Chapter 10-23 『Seeking the Best』 —The Lugnica Roy...

Chapter 10-23 『Seeking the Best』

—The Lugnica Royal Castle he had gazed up at so many times was far away, its white edifice looking as if it were about to be swallowed by the evening sky.

"—Emilia"

Murmuring that under his breath, Subaru felt a gut-wrenching pain in his chest.

Emilia, imprisoned in that castle atop the Royal Capital. Subaru's wish had always been to seat her on the throne there one day—never to have her chained in a cell.

"…Emilia is a royal selection candidate. At the very least, on the surface she should be treated with respect. She shouldn't be chained up in a cell or anything."

"I know. I know. But that's not the point…"

"——"

"Ah, sorry… you're trying to cheer me up."

"It's fine. Cheering up a strung-out Subaru is one of a partner's privileges. I wonder if Petra and Rem will be crying in frustration."

"Petra maybe, but Rem? I doubt she'd get upset about it."

He gave a wry smile—and was surprised that he could still manage one.

Just moments ago, thinking of his own powerlessness and of Emilia, whom he had no choice but to leave behind, his chest had felt like it would burst—yet Beatrice's presence was immense.

When he glanced at her, she gave him an adorably smug look, and he let out a small sigh.

—Subaru, Beatrice, and the others who had been in The Six-Tongued's staging area were, under Russell's instructions, proceeding as scheduled with preparations to move.

The staging area, bold as it was, turned out to be the largest warehouse in the marketplace. It lay close to the wall adjoining the Noble District, giving him a glimpse of how The Six-Tongued could embed themselves—blending into the Royal Capital and existing there as if it were the most natural thing.

Now, Subaru and the others had circled to the back of the staging area and, up to the last possible moment before the escape arrangements were set, were gazing at the Lugnica Royal Castle where Emilia should be.

"——"

The main members were Crusch, still unconscious and asleep; Rachins, who, unlike Subaru and the others, had shown no resistance to escaping from the Royal Capital; and Russell, who led the 'White Sheep' and 'Black Dog'—but it seemed there were also several others handling disguises and misinformation.

As expected of an intelligence agency directly under the kingdom, everything they did was on a grand scale.

"But even with all that power, we're in the position of having been completely outplayed."

"Yeah, but we won't just take it lying down. This escape is for that—for a running start toward our comeback."

"A running start, huh. —It's a little unexpected."

Beatrice, hand in hand with Subaru, who had voiced his resolve not to lose, murmured that. When Subaru tilted his head and echoed, "Unexpected?", Beatrice knit her brows slightly.

"I mean that you were able to decide to leave the Royal Capital so quickly. Leaving Emilia behind, and not linking up with Otto and the others—those had to be painful choices."

"Yeah… no doubt about it, and that's still true even now. Before I headed over to Mr. Miklotov's place, I was talking with Emilia-tan about what to have for lunch. She told me to look forward to it because she, Rem, and Petra were making a boxed lunch today… and now look at us."

"Subaru…"

"It hurts, and it's rough. But the fact that even Beako didn't object means you know this is the best option too, right? You do, don't you?"

To Subaru, whose voice had turned pathetically small, Beatrice gave a little nod after a moment.

She hadn't said it back there. Beatrice, too, was convinced that lingering in the Royal Capital would only drag them into a losing battle. Even so, she hadn't rushed Subaru's decision—out of consideration for him, and so that he himself could accept it.

Not to make him give up because someone told him to, but to let Subaru choose for himself.

"You're cute and strict, my Beako."

"And what's more, this cuteness and strictness are lifetime guaranteed."

"What a bargain. I'm glad I signed up for the Beako Insurance plan."

Ruffling her hair, Subaru felt his heart cleansed by the reliability of his partner.

Normally she would quickly wriggle free with a "Quit it—!" but the way she let him do as he pleased was probably Beatrice's consideration for Subaru's feelings as well.

And just then—

"We're just about ready to depart. Are you two all right?"

The one who called out to them was the 'White Sheep.'

Over her black suit she wore a white robe—the same 'Recognition Inhibition' one as Subaru and the others—and she had let down her tied-up hair, subtly changing her look.

With 'Recognition Inhibition' × light disguise—a style meant to conceal their identities.

"Oh?"

"W-what is it? Do I look weird somehow?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry, that's not it. You give off quite a different impression than when it's just the suit. If anything, this outfit feels more like the 'White Sheep' you."

"That… might be true. Before I was picked up by the 'Silver Fox'—back when I was with my mom—I wore clothes like this more often."

"Ah, sorry. I made you remember, didn't I."

Thinking he had made her talk about unpleasant memories, Subaru apologized, and 『White Sheep』 gave a faint smile with a 「No」. Then she stroked her long, navy-blue hair, and—

「…I’m the one who should be sorry.」

「—? What are you apologizing for?」

「Even though it was our situation, I ended up rushing you… I mean. In truth, Natsuki Subaru-san would surely have wanted more time to make his decision.」

Lowering her eyes and speaking as if she were the one hurting, 『White Sheep』 made Subaru give a wry smile in spite of himself.

Having left the 『Beloved Child』 under Capella and now a member of 『The Six-Tongued』 led by Russell, 『White Sheep』—with her fundamentally good nature—was indeed suited to neither serving a villain nor running with spies. After all, she was trying to shoulder even the time Subaru spent choosing.

「You don’t have to take on my burdens too. I didn’t feel rushed. If anything, I was grateful you gave me the information I needed to decide.」

「Natsuki Subaru-san…」

「But if you still just can’t help feeling self-conscious, then cut that out.」

「Eh?」

「That ‘Natsuki Subaru-san’—the full-name thing. Natsuki-san or Subaru-san is fine, but pick one. It makes me tense up.」

At Subaru’s request—delivered with a shrug and as much affected casualness as he could muster—『White Sheep』 rounded her eyes and opened and closed her lips for a moment.

At that, Beatrice, standing beside Subaru, heaved a big sigh and said to 『White Sheep』,

「There’s no need to read too deeply into it. He’s only saying exactly what he means, I suppose.」

「What’s with that unnecessary disclaimer… What other meaning could there be?」

「I don’t knoow— I’m not telling, maybee—」

「That’s totally how someone who does know would say it!」

At Beatrice, who plugged her ears and turned her face away, Subaru puckered his lips in a sulky pout. And perhaps that exchange between the two took the edge off; the shoulders of 『White Sheep』, who had been left dumbfounded until then, relaxed with a soft exhale.

And then—

「—Would Subaru-san and Beatrice-san be all right?」

「Yeah, that’s fine. If you want, 『Becchin』 works too.」

「Becchin!? Even Subaru has never called me that!」

「I-I don’t think I’d get a reply if I tried, so let’s keep it as is…」

With an exceedingly modest response, 『White Sheep』 relinquished the historic right to call Beatrice 『Becchin』. Yet she didn’t seem to have any regrets about that; instead, she looked at Subaru with some other kind of worry in her eyes.

Subaru furrowed his brows at that, and at the same time her lips moved—

「Um, Subaru-san, Ti—」

「—Hey! What the hell are you dawdling for! Move it!」

But then Rachins barged in, his roughened voice rasping.

At Rachins’s glare—those sharpened eyes with the whites showing all around—『White Sheep』 hunched her shoulders with a frightened little yelp. Sheltering 『White Sheep』 behind him, Subaru fixed his gaze on Rachins,

「That robe seriously does not suit you.」

「Shut up, mind your own business! And why the hell do I gotta be bossed around by Russell Fellow? Make the ones you got under slave contracts do the work.」

「I-it’s not anything like a slave contract!」

「『White Sheep』-chan, if you panic like that it just makes it sound real…」

Chiding 『White Sheep』 for taking Rachins’s foul mouth too seriously, Subaru once more looked toward the distant castle and let out a long breath—only praying for her safety.

「I wonder if Emilia is praying the same thing for Subaru.」

「For us, I hope. I’d be happier with that than just me, and it’s more like Emilia.」

Answering Beatrice, who could read his heart with just a glance, Subaru turned his back on the castle as if to shake off his lingering attachment and started walking.

From there, the plan was to pass through the staging area and get into the Dragon Carriage waiting out front.

And then, in the staging area that was quickly becoming empty, he spotted the robed back of someone trying to carry out a box about the size of a good armful.

He couldn’t tell what was inside, but judging by the struggle, it was fairly heavy,

「Should I take this to the Dragon Carriage outside?」

「Ah…」

He quickly reached out and hoisted the box in their stead with a casual lift—no, ‘casual’ would be a lie. It was pretty heavy, so it took at least a good heave-ho’s worth of effort.

Fortunately, he managed to lift it alone, so he kept his cool—or so Subaru felt with inward relief—while the person he’d rescued from their bout with the box—a figure with their hood pulled low—reacted in confusion.

「—? You okay?」

Tilting his head, Subaru addressed the bewildered person.

He couldn’t see their face under the hood, but they were slender. That said, simply not knowing someone’s face had been far more suspicious in the case of the 『Black Dog』, so this alone wasn’t any special reason for doubt.

Rather than being suspicious, what Subaru found odd was the other party’s awkward reaction. But before he had time to press the matter, the person dipped their head and hurried off.

"Not even a thank-you—what a rude sort."

"Well, some people are shy. Not everyone is as friendly and cute as Garfiel."

"Why bring up Garfiel there…? Well, I suppose I can see it."

Charm shows not just in looks, but in one’s demeanor and words.

As Subaru and Beatrice exchanged nods over that shared view within their camp, 'White Sheep,' noticing Subaru laden with luggage, called out, "Excuse me," and—

"I ended up making you carry it, Subaru… I’ll tell 'Blue Serpent' about it later."

"No, no, this much is nothing… Wait, that person just now was 'Blue Serpent'? That’s the one who healed my burn, right?"

"Ah—yes. They’re a very skilled user of healing magic."

When Subaru reacted to the codename he’d just heard—'Blue Serpent'—'White Sheep' affirmed it. After sheep, hound, and fox, having the healer be a serpent was a pretty clever touch.

In Subaru’s understanding, serpents and medicine are inseparable. There’s even the tale that the physician Asclepius in Greek myth bore a staff with a single serpent coiled around it.

Of course, any connection between that and the name 'Blue Serpent' was probably just a coincidence.

"Then I’m the one who ought to be thanking them. Carrying a few bags hardly counts as paying them back."

"Ah, but that might be difficult. 'Blue Serpent' doesn’t seem to like talking with other people much… and we’ve been told by 'Silver Fox' to respect that preference."

"Hmm? A doctor who dislikes people, huh. Makes them seem even more like a great physician."

Skilled yet eccentric—that’s practically a prerequisite for a renowned doctor in manga and anime.

Even so, taking 'White Sheep’s' point, Subaru gave up on contacting 'Blue Serpent.' Instead, he decided he’d help out if he saw them struggling with hauling luggage again, paying the debt back little by little.

Anyway—

"—Let’s go. So we can come back."

As if telling it to himself more than anyone, Natsuki Subaru declared this, took Beatrice at his side, and stepped out of the waiting area.

△▼△▼△▼△

"—The principle of 'Recognition Inhibition' is to subtly alter the impression or presence something originally has and how it is emitted, minimizing any momentary catches to the bare minimum. In other words—"

"In other words?"

"Within a stringent security net, it’s only a small comfort. Please don’t place undue faith in it."

So advised by Russell as they sat facing each other in the dragon carriage, Subaru gave a small nod and pulled the hoods on himself and on Beatrice beside him a bit lower.

With The Six-Tongued’s arrangements in place, they were amid a line of dragon carriages disguised as a merchant caravan departing the Royal Capital.

The prepared dragon carriages weren’t high-class; they were the plain, unadorned sort you’d see used by peddlers on the highways rather than in the Royal Capital. To sell the disguise as a caravan, the convoy wasn’t just one or two wagons but on the order of ten. He couldn’t help worrying that this in itself might draw attention, but—

"Please rest assured. The Royal Capital is presently in a bit of a tense state. Many dislike this and are choosing to leave the capital temporarily. We will take advantage of that as well."

"This ‘tense state’ means…"

"Naturally, concern that a dangerous wanted person may be hiding in the city. A not insignificant number of royal soldiers have been mobilized, and an imposing investigation is underway. Lord MacMahon’s death is being kept from the public, but the air of emergency cannot be hidden."

"Yeah, that figures… Everyone must be full of anxiety."

Having his expectations of the Royal Capital’s mood confirmed, Subaru felt pity for its people being caught up in Lust’s machinations. Russell then narrowed his eyes slightly,

"Lord Natsuki, do you worry not only about Lady Emilia and your own camp, but even about the citizens of the Royal Capital?"

"Huh? Well, I wouldn’t say I’m worried, exactly, but I do wonder if they’ll be okay. Even Capella wouldn’t… swap out citizens with her Authority for no reason— The fact I can’t say that for sure might be what’s weighing on me."

As someone with a voice in decisions at the royal castle, replacing members of the Council of Sages and the high nobility is indeed the optimal move for taking over the nation. Compared to that, using the Authority on citizens amounts to mere harassment—but Capella is the sort who might gleefully do even that.

Of course, those deeds in Pristella were surely meant to deliberately publicize her existence and the effects of Lust’s Authority, with the aim of keeping The Six-Tongued fully occupied, but—

"——"

"…Hey, Mr. Russell?"

Just then, as his thoughts reached that point, Subaru noticed Russell had fallen silent.

At Subaru’s call, Russell, who had been stroking his goatee with a finger and had one eye shut, briefly added, "No," and—

"Lord Natsuki’s concerns are perfectly reasonable. I don’t know if this will be any comfort, but The Six-Tongued will not all withdraw from the Royal Capital at once. A fair number will remain to grasp the situation and carry out disruption. If you would place your trust in their efforts."

"Yeah, sorry, but that’s something we can only leave to you and your people, Mr. Russell. If I had ten or twenty arms and five or six bodies, I could’ve been a lot more useful, but…"

"What a ridiculous example. Subaru is pretty much perfect as the Subaru he is now."

"I appreciate the so-so review. …Anyway, you and your people are the only ones we can rely on for that side of things, Mr. Russell. Show us the true mettle of the intelligence agency, The Six-Tongued."

When he showed his firmly clenched fist, Russell dipped his chin as if to say he understood. Finding that response reassuring, Subaru turned his attention to the rear of the Dragon Carriage—toward the other Dragon Carriage.

As mentioned earlier, the merchant caravan’s Dragon Carriages disguised by The Six-Tongued number over a dozen, but the one Subaru and the others are riding is at the head, with personnel scattered among them. What Subaru is particularly concerned about is Crusch, who had not woken even once in the waiting area.

Ever since she fell asleep in the sewers, she hasn’t regained consciousness.

Just before falling asleep, Crusch had mentioned the influence of Dragon Eye, but that was her own self-diagnosis, and in truth, they have no idea what The Dragon’s Eye actually is.

Beatrice had also said there was no cause other than fatigue—but—

"Are you worried about Lady Crusch?"

"Well, yeah. But the same goes for you, right? If you want to borrow Crusch’s strength to fight the Beloved Child, you can’t be at ease either, can you?"

"Concern, certainly. However, personnel who would likely have no equals when it comes to diagnosis say there is nothing amiss with Lady Crusch’s body itself. Of course, we do have concerns about that thing called The Dragon’s Eye you mentioned, Lord Natsuki…"

"So for now, we just treat her with care and quietly wait for her to wake up, huh."

"Precisely."

Having his concerns answered so politely, Subaru sighed at how many things lay beyond his power.

In fact, the ones who consider Crusch’s safety more important than anything are Six Tongues. There’s no doubt they’ll spare no effort for her—bringing in a skilled healer, even—

"Speaking of which, was it Blue Serpent? I caught a glimpse of them earlier—are they the one staying with Crusch?"

"—You met Blue Serpent?"

"Huh? Oh, only in passing right before we left. I couldn’t get them to talk to me. White Sheep said as much too—they’re shy."

"…Yes. For the most part, that’s not incorrect. Blue Serpent is also attending to Lady Crusch. Rest assured."

It must have surprised him quite a bit that the people-shy—or outright people-hating—Blue Serpent had crossed paths with Subaru; for the first time, Russell needed a beat before answering, and Subaru found that reaction refreshing.

Still, while it reassured him to hear that Blue Serpent was with Crusch—

"Ferris must be really worried too."

Ferris had been stripped by Crusch of his position as her first knight, and he brushed off Subaru’s attempt to mediate between them. —They didn’t know his whereabouts after parting at the cemetery in the Royal Capital, but he was surely still in the Royal Capital. Naturally, this uproar should have reached his ears as well.

If only he would at least link up with Wilhelm and not do anything rash—so Subaru was thinking, when—

"—Did we stop?"

Suddenly feeling the Dragon Carriage come to a halt, Subaru involuntarily tensed. He grabbed Beatrice’s shoulder on reflex, readying for a sudden turn of events.

But at Subaru’s reaction, Russell, seated across from him, smiled and said, "Please, rest easy," and—

"In front of the royal capital’s main gate, it seems we’ve reached the checkpoint queue. It’s usually crowded, but it looks like we’ll be kept waiting quite a while."

"A long wait? It’s about to be night, and yet that many people are leaving the Royal Capital?"

"Only a subset—the quick to catch wind, the quick to judge, and the keen-eyed for profit and loss—but for such people, day or night makes no difference. By tomorrow, when this mood spreads a little more, even more will likely be on the move."

"It’s like the Empire all over again. Back then too, droves fled from the Imperial Capital."

"I was thinking the same thing. No way am I letting it turn out like the Imperial Capital."

Nodding at what Beatrice said, Subaru recalled Lupugana, the Imperial Capital of Vollachia.

It was only recently that, under Abel’s orders, the imperial populace undertook a great exodus from the Imperial Capital, which had been turned into a city of corpses by Sphinx, who led the Great Calamity. But that worked because Vollachia operates with powerful top-down control; demanding the same in Lugnica would be difficult.

All the more so because, unlike the dead, there is no way to identify Capella’s Beloved Child.

「That is Lady Crusch’s blessing for that very purpose, and that is what we are here for. ――Lord Natsuki, I know it likely goes without saying to you already, but please, always strive to find the best.」

Subaru met the slightly lowered tone in Russell’s voice with a steady gaze. Russell said it not with the face of a merchant, but with that of the head of the intelligence organization—the director of 『The Six-Tongued』.

Words by which he was likely admonishing himself that this, above all, is what matters.

「A pursuit... of the best...」

「Yes, that’s right. For the kingdom, for the future, for someone dear—whatever it may be—in order to reach the ultimate destination, always pursue the best. And to accomplish that, be able to choose even when the options entail pain.」

「――――」

His delivery was matter-of-fact, devoid of heat. But that did not mean it failed to strike Subaru in the chest.

Indeed, words that are heated and appeal to the emotions do strike the heart. But the reason Russell’s words felt cool was that they had already been hammered and tempered to the point their shape would no longer change.

One hammers iron while it is hot to forge it into the desired shape. ――However, there is no meaning in heating and hammering iron whose shape is already set, deliberately warping it.

「――It seems we’ve arrived at the checkpoint. I’ll go handle it, so please wait.」

Stop, go, then stop again. Called by the driver through the Dragon Carriage’s little window as they repeated that, Russell stood and stepped down from the passenger cabin.

Seeing him off, Subaru let out a big breath. Then, Beatrice at his side,

「Good grief, you know. That man... Now that you know he’s Roswaal’s friend, does it make sense?」

「As expected, Beako. I thought the same. They just face in different directions, but the way they tilt their vectors felt identical. ...A pursuit of the best, huh.」

「Subaru’s always doing that, you know. Betty can give it her seal of approval.」

Beatrice was indignant, as if someone had said Subaru was being lazy.

Of course, Russell surely had no such intent, and Beatrice understood that. At the same time, capable people probably always carry that sort of frustration.

「――This checkpoint is rather militarized.」

He stood, cracked open the small window leading to the driver’s seat, and peered outside. Beatrice leaned in from beside him with a “you know,” and, side by side, what they looked at was the regular service window set up at the main gate of the Royal Capital and, separate from it, a makeshift lookout and waiting post that had been erected.

At the window they seemed to be demanding permits and cargo manifests; ordinarily, simply going in and out of the Royal Capital would not be this strict. The level of alert laid farther up—at the entrance to the Noble District—had been applied all the way down here.

「Yes, we are extremely concerned. Hence, acting in haste is the merchant’s way as well. The necessary passes and manifests are in order. The cargo has already received ink-stamped tags, but would you care to review them again here?」

Looking, right at the checkpoint, Russell was saying that to the Guards in charge.

At his side stood 『White Sheep』, and Russell, one after another in rapid succession, thrust at the Guards the many documents he had had the woman in the 『Recognition Inhibition』 robe carry.

At that calm yet undeniably forceful barrage, the Guards seemed at a loss.

「I don’t see any deficiencies in the paperwork, and the Commercial Guild’s seal is genuine. The items on the manifest are... mainly medical supplies?」

「All the more, they’re the kind where transport time is directly tied to human lives.」

Making use of his public title as representative of the Commercial Guild and, further, appealing to their ethics with the cargo’s contents, Russell left the Guards no room to find fault.

And the clincher――、

「Please... Without this medicine, everyone in my village...」

With her voice trembling, 『White Sheep』 took the hand of one of the Guards and pleaded with an earnestness that didn’t feel like acting. After it had gone that far, the hesitation on the man’s face finally peeled away.

Still holding hands with her, the one from the Guards gave a solemn little cough,

「V-very well. I don’t see any particular problems. I’ll authorize your passa――」

「――Wait! Who said it was fine to skip procedure!」

「――！」

Just as the attendant was about to grant permission, and 『White Sheep』 was on the verge of being moved to tears by it, a halt was called. A hand shot in from the side, and the one who barged into the scene was a senior figure.

He was likely the attendant’s superior. Bursting out of the waiting post, the officer snatched the documents from his subordinate and, checking the contents,

「A certificate from the Commercial Guild, and cargo that’s been stamped. But rules are rules.」

「A fine sentiment, but is this a situation where a by-the-book approach will work?」

「That’s a very merchant-like way of putting it, but just as merchants have their own code, the Guards have their pride.」

「I see. ――Understood.」

At their superior officer’s words, the attendant bowed in deference, and Russell nodded in response. Even to onlookers it was clear that 'White Sheep' was on edge—and Subaru and the others felt the same.

They had the necessary documents in order and even a dummy Dragon Carriage, but—

"Th-this could be bad... Beako! Get into my pocket right now!"

"You’re panicking too much! No matter how 'Minimum Pretty' Betty may be, I won’t fit! More importantly, act with more dignity—"

Panicking at the possibility of the Dragon Carriage being inspected, Subaru and Beatrice fumbled and fussed.

Perhaps sensing their agitation, Russell suddenly looked back and gave a light wave to reassure everyone in the line of carriages.

Seeing that, Subaru felt relieved there was a countermeasure—and then, right after that—

――A great jolt and a shattering crash, and then multiple screams, came from the back of the waiting line.

△▼△▼△▼△

At first, Subaru nearly mistook the jolt for their Dragon Carriage starting up, the sound for the chassis creaking, and the voices he heard for some kind of cheers—he almost lumped it all together and got it wrong.

That was how sudden it had been, without any warning whatsoever.

"What!?"

Face draining, still holding Beatrice, Subaru vaulted onto the Dragon Carriage’s seat and, from the large window there, checked behind the line—the side where the commotion had come from.

What he saw was a disrupted queue and a plume of smoke rising, several figures bursting out of the smoke in a panic, and, likewise within the smoke, a building that looked half-collapsed.

"Is that... an accident?"

"That’s how it looks. From the feel of it, a Dragon Carriage with a broken axle or something started it, and it turned into a pileup."

"And a building by the roadside got plowed into, huh. This is bad—there are likely a lot of injured."

Just as Russell had said, it was probably because the Royal Capital’s turmoil had made things more crowded than usual. Since the accident had happened in the middle of a heavily jammed waiting line, pushing and shoving had broken out.

They had no idea how many were hurt, but they had to get people out of the accident site at once—

"――Lord Natsuki, permission has been granted. The Dragon Carriage is going out. Please take your seat."

To the flustered Subaru and the others, Russell, having returned to the cabin, declared this. Hearing those words, Subaru started to call out, "Mr. Russell," but—

"Huh...? What did you just say? We’re sending the Dragon Carriage out?"

"Yes. The staff have gone to deal with the accident behind us. We, whose paperwork has no deficiencies, are to be let through. There’s also a need to clear the clogged line of carriages."

"No, but..."

"There are injured, aren’t there. And we said the cargo included medical supplies."

"It’s a disguise. It isn’t only what’s on the manifest. If we open the cargo, that will be exposed too. I told you—always to seek the optimal course."

There was no harshness in his expression or voice, but the sharpness of what he said was far too keen.

Sliced up by those words, Subaru set his jaw at the all-too-early trial by fire. He understood Russell’s argument. Even here—he understood, but—

"――'White Sheep', please explain to Lord Natsuki."

"—"

Sighing at Subaru’s silence as he bowed his head and ground his teeth, Russell called out toward the rear. There stood 'White Sheep', who had just been peeking into the Dragon Carriage.

She caught her breath in her throat and turned her dewy, round eyes toward Russell. However, without looking back at her, Russell called that name once more: "'White Sheep'."

Hearing that, 'White Sheep' steeled herself, climbed into the cabin, and laid her hand over Subaru’s, which was resting on the window frame—

"Subaru, please go along with it here. It’ll be all right. The Guards will surely handle it properly. —It will be all right."

"...'White Sheep'..."

Following Russell’s lead as he moved to make a merciless decision, 'White Sheep' pleaded with Subaru like that.

For a moment, a strong rejection swelled within Subaru, but the tremor in White Sheep’s voice and hands told him, keenly, that letting it pass wasn’t her true wish either.

Desperate, earnest, and still, she was trying to do her best.――Then what was Subaru supposed to do here?

"――Subaru."

From within the arms that held her, Beatrice called Subaru’s name.

In her eyes were trust in Subaru and the light of resolve. No matter what the contention might be, it was the very same shine as when she had promised, down in the sewers, to go all the way to hell with him—accompanying whatever Subaru chose.

Even if that meant shouldering sin together, Beatrice would not waver.

"For now, from here..."

"Yes, that’s right. A wise decision, Lord Natsuki. That is the optimal choice for this situation."

Subaru’s hand, resting on the window frame and overlapped by White Sheep’s, slowly lowered. Seeing Subaru’s movement, Russell spoke with a relieved air.

Yes. That’s right. Russell was correct. Here, they should follow his lead.

"————"

The accident might be called a kind of divine blessing.

The Dragon Carriage was about to be inspected, and Subaru and the others were on the verge of being found.

The Guards’ manpower would be diverted to the rescue, allowing them to slip away from here.

――All of it, to save the Royal Capital, to save the Kingdom.

So――,

「――huh?」

The very moment he tried to make peace with himself that pulling back was the right choice, Subaru saw it in the scene outside the window he couldn’t quite tear his reluctant eyes away from.

――A figure in a white robe, hem swirling, running straight toward the accident site: the 『Blue Serpent』.

「――――」

――。

――――。

――――――Are you an idiot, Natsuki Subaru.

「……We said to value searching for the best option, didn’t we, Mr. Russell」

「――？ That’s right. Your judgment is correct. Let’s leave at once. We…」

「Then!」

「――!?」

「Then my best option is to not abandon someone I can save here!!」

Raising his voice, Subaru put the hand he’d been lowering back onto the window frame.

And, shaking off the hands they’d had stacked together, he left a 「Sorry!」 to the wide-eyed 『White Sheep』 and to Russell beyond him,

「Let’s go, Beako! Lend me your strength!」

「But of course—consider it done, I suppose!」

Still holding Beatrice in his arms, Subaru vaulted out through the window to the outside of the Dragon Carriage. Behind him, Russell called out to Subaru, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.

An accident a blessing? Ridiculous. An accident is a tragedy. It is by no means salvation.

「You’re the one who’s right! I was the one who was wrong!」

If he hadn’t seen the back of the 『Blue Serpent』 as they broke into a run, he wouldn’t even have realized that.

One hundred percent, the 『Blue Serpent』 is right. Shame wells up in him as he looks at that back, relentlessly.

How stupid are you, Natsuki Subaru.

Why don’t you get it, Natsuki Subaru.

Even if there are people who willingly throw away their lives, his own standard doesn’t change.

――That nothing changes at all.

「What is it!? Hey, it’s dangerous here! Anyone who isn’t one of the Guards――」

「There are injured people, right! I’ll lend a hand! Let’s pull everyone out!」

In the billowing dust, right in front of the accident site, a Guard with a hand covering his mouth—the older superior who had earlier pushed back against the Dragon Carriage’s passage—stared wide-eyed at Subaru as he ran up.

A man who suddenly showed up, cradling a cute little girl in his arms. Of course the other party would be bewildered.

But that bewilderment wasn’t a reason to stop Subaru and the others.

「We can use magic! It should help! Let us help!」

「――The more hands the better. Come!」

A moment’s hesitation—before the older Guard’s stance of valuing human life, it was nothing but a paper wall. At his order that broke through it in the span of a breath, Subaru and Beatrice stepped into the accident site.

Smoke billowed up; the space echoed with groans of pain and the cries of children. Just as he’d confirmed from afar, a chain-reaction pileup had been triggered by a Dragon Carriage with a broken axle, and a building caught up in it had collapsed, half caving in in a cascading disaster.

There were people bleeding, and people limp and unmoving. Land Drakes stomped in agitation, and shouts and bellowed orders for rescue flew to the right and left, turning it into a terrible uproar.

Seeing the scene with his own eyes, his gaze wandered, wondering where to start――

「――Over here! Help over here!」

That voice was especially loud, cutting through the mixed clamor and piercing Subaru’s eardrums.

When he looked, it was a white robe crouching on the ground beyond the drifting dust, hands held over an injured person pinned under rubble—『Blue Serpent』.

Dashing under that 『Blue Serpent』, Subaru beheld the injured person’s state—a part of a broken beam had pierced through their torso, and they were bleeding profusely: a grievous injury.

And――

「Use Beatrice-chan’s magic to lighten the beam and pull it out! You can do that, right!?」

「Yeah, I can! I can, but how do you know that……」

「Oh, come on! You’re so dull!」

Spitting out the words roughened by irritation, the next instant, the 『Blue Serpent』—who had been applying healing arts to the grievous wound—roughly tore off their own hood. Beneath it appeared flaxen hair down to the nape of the neck, and, asserting their presence as they parted that hair, the beastkin’s cat ears――

「――Ferris?」

Stunned, Subaru’s lips spoke that name.

A familiar face he hadn’t expected to be there—because the one who had rushed to a life on the verge of death faster than anyone, Ferris of 『Blue』, was throwing themselves into it.