasia. Talking about it to others was bound to cause confusion and maybe alarm. But Subaru also needed to stay on guard. So as a compromise, he had shared the secret with Beatrice.
Considering Beatrice’s complicated feelings toward Echidna, he would’ve preferred to not involve her with another person who shared that name, but…
“Don’t worry about pointless things. You should just be yourself and ask for help from any and everyone. If nothing else, I praise your judgment in coming to Betty first.”
Good at listening and a charmer. Subaru smiled awkwardly at that compliment. All he could do was be grateful.
“I can’t just keep worrying forever. Tomorrow we’re finally gonna visit home.”
Patting Beatrice’s head, he braced himself for the first checkpoint on their journey.
Their ultimate goal was to reach the Sage’s watchtower, but their party was stopping by Roswaal Manor to prepare for the next leg of the trip and to report back on everything that had happened. However, there was another reason for passing through there—
“It ain’t no regular pit stop…”
In the grand scheme of things, it was a trivial, almost laughable reason. But for a small person like Subaru Natsuki, it was something that contained a powerful possibility.
This was an important detour to reunite with someone dear to him on the long, long road he had to travel before he could finally meet her again in the truest sense.
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