Chapter 5
The screen started.
The purge king was sleeping. Having entrusted his head to Emilia's lap, he was sleeping as if he was on the brink of death.
"Eh?! Is he dead?!"
"No, no. I think he is just having a very deep sleep, Nee-sama," Trivey shook his head at his sister's hasty conclusion. "Rather, you aren't that different, Nee-sama. When you sleep you never pay proper attention to the surroundings. Usually me and Hetaro end up taking some surprise attacks from our own big sister."
Garfiel, found that extremely funny and giggled through his teeth.
Witnessing that, Mimi had a tinge of red on her cheeks and pouted away. "T-that is not true, at all! Mimi is a proper lady, after all."
"Yes, yes. Understood, Nee-sama."
"That's not convincing at all, Trivey!"
That boy was the target of Emilia's gaze. Under his eyes, were heavy dark circles, as if painted on with soot. Caused by the serious amount of sleep deprivation and revealing the harsh environment he was in.
Emilia: "It looks like he hasn't been sleeping again."
Puck: "It can't be helped, in his position, he's got no room for relaxing, most likely. Except for when he comes to see Lia and acts like a baby, every now and then."
She strokes his forehead, and organizes his lashes with her fingertips. Watching that sleeping face made free by Emilia, the floating Puck wrapped his long tail around his stomach and sighed.
"A position that Barusu has put himself in. I still don't understand why that stupid Barusu had to do something as troublesome as creating and handling an underworld organization. He must be doing it to protect and surround himself with safety, but it's having the opposite effect instead." Ram looked at Emilia. "Putting that aside, this scene is an obvious parallel to the lap-pillow scene in arc 2. Isn't that right?"
"Hm, now that you mention it, that is correct!" Emilia clapped her hands as if she had realized something incredible. "That time, my lap-pillow acted as a relief to him. It seems to be having the same effect now." Emilia frowned at her own laps. "..Do my laps really have such incredible power?"
With a cough for that out-of-place question, Otto said, "But that time, it helped Natsuki-san get free from some of his shackles. Shackles that he placed on himself and shackles that were placed on him. But now it just seems to give him nothing but a necessary sleep."
Puck spun around and examined Emilia's personal quarters.
It was a white room.
White walls, white floor. A white ceiling, a white bed, white furniture, and white curtains. Everything in the room was white.
Amidst that, Emilia was wearing thin sleepwear that was also white.
"O-oh my god!" Petra said with her eyes spinning. "Why is it all white? It's so weird and gives me shivers."
"I agree, completely," Felt said. "Either it was the spirit who decided this, or Wrathbaru. I would bet on the latter."
"Hm, Subaru-kun did compliment Beatrice-sama's colors. Maybe it has something to do with that." Looking at the spirit, Rem spoke. "Either he likes the white color itself, or the presence of Emilia-sama in that room stands out to him. Either way, it must be excruciatingly uncomfortable for Emilia-sama."
"No, I don't think so, Rem," Emilia said with slight anger. The anger was directed through her gaze, towards that white Emilia inside the screen. "I think she would be completely fine with it. Staying ignorant and allowing everything to be done for her. Not even attempting to change herself or her surroundings. And staying reliant on my father. Because I was the exact same as her, and still am in some regards, I can tell. This Emilia doesn't desire to protest. In fact, it would not be strange if she has grown attached to Wrathbaru's visits."
"Emilia-sama…" With a whisper, there was concern in Rem's tone.
"It's okay! I have learned my lesson, or well, I would like to believe that I have learned. I won't stay an ignorant baby any longer. I will learn and grow. I will definitely help Subaru and take back my own agency."
"That's right, I suppose," with her hands folded together, Beatrice spoke. "Gain some 'character independence' already, my god. Also, if you keep interrupting the scenes every ten seconds, then Betty's patience is going to run out. Yare yare daze."
"...E-eh….."
This room was the extent of freedom granted to Emilia - a bird cage.
Emilia still wondered whether it was accurate to use expressions such as 'confined'.
Puck: "Lia, are you still angry at this child."
Lia: "..I wonder about that."
Emilia hesitated in answering that question.
It was not that it was difficult to put it in words. She was just not sure about her own feelings. Well, she had definitely been angry at first, but even now they had not yet made up.
To apologize to one another, they did not even have time for that. Without solving that problem, time had simply passed, and daily life had merely continued on.
"Why would Emilia-sama be angry at Subaru?" Frederica spoke, looking at Emilia for an answer. Before Emilia could start answering, one could hear grumbles coming from Beatrice. She was muttering something about the scene being disturbed again, but was promptly ignored.
"Um, so you see, I am an idiot right?" Frederica instinctively nodded at Emilia.
"Without hesitation! Isn't this the place where you say, 'No, no, Emilia-sama. Don't insult yourself' ?"
"You are starting to sound very similar to Subaru-sama," with a giggle, Emilia's question was ignored.
"O-oh, thank you, Frederica! You are so nice, after all." Emilia fell for it.
Frederica sighed, turning away and worrying about Emilia's future.
"Anyways, I think the reason why this 'me' was angry as Subaru, is because he disappeared without telling me anything, made me worry about him, and then, just like nothing had happened, he came r back to pick me up. But well, knowing the exact events that transpired for all this to occur, I don't really have the right to be angry with him."
"I completely disagree, Emilia-sama," Crusch said. "First, like Pricilla Barielle had suggested, I have come to agree that we can't display ourselves as some symbol of 'Justice'. We cannot claim our path to be the only correct one. That is being way too arrogant. But, that is that, and this is this."
"Hmm?"
"This is not a good comparison, but I'll make it anyway. Consider a piece of art, a book or a painting, that is displayed publicly to everyone. If only those who were experienced in writing or in painting were the only ones allowed to critique, then the amount of feedback would drop substantially. Not only that, the public won't have the right to freely express themselves in this case. If only those who have died could criticize Natsuki Subaru's actions and display their feelings, then we would all have to shut up."
"..."
"At the end of the day, I am angry at this Wrathbaru's actions and his way of living. And because I respect myself and my opinions, I shall freely express my feelings on the matter. I won't state that I could do better, or that I could handle his mental anguish. But I won't sympathize with Wrathbaru's way of living or shut my own feelings on the matter. This 'if-story' is displayed to us all, like a piece of art on display. So I will give my criticisms and I think everybody is allowed to speak their mind."
At her speech, Anastasia, Felt and many others clapped in agreement. Priscilla smirked behind her fan and nodded at her declaration. After all, she knew full well that she also loved to give her 'opinions' on Subaru's actions. But she was Pricilla, a person who had no shame and who always put herself on a pedestal.
"But, I'm upset with you, Puck. While keeping it a secret from me, you made the plan for leaving all by yourself."
"Sorry. But it couldn't be helped. There was no way I'd entrust you to a Roswall in that state, right? Dragging someone into a dangerous situation and place, only to the skedaddle out of there is pretty irresponsible of him. That said, if it's for Lia's safety, then here's easily the stand out option."
"Hmph, I really am super duper upset with you, Puck. We need to have some long conversation when I get you back," Emilia said. "Not to mention, you were one of the biggest individuals who helped me reach that decision of participating in the royal selection. After that, you continued to leave me ignorant of everything and cooperated heavily with Roswall. If I had to say, you are the one who's completely irresponsible here."
"Ha, ha. Nice words, Emilia. Even Betty needs to give big-brother a piece of her mind, I suppose."
"..."
"Avoiding harm to Lia, that boy and I were of the same mind."
So puck has secretly cooperated with the organization, assented to take Emilia, and withdrew from the Royal selection.
And with only Emilia unaware of anything, before she knew it, she had found herself in this white room, a bird caught in a cage.
But that she had no right to criticize Puck's judgment, Emilia also understood.
"Because in the end, I couldn't do anything."
Emilia had lost the royal selection by default.
The biggest cause was that she had refused to attend the royal candidate meeting. As a result, her participation in the election had not been recognized. Both Roswall and Emilia had fallen in reputation.
Emilia had not even displayed the will to participate, and so her sponsor had been disqualified. The Emilia camp collapsed before its first task.
"Well, I guess that result is only natural," Ram said. She looked at Roswall and started to whisper in her ears. She understood fully well that those demihumans with keen ears, present in this room, would be able to hear her, but she just shrugged it off. "Roswall-sama."
"Hm? What is it, Ram?"
"That time, in arc 2, why didn't you at least give us some information about Barusu's importance? I know full well that Rem acted out of accord, and even if you had given her a hint about Barusu's importance, her hatred might still have driven her to insanity. But even then, if that individual was so important and the lack of his presence could lead to the entire camp's downfall, then why did you act so stupidly?"
"What a rude word. Having come so close to my goal's fulfillment, I delicately followed the gospel. I knew that Natsuki Subaru must be the one I was waiting for, despite no evidence other than my gospel's hints. If I had informed you guys about anything, then isn't there the chance that my gospel would stray?"
"-! Absolutely idiotic. Can't help but blame you there, Roswall-sama."
"I agree. But even then you continue to call me Roswall-sama. Thank you for your kindness, Ram."
"..."
And so, Emilia had the ladder pulled from under her, and been defeated without being able to do anything.
Emilia: "My wish."
It was to create a world without discrimantion. Creating a place where the births of half-elves and others would not serve as a definite evaluation of one's future life, that was clumsy Emilia's wish.
"A very admirable desire," Wilhelm spoke softly, surprising Emilia. Flashes of memories, flashes of the demi-human war came naturally to Wilhelm. The cruelty displayed on both sides, and the overbearing sense of despair was too much for this country. Of course, Wilhelm served Lady Crusch and her wish. But would her leadership bring about any semblance of equality? "Well, I think the exact term you are aiming for is fairness."
"Eh, no, it's equality, though."
"No, equality would be assuming that every individual is the same, with no differences at all. However, that is false."
"..."
"Demi-humans, humans, mixed-bloods, and witches. Even among humans, we all have individual differences, not to mention the various races that populate our lands. Trying to make them all 'equal' would be the same as making them have no differences at all. Same thoughts, same religion, same social ranking and same love interests. That would be disrespectful of their individuality and their respective abilities."
"So then, fairness would be…"
"Hm, treating them the same regardless of their differences. It might sound contradictory, but it is very different from each other. Like someone receiving the same opportunity to enter the military or serve as a knight, regardless of their race."
"Hmmmm," twisting and turning, Emilia tried to grasp the difference between the terms.
Giggling at that Emilia, Wilhelm spoke, "Well, you could take a long time to understand it truly. There's plenty of room to try and experiment."
As he relaxed back, he noticed the two gazes on him. One was Felix, looking at him with a sly smirk. The other was his liege, looking at him while pretending to be indifferent.
"Nya, is Wilhelm-sama swaying in his loyalty," Felix said.
"No, I was just giving a young one some advice."
"But, you do realize, do you not," Crusch said, "That having a fair treatment would be absurdly difficult for our kingdom. It isn't just because of our history with the other races, but also because of our political system. The royal families present in Lugunica hold way more importance than others and dominate the noble rankings. And at the end of the day, those houses, like house Astrea, would hold way more value than anyone else and would be treated better. This system has been continuing for ages now, and probably would not change for ages."
"And is that an excuse for not trying to change it, Lady Crusch."
"...No, absolutely not. It..is a good reason to fight for the throne, I suppose."
However, without even being given the chance to be spoken aloud, that wish had disappeared like a dream's fantasy.
Beyond that wish too, the freeing of Emilia's hometown- the task of rescuing the residents of Elior forest, still in iced-encased slumber, that too she had been unable to do.
Puck: "It'd be better to return to the forest, rather than live in an defenseless house like that, but Lia was in a situation where even that was impossible. As you can imagine, when the first envoy arrived I was definitely surprised."
"Hm, why is it that going back to the forest has become impossible, Emilia-sama?" Petra said.
"I don't really understand the exact reason in this case, but it could be one of many. There is the battle with Melakure that took place and the attention it drew. The snowblights and the other mabeasts that roam around. The fact that Ganak and its underworld territory is nearby. The black serpent's poison that had corroded the nearby lake. Or maybe something else."
"My lord, Emilia-sama, lived in such danger!"
"Well, the most dangerous stuff was taken care of by Puck. Despite my complaints with him, it is a fact that he has protected and saved me all that time. And the words he said during the battle with that other spirit are very important to me."
"...I…I am still scared of him."
"That is natural, Petra. But regardless of that, Puck and I will work hard to change that. Even if you can't forgive him, I'll still make him repent."
"Speaking of Ganak," Otto said, "Could it be that Natsuki-san reached that place first after his escape?"
"You mean Captain could have started to get involved in the underworld society from there?" Garfiel said.
"It's simply an unknown guess."
Emilia: "..Really surprised. Because."
The boy she met, she had believed to be dead.
Her fate of not partaking in the royal selection had been determined by the mansion maid's death.
Rem who had been the first victim of the witch beast's ruckus. The boy, an outsider who worked there briefly, had been a suspect in her death. The boy could not endure such suspicion, so he ran away, chased by the other maid who never returned.
The collapse started from there.
The cause of Rem's death was discovered to be the witchbeast, once the damage had spread to the nearby village.
Roswall lost his position, without seizing the opportunity to recover. And Emilia met defeat without being defeated, a humiliation for her. The mansion was heading towards an undesired collapse.
It was then.
Swept away by the helplessness of being unable to change anything, Emilia spent her days listlessly. But one day, that boy had appeared, having come to get her.
Puck had quickly responded to that. But Emilia was feeling angry at that boy.
Without caring for her feeling, without explaining anything, he was suddenly taking her away.
He might even have been the catalyst of the collapse of the world surrounding Emilia. Despite that-
"Like that.."
Reunited with Emilia, that boy with a frail face, exhausted from fear, even worse than the one he possessed now, had latched on, cried and begged for her help.
And at that boy bawling like a child, Emilia had forgotten to be angry.
"Ku-hu, what a loose woman," Priscilla smirked at Emilia.
Looking back at her, Emilia was preparing a reply, but then, as if she got a great idea, she simply shut up and turned back to the screen.
"Wha-" Of course, Priscilla felt a tinge of anger at her lack of a response. Her aim was to elicit a response from the start, but the bullied had stopped the bully.
"So he's dependent on her, huh. Having no choice but to use her for his peace. And it appears that she has grown dependent on him as well." Anastasia said. "Compared to everyone else, I guess Wrathbaru is confident that her character would stay constant and not become something else. Instead of a bond, it's a weird trust instead."
Maybe she was naive. Maybe she was easy.
And even then, Emilia did not think herself worthy of scolding him, that boy who seemed like a child, who had eventually exposed his sleeping, baby-like face.
So the boy would visit Emilia, to find himself salvation.
He would come looking for her, not saying a single word, just sobbing sadly and entrusting his life to Emilia's knees.
Whether she was receiving strong trust, or being looked down upon, Emilia could not give an answer to that.
"Obviously, this really isn't healthy."
Even the immature Emilia realized that this was not a normal state.
However, Emilia was unsure of her own thoughts.
Speaking of the intervals when the boy sought Emilia, it was about once every ten days.
Other than that, he was desperately struggling, even cutting back on sleep time.
They did not exchange many words, but he would visit her, once every ten days.
"..Subaru's such a twit."
That perhaps she longed for those visits, Emilia had grown aware of that.
"Well, both Onii-chan and Onee-chan struggle to properly convey their feelings to other people. Our Onii-chan acts like a joker in order to stand out and has little experience when it comes to forming relationships with others. And Onee-chan tries to appear stronger than she is, despite being childish on the inside." Shrugging her shoulders, Felt spoke on the two troublesome individuals.
"I am not a child! Hmph."
"Yeah, yeah. Putting that aside, why doesn't Wrathbaru just visit her daily? Why does he have to bring himself to the edge every time?"
"Maybe it's because he is extremely busy with his 'work'. Or he cannot sleep unless he is extremely tired and wants to use everything else to drown away his constant doubt."
"Or Reinhard, it could be because he does not want to disturb Emilia as much as possible!"
"As expected of my Lady, her smartness knows no bounds. Plus, that does sound like something that he would do, despite the fact that he is Wrathbaru."
If a tossed gold coin lands on the tail, with just that, anyone would be slain.
"So that was indeed the rule that he based that old man's murder on," Julius said. "A method based on luck, a final test of sorts. But in the end, even that is contradictory. Because luck is flimsy and cannot be something that is reliable. That coin flip could lead to a liar being evaluated as someone one can trust, and vice versa."
"Julius-kun," Anastasia said, "I think for Wrathbaru, he would rather trust that 'luck' than other people's words. And also, I don't think that the coin flip is something that is absolute. He would not do something as stupid as deeming an enemy a friend, simply because the coin said so. And with someone like Emilia, and even Puck to a certain extent, the flip doesn't even matter."
"It truly does remind you of the 'gospel', in a way." looking momentarily towards that clown, situated at the back, Crusch spoke. "It's not as fixed as that, but it's still an absurd object to decide one's actions on. And his body itself is rejecting it. Has that happened to you, in some form, Roswall Mathers?"
At first Roswall displayed shock at being addressed so easily, but then he noticed the indifferent expression and tone of Crusch's voice. "Well, let's see. I am unsure whether this is the cause of my soul-hopping or other actions, but I did lose my sense of taste, as unfortunate as that is. Even more unfortunate however, is the fact that it appears that I cannot get drunk anymore, a true shame."
At this, many people, specifically members of the Emilia-camp, showed surprise. Even Ram was unaware that he could not taste anything properly, thanks to his incredible skill in making it appear that he does.
"Hm, a loss of taste is usually due to an infection, nutritional issues or an underlying disease. But neither of them seems to be the case here, nya. It's also highly unlikely that your nerves have been damaged in some way. Meaning that the only reason is a psychological impact." Rubbing his hands together with a spark of curiosity in his eyes, Felix said.
Roswall continued, "Wrathbaru and I are fairly similar, it appears."
"Again with 'similar' crap, I suppose," Beatrice said.
"No, I don't just refer to how his body is reacting, but to his ideology as well. I believe in the weakness within everyone. Wrathbaru does the same, to a degree. He strongly believes in that weak part of others that could make anyone betray him. Hatred, Jealousy, anger, revenge, and other such emotions."
"..."
At that abnormal method of Frederica' master, she could not hide her disgust.
"HUH! Nee-sama," Garfiel said and rubbed his eyes.
"..It appears that I am still alive. So the spirit did not kill me for whatever reason."
"Considering that Frederica-neesama is reacting to Subaru as her master, I guess this isn't a great situation," Petra said with a worried expression.
Cleaning a headless corpse that had fallen in the reception hall, she replaced the sullied carpet, next preparing meals for the mercenaries in Pandemonium.
"The fates of others, quite literally left to luck…Do you feel like you have become a god?"
Lifting the whole body of the corpse, Frederica, knowing full well the reason for her helplessness, clicked her sharp fangs against one another, containing her feelings inside herself while trembling with anger.
Frederica was working there at the manion, because the purge king had a princess, Emilia, who had vehemently begged on her behalf.
That day, as the mansion filled with frost and cold, she was convinced she was going to lose her life. Yet, for some reason, she had woken up here.
Since then, with a collar fitted around her neck, she was being used as a slave, to serve that detestable person.
"..So, I am a slave, pretty much."
"-F-Frederica-san," Rem said with a painfilled expression, on her face.
"A collar," Ricardo said, "To do that to a demi-human, much less one with mixed blood, is too painful to be shown. I know he must be doing it as an insurance, considering those collars aren't just for show. But, it's still a fairly detestable act."
"Well, at least the brat is alive," Pricilla said with a bored expression on her face. "She would not be able to feel any disgust if she were dead after all. What a good thing."
"Princess, that is a bit too-"
"Tch, you think being slaved is something entertaining!" Garfiel said with anger. "If-story or whatever story, that's my goddamn sister, you know!"
"Calm your fangs, tiger idiot. No need to mask your own fear with anger."
"Wha- it's not like-"
"If you think that I, Priscilla, cannot guess what lies inside your frail heart, then you're sorely mistaken. More than anything, you are angry at your own helplessness. Because putting aside this 'if-story', are you truly capable enough to save your sister if such a situation should arise in our reality?"
"He is!" It was Emilia, who stood to defend her comrades. "Aren't you ignoring what he did and accomplished against Elsa? Not to mention, he is still a kid with plenty of room to grow stronger. And why are you assuming that Garfiel would be fighting alone if something happened to his sister, even though we are all here to support him?"
"Emilia-sama," Frederica looked towards her in appreciation, as well as Garfiel.
"I know you are bored of these past two sequences, Princess. But maybe we should refrain from bullying other people, right?" Al said with hesitation in his voice.
Of course, to his statement, he received a surprise elbow to the face.
Why in the world, how inept had her work been, to be subjected to such an absurd job?
"-Master, pardon me, please."
Her owner's own meals, it is a rule that Frederica would carry it directly to his room.
"For a maid, being able to do that would be an honor, usually. But for this Barusu, no i take that back, for any Barusu, it would become a shame for the maid instead." Ram said.
"That is a little too harsh, Nee-sama," Rem said. "Putting aside Wrathbaru-kun, Rem would love to serve Subaru-kun!"
Ram gave a deep sigh as if to suggest that she had given up.
"Well, I definitely do not believe that Wrathbaru-sama is allowing that Frederica to carry his meals due to trust. But then, I do wonder why he would let someone that hates him get in such close proximity towards him." Frederica said.
"Hm, it is just a guess, but could it be that he is confident? Confident that Frederica-san would not try anything. No, maybe it's not just because of confidence. But because he has some kind of insurance other than the collar." Trivey said.
"Something like….h-hostages…" Frederica said with a look of pity on her face, directed at her other version. She could not deny that her blood ran cold when thinking about the helpless situation her other self was put in.
"The sanctuary," with a red tinge on his face, Garfiel said. "But how the hell could they find the location?!"
"It must be Puck, I suppose." Beatrice said. "A complete cooperation, huh. Bubby did that literally, which is fairly rare of him. And if someone like the blue -lightning was sent, then as unfortunate as it is, you guys would stand no chance."
"..." With fists clenched tightly, Garfiel dropped his face. Otto put his hand on his shoulder, but it was shrugged away.
He did not entrust this task to anyone else, and would not allow his mouth food to be cooked by another. That this is some honorable thing, she did not think so at all.
It was not because of taste or trust, but because of a conviction that she would not try anything stupid.
"Come." With the sound of many locks coming undone, a rude order allowed her inside.
With the food cart in tow, she entered the room.
It was a big but simple room, lacking in humanity. The room's four corners held many books, not distinguished by subject. Messily packed books were stacked everywhere, and it was a place that the orderly Frederica could not abide.
"Hmm, the room is similar to the state of his heart. At the same time, unlike the inhuman nature of the room, his soul is completely human." Priscilla said.
"Um, could you say that in a way that even an idiot like me could understand, princess?"
"Then Al, I should explain it in a way that even an idiot like you could understand. The room's state is the same as the state of his heart, it's messy and disgusting to look at. Similar to how he hates his room being cleaned due to his cautiousness, he also hates anyone trying to clean his heart due to the same reason. He is afraid of being hurt again, so he keeps his heart closed and disorderly. And because of his fear, he would never again give anyone the chance to save his heart. But he is undoubtedly human. The sickness of despair that is inflicting him is something that can affect anyone and everyone."
"Even you, Princess Priscilla?"
"Kuh, I'll burn it to ashes if it does. Anyways, one might assume that he is just indifferently murdering people because of his doubt. But there is a certain emotion present there. When he deems someone as his enemy, whether it is due to a coin flip or not, he truly begins to hate them. Because the 'enemy' is here, here to hurt him. And naturally, there is hatred, self-interest and fear involved. All those human emotions are plaguing him."
"Huh, so what do you think about this entire show so far?"
"Hm, it is interesting. An interesting tragedy."
But, that person deeply hated having his room clean.
Perhaps he was being wary of something being installed. Looking out for any impossible situations, he was not cautious but cowardly.
"Master, should I do the usual with these fallen documents?"
"Hmm, yeah please do. You can show them to someone who looks like they can understand them."
With those words, a few documents littered around the room in messy handwriting, were waved away by her disinterested master.
Those documents that appeared to be just messy, discarded drafts, were the source of the organization's true wealth. The many mysterious creations brought about by the purge king.
"It was obvious, but the impact possible due to his otherworldly origins is still incredible," Anastasia said. "Depending on your perspective, it could be very dangerous or very helpful to this world. Depending on just how much of the specifics that Natsuki Subaru himself knows and the difficulty of recreating them, it should skyrocket technological development."
"It also depends on which places are willing to accept this development." Crusch spoke. "Volllachia and Kararagi would be safe bets. Gustecko's religious doctrines might interfere. But I think the least favorite place would be Lugunica. With the main dynasty having been founded a thousand years ago, the customs and culture of this land run deep. It wouldn't be easy for them to have an open-mind on such knowledge, especially when it comes from an underworld boss."
"Yet another reason for them to be the ones to move and crush the organization."
"It might not be very helpful, engines or things like that, I don't get the mechanism at all. As expected, different kinds of food are the easiest to figure out."
Her master was mumbling complaints.
He would speak of knowledge no one had heard or seen, whether it be the leads or the results.
By meeting lots of people, he made great decisions, like he had been marked by fate, and a pioneer of culture he had been granted cleverness.
With that new knowledge, experts of different fields of study who had been slumbering were lit by a new flame.
Those experts would establish the boy's joking words with seriousness and establish them into theories.
And so, with that producing enormous profits, the boy who had nothing was nurtured into a great villain.
"I really wonder when pal decided to become an underworld boss. Was that a plan from the start, or did he just one day wake up and decide to become like that?" Al said in a playful tone.
"It really shows how Natsuki-san has the ability to achieve most of anything that he wants. Having been put into a position where his otherworldly information could change the world, where the power granted to him by a witch can literally control time, and where his own latent talent can emerge freely, saying that he is marked by fate is an understatement." Otto said.
"Can achieve almost anything, huh. What would be something that is downright impossible for him to achieve in a natural situation?"
"Hm, well there is one thing, right?"
"Ah, yeah I forgot about 'him'."
Drawn by the conversation, everybody turned to look at Reinhard, who just tilted his head in confusion. For some reason, he could instinctively feel the others trying to think of a way to defeat him, which was a scary thought.
Subaru: "At this point, calling it an unparalleled kata made of future knowledge isn't even funny."
Frederica remembered that her master had mumbled such strange words in response to having his achievements praised, in the past. She also recalled that he had not been smiling at all when saying those words.
"Yeah, for him this is really just a tool to fulfill his other, obsessive needs." Anastasia said.
"Now that we have witnessed the existence of Emilia-sama in his organization, it would be fair to assume that she adds to his reasons for continuing to expand his organization. Protecting himself and the one thing that he obsesses over." Ram said.
And so, on one hand causing many people to suffer, on the other giving rise to much happiness, her Master was quite dishonest.
Even as a problematic existence that humanity should remedy, in his brain there was value.
This unreachable being was very difficult to handle, similar to Roswall.
"Definitely, the similarities are present between them," Frederica said.
"Hm? Actually, where is 'that'? Despite the fact that we have gotten a great view of the entire room through this scene, 'that' is still missing." Priscilla said.
"That, this, that. Could you please explain to us without making it unnecessarily complicated?!"
"This is why that slum rat was a slum rat, huh."
At her unnecessary provocation, she threw a bottle of water. Of course, that bottle belonged to Reinhard not to her. The bottle drew a trajectory straight to her, but mysteriously, turned at the last moment and hit Al instead, drenching him.
"Uninteresting commotion. As I was saying, 'that' which is still out of this picture refers to the magic stone."
"...Ah, the one that the old man gifted him."
"Good thing that you at least have the ability to remember. If this scene right now is taking place right after Wrathbrat rested his head on the elf's lap, then the magic stone should have been deposited in his room. But all of that space shown to us does not have the magic stone anywhere. If it was just one, then that's that. But he specifically wanted it to be brought to his room. Not to mention, he seems to have a liking for magic stones, something that even that old man was aware of. Which suggests that he must have collected a good quantity of them in order for that piece of information to hold some value. But despite its suggested importance, no place in that room seems to show any space for the magic stones, at all."
"Then maybe he has already used them and discarded the remains. Or, he is hiding it somewhere in the room itself. But if it's hidden away to that extent, similar to how he has hidden away Emilia, then it must be fairly important to him. And if it's already been used this fast, then whatever he is using it for must require lots of mana to function." Felt said.
"Either way, it does not change the fact that it has been well-hidden. Something is amiss after all. There is also the fact that his maid has brought in two trays of food."
Subaru: "Frederica, the food, first have a bite."
Even while preoccupied with her thoughts, she was steadily preparing the meal to be served. This boy was only skin and bones, not because of a lack of appetite, but because of his mental issues. Having given and taken many wounds, while living comfortably, he was comparably quite skinny in appearance.
As the manager of his meals, it did not make her feel great, but he probably was not vomiting because he wanted to.
"Master, with this."
Why had meals been prepared for two? All menus were for two, placed on large plates and set on the table. And from every plate, she took a single bite in order to check for poison.
She never thought about poisoning him. But she did want to.
It was just that, her life as a maid had taken up most of her life and was very important to her. With the people that had taught her, and that she had taught, she did not want to commit acts of violence.
"What a kind soul, how the hell is she still single?!" It was not just one, but most of the young men that thought that simultaneously.
"That one time actually, Betty and Subaru saw 'it'. 'It' was Frederica interacting with that Clind, I suppose. No matter how you looked at that, she was acting fairly differently than she usually does. Maybe it's a crush, a current one or a former one, I suppose." Beatrice giggled quietly, like a child who had gotten hold of some nefarious secret.
Frederica meanwhile, recalled how Subaru had lost his appetite in the final loop of arc 2, due to being afraid of it being poisoned. Him still struggling to properly eat was yet another scar, left behind by those events.
"Then, I will be outside, if there is anything please call for me."
"Hmm."
During meals her master did not enjoy being seen.
"I think it's just him being absolutely paranoid. Having two plates and checking them both for poison. And then maybe he flips another coin, to decide which one to eat it from. I really don't believe there is any other conspiracy involved." Anastasia said. "But if it was me then I would have the maid stay there longer and wait for any reaction, in order to make sure that no delayed poisons have been added."
"When a person eats their food, they usually let their guard down, giving someone a perfect opportunity to strike. So I guess it makes sense why he would not want to eat in another's presence." Crusch said. "But I can't help but agree with Miss Barielle, that something feels amiss."
Because of that, having finished with readying the meal, she felt it was time to leave.
On this day as well, she intended to wait outside - when suddenly, something caught her eye.
Spread over the desk was a list, with the names of the organization's members. Placed next to that list, a gold coin could be seen.
At that moment, having realized the meaning of that, Frederica could not hide the fear running down her back.
"Oh shit. Well, when you think about it, it becomes obvious. There ain't no way that his own comrades would be exempt from the coin flip. He's literally doing a 'live-or-die' check, whenever he feels like it." Al said.
"What matters more than that, is that Frederica-san has ended up seeing the list!" Rem said. "If she isn't caught and just ignores it, then maybe, maybe…."
"Master-"
"Fuck! Why the hell did you have to go and call him?!" Garfiel said.
Tension was running behind everyone's back.
"Frederica"
The room grew cold. Frederica shuddered. A shudder of fear, despite the fact that she was sitting here.
With her turning around, void black eyes were gazing at Frederica.
Frederica's breath was robbed by that abyss. In front of her, her master slowly approached the desk and covered the list.
And then, he flipped the gold coin right next to it with a thumb.
At this instance Frederica was feeling two emotions. One was fear. Despite the fact that she was not the Frederica on the screen, she felt afraid for herself. More than that, she felt afraid for her family. Just like that, everything she had worked for and everyone she loved, could be wiped clean. And she would be powerless to do anything. Frederica, who had not felt any fear towards Natsuki Subaru, now felt it clearly.
The other emotion she was feeling was something worse than disgust. She truly understood now, how and why that Frederica despised Wrathbaru. She understood just how abysmal his way of living was. Wrathbaru was forcing an absurd reality of unreasonableness on others. He wasn't the one who was drowning alone, he was dragging everyone else with him. Like a disease, he spread and attached to everyone.
She did not care if he was indifferent or if he was filled with emotion. His actions spoke for themselves. With those two emotions meshing together, a thought arose within her. "So this is the nature of the unfair reality and the unreasonable situations that are forced on the Subaru we know. A reality filled with death. Just how despair-inducing could it have been, when he was presented with no choices but to die? Or when he was forced to choose between running away from a place he had come to love, or dying and restarting? Now that he is the one inducing such unreasonableness towards others, it is way more scary….."
The rest of the cast were waiting without breathing. They were pulled in together, as that coin did circles in the screen and landed.
"-Heads."
A large breath of relief spread throughout the theater.
With a carefree noise, the tossed coin fell into the boy's left hand. Catching it, and having checked the side facing up, that boy smiled at Frederica.
"It was heads, Frederica. Your brother and Grandmother are safe."
"..Ah."
"Get out. And don't come back until I say you may enter."
At her master's words, she nodded like a doll.
And so, unable to hide the tears in her eyes welling up, she left the room as her cheeks were moistened by hot tears. Soon after, Frederica began to run while covering her face.
"Uhh..Uhh, wahhhh."
She could not tell, not anyone. Sharing would not be forgiven.
Why had it become like this?
Why had this happened to her?
Those far-away days at the mansion, with those not-cute-at-all juniors, that cute junior, that hopeless master- where had those times gone?
"This is just way too cruel ! What the hell would he gain by doing all of this? Piece of mind?! Ha, what a joke. That ain't happening here at all. Not by living this way, it won't." Garfiel said with an angry expression.
"Now, Garfiel," Frederica said with a soft voice. Petra had latched on to her, shedding a few tears. This allowed her to regain her senses. "It's like what Otto-sama had said before. In the end, this is nothing but an if-story. It is obvious, but we must constantly remind ourselves of this."
"I know that! Of course I know that! But despite that, seeing all of that on the screen, do you think I could just remain indifferent to it all? Sorry, but I can't help but express my anger and judge him. That Wrathbaru is too far gone. He would continue to suspect and kill. It's a cycle that won't end. Nothing good could come out of it. It is only black and white for him. I being stupid, spend so much time trapped in that little cage called 'sanctuary' and did nothing to change myself. All I did was go around in circles, repeating the same thing. With my heart closed and my mind small, I was a foolish idiot while you went and worked hard."
"Garfiel."
"And that's why I know, that even if he has good reason to have become the way he has, it's still stupid as hell. It's meaningless in the end."
"Even he must realize this. Isn't that why he had asked Beatrice-sama, 'why didn't you kill me that time?'. He has already realized that his path is a dead end. One that he should not have taken. But with just regret, you can't do much can you?"
"...I still hate what is happening with that Nee-san….Even I can see the similarity. How Captain also has something that he could not tell anyone. How he questioned the reason for why he had been put in his situation. His cruel reality is being forced upon others, in a different manner. And I still hate it and I hate Wrathbaru as well. I take back all my statements of him looking 'cool' and 'badass'! "
"That is completely okay, in fact it makes me happy to see my cute brother care for me that much."
"-!" Naturally, Garfiel turned away from his sister. As the rest of the cast enjoyed that small moment and started talking among themselves, two individuals were deathly silent.
Ram and Rem had their heads down. If we were talking about unreasonableness, then both of them considered themselves to be filled with it. Their actions at the mansion, specifically Rem, and the impact it had made.
Once again, they were reminded of their sins. Was salvation too far now? Subaru had forgiven them, but would it be unreasonable for them to forgive themselves?
"Hm, that whole thing about there being a possible spy in Pleiadias other than Cecilus, is making a lot more sense now." Priscilla said.
"Eh, really Princess? You think that the maid could be the one? But doesn't she have the most to lose?"
"It's exactly because of that, Al. What happened right now could happen again. It would be simple and sudden, without luck to save her. And so, because she is stuck in a check with everything on the stake, her only option to truly survive is not to surrender but to fight back somehow. If she succeeds in bringing those who can checkmate the King, she and her family might survive. But if she keeps waiting, then it's just a matter of time."
"I see. As expected from the Princess, such insight."
"Of course."
—-The screen started again.
Having received word from a secret messenger, Cecilus closed one eye and looked up at the moon.
"Hmm, Hmmm, Hmmm~"
Twisting his neck and bending at the waist, low enough that the tip of long hair could brush the ground, he tilted his form.
By nature, thinking had never been his best attribute. Cecilus had not received formal education and had lived with no intention of learning things in the first place. In years, his life numbered around twenty, but he spent it all on one thing only.
Many years he had spent swinging only a sword, his swordsmanship a thing of pride.
Since it was a life of only that, in his heart he wished to avoid difficult manners.
"I can definitely sympathize with that," Wilhelm said. "Sticking to something and only that something for a long period of time is admirable. Especially when you consider how harder it becomes to do that as you grow older. I for one am glad that I found various other things in my life."
"Like the love of your life, nya."
"...Like the love of my life. Felix."
"Well now, how should this be done? As for me…"
Straightening his body, Cecilus shook the dust from his hair that had been touching the floor. And placing a hand at the sword on his waist, then turning back with a dance like move,
"Hey, Halibel-san. What do you think?"
"-What, its disgraceful that you've found me while I was keeping quiet and you were being so unashamed."
On the castle's balcony, under the light of the moon, from the shadows the beastmen emerged.
"Ohhh! How cool! He did some stuff with the little spirit before but it's refreshing to seem something that might only be found in fairy tales." Garfiel said with a deep nod.
" Right, right!?" Hopping up and down, Mimi said with excitement. "Even Roshi did not show that stuff, despite being a shinobi himself."
"Hoh, little brat, someone that you knew was a shinobi?" Garfiel said.
"Yeah, he was my foster father."
With a slight stutter, Garfiel asked the important question. "Then did he teach you anything? Like some cool clone moves-"
"Not at all. Just Mimi alone is cool enough!"
"Tch, boring then."
"Ehhhhh…"
And then, after a soft strike on his armchair, Al said, "Ah, now I remember. I think that move is called the 'shadow form'. They can use it to hide under other people's shadows and even carry them." Saying such, he revealed information that he learned from his gladiator days.
"Well 'shinobi' itself is something that strictly originates from Vollachia. They have got villages that train and raise them with all sorts of different techniques. Body alteration and different kinds of drugs are used. So it's highly possible that the wolf-skin shinobi came from Vollacha originally. Or he was trained by someone from there. Ah, by the way. Information about shinobi is protected by the government and is a fairly confidential secret. So don't reveal it carelessly, morons." Priscilla said.
"-Eh?" Instantly, everyone paused and let out a dumbfounded voice.
"But you are the one who's carelessly spilling the beans, Princess!" Al shouted.
Having been detected, Halibel approached Cecilus, the latter's face undaunted.
"In just that simple stance, with his hand on the hilt of his weapon, Cecilus-san is ready to fight if need be." Julius said.
Retrieving the kiseru from his pocket and putting it in his mouth, he lighted its tip, inhaled and puffed out purple haze.
"That does seem like a drug of sorts," Felix said.
"Just now, who was that messenger sneaking about?"
"That? Let's just say that was one of the nine divine generals, but if it's Halibel-san, the top shinobi in the world, it's no wonder they were found out."
"Eh? Hasn't he just revealed that he is pretty much a spy?" Rem said, tilting her head.
"Well, with his carefree attitude, he isn't really suited for keeping secrets." Julius said. "In fact, it would be weird if his role was to steal information or something. I don't think he would be able to follow through on such an order, properly. But as expected, he did not cut off his ties with the empire."
"Hm, so out of all of the purge king's employees, only the shinobi is truly loyal. He also does not seem to be serving him due to his self-interest." Anastasia said. "A surprising behavior, coming from a shinobi. What an interesting individual. I would definitely love to meet him one day."
"Ce-san, you ain't suited for secret work at all. Haven't you revealed that you never broke off ties with the Vollachian empire."
"But, Halibel-san, didn't you already know that?"
Halibel, already with an awkward grin, at Cecilus's comment smiled even deeper.
"It appears that he has not done an adequate job at hiding his relationship. It would not be a surprise if even Wrathbaru knew of it." Crusch said. "But because of his power as the blue-lightning, there isn't much one can do about it."
That this was not a negative sign, Cecilus was aware of it.
"Originally, working for the boss was due to the excellency's order. Of course, that I fell for the boss's invitation and came to this side isn't a lie."
"With the empire's collar around your neck..Well, Su-san's movement, if used well, would easily turn into a profit for your country. That knowledge from somewhere unknown, would be readily accepted in Kararagi and Vollachia, compared to Lugunica and Gustecko."
"It would, yes."
"I still don't understand how WrathBarusu would be able to help blue-boy in achieving his goal, the heavenly sword." Ram said.
"That is true," Roswall said. "Considering the level of swordsmanship he has reached, the only challenge left for him would be to surpass the current sword saint. Putting aside the impossibility of that goal, how exactly does Wrathbaru play into it is unknown. Maybe he just needs Wrathabaru to incite the sword saint."
"Or, the abundant chances he is given to kill people is helping him grow somehow."
"Indeed, his swords are said to be cursed and require a frequent human sacrifice. So it would work out well for Cecilus-kun. He obeys both the Vollachian Emperor and the Purge king, gets to have a possible bout with the sword saint and also keeps up with the maintenance that his swords require. Also, he must be getting paid generously."
"He also does not seem to have a sensitive temperament to killing and is completely fine with it all. Trully, it's a win for him."
Drawing his hand into his kimono's sleeve, he acknowledged that he was a spy.
Cecilus's reason for cooperating was to follow the Emperor's orders. However, the emperor, knowing Cecilus's character, had not given any specific instructions. Not that he could have remembered them, even if he did.
Cecilus's role was to,
"All I gotta do is kill whoever the boss orders to be killed, aside from his excellency. So, it's just the usual."
"Ce-san, aren't you even more of an assassin than I, a shinobi, am?"
"No, no, definitely not true. I mean stuff like lurking in the water, hiding poison on my person or emerging from shadows is impossible for me."
Shaking his head and hands, Cecilus acknowledged their respective areas.
As an assassin, he was far behind Halibel. But if fighting head on, Halibel was no match for Cecilus.
"Well then having caught me meeting with a secret messenger, what are you planning on doing? Do you plan on fighting me with your life on the line?"
"That depends on the nature of the message."
"Hmm, you mean its contents."
"If its contents mean Su-san's death, I guess I gotta fight to stop that."
Needless to say, the cast wondered just what Wrathbaru could have done to elicit such loyalty.
Holding his kiseru between his fingers, letting out some smoke, Halibel's fur fluttered in the cold night breeze.
Hearing he was ready to fight to the death for his master, Cecilus nodded with an 'I see'.
"I've been wondering for a long time now, why is Halibel-san serving the boss? It's not out of sincere loyalty for his excellency, like me."
"To repay a grace I received."
"What can it be, the sort of favor that Halibel-san received?"
Those unexpected words came out, and having listened to them, Cecilus asked with sincere surprise. Depending on the person, it could be considered a rude question, but Halibel did not object.
Instead, he gazed at the moon hanging in the night sky.
"Round the time I first met Su-san, there was a bit of an incident in a corner of Kararagi. That well, it was an incident that involved one of the four great spirits….Su-san dealt with it."
"Huuh, the four great spirits! I know one of them, but they can't really be talked with, you know. Can't believe one was calmed down, huh. Perhaps the boss is stronger than I thought."
"A great spirit in a corner of Kararagi. The only one that fits the picture is the 'shinigami' Zarestia."
"Zarestia, who's that, Anastasia-san?" Emilia said.
"She's a murderous great spirit that many fear. Because of rumors speaking about her blood lust and her inhuman beauty, she is called the most beautiful shinigami. A force that must not be disturbed."
"Ah, that spirit, huh," Beatrice said. "Apparently she is supposed to have predated even the dragon itself. And possessed control over all four elements. Though Betty is unaware of what happened to her. Still, pretty incredible for Wrathbaru to have dealt with someone like that. He made a partnership with Puck, had a contract with Betty and then he dealt with another Great spirit. Not many people can meet even one great spirit, much less three of them."
"Nah, nah. It wasn't an aggressive situation like that. What did…Well, I dunno what the deciding factor was for sure. But you know how Su-san's got some weird predictions at times? It was probably that."
Cecilus with one eye closed, listened to Halibel's explanation. The reason that felt both convincing and doubtful was because Cecilus appraised that boy similarly, in certain aspects.
Halibel had called them predictions, but Cecilus did not look at it like that.
To prepare for anything was the weapon of a coward, he thought. And Cecilus respected the strong. That meant that, no matter the method of fighting, one who would greedily use anything to win, would be acknowledged as a warrior by him.
"Predictions. And the ambiguity in his way of speaking. Meaning, Wrathbaru must have used return by death." Wilhem said. "Despite his young age, Cecilus-san's intuition is incredible indeed. And I do agree with him to a certain degree. Especially when it comes to a real battle where your life's on the line."
"Actually, I can see another big similarity, huh," saying that Otto turned towards Roswall.
Though he first tilted his head, he quickly understood the meaning and spoke, "Ah, I see. Just like how I had saved Rem and Ram for my own self-interest, Wrathbaru-kun might have done something similar for Halibel-kun. And just the oni twins, Halibel-kun responded with a desire to repay that favor."
"Yeah, well, our race is fairly extinct just like the onis," rubbing his snout with a faraway look in his eyes, Ricardo spoke. "Doing something kind for us would make us fairly happy. With our pride on the line, it's natural that Halibel would be willing to give his life itself." With a fond smile he looked towards Anastasia.
"Well, as a strong one among swordsmen, if possible, sticking with a sword suits me best."
"Ce-san, Ce-san, are you done with my talk?"
"Yes, that is enough. Anyways, it wasn't like I suspected Halibel-san or anything like that. Unlike the empire, the city-states are a mish-mash of heads. If you told me you were working for someone else, I would trust you a lot more."
With that, Halibel was worn out and disappointed. Then as if having remembered something, Cecilus tilted his head and clapped his hands together.
"Right, right, I was forgetting. The secret messenger I was in touch with a while ago."
"Is it okay to tell me?"
"If I don't tell you it would cause a lot of difficulties. To be honest…"
Then, Cecilus informed Halibel, a large smile on his face,
"As the former Margrave's murder has surfaced, the kingdom is coming to destroy the organization in earnest."
"Unsurprising. They would probably use my Reinhard for it," Felt said. "Though well, Wrathbaru still has return by death. It could turn into a stalemate where neither side is able to deliver a fatal blow. But as expected, this time the organization would have to retreat somehow."
"Whatever the case is, we will find out next, I suppose."
.
.
.
Chapter end.