Chapter 2
A Moment of Relief - Part 1
Under the moonlight, there was a gentle breeze that swayed her golden locks with calmness and reserve. Felt let out a tired sigh. With her hand resting on the windowsill, she leaned out the window of the dragon carriage to see if they could leave already. They were all ready to head out but her idiot of a knight, who'd left in such a hurry, had yet to come back.
There was no change outside. Carol was still petting the head of the ill-tempered land dragon. Felt grumbled in bitterness remembering the incident that had occurred a few minutes prior. All she wanted to do was pat its head, but a single sweep of its tail had sent her flying into the nearby foliage.
She was so tired. After spending the entire day studying for the Royal Selection that she didn't even want to be a part of, she just wanted to get some sleep. She was only up this long because Reinhard had made his strange request.
"Haaaaa…."
On the seat opposite her, Ezzo Cadner was not faring any better. He stretched out his arms above his head and let out a long yawn, leaning back against the seat and rubbing his eyes. Not even ten seconds later, his eyes were drooping again, his head nodding off before jerking back up, and it was taking all of his willpower to not lie flat on the seat and fall asleep.
The only reason he had not already done so was because Reinhard had specifically requested for him.
Felt couldn't blame him for wanting to sleep. The seat was surprisingly comfortable and had a high class feel to it, appropriate for the design of such an expensive vehicle. It was so late at night and at that moment, she herself wanted to lie down and step into the world of dreams. Not to mention her body felt stiff from sitting around all day. Maybe she could ask Carol to give her a massage...
"Noooo!" Without any warning, she got up from her seat and let out a yelp in horror. Her shout startled the half-asleep Ezzo, and he fell face-first onto the floor of the dragon carriage.
"What was that for!?" He shouted as he got up. Now wide awake and angry, he rubbed his forehead while he groaned out in pain.
"I've grown too soft!"
"What are you talking about!?"
Felt didn't answer Ezzo's question, and paced around between the seats in the rather spacious carriage, alarmed at how comfortable she was getting in this place. She had grown up in the slums in conditions a thousand times worse than her current lifestyle, and now she was thinking of requesting a massage at the slightest discomfort.
"It's all his fault!" Felt thought aloud with her hands on her hips, petulantly kicking the carriage seat. Ezzo sighed, letting her dwell on whatever she was dealing with on her own while he stared at the stars of the night sky from the window. Her rants ignored by the dwarf mage, she continued to blame everything on that idiotic perfect knight of hers that had abducted her, brought her here and treated her lavishly.
Thinking back to the circumstances that led to their meeting, she couldn't help but feel irritated. Sure she was happy at first when he saved everyone back in the Loot house. Now she just felt annoyed whenever he was with her. Why did she have to ask him for help that day?
Now that she thought about it, why did she ask him for help? Hadn't she already escaped safely from that place? How did she escape from that spider woman in the first place? Was it Emilia? But she was busy fighting Elsa. And it couldn't have been Rom either, he was out cold.
"You're fifteen and I'm seventeen. Out of all of us, you're probably the youngest one here."
As she thought harder about the inconsistencies in her memories, she felt a throbbing migraine as the thoughts tugged at her head.
"So it's the right thing to do to give you the highest possibility of getting out of here alive."
She did not know why, but for an instant, her thoughts drifted to the raven-haired boy pleading for help back in Priestella. Recalling that ugly affair always left her feeling uneasy, so she dismissed those thoughts as quickly as it entered her head.
She did however sincerely hope that the boy was still alive.
That incident was also the last time she'd seen Reinhard before he had left for the Watchtower. Speaking of which, just where had he gone off to? He could've at least told them what the big emergency was.
Felt heaved out a tired sigh. Maybe she should have asked him what was wrong, before driving him away to do whatever it was he needed to do. But seeing him moping around like that after returning back, she felt a little bad for him.
A little bad.
She was still gonna kick him for making her worry about him though.
"Felt-sama, isn't that him?"
As Felt continued to both worry and berate him in her mind, Ezzo, who had been snapped out of his drowsy state by Felt's earlier outburst, pointed towards the crimson haired figure flying towards them at an unusually steady pace.
"—Speak of the devil!" Kicking the carriage door open, she jumped out of the dragon carriage, sick of waiting for him inside.
"Please don't jump, Felt-sama! It's very unlady-like and you could fall down and get hurt," Carol said, only for Felt to dismiss the reprimand with a wave of her hand, completely ignoring the elderly lady's words.
Carol just sighed.
With one hand on her hip and the other above her eyes, she tried to focus on the approaching figure of her knight.
"It seems the Young Master has brought home a guest."
On hearing Carol's words, Felt squinted her eyes. She noticed it as well. Reinhard was carrying someone in his arms as he was flying.
"Huh? Did he kidnap someone again?" She wondered. With Reinhard flying at such a slow pace, it was hard for her to make out any features of the person he was carrying from that distance. However, she could make out that the person he was carrying was injured, and it must've been a pretty big injury if she could see it from this far away.
"Ezzo, come out!" She shouted. So this must be why Reinhard had requested for him.
As he flew closer and closer, Felt began to get a clearer view of the person he was carrying, and when he finally landed, her eyes widened.
"Wait a minute! Is that—!?"
It was a face she never thought she would see again.
Reinhard walked towards them taking absolute care not to hurt the asleep boy in his arms any further than he already was.
It was the same boy condemned by the Great Spirit back in Priestella. His strange attire was bloody and torn, his longer hair no longer the charcoal-black she remembered but snow-white. The complexion of his skin was pale, matching his hair, as if drained of all the blood in his body. Which wouldn't have been surprising, considering how much he was bleeding.
"Is Ezzo here?" Reinhard asked, his voice trembling, and his eyes almost in tears.
"I'm here! Quick! Bring him inside the carriage!" Ezzo said with urgency. He had stepped out earlier when Felt had called out to him, not expecting to find a patient. Without wasting a second, he urged Reinhard inside the dragon carriage.
Felt held the door open for them while Reinhard stepped inside and laid the injured boy on the seat. Ezzo got down on his knees beside the boy and began his healing. Felt followed them inside to inspect the condition of the boy Reinhard had brought back.
"Please, save him!" Reinhard pleaded as Ezzo began closing the open wounds on the boy struggling restlessly in his sleep.
"...I don't know… stop it! …please stop… it hurts… Ferris…. Julius…don't know…. about Crusch-san… Joshua…"
"Granny, we have to leave now!" Felt ordered Carol, having realised the gravity of the situation. What had happened to him and why had Reinhard brought him here, she did not know. But judging by his condition, there was no way Reinhard was actually given permission to bring him here.
One thing was certain. Reinhard was super lucky Felt had decided to bring Ezzo on this trip. Od knows what would have happened if she hadn't.
"As you wish, Felt-sama."
Without any hesitation, Carol sprang into action. Getting onto the driver's seat, she took hold of the reins and they began their departure for Hakuchuri. The carriage rocked slightly in the beginning and Reinhard had to hold the injured boy down as Ezzo healed him, but soon enough the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion came into effect, stabilising the carriage.
Reinhard backed away, the white of his uniform dyed a bloody scarlet where he'd been carrying the white-haired boy.
"Rein, sit down." Felt pushed him onto the opposite seat in an attempt to calm him down. His eyes quivered as he looked at her.
"I tried to be careful but still…." The panicking Reinhard tried to wipe the sweat off of his face, managing only to smear it with blood instead. His breathing was shaky and he was trembling in anxiety.
"Reinhard, calm down! We'll talk once the treatment is over." Felt suggested, and Reinhard nodded his head.
The princess and her knight sat side by side without a word, watching the light blue glow healing the boy. Neither Carol nor Ezzo asked any questions, something both Reinhard and Felt were grateful for. It seemed the two retainers had decided to focus on their respective tasks and leave any questions for after their guest was healed.
The boy's mutterings were painful to listen to, but strangely relieving. As long as he was talking, he was still alive. Reinhard had closed his eyes and clenched his hands as if in prayer as Felt patted his back. Ezzo was hard at work in the silence, closing any open wounds and stopping the bleeding. Only the sounds of the dragon carriage moving along the road broke the otherwise deafening quiet which had engulfed it.
Not too long after, satisfied that the patient was stable and no longer in danger, Ezzo put the boy into a dreamless sleep, ceasing the painful mutterings.
"Now then," Letting out a deep breath while resting his back against the base of the seat in exhaustion, Ezzo looked at the Master-Knight duo. "Do you mind telling me who this person is?" He asked, looking completely exhausted.
"He's the one I told you about. The one they took away after suspecting him to be a Sin Archbishop."
"What!?" Ezzo shot straight up hearing her words.
"He was being tortured by the Royal Knights so I broke him out." Reinhard said, his hands still shivering.
"What!?" Ezzo exclaimed again.
"He was trying to escape on his own but I couldn't stand the thought of leaving him all alone injured like that; so I knocked him out and brought him here."
"WHAT—ow!" Ezzo exclaimed once more, making Felt smack his head in annoyance.
"Felt-sama," Reinhard called out to her all of a sudden with a fear apparent in his eyes. "I know I am a Knight in service to the Kingdom and I shouldn't have broken him out, but both my instincts and divine protections were telling me he is innocent. I couldn't just leave him there to be tortured to death in that prison cell—I'll take any punishment you give me. But please, help me protect him." He bowed his head to Felt as he spoke.
She turned her gaze to meet the white-haired boy. 'Reinhard really broke him out,' Felt thought incredulously.
But then, as she contemplated, something struck her mind. Why was she shocked that Reinhard had brought a wanted man back home? His house was full of outlaws. There was Felt herself, and then Rom, Gaston, Rachins, Camberley…. Although it was she herself that had asked him to pick them up.
She realised she was getting sidetracked and brought her attention back to the situation at present.
Reinhard continued to bow, waiting for her to continue.
With a sigh, "Do you regret saving him?" she asked.
"—Absolutely not. I am certain that I have made the correct decision." Reinhard asserted with a look of determination for the first time since he returned.
"...I'm not so certain right now." Ezzo grumbled, sitting on the floor of the carriage, his head slumped back against the seat.
"You! Shut up!" She scowled at the mage, and then turned to meet Reinhard's gaze.
"And you! Stop sulking!" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "If you think you have done no wrong, then there's nothing to get so worked up about."
"But Felt-sama, because of my selfishness, I'm endangering all of your lives…."
To his utter disbelief, a toothy grin grew on her face. "You did the right thing, Reinhard. You saved an innocent man who was being subjected to torture simply because 'the Great Spirit said so'. If he's telling the truth, he's an ally who has helped us protect the people in Priestella. You saved him, Rein!"
"..."
"Good job, Rein! Seriously, good job! I'm proud of you!" She commended him. He was usually so passive with everything, letting the people around him dictate what he should do, even when he was in the right. If this is what he meant by being selfish, she wanted him to be selfish more often.
"And you know what's even better?" She asked, rubbing her hands together in glee while Reinhard and Ezzo looked at her and then at each other. They shrugged, unable to figure out what she was thinking.
"You broke the law to do it!" Felt beamed in elation. "I feel like a proud mother watching her kid grow up!"
"That's not something to be proud of!" Ezzo retorted back almost immediately.
Reinhard frowned. "...I'm older than you, Felt-sama."
"Shut up!"
With that Felt's annoyance at her knight returned as she tried to punch him in the stomach, only to be blocked by his already waiting hand.
"...stop," a quiet groan escaped the injured boy's lips and shifted her focus away from Reinhard to him. She really felt sorry for him.
Ezzo got up and used his healing magic to once again put his patient at ease.
Realising it was futile to argue anymore, she sighed and put her fist down as she turned to the driver's window and opened it. They had yet to ask the fourth person in their group for her thoughts on all of this.
"Did you hear everything, Granny?"
"I did, Felt-sama…." Carol's stoic voice reached them from outside.
"And what do you think?"
"I believe Young Master if he says the boy is innocent…But everyone else in the mansion may not be as accepting of him as we are." The elderly lady answered honestly.
"Like me for instance!" Ezzo raised his hand in protest, and Felt smacked it away without any hesitation.
"Shut it, you! If you're so against it, why do you keep healing-"
"Listen to me for once!" He cut her off and argued, leaving her shocked.
With a sigh, "It's not like I don't believe you when you say he's innocent…" Ezzo admitted. "I'm not heartless enough to leave him in that state."
"In that case, what is the problem?" Reinhard asked. He looked at Ezzo with his signature puppy dog eyes, making the mage falter.
But in the end, "He's just more trouble!" Ezzo exclaimed without beating around the bush, to which the others had no arguments in their defence.
"...How much trouble are we in exactly?" Felt asked, causing Reinhard to flinch.
"...He escaped the day the only person who had testified for his innocence returned from his journey. I hate to admit it but it is undoubtedly suspicious." Carol sighed. "With Young Master's help, it would not be too much trouble if we are careful hiding him, but…." Even Carol herself seemed unsure of how to proceed from here onwards and was at a loss for words.
"Why do we even have to let him stay? We could let him go as soon as he's completely heal-"
"No!" Reinhard refused, leaving them no room for discussion, as they all stared at him in shock. This was the first time Felt had seen Reinhard actively demand something. Saying she was surprised was an understatement. But ultimately, she did agree with him.
"Reinhard's right! Even if we let him go, where would he even go? Everyone is hunting for his head right now. We can't let him leave."
Felt turned her gaze to face the boy. He looked like a child as he slept. From the very short interaction she had with him back in Priestella, she knew he was defenseless. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that both Carol, who had turned her face back to take a look at the white-haired boy, and even Ezzo, were looking at him with sympathy.
"Fine…." Ezzo sighed, reluctantly ceasing any complaints he had, while checking the state of his patient every few minutes. He probably had more to say, but couldn't find the heart to.
"There won't be any objections with Grimm, Flam and Grassis."
"And if Old man Rom says something, I'll kick him till he agrees."
"I'll try my best to convince Gaston and the others then."
With these words, the other three decided what they had to do.
There was a lull in the conversation. Ezzo got up, and sat up properly on the seat beside where the boy was sleeping, and Felt sat back down beside Reinhard as well. Carol too had returned her focus back to the roads in front.
"There is one more person who might object…." Reinhard spoke out all of a sudden, drawing their attention to him. Felt raised her eyebrow, wondering who he was talking about.
He pointed a finger at the sleeping figure beside Ezzo.
"You are kidding me, right!?" Ezzo exclaimed, while Felt facepalmed, and Carol sighed.
—It seemed like Reinhard really had kidnapped the boy against his will.
For Natsuki Subaru, his life had been overturned in a matter of minutes that day in Priestella. His dreams kept replaying that day over and over again.
He remembered walking over to the secluded base they had held Sirius in after hearing she had been captured by Priscilla, only to find Priscilla engaged in battle with Capella. Emilia, Beatrice and he himself had rushed in to try and help her, when a strange voice vibrated in his ears.
He'd looked around and the next thing he knew—
"It's about time we met, isn't it dear Sage? Or would calling you a Sage Candidate be more appropriate?"
"Wha….?"
In the blink of an eye, he was left alone in a deserted part of the town, with Priscilla fighting in the distance and Emilia and Beatrice gone. Instead, standing in front of him was a girl he had never met before.
"I have wanted to meet you for a while, but it was only today that I found you."
She was of short stature, with radiant straight platinum hair, that travelled from her shoulders down to her back. Her cerulean eyes, bordered by long eyelashes, looked at him with exhilaration as the single piece of fabric that covered her body fluttered lightly in the wind. She possessed such inhuman beauty that anyone who set eyes upon her would forget how to breathe.
However, at that moment, Subaru's breath had stopped for a different reason. "You—! Who are you? What have you done to Emilia and Beatrice?" He yelled, glaring at the girl for answers.
"You need not worry. They are fine. I simply sent them away to avoid any interruption while we conversed." She said with an innocent smile, explaining in a casual tone as if what she did was nothing out of the ordinary.
Subaru slowly brought his hand closer to the whip and gripped its handle, gritting his teeth. Despite running around so much, it was strange how he didn't feel any fatigue. Though whether he could do any damage or even defend himself this being that aroused the same fear in him as the Witch of Greed did, with a whip was questionable. Still, something was better than nothing.
"You don't have to be so wary of me. As I said, I simply wish to speak with you."
"Who are you? And why the hell should I trust anything you say?" He snarled, taking a single step back, preparing to turn back and run at a moment's notice.
He wanted to find out more about her, but it was obvious that the being before him was absolutely dangerous. He felt like he would struggle to take her on even with Emilia and Beatrice alongside him, let alone without their help.
The only person who could help him right now was a few metres away, already engaged in battle, and even if she wasn't, whether she helped him or not, depended on her unpredictable mood. He would rather not team up with her when it was hard for him to trust her cooperation even with Sin Archbishops around.
The girl before him said something about sending Emilia and Beatrice away…. Teleportation magic? He had absolutely no proof if the girl in front of him was even speaking the truth, but for now he had no other leads. His first priority was to make sure the two of them were safe.
"Even onii-san must realise how trying to run away is a futile endeavour."
A voice reached his ears from behind him, and turning his head around, he saw a young girl dressed in rags with long golden hair—really long hair spanning across the ground like a snake.
He looked back and forth between the two girls, unable to run. His survival instincts were completely useless in this scenario. He racked his brains trying to think of an escape, but could find none.
"Oh, we almost forgot, tsu~! We haven't introduced ou~rselves yet." The blonde girl said playfully, rubbing her palms together, as the platinum haired girl nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, how silly of me!" The platinum haired girl spread her hands in front of him, as if embracing the air around her and announced, "My apologies. My name is Pandora. I'm better known as the Witch of Vainglory of the Witch Cult."
She smiled sweetly, contradictory to the title she just proclaimed herself to be, as she watched Subaru's eyes widen and his breath get caught in his throat.
—Witch of Vainglory?
"And the person behind you… She's the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Louis Arneb. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Subaru bit his inner lips as his nostrils flared and he drowned in a strange mix of fear, anger and disgust.
—Why were there three Gluttonies?
If Subaru wasn't in such a difficult situation, he was sure he would have cried while wanting to bang his head against a wall. As if dealing with a single Gluttony wasn't enough, there were three of them.
….There were just three of them, right? A fourth one of them won't pop out of nowhere, right?
And what was with this girl referring to herself with the title of one of the ancient Deadly Sins? Why did this senseless situation have to barrel down on him like this? God must seriously hate him.
"I do not wish to fight or hurt you or anyone else in any way. I'm simply here to talk to you. Now, won't you introduce yourself to me as well?" Pandora asked him, patiently waiting for him to speak.
"Ha, you've cornered me, you're threatening me and then you expect me to believe you?" Subaru snickered, a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead at the precarious situation he had found himself in.
"Please believe me when I say it is necessary to make sure you stay and listen. Now, I ask again, what is your name?"
Subaru stayed quiet and stayed absolutely still, although he didn't know how it was going to help him. He did not want to give his name away when a Sin Archbishop of Gluttony was standing—now sitting behind him, her lower body submerged in the sea of golden hair.
"You said you wanted to meet me but you don't even know my name?"
"I do know your name. You announced it to the entire city of Priestella, didn't you, Natsuki Subaru?"
"—Hk!"
Louis Arneb giggled behind him as he let out a gasp in horror.
"...If you know my name, why ask me in the first place?"
"It is common courtesy to introduce yourselves when someone meets for the first time, no?" She answered, inclining her head in surprise as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Subaru was at a loss for what to do. The two girls looked at him with ominous smiles, belittling him. He felt disgusted just being near them, but was unable to escape with a Witch in front and a Sin Archbishop at the back.
All of a sudden, a loud screeching drew his attention away. His eyes drifted to Priscilla in the far back struggling to fight against the Sin Archbishop of Lust. It seemed she had been pushed back and had thrust her Yang Sword into the stone pavement to kill her momentum.
"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" The dragon transformed Capella let out a mad roar of laughter. "Are you afraid now, you rotten sack of meat! Revere me, worship me, beg and pathetically wail before me and I just might consider giving you a lesser punishment, meatbag!"
Priscilla glared at Capella overhead without saying a word. The shine of the Yang Sword in her hands increased from a bright red gradually until it became a brilliant white like pure sunlight.
"Bishop Emerada Lugunica, I believe you've had enough time to have fun. Shouldn't you be finished by now?" Pandora asked, her voice calm and almost a whisper.
But to his surprise, it seemed like both Capella and Priscilla seemed to have heard it. They simultaneously turned their heads to see her and Priscilla's eyes briefly met Subaru's. Her eyes widened.
"Aw, it looks like I have to get serious. And just when it was starting to become fu~n with this insolent meatbag-"
Not even waiting for Capella to finish her sentence, Priscilla swung her sword and caught her off guard, hitting the afloat Capella right in the gut, sending her flying and crashing right into Pandora. With her wings on fire in an incandescent flames, Capella let out a scream in pain. Pandora was right under Capella as she struggled, not visible to Subaru's eyes.
Capella would have hit Subaru and Louis too with her momentum, but Subaru managed to dodge just in time, while Louis leaped with lightning speed in the opposite direction.
"Don't make me laugh! As if a mere fly could touch a goddess!" Priscilla declared haughtily as Subaru gaped at the scene. Within a second, Subaru's escape path was cleared.
Without wasting another moment, he ran to Priscilla, grabbed her hand and ran away as fast as he could. He wanted to check what had happened to Pandora, but he couldn't waste this opportunity. From the corner of his eyes, he observed Louis entering the base that Priscilla had been defending till now. Probably where Wrath was being held. Subaru grit his teeth and Priscilla clicked her tongue in frustration.
"Unhand me, commoner! You may run away on your own if you wish, but I'm not leaving until I burn every single one of them."
"I'm really grateful for the help but don't be an idiot! If they're going to free Sirius, there are going to be three Sin Archbishops and a Witch there! You'll be destroyed if you fight them!"
"Then what do you suppose running away would do? In case your lacking brain hasn't realised it yet, if they spread across the city again-"
"They won't!" Subaru answered with certainty.
Priscilla straitened her eyes at him questioningly as she ran beside him.
"I have a feeling they won't. They said they're after me." His instincts told him they would come after him, and him alone. Why else would Pandora have teleported Emilia and Beatrice away? It was safe to assume they didn't want any trouble either.
If others were hurt, they were collateral damage. So he had to avoid areas with people in it. Which wasn't too difficult, as most of the city was already deserted; most of the population were being tended to at shelters on the other side of Priestella.
The countermeasures to keep the Wrath tied up away from the city's populace was proving to be helpful, though it was making getting help more difficult.
All of a sudden, Priscilla stopped running, forcing him to stop.
"Priscilla….?"
Before he knew it, her sword was grazing his neck as she glared at him. "Explain to me this instant. What do those Cultists want with you?"
Subaru understood how suspicious it seemed, but Priscilla could not have picked a worse moment to interrogate him. "Do you really have to do this now? Can't you-"
"Silence! Just answer my question!"
Blood rushed to his head as he ground his teeth. Why did he have to get stuck with her of all people?
Almost naturally, an annoyance welled up in his chest, and they were at a standoff, snarling at each other. Priscilla was always so full of arrogant self-confidence, he hated her so much. He wanted to rip her pride to pieces, destroy her slowly. And what better moment than now, when she was already very clearly exhausted from her fights with Capella and her earlier fight with Sirius—
"..."
His eyes widened. His anger had boiled over so suddenly, he hadn't even realised when he had lost control of his emotions. Taking a deep breath, he gave a good slap to both of his cheeks. The girl in front of him took a step back in surprise. He grabbed her free hand and began dragging her back along the way they came, uncaring of the sword in her hand. His bold actions left her dumbfounded.
"What do you think you are-"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know why they're after me!" He exclaimed as she reluctantly put her sword down. "I would explain more but we have to get away from here fast!"
Sage Candidate, that's what Pandora had called him earlier. He had heard it only once before; Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony. He didn't know what it meant, but now wasn't the time to get distracted. He'd just have to ask Beatrice once they were all safe..
"I'll allow that answer for now," she said, somewhat bitterly, her sword dematerializing in her hand. "Despite the barbarous gleam in your eyes."
"Sirius is probably close. I can't really tell for sure since her Authority is spread across the city but my emotions felt too out of control too fast."
"I can't say I am pleased with your brutish desire to harm my beautiful self. You are truly foolish if you believe you could lay a finger on me."
"You don't have to tell me! I cannot even win an argument with you, forget about an actual fight. But I can't help it! Wrath's Authority is stronger on me compared to you. Being with you isn't exactly making it easier!" He said, looking around and not paying much attention to her words or her in general.
He already disliked her enough without Wrath's Authority making him angrier at her. He didn't want to argue with her with the threat of the Archbishops looming over them.
"It is pitiful how a mediocre man such as yourself has to resort to excuses." Priscilla narrowed her eyes at him in pity. "It is not my fault you become bewitched so easily."
"Well, for someone, who doesn't have a single sympathetic bone in their body, Wrath's Authority probably doesn't even affect you," Subaru said, much to Priscilla's displeasure.
And then, Priscilla went unusually quiet.
"..."
No quips or even glares. She wasn't even looking in his direction. She looked…. troubled?
"..."
He should have been happy that she wasn't being her annoying self for once, but for some reason it terrified him. The longer she stayed silent, the more it scared him.
Was she mad?
But why? What did he do this time? He wasn't even insulting her too much this time. He was just theorising about Wrath's Authority. Sure he could have been better with his wording, but in his defence, it was Priscilla. He didn't think she would care about what anyone thought of her. Could it be that Priscilla was more sensitive to the opinions of others than he thought?
All of a sudden, he felt her squeezing the hand he was holding in hers. He felt his heartbeat skyrocket. He tried to escape her grasp, but was unable to do so.
What was she trying to do? Surely she wouldn't try to kill him now with the Sin Archbishops chasing them, right? Just as Subaru continued to overthink, all of a sudden, Priscilla pulled him down into a back alley, plunging them into the darkness.
"Priscilla, what the—mmph!?"
"Quiet, fool!" She whispered as she slapped a hand over his mouth and he grunted in pain. Pushing him against the wall with a force that made his back and head hurt, she too followed suit and hid in the shadows.
Subaru looked at her questioningly and she gestured to him to keep quiet by placing a finger on lips and pointed up.
His eyes widened. Listening closely, he could hear the faint beating of wings above. His eyes widened. Was that Capella?
His forehead furrowed, as he looked around to find a path that was not visible from the skies. As Priscilla removed her hand from his mouth, he motioned her to follow behind him as they raced through the rundown streets in the cover of darkness.
It was hard keeping quiet while Priscilla kept kicking his feet to move faster. Sometimes, he wished he could shout and give her a piece of his mind but he grit his teeth and forced himself to keep his composure. Slowly but surely, they moved away from the sound of wings until it faded and they couldn't hear it anymore.
The other day, Beatrice had likened the city to a maze and he remembered how annoying it was navigating through it. But right now, he couldn't have been more grateful to the people who had built the Watergate City. The paths were confusing but Subaru hoped it would be just as confusing for his pursuers.
Although somewhere in the back of his mind, he found it hard to believe how easily he was evading the Sin Archbishops, making him suspect they were walking into a trap.
They walked out into an open square and Subaru reflexively covered his eyes with his hand as the bright sunlight blinded him.
"Found you, onii-san!"
He gasped. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, to his horror, he found Louis Arneb sitting in the middle, waiting for them.
"I see I've found another fly that wants to be burnt." Priscilla declared, unfazed by the Sin Archbishop as she took a step forward. In that instant, however, Priscilla was abruptly pulled back into the dark alley from where they had arrived.
Subaru turned around in surprise, eyes widened. He too stepped back into the alleyway all while Louis watched with an amused look on her face.
"Thank God! I made it just in time!" Breathing heavily with his one hand resting on his knee as if he had run at full speed to catch them and celebrating his success was none other than Al, who had been absent from Priscilla's side since this mess had begun. "Gimme a break, Princess! I leave your sight for five minutes and you get into this much trouble!"
"Al, I asked for you to guard the outside of the base, did I not?" She asked coldly, and Subaru could see the one armed knight cowering in place. "And here you are running around like a coward. A punishment is in order for you," she said, and Subaru felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at his fellow otherworldly companion with pity.
"But Princess, I was teleported! I swear-" Al shook his head and waved his hand about frantically, trying to defend himself from her wrath, when—
"Onii-san, where did you go?" A mocking voice called out to them.
The moment she did, Al pushed Priscilla onto Subaru. "Bro, hurry up! Take Princess and run! I'll keep her occupied!"
"Wait, what!?" Subaru exclaimed. Al's sudden request caught him off-guard as he caught her, barely avoiding bumping into her.
"What do you think you're doing?" She glared angrily at him but he ignored her.
"Princess has the highest chance of surviving as long as she's with you."
"What are you-" Subaru tried to get a word in, but Al cut him off.
"Don't worry, bro! Gluttony can't eat my 'Name'." He gave a thumbs up as he turned around to head into the city square. "Besides, your princess and spirit are waiting for you that way!" Subaru's eyes widened as Al pointed in the direction they had heard Capella before.
Subaru couldn't understand what Al was trying to do, but it seemed he knew a lot more than he was letting on. Still, he felt bad about abandoning him.
Unfortunately for him, right now, making sure Emilia and Beatrice were safe was most important. Besides, if Al said he could handle it, he probably did have a few tricks up his sleeve. From what Subaru had deduced, Al was the kind of person who would avoid getting into fights he thought were risky.
Without listening to any of Priscilla's protests, he nodded and ran off in the direction Al had pointed to, dragging Priscilla away with him.
He had been trying to call Beatrice through their contract, but it'd been hard trying to contact her while on the run. Now that he had an idea where they were, reaching them would become a lot easier.
Even still, they needed help with the Sin Archbishops. He wondered how much help Priscilla alone could be against them. He trusted Al to have at least not led astray with his liege being with him, but still, he had his doubts rushing into an area where Capella might be waiting.
"Let go of me!" Priscilla shook her hand out of his grip as they came to another halt.
"Priscilla, what are you doing? We need to-"
"As if I would lend an ear to anyone's instructions. I will simply do as I please."
Subaru couldn't help but feel frustrated at his terrible luck. He had the absolutely worst choice for a companion. Even in their current predicament, she showed no spirit of cooperation.
"What's your problem now? If you're worried about Al, you can go-"
"Al can take care of himself. The fate of a fool is no concern of mine."
"Then-"
"In the first place, why must mineself run around in an attempt to reunite you with thy half-elf? If she wishes to meet you, she should be rushing to us," she stated arrogantly with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at him.
Subaru sighed. "That's not-" Hearing her words, his eyes widened as an idea popped into his head.
"What's wrong, commoner? What's with that look on your face?"
"Priscilla, you're a genius!" He grabbed her shoulders and his voice leaped in excitement as he brought his face closer to a surprised Priscilla's. She glared at him, and immediately afterwards, he audibly gasped, having come to his senses and backed off.
"I-I'm sorry, I…"
"Stop your foolish stuttering and explain to me what you understood!"
Subaru was relieved she hadn't immediately tried to kill him for that.
"Priscilla, can you shoot something like a fire signal into the sky?" Maybe he could call Emilia and Beatrice and even Reinhard to them, like Rachins had done in the third loop.
It might alert the Sin Archbishops, but at the same time, it will draw all his allies there as well, especially Reinhard who was hopefully faster than the Sin Archbishops.
Needless to say, Priscilla was not too happy with his plan. And then stomping her feet, she angrily remarked, "Do you think I am some kind of show animal, fool? That I could make a display of fire out of thin air for your entertainment at your convenience!"
With a sigh, "So you can't—ow ow ow ow!?" Subaru began but she walked up to him and dug her heels on his left foot. It was safe to say, she couldn't. He had asked her only because he saw her set Capella on fire earlier, but she probably couldn't shoot a fire signal out to the sky.
Bending down, he rubbed his feet where she had stepped on him, waiting for the pain to subside as a few drops of tears left his eyes.
"What the—!?" And then suddenly, she grabbed his collar and forcefully pulled him up on his feet with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Is this really the time for playing around? How long are you going to make me wait for you? My patience is running thin-"
"Your patience is running thin?" Subaru grabbed the hand that was holding his collar, and pulled it off. "I've had enough of you! Do you realise what I have to deal with?"
Subaru was trying to be patient but couldn't help but grow more and more irritable the longer he was with her. Her personality made it impossible for him to not feel antagonistic towards her.
"How dare you speak to me this way! After I was so gracious enough to save your life when you were so inextricably surrounded."
"I didn't ask you to save me!"
"In that case, maybe I should have left you to die if it appeals to you so much."
"I'm surprised you didn't, considering you seem to enjoy watching people suffering and writhing in pain," he remarked in a sarcastic tone that seemed to make her more and more furious.
She stared down at him as she pulled out her fan and snapped it open, holding it close to his neck, but he was sick and tired of being intimidated by her. They continued to be at a standstill glaring at each other.
Subaru was almost sure that the only reason he still had his neck was because he hadn't backed down yet, but this stalemate wouldn't last long, and it'd all be over the moment she got tired of this. But if he died, so be it. He would find Al to accompany her while he searched for Emilia and Beatrice alone. To his surprise—
"Leave my sight this instant." Priscilla fumed, bringing her fan down as Subaru's eyes widened. She was just going to let him leave without doing anything? "Leave before I change my mind to cut you-"
"Found you!"
Their attention was drawn by the sudden voice and the beating of wings above their heads. Looking up, they saw a dragon. It was Capella flying above them, grinning from ear to ear as she looked at Priscilla, oozing bloodlust.
Subaru stared at Priscilla in shock. 'What did you do!?' he screamed internally. He knew she had a knack for infuriating most people she met, but to think she even managed to provoke a Sin Archbishop enough for her to want her head.
"Kahahahaha! Did you meatbags rea~lly think you could escape from this lovely lady? How stupid! I am certainly going to enjoy breaking you and turning you into-"
"HUMA!" Silver bells reached his ears from the other side of the street they were in.
"—AHHHHH!" A barrage of icicles were sent flying towards Lust turning her into a pincushion.
"Subaru!"
"Emilia-tan! Beako!" Ecstatic upon hearing her voice, his head turned in its direction and a gleeful smile instantly spread across his face and his mood improved immediately.
"Subaru, you're safe!" Behind Capella, right across the street were Emilia and Beatrice, tears in their eyes and relief spread across their faces upon finding him, just as he was to find them.
Not wanting to wait even a second longer, he rushed forward to them without thinking. His reunion was cut short when suddenly he was pulled back by Priscilla.
The moment she did, the giant dragon-like Capella fell with a thud right where he was heading.
He blinked a few times, trying to understand what had just happened. When he did, he felt his heart stop for a second. He turned his gaze to face Priscilla, who clicked her tongue and she turned her face away.
"Why did you….?"
"Your impudence truly knows no bounds, commoner. Making mineself personally save your life for a second time even after your impertinent attitude earlier."
"Thanks…." He mustered out as sincerely as he could. He didn't understand her. A moment ago, she was looking at him like she wanted him dead, the next, she let him go and then, she was saving him. Just what was she thinking? This was the second time she had saved him. And he instantly regretted all the things he said to her.
"...I'm sorry."
"Hmph!" She gave no other reply. They wordlessly agreed to call a temporary truce for the time being.
Her eyes drifted to focus on the creature in front of them. Turning his gaze to Capella too, what he saw left him feeling completely disgusted.
The places where she had been punctured were regrowing; bones, blood vessels, flesh filling it up as her body twisted and turned grotesquely, bones creaking and snapping in place, reforming as she began to remotely resemble a human being.
"Disgusting, I suppose!" Beatrice spoke aloud, and the three nodded in agreement.
"You meatbags sure have had your fun, haven't you?" Capella's garbled voice came out a lot softer than Subaru had expected, although she seemed absolutely livid.
Priscilla materialised her sword once again, preparing herself to fight. Capella's body and face still deformed, glanced back and forth between Priscilla and Emilia. Emilia's face scrunched up as she too readied her stance to launch her attack.
"Pests deserve nothing short of death." Priscilla took a step forward and swung her Yang Sword, releasing a blaze of light and, "Al Huma!" Emilia shot her icicles too at the same time, encompassing Capella in an onslaught of fire and ice.
Subaru couldn't believe his eyes. Were Emilia and Priscilla really cornering Capella? Was it really that easy?
And to disappoint him, "—Tch! That pest just refuses to go down!" Priscilla pointed out to him.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! —I'LL KILL YOOOUUUU!" The Sin Archbishop bellowed as her Authority kept healing her despite all the mortal wounds on her body.
"I'd like to see you try. A filthy barking dog seldom bites." She responded in a cocky manner, making the Sin Archbishop glare at her.
"Don't provoke her!" Subaru retorted.
Subaru could see Priscilla was exhausted, after her fights with two Sin Archbishops, and he was worried how long she could last before she gave out. The moment she did, Capella would come for her.
If he was to be of any help to Emilia and Priscilla in this fight, he needed to get closer to Beatrice, who was also frantically searching for a way to get closer to him. And the fastest way was walking right around the burning and freezing Sin Archbishop.
"Priscilla, can you hold on for a bit longer? My spirit is there. If I can-"
"How long are you going to keep babbling and wasting my time, fool? Do whatever you have to do faster!"
"Got it!" But just as he turned around, all of a sudden—
"Archbishop Lugunica is at home spending time with her children. Therefore, she could not possibly be here."
In the next instant, the Sin Archbishop of Lust had vanished, and Emilia and Priscilla ceased their attacks and looked around, breathing heavily.
"What happened….?" Beatrice asked in confusion.
The exhausted Priscilla looked around, but tripped. She would have collapsed right then and there had Subaru not caught her.
"Priscilla-san!" Emilia cried out worriedly. She lifted the hem of her wedding dress and began rushing over to them, and Beatrice followed behind. Only to be stopped once again as a wall of fire and chains blocked their path.
"Emilia! Beatrice!" Subaru cried out in frustration, as the two looked at him with sadness.
"It is I, my love! I am sorry for making you wait so long."
"SIRIUS!" Subaru screamed in anger, as the strange woman, covered from head to toe in bandages, descended down from the air. The tips of her chains scraped along the ground, generating a metallic sound that grated against his ears.
"Thank you for your patience." She said politely and turned around to glare at Emilia. "I will be right with you, my dear husband…. As soon as I burn this filthy half-demon to ashes and scatter her remains in the wind."
"No, stop!" Subaru shouted, but his words went unheard by Sirius.
"After meeting her, I must admit, even my late husbands were tolerable." Priscilla commented looking at him with pity.
"She's not my wife!" Subaru retorted in disgust.
Helping Priscilla stand up, they began to rush towards Emilia and Beatrice, when—
"Don't forget us, tsu~!" Louis leaped down from above, blocking them from getting any closer.
Subaru groaned out in frustration. Since when had the Witch Cult been this coordinated?
"You! What the hell are you doing here? Where is Al?"
"If you're talking about the helmeted man, we knocked him out and tried to eat him. He ga~ve us a bad case of food poisoning instead." She answered bitterly. "Unfortunately, he ra~n away before we could finish him off."
"I expected nothing more from that clown." Priscilla sighed.
"He was up against a Sin Archbishop though. Even Reinhard has trouble against them!" Subaru defended Al, as he took out his whip.
"Onii-san, onee-san, this is so~ exciting, tsu~!" Louis remarked, as Priscilla, with her Yang Sword in her hands, prepared herself to fight once again. "It's the first time we've been out for so lo~ng. We want to have fu~n too! We want to eat too, you know!"
Two battles had broken out on either side of the street, with Subaru unable to do anything but stare helplessly.
Beatrice was helping Emilia battle, despite her limited mana reserves, and all Subaru could do was watch helplessly. He felt useless being unable to help with anything.
At that moment, Louis vanished from their sights, much to their shock. Almost instinctively, both Priscilla and Subaru standing back to back, swung their weapons in a circular motion in opposite directions defensively. Fortunately for them, Priscilla's blind swing of her sword had hit the leaping Gluttonous Archbishop, sending her flying back.
Even Subaru could not believe how incredible Priscilla's luck was. Ever since they began running around together, the number of times they managed to nearly avoid all dangers was unbelievable.
"What are you gawking at, fool? Find the Sword Saint or any help you can find immediately!" Priscilla called out to him, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"But you're exhausted and-" He protested, but his words were cut short by Priscilla.
"It is very rare for me to compromise with another like this and therefore, it is your duty to live upto my expectations."
Subaru widened his eyes as she spoke those words. Was she actually praising him?
"The world works in my favour. Therefore it is natural that I will not lose." She declared confidently. "However, a commoner that does not know where his strengths and weaknesses lie is nothing but a hindrance."
The next thing he knew, a kick sent him flying into the alleyway by none other than Priscilla herself, who despite her exhaustion did not believe she could lose and continued to battle alone.
"—Nghh!" He grunted as he crashed against a wall and fell down. "Wait… Pris…cilla… don't…." He began speaking in pain as he picked himself up.
Unfortunately for him, "It seems we are finally alone. Now we can take our time to chat, yes?" With a voice, as calm as water, Pandora was before him, once again.
He grit his teeth and looked back. Priscilla was fighting with Louis. He could also hear the clashing of steel as the fight between Sirius and Emilia went on.
"Let us keep this conversation as brief as possible. I can only keep the Sword Saint occupied for so long with small skirmishes."
"..."
He bit his lips. He almost forgot about Sirius's Authority. She had him right where she wanted him again.
"...W-Why the hell are you here? What do you even want with me?" He voiced out in exasperation.
"You don't have to look so worried. I am simply here to make a deal."
"...A deal?"
"You see, after Archbishop Petelguese Romanee-conti died, I was curious to know more about the person who killed him."
"..."
"I wanted to see if this person was truly capable, or he was simply lucky. However, with the death of Archbishop Regulus Corneas, I have confirmed my suspicions."
"..."
He had no idea what she wanted, and the longer he stayed there with no progress, the more he was dreading what was coming for him.
"—Congratulations!"
"Huh!?" Subaru was taken aback in shock. Of all the things he had expected to hear from her mouth, this was certainly true. She was smiling from ear to ear at him in inexplicable glee.
He pinched his cheek, to make sure he wasn't in some kind of dream. It wasn't.
She clasped her hands together in front of her chest as her blue eyes looked at him in admiration.
"You've done a splendid job. You have my highest praises," she said. Her face morphed into a lovestruck expression, and he couldn't help but feel sick.
"To think I would find the Sage so easily. It is truly an exhilarating feeling."
"What the hell do you mean by Sage?" He growled.
"Oh my! Has no one around you told you about it?" She seemed surprised at his words, but, "Well, in the end, it is of no consequence," she dismissed it just as quickly.
"It is of consequence to me! Who the hell are you? What do you want with me? Answer me!" Subaru demanded. He was tired of Witches and their half-explained answers.
"It is simple, actually." With her hand outstretched to him, "I want you to come with me. Join me. Join the Witch-"
"I refuse." He answered without a moment's hesitation, as his face scrunched up in disgust. "You witch cultists go around butchering innocents. You murdered my friends. You put the girl I love in a coma. AND NOW YOU'RE ASKING ME TO JOIN YOU?" He was seething with rage as he shouted at her.
However, the girl in front of him stood unaffected by his rage as her lips curved down in a frown.
"My believers and I do not desire any unnecessary casualties. It was you who refused our demands and made all the sacrifices unavoidable."
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? IT'S OUR FAULTS FOR NOT LISTENING TO YOUR RIDICULOUS DEMANDS!" This girl was absolutely despicable. He did not want to spend even a single second in her presence.
Just as he turned around to leave, "You still have a chance to put all the victims out of their misery. That is why I have brought Bishop Arneb and Bishop Lugunica with me."
His eyes widened. And as he turned around taking the bait, Pandora's lips cleaved sideways into a smile.
"Join us and I'll make sure everyone you find precious will be saved." She offered him her hand again, and he looked at her for a few minutes in silence.
Taking a deep breath, he asked her, "Why do you want me to join you?"
"It is unfair to ask us of our agenda when you are still an outsider, no?"
"It is unfair to ask me to join, when I have absolutely no idea what you want with me." He answered glaring at her, not backing down from his stance.
"I see. That's fair." Placing her hands behind her back, she looked down and with a look of nostalgia in her eyes, she responded, "Unfortunately, it is not something I can speak about before you join us."
It was strange how she wasn't being forceful, and yet it seemed like she was not giving him a choice either.
"So would you join us? After you do, we will do everything in our power to grant you your wishes, I promise." She asked again, a smile with a hint of annoyance spreading across her face.
It was clear as day to him that she was lying. Even if she wasn't, she wasn't telling him the entire truth. There was absolutely no way he would join the Witch Cult, but he was quite sure that if he did, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't take advantage of any loopholes.
But her offer did manage to tell him one thing—Gluttony and Lust could indeed reverse the effects of their Authorities. He just had to find out how.
"Dear Sage, I ask again, would you join us?" Her hand still outstretched, she waited for his answer.
"Absolutely not!" He answered, without a doubt in his mind. Even if the Witch Cult were to fulfill every dream of his, even if… they could wake Rem up, he would never take their hand.
The girl he loved and his beloved spirit were working hard for him. They supported his unreasonable demands, cheered him up when he was sad, and he felt he couldn't ever repay everything they had done for him. Behind him, even Priscilla, who he was not particularly fond of, was helping. He didn't know why but she had saved him twice, despite the fact that she didn't like him either.
There was simply no way he could just reject all their hard work and take Pandora's hand.
"I'll find a solution myself with the people who actually care about me. I don't need your help, Witch!"
Pandora was slightly disappointed at his answer. He gripped his whip tightly to prepare himself for a fight. But to his bemusement, she began to slowly clap her hands as she smiled.
"How wonderful! Friendship is a marvelous thing, isn't it?"
"Wha…?" He looked at her with eyes wide open.
"Your loyalty is commendable. I respect your decision. Therefore, I will allow you a few more days to reconsider your decision."
"I told you, I'm not-"
"You have dedicated your life to protecting your friends, I see." And then, with a quiet mournful voice, she said, "Is it really alright for you to leave like this when they so clearly need your help?" Stretching her arm out, she pointed out behind him.
The moment she said that, Subaru was certain she was upto no good. His heartbeat began racing. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. He turned away and ran back the way he entered. She did not chase after him.
As he walked out into the opening, Sirius jumped up and began to escape and Emilia and Beatrice began to give chase to her.
"No! Emilia! Beatrice! Stop! Don't go!" He called out to them, hoping to get them to stop, but it seemed they were too agitated to listen to him.
He wanted to chase after them, but right then, Louis Arneb leaped forward as Priscilla swung her sword forward.
"Prisca Benedict, I wonder what flavour you will be!"
The moment the name escaped Louis's lips, Priscilla's eyes widened. Subaru was surprised too, hearing a name he had never heard before. Unfortunately, he had no time to question her as he noticed a small crack appearing in the sword in Priscilla's hand, while it struck against Louis's bare palms with no effect.
For a second, he saw terror flash across the arrogant princess's face. It was short-lived and immediately followed by a cold fury as she tried pushing Louis back even harder. Unfortunately for her, her anger was in vain, unable to do anything to deter Gluttony from eating her.
In the next split second, Priscilla's Yang Sword shattered like glass, after she continued to brute force her way to slice Louis up, and—
"INVISIBLE PROVIDENCE!" He screamed at the same time. A hand protruded out from his chest, and pushed Louis out of the way, while he himself jumped to shield Priscilla.
"—Marvelous!" The joyous voice of the Witch sounded from behind him, as both him and Priscilla fell to the ground.
"—nngh!" She groaned as she lay on the ground below him. She didn't seem too hurt anywhere, except for maybe a sprain and a few bruises, but beyond that she was safe. And completely exhausted as she breathed heavily in his arms.
"You! What do you think you're doing?" She grimaced. "Did I not ask you to leave? Only a fool would let go of this opportunity."
"I don't know. I just felt like it." He answered honestly. She clicked her tongue.
"It is quite vexing. Just as I thought…." Then, looking up to meet his gaze, she furrowed her brows. "You truly are a bothersome man with no redeeming quality whatsoever except your timing. Such a waste of mineself's time and efforts." She sighed. "Now get off me!"
"Yes ma'am!" He hurriedly got up and helped her up.
He stared at her as she stood up, her face scrunched up in annoyance. She noticed his glance and narrowed her eyes.
"What is it, fool?"
"Nothing. I just saw an interesting sight…." He smirked. He had always thought of Priscilla as the embodiment of arrogance. But for the very first and probably the only time he had noticed an expression on her face that was very different from usual. "Even you can be afraid," he said, making her glare at him.
"It seems you really do not value your life." Priscilla brought her fan out and held it near his neck. "I may have to cut you down-"
"—Natsuki Subaru, thank you for the tre~at!" Louis announced, drawing Subaru and Priscilla attention.
Their eyes widened. Did Louis touch him when he had pushed her away earlier?
Priscilla immediately stepped forward, swinging the open fan in her hand in an attempt to slice the Sin Archbishop's hand. Louis leaped back and dodged the attack, licking her fingers as Priscilla tripped and fell once again.
Subaru caught her and she gave him one last look of pity before she lost her consciousness, most likely out of exhaustion.
"Onii-san, you used an Authority just now, didn't you? Are you Pride?"
"What did you just do?" He stood up and took his whip out blocking Louis's path to Priscilla.
"How cute, onii-san, if you really believe that piece of thread is going to stop us!" Louis laughed mockingly as he stared. "Don't worry, though. We have had our fill for today. We have to leave now! Goodbye! May we me~et again in the future, tsu~!" With those words, she turned around and ran.
"Hey, wait! Where do you think you are going?"
"Hmm… I had not given the Archbishops any instructions, but…. This is an unexpected result. But certainly not unwelcome. Fascinating. I wonder what you will do." From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Pandora holding her chin and then disappearing into the alley, just as Louis was leaving too.
He didn't know what Louis had done, but he knew if he didn't chase after her, he would be in trouble.
Putting the asleep Priscilla down, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to leave you here for now. Hopefully, Al will find you soon." He whispered to her as he ran off to chase Louis.
Little did he know that when he would reunite with Beatrice and Emilia again—
"Don't come closer, in fact! When you reek of miasma rivalling that of a Sin Archbishop, it's hard to believe your claims, I suppose.
Rewritten as of 09/30/2022
Thanks a lot to Antic Master, Szouperman and Reactionist for beta reading this chapter.
Sorry it took so long. I will update the second part of this chapter in another 2 or days. Thanks for reading!