Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (LN) - Volume 22 - Chapter 1.2

2

At Subaru’s groggy request to bring the situation under control, everyone decided to cooperate. For the moment, at least.

They sat in a circle, which was conducive to civil conversation. However, Shaula was still refusing to release Subaru’s arm, and she insisted on rubbing her cheek against his while sitting next to him.

“Mmm, Master! Master!”

“How obscene.”

“You saw that catastrophe earlier, right? Does it look to you like I want my right arm locked up like this? Can’t you hear the bones creaking? I’m going to lose my arm to lack of blood flow at this rate.”

In response to Ram’s scornful gaze, Subaru looked at his limb that had been offered up as a sacrifice. A gorgeous, half naked woman was wrapped around it.

While this might have seemed like an envious situation at first glance, the very noticeable pain from his groaning joints and bones made it impossible to enjoy any sensations he’d usually feel with her voluptuous body pressing against him.

“Anyway, I’d like to move this along before I lose an arm here… But first of all, I’m glad everyone is safe. Anastasia, Meili—it’s a relief to see you safe, too.”

“I’m glad you woke up, Natsuki. I was starting to worry you might not. I would have a felt a little bit guilty if that happened.”

“Hearing you say that almost sounds like you’re jinxing it, but I guess there was a chance that’s how it would’ve turned out, huh…? Did you worry about me, too, Meili?”

Addressing the two late arrivals, Anastasia expressed polite relief while Meili looked away completely.

“Me? Worry about you? Spare me. I wouldn’t want Petra or Beatrice to set me in their sights.”

“What do you mean?! Beako and Petra aren’t that petty! Right?”

Beatrice was sitting on his lap after being freed from her helpless state earlier. Her puffed-up face deflated when he poked her perky red cheeks.

“Of course not. Betty is not so fickle that something so minor would be a bother. Meili can worry about Subaru all she likes, so long as she knows her place.”

“See, listen to Beako. Feel free to worry about me as much as you want!”

“Did your heads stop working because you were separated for so long?”

“How dare you!”

Anger colored Beatrice’s face when Meili quipped back with the polar opposite of a warm response.

Setting aside their endearing banter, Subaru looked around the circle. Everyone was safe.

However—

“You needn’t worry. Everyone is present and accounted for. Of course, your concern is natural. Rest assured, I will take you to see her and your dragon once we are done.”

“Could you not read my min—? No, sorry. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Guessing the meaning in Subaru’s gaze, Julius answered before he could even ask a question. Nodding, Subaru gestured to the carriage and land dragon behind him that had survived the party’s adventure in the sands.

“Thanks. I knew Joseph was safe, but I didn’t see Patlash… And Rem wasn’t in the carriage, either. Where are they?”

“Upstairs. I’ll explain more later, but for now… She is undergoing treatment.”

Hearing that unexpected response from Julius, Subaru instinctively focused on a certain detail.

“Treatment?! You mean Rem?! So she can be treated… Does that mean she’ll finally wake up?!”

“Calm down, Barusu. You’re jumping to conclusions.”

“…Oh…”

As soon as Subaru started leaning forward, Ram’s words hit him like a splash of cold water. Catching his breath under her sharp gaze, he sat back down.

“…Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Um, Subaru. When we found all of you, Patlash was badly hurt, so she’s being healed upstairs at the moment. And Rem is in the same room…”

“…Ah, yeah, I get it. It’s okay, Emilia, thanks. And you don’t have to worry, Julius. I was just getting ahead of myself.”

Taking a deep breath, Subaru regretted jumping to conclusions. After taking a moment to banish the slightly darkened mood, he looked up.

They were in a terrifically large cylindrical space that seemed to extend upward without end. There was a giant spiral staircase hugging the interior wall of the tower that was apparently the main way to move about. It was set up so that it was impossible to reach the top floor without using those several thousand yards of stairs.

“Just to confirm… Rem and Patlash are up there, right?”

“And I’ll take you to where they are after this. I’m sure you’ll be more able to relax once you actually see them. Everyone was terrified after what happened this time.”

“Frantically running around under sniper fire only to have the sky shatter around us and then that…”

Thinking back on what happened after they had been separated, Subaru and Julius exchanged grimaces. Sitting on Subaru’s left, Emilia nodded, too.

“Yes, we were shocked when we were swallowed up by the crack in the sky… But it was reeeally worrying having so many people who couldn’t fight get separated from us.”

“Big Sister was really, really panicked. Beatrice was bawling her eyes out, and I got worked up, too.”

“Ah, there you go fibbing again, Meili. It’s true that I was panicking, but Beatrice wasn’t bawling her eyes out. She was just on the verge of it, right?”

“If you’re going to try to be considerate, at least follow through…!”

“?”

Beatrice pouted when it was casually revealed that she had been close to tears, but Emilia didn’t understand why she was upset. Their endearing exchange brought a smile to Subaru’s lips as he shrugged at Julius.

“So you must have also been pretty scared, huh? It’s a damn shame I didn’t get to see it.”

“Of course, I was quite shaken. Unlike you, Lady Anastasia and Ms. Ram are delicate women. I was ashen, unable to find them no matter where I looked. Even at this very moment, it’s a relief to see them.”

“You were just panicking and scared, so why does it sound so elegant when you say it?”

Julius answered while touching his hair, as was his habit, which drew a heavy frown from Subaru. Still, it was a good thing that everyone seemed back to their usual selves.

All that was left was—

“What? Please stop directing your unpleasant gaze at me.”

Ram sat across from him with her usual flat expression and shot a sharp barb at Subaru when she noticed him looking at her.

Porcelain skin and pink eyes. A well-proportioned and refreshingly beautiful face. A visage like a tantalizing fruit, resting somewhere between cute and refined. From any angle, it was the usual Ram.

“This is a waste of time.”

“I didn’t even say anything yet! I was just thinking it was nice we’re both safe and sound. You know, after everything that happened down there? …I still remember you covering me at the end.”

“And that was a wasted effort.”

“I’m saying thank you!”

The image that flashed through his head was from the moments right before he passed out—Ram battered and bruised, standing in that grotesque monster’s path, trying to protect Subaru.

The slender figure covered in wounds bravely facing down a powerful enemy with no hope of victory. Her gallant demeanor was inspiring, but he couldn’t ignore the fear of loss that it had evoked, either.

“See, this is why there’s no point in thanking you, Big Sis…”

“It’s okay, Subaru. Ram is just a little embarrassed is all. I’m sure she’s just feeling awkward since you were hugging her when she woke up. It was cute.”

“Lady Emilia!”

Hearing Emilia’s giggle, Ram reacted vehemently, but that wasn’t enough to erase what Emilia had just said. Thinking a bit more deeply about it—

“Oh yeah, when I woke up, there was an odd space where I was lying… I had assumed it was Beako, but—”

“Forget it.”

As he recalled the moment, Ram’s voice grew colder than usual.

“But…”

“I. Said. Forget it.”

“O-okay, okay. Forgetting it. There, it’s gone now.”

“That will suffice. You would do well to be careful, too, blockhead… I mean, Lady Emilia.”

“Blockhead? How did you mix that up with my name? They don’t sound anything alike…”

Emilia cocked her head, but Ram feigned ignorance, declaring the conversation over.

It appeared that Ram had no desire to discuss what happened underground. In order to continue, the natural choice was to turn to the other person who had been down there with them.

“Since Ram’s not really answering, do you remember anything, Anastasia?”

“Oh, I’m part of this conversation, too? I thought you had forgotten about me.”

“Sorry for prioritizing our crew. So what happened? I was still vaguely conscious when that demon beast was blown away, but…”

“After that, I was terrified in the pitch dark. And with you and Ram both down, I was the only one who could negotiate with that Sage over there.”

“The Sage… You mean her?”

Hearing that, Subaru pointed at the woman still clinging to his right arm, Shaula, whom he had been deliberately ignoring.

“I can’t really imagine her doing anything dignified enough to justify calling it negotiation.”

“That’s a delicate way to put it. But it’s bewildering to me, too. No matter how much I pushed and pulled, she barely spoke a word. Now she’s gaga over you.”

“She wouldn’t talk? This thing here?”

“Argh! You keep doing that… Master, I’m Shaula, not ‘this thing’!”

Shaula glared up at Subaru in a huff.

Long eyelashes, well-proportioned face, a great body that left little to the imagination—she possessed all the hallmarks of beauty, and under other circumstances, having her leaning against him would be nothing less than a triumph.

“Having someone come full throttle at you when your affection gauge is at zero just feels weird as hell, even if they are hot…”

“! You called me hot just now, didn’t you?!”

“It must be convenient having ears that only hear what you like.”

Shaula’s eyes gleamed as she pressed even closer while Subaru tried in vain to peel her off. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape her monstrous strength. In the end, Subaru sighed as he gave up on recovering control of his arm.

“It is what it is, I guess. My arm’s a lost cause, so let’s focus on the topic at hand. Hey you, use your words and talk.”

“Sure, of course! If that’s what Master wants.”

“I see. It’s helpful that you are being cooperative. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask if it’s safe to assume that you’re the Sage who took up residence in the Pleiades Watchtower?”

“Bleh.”

“Answer him properly! You literally just said you’d talk!”

Right when she seemed willing to respond with an easygoing smile, Shaula blatantly ignored Julius’s question. And when Subaru pressed her, she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

“Whaaat? You’re the one who said, ‘If anyone asks you anything, don’t say anything unnecessary, don’t talk to them, and don’t tell them anything. Just stab them.’ I’m doing what you told me to!”

“Your master’s pretty outrageous.”

“Yeeep. You’re super outrageous, Master. I demand a sincere apology and some serious self-reflection.”

Even as she said that, Shaula rubbed her head against Subaru’s neck in a show of puppy-like attachment. Subaru ignored it and flicked her forehead.

“That hurt…or not, but that’s abuse! Abuse, I say! You assaulted me! I’ll see you in court!”

“Where’d you even learn that phrase? …Anyway, talk to them, too, not just me. If you’re going to treat me like your master, then listen to me, please.”

“…Really? Can I?”

“? Sure. If anything, I’d prefer if you did. I want to get on with this discussion already.”

A blank, stunned look crossed Shaula’s face. Then her expression gradually went from shock to understanding to acceptance and then to deeply moved—

“Wooooo! I finally got permission! I don’t have to keep trying to convince people that I’m a profound, mysterious beauty character anymore! Woo-hoo!”

“You weren’t doing any of that to begin with!”

Shaula grinned as she got excited. Her ponytail was swinging wildly, slapping Subaru in the face. Blocking it with his left hand, Subaru continued by asking, “Anyway, are you the rumored Sage?”

That question cut straight to the crux of why they had come to the Pleiades Watchtower in the first place.

Shaula’s face scrunched up like she had bitten something sour.

“Um, it’s kinda hard to answer that.”

“Hard? Why?”

“If you’re looking for Shaula, then yep that’s me, the one who loves Master the most. But if you’re looking for Sage Shaula, then I’m not so sure.”

A frown appeared as she finally started to actually respond to questions. But there was something disquieting about her first answer.

It was a distinct lack of familiarity with being called the Sage. In other words…

“If I may, Lady Shaula.”

Likely noticing the same problem, Julius raised his hand.

“‘Lady?’ You’re making me blush. I’m not used to titles like that. Just say my name. Lady Shaula is just… Geh-heh.”

“Very well, then at your discretion, Ms. Shaula— To this day, the achievements of Sage Shaula have been passed down through the generations by countless people. Is it correct to say that these legends refer to you?”

“Weeell, it’s hard to say. I haven’t left this tower in foreeever. Maybe the stories spread in a weird way? Must have if they’re calling me, of all people, a sage.”

Shaula cocked her head as she put a finger to her mouth.

“Ah, unless Master named someone else Shaula, too. If that other Shaula did something really awesome, then maybe it’s not so weird after all… Did you do that, Master?”

“Don’t go asking me. Those are false charges, no matter how you cut it.”

“Doesn’t look like Master can think of anyone, so I guess I really am the only one named Shaula. It’s the name Master gave me, my name and my name only… Who needs another Shaula anyway.”

“I see. So a troublemaker was spreading falsehoods.”

“Don’t look at me while saying that! These are false charges! I’m innocent until proven guilty!”

Setting aside the farce currently going on, Shaula didn’t sound like she was lying. Worst-case scenario, that meant the stories that had been passed down through the years might have been wrong.

While listening to their back-and-forth, Anastasia started fishing around in her oversize purse and pulled out a coin.

“Checking your books all of a sudden? Or not, from the looks of it…”

“Well, it is a hobby of mine, and hearing coins jangle is great for helping me brainstorm… But this is something else. See, you can tell if you look closely at a Kingdom coin.”

Anastasia tossed the coins in her hand over to Subaru. Startled, he managed to catch them and saw four coins: copper, silver, gold, and sacred gold.

“I’m sure you’re not trying to bribe Shaula, but…”

“If that would work, I wouldn’t be against it, but no. Just look at them. There are images on the coins, right? There’s no separating money and history. Every country worthy of the name has its legacy etched in its coins.”

Taking her words to heart, Subaru checked the image on the coins. There had never really been a reason to examine them that closely before, but now that he looked, there were different images on all four of them.

“The sacred gold one is the Holy Dragon, the gold is the first Sword Saint, the silver is the Sage, and the copper is Lugunica Castle. You didn’t know?”

“Eh? Now Emilia’s whipping out NPC exposition…!”

“But this is common sense. Did you not pay any attention when you went out shopping?”

Subaru whistled in an attempt to slip past Emilia’s painful follow-up. It was true—the markings on the coins were exactly as she had described. There was a dragon on the sacred gold coin, a man with intense eyes on the gold, and the castle on the copper. And on the silver—

“A young, handsome sort of guy. I guess maybe it vaguely resembles Shaula but also not really.”

“However, as far as the world is concerned, Shaula is the person on that coin.”

The coin’s image was a handsome guy with long hair and a masculine face. Naturally, no matter the angle, it wasn’t someone who could be mistaken for a beautiful, half naked woman.

“Heh, that’s pretty good. It looks just like Master.” Peering at the silver coin from the side, Shaula unleashed a terrible insult without a hint of malice.

“What part?! Ah, wait, if the Sage there is supposed to be your master, then does that match the Master in your memories?”

“Argh, what are you talking about? You’re my only Master.”

“Then I have to ask again: What part?!”

She seemed unhappy with his annoyed reaction.

“Ehhh? As far as I can tell, there’s a lot of matching features. It has hair, two eyes and ears, a mouth, and a nose.”

“Is that it?! If that’s the level we’re operating on, then a Mr. Potato Head is just as similar!”

“Even I wouldn’t really say the person on the coin resembles Subaru…”

It was a kindergarten level of distinction. Subaru and Emilia found it unbelievable. It was the sort of comparison that made everyone other than Shaula grimace a bit.

“Bleh. I mean, look, I’m not great with faces. I can more or less tell the difference between a guy or girl, but everything else is basically all the same, right? …Well, I guess I can tell people apart by size.”

“The nerve to add that right after looking at Betty.”

“Your smallness and cuteness are part of what makes you unique, so it’s fine. More importantly, if that’s how unreliable your eyes are, where do you get off saying I’m your master! You’ve clearly got the wrong guy!”

Taking advantage of Shaula’s excuse, Subaru leaped at the chance to clear his name. Unfortunately, this didn’t lead where he was hoping it would.

“Ah, no problemo there. That has nothing to do with how you look.”

“Oh really? Then how exactly can you tell? Auras?”

“Smell. No one but Master would ever give off such a nose-scorching, pitch-black, nasty stench and be totally fine.”

“I’ve never been more insulted! Do I really smell that bad?!”

When he heard the word smell, he had braced himself, but that resolve was dust in the wind when Shaula hit him with an unthinkable selection of words.

“Why are you mad? Ah, is it ’cause I called it nasty? Don’t worry! Your smell is downright atrocious, but it isn’t, like, vomit-inducing. More like a weird combination that makes you want to smell it again!”

“A girl shouldn’t say something like that! And if that was supposed to make me feel better, you did a terrible job!”

Subaru covered his face to hide his shame and collapsed in tears on the spot.

“What the hell…? I thought I had gotten used to hearing it by now, but that was too much. What did I do to deserve this…?”

“I-it’s okay, Subaru. I understand. Why don’t we give you a proper bath later?”

“You don’t get it at all!”

While Subaru bawled, Emilia tried to reassure him, only for Ram to cut in, annoyed by the whole situation.

“In any case, if Barusu’s permission is enough to convince you, then answer our questions. You are Shaula but not the Sage. In that case, do you know a Sword Saint or Holy Dragon?”

“Sword Saint? Holy Dragon?”

“Their names are Reid and Volcanica.”

“Ugh.”

Hearing that, Shaula’s face twisted up like she had eaten something disgusting.

“You know them?”

“Of course I do. I’ve known stick-swinging Reid and sarcastic Volcanica since way back in the day. Haven’t seen them in forever since we split up, though. They still doing all right?”

“Reid’s long dead now.”

“Really?! He’s dead?! That guy always seemed like he wouldn’t die even if you killed him! How’d he die?! Eating something weird he picked up off the ground or something?!”

“Old age. There’s no one who can fight that.”

“Old age… Ohhh, right. Yeah. Reid was technically human, wasn’t he?”

Shaula looked down sadly at hearing an old friend had died. Even her ponytail seemed to lose its energy, and she looked lonely as her shoulders slumped.

“Then what about Volcanica?”

“Volcanica’s a dragon, so yeah.”

“I see. It would have been better if Volcanica died instead of Reid, though.”

“You’ve got a mouth on you, damn.”

But that air of loneliness was fleeting, and she quickly changed gears, tearing into her other old friend without reservation.

And while Shaula seemed almost refreshed after that, Ram had a pensive look on her face as she closed one eye.

“Let me ask again. The Sage that should have existed as well—your master—exactly who was he?”

“—? That’s a weird question. You’re the ones traveling with him, and you don’t know?”

“Unfortunately, your master hit his head on a toilet’s chamber pot and forgot several things.”

“Was there a point in specifying toilet just now?”

“Again, Master…?”

“Again?!”

Greeted by Shaula’s sympathetic gaze, Subaru suffered a humiliation that didn’t seem at all called for. But seemingly accepting Ram’s answer, Shaula leaped to her feet.

“Then allow me to make the big announcement. Master’s name…the name of the famed and great wise man! Master, who is the only one in this world fit to be called the Sage!”

“Just get to it already!”

“When else will I get the chance? But that’s totally like you.”

Shaula put on a big production of her announcement and stuck her tongue out mischievously when Subaru tried to hurry her. Then she put her finger to her cheek, acting a bit like a little girl as she continued.

And the name was—

“—Flugel.”

“…Huh?”

“Master’s name is Flugel. The great, wise man Flugel is my master.”

Puffing out her ample chest in pride, Shaula said the name with heartfelt affection. There was a mixture of unalloyed respect and gratitude in how she said it, making it impossible to suspect she was lying. And because they were sure she wasn’t lying, their reactions varied.

Because that name was undeniably familiar.

“…That’s the same guy who planted that tree.”

It was the name of the great person with whom their fates had once crossed quite a long time ago.