"Ia! Goa! In!"

With that passionate shout, the interior of the building flashed an intense red, as a large ball of blazing fire shot from Julius' side towards Elsa.

It easily burned through all of the furniture in its way, speeding towards the Bowel Hunter while carrying an immense heat.

Elsa, meanwhile, watched the fireball with nothing but that same, unchanging smile on her face. She was not perturbed at all, instead, the moment the fire was just about to hit her, she dodged with a quick sidestep.

"Oh, my. You're quite good at capitalizing on opportunities. Aren't you a knight? I would have thought you'd fight more fair and square-"

"Hm!"

She barely got to move to the side before having to intercept a strike from Julius that came from behind the blindspot that Goa had created.

Julius' amber eyes never left Elsa's form, even through the flames. That entire moment had been to create an opening, and to assess Elsa's ability.

It had also been his reason for calling In, his Yang-attuned spirit, which gave him the momentary boost of speed he would need to perform such a feat.

'Frankly, the Bowel-Hunter is a frightening enough opponent that it would not be unusual to begin with my original magic.'

As one aiming for the finest example of knighthood, he knew to never take any opponent lightly. In fact, he had always been of the camp that one's strongest attack should be used first, ending a battle as quickly as possible.

However, Julius had a feeling–a mere instinct that to waste his greatest attack here would be to seal his own doom. He was not the type of fighter to trust instinct alone, but the Bowel Hunter gave off such dangerous feelings that he was made to trust them.

Her ease in dodging that Goa, and the way with which she blocked a perfectly executed strike from her blindspot–it would not be that easy to strike her with an attack that took time to charge.

"Well?"

Elsa pressed for an answer, pushing herself closer to him with uncanny strength, temporarily gaining the advantage in their lock of blades.

"My apologies, but this is to save a life, and to carry out my Lady's order. A bit of harsh combat can be forgiven, I am sure."

He replied, pushing back against her Kukri blade. Elsa, looking utterly untroubled still, suddenly lowered one of her arms, which forced Julius to push through without anything stopping him.

"What–?!"

His blade sank down towards her left shoulder, carrying all of the force he had been pushing against her with.

He didn't have time to react to the nearly suicidal move. He only felt Elsa's foot digging into his unguarded stomach, sending him reeling backwards through the restaurant.

At the last second, she had contorted her body, twisting herself to avoid his blade and spin, delivering a vicious kick to his gut.

"That's troublesome. If this is all that you can show me after putting aside your principals as a knight, then I may just have to end our little dance early, Finest Knight-san."

Elsa licked her lips, then shot forward like a bullet. Though disoriented, Julius' raw sword skill was enough to parry the slash, even after he was slammed against the wall.

After forcing her away he made distance between the two of them, with Elsa slowly turning to face him.

His spirits glowed brightly at his side.

"Iku!"

Elsa barely had time to register the calling of what must have been the origin of the six lights surrounding him earlier - spirits. As one from Gusteko, she thought herself familiar with spirits and spirit users.

She shot out towards him at those same great speeds, confident in her assessment of him as a Spirit Arts user.

However, even then, she still underestimated the proficiency of Julius, one blessed with an incredibly high level of Spirit Arts even among most spirit users.

He was the one and only Spirit Knight, after all.

"Hm?"

She suddenly stopped mid-air, all of her momentum robbed from her body. She felt something within her lower body snap and then forcibly reconnect again. Despite the blinding pain of breaking bones and ripping skin and muscle, she barely reacted.

"My, my–"

She looked down at her legs, which were now surrounded in a thick, hard layer of solid rock. Blood filled the pits of earth up to her ankles, which had been torn up from bearing the brunt of the sudden stop to her superhuman speed, much faster than sound. He had turned that speed against her by trapping her within the earth.

And now–

"Ia, Goa."

By the time she registered everything, it was too late. The cold steel of Julius' sword was at her neck, and beside him, the red spirit from the beginning hovered, a readied ball of fire looming in the air.

"This battle is over, Bowel Hunter. You may have assumed I was willing to do any and everything to win, but I do indeed still have principles to uphold. Surrender and there will be no need to continue to your death. I will heal you the moment that you surrender."

Julius' eyes weren't full of pity or sadness, like the broken Subaru who could only watch the fight. They were steeled with determination–determination to carry out his duty as a knight. As a royal knight to Subaru, an innocent civilian, and as the personal knight to his lady, Anastasia Hoshin.

Elsa smiled, her eyes slowly closing. Julius felt sweat bearing down his face.

'Even with all this, she remains utterly unphased?'

"That's a good face. A good face, indeed. The face of a proper, gallant knight. It's a little sad, knowing that Bartender-san had so many lovely allies waiting for him, and he didn't tell me. I had hoped this wouldn't take quite so long–!"

With her final word, Elsa twisted her upper body, producing a ridiculous amount of strength and speed to take a vicious swing at Julius–

He could've cut off her head right there and then, but he was not that cruel, perhaps a flaw against someone like the Bowel Hunter. Still, he refused to compromise. He immediately stepped out of Elsa's range, shaking his head.

Julius did not even need to speak. His fire spirit, Ia, acted on his behalf, releasing the final Goa towards Elsa. Even as the fireball grew larger and larger, threatening to swallow her up in the flames, the Bowel Hunter just continued to smile.

FWOOSH!

With a mean hiss of consumed air, the fireball slammed into Elsa's position, swallowing her up with a relentless horde of flames.

"El…sa?"

Subaru's eyes widened with emotions that couldn't be understood as he watched both Elsa and his bar smolder in the flames. He had been listlessly watching, but the apparent vaporizing of Elsa in front of him was yet another blow to his mind.

But Julius had no such beliefs. He knew she was not dead. Despite the fact that her body was not there, he knew well enough that she had not been reduced to ashes by his attack.

He had a sneaking suspicion, ever since seeing how unharmed she was even after receiving that surprise attack from the beginning of the battle.

That suspicion was only deepened after seeing the remnants of herself that Elsa abandoned within the earth meant to trap her lower body.

Torn skin, bone, and ligaments that remained stuck in the raised earth, as if Elsa had left behind everything besides her ankles to rip herself from the earth and to dodge his attack.

She couldn't have escaped that without quite literally tearing away from her lower body.

"B-Behind you!

Subaru shouted in desperation, and by the look in his eyes, Julius could tell that he was making no jest.

"-!"

Julius turned around, raising his sword into an awkward position-

CLANG!

The impact of a blade reverberated through his entire body, and a sudden pain raced through his shoulder, easily cutting through the fine cloth of his Knight robes. It was a wound that somehow forced past his sword, cutting into his chest.

The blade that inflicted it was sharp. Had he reacted a moment earlier, his body would be torn open.

He stumbled back from the force of the blow, but in that moment of weakness, yet another attack was already racing towards him.

"Kh!"

Julius forced his arms to raise again, only to endure another unimaginably fast blow which shook his bones.

"Gh!"

And yet another glancing slash hit him, this time opening up a wound frighteningly close to his neck.

That was when Julius finally saw it–the shrouded black blur that had just raced past him. His eyes had finally adjusted to that increased speed.

Elsa Granhiert, looking utterly unharmed minus some extra blood covering her body landed on the wall as light as a butterfly, licking some of her own blood off of her lips before launching at him again.

She had survived. Regenerated. And now, she was moving around even faster than she had before.

"-!"

It was all Julius could do to raise his sword and parry her attacks. Each one drawing a groan of effort from him.

But she kept coming, over and over, launching off of the walls to cut at him with frightening precision, opening up small wounds that were getting dangerously close to his vitals with each slash.

"You're amazing. Yes, you are quite delightful, Finest Knight-san~!"

Elsa, despite her machine-like accuracy and movements that were far faster than even most trained eyes could keep up with–spoke with nothing but unrestrained glee.

"To think that you're still managing to keep up with my movements, despite receiving so many wounds. You're quite dedicated, aren't you? I adore that tenacity."

"You are…quite the opponent as well, Bowel Hunter. That is why…it is a shame that you're using such skill and strength for nothing but…assassination."

Julius spoke while enduring the onslaught of near–omnidirectional attacks, put into a heavy disadvantage by fighting in this enclosed space where Elsa thrived, but he was unable to use many of his spirits and strengths effectively.

"A shame? Yes, a shame…it is a shame, isn't it, Bartender-san?"

Elsa's voice faltered for a moment, and in the instant she landed, Julius noticed her eyes moving towards the still-shocked Subaru.

She looked ready to pounce, an intense bloodlust oozing from her expression–

"In!"

With that exclamation, the white spirit at his side glowed, and his body moved with a sudden speed and agility that he certainly did not have only moments ago.

By the time Elsa launched off of the wall to head towards Subaru, Julius had already deftly moved to block her path.

"My, my~!"

Elsa's blade met his mid-air, his sword locking with her twin Kukri blades. She easily caught him this time, having memorized the ability this Spirit wielded since earlier.

Julius had also learned, stepping back while wielding his sword at the ready towards her.

"I said it, did I not? That you would cause no harm to this man! As the Finest of Knights, I do not intend to go back on that statement, even if the both of us must burn within this building!"

Those words, full of resolve, full of a heroism that only existed in fairytales, Subaru found himself finally awakening.

No, he had been awake the entire time, but he had just been mutely watching, lost within an endless fog of shock, disbelief, and the desire to simply give up.

He didn't want to accept it. To accept that Elsa, the woman who had been one of his first customers, who gave meaning to this hellish job he had been forced to work, would want to kill him.

Seeing Elsa look between him and the knight with such an intense lust to kill, Subaru had no choice to believe it. That Elsa planned on doing nothing but taking his life.

Even after he showed such concern for her, she immediately came back just to kill him.

"Damn it…!"

Subaru gripped his chest and balled up a portion of the barkeep outfit that he was wearing into a tight fist. He wanted to rip it off and throw it away–this meaningless thing. Not only the outfit, but the person that was wearing it.

"Are you finally awake, Natsuki Subaru?"

Subaru looked up, only to see Julius standing directly in front of him. The gallant knight continued to strike a figure, even while countless wounds littered his body, even while his breathing obviously grew more strained, and a slight tinge of desperation filled his once-clear amber eyes.

Even then, he still stood in front of Subaru, now withstanding an onslaught of blows from Elsa who attacked with nothing but the intent of getting to Subaru.

It was then that Subaru realized–Julius hadn't just been carelessly fighting Elsa. He had been fighting in a way that kept Subaru out of harms' way.

Using fire to burn the bar, creating an environment that was hard for Elsa to freely move around in–focusing on blocking, trapping, and parrying her, rather than going on the offensive.

All of these removed Subaru from harms' way by immobilizing or distracting Elsa.

"Damn it…"

Subaru immediately realized what was going on here. Julius was probably much stronger than this. He just couldn't fully exert himself due to his own principles.

Subaru's presence was holding him back. But, as a knight–

"I am sorry to place such a burden on you, Natsuki Subaru. After all, it is a knight's job to protect those who cannot fight for themselves."

Even then, Julius did not blame him. He did not resent Subaru, or call him out for any weakness. Because that was not who Julius Juukulius, the Finest of Knights was, not to the civilians who looked up to him. Not even to his fellow knights.

He stood firm in front of Subaru, but the way his back looked, it was as if he was pleading, begging Subaru to escape, not to allow Julius to fight more freely, but just for Subaru's own safety.

"I…I got it."

Subaru muttered. He let go of his outfit and slowly, shakily rose to his feet. The blue little ball, which Subaru had come to see as some sort of spirit, left his side and returned to Julius, immediately working its' magic on him next.

Whatever it had done, Subaru felt much better. Most of his wounds from glancing cuts had healed up, leaving him in much better shape.

"Leaving, are you? My, my…you really are cruel, Bartender-san. To leave me to endure this kind of lonely dance. I am doing all of this for you, you know."

Subaru felt he should thank Julius. But when he heard Elsa's voice, still sickeningly sweet even as she pointed her sheer desire to kill at him, he could do no such thing.

"Damn it–!"

He turned tail and ran. Ran without looking back. It was unsightly, it was ugly, and there was no trace of bravery or resolve to be found in the way he moved. He was just focused on getting away.

"Well, I can't allow such a cowardly escape, now can I?"

With one vicious movement, Elsa whipped her arm back and released it with an insane speed, something flying through the air with enough force to visibly part it.

"Iku!"

With one name, an earth barrier appeared to completely block off and seal in the entrance. An instant later, one of Elsa's Kukri was embedded into the wall of hardened rock. Then, the wall morphed, swallowing Elsa's Kukri within the wall.

In her last attempt at Subaru's life, Elsa had given away one of her weapons in exchange. But even as she stood there, one Kukri short, she didn't look disheartened.

No, what Julius sensed, if only momentarily in her expression…was it gratitude?

"This may be an issue. After all, my target is not you, but him, Finest Knight-san. However, I do believe that this job is still salvageable. A bit of extra enjoyment can't hurt. Yes, it may be a good thing that you chased him away."

"Enjoyment? I believe you'll have a hard time finding the rest of this battle pleasurable, Bowel Hunter."

Despite Julius' words, Elsa steadied her remaining blade in front of her, completely empty black eyes narrowing at the knight. The same way Julius had just been freed of any additional worries, Elsa herself looked like something had been lifted from her. All that was left was the sheer darkness swirling around within her gaze.

'Could it be that she, towards him–no.'

Julius could not sense exactly why she was so happy for Subaru to be gone if it really was such an issue for her–but he was not here to pick apart whatever relationship Natsuki Subaru and this murderer shared. Not now.

"I suppose this little obstacle you've created just means that I'll need to eliminate you first. I am sure your beloved spirits will fall apart and let me through at that moment."

"Finally facing me with a bit more of a serious resolve? I am honored. However, from the beginning, I never intended to play around with you, Bowel Hunter. And I would not underestimate the strength of my beloved buds, if I were you."

"How mean. Are you not in belief of my pure-hearted sincerity? Then I suppose I will have to demonstrate it."

Julius steadied his sword in return to Elsa's words, narrowing his eyes at her. His spirits circled around him, as if sharing in the intense focus for battle that he now summoned up.

Elsa smiled, pure joy swelling in her expression.

Julius smiled, showing the expression he thought a brave knight should have in this moment.

"Elsa Granhiert, Bowel Hunter."

"Julius Juukulius, the Finest of Knights."

With nothing holding either of them back, the two combatants charged at each other, now holding nothing but the intent to finish this battle.

"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

There was nothing but fog outside. Not even a single person remained on the street, despite the fact that the city usually never slept, being the capital and all.

Subaru stumbled on his feet, now far away from the bar. He found himself tripping over a piece of stone in the road–or was it brick?

His useless thoughts didn't leave him even as he fell over, slamming face-first into the road.

It was only after he lay there, against the cold floor for a time that he didn't care enough to count, that he found his brain finally shutting up.

And, as if finally catching up, his body moved.

"Why…why, why, why, why, why?"

Both of Subaru's fists raised, then crashed into the stone. It hurt like hell, but that pain didn't even register.

He continued slamming his hands against the brick. His fists grazed against the stone, the skin on his hands forcibly being ripped away with each careless hit.

Blood was falling onto the path at this point, and Subaru didn't care.

He had run. Not because he actually cared about his life at this point–but because he did not want to get in the way of the knight that had bravely put his life on the line just to protect a worthless person like Subaru.

No, if he really didn't care about his life, he would have just stepped forward to allow Elsa to kill him. At least then, the knight–Julius would feel no obligation to stay and protect his worthless self.

"Damn it."

He couldn't keep Elsa by his side as a friend.

He couldn't harden his heart enough to remove Elsa from it.

He couldn't do anything to actually assist Julius during the battle, and just held him back.

He couldn't even run properly.

No matter how much he thought about it, all that comprised him was an endless list of things he could not do.

Why? Why was he so absolutely, so utterly incapable? Why…had nothing changed at all?

Even back then. Before he was brought to this horrible world.

He was a disappointment then. And continues to be a disappointment now. A sham, who passed himself off as a cool bartender. A thief, who passed off recipes and drink mixes from his old world as his own.

Were it not for this meager skill, he would have been killed by that woman on that day.

He could still remember her words clearly. Bouncing around in his skull, constantly reminding him of who he was.

Of why he was even still alive.

"Listen closely, listen lovingly, and listen well to my beautiful voice, meatbag! You only exist for the sake of bringing me more love! Of bringing me more happiness, more pleasure! When I tasted that drink, made with such pure, innocent, naive love, it made my heart feel all warm and bubbly~! But–you know–that's it. It was cute, like a crush that a kid might have on a fairytale princess, but that was it! That's all the effect you had on me. It was adorable, but that was all! And I felt so much more potential coming from you…the moment I laid eyes upon you, I knew I needed you to be mine~!"

That was her sincere, honest assessment of him. Her voice was full of malice and hatred that was impossible to comprehend by normal, human standards.

The beautiful girl she had been mere hours ago was nowhere to be found. What he was staring at was no longer a girl, a person, or even a living being. It was an incomprehensible force of nature, a twisted thing that broke all rules of nature and reality.

The worst part of it was that his mind still registered her as 'beautiful'. Or perhaps, it was better to say that she subconsciously pulled at the mere concept of 'desire' within him. Despite being utterly revolted by her, her form was nothing but alluring, as if it were made to perfectly pull at the strings of his brain that held such desires.
Subaru had thought she was going to kill him right then and there. Or, worse, do to him what she had done just moments before as a 'punishment'. He would have preferred turning into something that wouldn't have to think anymore.

His fragmented mind barely kept up with her next words.

"That isn't to say that I'm surprised! You're just like the rest of them. Like everyone, with what they call 'love'. I can tell, just by looking at you. You're even worse than the rest of them, kyahahahaha~!"

She stepped closer, and for some reason, he couldn't take a step back. He was revolted by her, frightened out of his mind, but he was stuck in place.

"So, I've decided. Your love is disgusting, but I do still want to have you for myself, and I love these lovely drinks. Then! If you're considerate of my precious, delicate feelings, how about you tell me a reason to give you mercy! Tell me something that'll satisfy me, and leave me hot and sweaty thinking about it at night! Or are you going to keep standing there, looking limp and useless, until I turn you into something useful, male meat?!"

There was no breath in his lungs. But his mind was working in overdrive, regardless. It felt like he was about to pass out.

There was only one thing he knew how to do well. One skill he had that made him useful.

"P-please…let me make you another drink someday."

That was it.

After that, she had set him up with the bar, and left him be, all under the guise that sometime, someday, she'd come back to have that next drink he had promised her.

He didn't know when she would return. How she would return. Who she would return as. But the fact that Elsa had apparently been sent by her to end his life, was more than enough of a sign for him.

Perhaps it was just a test of his 'love', to see if he would survive long enough to fulfill his promise to her. Or perhaps she thought that he was getting too comfortable tending to the bar and taking patrons, while he should be thinking of her.

There were a number of ways her incomprehensible thought process could run. And they were just that to him–incomprehensible.

And how cruel to send Elsa after him. Yet, how purposeful.

As if to rub in how useless he was, she sent one of the few people he felt he could actually open up to. Not even Otto knew him as well as Elsa and Meili did.

Sending a person he cared about to end his life–just to remind him of his ultimate binding to her. It was just like her.

Maybe she did so because she knew–at the end of the day, he couldn't find it in himself to blame Elsa. He couldn't even blame her. Because she was right. He was useless.

At the end of the day, her assessment was right. Everything about him was shallow.

It was then that Subaru looked up from where he was on the ground. And people seemed to suddenly appear on the fog-covered street. Some just walked by, uncaring. Others stopped to give him an odd look, gazes filled with emotions from disdain, to concern, to suspicion, to fear.

"Don't…d-don't look at me like that…"

Subaru could bear being hated by himself. He hated himself every day. But, for some reason, others giving him that sort of expression infiltrated past anything he had built up.

That wasn't all though.

While fearing their gazes, shivering and curled up in a ball, he realized the true reason for the fear that filled his body.

It was the people, themselves.

"Stop looking at me!"

He yelled, loud enough and forcefully enough that it hurt his throat.

How could he trust any of them? Now that he thought about it, in this world, all he faced was betrayal, lies, and hostility.

Those thugs in the alleyway had beat him nearly to death, and robbed him.

Kadomon had only been nice to him after he found his lost daughter.

The girl who he had thought would become his cute new party member, turned out to be a monster who kept him alive just for her own future entertainment.

Elsa had been serving under her this entire time, and finally decided to come for his life today.

Julius had come to his bar, lying about his origins and purpose, only to mysteriously show up right before Elsa ended his life.

Julius could be a genuinely kind person. Or another person out to take his life. Maybe it had been right to leave him back there to Elsa.

That sort of twisted thinking began to rapidly take over his weakened mind.

"Otto, the Risch family…e-even Meili could be an enemy. Y-Yeah! Enemies, enemies, all of you are enemies! Love? The only thing like that is that twisted woman's 'love'."

Subaru's insane voice, alternating between shouting that was far too loud, and nearly inaudible muttering, echoed out through the empty city streets.

He couldn't hold on to anything. Not his own identity, not the people he cared about, nothing but this growing sense of near-infinite distrust that was beginning to build within him.

He looked up with a grin that belonged more to a beast than an animal, about to say something vile, something that should never be said, then–

Slap!

His head suddenly turned. No, something had hit his cheek, and turned his head to the side. Holding his cheek with his right hand, only now noticing the pain that burned on his face, Subaru would slowly return his gaze to the point in front of him.

"Well, goodness…I figured he was gonna be inna' bad condition, but nowhere near this. Sure ya didn't hit 'im too hard?"

The first voice that spoke was a short girl with long violet hair, wearing a white scarf and dress that made her look like she didn't belong anywhere near this area of the capital.

She was, in one word, cute. She gave off that 'small animal' vibe that made a person want to leap to protect her. But, already used to assessing people, Subaru could tell just by looking at her that she was not normal.

Her blue-green eyes weren't looking at him, but directly piercing through him. While she spoke nonchalantly about his condition, she was assessing him in a single glance.

There was a twinge of disappointment in her features. But the smile she had plastered on her face raised up ever so slightly when she noticed his gaze looking directly back at hers.

However, he didn't have time to respond to her. Neither did the person who slapped him.

"And one more, for good measure–!"

"Huh-"

Subaru was sent reeling backwards onto the stone path. Hit in the same spot, he now felt his entire body aching as he crashed into the stone.

Jolted out of whatever had been building up in him, Subaru now looked back in sheer anger. It hadn't been that girl, so who the hell had hit him?!

"Hey, what the hell are you–"

And there, wringing his hand out, was Otto, wincing as he reeled from the punch that he had just delivered.

However, the moment Subaru's voice came out–

"I should be asking you that question, Natsuki-san! –Just what the hell are you doing?!"

Otto stepped forward, balling his hands into fists again. It clearly hurt him, his fists shaking from the pain of his own previous punches, but he didn't stop advancing, regardless.

"O-Otto? Why are you…w-what? This has to be a tri–"

When Otto reached Subaru, he grabbed him by the collar of his outfit, forcibly hoisting him up to his feet to force Subaru to eye-level.

"Again, I feel as if I'm the one who should be saying that, Natsuki-san. Yes, when Anastasia Hoshin, the Great Businesswoman herself came to me, telling me that my friend was in a horrible, life-threatening danger, I had truly hoped it was nothing but a trick! A dirty lie of a merchant I could deal with, but not true danger involving a friend's life!"

Otto released Subaru suddenly, who stumbled on his feet, but managed to stay standing.

"So, I rushed here without a second thought. I rushed here to help you. I was sure that the Natsuki-san I know would be leisurely relaxing after having gotten away, waiting calmly as always…yet here I find you, falling on the ground, breaking your hands on the road, muttering some things only a madman should?! So, I ask you again, what has gotten into you, Natsuki-san?! Just what the hell are you doing?!"

Otto's words, filled with an anger that only Subaru and Otto could understand the depth of, left a silence that Subaru could no longer fill.

He just stared at Otto. Unable to say anything, his body shook in place, like he wanted to say something, but no longer could.

"Is it because you think that I'm your enemy?"

Subaru's eyes widened. He looked at Otto, a dread filling his eyes as he saw the way Otto looked back at him.

Disappointment. Different from the disappointment that had filled the girl named Anastasia's eyes, like an object she had been appraising was not as valuable as she once thought.

Otto had heard it. Subaru had no idea how much, but Otto had heard enough to say those exact words.

Subaru had muttered things he couldn't take back, already. In his own paranoia, he had pushed away someone who, maybe, he could rely upon–

"Aaaaah, I'm disappointed. Yes, I am disappointed in you, Natsuki-san. I am disappointed that you think such stupid, unthinking words could ever stop me from knocking some more sense into you. Shall I prepare another punch?"

"N-no, wait!"

Almost instinctively, at the ridiculousness of Otto's response, Subaru raised his hands and spoke. Then, slowly lowered them to find Otto just standing there, staring blankly at Subaru.

No words were spoken between them. However, Subaru was perceptive enough to spot the expectant edge to Otto's gaze.

He wasn't thoughtless enough to not know what he should do. Even if his mind was threatening to come apart, the obligatory words spilled from his lips.

"I-I…I'm sorry, Otto."

Subaru apologized in what he hoped was an earnest and sincere manner, his arms lowering from in front of him.

"No, I'm not just sorry. I, said something really stupid. I acted really stupid. I'm sorry for all of that."

Otto sighed. He folded his arms, shaking his head in disapproval. He didn't seem satisfied at all.

"I'm not entirely approving of that apology, Natsuki-san. After all, it still sounds as if you don't know what you're apologizing for. Right now, an apology isn't important at all."

Otto stepped forward. This time, his steps were careful, gentle. He placed a hand on Subaru's shoulder.

"I'm going to be honest, Natsuki-san. I don't understand the full situation. I especially don't get why Anastasia Hoshin herself is the one who came to me to break the news of your life being in danger. However, what I do know is one thing."

He gently squeezed Subaru's shoulder.

"Natsuki-san. You're not the sort of man that should have that look. I don't know about the Natsuki Subaru that you see, but I…only know that kind, caring bartender. The man who's always thinking about his customers from the moment they step in. The sort of man that would have already thought of the perfect drink for you before you even sit down."

Otto's expression slowly turned from a neutral frown, to a small smile.

"Believe it or not, I know what it is like to utterly lose faith in others, Natsuki-san. However, why do you think I'm willing to get drop-dead drunk and pass out in your bar? That I always talk to you about my failed business deals? That I've just never been able to leave your bar alone? It's because–I trust you, Natsuki-san. I trust the you that I've come to know."

Subaru tried to step back, but Otto's grip grew firmer, holding him in place. Despite that forcefulness, Otto's smile just grew even brighter and more relaxed.

"So, even if you can't believe in others. Even if, for some reason, you can't believe in me–tell me, Natsuki-san. Is there really nothing that you can believe in anymore? Nothing that matters to you?"

"..."

In that moment, Subaru remembered it all.

"It still amazes me that you can consider yourself useless when you can say such things so easily, Natsuki-san."

"I…have never experienced such circumstances myself, but…I know well what it can do to a person. My apologies."

"Kind people with no ulterior motives are hard to come across here, you'll find."

"Natsuki-kun here is our daughter's precious saviour, after all."

"Be proud of what you can do, Bartender-san."

"Well, see you around, Big Brother!"

Otto, Julius, Kadomon, Raksha, Elsa, and Meili.

Even if one of those connections were being tested now, it was through the bar that Subaru was able to meet all of these people, and form such dear memories with them.

Standing behind that counter, he would put himself aside, to focus fully on serving the people in front of him. He couldn't do much by just serving up drinks, but whatever he could do, he always did it with his utmost effort.

He had been forced into that bar. In some ways, he hated it. Maybe he was only doing it out of fear of what would happen to his life if he didn't.

But it was the one place where he really could connect to people.

That bar had started out as his personal hell. Somewhere along the way, when he wasn't looking, it had become the place where he belonged.

He needed to be protecting it. He needed to be looking after it. And if there was an unruly customer, he needed to be involved with taking care of them.

That bar made him who he was now. And he would be damned, if it just disappeared under the weight of a deathmatch for his life.

And worse, he'd be damned if he just let his two customers kill each other, then destroyed his bar in the process.

"Otto…thank you. I-I'll catch up with you later, alright? Seriously, thank you!"

With those words, Subaru turned around, and ran. This time, all the way back towards the bar. Otto stood in place, watching his friend's back as he disappeared into the fog.

"Well? Ain't ya' gonna go catch up with him? I'd be worried 'bout him after that near-breakdown he had."

Anastasia finally stepped in from the sidelines, now standing beside Otto.

"I should be asking the same question Anastasia-sama. I assume that you wouldn't just travel through the city at night, alone. And Subaru cannot escape a serious assassin on his own. With this, I assume, your knight is involved somehow."

Anastasia laughed. She smiled, looking up at Otto with a glint in her eyes. As if she were daring him to continue with his words.

"Not to mention, knowing me by name, where I'm currently residing, my relationship to Natsuki-san…and coincidentally forcing me to come along on this trip for an 'unknown reason'. As if you knew that Natsuki-san would need emotional support. Just how vast and specific is your information network, Anastasia Hoshin?"

Otto's gaze narrowed with suspicion at the merchant princess. She, meanwhile, just looked pleased, her eyes sparkling like she had found something new and shiny.

"Well, well, well. I came here lookin' fer one unpolished gem inna' rough, but it looks like I've found an unexpected diamond. Otto-kun, ya wouldn't happen ta' be looking fer employment, would ya'?"

Otto felt a shiver run up his spine, and quickly shook his head.

"Ah…I truly am honored to be propositioned by a Royal Candidate, but, no thank you. I get the feeling that an ominous future is in store were I ever to seek such a high position for myself. Besides, I am a merchant. I believe I will continue to do that in the future."

"...huh. Well, that's a real shame. But yer choice is yer choice. Still, yer too promisin' ta' jus' let go of so easily. Let's say, if anythin' were to fall through, I'll happily help ya out…once yer under my wing, that is."

"Quite a shrewd last term you added there, Anastasia-sama."

Anastasia began to walk forward at a leisurely pace, her face completely unworried despite the serious circumstances.

That ease in her expression wasn't born from arrogance or unbased pride, however. But in something else entirely.

"As fer my knight, well. I don't feel worried about him. Julius–it would be an insult to my knight, who always works so hard fer my sake, to rush over there like he can't handle tha' situation. Understand? I would never send my knight to his death."

Perhaps, to others, it was an incomprehensible statement. But to Otto, who had that kind of trust in Subaru, he could understand it well.

Besides, Otto was the type to jump to help when asked for it. But Subaru had not asked for any such assistance. Otto would trust in that decision.

Anastasia Hoshin had unshakeable trust in her knight's ability to fulfill her expectations. Even in a situation that meant life-or-death.

Otto had that same level of trust in his friend.

"Yes. I do."

"Then, let's just spend some time chattin' while we place our belief in them. Fer example–do ya have any of Natsuki-kun's drink-mixing recipes memorized?"

The two merchants walked together through the night, headed for the conclusion of the battle. A conclusion that none would be able to expect

Next chapter concludes this mini-Elsa arc. I can't respond to reviews in real-time like I can to AO3 comments, so I'll reply to some here.

de fanfic a audiolibro: Me alegra que te haya gustado. Muchas gracias y espero que puedas disfrutar la conclusión en el próximo capítulo.

AngryWY: we'll see about that. no promises or denials, though.

Shir0R4ven: the timing is certainly strange. let's just say, as Otto notes in this chapter, Anastasia is always seeking the most profitable outcome in things.

Nefarious Doctor: maybe? I'm not sure about pairings yet, or a lack of them. We'll see how things go as we progress.

Pleyades0104: who knows? Elsa's mindset is very hard to discern. What is obvious is that the killing of Subaru is a mental burden on her, one that she herself might not even realize the weight of.

And thank you to everyone else who's encouraged me. See you next chapter.