The Pleiades Watchtower was thrown into temporary turmoil, as ashen-faced people hurried frantically to and fro. Watching the scene from afar, Subaru leaned his back against a stretch of wall a little removed from it and hugged his knees.
"——"
Resting his forehead on his drawn-up knees, Subaru let out a deep breath. Too many shocking things had happened. Seeing a gruesome corpse without any mental preparation was one thing, but for that body to have been—
"—Are you all right?"
Addressed like that while his face was buried against his knees, Subaru slowly raised his head. Standing there was Rem, her expression clouded with concern. She crouched down right beside him, peered into his face, and gently wiped his dejected features with the handkerchief in her hand. The slightly damp handkerchief was cool, and with a feeling of being saved, Subaru exhaled, "Sorry."
"There’s nothing to apologize for. …I heard you saw something terrible inside."
"Yeah… right. Part of it was that I didn’t want you to meet him, but just in case, I’m glad I had you wait outside. This way I didn’t have to show you something like that."
"Please don’t be overprotective. In the Vollachia Empire, I saw many people die. At this point, a little of that…"
"I get it. But if you don’t have to be around it, I don’t want you to be. If you try to save someone and, because you’re not strong enough, they end up dying—that kind of situation can’t be helped, but… that kind of death is the sort where nothing good comes from even touching it."
Even Subaru doesn’t deny the existence of meaningful deaths, or deaths that are the result of staying true to one’s convictions. If he could deny that, he wouldn’t have silently seen Priscilla off. However, the death he had just witnessed in the Watchtower—the gruesome way Roy Alphard of Gluttony died—was something far removed from that sort of nobility, an ugly, abhorrent sight.
There is no sane meaning in taking another’s life and then degrading the corpse to that extent. What’s there is either a wicked scheme, or a fury so intense it can’t be satisfied without tormenting even a soulless corpse—hatred is something a Sin Archbishop earns as a matter of course, but no one, whoever they are, should die so miserably.
"Damn it…!"
With a queasy churn in his chest, Subaru clicked his tongue in frustration. It was anger at the one who tore Roy to pieces, and at the same time the vexation that the solution to the Authority of Gluttony, which had seemed within reach, had slipped away again.
Honestly, the thought does cross his mind. —If, after regrouping with Reinhard, they had rushed straight to the royal capital without detouring, Roy might have survived. And ultimately, Subaru has a way to check that. In fact, the Subaru from when his body had shrunk, in that imperial mindset, would have carried it out without hesitation. But—
"—Al"
Clutching the Al Orb hanging from his neck, Subaru bit the inside of his cheek. Hypothetically, if Subaru were to die now and Return by Death, the most recent restart point would be at the Pleiades Watchtower, before Subaru sealed Al with Al Shamac. It’s possible the restart point has shifted since then, but as he feels it now, that’s the last one.
—And Natsuki Subaru cannot go back to that timeline and, before Al moves to act, shut him down by force—he cannot repeat that moment.
"——"
It’s not that he couldn’t choose it as an option. Nor is Al Shamac’s limitation the reason. Natsuki Subaru simply doesn’t have the courage to return to that scene and face Al once more. Thinking he might be able to change Al’s mind through discussion, he might fail to stop him again, and Subaru could be the one sealed instead. If that happened, the task of fixing Subaru’s blunder would once more be left to his companions. To avoid that, Subaru couldn’t bring himself to resort to a rash Return by Death.
But then—Rem, and the victims of Gluttony—just as he was thinking that.
"…There you go again, trying to shoulder everything yourself."
Before he knew it, Rem had placed her hand over Subaru’s, which was gripping the Al Orb, as she said that. Subaru involuntarily caught his breath; staring straight at his face, Rem narrowed her pale blue eyes, and—
"Let me make this much clear. —Don’t make restoring my “memory” your duty. My “memory” is my problem… If you shoulder it like it’s your own problem from beginning to end, that will only trouble me."
"—N-no, that’s not it. That’s not what I mean. I have to be the one to get your “memory” back."
"And that’s exactly what’s wrong. Why is it that with my problem, you’re the one agonizing over it the most? That’s my worry. It isn’t yours alone."
"That’s…"
His gaze darted, and Subaru found himself unable to say anything under Rem’s stare. What flashed through his mind was the chill from that moment he thought he might die, when in the Fortified City Rem had told him, “You are no hero.” Was even the right to struggle for Rem’s sake going to be taken from him again, like back then—?
"...Please don’t make a face like a wet puppy."
"Huh?"
"No, that was overstating it. Even wet, a puppy would be cute, so the way you look is more like a wet… a wet flying dragon, maybe."
"...I’d prefer to be treated as cool rather than cute."
"That wasn’t a compliment. And don’t get the wrong idea."
Told he was misunderstanding, Subaru faltered; after a beat, in the pause she’d created, Rem gathered her words. Then, after prefacing it with “All right?”, she went on,
"I understand the general situation. The person who was imprisoned in this tower… someone connected to Spica was the clue to restoring my ‘memory.’ But that person died, and you’re terribly frustrated… while leaving out me, the one actually involved."
"—Hearing it like that, I sound like a really selfish jerk."
"Looks like you’ve finally figured out where you stand."
In an even tone, Rem carefully paved the road until Subaru could understand. As he listened to her, space to breathe returned to the self-cornered Subaru. Noticing that change in his expression, Rem too seemed relieved, the corners of her eyes softening.
"I’m feeling down too. I was on the brink where my ‘memory’ might have come back… but seeing you more frustrated than me, I don’t even have time to be depressed."
"Uh, I’m glad you didn’t end up feeling down, Rem."
"Huh? And in exchange you’re the one getting depressed and making us worry, you know?"
"I’m soooorry!"
Under Rem’s stern gaze, Subaru clutched his head and offered an apology. He never imagined he’d be treated like a thief stealing even the right to be depressed. But that really was how he felt. Subaru wished that Rem, Emilia, and the others would never have even a moment to be downhearted in their whole lives.
"I hate how you seem to think it’s fine if you’re the only one who gets depressed like that."
"Rem…"
"When something doesn’t go well, you have this bad habit of thinking it’s all your fault. So you try to look for the solution all by yourself too… Can we stop that already?"
"…So basically, you’re telling me not to stew over things all by myself?"
"I’ve been saying that from the start."
"Had you been!? Wait, maybe you had. Yeah, you had. You definitely had. I’m such an idiot for not realizing you were saying it! Idiot, idiot!"
In front of Rem, who had turned her face away with a huff, Subaru tapped himself on the head with light thumps. As he did, yet another wave of self-reproach began to rear its head. After all, Rem was purely worried about Subaru and had reached out to him like this. And yet, because Subaru wasn’t properly facing her, he couldn’t take her kindness head-on and even made her say things she shouldn’t have had to.
"Sorry. I got all fired up and dragged you out here, only to get your hopes up for nothing."
"I don’t think it’s something you’re responsible for. It’s just…"
"Just?"
"We may be putting an unnecessary extra burden on Spica."
With the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony—Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard, the two known as the Gourmet and the Gourmand—having lost their lives, the only one remaining who holds the right to that Authority is Spica alone. In other words, the hope of safely restoring the ‘names’ and ‘memories’ devoured by Gluttony, which still have yet to return, now rests upon Spica’s shoulders. Rem seemed uneasy about placing that pressure on Spica, but—
"Spica won’t think of it as an unnecessary burden. …But let’s contact Abel and have him make sure everything around Spica is properly looked after. Have Ceci keep proper watch and such, too. Whether Ceci can actually pull that off is another matter."
"—Right."
It was a tragedy that had befallen Gluttony. There was no guarantee the same threat wouldn’t close in on Spica, and Subaru shared the concern and unease Rem harbored, deciding to press Vollachia to act. He set out what he had to do; he didn’t want anyone interfering with Spica, who had remained in Vollachia. Whatever measures he could take to that end, even if called overprotective, he had to take them.
"—Sorry to keep you waiting."
Just then, as the talk between Subaru and Rem had reached a lull, the one who came over with a light wave was Reinhard, who had emerged from inside the Pleiades Watchtower. Reinhard had Beatrice at his side, and Subaru hurried to his feet, brushed off his rear, and welcomed the two.
"Reinhard, how is it inside? That bastard Sirius…"
「Should I say we were lucky? I was almost certain already, but the woman confined underground was safe. The cells in the Pleiades Watchtower are all isolated, and it seems she didn't even know that 『Gluttony』 was imprisoned in the same tower. And it wasn't just her. Not a single other inmate suffered any harm.」
「Sirius is safe too, and the other prisoners… Whether we can just call that good news or not, at least one thing's clear.」
At Reinhard's report after finishing his check of the tower, Subaru nodded with a bitter look. In other words, the culprit who committed the crime in the Pleiades Watchtower had a single target—
「“—the Sin Archbishop of 『Gluttony』.”」
Their answers overlapped, Subaru and Reinhard meeting each other's eyes and nodding. Given the state of the scene, there was no other way to put it. And yet, even that certainty did not come without lingering doubts.
「…According to Beatrice, that wouldn't be so simple either, would it?」
「I've finished my examination, I suppose. That understanding is not mistaken.」
Beatrice tipped her chin at Rem, who glanced her way, and moved to stand beside Subaru. Gently taking his hand as she did, she studied Subaru's expression and asked,
「“Feeling any better, I wonder?”」
「“Not good, but better. Sorry for leaving the scene investigation entirely to you.”」
「“Betty said she'd handle it herself, you know. Besides, even Betty can't do anything for the dead, I suppose. All Betty can offer is a perspective from a great spirit.”」
「“I'd very much like to hear that opinion. I'm not well-versed in this sort of thing.”」
Prompted by Reinhard, Beatrice shut one eye in a wink, drawing the three pairs of eyes to her. She gave a small “ahem,” then looked over the three as if about to lecture, and said,
「“To begin with, that 『Gluttony』's body had been fixed in place with yin magic. Betty and Julius worked together on it, so it was rock-solid security that a little of this or that couldn't possibly overcome. …I'm frustrated I couldn't come up with that evolved form on my own, I suppose.”」
「“We've confirmed that with the person in charge at the Pleiades Watchtower. The imprisoned 『Gluttony』 was completely… halted, as if he'd been turned into a single slab.”」
「“Not only could the captive himself do nothing, but no one from outside could lay a hand on it either. Undoing that would require fitting proficiency with yin magic, I suppose.”」
「“That's not all. Even if you got him out of the Monolith, you'd have to throw down with Roy the moment he burst out. Fight it out, and—”」
「“—take his life. In other words, two stages are required.”」
At Rem's concluding summary, Subaru and the others fell silent with grim expressions. As has become clear, to kill Roy in his Monolith state you need the yin magic technique to release that Monolith and, after that, the strength to kill Roy. Neither is something you can master overnight, nor are such people just lying around out in the wild.
「“Moreover, they slipped through the Pleiades Watchtower's security net and managed to infiltrate. Assembling all three—yin magic, a capable fighter, and stealth—is no easy feat.”」
「“Part of me wants to cling to the conclusion that Olbart did it, with all the grudges piled on.”」
Unfortunately, even the “Wicked Old Man” likely doesn't meet the condition of being a user of yin magic. If you told me there was a shinobi technique that produced a similar effect and that Olbart had done it on the sly, I could just barely believe it strength-wise, though.
「“It's true that Vollachia has a belligerent national character, but even so, in the country's current situation they wouldn't blindly choose to jeopardize diplomatic relations. I've also heard that Lady Emilia and the others coming to the royal capital isn't unrelated to the matter of Vollachia in the first place.”」
「“…Yeah. Rather than suspecting Vollachia has a death wish, I'd prefer to believe the wolves of that country have gotten a bit more sensible. But still—sorry about everything, Reinhard.”」
「“Sorry? Did you have anything to apologize for?”」
「“You even went out of your way to make a detour to bring Rem out, and then pulled strings to get us into the Pleiades Watchtower. And yet, after all that, this is how it turned out, and… ah.”」
「“—stare.”」
Just as he was about to apologize for making them come for nothing, Subaru suddenly noticed Rem's cold gaze fixed on him. This too was part of his bad habit of blaming himself for everything, it seemed. Still, having thought it, swallowing it back sat ill with him.
「“It's a shame the results were lacking. But I appreciate you doing everything you could, I suppose.”」
「“Yes! That's my Beako! And how about you, Miss Rem?”」
「“Haa…”」
「“A sigh!”」
Going from that cold gaze to a sigh, Rem prompted Subaru to cover his face with a hand. Watching the scene, Reinhard let a small smile tug at his lips. Then, wearing that gentle smile, he said,
「No, it’s nothing much.――You’re welcome,」 he said.
△▼△▼△▼△
「……Yes, 『Gluttony』. ……Somehow, it just isn’t going well and it’s frustrating.」
In a room of the Noble’s Mansion, Emilia, having received a report on what happened at the Pleiades Watchtower, murmured that with her well-shaped brows angled and a noticeably pale complexion. The fatigue showing through like that was rare for the usually energetic Emilia. Even so, aware that he bore part of the blame for that exhaustion, Subaru felt ashamed of himself.
――Parting ways with Reinhard, who was returning to Felt, Subaru, accompanied by Rem and Beatrice, headed to the Noble’s Mansion where Emilia and the others were staying. There, they joined up with those who had arrived ahead of them. At the Noble’s Mansion, with the exception of Roswaal and Frederica, who had taken Schult and gone to the Barielle Estate, nearly everyone in Emilia’s camp was present. In other words――,
「Even though I whipped my tired body and rushed all the way to the royal capital, you’re telling me it was a wasted trip. How dare you get my hopes up for nothing, Barusu」
「Just so you know, everyone besides you, sis, is disappointed too—and my frustration ranks among the top of the lot. I nearly shed tears of blood」
「Hah! Tears of blood? That’s just the blood vessels around your eyeballs rupturing. Ram can make you shed them right this instant, you know」
「Yikes! Just because you were shocked, your ferocity is way over the top！」
Thus, Ram—more aggressive than usual—was seated with them as well. Naturally, when it came to taking Rem out to the royal capital, once she heard the purpose, Ram insisted she absolutely had to come along. One can understand the elder-sisterly feeling that it was unthinkable not to be present when Rem’s 『memories』 returned, and Subaru, who wanted Ram there too, agreed. Even so, from the challenge of the Pleiades Watchtower to the forced incursion into the Empire, the burden of these past months of travel must have been great. Ram, who had been holding herself together on willpower, finally had the tension snap when this attempt ended in a complete whiff; sniping at them even as she did, she was groggy. In the end, right after finishing her snide remark to Subaru just now, she was led off by Rem and Petra straight to the bedroom, and it looked like she would be nursed for a while.
「All the same, it isn’t only Ms. Ram who’s in a bind; it’s all of us. Mr. Natsuki and the others’ trouble, the murder case in the Pleiades Watchtower, the appearance of the 『Divine Dragon Church』, and the turmoil in the Royal Selection caused by the person at the center of it all」
Seeing Ram out, Otto, his brows drooping, grumbled so. He had been part of the group that went on ahead to the royal capital with Emilia and was supposed to report in detail at the royal castle about the Vollachia Empire’s 『Great Disaster』, including the news of Priscilla’s death. Among the agenda items were matters concerning the future accord between the Empire and the Kingdom entrusted to them by Abel, and he surely regarded it as a major duty both for their camp and for the Kingdom. Then they were blindsided from an unexpected angle, leaving them in a situation where all their preparations meant nothing. Even Subaru couldn’t find any words to tease Otto with. In the midst of that, Subaru was wracking his brain over what to talk about first――,
「――Will you tell me about Al？」
As if she had seen through Subaru’s hesitation, Emilia chose that topic as the first item on the agenda. Flam, Felt’s retainer, can, by the power of her blessing, send information between the twin sisters regardless of distance. Borrowing that power, they had conveyed in brief what had happened to Subaru and the others at the Pleiades Watchtower. However, it was only a summary; the details were another matter. Understanding the fretful feelings on Emilia’s side, Subaru explained at length.
They had gone to the Pleiades Watchtower to search for the 『Book of the Dead』. That night, Al betrayed them and tried to harm Subaru and the others, but they managed to seal him away first. As for the reason that drove Al to his heinous act, they were given no room to talk about the root of it. And that, even without knowing those things, he had no intention of ending his relationship with Al.
「――Mm, I feel the same as Subaru. I think that’s the best」
After hearing him out and pondering for a while, Emilia affirmed Subaru’s thinking, and that made him happy. Though her violet eyes wavered with complex feelings, she fixed them quietly on the Al Orb at Subaru’s neck and gave him a nod. On the way, Subaru had already conveyed his thinking to Beatrice and Petra and the others. So the ones forming new opinions in response to Subaru’s explanation now were Emilia, who had answered as she did, Otto, wearing a face like he’d just eaten an astringent persimmon, and――,
「――Al was in love with Priscilla. It isn’t my place to say much」
Having laid Ram down in the bedroom, Rem returned to the lounge with Petra. And with that, their stance toward Al’s conduct as part of the Emilia camp was, for the time being, settled. Perhaps so as not to spoil the mood, Otto said nothing for now—Subaru decided he would let him vent later together with Garfiel, and he slapped both his cheeks with his hands.
About Al, about the Pleiades Watchtower—there was nothing they could do about either right now. In that case, if there was anything they could discuss at present, the remaining agenda was—
—"Let’s talk about Filole, the one from the 'Divine Dragon Church'."
It was about Filole, a figure who could shake the very foundation of the Royal Selection.
——
The moment they touched on that topic, the atmosphere in the lounge changed completely. Rather than taut with urgency and tension, though, it was more a thick haze of broad, messy bewilderment and confusion. In truth, Subaru felt the same; everyone was, to a great degree, at a loss.
"To begin with, what are they saying at the castle right now? The premise that the 'Divine Dragon Church' wouldn’t get involved in the political core, the talk that a sixth person who can make the insignia glow has shown up, and that she’s using the same name as the princess who disappeared fifteen years ago—every bit of that came out of nowhere, right?"
"Um, they’re in the middle of discussing all of that... I think. But the reason the Church broke the 'rules' this time is because they want to help the people who were hurt in Priestella, right? Nobody can call that bad, and in fact..."
"—They healed Miss Crusch’s body. Emilia-tan, and Otto—you both saw it, yeah?"
"Yeah, I made sure to take a good look. Right, Otto-kun?"
"I couldn’t very well gawk at a lady, but at the very least, the black, constricted-looking marks I could see seemed to have vanished."
Beside Emilia as she nodded, Otto’s gaze flicked toward Subaru’s leg. Was that a suggestion that, under the same conditions, Subaru’s leg could be healed as well? To be honest, it didn’t cause him any great inconvenience, but every time they took a bath together, it might have made Otto and Garfiel feel awkward; if it could be healed, he wanted it healed.
"But making ourselves indebted to the 'Divine Dragon Church' for that is kinda scary—ah!"
"Aww, what’s wrong, big bro? Why’re you all jumpy?"
"I was just thinking this might be another get-scolded-for-putting-myself-last case..."
"If you understand that, then be more confident."
Meili poked him, and Rem was exasperated. Still, saying out loud that he didn’t want to make a disadvantageous deal for the camp over something with no real harm felt like it would only get him scolded, so Subaru could only cover it up poorly with an 'ahem, ahem'. Just then—though likely not intending to assist Subaru—the one who spoke up with a 'hey, uh' was Garfiel, perched on the room’s windowsill. Scratching his own head roughly, he hesitated as he began,
"There’re all sorts of messy circumstances, I get that. So what I’m about to say is only about how yours truly feels."
"Garfiel... mm, tell me. What is it?"
"—If there’s a way to heal the folks in Priestella, then let’s hurry up and get ’em healed, and get healed ourselves, too. Black dragon, flies—it’s been nothin’ but rough, ain’t it?"
Hugging one knee, half his body bathed in sunlight, Garfiel’s plea was earnest. Garfiel had a family he’d grown close to in Priestella. The father of that family had, in the midst of that battle, been turned into a black dragon by the clutches of 'Lust' and even used as a decoy once. Even now, his body remained transformed into a black dragon; by Emilia’s hand, like the other victims, he lay frozen in one corner of the city. If someone in such a position could be healed, then who they asked to do it was secondary—that was what Garfiel was saying.
"And I’m of the same opinion. There are people suffering, people in pain, and if there’s a way to help them, it doesn’t matter who does the helping. That’s what I think."
"Hmph, Subaru says stuff like that? Even though you said you wanted to be the one to wake Big Sis Rem, and went and threw yourself into danger like that."
"Now that you mention it, I might’ve said something like that, but you remember that awfully well, Petra!"
"I’m not forgetting it. I mean, I was pretty shocked. Part of me thought Big Sis Rem was unfair, and part of me thought, even if you say that, I’m not the kind of girl who’ll back down."
With Petra jutting out her lips mischievously, Subaru could only scratch his head, at a loss for words. In truth, before Rem woke up, even as he said that if the girl who kept on sleeping would just open her eyes it didn’t matter who did it, he had certainly insisted that he wanted to be the one. He was a little afraid of what kind of face Rem was making hearing that, and couldn’t bring himself to look her way. Anyway—
"Putting aside what I said before, let's look to the future. ...No matter how the talks at the castle shake out, now that it's been proven the Divine Dragon Church has a way to cure them, treatment for the people of Priestella will go ahead... right?"
"Yes. However heated the debate gets and whichever way it leans, I don't think they'll hesitate on that point. Whether they treat it as merely a debt owed to the Divine Dragon Church, or as something more—that will be the crux of it."
"The sixth qualified priestess... huh."
Ultimately, how to handle that person's position is not something Subaru and the others can decide. Depending on how the people of the royal castle—more precisely, the Council of Sages—choose to define things, the camp centered on Emilia will also have to set its stance. With that in mind, what weighed on Subaru was the Filole in question.
"Emilia-tan, you met her in person, right? What kind of person was she?"
"Let me think... I thought she was reeeally earnest and a good girl."
"I see. And what do you think of Meili?"
"Huh? Meili? I think Meili is reeeally devoted to her friends, a hard worker, and a good kid."
"I get what you're trying to say, Big Bro Subaru, but stop using me as a pretext, okay?"
It's not that he doubted Emilia's eye for people, but in Emilia's case, anyone might easily end up judged as a serious, sincere, hardworking good person. That said, Subaru's assessment of Meili was similar, so doubting Emilia's discernment on that basis alone would be wrong. If anything, asking Abel for his appraisal might have been more on the mark.
"What about you, Otto? If you even caught a glimpse, what did you think?"
"I didn't exchange many words with her, but she struck me as a devout believer of the Divine Dragon Church. Sincere, the sort who thinks serving others is paramount, and..."
"And?"
"She seems to be a bit thoughtless. From what I heard, this whole affair was Filole acting on her own, disregarding the Church's wishes."
"On her own? You mean helping Crusch, and making the insignia shine?"
"The former was apparently intentional, and the latter just happened as a result. Given the circumstances, I can only think the Divine Dragon Church wanted to keep her existence hidden."
"Well, that's..."
No one there had an answer to Subaru's question of why. In truth—was Filole's true identity the princess who vanished fifteen years ago, or not? What of her appearance, said to show the traits of Lugunica's royal line, and what of her name? Why did the Divine Dragon Church keep her existence secret and simply let the Royal Selection begin and proceed? There were far too many mysteries. And because there were too many—
"Hey, Emilia-tan—" "So, Subaru, actually—"
Subaru and Emilia both lifted their heads and started to voice the same idea at once. Their eyes went round as they looked at each other, and feeling as if their thoughts had passed between their gazes, they laughed together. Apparently, Emilia was thinking the same thing. In other words—
"—Don't you want to meet this Filole in person and talk to her?"
△▼△▼△▼△
—Looking back, Subaru doesn't actually have a proper grasp of the royal capital Lugunica as a whole.
He had the fountain in the commoners' district where he made his grand otherworldly arrival, the marketplace with the fruit stand run by the shopkeeper he often saw, the various candidates' bases where, after a terrible falling-out with Emilia, he went through one misfortune after another, and the slums where the loot house had been—he had attachments to various spots, but they were only a tiny part of the vast royal capital.
Therefore, the Divine Dragon Church chapel that stood quietly in a corner of the royal capital's commoners' district was, for Subaru, a blind spot right under his nose—almost as if it had been built outside his awareness.
"I can't believe there was such an obvious church here..."
"You were suuuuper surprised, huh? But as for churches... remember, in Priestella you saw the place where it looked like Regulus and I were going to have our wedding?"
"The place where I busted the door down! Now that you mention it, that was a Divine Dragon Church chapel too?"
With that classic pairing of church and wedding, and with a mission-driven urgency that he absolutely had to rescue Emilia, he had no room back then to take in the background. But thinking about it now, that was a church, and in a kingdom without a custom of worshiping a god, any church would naturally be connected to the Divine Dragon Church.
"Which means, Wedding Emilia-tan was a feast for the eyes, but the incident itself is a memory I'd rather forget, so my impression of the Divine Dragon Church starts in the red."
"Betty wasn't there at the time, but as expected of a Sin Archbishop, they never do anything decent. Even so, letting that drag down the image of the Divine Dragon Church is just baseless griping."
"Well, it's nothing new for this guy to run his mouth."
"Getting booed by both Beako and Rem... Do girls really long for wedding dresses, after all? So if I badmouth the church, that hurts my image or something?"
At Subaru's timid question, Beatrice and Rem exchanged glances and then shrugged in unison. At that reaction, Subaru's shoulders slumped, and Emilia, hiding a chuckle behind her hand, smiled and soothed him. Using that smile out of the corner of his eye as a little boost, Subaru pulled himself together.
"Anyway, even if a lot of outing-related circumstances got mixed in, me and Emilia-tan, plus Beako and Rem... moving around with this lineup is, in a way, a dream party, right?"
"I don't know about dreamy, but it's certainly unusual."
"Now that you mention it, that's true. Until Subaru took Beatrice out of the Forbidden Library, she hardly ever came out with us. I'm sure Rem before she fell asleep was the same."
"I don't remember that, but I'm sure that's how it was. Getting to go out with Emilia-san and Beatrice-chan is fun for me, too."
"Hey, you left me out on purpose just now. I'm lonely—so sad!"
Even so, because it was a rare yet delightful combo, Subaru was totally fine. For the time being, this group was the "let's go pay a visit to Filole of the Divine Dragon Church" team, members tasked with a bit of enemy reconnaissance. At last, the sanctuary where the Divine Dragon Church people should be was coming into view, and he was wondering what excuse to use to call out Filole—when it happened.
"—Hey, stop calling me a liar already! Fine, I'll show you. This is the proof that I was received at the castle!"
That spirited voice came from within the grounds of a large building surrounded by stone walls—the roof and the feel of its structure made it probably a church, the top of which could be seen over the wall. No sooner had they blinked in surprise than Subaru and the others saw it: beyond the stone wall, a vivid red light swelling faintly, asserting its presence.
"Could that be...?"
"Wow! Amazing, amazing!" "It really lit up! What did you do? What did you do?" "She finally stole it! Thief!"
"From 'liar' to 'thief' next!? What do you think I am!? I am a nun! A bearer of the sacrament! One step shy of a saint!"
There came the clamor of little children and the voice of a woman who seemed to be entertaining them. At what they heard, Subaru and the others traded looks and then hurried around the stone wall. And when the wall broke off and they reached the front entrance to the church grounds—
"Behold. This is the radiance of our Divine Dragon that burns away the hearts of the wicked! The scripture also says: 'Man is born of earth, and Dragon descends from heaven. Those who forget to look to the heavens and overestimate themselves as if wings were on their backs shall know their sin by a fall!'"
"Kyaa!" "Waaah!" "Ugyah!"
So proclaiming at the top of her lungs, she made the red light in the emblem’s dragon jewel glow in her upraised hand, and with it chased the squealing children around. Unaware of the visitors, she kept after the fleeing kids, making the emblem shine as she went, going, "O-ho-ho-ho!"
"Now, before the lofty, noble brilliance of the Dragon, who will repent...—oh?"
"——"
She stopped dead and, as if with a creak, turned to look behind her. There she spotted Subaru and the others watching the scene, and her mouth fell open. Seeing the reaction of the blonde, red-eyed nun, Subaru had no idea what to say. But beside him, Emilia was rummaging in her bosom,
"Look, look, I can do the same thing."
Taking out her emblem, she made it glow red just like the nun—Filole—innocently, like an angel, backing her up without the slightest malice to show she was the same. The very next moment, from neck to face to ears, Filole’s fair skin flushed all at once with embarrassment, and Subaru absentmindedly thought she was like one of those instant water heaters.
"——"
Resting his forehead on his drawn-up knees, Subaru let out a deep breath. Too many shocking things had happened. Seeing a gruesome corpse without any mental preparation was one thing, but for that body to have been—
"—Are you all right?"
Addressed like that while his face was buried against his knees, Subaru slowly raised his head. Standing there was Rem, her expression clouded with concern. She crouched down right beside him, peered into his face, and gently wiped his dejected features with the handkerchief in her hand. The slightly damp handkerchief was cool, and with a feeling of being saved, Subaru exhaled, "Sorry."
"There’s nothing to apologize for. …I heard you saw something terrible inside."
"Yeah… right. Part of it was that I didn’t want you to meet him, but just in case, I’m glad I had you wait outside. This way I didn’t have to show you something like that."
"Please don’t be overprotective. In the Vollachia Empire, I saw many people die. At this point, a little of that…"
"I get it. But if you don’t have to be around it, I don’t want you to be. If you try to save someone and, because you’re not strong enough, they end up dying—that kind of situation can’t be helped, but… that kind of death is the sort where nothing good comes from even touching it."
Even Subaru doesn’t deny the existence of meaningful deaths, or deaths that are the result of staying true to one’s convictions. If he could deny that, he wouldn’t have silently seen Priscilla off. However, the death he had just witnessed in the Watchtower—the gruesome way Roy Alphard of Gluttony died—was something far removed from that sort of nobility, an ugly, abhorrent sight.
There is no sane meaning in taking another’s life and then degrading the corpse to that extent. What’s there is either a wicked scheme, or a fury so intense it can’t be satisfied without tormenting even a soulless corpse—hatred is something a Sin Archbishop earns as a matter of course, but no one, whoever they are, should die so miserably.
"Damn it…!"
With a queasy churn in his chest, Subaru clicked his tongue in frustration. It was anger at the one who tore Roy to pieces, and at the same time the vexation that the solution to the Authority of Gluttony, which had seemed within reach, had slipped away again.
Honestly, the thought does cross his mind. —If, after regrouping with Reinhard, they had rushed straight to the royal capital without detouring, Roy might have survived. And ultimately, Subaru has a way to check that. In fact, the Subaru from when his body had shrunk, in that imperial mindset, would have carried it out without hesitation. But—
"—Al"
Clutching the Al Orb hanging from his neck, Subaru bit the inside of his cheek. Hypothetically, if Subaru were to die now and Return by Death, the most recent restart point would be at the Pleiades Watchtower, before Subaru sealed Al with Al Shamac. It’s possible the restart point has shifted since then, but as he feels it now, that’s the last one.
—And Natsuki Subaru cannot go back to that timeline and, before Al moves to act, shut him down by force—he cannot repeat that moment.
"——"
It’s not that he couldn’t choose it as an option. Nor is Al Shamac’s limitation the reason. Natsuki Subaru simply doesn’t have the courage to return to that scene and face Al once more. Thinking he might be able to change Al’s mind through discussion, he might fail to stop him again, and Subaru could be the one sealed instead. If that happened, the task of fixing Subaru’s blunder would once more be left to his companions. To avoid that, Subaru couldn’t bring himself to resort to a rash Return by Death.
But then—Rem, and the victims of Gluttony—just as he was thinking that.
"…There you go again, trying to shoulder everything yourself."
Before he knew it, Rem had placed her hand over Subaru’s, which was gripping the Al Orb, as she said that. Subaru involuntarily caught his breath; staring straight at his face, Rem narrowed her pale blue eyes, and—
"Let me make this much clear. —Don’t make restoring my “memory” your duty. My “memory” is my problem… If you shoulder it like it’s your own problem from beginning to end, that will only trouble me."
"—N-no, that’s not it. That’s not what I mean. I have to be the one to get your “memory” back."
"And that’s exactly what’s wrong. Why is it that with my problem, you’re the one agonizing over it the most? That’s my worry. It isn’t yours alone."
"That’s…"
His gaze darted, and Subaru found himself unable to say anything under Rem’s stare. What flashed through his mind was the chill from that moment he thought he might die, when in the Fortified City Rem had told him, “You are no hero.” Was even the right to struggle for Rem’s sake going to be taken from him again, like back then—?
"...Please don’t make a face like a wet puppy."
"Huh?"
"No, that was overstating it. Even wet, a puppy would be cute, so the way you look is more like a wet… a wet flying dragon, maybe."
"...I’d prefer to be treated as cool rather than cute."
"That wasn’t a compliment. And don’t get the wrong idea."
Told he was misunderstanding, Subaru faltered; after a beat, in the pause she’d created, Rem gathered her words. Then, after prefacing it with “All right?”, she went on,
"I understand the general situation. The person who was imprisoned in this tower… someone connected to Spica was the clue to restoring my ‘memory.’ But that person died, and you’re terribly frustrated… while leaving out me, the one actually involved."
"—Hearing it like that, I sound like a really selfish jerk."
"Looks like you’ve finally figured out where you stand."
In an even tone, Rem carefully paved the road until Subaru could understand. As he listened to her, space to breathe returned to the self-cornered Subaru. Noticing that change in his expression, Rem too seemed relieved, the corners of her eyes softening.
"I’m feeling down too. I was on the brink where my ‘memory’ might have come back… but seeing you more frustrated than me, I don’t even have time to be depressed."
"Uh, I’m glad you didn’t end up feeling down, Rem."
"Huh? And in exchange you’re the one getting depressed and making us worry, you know?"
"I’m soooorry!"
Under Rem’s stern gaze, Subaru clutched his head and offered an apology. He never imagined he’d be treated like a thief stealing even the right to be depressed. But that really was how he felt. Subaru wished that Rem, Emilia, and the others would never have even a moment to be downhearted in their whole lives.
"I hate how you seem to think it’s fine if you’re the only one who gets depressed like that."
"Rem…"
"When something doesn’t go well, you have this bad habit of thinking it’s all your fault. So you try to look for the solution all by yourself too… Can we stop that already?"
"…So basically, you’re telling me not to stew over things all by myself?"
"I’ve been saying that from the start."
"Had you been!? Wait, maybe you had. Yeah, you had. You definitely had. I’m such an idiot for not realizing you were saying it! Idiot, idiot!"
In front of Rem, who had turned her face away with a huff, Subaru tapped himself on the head with light thumps. As he did, yet another wave of self-reproach began to rear its head. After all, Rem was purely worried about Subaru and had reached out to him like this. And yet, because Subaru wasn’t properly facing her, he couldn’t take her kindness head-on and even made her say things she shouldn’t have had to.
"Sorry. I got all fired up and dragged you out here, only to get your hopes up for nothing."
"I don’t think it’s something you’re responsible for. It’s just…"
"Just?"
"We may be putting an unnecessary extra burden on Spica."
With the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony—Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard, the two known as the Gourmet and the Gourmand—having lost their lives, the only one remaining who holds the right to that Authority is Spica alone. In other words, the hope of safely restoring the ‘names’ and ‘memories’ devoured by Gluttony, which still have yet to return, now rests upon Spica’s shoulders. Rem seemed uneasy about placing that pressure on Spica, but—
"Spica won’t think of it as an unnecessary burden. …But let’s contact Abel and have him make sure everything around Spica is properly looked after. Have Ceci keep proper watch and such, too. Whether Ceci can actually pull that off is another matter."
"—Right."
It was a tragedy that had befallen Gluttony. There was no guarantee the same threat wouldn’t close in on Spica, and Subaru shared the concern and unease Rem harbored, deciding to press Vollachia to act. He set out what he had to do; he didn’t want anyone interfering with Spica, who had remained in Vollachia. Whatever measures he could take to that end, even if called overprotective, he had to take them.
"—Sorry to keep you waiting."
Just then, as the talk between Subaru and Rem had reached a lull, the one who came over with a light wave was Reinhard, who had emerged from inside the Pleiades Watchtower. Reinhard had Beatrice at his side, and Subaru hurried to his feet, brushed off his rear, and welcomed the two.
"Reinhard, how is it inside? That bastard Sirius…"
「Should I say we were lucky? I was almost certain already, but the woman confined underground was safe. The cells in the Pleiades Watchtower are all isolated, and it seems she didn't even know that 『Gluttony』 was imprisoned in the same tower. And it wasn't just her. Not a single other inmate suffered any harm.」
「Sirius is safe too, and the other prisoners… Whether we can just call that good news or not, at least one thing's clear.」
At Reinhard's report after finishing his check of the tower, Subaru nodded with a bitter look. In other words, the culprit who committed the crime in the Pleiades Watchtower had a single target—
「“—the Sin Archbishop of 『Gluttony』.”」
Their answers overlapped, Subaru and Reinhard meeting each other's eyes and nodding. Given the state of the scene, there was no other way to put it. And yet, even that certainty did not come without lingering doubts.
「…According to Beatrice, that wouldn't be so simple either, would it?」
「I've finished my examination, I suppose. That understanding is not mistaken.」
Beatrice tipped her chin at Rem, who glanced her way, and moved to stand beside Subaru. Gently taking his hand as she did, she studied Subaru's expression and asked,
「“Feeling any better, I wonder?”」
「“Not good, but better. Sorry for leaving the scene investigation entirely to you.”」
「“Betty said she'd handle it herself, you know. Besides, even Betty can't do anything for the dead, I suppose. All Betty can offer is a perspective from a great spirit.”」
「“I'd very much like to hear that opinion. I'm not well-versed in this sort of thing.”」
Prompted by Reinhard, Beatrice shut one eye in a wink, drawing the three pairs of eyes to her. She gave a small “ahem,” then looked over the three as if about to lecture, and said,
「“To begin with, that 『Gluttony』's body had been fixed in place with yin magic. Betty and Julius worked together on it, so it was rock-solid security that a little of this or that couldn't possibly overcome. …I'm frustrated I couldn't come up with that evolved form on my own, I suppose.”」
「“We've confirmed that with the person in charge at the Pleiades Watchtower. The imprisoned 『Gluttony』 was completely… halted, as if he'd been turned into a single slab.”」
「“Not only could the captive himself do nothing, but no one from outside could lay a hand on it either. Undoing that would require fitting proficiency with yin magic, I suppose.”」
「“That's not all. Even if you got him out of the Monolith, you'd have to throw down with Roy the moment he burst out. Fight it out, and—”」
「“—take his life. In other words, two stages are required.”」
At Rem's concluding summary, Subaru and the others fell silent with grim expressions. As has become clear, to kill Roy in his Monolith state you need the yin magic technique to release that Monolith and, after that, the strength to kill Roy. Neither is something you can master overnight, nor are such people just lying around out in the wild.
「“Moreover, they slipped through the Pleiades Watchtower's security net and managed to infiltrate. Assembling all three—yin magic, a capable fighter, and stealth—is no easy feat.”」
「“Part of me wants to cling to the conclusion that Olbart did it, with all the grudges piled on.”」
Unfortunately, even the “Wicked Old Man” likely doesn't meet the condition of being a user of yin magic. If you told me there was a shinobi technique that produced a similar effect and that Olbart had done it on the sly, I could just barely believe it strength-wise, though.
「“It's true that Vollachia has a belligerent national character, but even so, in the country's current situation they wouldn't blindly choose to jeopardize diplomatic relations. I've also heard that Lady Emilia and the others coming to the royal capital isn't unrelated to the matter of Vollachia in the first place.”」
「“…Yeah. Rather than suspecting Vollachia has a death wish, I'd prefer to believe the wolves of that country have gotten a bit more sensible. But still—sorry about everything, Reinhard.”」
「“Sorry? Did you have anything to apologize for?”」
「“You even went out of your way to make a detour to bring Rem out, and then pulled strings to get us into the Pleiades Watchtower. And yet, after all that, this is how it turned out, and… ah.”」
「“—stare.”」
Just as he was about to apologize for making them come for nothing, Subaru suddenly noticed Rem's cold gaze fixed on him. This too was part of his bad habit of blaming himself for everything, it seemed. Still, having thought it, swallowing it back sat ill with him.
「“It's a shame the results were lacking. But I appreciate you doing everything you could, I suppose.”」
「“Yes! That's my Beako! And how about you, Miss Rem?”」
「“Haa…”」
「“A sigh!”」
Going from that cold gaze to a sigh, Rem prompted Subaru to cover his face with a hand. Watching the scene, Reinhard let a small smile tug at his lips. Then, wearing that gentle smile, he said,
「No, it’s nothing much.――You’re welcome,」 he said.
△▼△▼△▼△
「……Yes, 『Gluttony』. ……Somehow, it just isn’t going well and it’s frustrating.」
In a room of the Noble’s Mansion, Emilia, having received a report on what happened at the Pleiades Watchtower, murmured that with her well-shaped brows angled and a noticeably pale complexion. The fatigue showing through like that was rare for the usually energetic Emilia. Even so, aware that he bore part of the blame for that exhaustion, Subaru felt ashamed of himself.
――Parting ways with Reinhard, who was returning to Felt, Subaru, accompanied by Rem and Beatrice, headed to the Noble’s Mansion where Emilia and the others were staying. There, they joined up with those who had arrived ahead of them. At the Noble’s Mansion, with the exception of Roswaal and Frederica, who had taken Schult and gone to the Barielle Estate, nearly everyone in Emilia’s camp was present. In other words――,
「Even though I whipped my tired body and rushed all the way to the royal capital, you’re telling me it was a wasted trip. How dare you get my hopes up for nothing, Barusu」
「Just so you know, everyone besides you, sis, is disappointed too—and my frustration ranks among the top of the lot. I nearly shed tears of blood」
「Hah! Tears of blood? That’s just the blood vessels around your eyeballs rupturing. Ram can make you shed them right this instant, you know」
「Yikes! Just because you were shocked, your ferocity is way over the top！」
Thus, Ram—more aggressive than usual—was seated with them as well. Naturally, when it came to taking Rem out to the royal capital, once she heard the purpose, Ram insisted she absolutely had to come along. One can understand the elder-sisterly feeling that it was unthinkable not to be present when Rem’s 『memories』 returned, and Subaru, who wanted Ram there too, agreed. Even so, from the challenge of the Pleiades Watchtower to the forced incursion into the Empire, the burden of these past months of travel must have been great. Ram, who had been holding herself together on willpower, finally had the tension snap when this attempt ended in a complete whiff; sniping at them even as she did, she was groggy. In the end, right after finishing her snide remark to Subaru just now, she was led off by Rem and Petra straight to the bedroom, and it looked like she would be nursed for a while.
「All the same, it isn’t only Ms. Ram who’s in a bind; it’s all of us. Mr. Natsuki and the others’ trouble, the murder case in the Pleiades Watchtower, the appearance of the 『Divine Dragon Church』, and the turmoil in the Royal Selection caused by the person at the center of it all」
Seeing Ram out, Otto, his brows drooping, grumbled so. He had been part of the group that went on ahead to the royal capital with Emilia and was supposed to report in detail at the royal castle about the Vollachia Empire’s 『Great Disaster』, including the news of Priscilla’s death. Among the agenda items were matters concerning the future accord between the Empire and the Kingdom entrusted to them by Abel, and he surely regarded it as a major duty both for their camp and for the Kingdom. Then they were blindsided from an unexpected angle, leaving them in a situation where all their preparations meant nothing. Even Subaru couldn’t find any words to tease Otto with. In the midst of that, Subaru was wracking his brain over what to talk about first――,
「――Will you tell me about Al？」
As if she had seen through Subaru’s hesitation, Emilia chose that topic as the first item on the agenda. Flam, Felt’s retainer, can, by the power of her blessing, send information between the twin sisters regardless of distance. Borrowing that power, they had conveyed in brief what had happened to Subaru and the others at the Pleiades Watchtower. However, it was only a summary; the details were another matter. Understanding the fretful feelings on Emilia’s side, Subaru explained at length.
They had gone to the Pleiades Watchtower to search for the 『Book of the Dead』. That night, Al betrayed them and tried to harm Subaru and the others, but they managed to seal him away first. As for the reason that drove Al to his heinous act, they were given no room to talk about the root of it. And that, even without knowing those things, he had no intention of ending his relationship with Al.
「――Mm, I feel the same as Subaru. I think that’s the best」
After hearing him out and pondering for a while, Emilia affirmed Subaru’s thinking, and that made him happy. Though her violet eyes wavered with complex feelings, she fixed them quietly on the Al Orb at Subaru’s neck and gave him a nod. On the way, Subaru had already conveyed his thinking to Beatrice and Petra and the others. So the ones forming new opinions in response to Subaru’s explanation now were Emilia, who had answered as she did, Otto, wearing a face like he’d just eaten an astringent persimmon, and――,
「――Al was in love with Priscilla. It isn’t my place to say much」
Having laid Ram down in the bedroom, Rem returned to the lounge with Petra. And with that, their stance toward Al’s conduct as part of the Emilia camp was, for the time being, settled. Perhaps so as not to spoil the mood, Otto said nothing for now—Subaru decided he would let him vent later together with Garfiel, and he slapped both his cheeks with his hands.
About Al, about the Pleiades Watchtower—there was nothing they could do about either right now. In that case, if there was anything they could discuss at present, the remaining agenda was—
—"Let’s talk about Filole, the one from the 'Divine Dragon Church'."
It was about Filole, a figure who could shake the very foundation of the Royal Selection.
——
The moment they touched on that topic, the atmosphere in the lounge changed completely. Rather than taut with urgency and tension, though, it was more a thick haze of broad, messy bewilderment and confusion. In truth, Subaru felt the same; everyone was, to a great degree, at a loss.
"To begin with, what are they saying at the castle right now? The premise that the 'Divine Dragon Church' wouldn’t get involved in the political core, the talk that a sixth person who can make the insignia glow has shown up, and that she’s using the same name as the princess who disappeared fifteen years ago—every bit of that came out of nowhere, right?"
"Um, they’re in the middle of discussing all of that... I think. But the reason the Church broke the 'rules' this time is because they want to help the people who were hurt in Priestella, right? Nobody can call that bad, and in fact..."
"—They healed Miss Crusch’s body. Emilia-tan, and Otto—you both saw it, yeah?"
"Yeah, I made sure to take a good look. Right, Otto-kun?"
"I couldn’t very well gawk at a lady, but at the very least, the black, constricted-looking marks I could see seemed to have vanished."
Beside Emilia as she nodded, Otto’s gaze flicked toward Subaru’s leg. Was that a suggestion that, under the same conditions, Subaru’s leg could be healed as well? To be honest, it didn’t cause him any great inconvenience, but every time they took a bath together, it might have made Otto and Garfiel feel awkward; if it could be healed, he wanted it healed.
"But making ourselves indebted to the 'Divine Dragon Church' for that is kinda scary—ah!"
"Aww, what’s wrong, big bro? Why’re you all jumpy?"
"I was just thinking this might be another get-scolded-for-putting-myself-last case..."
"If you understand that, then be more confident."
Meili poked him, and Rem was exasperated. Still, saying out loud that he didn’t want to make a disadvantageous deal for the camp over something with no real harm felt like it would only get him scolded, so Subaru could only cover it up poorly with an 'ahem, ahem'. Just then—though likely not intending to assist Subaru—the one who spoke up with a 'hey, uh' was Garfiel, perched on the room’s windowsill. Scratching his own head roughly, he hesitated as he began,
"There’re all sorts of messy circumstances, I get that. So what I’m about to say is only about how yours truly feels."
"Garfiel... mm, tell me. What is it?"
"—If there’s a way to heal the folks in Priestella, then let’s hurry up and get ’em healed, and get healed ourselves, too. Black dragon, flies—it’s been nothin’ but rough, ain’t it?"
Hugging one knee, half his body bathed in sunlight, Garfiel’s plea was earnest. Garfiel had a family he’d grown close to in Priestella. The father of that family had, in the midst of that battle, been turned into a black dragon by the clutches of 'Lust' and even used as a decoy once. Even now, his body remained transformed into a black dragon; by Emilia’s hand, like the other victims, he lay frozen in one corner of the city. If someone in such a position could be healed, then who they asked to do it was secondary—that was what Garfiel was saying.
"And I’m of the same opinion. There are people suffering, people in pain, and if there’s a way to help them, it doesn’t matter who does the helping. That’s what I think."
"Hmph, Subaru says stuff like that? Even though you said you wanted to be the one to wake Big Sis Rem, and went and threw yourself into danger like that."
"Now that you mention it, I might’ve said something like that, but you remember that awfully well, Petra!"
"I’m not forgetting it. I mean, I was pretty shocked. Part of me thought Big Sis Rem was unfair, and part of me thought, even if you say that, I’m not the kind of girl who’ll back down."
With Petra jutting out her lips mischievously, Subaru could only scratch his head, at a loss for words. In truth, before Rem woke up, even as he said that if the girl who kept on sleeping would just open her eyes it didn’t matter who did it, he had certainly insisted that he wanted to be the one. He was a little afraid of what kind of face Rem was making hearing that, and couldn’t bring himself to look her way. Anyway—
"Putting aside what I said before, let's look to the future. ...No matter how the talks at the castle shake out, now that it's been proven the Divine Dragon Church has a way to cure them, treatment for the people of Priestella will go ahead... right?"
"Yes. However heated the debate gets and whichever way it leans, I don't think they'll hesitate on that point. Whether they treat it as merely a debt owed to the Divine Dragon Church, or as something more—that will be the crux of it."
"The sixth qualified priestess... huh."
Ultimately, how to handle that person's position is not something Subaru and the others can decide. Depending on how the people of the royal castle—more precisely, the Council of Sages—choose to define things, the camp centered on Emilia will also have to set its stance. With that in mind, what weighed on Subaru was the Filole in question.
"Emilia-tan, you met her in person, right? What kind of person was she?"
"Let me think... I thought she was reeeally earnest and a good girl."
"I see. And what do you think of Meili?"
"Huh? Meili? I think Meili is reeeally devoted to her friends, a hard worker, and a good kid."
"I get what you're trying to say, Big Bro Subaru, but stop using me as a pretext, okay?"
It's not that he doubted Emilia's eye for people, but in Emilia's case, anyone might easily end up judged as a serious, sincere, hardworking good person. That said, Subaru's assessment of Meili was similar, so doubting Emilia's discernment on that basis alone would be wrong. If anything, asking Abel for his appraisal might have been more on the mark.
"What about you, Otto? If you even caught a glimpse, what did you think?"
"I didn't exchange many words with her, but she struck me as a devout believer of the Divine Dragon Church. Sincere, the sort who thinks serving others is paramount, and..."
"And?"
"She seems to be a bit thoughtless. From what I heard, this whole affair was Filole acting on her own, disregarding the Church's wishes."
"On her own? You mean helping Crusch, and making the insignia shine?"
"The former was apparently intentional, and the latter just happened as a result. Given the circumstances, I can only think the Divine Dragon Church wanted to keep her existence hidden."
"Well, that's..."
No one there had an answer to Subaru's question of why. In truth—was Filole's true identity the princess who vanished fifteen years ago, or not? What of her appearance, said to show the traits of Lugunica's royal line, and what of her name? Why did the Divine Dragon Church keep her existence secret and simply let the Royal Selection begin and proceed? There were far too many mysteries. And because there were too many—
"Hey, Emilia-tan—" "So, Subaru, actually—"
Subaru and Emilia both lifted their heads and started to voice the same idea at once. Their eyes went round as they looked at each other, and feeling as if their thoughts had passed between their gazes, they laughed together. Apparently, Emilia was thinking the same thing. In other words—
"—Don't you want to meet this Filole in person and talk to her?"
△▼△▼△▼△
—Looking back, Subaru doesn't actually have a proper grasp of the royal capital Lugunica as a whole.
He had the fountain in the commoners' district where he made his grand otherworldly arrival, the marketplace with the fruit stand run by the shopkeeper he often saw, the various candidates' bases where, after a terrible falling-out with Emilia, he went through one misfortune after another, and the slums where the loot house had been—he had attachments to various spots, but they were only a tiny part of the vast royal capital.
Therefore, the Divine Dragon Church chapel that stood quietly in a corner of the royal capital's commoners' district was, for Subaru, a blind spot right under his nose—almost as if it had been built outside his awareness.
"I can't believe there was such an obvious church here..."
"You were suuuuper surprised, huh? But as for churches... remember, in Priestella you saw the place where it looked like Regulus and I were going to have our wedding?"
"The place where I busted the door down! Now that you mention it, that was a Divine Dragon Church chapel too?"
With that classic pairing of church and wedding, and with a mission-driven urgency that he absolutely had to rescue Emilia, he had no room back then to take in the background. But thinking about it now, that was a church, and in a kingdom without a custom of worshiping a god, any church would naturally be connected to the Divine Dragon Church.
"Which means, Wedding Emilia-tan was a feast for the eyes, but the incident itself is a memory I'd rather forget, so my impression of the Divine Dragon Church starts in the red."
"Betty wasn't there at the time, but as expected of a Sin Archbishop, they never do anything decent. Even so, letting that drag down the image of the Divine Dragon Church is just baseless griping."
"Well, it's nothing new for this guy to run his mouth."
"Getting booed by both Beako and Rem... Do girls really long for wedding dresses, after all? So if I badmouth the church, that hurts my image or something?"
At Subaru's timid question, Beatrice and Rem exchanged glances and then shrugged in unison. At that reaction, Subaru's shoulders slumped, and Emilia, hiding a chuckle behind her hand, smiled and soothed him. Using that smile out of the corner of his eye as a little boost, Subaru pulled himself together.
"Anyway, even if a lot of outing-related circumstances got mixed in, me and Emilia-tan, plus Beako and Rem... moving around with this lineup is, in a way, a dream party, right?"
"I don't know about dreamy, but it's certainly unusual."
"Now that you mention it, that's true. Until Subaru took Beatrice out of the Forbidden Library, she hardly ever came out with us. I'm sure Rem before she fell asleep was the same."
"I don't remember that, but I'm sure that's how it was. Getting to go out with Emilia-san and Beatrice-chan is fun for me, too."
"Hey, you left me out on purpose just now. I'm lonely—so sad!"
Even so, because it was a rare yet delightful combo, Subaru was totally fine. For the time being, this group was the "let's go pay a visit to Filole of the Divine Dragon Church" team, members tasked with a bit of enemy reconnaissance. At last, the sanctuary where the Divine Dragon Church people should be was coming into view, and he was wondering what excuse to use to call out Filole—when it happened.
"—Hey, stop calling me a liar already! Fine, I'll show you. This is the proof that I was received at the castle!"
That spirited voice came from within the grounds of a large building surrounded by stone walls—the roof and the feel of its structure made it probably a church, the top of which could be seen over the wall. No sooner had they blinked in surprise than Subaru and the others saw it: beyond the stone wall, a vivid red light swelling faintly, asserting its presence.
"Could that be...?"
"Wow! Amazing, amazing!" "It really lit up! What did you do? What did you do?" "She finally stole it! Thief!"
"From 'liar' to 'thief' next!? What do you think I am!? I am a nun! A bearer of the sacrament! One step shy of a saint!"
There came the clamor of little children and the voice of a woman who seemed to be entertaining them. At what they heard, Subaru and the others traded looks and then hurried around the stone wall. And when the wall broke off and they reached the front entrance to the church grounds—
"Behold. This is the radiance of our Divine Dragon that burns away the hearts of the wicked! The scripture also says: 'Man is born of earth, and Dragon descends from heaven. Those who forget to look to the heavens and overestimate themselves as if wings were on their backs shall know their sin by a fall!'"
"Kyaa!" "Waaah!" "Ugyah!"
So proclaiming at the top of her lungs, she made the red light in the emblem’s dragon jewel glow in her upraised hand, and with it chased the squealing children around. Unaware of the visitors, she kept after the fleeing kids, making the emblem shine as she went, going, "O-ho-ho-ho!"
"Now, before the lofty, noble brilliance of the Dragon, who will repent...—oh?"
"——"
She stopped dead and, as if with a creak, turned to look behind her. There she spotted Subaru and the others watching the scene, and her mouth fell open. Seeing the reaction of the blonde, red-eyed nun, Subaru had no idea what to say. But beside him, Emilia was rummaging in her bosom,
"Look, look, I can do the same thing."
Taking out her emblem, she made it glow red just like the nun—Filole—innocently, like an angel, backing her up without the slightest malice to show she was the same. The very next moment, from neck to face to ears, Filole’s fair skin flushed all at once with embarrassment, and Subaru absentmindedly thought she was like one of those instant water heaters.
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