CHAPTER 14: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Roswaal: “The White Whale has fallen, and the Cardinal of Sin targeting the mansion has been repelled. We are now allied with election candidate Crusch-sama. Any one of these battles alone is a considerable achievement—Hmmmmm.”
Says Roswaal, still in bed, as he rubs his chin and closes his eyes. Subaru's told him all that's gone on while he's been absent.
Ram: “...To be blunt, these activities sound braggartly and suspect. When did you become a character in an action play, Barusu?”
Subaru complains that it's kind of irritating hearing her say that but he can't exactly disagree he thinks it sounds unbelievable too. Both by his own and by others' estimates its just SLIGHTLY crazy levels of doing shit.
Roswaal: “This is uuuuunmistakably an unexpected result. Even I... no, not anyone cooooould have predicted that you would have done thiiiiiiis much.”
Roswaal nods, seemingly over his surprise. His expression is still weirdly serious for him as he stares at Subaru, who is seated in a chair at Roswaal's bedside.
Roswaal: “First, allow me to convey you my gratituuuuuude. —I thank you for protecting my land and people. And, being her backer, I cannot thank you enough for the great services you have devoted to Emilia-sama.”
Subaru: “O, oh. Huhhah. Ummhuh, I hear that and even I might just maybe slightly wind up curling up a little. I didn't do anything that...”
Ram: “It seems you don't quite understand the weight of Roswaal-sama's thanks, Barusu.”
Ram takes a step forward and looks down at Subaru, who is attempting to get Roswaal to stop, with her penetrating gaze.
Ram: “To interrupt your superior when he is speaking, and evenmoreso to fling denials at an expression of gratitude, are fundamentally unforgivable acts. That is without mentioning that Roswaal-sama commands the station of Margrave, an important individual who bears full authority over a section of the Kingdom of Lugnica. —His words of gratitude are infinitely heavier than what you believe, Barusu.”
Subaru goes silent.
Ram: “Considering Roswaal-sama's superior position, it is no simple act that he may bow his head or proffer words of gratitude to an inferior. Do understand more prudently that he is doing so.”
Subaru has no refutation to this and lowers his gaze. Roswaal casually raises a hand like oh lol no big dealio.
Roswaal: “Ram's making a sliiiiiiiiiightly tremendous exaggeration. My words don't nearly have sooooooooo much worth.”
Ram: “Roswaal-sama.”
Says Ram concerned. Roswaal gives a nod.
Roswaal: “Thaaaaat said,”
Roswaal: “Leaving aside the weight of gratitude given from my position, the weight of what you've done, Subaru-kun, is obvious to anyone's eyes. Aaaaaaand I can easily imagine being the recipient of much disappointment and grumbling for not giving appropriate compensation, soooo.”
Subaru: “...Then, you mean you're conciliating?”
Roswaal: “Through appropriate compensation. —Subaru-kun, do you remember what happened in the hall for the Royal Selection?”
Subaru's throat catches, Roswaal narrows his eyes. Even now remembering what happened then makes Subaru's chest burn with shame and self-ridicule.
Subaru: “I remember. Wouldn't forget it. ...Better I don't forget it, I think.”
Roswaal: “Then, here is how I would like to reward your achievements. Let us make when you said then become the reality. —The morning we leave here safely, I will appoint you as Knight.”
Subaru raises his head, for a second unable to comprehend what he's hearing. He blinks, still shaking, as Roswaal gives him a nod.
Roswaal: “Someone who has preformed great deeds of participating in the White Whale subjugation alongside the Duchess, and slain one of the Witch Cult's Cardinals of Sin, should not be anonymous. Your name should both receive the honourable title of KNIGHT Natsuki Subaru, simultaneous with the nation speaking of you with such honour. —No longer would anyone be able to laugh at what you said then.”
Subaru thinks over the loops of arc 3. His immature daydreams folded before reality, he despaired, sank into lunacy, scorned everything as he succumbed to lust for revenge, was saved by love—and now was here. And with this 'HONOUR' that Roswaal's talking about, everything from that time will be undoubtedly proven as valuable.
—Including, remaining inside not a single person but Subaru, Rem's achievements.
Subaru: “...I accept, gratefully. That is, so long at it gives those battles significance.”
Roswaal: “Let no one mock your prideworthy achievements. You acquired the right to stand, chest high, at Emilia-sama's side. By your own power.”
Subaru: “...Really, not just my power.”
Subaru mutters to himself, Roswaal's brows crinkle, apparently unable to catch what Subaru said. Subaru closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and after opening his eyes again gives a light shrug.
Subaru: “Man, that was a serious little talk. Go too long like that and we'll have a character breakdown, then it'll be embarrassing when we go back to normal so let's reign it in. My face's already burning hot.”
Roswaal agrees that they've been incredibly unlike themselves in this little chat, having an actual serious talk and all.
Roswaal relaxes his expression too to match Subaru's grinning and the atmosphere of the room changes. Ram gives a small sigh.
Ram: “Now then,”
Ram: “Next would be that you have questions you would like to ask Roswaal-sama, correct, Barusu? You distanced even Emilia-sama from this conversation for that purpose.”
Subaru: “Your being prickly's speeding the conversation ahead but that's actually a help. ...I'm not treating Emilia-tan like she's a nuisance, just if she was here Roz-chi'd probably clam up.”
Indeed Emilia is not in the room.
Ram: “Which was why you made her accompany Lewes-sama for a survey of Sanctuary. Although Emilia-sama seemed rather discouraged when she heard you would be staying behind?”
Subaru: “I'm glad she's counting on me, but considering what's coming up I can't just run full-throttle off cravings for what's right in fronta me. She'll probably meet up with Otto somewhere, so worrying about her being alone isn... what if that bastard Otto makes a move on Emilia-tan. Emilia¬tan's super crazy cute now I'm worried.”
Roswaal: “I dooooon't quite think it's good to make yourself worry midway through talking? Regardless, your ideas aren't iiiiiiincorrect. —If the content was something I diiiiiidn't want Emilia¬sama to hear, I definitely wouldn't voiiiiiiice it.”
Subaru: “Knew it.”
Subaru: “You're intentionally limiting what information gets to Emilia-tan. ...what the hell are you thinking, doing that?”
Roswaal: “You doooon't think it's necessary I be selective with information? Royal Selection Candidate Emilia is infinitely aaaaaaabove me in importance. However, her knowledge hasn't been polished enough to befit her qualifications. Pushing too much ooooon someone midway through their leaning would merely be forcing them, soooo...”
Subaru: “From the guy who can and did set Emilia-tan up with that carefree learning environment, some nice platitudes. That the people who know things aren't saying anything, when the situation's stuck due to lack of information, doesn't make any damn sense. It can't be a positive for you either.” Subaru clicks his tongue, holding himself in as he speaks quietly. Roswaal closes an eye at the quiet Subaru and silently stares back. It's pretty often that Roswaal stares at Subaru like this—with just his left, yellow eye. Subaru fidgets in discomfort at the gaze, which is making him uneasy for no particular reason. Roswaal smiles.
Roswaal: “Weeeeell, I did figure that one day I'd be prooooobed rather intensely with questions? Which is precisely why I've preeeeepared my resolve for just this time.”
Subaru: “Resolve?” Roswaal: “Resolve to answer your questions, with only mooooderate evasion. Wouldn't you say the fact I can't run away and am seriously wounded makes rather greeeeeeat seasoning for it?”
Subaru: “...Seriously, a blue moon.”
Roswaal: “Iiiiiit's rather sad hooooow little you trust me. Although, considering how our relationship has been until now, I think this was unavoidable.” Subaru: “I'm sorry for being so blatantly wary, but with everything that's happened, yeah. You're just slightly excessively secretive. ...Is it really safe to trust you this time?” Roswaal: “Naturally.” Roswaal nods and spreads his arms. Roswaal: “Your achievements over the past several days have given me more than enough proof to open my sealed heart. You can relax. I now believe in you, aaaaaaand you've made my deepest of hearts recognize and welcome you inside, as a co-conspirator.” Subaru: “Hold it. I'm feeling signs that I'm about to get burdened with a kinda heavy cross here. You don't have to open your heart up that much, let's just kinda touch it a little.”
Roswaal: “Goodness, I'm so enthused but he just puuuuuushes me aside.”
Subaru: “No, I mean like I said when you suddenly shove everything out at me, it's kinda heavy or I ...” Subaru stops himself with this stupid conversation that sounds like a new couple having a rocky start and clears his throat. Subaru: “Anyway,” Subaru: “Nevermind that co-conspirator stuff or whatever, for now let's have you answer what I want to ask. —Why are you keeping information from Emilia-tan. Let's start there.”
Again, Roswaal closes one eye and stares at Subaru. Roswaal's limitations on Emilia's information feed had an immeasurable influence on what happened last loop. If Emilia knew that her Half-Elf lineage would stimulate the Witch Cult, she might've been able to take better countermeasures to Betelgeux's attack on Arlam Village. And unpacking that, it'd influence Subaru's efforts that loop well, and the circumstances around Rem would—
Subaru: “Answer, Roswaal. You should be like me in that if you want Emilia-tan to be Ruler, her dropping out halfway through'd be a problem. Then why are you purposefully hiding information to Emilia-tan's disadvantage? It doesn't make sense.”
Roswaal: “Here is how I will answer that question. —What you're saying is exactly correct, and because it is exactly correct, I am keeping information from Emilia-sama.”
Subaru: “...!? I don't gettit. Are you saying that hiding information and disadvantaging Emilia's something necessary for her to win the Royal Selection?”
Roswaal: “Precisely. You doooon't think there's value in that?”
Subaru's brows knit in clear confusion. Seeing that reaction, Roswaal shifts in the bed, making it creak.
Roswaal: “Subaru-kun, I'm sure thiiiiis is what you're meaning to saaaaaay. If the Witch Cult heard of Emilia-sama's participation in the Royal Selection, they might move. The Witch Cult in reality did move, and attacked my lands. I should've planned that this attack may happen, and should've set countermeasures in place for it.”
Subaru: “...That, that's it. Exactly it. Anyone would think it, it's plain as day. Maybe I didn't know about it, but it's self-apparent, everyday knowledge that the Witch Cult and Half-Elves are related, right? And you should've known that too. So then, why weren't any preparations... no, even before that, why did you leave the mansion and hole up in SANCTUARY?”
Roswaal: “I've been in confinement here, so it isn't as though I left the mansion unattended for several days on...”
Subaru: “You can drop the semantics. You got injured like that by challenging the cemetery to settle the Arlam villagers. That is, it's a result of me getting people out of the village to counter the Witch Cult... That you didn't come back before then was intentional.”
Roswaal: “Arguing with someone who gets angry at logic does pay off. Truuuuuuly, a good trend.”
Roswaal gives an unexpectedly carefree shrug. Subaru takes a step forward, not pleased with this result, BUT
Subaru: “...Ram.”
Ram: “Roswaal-sama is burdened with injury. Even so, he surely could burn you to nothing with just one finger... but I will not permit any violent action in my presence.”
Subaru: “Do you seriously agree with this. You're exactly the same as me in getting treated like a throwaway pawn, here. He knew they'd be coming for the village, and ran away just by him-fucking-self. Do you really forgive that?”
Ram: “Forgiving or not forgiving doesn't come into it. Ram permits every one of Roswaal-sama's actions. How he chooses to treat me, and how he chooses to throw me away, are the same thing.”
Subaru: “You—!!”
Faced with Ram's incomprehensible loyalty, a surge of extreme emotion clogs Subaru's throat. That Subaru doesn't immediately turn to violence is either because Subaru's rationality manages to make the judgement that he couldn't be a match for either of these two, or—
Subaru: “...You've fallen victim to this unintelligible crap because, Rem.”
Ram: “—? I don't know who you're talking about, but I have no connection to this stranger's name. Roswaal-sama is everything to me, all except him is trifling."
While Subaru knows that Ram's loyalty for Roswaal's always been abnormal, it's now turned into something different and borderline-insane. And a big cause for that was Ram's forgetting of Rem's existence.
Subaru don't know the details of Ram and Rem's past together, by going by the scraps and pieces he got from Rem, the two had a codependant relationship. Subaru knows about Rem's guilt and inferiority complex, and how dependant she was. And though it's not so obvious in Ram, sometimes fragments of it peek through in her interactions with Rem.
Just like how the majority of Rem's world was comprised of Ram, Ram's world was comprised of Rem and Roswaal. Subaru's interference began welcoming new factors into Rem's constrained world for the first time, and she started to change. But Ram's world is still one of dependence, and still constrained. Now that Ram's forgotten the existence of half of what filled her, Ram's world is now entirely comprised of Roswaal.
And that's the root cause of her extreme, overly-loyal behaviour toward Roswaal.
Roswaal: “Dooooon't provoke Subaru-kun too much, Ram. Subaru-kun doooooesn't really intend to do anything violent wiiiiiiith me. His foot juuuuust came forward a little.”
Ram: “As you say, Roswaal-sama.”
Roswaal: “Mhm. All calm, aaaaaall calm. Right, Subaru-kun? You might look angry, but yooooou aren't completely enraged right now. You certainly wooooouldn't lose control and punch me, and would neeeeever choose the option of wasting this conversation.”
Subaru: “What, are you goddamn getting at...”
Roswaal: “Iiiiiiiit's very simple. Until rather recently, you would've had an outburst somewhere during our conversation up until now, started raving, and ruined this chance for conversation. You haven't done that, and although swallowing down your anger, you can proceed in the argument... yooooou've grown up.”
Roswaal give a stupid little bullshit clap as Subaru's reward for this, and Subaru feels the violent urge to start fucking raving burn hotter and hotter. But giving in to that urge would be exactly what Roswaal wants. Subaru exhales deeply, pushing back the wave of fury. Then Subaru realises that what he's doing is just affirming what Roswaal's saying and can't help but be unsuppressably annoyed with himself.
Roswaal: “Noooow, it wouldn't be very adultly to bully someone young any further than this. Since you've shooooown me signs of your maturation, I should display more of my capacity as an adult prooooooperly.”
Subaru: “...Do go ahead. Anyway, give a precise answer to my question. Answer without any dodging. Why did you hide information on the Witch Cult from Emilia? Why, knowing that the Witch Cult were coming, did our biggest combat asset—you—leave the mansion!?”
Roswaal: “Both your questions are answerable with one response. —I acted as I did so that I would not face the Witch Cult.”
Subaru: “Wha—?”
Subaru's slow to understand what the fuck he's hearing.
Subaru: “I don't get it. So that you wouldn't fight the Witch Cult... what for? You know this can't be some bullshit about them being physiologically unpleasant for you, right!? You... if you were there, we would've gotten them all in one swoop. And the casualties...”
Roswaal: “I see. I dooooo believe that if I'd been there, the casualties from this ruckus woooooould've decreased. I do try to accurately understand my own ability, and I'm aware of my position as one of the ten most powerful persons in the country. I'll assert it clearly. If I had been there, the Witch Cult's attack would've been smoothly repelled.”
Subaru: “If you knew that then why the fuck—!”
Roswaal: “Because I knew.”
Roswaal holds Subaru, who's spitting everywhere, in check by pointing at him, and then points with that same finger up at the ceiling.
Roswaal: “If I had acted, the achievement would've gone to neither you or Emilia-sama, correct? Even if I receive fame, that's nothing to do.”
Subaru: “——wuh.”
Subaru honestly doesn't understand what he's hearing.
He quietly prays for this to be a shitty joke of Roswaal's and waits for his reply, but Roswaal only tilts his head.
Roswaal: “You realise I'm not going to deny it? It was a disaster I knew was going to happen. Is there any reason at all for me nooooot to use it well?”
Subaru: “Y-you... do you even understand what you're saying?”
Roswaal: “—? Iiiiii don't know what about it you have a problem with, Subaru-kun. Or maybe it's that. The damages from the villagers who left Arlam, or the soldiers from the mercenary group or Crusch-sama's private army who helped to repel the Witch Cult... is it about you wondering whether you could've done something about those losses?”
It's like Roswaal plucks it straight out of Subaru's heart and throws it back at him as if Subaru doing such a thing is completely obvious. This time, Subaru truly does feel something well up in his heart of hearts.
Before, when talking with Puck, the spirit's remark to the sleeping Rem of “It's thanks to her that Lia's saved,” enraged Subaru. That incident made Subaru painfully aware of the indescribably huge trench between his his feelings and the spirits'. Otherwise said, the rage Subaru felt then made him understand that the two of them were fundamentally creatures of differing origin.
This doesn't pass for Roswaal. Roswaal understands why Subaru's mad, and knows what Subaru wants to say—and knowing that, he can make cruel judgements. However, that was,
Subaru: “Hindsight bias, isn't it. I basically understand what you're trying to say. I can understand that whoever took command of the activities counter to the Witch Cult's attack would secure an achievement with not insignificant effect on the Royal Selection. ...and I also understand that if that person was you, we wouldn't have gotten the result we wanted. But!”
Subaru bares his teeth, and while giving a big swing of his arm,
Subaru: “How many people do you think died because you disappeared without telling them anything!? No, they weren't big causalities. They weren't, but they weren't zero either. People did die. And not just us, the Witch Cultists were...”
Roswaal: “If I was there, nothing would change about the Witch Cultists being dealt with. All of them would turn to ashes. I'll accept your reproaches for the losses on our side, but complaining for the enemy's side is raaaaaather absurd.”
Subaru: “—hk. But, there must've been a more peaceful... no, that's not the problem here! Every goddamn thing you're saying is just fucking hindsight! Oh you're right that it went well. Few casualties, cult wiped out. Emilia-tan safe, the Arlam villages evacuated without trouble. ...But this and that and this, all of it was just timing. Being honest—”
Being honest, before Subaru could do anything—the villagers, the mansion, Emilia...
Subaru: “They should've, died. Unlike this time, without things going well... Everyone in suffering, traumatized, cruelly... killed.”
Covering his face, Subaru frantically strangles the teariness out of his voice before it can leak out. Beneath his eyelids, Subaru sees the scene of that hell he couldn't forget. The village burned down. Cadavers scattered about. Corpses of children. And Rem's body dumped in the mansion's garden. A freezing, ending world.
—If not for Subaru's RETURN BY DEATH, that world would've never been overwritten.
Subaru: “If you were there, that wouldn't have happened. ...You knew, and you let everyone die. So many times, you killed them...”
Roswaal: “It's bothering to be put in an incorrect position. The attackers were the Witch Cult, nooooooot me. And you prevented that attack with your very own hands—these casualties you're referring to don't exist. —You're speaking merely blather upon blather.”
Subaru: “—Am I now.”
Subaru answers Roswaal's indifferent words in a low voice, dropping his shoulders. Blather—If that's what it's determined as, then Subaru can't do anything to overturn that judgement. So long as he can't bring up RETURN BY DEATH, there's no way for him to fault Roswaal for something that realistically NEVER HAPPENED.
Subaru: “...What if I'd stayed a useless, good-for-nothing wreck, what would you've done then. You're the same as me in wanting Emilia to be ruler. The odds were too one-sided, it wasn't even something to gamble on. ...It's infinitely more likely that everything would've ended there.”
Roswaal: “But, you defied that probability. —Are you perhaps unsatisfied?”
Subaru: “I am unsatisfied. You don't look like the kinda guy to leave everything up to uncertainties.”
Some people go into battle wielding only their luck. Some people work as hard as they can to ready the circumstances to their advantage, and leave only the final scrap of the battle to luck. And some people prepare everything from start to finish, deciding their victory from the outset.
Subaru: “You're not the type to make a bet in the first place. Why did you make one here?”
Roswaal: “—Because I believed. In you.”
Says Roswaal, his voice low. A snicker slips out from Subaru's throat.
Subaru: “So you're not gonna answer me seriously.”
Roswaal: “Putting aside whether or not I believe in you, I truly am being sincere. After all, I decided that for tonight and in this room, I woooooouldn't deceive you. I'll say when I can't tell you something, and I won't speak if you ask something inconvenient. But I pledge that what I am saying is not falsehood.”
Subaru is sceptical of how far he can trust Roswaal's words here. Being that his amicability toward Roswaal has dropped unanimously thanks to this conversation, Subaru doesn't have leeway to just accept it at face value. Subaru's gaze sharpens even further than just his sanpaku. Roswaal tilts his head.
Roswaal: “I will say it again. —The reason I made the judgement I did, is because I believed in you. I believed that if you saw Emilia-sama in a poor state of affairs, you would work frantically to secure an alliance with Crusch-sama, proceed then to pour effort into repelling the Witch Cult, succeed, and achieve.”
Subaru: “Even saying for argument that this's true, how the hell could you believe in me! What do you know about me!? Did I look like someone who'd done anything over the month we'd known each other to make me worth trusting?”
Subaru: “Of course I didn't. When we last saw each other, I was bonafide garbage. That that garbage became less awful in any way was because of what came after. And that 'what came after' doesn't exist anymore, except inside of me. —What the fuck about me were you believing in!?”
Roswaal closes one eye, looking at Subaru with his yellow eye, making him uncomfortable. Subaru stomps the floor to shake off the gaze.
Subaru: “It's fucking ridiculous. You're saying you believed that a braindead little idiot brat would do well for you, abandoned all your subjects and ran off to go piss around. I can't even describe how fucking frivolous you were, staking your reputation and future on this!”
Roswaal: “...It seems our conversation for today will be eeeeeeending here.”
Mutters Roswaal kinda sadly. Subaru catches the muttering, and his annoyance only compounds.
Subaru: “Aaauhg!”
Subaru: “If you're not in the mood to have a proper conversation, everything you said's useless. And even if you tell me anything after this, I already don't trust you anymore.”
Roswaal: “I sincerely do regret that your opinion of me has declined sooooo far. ...I don't believe it's necessary to confirm this, but when it comes to what we spoke about tonight, Emilia-sama.”
Subaru: “'Course I'm not telling her. Whether I say exactly what we talked about, or play it up, there's no benefit in telling her about it.” Something something bitchy.
No matter where Roswaal's true intentions lie, having discord bloom between him and Emilia isn't desirable for the Royal Selection going forward. And then you have Emilia challenging the trial, which'll boost her reputation—all exactly as Roswaal planned.
Roswaal: “You understand most everything, and harbour unbearable anger toward me... but even so you're incapable of flipping tables or any such thing. Yoooooou are indeed exactly what I had anticipated.”
Subaru raises his head, Roswaal's expression twists into something truly repulsive.
Roswaal: “You truly are worthy as my co-conspirator—Mmhm.”
Subaru: “...The death you're getting won't be anything nice.”
Roswaal: “I am aware. Unmistakably, I will go to hell. Which is why I must devote myself into abusing my power now, before that happens.”
Subaru shoots Roswaal a sharp glare, silently turns his back to him, and storms out of the room. There's no point talking with Roswaal any further. If he's not going to speak of his true intentions, then any conversation with him will be fruitless. But.
Subaru: “—Do you really fucking think everyone and anyone's going to dance how you want them to?”
His hands balled tight into fists, Subaru renews his resolve. Roswaal wants Emilia to challenge the TRIAL, to overwrite the scorn the villagers and people of SANCTUARY have toward Half-Elves. And perhaps that will happen, but Roswaal isn't considering the burden he's placing on Emilia. Just how hurt, and how whittled her heart will be at the end of it, is probably also in line with Roswaal's desires. Then,
Subaru: “I won't let that happen. She... Emilia, will I protect.”
It might've just been a witch's caprice, but with the qualifications Echidna gave him, Subaru'll overturn Roswaal's plans. Subaru'll stop the pain, the tears, the everything that could come about from Roswaal's devices.
Subaru: “—That's what I have to do in this SANCTUARY.”
Floating in the sky, beyond the reach of Subaru's outstretched hand, is the pale moon. Subaru clenches his fist, hard, as if to grasp it. The image of a lovely, silver-haired girl rises in his mind as he resolves to smash straight through that FUCKING CLOWN's plotting.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Ram: “—Was that truly to your liking?”
Subaru has left the room, but Ram and Roswaal are still there. Roswaal shakes his head, devoid of strength.
Roswaal: “I did anticipate that he'd react liiiiiiiike that. And although I understood this, how truly depressing it feels to gouge into the heart of someone young.”
Ram: “There is no need to speak lies before me.”
Roswaal is like thanks for the consideration, but I was being absolutely honest right there. What did it look like I was having a jolly old time doing that, to you?
Ram readjusts the disturbed bedsheets, and in doing so, feels something hard around Roswaal's chest. Ram pulls the hard object out from under the sheet.
Ram: “Roswaal-sama. Here.”
Roswaal: “Aah, sooooorry sorry. I suspected something cooooooomplicated'd happen if Subaru-kun spotted iiiiiit. But spreading it out beneath my behind'd be well deserving of punishment. Need to be careful.”
Roswaal accepts the object, treating it valuably, and lightly strokes the cover. He puts a finger to his chin.
Roswaal: “Anyhow,”
Roswaal: “Emilia-sama's confirmed to be qualified, and Subaru-kun's kindled up. When the TRIAL begins tomorrow night.. what do you believe will haaaaaapen, Ram?”
Ram: “I could not ever hope to infer entirely your thoughts, Roswaal-sama. ...Would you have knowledge of how events may proceed?”
Roswaal: “It's not convenient to thaaaaat extent. It is superior compared to the uncompleted ones the Witch Cult possess, but it's still merely a counterfeit unable to reach what she desired. How far could its writ possibly determine that conversation with Subaru-kun?”
Roswaal sighs. Ram's eyebrows raise slightly.
Ram: “Then, what you said to Barusu was...”
Roswaal: “To some extent it was a performance... but the majority was my sincere feelings. Ahya but, naturally, I did know about Subaru-kun becoming so angered. I knew, but I'd still have some comment I'd like to make as well, woooooouldn't I?”
Roswaal cradles in his arms, so so tenderly, a black tome. His fingers brush the tome, slowly, slowly, stroking it endlessly. Lovingly, so lovingly, slowly, so slowly—.
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