「Rigel。――Natsuki Rigel!!」
――Roy Alphard certainly heard that soul-wrenching shout, raised to the utmost. Earnest and desperate, an appeal so steeped in feeling it struck the listener in the heart; if it had been the 『Gourmet』 Lye Batenkaitos, who surely loved human beings' hair-raising passions and the bittersweet medley of their desires, he would have gladly lent an ear to that wish and, licking his lips, obliged.
「But the one here isn't Lye, it's us, y'know」
The 『Gourmet』 Lye and the 『Cannibal』 Roy—twins who shared the same 『Gluttony』 Witch Factor—strictly speaking, triplets with Rui, who died in their mother's womb—were, contrary to expectation, brothers who didn't see eye to eye. What each of them valued in a meal was utterly different, despite being siblings made of the same flesh and blood. Yet he never lamented such differences in appetite; if anything, it was something to celebrate, since it kept them from having to fight over the same prey. Rui, who couldn't choose prey on her own and could only steal bites from the 『Soul's Stomach』, seemed to find that frustrating, though――
「Can't be helped, can't be helped. We love our little sister too. But, but, yeah? Meals are something you have for yourself—we can't do anything so clever as filling someone else's stomach for them.」
So even if we pitied our sister pleading hunger, that was the hunger of a familiar stranger. Even when we were told that Lye had perished fleetingly in the Sand Tower, that too was just a familiar stranger's failed meal.
He didn't particularly think, serves you right, nor did he wail over how that meal ended. What he felt was just one thing—what a waste.
「Aaah, from Lye's『Gourmet』 point of view, the likes of us who were always starving would be flunked-out washouts, I suppose… but as the 『Cannibal』 we are, we could have eaten Lye, and that would have been fine.」
Oddly enough, realizing he'd been keeping Lye and Rui off the menu, Roy found it amusing that his family love wasn't so disposable after all. For a 『Cannibal』 who neatly polished off anything that caught his eye, to think that, of all things, he'd been choosing his plates.
「Aaah, what a real waste.」
It's a shame, but Lye is dead. As for Rui, since the time spent in that Sand Tower, he hasn't felt her presence in the 『Soul's Stomach』 and doesn't know what became of her。――Truly, truly a shame. If he could touch his little sister again, he'd make sure to gnaw on that soul.
「Because, after all, we're the 『Cannibal』.」
No matter how ugly and repulsive a thing is, if we want to eat it, we can't help but stick our tongues out for it. Even if it's something the 『Gourmet』 won't spare a glance for and 『Satiation』 pushes the plate away from, we'll eat it all without leaving a scrap.
――More than anything, giving up on something once we've desired to devour it is unthinkable.
「――!!」
Aldebaran, shouting from beyond the billowing dust, was in dire straits—no, by being forced into the exact opposite state, he somehow seemed all the more driven into a corner. Remembering Roy then and thinking to flip the board by feeding him a 『Name』, Roy had to admire how sharp that was. The curse-mark carved to make him obedient and haul him around—stoking that to life, Aldebaran was desperately calling Roy. An unfathomable pain assaulted Roy, as if a soul that could not be touched were being seared, and his body twitched and bounced on the ground. It was abuse of the soul, a threat by pain saying, If you want to escape this agony, obey.
「I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it, and even if I get it, I've got no choice but to get it! Precisely because I get it! Binge! Gluttony!」
He understood what he wanted to say. He understood what he wanted done. He understood that he was being cornered. Frankly, even with his soul on the verge of being scorched like this, Roy felt grateful to Aldebaran。――Thanks to being taken out of the Prison Tower, he'd gotten a chance at a meal that might never have come again. He didn't like eating on command, but Roy's strong point was that he didn't choose what he devoured, and that must have suited Aldebaran just fine.
「But see, it'd be a problem if you got the wrong idea.」
Because he's grateful, he can go along and obey.—But that's only within the bounds Roy can concede; if it's not, he'll do as he pleases. For example—,
「――Fouuund you」
His appetite was such that anyone he decided he wanted to devour, even at the cost of his life, he would devour without fail.
△▼△▼△▼△
「Rigel。――Natsuki Rigel!!」
That scream, as if coughing up blood, reached even the ears of the 『Witch of Melancholy』. The blast wind and crushing pressure surging in from outside her awareness had wreaked great damage on the battlefield; buffeted by shock waves that leveled the earth, just as she somehow pushed herself upright—
『――Petra! You okay!? Damn, what the hell was that all of a sudden!? Is everyone safe!?』
Even with a shrill, piercing ringing dominating her skull, the voice of Imaginary Subaru, worried for her, reached her clearly, bypassing her eardrums. It was Al’s opening shout that reached them just as that 『Subaru』, confused and anxious, was fretting over their fallen companions.
「——」
Amid the billowing clouds of dust, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 spat out the grains of sand that had gotten into her mouth, and Al’s shout, lost in the gale, surprised her on two fronts. One was the way Al had chosen to use Gluttony’s Authority to break through this situation. The other was the name he had shouted as his true name.
Natsuki Rigel. —That sound is clearly not unrelated to Natsuki Subaru.
「If he’s an otherworlder like Subaru, it was obvious that ‘Aldebaran’ was a fake name, but…」
For the name that popped out to be Natsuki Rigel is an all too strange coincidence. Rigel is the name of a star, and the family name Natsuki is the very same as Subaru’s. —Don’t tell me the conditions for being summoned to another world are the Natsuki surname plus a star’s name as a set.
『That guy is…』
Naturally, 『Subaru』 furrowed his brows with the same doubt as the 『Witch of Melancholy』. Al is riddled with mysteries, and while the 『Witch of Melancholy』 and the others are facing a man who has resolved to make the world his enemy, they still know nothing of his true feelings or real intentions. This is just one more piece of proof. However—,
「—Sorry. I’ve already made my choice.」
The 『Witch of Melancholy』 is not so childish as to prioritize a riddle that cannot be solved here and now. What must take precedence above all else right now is not the new riddle Al has presented, but countermeasures against Al, who, even after playing almost every card in his hand, still has a way to overturn the board. If Al’s tactic of having one’s own『name』devoured were carried out, there would be no way to respond. —Forgetting Rem and then remembering her again has already proven its efficacy.
「So, I’m going to do it, Subaru.」
When the 『Witch of Melancholy』 murmured that, 『Subaru』 was not at her side but standing directly in front of her. Not floating, but with his feet on the ground, he faced her head-on.
『——』
Gazing straight into those black eyes, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 felt a strange emotion. The him here, no matter how she struggled, was only a vision she saw as she wanted to see it, and by no means the real Natsuki Subaru. From the outside, it would surely look like a very ridiculous dream—nothing but the most convenient illusion for the 『Witch of Melancholy』.
「And yet, you still won’t marry me, will you?」
『Petra, I…』
「Kidding, kidding. Just a witch joke to fluster you a little.」
Sticking out her tongue impishly, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 apologized to the 『Subaru』 she had ended up flustering. Here, she even felt proud that this 『Subaru』 wouldn’t simply do as she said, taking it as a sign of the nobility of her feelings. It’s delightful when the person you love turns out just the way you imagined—but it’s complicated.
「Because I fell in love with the Subaru who taught me that I’m a fool.」
『…That’s truly an honor. I’m one hell of a happy, big idiot.』
「—That’s really true.」
Smiling at 『Subaru』’s reply to her confession, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 let her lips soften. Then, turning about on the spot, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 presented her back to 『Subaru』. After a beat—a pause for thought or hesitation—『Subaru』 embraced the 『Witch of Melancholy』 from behind. That earned a perfect score in both expectations and wishes. And since it’s surely something the real Subaru, not just a phantom, would do as well, it doesn’t affect the 『Witch of Melancholy』’s grading. So, while held in those arms—,
「—Fouuund you.」
That sticky voice sounded close by, and a threat approached from beyond the smoke. It was Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, who had come tearing in, using as his guide the fingertip the 『Witch of Melancholy』 had pointed skyward—the white light released from there. Roy bared his fangs, and his gaze crossed with that of the 『Witch of Melancholy』. And then—,
「—I’m Petra Bauman.」
Still pointing her finger at the heavens, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 gave that name. The name shuffle the 『Aldebusters』 carried out as a countermeasure against 『Gluttony』—with the cooperation of the lord Roswaal, it resulted in a renaming rite that was formally accepted and carried legal force. While each was free to choose a name, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 took the family name of the person she revered most. But the reason she revealed the name she’d kept hidden until now after the change was none other than this—her trump card.
『—Petra.』
With arms that could not touch, 『Subaru』 nevertheless tightened his embrace and called her name. Placing her hands over those equally untouchable arms, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 smiled. Smiling, the maiden who had offered up every price to become the 『Witch of Melancholy』 declared,
「—I love you, Subaru.」
△▼△▼△▼△
He sets it on his tongue, activates『Binge』, and the instant he devours it, a fulfillment that soaks through sends a numbness racing across his whole body.
――!
The climax of this『Binge』is the very delight of『Gluttony』for which even Roy—who has eaten countless『names』and『memories』and gorged himself on lives—can imagine no substitute. Hunger, hunger, that over-starved hunger itself is『Gluttony’s』Raison d’Être. In the fleeting moment when he can delude himself that even a fragment of it is filled, he feels an unbearable fullness of life. It is precisely—
――Exquisite!
The taste of the『Witch』who kept her promise intoxicated Roy with immense love, leaving him to lick his lips at the aftertaste. Ensnared by emotions beyond what he had hoped for, force beyond what he had feared, and purity beyond what he had wished for, Roy soaked in the swelling satiety and savored what true『Binge』really was. Truly, truly, truly, truly, truly—he had lived for this single flavor.
――Even if his soul were burned as the price for breaking the cursed seal, he would have no regrets about this『Binge』.
In the『memories』pouring into him, the reason Rui had thirsted is made plain. However, unlike his little sister, what Roy’s taste buds found the most delectable was the girl’s prayer. The『Witch』who loved a single dish to this extent splendidly surpassed his expectations even before tasting it.
Thus, Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of『Gluttony』, laughed. Laughing as he was burned by the Blue flames that were proof he had broken the cursed seal.
――Thank you for the feast!
And at the very moment he was about to be burned away, soul and all, by the Blue flames—
――That’s far enough.
A crimson flame that appeared suddenly on the battlefield cleft those Blue flames with a merciless flash.
△▼△▼△▼△
――If one were to name the byword of the『Sword Saint』Reinhard van Astrea, of course the『Blessing of the Sword Saint』would be the first to come up.
However, those who know Reinhard’s absurdity better also know that the multitude of blessings he possesses is one reason his name is proclaimed as the strongest『Sword Saint』in history. In the past, when he crossed swords with Regulus Corneus, the Sin Archbishop of『Greed』and one of the mightiest beings in history, Natsuki Subaru—who was present and fought alongside him—judged, among Reinhard’s many blessings, the『Blessing of the Phoenix』to be especially beyond the norm.
To begin with, given his overwhelming might, he is a being for whom it is difficult to take his life even once; on top of that, the power of the『Blessing of the Phoenix』, which lets him revive even after death, is outright foul play. Yet, had he known the true out-of-bounds nature of the『Blessing of the Phoenix』that Natsuki Subaru, exasperated, deemed a cheat ability, Natsuki Subaru’s evaluation would have been overturned even further.
――『Blessing of the Phoenix』
Because it had been used once in the battle with that Sin Archbishop of『Greed』, strictly speaking this was the next, newly granted『Blessing of the Phoenix』, but the phenomenon that occurs is the same, so the distinction is meaningless. What matters is that when this blessing activates, the lost life of its bearer, Reinhard van Astrea, is restored, and at that time every wound, fatal ones included, is completely healed.
Therefore, at this moment, all the injuries Reinhard had suffered in the battle against the afterimages of the『Witch of Jealousy』—a struggle he waged for three days and nights to hold the world’s annihilation at the water’s edge—were wiped clean. That included the wounds Aldebaran, in concert with the『Divine Dragon』, had inflicted that rendered both his arms useless, and even the fatigue of fighting without sleep was burned away by the flames of vitality. Even that alone would suffice to prove how out-of-bounds the power of the『Blessing of the Phoenix』is, but the true value for which Reinhard relied on this blessing lies beyond this.
By some contrivance engineered by Aldebaran, the threat of the『Witch of Jealousy』revived in the present day. At the moment it met a sudden disappearance, just as sudden as its appearance, Reinhard took it as the end of that battle—and he made the decision to immediately inflict a mortal wound upon himself. If the sole purpose had been simply to heal his own wounds, Reinhard would not have bothered to injure himself; he would have waited for his wounds to heal naturally. In other words, what Reinhard sought from the『Blessing of the Phoenix』was not the healing of wounds, but the other effect it possesses—that—
――――
—Wreathed in crimson flames, in an instant, Reinhard is resurrected in the very center of the battlefield.
That is precisely one facet of the out-of-bounds effect the『Blessing of the Phoenix』possesses: the flame of revival that rebirths the dead bearer at the place he desires. In the fight with Regulus Corneus, it was a power that returned him to life right before the eyes of his comrade Natsuki Subaru, but at this moment, it goes without saying where Reinhard resurrected. At his liege’s side—the one who should be fighting Aldebaran to clean up after Reinhard.
――――
Emerging onto the battlefield from within flames that curled back against the wind, Reinhard perceived in an instant that this was an abnormal space beset by cataclysm. Even Reinhard, for all that he is, could not help but be astonished at that spectacle—but—
"Reinhard!"
At the sudden call, Reinhard turned around to behold there his friend—lovely of countenance yet filled with desperate resolve—and, in that friend’s arms, his liege—Felt. Taking in at a glance that something was gravely wrong, Reinhard moved at once to rush to his liege. Felt, cradled in the arms of his friend Felis, hung her head, limp. There could be no one more suitable than Felis, but at the very least he tried to call out to her—and—
"—Hey."
"——"
Before Reinhard could step in, that weak, hoarse voice was uttered. In the dust, Felt, wrapped in the faint radiance emanating from Felis—receiving concentrated healing light on her head—slowly lifted her face, and though her focus wavered again and again, she still found the foremost knight with her red eyes. Then, scraping together every last ounce of strength in her body, she forged a single phrase. It was—
"—I leave the rest to you."
At that single sentence, Reinhard realized that what he ought to do was not to fret over his liege. Reinhard’s liege is strong—far more so than Reinhard himself. Therefore—
"—That’s far enough."
Entrusting his liege, who had done what she needed to do, to his friend, and urged forward, Reinhard went into the battlefield. In an instant he grasped the positions of the presences scattered throughout the area; among them, he headed for the foe that required dealing with, and with a single stroke erased from this world Roy Alphard of 'Gluttony,' who was swathed in blue flames.
"—Thanks for the meal!"
What was burning the sneering Roy Alphard was a blue flame that would never go out, blazing up with his soul as the kindling. Thus Reinhard gave him a merciful end, so he would not suffer long. And—
"—Lord Al, this time for sure, I will stop you."
Toward Aldebaran, who stood amid the dust, Reinhard kicked off the ground and leapt. Even without borrowing the power of 'Compression,' it was a motion so swift it seemed to crush space itself. At once, between Reinhard and Aldebaran, a girl flung out both arms. The red-haired girl moved at top speed to shield Aldebaran. With a single step—without allowing even a reaction—Reinhard’s hand-blade struck her neck, and in an instant reaped her consciousness away. And then, at the now-defenseless Aldebaran, Reinhard drew back his arm once more—and—
"—That is my duty."
—In that instant, Aldebaran’s torso was struck by the Sword Saint’s full strength.
△▼△▼△▼△
Far off, beyond the dust, blue flames scattered, and in the very next instant of registering that, he saw before his eyes the slender back of Yae collapsing. What impulse had made him reach out a hand toward her as she fell? In any case, Aldebaran’s hand did not reach. It’s always like that. And then, without even the space to slip in a blink, a white flash swept across Aldebaran’s torso—
"—ah."
It happened. Without a doubt, above the waist he was cleaved in a single hand-blade stroke, and Aldebaran was split clean in two. But from the very instant he was halved, regeneration began, and with a speed like a video in reverse, Aldebaran’s body was restored, the bisected torso repaired at once. It was a body-severing magic made possible by the extraordinary might of the 'Blue' healing magic cast on Aldebaran, and by the cutting edge of the Sword Saint’s hand-blade, which far outstripped any famed sword around. But—
"I won’t die…!"
Would that cry have sounded affirmative or negative, he wondered. Reinhard’s strike—yes, Reinhard. The fact that he had manifested at all, though they had gone so far as to summon the Witch of Jealousy to neutralize him; Aldebaran had taken an unrestrained hand-blade, and yet he did not die. Given that the torso was cut in two, Reinhard must have attacked with the intent to kill Aldebaran. However, the 'Blue' healing art outstripped even the Sword Saint’s killing intent and prevented the activation of the Authority.
"——"
Ignoring pain so fleeting he could doubt it had even been there, Aldebaran thought. Reinhard is here. Bad. This is bad. Everything will be ruined. Moreover, if his being here isn’t because he abandoned the world, then it means the Witch of Jealousy has withdrawn. And if the Witch of Jealousy has withdrawn, there’s no longer any reason to silence people. —Which is to say, it proves that Roy broke the pledge of the sigil and used his Authority on the Witch of Melancholy, knowing full well that the penalty for doing so would be paid with his life. Did the Sin Archbishop, in reprisal for being forced to obey, throw even his life away? One thing is certain—by his own actions, Aldebaran severed the possibility of breaking through this situation.
"—!"
The possibility that it was 『Gluttony』 slipped through his fingers. Acknowledging that fact, Aldebaran ground his teeth and sparked his thoughts, deciding that every action from here on would be used to break through the situation. There could be no waste in breath or heartbeat, not even in a single drop of sweat sliding from a finger. Strictly admonishing his own soul thus, Aldebaran gathered the collapsing Yae into his arms.――Yae, into his arms?
「――ah?」
It was just after Aldebaran had set what he ought to do. He had decided in his heart that from here on, even the briefest instant would be used up to ride out this accident—so why did he reach out to Yae and scoop her up? She was unconscious; there was zero chance it was her signature playing dead. Even if he propped Yae up, it wouldn’t break the situation. And yet, why did Aldebaran――,
「You know it too.――That this is as far as it goes」
As Aldebaran stood thunderstruck, not understanding the meaning of his own actions, a healthy voice—so hale you’d never think he’d been locked in a death match with the 『Witch of Jealousy』—from Reinhard reached him. That it’s over, give up, Reinhard tells him easily. He says it—just like that.
「Sure, 『Sword Saint』, you’ve probably got all kinds of things on your shoulders… but I didn’t start this with a resolve so cheap I could just toss it aside with a shrug」
「――――」
「Not yet, not yet. Over this… just this much! Don’t think I’ll just give up on my own！」
Puffing himself up, Aldebaran glared at Reinhard. If only by overpowering him in spirit, he wanted something—anything—his fingers could catch on. But to Aldebaran’s bluster, Reinhard raised the hand with which he’d swung a knifehand, and answered. The 『Sword Saint』’s knifehand that had once bisected Aldebaran was clenched around something.
――A black orb woven of magic, something that should not be there.
「Even this？」
Eyes fixed and wide, struck speechless, Aldebaran understood that the earlier flash of the 『Sword Saint』 was not aimed at his life, but precisely at cleaving his torso in two. Reinhard had aimed to do it—trusting in the power of 『Blue』, he literally split his belly. He split open Aldebaran’s belly and took it out.
To throw it away into the Mogoredo Great Vent, the hole that leads to the far side of the world――,
「But y’know, it won’t break！！」
The shock won’t carry. Even so, the initiative is still ours. It’s a forbidden art devised by the 『Witch』 that surely seals anything empowered by the witch factor. Not even Reinhard’s brute strength, not even the world-destroying breath of the 『Dragon』, could break it. And Aldebaran, no matter what, would never undo that seal――,
「No—what’s sealed in here is Subaru, isn’t it？ ――In that case, it can be drawn」
In that instant, the air quivered with an abnormal torrent of power, and the world gave a definite shudder. So momentous was the drawing of that sword that even the world itself could not ignore it. That was――,
「――『Dragon Sword』 Reid」
An impossible flash of light cleaved the small magic gem at the 『Sword Saint』’s hand.
△▼△▼△▼△
『――No one can beat the you I created』
So said the 『Witch』 who named Aldebaran 『Following Star』 and set everything in place.
『――Behold, once again the victory is mine』
So said the 『Sun Princess』 who gave Aldebaran a meaning other than 『Following Star』.
「――――」
Foolish and powerless, Aldebaran lost them both; though he was a being who should have possessed the authority to set wrong choices right, in the end he kept choosing the most half-baked path. Only, to not let a 『Witch』 be born who would end the world.――Every step was for that.
He received the teachings of the 『Witch』 and tried to kill the 『Witch』 as per her wish—he failed. He met Priscilla and tried to kill the 『Witch』 by making her king—he failed. Returning to his starting point, he tried to kill the 『Witch』 by removing Natsuki Subaru—he failed.
「――ah」
As dazzling light overflowed, and even through his iron helm he felt his eyes sear, Aldebaran beheld the brute-forced miracle before him, the result of that outrageous power. The phenomenon wrought by a power beyond reason was cut by a power beyond reason as well; when the sealed thing was unleashed, all Aldebaran could do was tighten and tighten his arms around the slender body, almost like a tantrum. And then――,
「――！」
A faint breathing he had no business hearing scratched at Aldebaran’s awareness. It belonged to the silver-haired girl in the rear who was wielding her power against the surging waters, exuding tremendous cold to keep the battlefield from being swallowed by the torrent.
If that had been the lament of being overpowered and swept away by the water, Aldebaran could have borne it. If it had been a sigh of relief at Reinhard’s arrival, Aldebaran could have borne it. If it had been a triumphant cry that the detestable Aldebaran had been driven into a corner, he could have borne it.
But it was none of those.――The one her deep-violet eyes were fixed upon was a single person. Aldebaran never shows up in her eyes anyway.
「――Natsuki Subaru!!!」
He roars. He shouts. He screams. In a hoarse growl as if coughing up blood, Aldebaran called that name.
What bursts out of the light is a black-haired boy cradling a great spirit in a dress—someone who could be no one else—who, carried by the momentum of being released from the black sphere, drops to one knee on the ground. Then his parted lips, the very first thing out of them, cried out.
「――Rem!!」
As if in answer to that voice, the clatter of chains pierced Aldebaran’s eardrums.
△▼△▼△▼△
――Rem loves Natsuki Subaru.
This is already an unshakable fact, and even the Rem from before she fully regained her "memories" would, however grudgingly, acknowledge it. Or rather, memories or not, Rem being drawn to Subaru is inevitable, so to be honest, one wonders what she was even holding back from.
「No, that’s not it. That’s a bit too cut-and-dried, or rather... first of all, put like that, it sounds like I’d have fallen for him even if he hadn’t done anything for me, doesn’t it?」
Rem thinks her feelings aren’t something so convenient. If anything, she’s a difficult, suspicious woman who doesn’t open her heart easily—that’s how Rem sees herself. She shudders at herself, thinking what an unapproachable girl she is. Very different from the straightforward and compassionate Ram, or from Crusch, whose foul mouth belies how transparent and cute her true feelings are.
Yes, the "original" Rem is hard to approach—a personality ugly with a bad attitude. Her view and world are narrow, and she’s so busy protecting her limited personal sanctuary that she’s far removed from the sort of consideration that thinks of others.――Even so, Natsuki Subaru stepped in.
He stepped in, trampled through, took her hand, led her out—and Rem fell head over heels for him. And those who have become that way, those who will become that way, will only grow more and more from here on.
「But even among them, the fact that Rem was the very first hasn’t changed.」
It was this Rem who first understood what’s good about Natsuki Subaru. Emilia might be a close rival, but in terms of depth and weight, let Rem insist she was first. That, too, is unshakable—something important concerning Natsuki Subaru.
「the mansion, the Royal Capital, the Great Tree of Flugel」
The path Rem, who loved Natsuki Subaru, walked with him before she lost her "memories."
「the jungle, the fortified city, the Imperial Capital and the linked dragon chariot」
The path Rem, who had begun to love Natsuki Subaru after losing her "memories," walked with him.
「What has been, the now, and what is to come」
The path that Rem, who has now regained her "memories" and fallen in love with Natsuki Subaru anew, will walk with him.
Even without Yae telling her so time and again, even Rem understands how rough it is to lump all of that together under the single word "love." Even so, if asked what it is that drives her forward, that serves as the engine of a hope she can declare she will never regret no matter what happens—she can’t think of anything but "love."
Because of love, Rem can believe in Natsuki Subaru. Because of love, Rem can devote herself to Natsuki Subaru. Because of love, Rem can wish for the same future as Natsuki Subaru.
『――Sister Rem, just one thing, please let me ask.』
That was an exchange she had, before setting out for battle, with a girl who, like Rem, loves Natsuki Subaru.
She, too, upon meeting Natsuki Subaru, became someone who had diverged from her "original" self. She considers that a happiness, and decided to walk the thorny path he treads together with him. Knowing that those eyes look straight at someone who is not herself, and yet being unable not to wish that loving gaze would turn her way—that is the kind of person she is.
『Sister Rem, if it’s to help Subaru, can you do anything?』
Later on, Rem would think. Just how much courage did it take to give voice to that question? How much careful thought did it take to convey the words she had prepared to follow it?
And if, hypothetically, Rem had given an answer that did not meet her expectations, just how much resolve and ideal would the girl have shouldered, intending to walk that path alone?
「Yes, of course.――Because I am Subaru-kun’s Rem.」
Therefore, being able to answer without hesitation was, to Rem, a pride that could not be exchanged for anything. If one were to put it into words, that was a contest of whose feelings for Natsuki Subaru were stronger. And a secret vow that absolutely could not be entrusted to Emilia, the one who receives his affections.
Rem doesn’t really know what will truly happen by bringing that about. What she does know is that it’s to help Natsuki Subaru—no, the other way around. That Natsuki Subaru, that kindhearted boy, will shoulder many feelings, and she can become the very first of them.
To wish for anything more is a luxury. But now that her “memories” have returned and made her greedy, even knowing it’s indulgent, she can’t help but wish just a little beyond that. For instance, when the boy, urged on by Rem and the others, walks his path, that, thinking of the devotion of Rem and the girl, a wave will rise in his chest—just a little larger than a ripple is enough.
That alone is Rem’s—,
"—Rem!!"
Beyond the white light, the instant she saw his figure appear, Rem’s endearingly modest sentiments shattered. In that moment, tossed by the boundless torrent of feelings surging up from within, Rem was seized by the urge to throw everything aside and rush into his arms. She holds herself back.
Immediately after, the ground clenched underfoot erupted, and a bulging wall of rock moved to swallow their view—only for a single stroke from the 'Sword Saint,' his body still carrying the afterglow of flames, to sweep it away and open a path. Straight, in a single line, the gaze between Rem and the beloved boy ran true.
"——"
A boy resolved to die, and yet unable to wipe away his innate gentleness—her eyes met the black of his. Swallowing a thousand words she wanted to say, ten thousand feelings she wanted to tell, a hundred million prayers she wanted to offer, Rem says,
"Please, let the me I am now—let Rem—fall in love with you all over again."
In that split second, she swung her arm with all she had. —The iron ball shot straight, in a single line, across the sky.
△▼△▼△▼△
—Chains rattle.
In that instant, his own scream like coughing up blood, the upheaval of the earth caused by the ultimate spell he had unleashed in blind desperation, the way the supreme slash wielded by the 'Sword Saint' cleaved the freezing air and canceled even a cataclysm, the fact that the man who appeared cradling a spirit seemed to have grasped the situation by using the authority of 'Greed,' even the way he unconsciously hugged the feverish body of the woman in his arms more tightly—none of it mattered to Aldebaran.
He just lunged, reaching out his hand. —No, he tried to reach. He couldn’t. His right arm held the woman who had betrayed him, and the left arm he’d lost had been left behind in that era along with the 'Witch’s' expectations, so Aldebaran couldn’t reach out. Instead—,
"—Al"
He heard the man who had drawn everyone’s attention there look at him and call his name. The feeling housed in those black eyes—the color of that Natsuki Subaru, who seemed as if he would save even Aldebaran if he could—was the one, the one, the one he—,
"I hate it, damn it—"
—Chains rattled.
△▼△▼△▼△
—I love you.
――Roy Alphard certainly heard that soul-wrenching shout, raised to the utmost. Earnest and desperate, an appeal so steeped in feeling it struck the listener in the heart; if it had been the 『Gourmet』 Lye Batenkaitos, who surely loved human beings' hair-raising passions and the bittersweet medley of their desires, he would have gladly lent an ear to that wish and, licking his lips, obliged.
「But the one here isn't Lye, it's us, y'know」
The 『Gourmet』 Lye and the 『Cannibal』 Roy—twins who shared the same 『Gluttony』 Witch Factor—strictly speaking, triplets with Rui, who died in their mother's womb—were, contrary to expectation, brothers who didn't see eye to eye. What each of them valued in a meal was utterly different, despite being siblings made of the same flesh and blood. Yet he never lamented such differences in appetite; if anything, it was something to celebrate, since it kept them from having to fight over the same prey. Rui, who couldn't choose prey on her own and could only steal bites from the 『Soul's Stomach』, seemed to find that frustrating, though――
「Can't be helped, can't be helped. We love our little sister too. But, but, yeah? Meals are something you have for yourself—we can't do anything so clever as filling someone else's stomach for them.」
So even if we pitied our sister pleading hunger, that was the hunger of a familiar stranger. Even when we were told that Lye had perished fleetingly in the Sand Tower, that too was just a familiar stranger's failed meal.
He didn't particularly think, serves you right, nor did he wail over how that meal ended. What he felt was just one thing—what a waste.
「Aaah, from Lye's『Gourmet』 point of view, the likes of us who were always starving would be flunked-out washouts, I suppose… but as the 『Cannibal』 we are, we could have eaten Lye, and that would have been fine.」
Oddly enough, realizing he'd been keeping Lye and Rui off the menu, Roy found it amusing that his family love wasn't so disposable after all. For a 『Cannibal』 who neatly polished off anything that caught his eye, to think that, of all things, he'd been choosing his plates.
「Aaah, what a real waste.」
It's a shame, but Lye is dead. As for Rui, since the time spent in that Sand Tower, he hasn't felt her presence in the 『Soul's Stomach』 and doesn't know what became of her。――Truly, truly a shame. If he could touch his little sister again, he'd make sure to gnaw on that soul.
「Because, after all, we're the 『Cannibal』.」
No matter how ugly and repulsive a thing is, if we want to eat it, we can't help but stick our tongues out for it. Even if it's something the 『Gourmet』 won't spare a glance for and 『Satiation』 pushes the plate away from, we'll eat it all without leaving a scrap.
――More than anything, giving up on something once we've desired to devour it is unthinkable.
「――!!」
Aldebaran, shouting from beyond the billowing dust, was in dire straits—no, by being forced into the exact opposite state, he somehow seemed all the more driven into a corner. Remembering Roy then and thinking to flip the board by feeding him a 『Name』, Roy had to admire how sharp that was. The curse-mark carved to make him obedient and haul him around—stoking that to life, Aldebaran was desperately calling Roy. An unfathomable pain assaulted Roy, as if a soul that could not be touched were being seared, and his body twitched and bounced on the ground. It was abuse of the soul, a threat by pain saying, If you want to escape this agony, obey.
「I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it, and even if I get it, I've got no choice but to get it! Precisely because I get it! Binge! Gluttony!」
He understood what he wanted to say. He understood what he wanted done. He understood that he was being cornered. Frankly, even with his soul on the verge of being scorched like this, Roy felt grateful to Aldebaran。――Thanks to being taken out of the Prison Tower, he'd gotten a chance at a meal that might never have come again. He didn't like eating on command, but Roy's strong point was that he didn't choose what he devoured, and that must have suited Aldebaran just fine.
「But see, it'd be a problem if you got the wrong idea.」
Because he's grateful, he can go along and obey.—But that's only within the bounds Roy can concede; if it's not, he'll do as he pleases. For example—,
「――Fouuund you」
His appetite was such that anyone he decided he wanted to devour, even at the cost of his life, he would devour without fail.
△▼△▼△▼△
「Rigel。――Natsuki Rigel!!」
That scream, as if coughing up blood, reached even the ears of the 『Witch of Melancholy』. The blast wind and crushing pressure surging in from outside her awareness had wreaked great damage on the battlefield; buffeted by shock waves that leveled the earth, just as she somehow pushed herself upright—
『――Petra! You okay!? Damn, what the hell was that all of a sudden!? Is everyone safe!?』
Even with a shrill, piercing ringing dominating her skull, the voice of Imaginary Subaru, worried for her, reached her clearly, bypassing her eardrums. It was Al’s opening shout that reached them just as that 『Subaru』, confused and anxious, was fretting over their fallen companions.
「——」
Amid the billowing clouds of dust, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 spat out the grains of sand that had gotten into her mouth, and Al’s shout, lost in the gale, surprised her on two fronts. One was the way Al had chosen to use Gluttony’s Authority to break through this situation. The other was the name he had shouted as his true name.
Natsuki Rigel. —That sound is clearly not unrelated to Natsuki Subaru.
「If he’s an otherworlder like Subaru, it was obvious that ‘Aldebaran’ was a fake name, but…」
For the name that popped out to be Natsuki Rigel is an all too strange coincidence. Rigel is the name of a star, and the family name Natsuki is the very same as Subaru’s. —Don’t tell me the conditions for being summoned to another world are the Natsuki surname plus a star’s name as a set.
『That guy is…』
Naturally, 『Subaru』 furrowed his brows with the same doubt as the 『Witch of Melancholy』. Al is riddled with mysteries, and while the 『Witch of Melancholy』 and the others are facing a man who has resolved to make the world his enemy, they still know nothing of his true feelings or real intentions. This is just one more piece of proof. However—,
「—Sorry. I’ve already made my choice.」
The 『Witch of Melancholy』 is not so childish as to prioritize a riddle that cannot be solved here and now. What must take precedence above all else right now is not the new riddle Al has presented, but countermeasures against Al, who, even after playing almost every card in his hand, still has a way to overturn the board. If Al’s tactic of having one’s own『name』devoured were carried out, there would be no way to respond. —Forgetting Rem and then remembering her again has already proven its efficacy.
「So, I’m going to do it, Subaru.」
When the 『Witch of Melancholy』 murmured that, 『Subaru』 was not at her side but standing directly in front of her. Not floating, but with his feet on the ground, he faced her head-on.
『——』
Gazing straight into those black eyes, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 felt a strange emotion. The him here, no matter how she struggled, was only a vision she saw as she wanted to see it, and by no means the real Natsuki Subaru. From the outside, it would surely look like a very ridiculous dream—nothing but the most convenient illusion for the 『Witch of Melancholy』.
「And yet, you still won’t marry me, will you?」
『Petra, I…』
「Kidding, kidding. Just a witch joke to fluster you a little.」
Sticking out her tongue impishly, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 apologized to the 『Subaru』 she had ended up flustering. Here, she even felt proud that this 『Subaru』 wouldn’t simply do as she said, taking it as a sign of the nobility of her feelings. It’s delightful when the person you love turns out just the way you imagined—but it’s complicated.
「Because I fell in love with the Subaru who taught me that I’m a fool.」
『…That’s truly an honor. I’m one hell of a happy, big idiot.』
「—That’s really true.」
Smiling at 『Subaru』’s reply to her confession, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 let her lips soften. Then, turning about on the spot, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 presented her back to 『Subaru』. After a beat—a pause for thought or hesitation—『Subaru』 embraced the 『Witch of Melancholy』 from behind. That earned a perfect score in both expectations and wishes. And since it’s surely something the real Subaru, not just a phantom, would do as well, it doesn’t affect the 『Witch of Melancholy』’s grading. So, while held in those arms—,
「—Fouuund you.」
That sticky voice sounded close by, and a threat approached from beyond the smoke. It was Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, who had come tearing in, using as his guide the fingertip the 『Witch of Melancholy』 had pointed skyward—the white light released from there. Roy bared his fangs, and his gaze crossed with that of the 『Witch of Melancholy』. And then—,
「—I’m Petra Bauman.」
Still pointing her finger at the heavens, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 gave that name. The name shuffle the 『Aldebusters』 carried out as a countermeasure against 『Gluttony』—with the cooperation of the lord Roswaal, it resulted in a renaming rite that was formally accepted and carried legal force. While each was free to choose a name, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 took the family name of the person she revered most. But the reason she revealed the name she’d kept hidden until now after the change was none other than this—her trump card.
『—Petra.』
With arms that could not touch, 『Subaru』 nevertheless tightened his embrace and called her name. Placing her hands over those equally untouchable arms, the 『Witch of Melancholy』 smiled. Smiling, the maiden who had offered up every price to become the 『Witch of Melancholy』 declared,
「—I love you, Subaru.」
△▼△▼△▼△
He sets it on his tongue, activates『Binge』, and the instant he devours it, a fulfillment that soaks through sends a numbness racing across his whole body.
――!
The climax of this『Binge』is the very delight of『Gluttony』for which even Roy—who has eaten countless『names』and『memories』and gorged himself on lives—can imagine no substitute. Hunger, hunger, that over-starved hunger itself is『Gluttony’s』Raison d’Être. In the fleeting moment when he can delude himself that even a fragment of it is filled, he feels an unbearable fullness of life. It is precisely—
――Exquisite!
The taste of the『Witch』who kept her promise intoxicated Roy with immense love, leaving him to lick his lips at the aftertaste. Ensnared by emotions beyond what he had hoped for, force beyond what he had feared, and purity beyond what he had wished for, Roy soaked in the swelling satiety and savored what true『Binge』really was. Truly, truly, truly, truly, truly—he had lived for this single flavor.
――Even if his soul were burned as the price for breaking the cursed seal, he would have no regrets about this『Binge』.
In the『memories』pouring into him, the reason Rui had thirsted is made plain. However, unlike his little sister, what Roy’s taste buds found the most delectable was the girl’s prayer. The『Witch』who loved a single dish to this extent splendidly surpassed his expectations even before tasting it.
Thus, Roy Alphard, the Sin Archbishop of『Gluttony』, laughed. Laughing as he was burned by the Blue flames that were proof he had broken the cursed seal.
――Thank you for the feast!
And at the very moment he was about to be burned away, soul and all, by the Blue flames—
――That’s far enough.
A crimson flame that appeared suddenly on the battlefield cleft those Blue flames with a merciless flash.
△▼△▼△▼△
――If one were to name the byword of the『Sword Saint』Reinhard van Astrea, of course the『Blessing of the Sword Saint』would be the first to come up.
However, those who know Reinhard’s absurdity better also know that the multitude of blessings he possesses is one reason his name is proclaimed as the strongest『Sword Saint』in history. In the past, when he crossed swords with Regulus Corneus, the Sin Archbishop of『Greed』and one of the mightiest beings in history, Natsuki Subaru—who was present and fought alongside him—judged, among Reinhard’s many blessings, the『Blessing of the Phoenix』to be especially beyond the norm.
To begin with, given his overwhelming might, he is a being for whom it is difficult to take his life even once; on top of that, the power of the『Blessing of the Phoenix』, which lets him revive even after death, is outright foul play. Yet, had he known the true out-of-bounds nature of the『Blessing of the Phoenix』that Natsuki Subaru, exasperated, deemed a cheat ability, Natsuki Subaru’s evaluation would have been overturned even further.
――『Blessing of the Phoenix』
Because it had been used once in the battle with that Sin Archbishop of『Greed』, strictly speaking this was the next, newly granted『Blessing of the Phoenix』, but the phenomenon that occurs is the same, so the distinction is meaningless. What matters is that when this blessing activates, the lost life of its bearer, Reinhard van Astrea, is restored, and at that time every wound, fatal ones included, is completely healed.
Therefore, at this moment, all the injuries Reinhard had suffered in the battle against the afterimages of the『Witch of Jealousy』—a struggle he waged for three days and nights to hold the world’s annihilation at the water’s edge—were wiped clean. That included the wounds Aldebaran, in concert with the『Divine Dragon』, had inflicted that rendered both his arms useless, and even the fatigue of fighting without sleep was burned away by the flames of vitality. Even that alone would suffice to prove how out-of-bounds the power of the『Blessing of the Phoenix』is, but the true value for which Reinhard relied on this blessing lies beyond this.
By some contrivance engineered by Aldebaran, the threat of the『Witch of Jealousy』revived in the present day. At the moment it met a sudden disappearance, just as sudden as its appearance, Reinhard took it as the end of that battle—and he made the decision to immediately inflict a mortal wound upon himself. If the sole purpose had been simply to heal his own wounds, Reinhard would not have bothered to injure himself; he would have waited for his wounds to heal naturally. In other words, what Reinhard sought from the『Blessing of the Phoenix』was not the healing of wounds, but the other effect it possesses—that—
――――
—Wreathed in crimson flames, in an instant, Reinhard is resurrected in the very center of the battlefield.
That is precisely one facet of the out-of-bounds effect the『Blessing of the Phoenix』possesses: the flame of revival that rebirths the dead bearer at the place he desires. In the fight with Regulus Corneus, it was a power that returned him to life right before the eyes of his comrade Natsuki Subaru, but at this moment, it goes without saying where Reinhard resurrected. At his liege’s side—the one who should be fighting Aldebaran to clean up after Reinhard.
――――
Emerging onto the battlefield from within flames that curled back against the wind, Reinhard perceived in an instant that this was an abnormal space beset by cataclysm. Even Reinhard, for all that he is, could not help but be astonished at that spectacle—but—
"Reinhard!"
At the sudden call, Reinhard turned around to behold there his friend—lovely of countenance yet filled with desperate resolve—and, in that friend’s arms, his liege—Felt. Taking in at a glance that something was gravely wrong, Reinhard moved at once to rush to his liege. Felt, cradled in the arms of his friend Felis, hung her head, limp. There could be no one more suitable than Felis, but at the very least he tried to call out to her—and—
"—Hey."
"——"
Before Reinhard could step in, that weak, hoarse voice was uttered. In the dust, Felt, wrapped in the faint radiance emanating from Felis—receiving concentrated healing light on her head—slowly lifted her face, and though her focus wavered again and again, she still found the foremost knight with her red eyes. Then, scraping together every last ounce of strength in her body, she forged a single phrase. It was—
"—I leave the rest to you."
At that single sentence, Reinhard realized that what he ought to do was not to fret over his liege. Reinhard’s liege is strong—far more so than Reinhard himself. Therefore—
"—That’s far enough."
Entrusting his liege, who had done what she needed to do, to his friend, and urged forward, Reinhard went into the battlefield. In an instant he grasped the positions of the presences scattered throughout the area; among them, he headed for the foe that required dealing with, and with a single stroke erased from this world Roy Alphard of 'Gluttony,' who was swathed in blue flames.
"—Thanks for the meal!"
What was burning the sneering Roy Alphard was a blue flame that would never go out, blazing up with his soul as the kindling. Thus Reinhard gave him a merciful end, so he would not suffer long. And—
"—Lord Al, this time for sure, I will stop you."
Toward Aldebaran, who stood amid the dust, Reinhard kicked off the ground and leapt. Even without borrowing the power of 'Compression,' it was a motion so swift it seemed to crush space itself. At once, between Reinhard and Aldebaran, a girl flung out both arms. The red-haired girl moved at top speed to shield Aldebaran. With a single step—without allowing even a reaction—Reinhard’s hand-blade struck her neck, and in an instant reaped her consciousness away. And then, at the now-defenseless Aldebaran, Reinhard drew back his arm once more—and—
"—That is my duty."
—In that instant, Aldebaran’s torso was struck by the Sword Saint’s full strength.
△▼△▼△▼△
Far off, beyond the dust, blue flames scattered, and in the very next instant of registering that, he saw before his eyes the slender back of Yae collapsing. What impulse had made him reach out a hand toward her as she fell? In any case, Aldebaran’s hand did not reach. It’s always like that. And then, without even the space to slip in a blink, a white flash swept across Aldebaran’s torso—
"—ah."
It happened. Without a doubt, above the waist he was cleaved in a single hand-blade stroke, and Aldebaran was split clean in two. But from the very instant he was halved, regeneration began, and with a speed like a video in reverse, Aldebaran’s body was restored, the bisected torso repaired at once. It was a body-severing magic made possible by the extraordinary might of the 'Blue' healing magic cast on Aldebaran, and by the cutting edge of the Sword Saint’s hand-blade, which far outstripped any famed sword around. But—
"I won’t die…!"
Would that cry have sounded affirmative or negative, he wondered. Reinhard’s strike—yes, Reinhard. The fact that he had manifested at all, though they had gone so far as to summon the Witch of Jealousy to neutralize him; Aldebaran had taken an unrestrained hand-blade, and yet he did not die. Given that the torso was cut in two, Reinhard must have attacked with the intent to kill Aldebaran. However, the 'Blue' healing art outstripped even the Sword Saint’s killing intent and prevented the activation of the Authority.
"——"
Ignoring pain so fleeting he could doubt it had even been there, Aldebaran thought. Reinhard is here. Bad. This is bad. Everything will be ruined. Moreover, if his being here isn’t because he abandoned the world, then it means the Witch of Jealousy has withdrawn. And if the Witch of Jealousy has withdrawn, there’s no longer any reason to silence people. —Which is to say, it proves that Roy broke the pledge of the sigil and used his Authority on the Witch of Melancholy, knowing full well that the penalty for doing so would be paid with his life. Did the Sin Archbishop, in reprisal for being forced to obey, throw even his life away? One thing is certain—by his own actions, Aldebaran severed the possibility of breaking through this situation.
"—!"
The possibility that it was 『Gluttony』 slipped through his fingers. Acknowledging that fact, Aldebaran ground his teeth and sparked his thoughts, deciding that every action from here on would be used to break through the situation. There could be no waste in breath or heartbeat, not even in a single drop of sweat sliding from a finger. Strictly admonishing his own soul thus, Aldebaran gathered the collapsing Yae into his arms.――Yae, into his arms?
「――ah?」
It was just after Aldebaran had set what he ought to do. He had decided in his heart that from here on, even the briefest instant would be used up to ride out this accident—so why did he reach out to Yae and scoop her up? She was unconscious; there was zero chance it was her signature playing dead. Even if he propped Yae up, it wouldn’t break the situation. And yet, why did Aldebaran――,
「You know it too.――That this is as far as it goes」
As Aldebaran stood thunderstruck, not understanding the meaning of his own actions, a healthy voice—so hale you’d never think he’d been locked in a death match with the 『Witch of Jealousy』—from Reinhard reached him. That it’s over, give up, Reinhard tells him easily. He says it—just like that.
「Sure, 『Sword Saint』, you’ve probably got all kinds of things on your shoulders… but I didn’t start this with a resolve so cheap I could just toss it aside with a shrug」
「――――」
「Not yet, not yet. Over this… just this much! Don’t think I’ll just give up on my own！」
Puffing himself up, Aldebaran glared at Reinhard. If only by overpowering him in spirit, he wanted something—anything—his fingers could catch on. But to Aldebaran’s bluster, Reinhard raised the hand with which he’d swung a knifehand, and answered. The 『Sword Saint』’s knifehand that had once bisected Aldebaran was clenched around something.
――A black orb woven of magic, something that should not be there.
「Even this？」
Eyes fixed and wide, struck speechless, Aldebaran understood that the earlier flash of the 『Sword Saint』 was not aimed at his life, but precisely at cleaving his torso in two. Reinhard had aimed to do it—trusting in the power of 『Blue』, he literally split his belly. He split open Aldebaran’s belly and took it out.
To throw it away into the Mogoredo Great Vent, the hole that leads to the far side of the world――,
「But y’know, it won’t break！！」
The shock won’t carry. Even so, the initiative is still ours. It’s a forbidden art devised by the 『Witch』 that surely seals anything empowered by the witch factor. Not even Reinhard’s brute strength, not even the world-destroying breath of the 『Dragon』, could break it. And Aldebaran, no matter what, would never undo that seal――,
「No—what’s sealed in here is Subaru, isn’t it？ ――In that case, it can be drawn」
In that instant, the air quivered with an abnormal torrent of power, and the world gave a definite shudder. So momentous was the drawing of that sword that even the world itself could not ignore it. That was――,
「――『Dragon Sword』 Reid」
An impossible flash of light cleaved the small magic gem at the 『Sword Saint』’s hand.
△▼△▼△▼△
『――No one can beat the you I created』
So said the 『Witch』 who named Aldebaran 『Following Star』 and set everything in place.
『――Behold, once again the victory is mine』
So said the 『Sun Princess』 who gave Aldebaran a meaning other than 『Following Star』.
「――――」
Foolish and powerless, Aldebaran lost them both; though he was a being who should have possessed the authority to set wrong choices right, in the end he kept choosing the most half-baked path. Only, to not let a 『Witch』 be born who would end the world.――Every step was for that.
He received the teachings of the 『Witch』 and tried to kill the 『Witch』 as per her wish—he failed. He met Priscilla and tried to kill the 『Witch』 by making her king—he failed. Returning to his starting point, he tried to kill the 『Witch』 by removing Natsuki Subaru—he failed.
「――ah」
As dazzling light overflowed, and even through his iron helm he felt his eyes sear, Aldebaran beheld the brute-forced miracle before him, the result of that outrageous power. The phenomenon wrought by a power beyond reason was cut by a power beyond reason as well; when the sealed thing was unleashed, all Aldebaran could do was tighten and tighten his arms around the slender body, almost like a tantrum. And then――,
「――！」
A faint breathing he had no business hearing scratched at Aldebaran’s awareness. It belonged to the silver-haired girl in the rear who was wielding her power against the surging waters, exuding tremendous cold to keep the battlefield from being swallowed by the torrent.
If that had been the lament of being overpowered and swept away by the water, Aldebaran could have borne it. If it had been a sigh of relief at Reinhard’s arrival, Aldebaran could have borne it. If it had been a triumphant cry that the detestable Aldebaran had been driven into a corner, he could have borne it.
But it was none of those.――The one her deep-violet eyes were fixed upon was a single person. Aldebaran never shows up in her eyes anyway.
「――Natsuki Subaru!!!」
He roars. He shouts. He screams. In a hoarse growl as if coughing up blood, Aldebaran called that name.
What bursts out of the light is a black-haired boy cradling a great spirit in a dress—someone who could be no one else—who, carried by the momentum of being released from the black sphere, drops to one knee on the ground. Then his parted lips, the very first thing out of them, cried out.
「――Rem!!」
As if in answer to that voice, the clatter of chains pierced Aldebaran’s eardrums.
△▼△▼△▼△
――Rem loves Natsuki Subaru.
This is already an unshakable fact, and even the Rem from before she fully regained her "memories" would, however grudgingly, acknowledge it. Or rather, memories or not, Rem being drawn to Subaru is inevitable, so to be honest, one wonders what she was even holding back from.
「No, that’s not it. That’s a bit too cut-and-dried, or rather... first of all, put like that, it sounds like I’d have fallen for him even if he hadn’t done anything for me, doesn’t it?」
Rem thinks her feelings aren’t something so convenient. If anything, she’s a difficult, suspicious woman who doesn’t open her heart easily—that’s how Rem sees herself. She shudders at herself, thinking what an unapproachable girl she is. Very different from the straightforward and compassionate Ram, or from Crusch, whose foul mouth belies how transparent and cute her true feelings are.
Yes, the "original" Rem is hard to approach—a personality ugly with a bad attitude. Her view and world are narrow, and she’s so busy protecting her limited personal sanctuary that she’s far removed from the sort of consideration that thinks of others.――Even so, Natsuki Subaru stepped in.
He stepped in, trampled through, took her hand, led her out—and Rem fell head over heels for him. And those who have become that way, those who will become that way, will only grow more and more from here on.
「But even among them, the fact that Rem was the very first hasn’t changed.」
It was this Rem who first understood what’s good about Natsuki Subaru. Emilia might be a close rival, but in terms of depth and weight, let Rem insist she was first. That, too, is unshakable—something important concerning Natsuki Subaru.
「the mansion, the Royal Capital, the Great Tree of Flugel」
The path Rem, who loved Natsuki Subaru, walked with him before she lost her "memories."
「the jungle, the fortified city, the Imperial Capital and the linked dragon chariot」
The path Rem, who had begun to love Natsuki Subaru after losing her "memories," walked with him.
「What has been, the now, and what is to come」
The path that Rem, who has now regained her "memories" and fallen in love with Natsuki Subaru anew, will walk with him.
Even without Yae telling her so time and again, even Rem understands how rough it is to lump all of that together under the single word "love." Even so, if asked what it is that drives her forward, that serves as the engine of a hope she can declare she will never regret no matter what happens—she can’t think of anything but "love."
Because of love, Rem can believe in Natsuki Subaru. Because of love, Rem can devote herself to Natsuki Subaru. Because of love, Rem can wish for the same future as Natsuki Subaru.
『――Sister Rem, just one thing, please let me ask.』
That was an exchange she had, before setting out for battle, with a girl who, like Rem, loves Natsuki Subaru.
She, too, upon meeting Natsuki Subaru, became someone who had diverged from her "original" self. She considers that a happiness, and decided to walk the thorny path he treads together with him. Knowing that those eyes look straight at someone who is not herself, and yet being unable not to wish that loving gaze would turn her way—that is the kind of person she is.
『Sister Rem, if it’s to help Subaru, can you do anything?』
Later on, Rem would think. Just how much courage did it take to give voice to that question? How much careful thought did it take to convey the words she had prepared to follow it?
And if, hypothetically, Rem had given an answer that did not meet her expectations, just how much resolve and ideal would the girl have shouldered, intending to walk that path alone?
「Yes, of course.――Because I am Subaru-kun’s Rem.」
Therefore, being able to answer without hesitation was, to Rem, a pride that could not be exchanged for anything. If one were to put it into words, that was a contest of whose feelings for Natsuki Subaru were stronger. And a secret vow that absolutely could not be entrusted to Emilia, the one who receives his affections.
Rem doesn’t really know what will truly happen by bringing that about. What she does know is that it’s to help Natsuki Subaru—no, the other way around. That Natsuki Subaru, that kindhearted boy, will shoulder many feelings, and she can become the very first of them.
To wish for anything more is a luxury. But now that her “memories” have returned and made her greedy, even knowing it’s indulgent, she can’t help but wish just a little beyond that. For instance, when the boy, urged on by Rem and the others, walks his path, that, thinking of the devotion of Rem and the girl, a wave will rise in his chest—just a little larger than a ripple is enough.
That alone is Rem’s—,
"—Rem!!"
Beyond the white light, the instant she saw his figure appear, Rem’s endearingly modest sentiments shattered. In that moment, tossed by the boundless torrent of feelings surging up from within, Rem was seized by the urge to throw everything aside and rush into his arms. She holds herself back.
Immediately after, the ground clenched underfoot erupted, and a bulging wall of rock moved to swallow their view—only for a single stroke from the 'Sword Saint,' his body still carrying the afterglow of flames, to sweep it away and open a path. Straight, in a single line, the gaze between Rem and the beloved boy ran true.
"——"
A boy resolved to die, and yet unable to wipe away his innate gentleness—her eyes met the black of his. Swallowing a thousand words she wanted to say, ten thousand feelings she wanted to tell, a hundred million prayers she wanted to offer, Rem says,
"Please, let the me I am now—let Rem—fall in love with you all over again."
In that split second, she swung her arm with all she had. —The iron ball shot straight, in a single line, across the sky.
△▼△▼△▼△
—Chains rattle.
In that instant, his own scream like coughing up blood, the upheaval of the earth caused by the ultimate spell he had unleashed in blind desperation, the way the supreme slash wielded by the 'Sword Saint' cleaved the freezing air and canceled even a cataclysm, the fact that the man who appeared cradling a spirit seemed to have grasped the situation by using the authority of 'Greed,' even the way he unconsciously hugged the feverish body of the woman in his arms more tightly—none of it mattered to Aldebaran.
He just lunged, reaching out his hand. —No, he tried to reach. He couldn’t. His right arm held the woman who had betrayed him, and the left arm he’d lost had been left behind in that era along with the 'Witch’s' expectations, so Aldebaran couldn’t reach out. Instead—,
"—Al"
He heard the man who had drawn everyone’s attention there look at him and call his name. The feeling housed in those black eyes—the color of that Natsuki Subaru, who seemed as if he would save even Aldebaran if he could—was the one, the one, the one he—,
"I hate it, damn it—"
—Chains rattled.
△▼△▼△▼△
—I love you.
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