Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World. Volume. 14.
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‘Chapter 7:- A HOWLING REUNION.’
Sub-chapter 1.
—Keeping her breath low in the darkness, Petra did her best to suppress everything from her body that could be defined as sound.
She made her small body even smaller, mindful even of the crinkle of clothing rubbing against air. She walked with her hand over her mouth, for if she did not, her breaths, more chaotic than she could remember, would make a sound from her throat.
She nearly wished she could stop her heart so that its noisy thumping might pause for a minute.
“—!”
Petra’s light-brown hair swayed as she walked unsteadily in the mansion, which she had begun to get used to, almost like she was lost in an unfamiliar world. She was glad that the floor had a soft carpet over it. Thanks to that, she was spared from having her trembling toes hitting the floor. She vowed to gratefully wash the carpet the next time she had a chance.
Were it not for such silly thoughts, her legs would have stopped obeying her completely. As it was, her tottering gait was slower than that of a baby. If she stopped, she likely would never walk forward again.
She was in a long corridor with no end to it. This one time, she was tempted to hate the vastness of this large mansion she had grown so fond of.
—How, and why, had things turned out that way?
Until a few brief hours before, the mansion was an ideal workplace to Petra. She’d been in awe of the mansion to begin with, and the maid outfits were cute and wonderful, too. Frederica, the one instructing her, was kind, and the mansion was connected to someone she was faintly fond of. It was perfect.
That perfect world, enveloped by admiration and dreams, was now so frightening that it nearly froze Petra’s heart.
The night when everything changed had been just like the previous day until darkness fell.
After the evening meal, she’d tried to bring Beatrice’s untouched meal to her; wiped down the girl named Rem, who continued to sleep in her room; and went to Frederica’s own quarters to hear her assessment of that day’s work. After that, she bathed, returned to her own assigned personal room, and slept in preparation for the next—
“—Petra, please wake up. Petra.”
“…Miss Frederica?”
Feeling that someone was shaking her body and hearing a voice speaking to her, Petra gently awoke in the middle of the night. When she looked over, Frederica was in uniform, standing by the bed, which made Petra blink her round eyes wide in surprise.
It was not surprise that she had been awoken at that hour. Rather, it was the obvious tension that Frederica exuded.
She remembered that sensation. It was an aura that Petra had felt several times some months ago—
“Miss!!”
Immediately wiping away her drowsiness, Petra jumped right out of the bed. Frederica was a little surprised by the sight, but when Petra, grasping the situation, leaped into her arms, she gently held the girl.
Then she stroked Petra’s head with her free hand.
“Petra, listen closely— Head outside through the dining hall’s kitchen door. Do it quietly, without a sound, but as quickly as you can. You can do it, yes?”
“I can do it… But, Miss Frederica, what about you?”
“I will follow soon enough. Once you are outside the mansion, run as far as the village. Once I meet up with you safe and sound, how about I let you sleep in a little tomorrow?”
Speaking as if making a very slight joke, Frederica let Petra go. Petra was still smiling at Frederica as she felt a tangible sense of tension spread across her entire body.
Something—something was happening at the mansion. And Petra was helpless to do anything about it.
“Petra.”
With that brief call serving as a signal, the pair left the room.
The night sky was covered with clouds, and the mansion was submerged in darkness beyond moonlight’s reach. Faced with the gloom of the unlit corridor, Frederica squinted, and Petra gently followed behind her. When Frederica narrowed her jade eyes and caught her breath, Petra simultaneously broke into a run in the opposite direction.
“Dining hall… Dining hall…!”
She repeatedly murmured to herself what Frederica had told her. The dining hall was on the first floor of the main wing. Fortunately, by going straight down that particular passage, she would immediately reach it. She’d already memorized the interior of the mansion. Even in the dark, it was an easy win.
But just as she reached the passage that stretched from the east wing to the main wing, Petra came right to a halt. If she raced to the main wing, she could rush straight to the dining hall’s kitchen door. Frederica’s instructions were to flee as far as the village from there. However—
“—Miss Rem is…”
The Sleeping Princess remained in the mansion, lying on her bed on the floor above.
The passage was right next to her. Petra hesitated as she stared at the landing of the stairs below. She felt fear as her instincts begged her to do as Frederica told her.
But Subaru had entrusted Rem to Petra. The forlorn look with which Subaru had stared at the side of her sleeping face was seared into Petra’s eyes.
If Petra escaped alone then and there, what would become of her promise to Subaru?
“—!”
Tightly gritting her teeth, Petra roused her timid heart and put a foot on the stairs—toward the floor above, where Rem’s room was located.
She revered Frederica. Going against her instructions left Petra riddled with guilt. She was afraid, too. But with the mansion feeling so dangerous, she couldn’t leave Rem and run.
It was just like during the forest with the demon beasts— Back then, Subaru hadn’t abandoned Petra.
“I’m stupid… Really stupid…”
Her reminiscence at an end, Petra slipped back into her initial melancholy, letting a sound of weakness out as she seemed ready to break into tears.
Her heart was noisy. Her steps advanced slowly. Frederica would be angry. Her emotions were a jumbled mess.
“Agh, darn it… I already have this cute face going for me, so why do I need to do something this stupid…?!! But, but, but…!”
She was scared, she wanted to cry, she wanted to yell. But she did not. She could not.
After all, Subaru didn’t. He wouldn’t. Even if he was afraid and wanted to break down and cry, he wouldn’t.
“I mean, this is absolutely what Subaru would do… That’s why— That’s why for Subaru, for him only, I have to look good even if it kills me…!”
When her fear became nearly unbearable, Petra whispered to herself to bolster her spirits.
In that dark corridor, she caught sight of her destination, Rem’s room. It was a mere eleven yards away, enough to make her heart leap out and run to it. However, her feet could not catch up to her heart’s unrest.
Just a few more steps, just a few more feet, just two bedroom doors ahead—
—I’ve arrived, thought Petra, lifting her head.
That instant, beyond one of the corridor’s windows, the wind blew, moving a cloud covering the moon, and silver light shone into the corridor. Color returned to the world that had been nothing but darkness. Narrowing her dazzled eyes, Petra saw—.
“—Oh my, what a pretty young girl.”
A woman in black stood right before her, seemingly blended into the darkness.
“—Ah.”
There was a woman standing between her and the door to the room, which was a mere three steps away.
She had glossy black hair that was tied in a triple braid and a pitch-black outfit that accentuated her voluptuous physique. Even Petra could detect the scent of sensual charm wafting around her, and the vile knife she held in her right hand was eerily distinctive—
“According to what I was told, there are two targets and one bonus target. You would be the small maid, yes?”
“”
“Are you shaking? It’s all right—I am certain that your innards will prove very pretty indeed.”
She couldn’t understand what the woman was saying.
She just understood that the approaching footsteps of this smiling stranger were synonymous with the footsteps of death. Even though she understood this, Petra’s legs were held in place by fear, unable to move, even though the vile weapon unsuited to the woman’s slender arm was about to cut away her life without any fanfare.
“Good girl… I will introduce you to an angel.”
Heartlessly, the woman raised the knife toward the trembling girl.
The blade sliced through the wind, aimed to mercilessly bite into Petra’s torso. Then—
“Petra—!!”
Crashing through the corridor window, a shadow filled the space between Petra and the knife. A high-pitched noise echoed, and the sound of metal grazing metal was accompanied by flying sparks and a shock wave that threw Petra onto the floor.
She was showered in blond hair right before her. A back she had looked up at many times over had shielded Petra from the wicked-looking blade. Petra instantly recognized that back, much broader than her mother’s. It could have belonged to only one person.
“Miss Frederica!”
“You’ve been a bad girl, Petra. I distinctly told you to flee. I will punish you later.”
“Yes! Yes!!”
Leaving Petra behind her, Frederica confirmed her safety with a glance as she spoke sternly. That kind strictness made Petra reply multiple times in a tearful voice.
Watching the exchange between the pair after her knife had been deflected, the woman contorted her glossy lips.
“Marvelous. You must be the large maid. I am so happy to see both maids together and getting along so well. I must line up both your bowels side by side and compare to see how your innards complement each other.”
“I cannot make heads or tails of such taste. I cannot even dignify calling it a hobby.”
After listening to the woman’s disturbing threat, Frederica replied sharply as she thrust both her arms out.
Her arms made a creaking sound, one that grew progressively more extreme as her skeletal structure shifted. Her pretty nails changed to bestial claws, and golden fur sprouted from the skin of her arms up to the elbows.
“Demi-human blood? If you transform, do the contents of your belly differ from when you’re in your usual form? Or are they the same?”
“I have never been curious enough to find out for myself.”
“Is that so? In that case, can I ask you to show me after I slice you open? All you need to do is transform back when you’re on the verge of death.”
“You certainly are confident…”
Even though Frederica’s two arms had turned into deadly natural weapons, the assailant showed not the slightest concern. When her attitude was pointed out to her, the woman said, “I suppose so,” tilting her head slightly. “A little while ago, I had a near-death experience in the capital, so I improved my skills. You cannot match me.”
“…I feel like holding a grudge against whoever didn’t finish you when they had the chance.”
Frederica’s sense of duty and the crazed ghastliness leaking out of the woman—these would not determine victory or defeat, but even to Petra, it was clear that one was head and shoulders above the other.
“Petra, this time, head straight out of the mansion— Use the evacuation tunnel.”
“B-but, Miss…!”
Her voice catching, Petra looked toward the door of the room that was so very close. Inside was the reason Petra had been so reckless. Frederica could guess what it was from that glance alone. Accordingly…
“I do not know who hired you to do this, but it seems that Petra and I are your targets.”
“Yes. Two maids and one spirit girl. I was a little disappointed about the numbers, but I have high hopes for opening a spirit’s belly. Last time, I fell one small step short, you see.”
“”
The conversation made her head hurt, but Petra widened her eyes at Frederica’s quick wit. Through offering a little casual conversation, Frederica had learned the woman’s objective straight from her lips—Rem wasn’t among the woman’s targets. The Sleeping Princess had vanished from the enemy’s memory as well.
“Go!”
“Yes!!”
A moment after they signaled their mutual understanding, Frederica’s voice sent Petra running off to her rear. Simultaneously, she turned her back to the fleeing girl as the attacker flipped her body and threw something. A total of four silvery iron skewers, glimmering in the moonlight, raced toward Petra in an attempt to snipe her legs.
“Your stubbornness is worse than your taste!”
With a single swing of her mighty arm, Frederica struck down all the iron skewers with a bestial claw. During that time, Petra did not look back even once. She raced down the corridor, placing the entirety of her trust in Frederica.
“Such a good girl.”
“She’s my pride!!”
The woman’s obscene voice and Frederica’s howl echoed throughout the mansion along with a sound of clashing steel. Frederica collided with the woman, beginning a deadly battle with her life on the line.
“Hagh!! Hagh!! Haaagh!!”
Petra’s breath was ragged as she raced through the corridor, practically flying down the stairs.
A chain of high-pitched echoes rang out, and a tremor reached her from the corridor being destroyed. Frederica had judged that her opponent was superior to her. She was fighting valiantly so that Petra might escape.
She had already failed once. Frederica had told her to flee down the evacuation tunnel if all else failed. If she did as told and fled— If she fled, Frederica would die.
The instant she thought that, a single possibility floated into the back of Petra’s mind.
“—Lady Beatrice could…”
If it was the final person remaining in the mansion, who she’d heard was a supernatural being…
“Here…! Maybe over here?!”
Running along the downstairs corridor, Petra flung open whichever door she put her hands on.
She’d heard that the power of Beatrice’s spell made it possible to move from room to room within the mansion. Even when searching for her with Subaru, even when trying to bring her dinner, she’d never found the girl, but she was definitely there.
That moment, what Petra needed was a magic user of great power.
If Beatrice was around, Frederica could probably be saved. Petra could protect the mansion and her promise…
“She’s not here… She’s not anywhere here. Miss…!”
Out of breath, ready to collapse any moment, Petra let her tears flow. She’d opened every single door on that floor in the west wing. And yet, Beatrice was not there. The battle was still raging.
Petra had to find her soon, so very soon. If she didn’t, Frederica would…
“Miss Frederica…!”
Even though she had to keep running, strength drained from Petra’s feet little by little.
Using her hands, which were shaking so hard that she could not clench them into fists, she struck her own legs over and over. She needed to rouse her battered spirit and continue the search for Beatrice. And yet, her courage was insufficient. Her tears kept flowing.
“—Subaruuu!”
When her weakness slipped out, Petra spoke a single boy’s name, as if clinging to it for dear life.
To Petra, this was the name of the bravest person in the whole world.
He was someone with incredible courage, who forced his trembling legs to face an opponent he knew he could not defeat.
When Petra and the others from the village were truly in danger, when they really might have died, he was the one who’d rushed off first and saved them—and so she called his name.
Even though, in that moment, she understood he wasn’t there to save her.
“Subaru, Subaru… Save me, Subaruuu!”
“You got it. Sure thing, Petra.”
“—Eh?”
Covering her face with her hands, Petra was trying to stop her tears when she unwittingly held her breath.
Between her fingers, in her teary, hazy vision, there was someone right in front of her. This person was kneeling to match heights with Petra, who was crouching, meeting her at eye level.
“Sorry I’m late. But I’m here to help… I’m glad you’re safe, Petra.”
The person, who had a face with a familiar foul look, shot her a reassuring smile. As much as he tried to be considerate, his expression was not gentle in the slightest—which was why it relieved Petra to the very bottom of her heart.
“Is that you, Subaru…? You came?”
“It’s me, and I came. I’m back safe and sound, all thanks to your charm, Petra.”
Nodding, Subaru lifted up his right hand—showing the white handkerchief tied around his wrist. It was pretty dirty, but it was the same charm Petra had entrusted to Subaru on the day he had departed.
It was neither a hallucination nor a dream. Subaru had come back. When Petra reached out to touch his cheek, he gently guided her hand to his face and rubbed her back.
His touch calmed her heart. She wanted to gently let her consciousness yield to the relief. But she could not—not yet.
“Subaru, Miss Frederica is on the floor… There’s a scary person in black with a really big knife…”
“A scary person in black with a big knife. Yeah, got it.”
This fragmentary explanation of her features left Subaru nodding like he understood everything. Both understood the gravity of the situation. Within Subaru’s arms, Petra desperately pointed toward the ceiling.
“Please save Miss Frederica! Subaru, get that woman!!”
“All right, leave it to me!! …That’s what I’d like to say, but if I go up against someone Frederica can’t beat, I’ll be a corpse in one second!!”
“—!”
“—Which is why I brought superstrong reinforcements to help me out.”
When Petra was momentarily at a loss for words, Subaru stroked her head as a smile crossed his foul-looking face. From there, he turned his gaze upward, and as feelings of relief and worry mixed together in his black eyes…
“Lot of uninvited guests in the way of tonight’s dramatic reunion scene, though…”
Sub-chapter 2.
It was too crude a battle to be called a duel to the death.
“—Shiii!”
Waving her right arm around, she repeatedly slammed through the opening created by one of the iron-skewer attacks. The woman swung her body up and down, left and right, leisurely evading the flurry of attacks with the elegance of a leaf swaying in the wind. When she leaped back to evade the black blade that had appeared, iron skewers flew at her in midair, giving her no chance to evade them.
Frederica’s arm, wrapped in thick fur and muscle, was easily penetrated by the sharp iron skewers. Gritting her teeth at the pain, which felt like she had just been burned, Frederica swung her arm, sending the iron skewers flying.
It was not a fatal blow. Still, her wounds were gradually increasing, and her endurance was being whittled away. Compared with Frederica’s labored breathing, the woman with the long, swaying triple braids was not even slightly out of breath.
The difference in their fighting strength was crystal clear. The fact that Frederica was still alive simply meant her opponent wasn’t being serious, and—
“—What is this compulsion of yours to aim only below my breasts?”
“If you must ask, it’s my hobby, or perhaps, I should call it my way of life. I am the Bowel Hunter, after all. Spilling your innards is my creed.”
She had not spoken in jest. She was completely serious, something that made Frederica’s body shudder. This was no joke. The woman was serious. Nor was her calling this abnormality her creed a lie.
The fact that Frederica had barely managed to stay alive was because the woman had been aiming only for her abdomen.
“However, I do not have too much time to play. If possible, I must strip you of your limbs and go capture the girl from before. You get along so well; I think it would be nice to open you both side by side.”
“Unfortunately, your benevolence does not resonate with me whatsoever—!!”
She knew the woman was toying with her— Therefore, she had to settle this while she was still in a mood to play around.
Explosively launching off her hind legs, Frederica barreled toward the woman with speed she hadn’t revealed yet. She’d hidden the transfiguration of her legs up to this point. If she sprinted seriously, Frederica could outpace the wind itself.
Approaching at breakneck speed, she would claw out the woman’s vitals. Or if she could merely graze the body with her claws—
“—I believe that charging straight in is a little simple of you.”
“Wha…?”
The instant she thought her bestial claws had hit their mark, the woman vanished into thin air. Slamming down hard enough to shred the carpet, Frederica then looked up to the ceiling and gaped. Having leaped straight up, the woman attached herself to the ceiling and proceeded to begin jumping from there to the corridor wall, to the ceiling again, and then to the floor, all however she pleased.
“—Damn spider woman!!”
“I was called that in the capital, too. I thought it rather rude at the time…”
Raising a voice of dismay, the woman approached from up and down, left and right. Frederica could track motion far better than the average person, but she could not even follow the woman’s shadow as it flitted around in the moonlight. Then—
“—After you fall, I would appreciate you showing me what your innards look like in your current form.”
The moment after she heard that whisper, Frederica resigned herself to death.
Various feelings raced through the back of her mind in the span of a single instant… They were about the Sanctuary, about her coworkers, about her pretty junior, about the people she had served, about her family. About her little brother. These—
“Oh my.”
This dejected voice was accompanied by a clash that sounded like thunder.
The roar of steel colliding with steel rang out, and a shock wave shot through the corridor, cracking its windows. Then as the shock wave passed without stopping down the corridor, a single man’s voice echoed through it.
“—Accordin’ to the general, there’s a sayin’ that goes offense is the best defense.”
It was a low voice, yet it held irrepressible anger within. As he spoke, both his arms—or more precisely, the two silver shields covering his fists—intercepted the woman’s knife, sending it bouncing back spectacularly. The force sent the woman leaping far to the rear. The man did not pursue her as he powerfully pounded the two shields together in front of his chest.
“If ya can use shields to defend and attack…that means puttin’ the best offense and the best defense together, givin’ the best of both worlds, huh?”
It was simple, even infantile, and furthermore, it was the sort of logic a naughty child would think of.
But the man had used that childish logic to great effect, equipping both arms with one shield each, employing them as his own weapons. The man with short, combed-back hair boldly thrust his chest out as he turned toward Frederica.
“Don’t ya think so, Si—? Whoa, you’re huge?!”
Instantly, the gravitas of a full-fledged warrior dissipated, and the man—nay, the boy—opened his jade eyes wide, his inner turmoil plain as he gazed at Frederica from head to toe.
“S-seriously?! Is that really you, Sis?! The Sis I know was supposed to be this smaller, thinner, gentle, and delicate li’l thing, wasn’t she?! This is closer to a big bro than a big si… Ogoah?!”
“You should not say such rude things upon meeting someone!”
Frederica rammed her knee into the boy, who’d given her one glance before he started ranting. The single blow sent the boy to his knees. As Frederica saw him wail with a gueh, she noticed it…the white scar on his forehead.
“You’re… Are you Garf?”
“Don’t kick people before ya figure that out. That’s how the real Frederica would…gueh!”
“Do not go casually addressing your older sister by name.”
In the middle of moving to get up, Garfiel sank once more from a backhanded blow to the rear of his skull.
The sight made Frederica remember her younger days. Back in the Sanctuary, the siblings amused themselves not with toys but by fighting each other. With a nine-year age gap between them, Frederica’s larger frame let her win handily against Garfiel. It was as if nothing had changed since then.
“No. Garf, you’ve grown so big…”
“Right now, hearin’ that from Sis sounds like sarcasm! I’ll have ya know, I’m definitely gettin’ bigger from here on out! Ya won’t be lookin’ down on me forever!”
“Tee-hee, let me correct myself. Your body has grown a little larger, but you remain very small inside.”
“What was that?!”
Baring his fangs, Garfiel seemed ready to fight to prove his sister wrong. Despite the timing, this exchange with her younger brother after a separation of ten years left Frederica with an almost unbelievable sense of happiness.
She’d always hoped that someday, the day would come when she could meet Garfiel outside the Sanctuary.
This was probably someone’s doing. Ram? Emilia? Or perhaps Subaru?
“Also, there was Master Otto, wasn’t there…?”
“Ha! Don’t even bother mentionin’ that bro. The Migredo family’s bridge falls all the time. He’s in such a tough spot, even I feel for ’im.”
Not that he was one to talk, but Otto’s face, dejected from so much being said about him, came to mind. He somehow grasped that the man had talent, but he just gave off an aura that made you want to mouth off.
“Well then, may I finally interfere with your reunion, I wonder?”
“Well, ain’t that considerate of ya to wait this long. At the rate we were goin’, I was about to forget about beatin’ your ass and just go home. I don’t like poundin’ women much, see.”
“Oh my, how kind of you.”
Interrupting the sibling conversation from another part of the corridor, the woman smiled thinly. Garfiel made a gesture toward her as if shooing away a fly. The sight made Frederica raise her eyebrows.
“Garf, underestimating that woman due to her appearance will only get you hurt.”
“Ha! When it comes down to it, the only one I treat in this world as a woman is Ram.”
“I am certain you think that sounds manly, but it would make Ram laugh out loud.”
“What’d ya say?!”
Frederica had a look of disbelief as Garfiel turned toward her indignantly.
That instant, a pitch-black disc flew from the murderous woman’s hand at incredible speed—no, this was no disc. This was a large knife spinning with incredible speed. Leaving even the sound of ripping the air trailing behind, the blade sailed toward Garfiel’s head.
“Now, hold on.”
A mere instant before it split his head apart, Garfiel agilely used his left arm to deflect the disc. The skillful alteration of the disc’s angle sent the knife gliding straight up, making a high-pitched sound as it impaled the ceiling above.
“Me, I said I wanted to head back straightaway, ya know?”
“—Yes, and this is my reply.”
Drawing a spare to replace the knife she had thrown, the woman advanced, her posture making it seem like she was crawling over the floor. Gripping the knife in a different way than the one she had hurled, the woman aimed to sever both Garfiel’s ankles.
But watching the combat unfold from behind him, Frederica caught sight of another threat.
—A string attached to the hilt of the knife impaling the ceiling drew taut, pulling it straight toward the back of Garfiel’s head—he couldn’t even see it coming.
“Garf—” “Oh no ya don’t!!”
It was a roar from none other than Garfiel that blotted out Frederica’s shriek.
Garfiel howled, and he instantly moved his left hand with explosive, overwhelming force. His arm, thick and covered with golden fur, was a savage thing on a clearly different level compared with Frederica’s transformation.
“I’m sendin’ ya packin’, bastard!!”
Surprise ran across even the assailant’s eyes, and Garfiel did not let that opportunity slip.
He tilted his head in response to the blade from behind, just enough to get his vitals out of the way while prioritizing offense. With the shield on his mighty arm, he blocked the woman’s blade, and a creaking sound arose as the woman was sent flying.
Letting out a painful yelp, the woman rolled. Glancing at that, Garfiel pulled the knife out of his shoulder.
“Ha! Even without his arms, Kurgan felled his foe, ya know! If ya think I’m shakin’ in my boots over one arm, ya got another thing coming, idiot!”
“You’re the idiot!”
“Adahhh?!”
While Garfiel was celebrating his victory, his older sister angrily slammed her fist into the back of his skull.
“Fighting as if you’re trying to get yourself injured… Grandmother would cry if she saw this!”
“Ugh…n-not like I care what the old hag thinks of this…”
Frederica’s lecture made Garfiel look away as he excused himself. Sighing deeply at her own younger brother’s attitude, Frederica was also surprised at his strength. One might even say she was moved by it.
Garfiel had studied hard over these ten years they had spent apart. And it was not Frederica alone who was moved by that strength—
“—Nicely done. Nicely done indeed. A truly active child. Quite marvelous.”
Her voice shuddering with admiration, the woman stood up with blood trickling from the corner of her lips. However, the woman merrily licked it, smiling, her cheeks reddening as if enamored.
“Hey, Fre… Sis, you know this chick named Rem?”
“—? Y-yes, she is here at the mansion. I heard from Master Subaru that she is Ram’s younger sister.”
Garfiel’s sudden shift to a completely disconnected subject left Frederica bewildered.
From the girl’s external appearance, there was no doubting she was Ram’s younger sister, yet she existed nowhere in Frederica’s memories. The still-sleeping girl had fallen out of her recollections, as had whatever relationship she might have had with her.
“She looks like Ram?”
“Exactly like her. However, you may not use her as a substitute.”
“Like I’d do some scumbag thing like that. Just wanted to check for sure—Sis, I got a favor to ask.”
Cutting off his words, Garfiel continued glaring at the woman as he spoke to Frederica.
“When ya see the chance, take this Rem chick and go. Me, I’m gonna have my hands full with this one.”
“Wh-what are you saying?! I will fight also! The two of us together can…”
“I wonder. Can you, really?”
Garfiel was trying to fight alone. Frederica attempted to convince him otherwise, but the assailant’s voice interfered. Frederica sternly glared at her.
“I would rather you not make such a scary face, though. Besides, I believe your younger brother can attest that my opinion is not off the mark.”
“…Garf?”
The woman’s words brought a questioning look over Frederica’s face as she called out to her younger brother. Once she did, Garfiel spoke.
“Sorry, Sis. This ain’t some half-hearted opponent ya can take on while watchin’ out for someone behind ya.”
“Wha…?!”
“Hey, don’t misunderstand, Sis. It ain’t like I’m sayin’ you’d be in the way or anything.”
There’s no other way to take it, thought Frederica, but Garfiel kept glaring at the woman as he responded to Frederica’s dubious gaze.
“I figure if she ’n’ I get serious, the area around us is gonna take one hell of a beatin’.”
Garfiel pointed to himself and then toward the woman. The joyful smile that came over the woman seemed to agree with his words as she toyed with her long, triple-braided hair and leaned forward.
“I suppose so. I’m sure it will be so… Therefore, I think it is best that you step back.”
“”
Both of them could sense it. This was a battlefield for the strong alone, for those possessing strength that separated them from others. Frederica, understanding her power excluded her from that realm, felt her body seemingly catch on fire with regrets.
—To have spent ten years for the sake of reuniting with her younger brother, yet be unable to give him any help when he needed it most…
“Don’t go thinkin’ about no silly things like that, Sis.”
“Garf…”
“Ya see my arm, right? These shields, they’re the ones I used to play with you when I was a li’l brat. Back when I was runnin’ round with you all day long—that was the startin’ point of me becomin’ the greatest.”
This time, Garfiel’s words truly surprised Frederica.
His tone of voice, which betrayed no consideration, no consolation, no such emotions whatsoever, set Frederica’s chest ablaze, for she felt a tangible sense that her younger brother had grown in her absence.
“The general taught me the power of numbers the hard way, but unfortunately, this is where the other extreme comes into play…”
With his elder sister’s gaze still on him and maintaining the brunt of his enemy’s focus, Garfiel stepped forward.
“—So come get some. I’m celebratin’ leavin’ the Sanctuary. The party starts now and lasts till I smash apart the first wall standin’ in my way!!”
Sub-chapter 3.
—Let us briefly go back in time, switching to a scene where a dragon carriage was heading to Roswaal Manor.
“Okay? The people who need to be rescued in the mansion number four in total, all girls.”
From the driver’s seat of the dragon carriage, which was running at full speed, Subaru lifted up four fingers as he gave his explanation.
The landscape sped by as the dragon carriage took advantage of its wind repel blessing to race along a neglected road. Relying once more on the land dragon who had saved him over and over, Subaru nodded toward his fellow passengers with a dead-serious face.
“There’s basically no time to spare…or rather, whatever the timing, the assassins will definitely launch their attack the moment we arrive. We’ve got to rescue every last one of the four.”
“So for buyin’ time…there’s Sis, and that’s about it, huh? Man, already been ten years since I’ve seen her face…”
Garfiel crinkled his nose, with Subaru’s words leaving him in an awkward state.
He had stayed in the Sanctuary, remained there out of stubbornness for many years. No doubt he felt plenty guilty for having pegged Frederica a traitor when she had been busy trying to create a place for him in the outside world.
“Well, just gotta ask you to put that aside with a poof and make up real fast with a pshaw.”
“Poof and pshaw… General, c’mon!”
“But on a more serious note, we really must defer our complaints. That said, you truly have not spoken to her even once since the separation? According to Miss Ram, there did seem to be some comings and goings with the Sanctuary, so have you sent a letter, perhaps?”
“Me, I didn’t send any, and the ones that came… I handed ’em all to the old hag without readin’ ’em.”
As Garfiel made a pouting face, Subaru and Otto went “Ah!” and covered their faces. His attitude toward his sister was completely, 100 percent that of a child. Their reunion would surely be quite a moving thing to see.
“I am worried about Miss Frederica, but the one in the most danger would be Petra, yes?”
“Yeah, I think so. Petra is Roswaal Manor’s new maid… She’s a sharp cookie with a bright future. Special attention required.”
Subaru concurred with Otto’s opinion. As a matter of fact, Petra’s projected death rate was 100 percent unless they did something. Of course, the other three were also in peril, but in Petra’s case, her lack of combat ability was a fatal flaw.
Though, in terms of being unable to fight back, there was one other in identical danger—
“There’s Rem… Ram’s little sister. I’m sure Garfiel doesn’t remember her, though…”
“Me, I still half don’t believe it. Ya said she’s exactly like Ram, like a twin? If I’ve known her for a long time like that, would I really forget?”
He understood why Garfiel found it difficult to swallow. But the attack Rem suffered obliterated her existence, causing even her older sister, Ram, to forget her. Thinking about that made Subaru’s chest tighten as he continued.
“But there’s a silver lining to this. I’m just guessing, but Rem probably isn’t a target of the assassins. Just from the fact that they were hired…because Rem…”
Fell off the edge of the world. Subaru couldn’t bring himself to finish. Otto continued in his place.
“…However, if they find Miss Rem at the mansion, she will not escape unscathed. Is that not so?”
Otto’s words made him listlessly nod. Subaru understood what he meant.
The assassins—Elsa and Meili—were not good-natured professionals. They were morally bankrupt people who thought nothing of involving innocents. Rem and the people of Earlham Village were thoroughly unsafe around them.
“We must pray that the opponent does not begin by opening the door to the room where Miss Rem sleeps… To be honest, I cannot call depending on the enemy a sound plan.”
“…I’ll be depending on you and the enemy both. That’s Subaru Natsuki’s Reverse Fuurinkazan tactical doctrine.”
“S-so cool…!!”
Subaru couldn’t deny that the conditions were pretty desperate, but Garfiel’s eyes were glimmering. This all-too-fitting reaction pained his heart, but after all the current business was taken care of, he really needed to make some time and give Garfiel a lecture about real tactics taught by Sun Tzu.
And while it was fine and well to imagine a happy, peaceful future—
“I’ve gotta say, this has been really freaking me out hard. Is this actually helping?”
“We’re in a hurry, right? Me, I ain’t doin’ this ’cause I wanna.”
Subaru’s words and oddly indecisive attitude made Garfiel clack his fangs in dismay.
Subaru understood Garfiel’s point, but he wanted him to appreciate how it made others feel. After all, that moment, Garfiel was outside, leaning into the dragon carriage, participating in the conversation as he held on to the windowsill.
Under the windowsill, Garfiel was running at full speed immediately beside one of the dragon carriage’s wagon wheels. The soles of his feet were pounding hard into the ground. Of course, this wasn’t something he had come up with for no purpose, but…
“Look, I defeated an enemy before by dragging him into a wagon wheel, so I’m scared about accidents… If you make one false move and end up getting scattered across the countryside, I’m gonna have PTSD for sure, and then I’ll be out of options for the mansion, too…”
“Wha? General, you’re a worrywart, aren’t ya? It’s all right, sheesh. See, seeee!”
“Stop it!! You’re killin’ me!! I’ll die before you do!!”
Garfiel started to play around while still hanging alongside, making Subaru raise a wail in complaint. The beastly boy’s grip was strong enough to warp the windowsill. Even knowing there was not even a remote chance of an accident, Subaru felt it was still bad for his heart.
“Either way, Garfiel’s blessing of the earth spirit has no effect unless his feet are on the ground, so let us pass this off as a necessary measure to ensure Garfiel’s as close to tip-top condition as possible.”
“But from the outside, this looks like we’re doing our best to shake off a guy who’s desperately trying to get inside the carriage. Plus we actually are dragging along a delusional fourteen-year old.”
“You do realize that if anyone saw this, neither the truth nor what it seems like would save my reputation, yes?!”
Otto, holding the reins, wailed; Subaru nodded, too. It was a supremely strange sight that could get someone reported and pulled over—yet, there was meaning to Garfiel’s acrobatic feat.
Emilia had used her magic to heal the wounds he’d incurred during his violent battle with Subaru and the others. However, one could not call the mana and blood inside his body that he’d lost, or other measures of endurance, fully recovered. This seemingly unjust treatment was an improvised way to supplement those things during the time they traveled between the Sanctuary and the mansion.
This was to make Garfiel’s blessing of the earth spirit the trump card for their mansion strategy.
“Also, one last thing, General. We stopped the talk midway—only heard ’bout three people so far.”
“—Yeah.”
Garfiel lifted up his body and peered into the dragon carriage. He directed the question toward Subaru, but he also sent Otto a questioning look. Otto shook his head, though.
“Unfortunately, I have not met the final person, either. But according to what we heard from Miss Shima, she is someone in a somewhat difficult position, it would seem.”
“Bro, did ya somehow make someone hate you before you even met them? You all right?”
“I’d like to believe that’s not why we haven’t had a chance to meet yet!”
Seeing the disquiet in Garfiel’s eyes, Otto put on a desperate look as he made his rebuttal. The noisy exchange between the pair was probably an attempt to be considerate toward Subaru.
Perhaps—yes, most likely, they were trying to discuss a topic that was difficult for him to talk about.
“The last person…is Beatrice. I have to be the one to bring her out.”
Turning toward the pair, Subaru did not use the timid word probably.
It was unthinkable to even say it out loud before he acted. He would bring her out. And Subaru had to be the one to do it— Upon learning of her past, that was what Subaru had firmly decided.
“I’ll bring Beatrice out. I’ll drag her out. I have to do it.”
It was none other than Subaru who absolutely had to be the one.
Even if Beatrice refused it, even if she acted like she didn’t want it…
“If that’s what the general says, that’s how it’s gonna be.”
“We really must deftly evacuate the nearby villagers, too, to avoid unforeseen circumstances. I suppose it would be best if I was in charge of this.”
Presented with Subaru’s resolve, Garfiel and Otto promised their own cooperation.
Subaru had his role to play. And they had roles of their own.
Geez. I have two seriously dependable people on my side…
“Thanks, you pair of idiots.”
“You are truly incapable of giving even simple thanks, you single idiot!!”
Sub-chapter 4.
—The thick musk of old books emanated from the other side of the opened door.
Perhaps this odor had accumulated from the long days and months the books had spent in this place. Or if he could believe that it was a room where time had stopped, the passage of days and months had nothing to do with it at all.
“The Sanctuary made me think of a lot of little things like that. As the librarian, what do you think?”
“—Why…?”
Without permission from the custodian of the room, Subaru bluntly stepped into the archive.
Just like usual, there was an atmosphere equal parts tranquil and gloomy. There were no glass windows to let in rays of sunlight or even the smallest of shutters for ventilation. Staying for any length of time would dampen his spirits and most certainly be bad for his heart.
That was probably why Subaru had always wanted to bring the girl out of this place.
“…Why have you come here, I wonder? I do not remember inviting you.”
“Sorry, but I’m a man who shows up whether he’s been invited or not. Back in middle school, I popped up at a classmate’s birthday party uninvited. Can’t forget how awkward that was at the time.”
Naturally, even Subaru had endeavored to pay more heed to the atmosphere after an experience like that. But of course, he was the most boisterous of anyone that day by far, and no one ever invited him to a birthday thereafter.
“That actually hurt me so much that it was almost like my chest got cut open, so I’ll set that story aside for another time.”
“This time or next, will you begin speaking of it whenever it pleases you, I wonder…? You are an arbitrary man in every respect.”
“Yeah, I am. That’s why I came here whether you like it or not.”
He knew that the girl before him had drawn in her breath.
With a theatrical gesture, Subaru bowed, seemingly to work himself into the girl’s blue eyes.
And then—
“I’m getting you out of here, Beatrice— This time, my hand’s gonna lead you right out under the big ol’ sun, and we’ll play around until that dress is totally black from mud.”
Faced with Subaru’s provocative words, the girl—Beatrice—remained seated on the same stool as she always did, clutching her own book.
With those arms still wrapped tight around her black-bound book, she stared at Subaru, trembling.
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Diamond. Diamond. Diamond.
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