Eighth Sin, Eighth Witch and Thousand Questions
Forty Minutes since the Last Death (Seventeen Deaths)
"... Ordeal?" Was all Subaru managed to muster, bemused.
Who was this person, what did she mean by "Ordeal"? Eyes wide open, Subaru was unable to do anything, but stare dumbfounded at the strange woman of deadly beauty. His thoughts had fallen into disarray, a whirlwind of ideas and thoughts ravaged every corner of his brain, preventing him from forming a congruent line of thought.
Why was that mysterious woman there? Ordeal? Was it not the same thing Petelgeuse had said during their second encounter? Was that woman associated with the Cult of the Witch? She had said that they finally met. Did this mean that she had been waiting for him or looking for him? Did this woman know him? And if that was the case, where did she know him from? Subaru could not remember ever having crossed paths with such a particular person; he was convinced that, had he seen her before, he would never have forgotten it.
Or had he really seen her before, but all the terrible events he had lived through in that world had caused him to forget all about it? And even if that were the case, the question prevailed. Why did that woman wish to meet him? What was so special about him? He was nobody, Capella was not wrong. Why would anyone bother to subject him to an ordeal, as that woman had claimed? Could not she have got the wrong person?
And if she was not mistaken and had not ended up confusing him with someone he was not, then the question had to be repeated. Why him? Why did she want to meet him? What ordeal had she subjected him to? Who was this woman? As the seconds passed, order returned to Subaru's mind and his thoughts began to regain congruence. Finally a logical and concise train of thought took shape.
Only Petelgeuse had previously mentioned the word Ordeal. And it could not be a coincidence that the Witch Cult seemed to have an interest in him. Otherwise, he would never have received the status of an anomaly in the first place. That woman had some kind of connection with the cult, there was no doubt about it. Who was she? She seemed not to be a dangerous person, and neither seemed there to be any witch cultists around. Was she someone important within the cult? Perhaps she was not; however, considering her divine presence, it was hard to believe this.
No... She had to be. It was then that he remembered what Capella said, that he would regret being an anomaly when he met that person. What person was she referring to, was she referring to that woman of pure, unadulterated beauty? Subaru slightly squinted his eyes and took a closer look at the petite woman's gorgeous figure. Her particular beauty could only be defined as enchanting, a bewitching loveliness. Only one word could define her properly; witch.
The moment this word popped into Subaru's mind, a shiver ran through his entire body, freezing him on the spot. Was he not jumping to conclusions? Perhaps he was, but the seed of suspicion had already been planted in the core of his being. The very thought of it had both chilled and boiled his blood in the fraction of a second. That woman was interested in him for a reason. Few people in this world had shown any interest in his pathetic existence, but only one could be called a witch...
Satella. He had not yet managed to confirm his suspicions, but Subaru was convinced that he was not mistaken. The person who had summoned him to that world, the being who had cursed him with Return by Death, the existence that appeared before him in the form of a shadow with the sole purpose of torturing him every time he would dare to try to reveal the true nature of his curse. Subaru could only think of one suspect to blame for all those grievances inflicted against him.
And if he was right, and that mysterious woman before him was to blame for his woes... The gears of his brain stopped, his current train of thoughts derailed, bringing disorder to his mind once again. What could he do if Satella, the Jealous Witch, stood before him? There was nothing he could do, and he was very clear about that. He could not deceive himself into believing that he would have the opportunity to take revenge on her or get even for all the suffering she made him undergo.
Subaru was weak, very weak, and he knew it. Still, hatred and anger seethed violently in his heart, making it extremely difficult for him not to commit a careless and stupid act. What would happen if he incurred Satella's wrath? Subaru loathed his curse, but he desperately needed his blessing; Return by Death was essential for him to achieve his goals.
Even so... Maybe if he got down on his knees and implored, Satella would send him back to his world, and he could finally be reunited with his parents. If that happened, he would start fresh, go back to school, stop being a hikikomori and become someone who would make his parents proud. No, he could not afford to be so naive. Satella was torturing him for simply trying to speak of Return by Death, what made him believe that in her heart there could be a minuscule shred of mercy? No. There was nothing that Subaru could do...
"I see that my words have left you stunned. I'm sorry for being so direct, but I really longed for the moment when I could introduce myself to you." At the mysterious woman's words, Subaru did nothing but blink in silence. She longed to introduce herself to him? Subaru then finally realized that he should stop speculating and start gathering solid information.
"Who…W-Who're y-you?" Subaru asked, stuttering. How he would react depended on the woman's answer, however, Subaru was still unsure how he would react depending on the answer.
"You ask about my identity? Hmm... You could say that I am the leader of the Witch Cult, the one who guides their deeds... Even so-" Subaru did not wait patiently for the woman to finish saying what she had to say. The moment Subaru heard that he was standing before the leader of the Witch Cult, he quickly grabbed the gun hanging from his shoulder, ignoring the intense pain that ran through his arms, and pointed it at the witch before him.
Subaru gave the witch no chance to react. Without hesitating for even a millisecond, Subaru pulled the trigger of his gun, firing at the one who had caused most of his misfortunes. The fire stone detonated when it made contact with the small body of the woman, causing an explosion of considerable magnitude. Subaru and Patrasche, who were a few meters away from the woman, were propelled by the shock wave and sent flying.
With a thud, Subaru fell to the ground, covered in flames. Subaru, who had prepared himself for something like this to happen, began to roll on the paved surface, struggling to extinguish the flames. After several seconds of rolling over dirt and blood, Subaru stopped, his hands and feet splayed out. Stifling a groan of pain, Subaru looked up at the sky covered with cloudscapes.
"I'm sorry, Patrasche..." Subaru muttered; a few feet away from him he could hear the whimpers of pain from his newly acquired earth dragon. Ironically, he had been guilty of the very thing he had decided to steal it for. Though Subaru knew deep down that the real reason he had stolen it was to hasten his arrival at the castle; his own selfishness disgusted him.
It hurt to breathe, it hurt to blink, it hurt to try to move. Now the searing pain from the burns had spread throughout his body, and he was sure he would not be able to move for at least a couple of dozen minutes. Or at least that is what he had thought, since the pain in his body faded as quickly as it appeared.
"... Even so, I'm not responsible for that which the members of the Witch Cult choose to do of their own volition. That is what I wished to say before you attacked me with your mysterious weapon."
Subaru stood up as if propelled by a spring and looked towards the place where the charred corpse of the mysterious woman was supposed to be. However, contrary to what his reason told him, there was no corpse, but a beautiful woman with platinum hair and a sleek appearance. How had she survived a point-blank explosion from the fire stone? Had she dodged it?
No. Subaru quickly dismissed that theory. Beneath the beautiful woman's bare feet there was no sign of the explosion, the environment around her remained the same as it was before the explosion. Had she protected herself with a barrier? This could not be it either. Subaru scrutinized his body and clothes in amazement; it was as if he had never been engulfed by the flames of the explosion.
Subaru was transfixed once again. And this time what made him react was a slight push on his back. Subaru spun around to meet Patrasche; to his relief, Patrasche was fine... And it was then that he understood. In some way beyond his comprehension, that woman had nullified the effects of the fire stone explosion; it was as if he had never fired his weapon in the first place.
"..." Subaru looked back to the place where the explosion had occurred; there the woman stood, a delicate smile on her calm face.
"From the look on your face, I understand that you are dissatisfied with my answer... In that case, I shall give you more information regarding who I am, but first I must tell you something. I'm not the person you think I am."
"Huh?" A look of confusion surfaced on Subaru's face.
"You think I'm the Witch of Envy, don't you? I can perceive it in your gaze, I can perceive the hatred emanating from your soul. Because of it you attacked me." Stupefied, Subaru was unable to utter a word. The smile of the woman of imperturbable spirit widened. "I'm not the one for whom you harbor such intense hatred. I am not the Witch of Envy."
"I-If you aren't, then who are you really?" Subaru managed to ask, uneasily. Who was he in front of?
"My name is Pandora, and I'm the Witch of Vanity. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Sage Candidate, Natsuki Subaru." Once again, Subaru's mind fell into chaos. The Witch of Vanity? Sage Candidate? What was the meaning of all this?
In all his time in that world, Subaru had never heard of any witch other than Satella, the Jealous Witch. Did that imply that there were other witches whose names had not been recorded in the annals of history? Was there a witch for every deadly sin, just as happened with the archbishops? However, vanity was not part of the Seven Deadly Sins.
No, he was wrong. If he remembered correctly, there had been nine deadly sins in the past, two of which were subsequently absorbed by pride and sloth; these were vanity and melancholy, respectively. Did that mean he had been mistaken in believing that there was no Sin Archbishop of Envy? Were there perhaps three more Sin Archbishops in the capital that he was unaware of? If so, Subaru really doubted he would be able to overcome that cycle of death.
More questions piled up on top of the existing ones... When speaking of the one towards whom his hatred was directed, was Pandora referring to Satella? Satella was known by the people of that world as the Jealous Witch, however, Pandora, who proclaimed to be the Witch of Vanity, had called her the Witch of Envy. Jealousy and envy, both words synonymous with each other, so there was really no doubt that Pandora was indeed referring to Satella.
"Who are you?" Subaru once again repeated that question. The truth was that he was still unsatisfied with Pandora's answers. Pandora, the Witch of Vanity and head of the Witch Cult. Why had a person like her appeared before him? Did she have something to do with Satella? What did she mean by Sage Candidate? Did it have something to do with that sage the legends spoke of? The questions kept steadily increasing in Subaru's head; they increased exponentially until they flooded his head, and he began to feel overwhelmed. "Who're you?! What're you doing here?! What do you want from me?! What's a Sage and why am I a candidate to be one?! ..." Unable to contain the questions that had flooded his head any longer, Subaru let them flow out of his mouth in the form of a torrent of words.
"Hmm... Those indeed are a lot of questions, and I'm afraid this isn't the right time or place for me to answer each and every one of them. However, it is true that you've been kept in the dark for a long time, so I will shed some light on your infinite well of questions." To Subaru's surprise, Pandora was finally willing to answer his questions. Would she really stop the annoying beating around the bush? "Now... Which question do you wish me to answer first, Natsuki Subaru?"
The petite woman took a small step towards him, that immutable smile etched on her face. This was his chance to release all the pressure in his head stemming from the enormous number of questions that, like cancer cells, had multiplied uncontrollably in his mind. Subaru clenched his fists tightly, causing the charred skin on his wrists to tear, as Pandora had only removed the wounds caused by the explosion, and forced himself to search among the hundreds of questions that swarmed in his head for the one to which he most wanted to find an answer.
"Why did you want to meet me? Why me? What do you want from me?" Why him, who was nobody? He needed to know.
"I asked you which question you wished me to answer first, and that's three questions, not one. Are you cognizant of this?" Pandora's calm tone of voice did not vary even when she seemed to have become upset at Subaru's insistence on asking question after question. In fact, Pandora actually did not seem annoyed at all. The tone of her voice gave the impression that she was talking to a child incapable of understanding even the most basic of things. "Well, that' s fine, I guess this way it will be easier for me to clear up your doubts."
"T-Thank you." Subaru replied instinctively. Pandora, despite her pure and calm exterior, gave off an intimidating aura that made Subaru feel uneasy, unnerved. It was ironic to say after shooting her on impulse, but Subaru really did not wish to incur the wrath of that woman.
"There's no need for you to thank me, after all, it's also to my advantage that you are informed. If you remain ignorant, you'll hardly be able to satisfy my desire."
"Satisfy your desire?" Subaru asked warily.
"That is of no importance right now, you will understand what I mean by that at a later time." Pandora replied, gesturing with her hand to put the matter aside. "Well then, I shall answer your first set of questions. Do you wish to know why I sought to meet with you? The reason lies within you, within your heart. An intense emotion that should not be there has changed the course of your destiny in this world."
"An emotion that shouldn't be in my heart? What do you mean by that?"
"Hate. That intense hatred that dwells in your heart and is aimed at the person who brought you into this world without your consent."
"Hk! Are you referring to Satella?!" Subaru exclaimed abruptly.
"I see I wasn't mistaken, you figured it out by yourself. Yes, you are indeed correct, the Witch of Envy, better known to the inhabitants of this world as the Jealous Witch, is responsible for your summoning to this world."
"Why? Why!? Why did Satella bring me here!? Tell me!" Subaru was finally facing a person who bore information about his summoning to that world so dissimilar to his own, and so he had thrown away all caution and once again assaulted Pandora with a barrage of questions to which he demanded answers.
"I'm afraid I ignore the reason why Satella has brought you to our world. I'm likewise ignorant of how she has done so." Pandora replied, unfazed by Subaru's insistence. "But let's not change the subject. First let me answer what you asked me, or are you no longer interested in hearing the answer to it?"
"I am! I'm sorry for interrupting you!"
"As I told you before, there's no need to apologize. Well, I shall continue then. As I was saying, I wished to meet you because of that abnormal, burning hatred that was born in your heart. Due to that intense emotion that has corrupted your soul and devoured that which had been forced into your heart, the bond that tied your soul to that of the Witch of Envy has been broken. Something like this should never have happened, and I myself do not know the origin of such an anomaly, but it's undeniable that it has occurred. That bond that connected you to Satella through emotions that were forced upon you has essentially been destroyed in its entirety."
"..." Pandora paused briefly, and seeing that Subaru appeared to have no intention of interrupting her, she continued.
"Our meeting would have taken place sooner or later, but for me it would have been impossible to snatch you from the clutches of the Witch of Envy no matter how hard I tried. It was simply beyond my capabilities. Unfortunately, my authority was not strong enough to accomplish such a deed. But since the bond that sealed you was broken, I then began to move my pieces to advance our meeting... Now, that's the reason why I wished to meet with you, you and no one else. Is there something you didn't quite understand?"
"..." Again, there was no response.
"In that case, I will answer your last question... I don't know what that woman wanted to do with you. I have my own pet theories about the matter, but unfortunately I have no way of verifying them since it is impossible for me to communicate with her. But there's no doubt that you are someone special, someone of enormous usefulness..." Pandora paused for a short while and then looked at Subaru intently. "You are no longer the Witch of Envy's plaything, and the truth is that I would like to be your new owner. You see, you're perfect to become my new Sin Archbishop and you will be an exceedingly useful piece in my plans."
"Bullshit!" Yelled Subaru, being unable to remain silent about what he had just heard. Admittedly, he had been overwhelmed by all the information he was receiving in such a short period of time, but upon hearing that Pandora wished to make him a Sin Archbishop, the words automatically flowed out of his mouth. "What the fuck makes you think I'd accept a stupid offer like that? Without bond or with bond or whatever the hell it was that connected me to that fucking witch, my answer wouldn't have changed."
"At the moment it is needless for you to dwell on it, since you don't need to answer yet." Pandora replied calmly, in an attempt to divert the conversation to another matter.
"I already told you I'm not going to accept no matter what! Are you deaf or what, you shitty witch?!"
"... There is still much information that as the Witch of Vanity I can bestow upon you. Are you no longer interested in hearing the answers to your questions?"
"Hnk! Grrrh! Fuck..." Subaru balled his hands into fists, which he clenched tightly, and while grunting he was forced to grudgingly accept that he still wanted Pandora to answer many of his questions. "If I hear your answer to my questions, I won't be forced to join the Witch Cult, will I? If that's the case, I assure you I'll get the hell out of here, even if I leave without having found many of the answers I've been seeking for months."
"You needn't worry, I shall answer all your questions without any obligation."
Unsure whether or not to trust Pandora, Subaru kept silent. He wanted to escape from there, he needed to get away from there, he needed to go somewhere else; Subaru was mindful of that. All this time he had prioritized saving time above anything else, after all, time was a vital resource for him to return to Anastasia's side.
Subaru knew it, he was not supposed to be there... Nevertheless, Subaru lost himself in the deep ocean of questions, in that endless sea of queries that threatened to swallow him whole. The temptation was enormous, Pandora possessed a gravitational force of universal magnitude that attracted him persistently without allowing him to move away from that place. Subaru wanted to escape, but the influence that part of him that longed for answers more than anything else in the world had on his mind prevented him from leaving.
Pandora was a witch, and this alone made her a person not to be trusted. Probably half of what she had said was a lie. Still, she was the only person who seemed to understand, even partially, his mysterious circumstances. The temptation was so overwhelming that he finally gave in to his pathetic desires.
"Do you know anything about the... the ability given to me by the... Witch of Envy? Or if indeed she was the one who gave it to me?"
"I may know a thing or two about this ability you speak of."
"Do you know why I can't talk about it? Or if it has a limit number of uses or an expiration date?"
"No, the truth is I had no idea about you not being allowed to talk about it. I also don't know if it has any kind of limit like that, but I suppose that's not the case. Satella is looking for something from you, and until she gets it, she will not release you; don't give it to her, and you'll keep your authority until the day you die. Unfortunately, I don't know much about your ability, but there's no doubt that Satella was the one who bestowed it on you. Therefore, it must be part of her Authority, the Authority of Envy."
"Authority of Envy? Are you saying that the curse that was placed on me is the same as the abilities that the Sin Archbishops have?! Besides, what the hell are authorities supposed to be?!"
"You are correct, the authority you possess is of a similar nature to the authorities carried by my Archbishops. And as for what are the Authorities... Hmm..." The witch stroked her very long platinum hair that brushed her heels as she carefully chose her next words. Subaru clicked his tongue in annoyance as he noticed this; it was obvious that Pandora was withholding from him that information she did not wish him to know. "You might as well consider the Authorities as the antithesis of the Divine Protections, which are granted by Od Laguna..."
"Od Laguna? What's that?" Asked Subaru, interrupting Pandora.
"I can see that you are indeed severely ignorant concerning our world. What are you supposed to have been doing during your stay here, Natsuki Subaru?"
"Tch! I was too busy surviving." Subaru replied scathingly.
"I see. Yes, it would be unfair to blame you for not adapting to your new environment when you were forcibly brought in. Now then... Od Laguna is the entity, the place from which all the mana of the world comes, and the place to which all the mana of the world is drawn; you could consider it the very origin of our world."
"And the Authorities are the antithesis of that? Put like that it sounds like they are forbidden powers contrary to the equivalent of the god of this world. Isn't it dangerous to oppose something like that?"
"In the name of pursuing power it is sometimes necessary to transgress certain boundaries. Don't you think so, Natsuki Subaru?" At Pandora's question, a grimace of discomfort formed on Subaru's face. "Even so, no retaliation exists against those possessing an Authority by the Od Laguna; although it is true that, eventually, all bearers of these end up being shunned by society itself."
"No doubt that's a divine punishment in itself." Subaru muttered, averting his gaze from Pandora.
"Putting that matter aside. The Authorities are the manifestation in the form of abilities of the Witch's Factors, and only few individuals are compatible with them. Furthermore, they have the interesting peculiarity that, unlike Divine Protections, the abilities granted to the individual receiving them will depend on their wishes; although of course, they are also not so convenient that the effects of these can be consciously chosen... That information should be enough to quench your thirst for knowledge. Or do you wish to hear more regarding the Authorities?"
"No, I've heard enough." Subaru replied looking back at Pandora. "I'd just like to know if you have any idea why the Witch of Envy is preventing me from talking about my Authority. If only it weren't for that..." Anger permeated Subaru's words.
"I don't entirely understand myself what the effect of your Authority is, so it's hard for me to say; but I have to assume that the information locked in your head in some way interfere with her plans. It would not be surprising that now that the bond connecting you to her has been broken, the Witch of Envy would be much stricter in preventing you from talking about it. Am I correct?"
"You are." Subaru spat angrily.
"I thought so... Scorching jealousy, that's the essence of the Witch of Envy."
"There's something else I'd like to ask you." Subaru said, thus changing the subject; hearing about that was really starting to fan the flames of wrath engulfing his heart. "This whole time you've been talking as if you understood almost everything about me, and you even knew that I'm an anomaly and that I don't belong in this world. Is that due to your authority, the Authority of Vanity?"
"No, such is not the case." Pandora replied and then stretched out her hand in front of Subaru. Puzzled, Subaru scanned the woman's slender fingers, hoping to find something there. Hence, when a white book abruptly appeared in the woman's hand, Subaru was startled; and had it not been for Patrasche being behind him, he would have fallen backwards onto the dirty floor. "For you, who have crossed paths on several occasions with my Sin Archbishops, the Gospels must not be unknown, yes?" Subaru nodded. "Well, those are just copies, mediocre copies, you could even consider them failed copies. This before you, the Book of Wisdom, is the original. A magnificent work crafted by one of the most brilliant minds that ever lived. Luckily, I managed to retrieve it from the hands of their corpse before anyone had a chance to steal it."
"How charming..." Subaru muttered sarcastically.
"The Book of Wisdom allows the extraction of information about the world with perfect accuracy; everything occurred, occurs and shall occur as it is written in this book. Therefore, when mistakes began to arise, first subtle and then glaring, it became evident that something was causing these anomalies; the cause of the anomalies was the anomaly itself, that is, you. Because of you, the present has deviated from the scriptures of the book, and although the book attempts to rectify its writing on the basis of these changes, it is clear that your existence does not cease to insert variables into the future that are incalculable to it."
"I see…" Subaru whispered, thoughtfully. He was finally beginning to understand, to comprehend that which was unknown to him. "Do I appear in that book? Or am I just a blank space?"
"Hmm... Interesting question." Pandora remarked. "You do appear, but details regarding your existence or your future are significantly vague."
"I understand… I must say I thought you would know more, but I guess it's okay with what you've told me..." Subaru seemed to be dissatisfied, his yearning for answers even greater than before he met Pandora. Still, it was undeniable that he had gained some valuable information.
He could now be certain that Satella was the person, or entity, behind his abrupt, forced arrival in that world. And if Pandora was correct, he would remain cursed until he "gave" Satella what she sought from him. Subaru would never provide anything to that despicable witch, so Return by Death would not be taken from him; the truth was, he just did not know how to feel about it.
As long as he had a goal to achieve, he supposed that possessing Return by Death, or the Authority of Envy, would not be such a bad thing for him. Still... He found it impossible not to wonder what the Witch of Envy wanted from him. Why had she brought him to this world? What did he have that an inhabitant of this place could not have? The very thought of it made shivers run through his body and his blood run cold.
"Is that all you wish to ask? The fate of the companions you recently parted from, for example. Aren't you interested in learning about it?" Pandora's voice brought Subaru back to reality once again. Subaru looked at Pandora's porcelained face, on which remained that eternal tranquil smile.
"..." Subaru remained silent, the truth was that this, compared to all the questions and doubts that plagued him, was a minor matter. Pandora's small smile widened, thus giving way to a creepy smile of satisfaction.
"You are a sinner. And you are well aware of it, Subaru Natsuki. You would fit perfectly into my Witch Cult."
"I ain't interested, so stop insisting..." Subaru said, showing disinterest. He really wanted to clarify many, many things about his abnormal context, but the truth was that he had no time for it. "Just tell me if they survived, that's all I need to know." He gestured with his hand, finally referring to the mercenaries, Utada and Halibel; though he certainly did not expect to get any useful information.
"The group of mercenaries that advanced towards the castle suffered considerable casualties, but managed to defeat the puppet I lent to the Bishop Emerada Lugunica. While your bodyguard lies unconscious near the last place you saw him; he will prove to be of importance to your future, so I could not allow his untimely death. He survived because shortly before you and I met, I ordered the withdrawal of all my Sin Archbishops from the city. The Ordeal is nearing its conclusion, they have served their purpose. And the warrior of Kararagi... you will have to continue on your way to get the answer... No matter what you do, I shall soon have the joy of stealing Satella's toy."
"Shut the fuck up, I ain't a toy and I don't belong to anyone! Quit those delusions of me joining you and your lunatic fringe!" Subaru exclaimed, peeved, as he tried in vain to climb back onto Patrasche's back.
"Natsuki Subaru suffers not from the aches afflicting him." Pandora declared in a monotone of voice. To his surprise, the pain in his arms and feet disappeared immediately. Hiding his astonishment, Subaru mounted Patrasche without thanking the witch and lightly grabbed her neck.
"I suppose I'd be thanking you for the information you gave me, but your archbishops caused me too much trouble. Besides, I don't know how much of what they did was on your behest or of their own accord, so let's just call it even and not make enemies." Subaru expressed with a nervous smile. Now that he had a slightly better understanding of the Authority of Vanity, he was more convinced than before that he did not wish to antagonize Pandora. "I'll take you at your word and go quietly. After all, you said you'd answer me without obligation. Now you can't just go back on your word."
Pandora nodded calmly, the characteristic placid eternal smile on her small lips unchanged. "I won't. So if you have no more questions to ask me, you are free to leave if you wish. It's a pity you still don't realize how much you need me."
"It'll never happen." Subaru insisted, looking straight ahead. He was about to pat Patrasche's neck, when he stopped abruptly. "One last thing. On several occasions you mentioned an ordeal, and when we encountered each other you mentioned that that ordeal was about to bear fruit. What ordeal were you referring to? Petelgeuse also mentioned an ordeal, but they don't seem to me to be the exact same thing."
"Indeed, the Ordeal of which Bishop Romanée-Conti may have spoken is definitely of a different nature from the one I referred to. You might even say that it was a pet project of his." Pandora replied, moving slightly closer to him and pausing briefly as she finished speaking. Their gaze met again, and then a shiver ran through Subaru's body, who knew immediately that he was about to hear something that would not be to his liking. "Before I could introduce myself to you with my offer to join the cult, it was pertinent that your mind be molded beforehand. Therefore I ordered my Sin Archbishops to purge this city..."
"You goddamn bitch!" Subaru was unable to fully hear what Pandora had to say. She had claimed that she was not responsible for the actions her archbishops carried out of their own volition, however, that did not make her any less despicable. She was the one who guided them from the shadows, the one who commanded them to conduct all those terrible deeds against humility. "I hope I never see you again!"
With that cry being swept through the air, Subaru began to gallop away from Pandora, who never took her eyes off him and his beast. Pandora's eyes followed Subaru closely, and it was the only part of her body in motion. The witch was not fazed by Subaru's words, nor by his escape, nor by the fact that he started aiming his gun at her again. Boom! A column of smoke rising above where Pandora was standing was the last thing Subaru saw before he looked ahead again.
One Hour and Five Minutes since the Last Death (Seventeen Deaths)
Subaru hated himself, he really did. He had wasted valuable time talking to a forked-tongued witch. How much of what he heard from her had been lies? Subaru supposed much of it. Still, his weakness had precluded him from leaving there, his pathetic longing for answers had blinded him. Despite the lost time, he had only managed to confirm things he already knew or presumed, and had only obtained disappointing information; as icing on the cake, he had learned a painful truth.
He was the indirect culprit of the massacre of the Royal Capital, he and no one else but him. Pandora, driven by her selfish interests, had sacrificed thousands of people just to get Subaru to accept a deal he would never accept. He had no reason to join the Witch Cult, and never would. He despised the Sin Archbishops, their minions, the damned witch who was their leader and the damned witch some of them worshipped.
He felt guilty for succumbing to his selfish desires and staying to listen to Pandora's answers to his questions. He felt guilty for having brought about the deaths of thousands of Lugunica's inhabitants. But he felt most of all guilty for having neglected Anastasia. She was his priority, her destiny was; to have stopped along the way to converse with a deceitful witch was unforgivable. He hated himself more than anyone else.
So immersed was he in his thoughts of self-loathing, that he only snapped out of it when Patrasche stopped dead in its tracks, causing him to almost fall to the ground. Just as he had not noticed the carriages that passed beside them several minutes before, Subaru had not noticed that he had arrived at the entrance to the citadel that preceded the castle. Annoyed, Subaru was about to scold the earth dragon, when he noticed that a man wearing armor was blocking their path. The man seemed to be gesturing something to him, but Subaru never figured out what he wanted because his attention quickly shifted elsewhere.
"Ricardo!" Subaru jumped off Patrasche and ignoring the guard who tried to stop him, and would have if not for the intervention of the earth dragon, ran in a beeline towards the injured beast-man who was several feet behind the guard. With tunnel vision, he moved toward a single target before him. The mercenary finally noticing Subaru opened his mouth to say something to him, but Subaru cut him off. "Ricardo, where's Anastasia?!"
The mercenary, in dismay, momentarily stopped the flow of words out of his mouth. A desperate silence settled between the two, and Ricardo, noticing the concern on Subaru's face, finally responded. "... Who're ya talkin' 'bout, boy?"
For the witnesses at the scene, including the guard who had tried to stop Subaru but had finally given up attempting to do so, it would not have been an exaggeration to claim that they saw Subaru's soul slip out of his body. With his skin so pale that he could pass for a corpse and his eyes wide as saucers, Subaru fell to his knees and vomited up the small amount of the mixture of gastric acids and bile that had formed in his stomach.
Finally Subaru has begun to obtain the answers he has been looking for, whether they are satisfactory to him or not. After months of not understanding anything about why he had been taken to that world, Subaru was overwhelmed by the thirst for answers and therefore ended up wasting valuable time. Now, Anastasia's name has been devoured.
It's still unknown how much of what happened in the castle has actually happened in this loop, however, it's safe to say that at least up until the moment Gula seized Anastasia's name. Has Halibel failed to prevent the catastrophe? What has happened will be revealed in the next chapter, yet Subaru's emotional burden has only increased. How much more can he endure? Can he cope with the guilt that eats away at him?
I think by this point the answer is obvious, but I have to keep the aura of mystery for the sake of the story. Now that the encounter between Pandora and Subaru has taken place, we have finally reached the climax of the third arc. And Pandora's intentions have also been revealed, she wants Subaru to become one of her Sin Archbishops.
Regarding how Pandora will use her authority, well, it has already been made clear in this chapter. She won't use it to manipulate Subaru, that's not necessary, the Ordeal has reached its final stage, Subaru is already completely cornered. In the next chapters the consequences of the Ordeal will be fully unveiled. Anyway... As always, thank you for your support! Till next week.