CHAPTER 1
IMMATURE NEGOTIATIONS
1
Right now, the Return by Death phenomenon was on the third series of loops from Subaru’s point of view.
The first set concerned the loops related to the badge-theft incident on the day of his summoning.
The second was centered around the demon beast attack on Roswaal Manor.
“This is the third one… I’ve died twice already, and what do I have to show for it?!”
In the previous loops, Subaru had pieced things together from information gleaned over several run-throughs of Return by Death, managing to break out of seemingly impossible situations. Yet this time, Subaru had blundered to his “death” not once but twice; he didn’t even have the full picture of what had happened in each loop that led to his death.
But even with such paltry gains from Return by Death, he’d gained one, and only one, solid piece of information.
“Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti…!”
He, the commander of the oddballs in the Witch Cult, was the root cause of the entire tragedy that had befallen the village and mansion. Eradicating that abominable madman was now the driving force behind all of Subaru’s actions.
To escape from the loop, he needed to cast a very wide net and dredge the depths of his memory.
—The hatred that Subaru had accrued from his first and second deaths stoked the flames of his bloodlust.
“First, I need to figure out how much time I actually have.”
The Witch Cult raid on the mansion and village had taken place in the preceding half a day before Subaru had reached the village. Pathetic details of his second death aside, Subaru had arrived in the village at more or less the same time.
“Working backward from that, I have at most five d… No, four and a half days?”
Upon voicing the words, Subaru ground his teeth at just how little time it was. When considering how long it took to travel from the royal capital to the mansion, that didn’t leave him more than two days. In that limited interval, he had to stop the Witch Cult—by wringing Petelgeuse’s neck.
“I can cry about it later… Next is figuring out the victory condition for breaking out of these loops.”
An absolutely unavoidable tragedy would unfold at the mansion and the village, and the Witch Cult was responsible. The only answer that Subaru could come up with in response to his current fate—
“I’m going to butcher Petelgeuse.”
By putting an end to that crafty murderer, that madman, the root of all evil, everything could be saved.
And clearing that simple condition required an equally simple solution—in other words, power.
Subaru needed a group of his own to face the Witch Cult under Petelgeuse’s command. When he considered that, the military might of the Emilia faction was actually quite meager. In the first place, Subaru had never seen a hint of private troops under the command of Roswaal.
Perhaps Roswaal himself was so powerful that he didn’t need an army to defend his territory.
“Come to think of it, where the hell was Roswaal during the attack…?”
Subaru hadn’t caught sight of him during his first or second time through the current series of loops. The magic user was gaudy in both appearance and fighting methods; if he’d fought seriously, there would have been clear evidence around the mansion. But no such signs were apparent.
“The Witch Cult attacks right when Roswaal’s away? Or maybe Roswaal couldn’t fight because he was assassinated out of the blue?”
If it was the latter, then the Witch Cult had been meticulous, and if it was the former, Roswaal had truly dropped the ball. Subaru could only sigh either way.
“…Besides, I still don’t know anything about that monster that wrecked the mansion at the end of my second time around.”
He recalled the sight of the four-legged beast he had caught a glimpse of right before his death, so massive that the creature could have been mistaken for a mansion itself. Its breath froze everything around it; no doubt Subaru had died from the freezing cold. If that monster was part of the Witch Cult’s arsenal…
“I really don’t have enough strength to put up a fight.”
Barring his way were the Witch’s disciples, Petelgeuse, and quite possibly that snow-breathing monster as well. The balance of power simply put Subaru at an overwhelming disadvantage. He needed a way to bolster his side.
—And Subaru knew just the place for that.
2
After dropping by the shops and stalls along Merchant’s Street, running through the middle strata of the royal capital, Subaru and Rem arrived back at Crusch’s mansion right on the cusp of evening. Holding each other’s hands under a sky gradually becoming scarlet, they were greeted by Wilhelm at the front gate.
“I see you have returned.”
The aged gentleman, dressed in long-sleeve, formal black clothing, narrowed his blue eyes as he saw the two of them nestled so close.
“Sir Subaru, I believe it is the nature of a boy to have a fickle heart, but as an individual, I cannot approve.”
“What are you talkin’ about, Wilhelm? I’m just holding Rem’s hand so I don’t get lost. Isn’t that right, Rem?”
“Yes, of course it is. Subaru’s sense of caution is rather lacking, so I would be too worried about what might happen were I to take my eyes and hands off him. Even when we were at the mansion, I couldn’t let my guard down.”
“Er, I think that might be overstating it just a little…”
Subaru and Rem lightheartedly responded to Wilhelm’s remark. Subaru smiled weakly after hearing Rem’s seemingly earnest reply as he shifted his gaze to the area in front of the mansion’s entrance.
“Seems like someone’s meeting with Crusch again?”
He was looking at the dragon carriage outside the iron-barred front gate as he posed the question.
The carriage lacked showy ornamentation but was still somewhat refined, no doubt to display the owner’s status. Subaru saw that the red land dragon drawing it along had a very glossy-scaled hide. The driver, wearing formal clothes of his own, did not engage in pleasantries beyond a simple acknowledgment with his eyes.
“Correct. Now that she is participating in the royal selection, Lady Crusch cannot refuse those who request an audience with her. Of course, she invited some of them herself.”
“Guess all sorts come out of the woodwork to meet with a potential future king. Well, I guess even people like that have their own problems…”
Wilhelm broke into a wan smile as Subaru briskly stated the facts. But then, the old man’s face twitched. His blue eyes peered into Subaru’s, seemingly searching for something.
“Sir Subaru. Have you had some change of heart while you were away?”
“Ehh? What is it all of a sudden? Did I become a lady-killer in the two or three hours I was gone?”
“You wear the visage of a man haunted by an ordeal…and one of no small consequence.”
Subaru responded to the words with nonchalance, but his expression changed. It shifted from a vague smile to a “real” one.
“Oh, Wilhelm, you big kidder. What, you think I went through some kind of weird transformation?”
“It is difficult for me to call it a minor change. There must be a reason why there is now such a dark glint in your eyes— I understand better than most.”
As the man nodded, Subaru realized that he had never taken a good look at Wilhelm’s eyes. Wilhelm was an individual seething with hatred against someone for some unforgivable sin, which was no doubt why he had noticed the flames of hatred burning within Subaru.
“Are you…going to kick me out?”
“No. It is no doubt best to let you do what you wish, Sir Subaru. I much prefer you as you are now, rather than how you were but a short time ago.”
The two exchanged dark smiles. Though neither shared what tormented him on the inside, they understood each other at least on the surface.
“Subaru. You are making a bad face.”
“Hee-hee-hee… Er, ow, ow, ow! Hey, Rem! You’ll tear it off…!”
The pair’s excessively dark exchange was interrupted when Rem painfully pulled on Subaru’s ear.
“Please do not give me reasons to worry.”
“Hey, it’s super rare for you to ask for something, but you’re being way too vague. In any case, you can relax. I’ll deal with everything from here on out, somehow.”
Rem, unable to keep track of the conversation, had grown concerned. Subaru poured as much affection as he could into a smile.
Now that he knew what he needed to do, Subaru didn’t feel apprehensive at all.
—After all, it was reassuring to know that the only thing he had to do was murder someone.
So Subaru wondered why Rem’s face seemed even more concerned than before. Her eyes showed her hesitation, but just before she said something…
“It would appear that the guest will be taking his leave.”
As Wilhelm murmured, a man exited the mansion’s entry hall and began striding toward them. He was a tall man with long blond hair, clad in formal clothing with sophisticated trimmings. He was probably thirty years old, give or take. He had an air of capability about him.
The man casually acknowledged their gazes as he reached the front of the gate, touching the well-groomed beard on his chin.
“My, my. What unusual people.”
The visitor’s smile was warm, his manner of speaking was gentle, and he had a low, beautiful voice that seemed to naturally filter into people’s minds. He gave them a friendly look, but Subaru did not recognize him. Naturally, this brought furrows to the young man’s brow.
“Ahh, pardon my rudeness. I am called Russel Fellow. I hope we can see more of each other in the future…Subaru Natsuki.”
“…Thank you kindly. Incidentally, how do you know my name? Someone give it to you? Anonymity is more my speed, so if my name gets around, I’ll be too embarrassed to go about my business.”
“Just a little something I heard through the grapevine. After all, you are a famous man who declared himself the knight of Lady Emilia, candidate at the royal selection conference. That being said, few are aware that this very person is currently staying at Lady Crusch’s residence.”
Subaru was guarded, but Russel displayed no ill will on his face. Even so, Subaru was cautious of what might be hidden in the reply. The man seemed to be intentionally engaging him in a verbal joust, which made it hard for Subaru to like him.
The atmosphere was steadily worsening when Wilhelm briskly interrupted with an aside.
“Mr. Russel. Did your meeting with Lady Crusch go well?”
Russel shrugged and shook his head.
“Unfortunately, no. Lady Crusch is a remarkably strict person. She turns rather sharp eyes toward us, as she is quite strict in her views. Judging from events to date, swaying her will not be easy.”
“Is that so? How unfortunate. If you have not yielded, it will be difficult to make others agree.”
“With a noble title and you on her side, I think it is the other candidates I should pity, Mr. Wilhelm… You call yourself Wilhelm Trias now, yes?”
Wilhelm nodded in response to Russel’s words, lowering his deeply wrinkled face. “As I am now, nothing good will come from invoking the name of my wife’s family.”
“You are very strict as well, so much so that I am mightily impressed as someone who cannot live in the same fashion. That being said, allow me to cheer on your side.”
The conversation, which was inscrutable from the outside, came to an end, and Russel walked to the dragon carriage in front of the gate. Then, just before climbing in, he looked back and said, “Should Lady Crusch succeed in her current endeavors, we would feel nothing but delight. It would help achieve your great ambition as well, Mr. Wilhelm. I have high hopes.”
With that, Russel climbed aboard the dragon carriage. Wordlessly, the driver saluted and spurred the land dragon to a run. Like the man holding the reins, the land dragon was very unsociable and surprisingly silent as it galloped away.
Subaru watched the dragon carriage fade into the distance as he asked Wilhelm about the visitor.
“Wilhelm, who was that guy?”
“Russel Fellow, treasurer for the Merchant’s Guild operating here in the royal capital. In name, he is a merchant like any other, but he is a crafty manipulator of both legitimate and unscrupulous movements of goods in the capital. It would be wise to assume he knows more about you than simply your name, Sir Subaru.”
“Eww. It’s downright creepy to have an older man interested in me instead of a girl.”
“Mm, I share that sentiment. Now, then—”
After his response to Subaru’s casual banter, Wilhelm turned to face them once more.
“Mr. Russel was the last visitor for today. I had thought to finally head in, but…did you have something you wished to discuss, Sir Subaru?”
Subaru scratched his face, feeling awkward about throwing off Wilhelm’s plans. That said, beating around the bush wasn’t going to help anything.
“Sorry, but I’m the last visitor for today. I want to have a talk with Crusch—the topic is…whether she could lend me a hand with something.”
3
“That you are my final visitor for today is an amusing turn of events.”
Heedless of the fact that her schedule had gone awry, Crusch responded with a good-humored smile.
Dressed in male attire, Crusch was sitting heavily in a chair in the reception room with her legs elegantly crossed. She stroked her deep-green hair, her amber eyes narrowing as her gaze pierced his chest.
Subaru thought her sharp look would have bowled over his old self in an instant. Now, with Rem at his side, he didn’t feel nervous at all facing her like this.
In the meantime, Ferris stood behind Crusch, his feline ears twitching as he glared at Subaru in obvious dismay.
“Fortunately, there is a break in my schedule between now and supper. I am able to humor you without any issues until then.”
“Since mew asked out of the blue, this is the only time she has available, meow . The depth of Lady Crusch’s indulgence should make mew bow your head to the ground in gratitude, Subawuuu.”
“Do not be concerned. I need no thanks nor groveling.”
“Oh my, Lady Crusch. Your gallantry and generosity are making me fall for you even more… I’m in love!”
Ferris and Crusch engaged in their usual game where the master rebuked her servant for his attitude.
“Beating around the bush won’t solve anything, and I don’t think you like that stuff, anyway.”
Subaru needed to be careful how he broached the topic, but a roundabout discussion would only draw Crusch’s ire.
“You sought this audience. I shall let you start— What is it you want?”
She really did get right to the point.
Subaru licked his dry lips to moisten them, took a deep breath, and dived in.
“The Witch Cult or whatever it’s called is planning to attack Roswaal’s territory. I want you to lend me your strength so we can crush them.”
Subaru cut right to the issue at hand: These were the conditions necessary for fulfilling his goal. He needed raw fighting power to oppose the Witch Cult. Without Roswaal to rely on, he had to go elsewhere, and Crusch was a good fit.
“I see. The Witch Cult, is it?”
Subaru’s request garnered various reactions from the others in the reception room, but Crusch nodded. When her glossy lips turned up in a wry smile, Subaru was startled by this side of her he hadn’t seen before. Her response had betrayed all of Subaru’s expectations. But the fuse had already been lit. Subaru’s heart beat hard and fast as he waited for Crusch’s next action, when…
“What is the matter? I told you, this is your time to speak.”
While Subaru hesitated, the thin smile remained on Crusch’s face as she inclined her head. The unexpected remark threw him off somewhat.
“Er, I mean… It’s as I said just now.”
“Surely you do not intend to conclude with that request alone? What is your reason for asking this of me? What will come about as a result? What advantage would I gain from accepting your call for aid? One cannot dub this a negotiation when those things are not yet clear.”
Urk. Subaru’s voice caught. Crusch seemed turned off as she closed one of her eyes. From that gesture alone, Subaru knew just how impudent he had been.
“I suppose you’re right about that. Sorry, that was rude of me. I mean, er, bear with me a little; I don’t really have any experience with negotiations like this.”
“It’s only natural to acknowledge personal shortcomings. Do not worry. But this conversation lasts only until supper—keep this in mind.”
Mentioning the time limit directly after a display of generosity plainly showed that she was employing both the carrot and the stick.
“First, the reason I’m asking for your help… Put simply, we don’t have enough manpower, way too little to stand up against the number of Witch Cult attackers. As a result, we can’t fend off the assault.”
“A simple story. But is Lord Mathers not sufficient by himself? He may well be the strongest fighter out of anyone in Lugunica. The Witch Cult should be no match when relying on numbers alone.”
“If they all gathered in one place, that might be the case, but it’s not. There’s only one of Roswaal, and they’ll be attacking at least two places at once.”
If nothing else, the village and the mansion were already two targets for certain.
He remembered hearing “sweeping clean” and the like multiple times. It was possible they’d assault even passing dragon carriages and traveling merchants.
“I see. I understand your position. However, is this not Lord Mathers neglecting his domain? The duty of a lord is to maintain his martial might to keep the peace. If his overconfidence has led him to be lax in these duties, his reputation as marquis will inevitably suffer.”
“I can’t disagree with a single word you said. Anyway, for those reasons, we don’t have enough to deal with the Witch Cult. I want something to fight with, the power of numbers.”
For the purpose of negotiations, Subaru concealed that Roswaal and the power he brought to the table might not even be present.
He glanced sideways at Wilhelm. If his request was accepted, Wilhelm was of course a part of Crusch’s forces that he hoped to borrow. Perhaps understanding the meaning behind Subaru’s gaze, Crusch exhaled as she seemed to sink into deep thought.
“The Witch Cult… They are finally making a move, I see…”
“Mm-hmm. Well, we figured as much when Lady Emilia, a half-elf, rose onto the stage…”
As Crusch murmured and Ferris agreed, master and servant nodding to each other, Subaru furrowed his brows. But before he could ask anything, Subaru shifted his focus to his side—where Rem, seated there, silently pursed her lips as fierce emotion poured out of her. The expression on her profile was intentionally blank, but her internal turmoil was obvious.
The Witch Cult, the object of Rem’s hatred, was now Subaru’s greatest enemy. He probably had the same look in his eyes as she did.
“Your circumstances are clear now. Next, I’ll hear the reason for choosing to ask my house for aid…and your logic in doing so.”
“I picked you and your people because you have the best chance of turning this thing around. Besides, you’ve given Rem and me your hospitality, and I think it’s easier to work with you than the other candidates.”
Subaru had expected this line of questioning, so he had an answer prepared.
Deep down, he believed there were others who were easier to deal with than Crusch. But Subaru’s own sentiments, and the ease of contacting her at the moment, had led him to the current meeting.
“Easier to work with, you say.”
“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why I wanted to come speak to you about th—”
“Subaru Natsuki, allow me to correct you about one thing.”
As she received Subaru’s reply, Crusch gave him a beaming smile, rich in meaning, as she raised a single finger.
“My hospitality for you as a host has engendered a misunderstanding. For this, I apologize.”
“…What do you mean, a misunderstanding?”
“I am not treating you like an enemy. However, Emilia and I are already political rivals. Do you see? Emilia stands in opposition to me.”
“Er, but you took us under your roof…”
“Because a contract had been formed. Your treatment is part of that agreement. Regardless of how I treat you in this mansion, it does not change our position as rivals beyond these doors.”
Even the first time around, Crusch had declared that Subaru would be her enemy the moment the contract was over. It was both a sincere statement of fact and a declaration that it was useless to seek anything from her.
“In other words, there’s no chance of joining forces with you?”
“That is a different matter altogether. As I said before, Subaru Natsuki, if there are to be negotiations, there must be acceptable benefits for both sides. Everything until now, including your motivations, have served only to clarify your premises. I merely wish to ask from your point of view what I stand to gain from lending you military strength. After all…”
At that point, Crusch’s words trailed off. She put down an elbow, resting her chin against her palm.
“It could be said that no explanation was really necessary. Now that Emilia’s lineage is common knowledge, we have been expecting the Witch Cult to make a move. Regardless of the circumstances, we were already sure of this.”
Apparently, Crusch had never questioned that the Witch Cult would try something. Perhaps it could be called common knowledge peculiar to her world. Either way, it was working in Subaru’s favor.
“That being the case, this negotiation hinges on mutual benefit. In your case, you would be able to borrow my house’s might to eliminate the menace of the Witch Cult. What of my house, then? This is what I ask you.”
“S-simply saving people isn’t—”
“It would be ideal, in a sense, if that were reason enough for us to mobilize.”
The gaze Crusch turned upon Subaru was like a blade, cutting apart the illusion in his reply as it aimed to inflict a mortal wound. Subaru desperately grasped for a comeback before he was shut down altogether.
“Ahh, right. For example, lending a hand in this time of crisis would mean that our camp would owe you a pretty big favor…”
“—Am I to take that to mean you understand that if I accept your proposal, it would entail Emilia’s forfeiture in the royal selection?”
“Eh?”
The sharp thrust of her comment left Subaru’s mouth hanging open.
“It is natural, yes? Throwing yourself at the mercy of another lord when your own territory is in danger is an issue of fitness for the throne. If someone cannot protect their subjects through the rule of law and strength of arms, how can they be expected to shoulder the burden of an entire kingdom? Subaru Natsuki. I shall correct you about one more thing.”
Crusch pointed the tip of her finger toward Subaru, cowed into silence, as if ready to drive it through him.
“By conducting these negotiations, you bear Emilia’s fate on your shoulders. Naturally, everything you say affects her, and it carries the same weight as Emilia’s words. This is not a decision you should make lightly, nor are the words you say easily taken back.”
“…Ah, uh…”
“Moreover, I ask again—should you owe me in this matter, it will mean the defeat of the Emilia camp. Are you truly fine with this?”
It was only at this moment that Subaru began to genuinely understand his position. They were not participating in a lighthearted after-school debate club where Subaru had no real responsibility to bear. Theirs was a great stage where a single statement could alter the fates of many people or even decide the direction the entire kingdom would take.
“But even so…”
Too late, he realized what a heavy burden he carried on his shoulders. But Subaru ground his teeth.
Just as Crusch said, borrowing her strength under the present terms meant that Emilia would lose her place in the royal selection—a failure from which there was no turning back. But if he didn’t lean on Crusch’s strength, all that awaited was the rampage of the Witch Cult’s fanatics and tragedy.
Subaru’s brain painfully creaked from the ceaseless back-and-forth of the scales in his head.
“—Still, I want you to help us.”
“…Even if it means losing the royal selection?”
“It’s better to be alive than not. If you die, that’s the end of everything.”
Subaru’s shoulders fell as he replied, unable to conceal his dejection and despair at his own powerlessness.
If you die, then it’s over.
The terrible spectacle of the ruined village, of Rem, who was sitting right beside him, meeting a cruel death—Subaru didn’t have the courage to witness it again.
He lowered his head and swallowed the humiliation. It was necessary so he could at least save their lives.
“Understood. In that case, the House of Karsten shall not lend you any assistance whatsoever.”
4
For an instant, Subaru froze, unable to process what had just been said to him.
“—Huh?”
It was less a word and more a sound of doubt that was also a simple indication of incomprehension. But Crusch brushed it off, crossing her slender legs.
“I repeat. Your request for my house to send aid to the Mathers domain—to lend military forces to Emilia—is hereby rejected.”
Subaru gritted his teeth as Crusch spelled it out in terms he could understand. Feeling belittled by her composed statement, Subaru flew into a rage.
“Don’t f—! Why are you…?!”
“First, the advantage to my side that you so bitterly conceded—Emilia’s defeat in the royal selection—has no weight as a bargaining chip of use in these negotiations. Do you understand why?”
“Wh-what the hell? Kissing one of your rivals good-bye should be plenty worth it for you…”
“Do you realize what you have said? As far as Emilia’s defeat is concerned, it will come about without any intervention on my part whatsoever.”
“What are…”
…you saying? Subaru would have said, but then he realized it for himself.
“As you have stated, without aid, Emilia cannot protect the Mathers domain. Meaning, at this rate, and completely without my involvement, Emilia will be defeated in the royal selection.”
“—”
“Indeed, were I to recklessly lend assistance, the knowledge I was involved in Emilia’s defeat would itself become a problem with the other candidates. As you are aware, my house is currently the favorite to win this royal selection. If it became known that I booted another candidate from the contest, I could not fail to attract the enmity of all the others.”
In other words, as long as she quietly watched, Crusch would gain the benefit Subaru had indicated with no harm to herself. There was no reason for her to court danger unnecessarily; it would be akin to snatching chestnuts out of a fire.
But that meant—
“You’re going to let the people in Roswaal’s…in that village be slaughtered by the Witch Cult’s attack?!”
Subaru had shouted, but Crusch’s icy gaze gave him pause.
“I shall correct your misunderstanding. And I am changing the subject, Subaru Natsuki.”
“Ugh…!”
“It is Emilia’s lack of power to protect her domain and Emilia’s lack of ability that has invited disaster upon her populace, not mine.”
Lack of power…lack of ability —the weight of those words shocked him.
Subaru felt a need to rail against Crusch’s claims. And yet, the childish, emotional retorts welling up within him did not grant him the strength to refute Crusch’s sound argument.
“It would seem you have said your piece.”
Crusch checked the time, as indicated by the amber light of the magic time crystal above the reception room’s door.
“It shall soon be Earth Time. Time for supper. All according to schedule, apparently.”
Seeing Crusch about to rise from her seat, Subaru was suddenly stricken by nervousness as he called out, “W-wait!”
He raised his hand to stop Crusch from breaking off the conversation, desperately searching inside his head for some way to keep negotiations going.
“Y-you’ll really abandon them? The folks in the village haven’t done anything wrong! There’s no reason for them to die!”
But the words that came out of Subaru’s mouth were little more than a feeble attempt to appeal to another’s charity. A faint look of disappointment entered Crusch’s eyes as she listened to his immature reasoning.
“I told you. I am not the one whose strength is insufficient…”
“Don’t you feel bad knowing and abandoning them anyway?! If you have the power to save them, why won’t you?! What’s wrong with helping people?! Because it’s someone else’s land, it’s not your problem?!”
“Would you just shut up and listen a little—”
“It’s fine, Ferris.”
“But Lady Crusch! This time he’s gone too far, meow !”
“He has bared his spirit. It does not sit well with my beliefs to withhold an answer.”
Though Ferris howled in dismay, he quietly bowed to Crusch’s command. Watching him from the corner of her eye, Crusch sat straighter in her chair. After taking a deep breath, she mulled over Subaru’s statement.
“You ask is it wrong of me to overlook this, to allow them to die?”
“That’s right! You’re aiming to be king, right?! Carry the whole country on your back? What kind of king overlooks a whole village?!”
“I shall correct one misconception of yours.”
Crusch raised a finger. Her gaze shot right through Subaru, seemingly reproaching him for his frivolousness.
“When I rejected your proposal, I stated one reason. I shall elucidate the other chief reason for my doubts.”
Crusch had another reason for not being open to Subaru’s proposal—the reason she was abandoning Emilia. And that was—
“And that is because I do not trust your story enough to order my house into action.”
Her statement threw the premise of the entire meeting back at Subaru, stunning him.
“Wh…aa?”
“The Witch Cult? Yes, it’s possible that they would make a move at this juncture. It would be consistent with their creed and their activities to date. I can make a deduction based on those factors. However, the problem lies elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere…?”
“It is a simple matter. How is it that you can determine the exact place, date, and time of where they will strike next?”
Pointing her finger toward Subaru, Crusch’s eyes and voice were like daggers.
“The Cult is absolutely inscrutable, to the point that its true nature is completely unknown. It’s telling that their organization has survived for hundreds of years while evading destruction, causing immense damage in the meantime. So how exactly have you learned of their next vile act?”
“That’s… But you never said a word of that before…!”
“I did not feel the need to be that explicit. Since you could not accept it, I pointed out the heart of the matter for you. If you still cannot, there is but one possibility.”
In place of Subaru, cowed into silence, Crusch slowly spelled it out for him.
“Naturally, wouldn’t you know about the Witch Cult if you were part of it?”
“Don’t mess with—!”
This time, fierce, irrepressible emotion rushed to his throat to turn into a scream. But it stopped just on the verge of that, though not because of Subaru’s self-control.
“—”
That reason was the increasingly ghastly aura rising from Rem as she silently watched the exchange between Crusch and Subaru.
“Lady Crusch, surely you jest.”
Crusch tilted her head at the modesty of Rem’s tone, no different from before.
“There is no way that Subaru could be part of the Witch Cult.”
“Is that so? Judging by Subaru Natsuki’s statement, if he cannot voice the reason he has such knowledge, I can reach no other conclusion. Have you not sensed for yourself why I say this?”
“—I have not.”
No doubt Crusch detected the slight hesitation in her statement. Rem, who could sense the Witch’s scent coming from Subaru, had been tripped up by Crusch’s casual, leading question.
“At any rate. For both of these reasons, my house cannot lend Emilia aid due to insufficient trust. Moreover, you have not been granted the right to act as a negotiator in the first place, have you?”
“Ugh…”
“Earlier, I threatened you by stating that Emilia’s advance or retreat rested upon your shoulders, but in truth, the problem precedes even that. At this juncture, you have no responsibility at all.”
—He’d charged ahead alone, tried to protect things alone, and failed alone.
Crusch’s words calmly tore into Subaru’s bared heart.
“…As you are now, meekly remaining here under my protection, you possess no power that can move me.”
“—!!”
Over and over again, her words crashed into him, exposing Subaru’s helplessness, pressing onto him his ignorance, driving home his spinelessness, and mocking him for being senseless, rash, indiscreet, and ugly, with backhanded sympathy thrown in for good measure.
Subaru was overwhelmed by the realization that absolutely nothing had gone the way he wanted.
Had he made a mistake somewhere? He was only trying to do the right thing. Thinking himself correct, he believed someone would help him, and so he had searched, beseeched, and begged. Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do?
“The Witch Cult is coming! They’re going to slaughter everyone in the village…!”
Subaru pleaded with so much anger and sadness that he felt like his throat was about to burst.
He’d seen it. He’d felt each and every one of their deaths. All the precious people he cared about had turned to white crystal as everything in the world froze over.
If nothing was done, the heartless reality of the situation meant that it was certain. That tragedy would happen again.
Why can’t anyone understand that?
Why won’t people get out of my way and let me prevent such a terrible fate?
“Kill them…just kill them already! Don’t you get it?! You can’t let people like that live! Kill them! Help me, damn it…!!”
Subaru fell to his knees, prostrating himself as he earnestly implored her for assistance.
If he needed to put his forehead to the floor and beg, he would happily play the clown. As long as Crusch would lend her strength, he didn’t mind being looked down upon or insulted. He’d even bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken. As long as his bloodlust could be sated, then—
“—So that is the true motive for your actions?”
But in the face of Subaru’s sincere, unwavering, humiliating plea…
“You hate the Witch Cult. That’s the reason you approached Emilia, is it not?”
—This woman of influence, who never made decisions based on her emotions, held not the slightest shred of pity.
5
Torn apart by her cold voice and gaze, Subaru was speechless, his shoulders trembling. Engulfed by a torrent of emotions, Subaru no longer knew whether he was feeling anger, sadness, or some strange mixture of the two.
“No… I—I just want to save everyone…”
Crusch’s conclusion was off the mark.
The idea that he acted solely because of hatred for the Witch Cult was nothing more than a misunderstanding from an incomplete perspective.
Subaru’s feelings were always rooted in trying to help others, weren’t they?
And yet, he could not raise a single word in rebuttal.
“You cannot deceive others with the lies you tell yourself. Right now, the glint in your eyes can only be called bloodlust or madness. Have you not noticed, Subaru Natsuki?”
Crusch’s gaze was both harsh and yet filled with something that resembled pity.
“They have been like that ever since the moment you returned to the mansion.”
Her dry observation elicited a dramatic reaction from Subaru. Unwittingly, he covered his eyes, as if to find out for himself that which he could not see, even though it only further proved that he could not refute Crusch’s accusation.
“I do not know why you are so obsessed with the Witch Cult. The Cult has perverted the lives of many. Perhaps you are one among them. Perhaps your anger and hatred are entirely just. However, that is irrelevant in these negotiations.”
“Even if—even if I hate the Witch Cult, so what? Th-they’re the blight of this world. It’d be better if you just killed every last one of ’em. It’s true, that’s what I think, but it isn’t a reason to break off negotiations and abandon people…!”
“Do not change the subject again, Subaru Natsuki. It’s true; my suspicion that hatred is the reason for your conduct is unrelated to negotiations. More precisely, the fact that you are unfit to negotiate with me is of great import, for it brings into question the propriety of what you seek to discuss.”
“What do you mean…unfit?”
Subaru, clenching his teeth to the point that they seeped blood, kept lobbing questions in an attempt to cling to something. The end of this conversation meant the end of negotiations. That was his pressing fear.
“If my hypothesis is correct, and the motivation for your actions is an unbridled loathing for the Witch Cult, then I can only wonder if you approached Emilia purely to use her as a stepping-stone in the first place.”
“I…approach her…stepping-stone…?”
“It was clear that if Emilia participated in the royal selection and the circumstances of her birth were made public, the Witch Cult would predictably move according to its beliefs. If someone was hoping to catch the cultists under their thumb despite the fact that it was normally impossible to find even a trace of their activities, no other plan could have greater odds of success.”
“You’re saying I’m using Emilia as a pretense to get revenge?!”
Subaru pounded his fist into the table before him, raising a shout at the unbelievable accusation.
“Do you think your display just now and simply yelling ‘no’ can convince me…? Hatred shows clearly in your eyes, and bloodlust oozes from your every word, the sort that clings to a person so thickly and grows so hard, it can never be scraped away, let alone forgotten.”
—No! No, no, no, no!
Crusch’s statement did not capture Subaru’s true character in the slightest.
“They’re evil whether I hate them or not! You can’t let people like that live! That’s why we should kill them all! That’ll save everyone! It’ll help everybody! No one has to suffer—those bastards just need to die!!”
“I have told you already, Subaru Natsuki. If you do not even believe the lies you tell yourself, there is no chance they will deceive anyone else.”
While Subaru breathed raggedly, his eyes bloodshot, Crusch refuted him in a hard voice. As Subaru’s shoulders heaved, she looked up at him with narrowed eyes from her seat and spoke.
“Bereft of hatred, bloodlust, and bile toward the Witch Cult, your statements are unconvincing.”
“Wh-why…?”
When Subaru spoke with a broken voice, Crusch looked at him with sympathy and pity in her eyes.
“Do you really not understand?”
However, Subaru’s brows furrowed with perplexity at what Crusch was getting at. She lowered her eyes, unable to conceal her disappointment and dismay at his reaction.
“—You have not said, ‘I want to save Emilia,’ even once.”
“…Huh?”
“You claim to want to save people, to protect people, smoothing things over on the surface while darker emotions boil up inside you. At the very least, it is inconsistent with what I saw of you in the throne room.”
Unable to understand the meaning of Crusch’s words, Subaru wavered, his gaze hollow.
—I wasn’t thinking about saving Emilia?
“—”
It couldn’t be true. Ever since he had been transported to this new world, from the first time she had saved his life, Subaru had lived for Emilia. His feelings were no different in the throne room, during the incident at the parade ground, or even during his negotiation with Crusch. If the situation was left to play out as it was, he’d lose her and the village. His actions were for the sake of saving them.
And absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not because hatred had seized his heart—
Abruptly, a voice struck Subaru, breaking the silence.
“I cannot permit you to advance any farther.”
Subaru’s mind was instantly jolted back to reality. In front of him was Wilhelm, standing straight. The elderly man had placed himself beside the table separating Subaru and Crusch with compassion on his deeply wrinkled face.
For some reason, that downward, tender gaze was really rubbing Subaru the wrong way.
Abruptly, something tugged on his sleeve.
“—Subaru.”
Rem was grasping Subaru’s sleeve, her eyes filled with sadness.
“Please calm down. Nothing will come of losing control here. And if you do, I won’t be able to fight off Master Wilhelm.”
“…Control? What are you talking about? I’d never do anything viole—”
“Wait, wait, wait. Then what do mew intend to do with that tablespoon you’re squeezing so hard? Maybe your parents raised you badly, but that’s not how you hold one, meow .”
When Ferris pointed it out, Subaru realized for the first time that he was holding a tablespoon in his right hand—and that he was crudely gripping it backward, like he was going to stab someone with it.
—How… When did I…?
“Just like Rem pointed out, violence will get you nothing, meow . If you fly into a rage here, I’ll just keep Rem occupied while Old Man Wil slices you in half.”
“Moreover, I do not want to issue such a command. To do so after you have stayed here for several days would cause political problems, and I would rather not stain the carpet that my father sent me as a present.”
In the face of Subaru’s insolence, Crusch still behaved reservedly. This was at once a display of the greatness of her character and scorn for the powerlessness of Subaru, who had nothing to wield in anger save a tiny utensil.
All of it really rubbed him the wrong way.
But instead of an apology, dogged insistence came out of his mouth.
“…So you’re not going to lend a hand, no matter what, then?”
“Correct. Your statements are not credible, nor does cooperating with you hold any attractiveness for my side. Accordingly, I shall observe from a distance.”
“The Witch Cult…is coming. When they get here, they’re going to kill all the people in that village. Knowing but not doing anything means it’ll be your ‘Sloth’ that kills the village.”
Subaru glared at Crusch, invoking the title of a certain despicable madman.
“Quite arrogantly put. Consequently, there is one more thing for me to add.”
While Subaru gave her a filthy look, Crusch stood up, staring straight back into his eyes.
“I am able to largely discern whether a person is lying. I can boast that, since far back, I have never once been cheated in negotiations.”
Suddenly, Crusch began to speak on a different topic. She continued to peer into Subaru’s eyes as they clouded with doubt.
“If my experience is anything to judge by, what you speak are not lies.”
“Th-then…!”
“You wholly believe that your assertions are the truth, and therefore, they are not lies to you. Those in such a state are called madmen, Subaru Natsuki.”
It was then and there that Subaru clearly understood that negotiations had failed.
“—!”
Continuous clenching of his teeth had cut the edge of his lip, sending blood dribbling down his jaw. Crusch narrowed her eyes as she watched the painful image.
“Ferris, go ahead and heal him.”
“I don’t need it!”
Before Ferris could move a muscle, Subaru rejected the offer and stood, practically leaping from his chair.
“Suppertime is here. Will you not be joining us?”
“You wouldn’t want to eat at the same table as a madman, would you? No matter how eccentric your taste or style might be, that’d be a bit too far even for you.”
Subaru replied to sarcasm with sarcasm as he reached for the reception room door. Following suit, Rem stood at attention and politely bowed to Crusch.
“It has been a short time, but thank you for the hospitality. On behalf of my master, I offer my thanks.”
“So this is your…no, Marquis Mathers’s reply?”
“Yes. He instructed me to respect Subaru’s wishes in all things.”
Subaru couldn’t see Crusch’s expression during the incomprehensible exchange, but Crusch’s voice seemed to bear no small amount of regret as Rem stated her farewells.
Whatever she felt, it was clearly not the coldness she’d shown to Subaru, and it was infuriating him.
“Rem, let’s go.”
Picking up the pace, Subaru called out to Rem and opened the door.
“Have you anywhere else to turn to?”
“Make sure you become a good king, okay? The despotic type that tosses aside the weak.”
Spitting out his reply without turning around, Subaru slammed the door shut.
And thus, in pathetic fashion, the curtain lowered on the negotiations.
6
It was well into the evening when Subaru bolted out into the Nobles’ District after negotiations had broken down.
The sun had already dipped low in the west. The aura of night was slowly creeping over the world. With the light of the crystal lamps lining the road shining down upon him, Subaru leaned back against an iron fence, spitting out curses.
“Shit. One thing after another…”
The exchange with Crusch rose in the back of his mind—and with it, the humiliation he had suffered.
“Those know-nothings… Why don’t they understand I’m doing the right thing…?!”
The swirling vortex inside his chest was emotion close to hatred toward the woman who had impeded his path.
Things had turned out this way because she hadn’t seen for herself that tragedy or the laughter of that cruel, conniving madman. It was because she had not heard it. She hadn’t experienced it for herself, so she didn’t understand: They were beasts and could not be suffered to live.
“Fine. Fine already. My messing up, people with no feelings, gotta forget all that. Right now I need to focus more on what’s in front of me…!”
Rather than stand still and mope, the right choice was to move forward, one small step at a time. After all, to Subaru, with so few cards to play, time was a precious thing.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Subaru.”
While Subaru tapped a foot in annoyance, Rem passed through the gate, returning to her spot beside him. She was carrying the luggage they had brought with them to the Crusch residence, neatly packed up and ready to go. After Subaru’s caustic outburst and furious exit, he had been waiting while Rem went to gather their things.
“…Sorry. Gimme the luggage; I’ll haul it.”
“It is fine. The bags are not heavy, and you are still recovering, Subaru.”
Rem politely declined Subaru’s offer and hefted the luggage in her arms. Normally, Subaru would have insisted, but with his mental resources otherwise occupied, he did not dwell on the matter.
“Come to think of it, you weren’t opposed to leaving, were you, Rem?”
“Correct. It was your choice, Subaru.”
“Well, after all that, I can’t exactly come crawling back for more healing. Whatever Emilia bargained for it, I feel bad for her.”
Emilia had tendered something to pave the way for Subaru’s medical treatments. Subaru had distinct feelings of guilt on multiple levels for wasting her kindness again.
But Subaru was sure it’d be all right. Once he rescued her from this crisis, they’d be able to make up, so she’d probably forgive this, too.
To that end, among other things, Petelgeuse had to die.
“Subaru. About the…negotiations with Lady Crusch…”
“She made a big deal about trustworthiness, benefits, and other pointless crap. No shred of human decency in her. How can anyone put up with that high-and-mighty attitude—?”
Subaru interrupted Rem with his curses, cutting off her attempt to raise the subject. Perhaps she sensed his desire to not revisit the matter, because she brought up something else.
“What will we do now, Subaru? If what you say is true, there is not a single moment to lose.”
“If?”
“…There is not a single moment to lose. Will we be returning to Master Roswaal’s mansion?”
Subaru interjected about a part of her line that bugged him, but Rem didn’t bite. Subaru shook his head in response to her latter question.
“Nah. Right now, if it’s just us heading back, there’s not a whole lot we can do. We’ve gotta go with a big enough crew to put up a decent fight. And if we can’t do that, we need to find another way somehow.”
If only Subaru and Rem showed up to help, it would result in a repeat of what had come before. Yes, if they departed sooner than previous times, there was a chance they could make it back to the mansion safely without encountering the Witch Cult. But it would probably be very difficult repelling the Cult with nothing but the resources the mansion had on hand.
“We just don’t have the numbers. What the hell has Roswaal been up to…?”
By himself, Roswaal was powerful enough that they might be able to send the Cult packing. So what was that court magician doing at the very moment they needed him most…?
“Subaru. Actually, in regards to Master Roswaal… There is a very high chance he will be absent from the mansion for several days.”
“—?! You knew? So Roswaal not being at the mansion was preplanned?”
“Master Roswaal was to visit Garfiel’s… Er, the place of an important individual within the dominion, and he planned to stay there for several days.”
“Shit, his timing sucks! So that’s why they can’t repel the attack!”
Rem’s answer bolstered Subaru’s concerns, and he clawed at his head as he spat his frustrations like a curse. Now that Roswaal, their greatest weapon, could not be relied on, his earlier estimate rang true: They were at an overwhelming disadvantage. Subaru and Rem turning back early wouldn’t make any difference.
“Looks like I was right. I’ve gotta bring the cavalry with me somehow…”
Subaru, revisiting his first conclusion with renewed confidence, nodded to Rem, who watched him all the while. The objective was set, but time was short. If he wanted to at least do better than the previous two loops, he had to leave the royal capital the following day. Considering that night was falling, this left him with about half a day to work with.
“Anyway, we’ve got no choice but to look for help from someone else. Rem, how well do you know the layout of the capital?”
“Fairly well, since I have come here several times before and spent quite a bit of time looking around with you over the past few days… But who?”
“First, let’s find an inn. The rest comes after that. At the latest, we need to leave the capital tomorrow or we won’t make it in time. Anyway…I’ll think about everything after that.”
Subaru bluntly told Rem that they had to prepare to the greatest extent possible. Seeing out of the corner of his eye that Rem had quietly accepted his plan, Subaru looked up at the sky without another word.
From the other side, darkness was creeping across the sky above the capital. It felt like it was an ill omen.
The shadow moved eerily and sluggishly, as if implying storm clouds were gathering along Subaru’s path…
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