Not only had he taken off the wig and makeup, but Subaru also changed out of his dress and erased all traces of the operation; when he returned to the main room of the Hunting Lodge, the others were just starting to gather one after another. The Hunting Lodge was, so to speak, like a lodge, but contrary to what its name suggested it was much more spacious, seemingly able to accommodate several people staying the night. That said, when all the main faces who had taken part in the Morrowhouse operation gathered in one place, it did feel cramped. Which was why, seeing an unusual face there, Subaru raised an eyebrow with an “oh.”
"It’s rare to see Black Dog here. You never join these kinds of talks."
"Kuhahaha, it’s not like I’m proactive or eager either. Buuut I’ve been nagged and harangued to show up for future policy meetings. That’s the pain of serving at court."
Laughing as he spoke was Black Dog, lounging at the edge of the hall with his back against the wall and his legs flung out on the floor. Just like Subaru, who had changed out of his dress, he too had taken off the server’s uniform and was back in his usual mask and robe. Frankly, he hardly seemed like someone who needed to hide his face—he was a good-looking guy—but I suppose opinions differ.
"Anyway, when a guy who’s usually unserious starts talking about how rough court service is, it doesn’t really land. If you don’t keep it together, it dumps a crazy load on White Sheep."
"Hey, hey, enough with being so fickle and indiscriminate. A half-demon, a duke, and that little pipsqueak you cart around—how many are you gonna pen in before you’re satisfied, pretty boy?"
"Even if it’s true Subaru is fickle, your attitude is too much. To Betty’s eyes, White Sheep is just pitiable. Maybe I should give her a shoulder rub to thank her next time."
"I’m for it. Beako’s shoulder rubs don’t do a thing, but they’re cute and soothing."
While tossing barbs, Black Dog made a thumb-across-the-throat gesture, and Subaru and Beatrice responded in unison with a thumbs-down boo. The gestures themselves were a bit violent, but this passed for the amicable rapport they’d built over the last two months. Subaru had taught it, and, unexpectedly, Black Dog seemed to like it too.
"Gray Star and Librarian, I’m sorry about Black Dog. He himself probably has… I do think he has some mischief in him, but there’s no malice. Probably. Really."
In place of Black Dog, White Sheep, acting as his guardian, offered the apology. Holding out two teacups in both hands, she presented them, and Subaru, smiling wryly with a "no, no," gratefully accepted the two cups for himself and Beatrice.
"This isn’t something for White Sheep to apologize for. He’s a grown man; let him wipe his own behind. …Oh, that’s good. As expected, you know exactly what I like."
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness! Also, the tea’s flavor wasn’t my doing; Blue Snake, who helped me, adjusted it."
"Mm, Ferri—Blue Snake."
Barely stopping himself from calling out the name, Subaru looked to the center of the room. There stood a simple little table; Crusch, who had played a major role in the recent operation, sat with her arms folded and eyes closed, resting her body. When a cup was set before her, the eye not covered by the eyepatch opened, and she met the gaze of Ferris, who had placed it there. Ferris had probably wanted to set it down without being noticed, but with a resigned sigh,
"…Tea, Lady Emerald Beauty."
"Ah, my thanks."
"How are you feeling?"
"I wouldn’t say I’m well, but compared to before I’m no longer being tossed around by the power. I’ll just have to muddle through."
"Got it. I made the tea lukewarm."
"I see. I’m not good with hot drinks. That helps."
"I know."
"I see."
After a slight bow, Crusch took a sip of tea, and Ferris sat at the seat farthest from her across the table, propping his cheek with a hand. Even though it was such a casual exchange, the tension was at MAX.
"Ah, I almost forgot to breathe there…"
"More like Subaru was holding his breath. Betty ended up feeling short of breath too. Can’t you do something about that?"
"I’ve been wanting to do something about it these past two months…"
There was no end to the things to worry about, but the most immediate one right now was the friction between Crusch and Ferris that had just been on display. Subaru knew only the bare bones of how it had come to this, and he was still groping in the dark about how much a third party could do to mend the rift in their master–servant relationship. What was called for was something like Otto’s maneuvering in the Sanctuary, where he got Subaru and Emilia to reconcile.
"I’ll praise him frankly since he’s not here, but that guy’s amazing sometimes. How do you even come up with a vision for bringing a tangled-up relationship like this back to normal?"
"Doesn’t seem like it’d go well if we just shut those two in a box like Subaru and Emilia."
"If we stick those two in a box now, it'll just be an awkward silence, won't it...?"
To begin with, Subaru and Emilia hadn't reconciled just by being put in a box either. Of course, Subaru had done what he could to nudge Crusch and Ferris toward patching things up—trying to toss topics to both of them at once, arranging time for the two of them to be together, and so on. But even then, it kept turning into communication filtered through Subaru stuck between them, or their tight-knit coordination made words unnecessary, and his attempts kept fizzling. This time's plan had originally been a proposal to have Ferris play the wife instead of Subaru, but—
"Absolutely not—'I'm not wearing a dress,' total refusal."
"Yeah. Seriously, if Natsumi hadn't been around, who knows what would've happened to the plan. Rachins aside, the Black Dog could never wear a dress."
"...It's not like there's some absolute rule that says you have to cross-dress."
"But that way we caught the fake viscount off guard, and we could hide Beako in the pannier. Not just two birds but three—worked like a charm, with a proven track record even in the Empire. There's no reason not to do it. —Q.E.D."
"I feel like that logic just strong-armed me into agreeing...?"
Pouting, looking every bit the troubled girl of that age, Beatrice had her head patted by Subaru. Then, a little late, Russell and the others who had apparently been talking in a separate room came in.
"Pardon the interruption to your chat. Let's talk again about our policy going forward."
Saying that, Russell accepted a teacup from White Sheep. With a fed-up look on his face as he followed behind him, Rachins passed by, and Subaru nudged him in the side with his elbow. "Hey."
"What were you talking about? Scheming together again?"
"Together, huh? Are you blind or what? He just shoved a bunch of petty hassles onto me. That bastard—does he think I'm some kind of slave?"
"Well, if you say we've let him hold the power of life and death, then you, me, and Beako might all be called Mr. Russell's slaves."
"If that's the case, then the load is way too lopsided onto me! You guys could at least...—ah, forget it. Leaving it to you lot would worry me way more."
"That's exactly the problem, isn't it."
"Huh?" Rachins replied, seemingly unaware of his own hard-luck disposition, but there was no doubt that very nature was why Russell had such expectations of him. His tone was rough, but he was probably the serious civil-administrator type. He hadn't asked in detail, but perhaps the surprising detail that he was actually from a noble house had something to do with it. At any rate—
"—We've had word from Peach Rabbit. We may be able to expect progress against the Beloved Children."
At Russell's report, his hand on the small table, the air grew taut in an instant. Naturally, Subaru sat down with Beatrice on his lap, and Russell watched with satisfaction as everyone except the Black Dog, who sat on the floor, took their seats at the table.
"From traveling together these past days, Emerald Beauty and the others must have fully understood the danger of the Beloved Children. Unless we root them out at the source, the kingdom's collapse is inevitable."
"Yeah, and it's not just about tonight. With Body Double Dolls happening all over the place like this, you can’t even safely give anyone a hug."
"For Betty, that's a matter of life and death, I suppose."
Nodding with Beatrice in her usual spot on his lap, Subaru bit the inside of his cheek at the reach of the Beloved Children's grasp spreading through the kingdom—its degree of penetration beyond even what he'd imagined. If they left this problem unsolved, even if Emilia managed to wear the crown, there would be no way she could build the country she wished for. As someone living in the kingdom—and more than anything, as the knight of a Royal Selection candidate—this was a dark cloud Subaru had to dispel.
"So, Peach Rabbit, right? What did she say? That we got our hands on a list of the Beloved Children, or found their headquarters?"
"I understand the hope, but I doubt any such list exists. The only one who has all the information is their mother... Keeping them from sharing information and isolating them was part of her method of discipline, wasn't it?"
"Uh, yes. That's the kind of person she was."
Touched on memories that must be painful to recall, White Sheep lowered her brows slightly. The flow of things was piling up even more hate toward the top of the Beloved Children—Capella of Lust—but Ferris's hopes were not so different from Subaru's. If the fight against the Beloved Children was going to make progress, they'd like nothing more than to seize on any chance to wipe them out in one go.
"But if that's not it, then what information did we get?"
"—Information that we might be able to restore those harmed by Lust's Authority, including the Body Double Dolls, to their original state."
"—"
The one who sent his chair screeching high in that instant, standing up on the spot, was Ferris. Planting his hands on the small table, his eyes flew wide and his lips trembled.
"By 'back to normal'... you mean we can heal them? All of them?"
"It's only a possibility, just a lead. Calm yourself, 『Blue Snake』."
"How am I supposed to calm down! If that's an option, then..."
Ferris dropped their gaze mid-sentence; Subaru knew how the rest went. Probably like this—if such a method existed, they wouldn't have relied on the Dragon Church. And if they hadn't relied on the Dragon Church, then Crusch would still be... But—
"Brooding over the past only yields a sense of powerlessness. Reflecting is fine, but I can hardly believe that clinging to it will produce a good result."
That regret of Ferris's was denied by none other than Crusch herself. Seeing Ferris's cheeks tighten painfully, Subaru looked to Crusch. However, with even the eye not covered by her eyepatch closed, it didn't seem he would get the answer he wanted from her.
"As I just said, the information we've obtained is a lead toward a solution—at the very least, it will help in uncovering the principles behind Lust's Authority. If we learn that, then how to deal with it as well—"
"At present, even if my Blessing of Wind Reading lets me discern truth from falsehood, I cannot save the Authority's victims. Looking back at my own case, it's not as though there are no means at all, but—"
"—To be frank, I would prefer to rely on the Dragon Church's sacraments as little as possible."
At Russell's quiet yet uncompromising tone, Subaru couldn't help but be taken aback.
"I'm glad you're speaking frankly, but why's that? In practice, the sacraments do have an effect... you know, that."
"My body proves their effect. —Filore's sacrament healed me. Of course, whether it's right to equate Lust's Authority with the thing that ravaged my body is unclear."
Taking over for the faltering Subaru, the person involved—Crusch—spoke for herself. In response to that question, Russell touched his beard and flicked a glance toward 『White Sheep』. Receiving it, 『White Sheep』 gave a small nod, and—
"I know about Filore as well. Whether or not that child is suited to be a candidate in the royal selection aside, there's no question the Dragon Church is not an organization we can completely trust. ...I, too, was a member of the Church during my Beloved Child days. I'm sure there are others—"
"Beloved Children have even wormed their way into the Church... given that the big shots at the castle got taken down, that's not exactly shocking. And—"
"—Tiga Rauleon—he seemed to be throwing in with the enemy as well."
At Subaru's sidelong signal, Crusch nodded and spoke Tiga's name. Tiga—the one who fought Crusch at Miklotov's manor and then apparently reported even Subaru, who fled with her afterward, as an accomplice to Miklotov's assassination. Judging from the situation, the possibility that he's coordinating with the Beloved Child side is quite high—he might even be a Beloved Child himself.
"I thought I could be friends with him... but there's no point lamenting it. Anyway, the Dragon Church isn't a monolith, and the Beloved Children have definitely infiltrated it. So we can't carelessly rely on the sacraments—is that what you're saying?"
"——"
"Huh? 『White Sheep』-chan?"
"Ah, sorry, I spaced out."
At Subaru's repeated call, 『White Sheep』 hurriedly answered. Still, more than just zoning out, what bothered Subaru was that she looked as if she were holding back pain, as if thinking of something far away. However, just as Subaru was about to press her on it, Russell's clearing throat cut him off,
"Even putting that aside, I believe it's healthy for the royal castle and the Dragon Church to maintain a certain distance. Regardless of the new royal selection candidate's wishes, I don't want to take steps that let the Dragon Church's influence grow too strong."
"Hah. Like we're in any position to be choosy about our moves. If the country goes under while you're nitpicking, that'll just be another coat of shame on 『Six Tongues』."
"Of course, I have no intention of misreading our priorities. If we have no other moves, we'll have no choice but to rely on the Dragon Church's sacraments. Even then, unless we can root out the enemy within the Dragon Church, I can't call that a realistic plan."
"—So this, that, and the other? Let's hear this 'realistic and achievable' plan of yours."
It was 『Black Dog』 who heckled Russell as he took over the explanation from 『White Sheep』. With his long legs thrown out on the floor, 『Black Dog』 faced the gathering stares with a grin that said, "What, what?" and—
"I'm just getting fed up with a talk that isn't moving forward or going anywhere. Come on, talk, talk—lay it on the line! Otherwise... I'm about at the limit of my drowsiness and patience!"
"—. As I said, if we can just understand the principles of Lust's Authority, we may be able to chart a course to countermeasures without the sacraments. However, that will require a certain knowledge."
"A certain knowledge?"
"Yes. So, 『Gray Star』, I have something I'd like to consult with you about."
Though he still couldn't quite accept being prompted by Black Dog, at Russell's words pushing the conversation forward, Subaru pointed at himself and tilted his head. To be consulting Subaru at this point—what on earth could this be about?
"I'll do anything I can to help, but... a consultation?"
"—I want to get in touch with Roswaal. I want to rely on his knowledge. So do you have any idea of a way to communicate with him while he's in hiding?"
"With Roswaal, you say?"
At that name, Beatrice knit her brows suspiciously. Like Emilia and the others confined in the castle and Rem and the others who fled the royal capital, Roswaal, too, had vanished together with Frederica; Ryuzu and her duplicate-sister clones, the Meiers; Sylphy and the rest who had been at the Roswaal mansion. From what they'd heard, he had blown off the summons to appear at the royal castle and gone to ground, putting him squarely on the wanted route. —In other words, the entire camp were wanted by the authorities.
"But we don't know where anyone is besides Emilia and Ram, who are said to be in the castle. Roswaal's no exception. You know that too, Russ— the Silver Fox, right?"
"Yes, that's what I was told. At least, in the reports to me."
"—So you're suspecting that Betty and the others, behind your backs, have some way of keeping in touch with Roswaal and the rest, is that it?"
"Even if you do, it would be perfectly natural caution and preparation, so I won't blame you."
"You of all people—if they're your friends, it wouldn't be strange to have one or two ways to contact them."
"Unfortunately, it seems those three or four were crushed as well. To begin with, we couldn't even place any of the Six Tongues around Roswaal, so he's truly gone missing."
Beatrice's gaze on the shrugging Russell was severe. But from Subaru's point of view, it was a fruitless squabble. After all, Subaru's side had no way to contact Roswaal either, and Russell's suspicious nature was a bad habit—an occupational disease, perhaps.
"By the way, what exactly is it you want to borrow Roswaal's knowledge for?"
Depending on that, they might be able to find an answer without relying on Roswaal. Of course, Russell's side had no doubt thought it through and concluded that, if anyone, it would be Roswaal—but asking cost nothing. With that in mind, when Subaru asked, Russell narrowed his eyes slightly, and—
"—About research on the Witch."
"Huh...?"
At the word that burst out, Subaru's eyes flew wide and he drew in a breath. Ignoring Subaru's reaction, Russell nodded—
"Apparently, there was someone among the Witch who researched transformations of the soul, and I'd like to draw on that knowledge. —Granted, if there's someone with a lead on that, it doesn't have to be Roswaal."
△▼△▼△▼△
—Research on the Witch would be a counter to the Authority of Lust.
"That was a blind spot. I mean, we're talking about the Witch Cult, so it's weird in the first place that the word 'Witch' feels unexpected. They hardly ever talk about the Witch at all."
For whatever reason, Subaru had run into everyone among what were said to be the six seats of the Sin Archbishops except the slot for Pride, but the only one who actually kept saying "Witch, Witch" was Petelgeuse; he couldn't recall the others ever even mentioning the Witch.
"No, I feel like Sirius said something too. But that, too, felt more like a gripe over having Petelgeuse taken from her..."
"In any case, it's nothing decent. Just thinking of those people talking about the Witch—about Mother—gives me the chills."
Responding to Subaru's murmur, Beatrice's tone was faint and her mind elsewhere, so Subaru sat down beside her on the bed, drew her head close, and held her to his chest. They had broken off the discussion in the hall and withdrawn to one of the rooms in the Hunting Lodge. Lavishly, it was a room for just Subaru and Beatrice, so here they could bare their hearts without worry.
"It's not like I'm hiding anything even when everyone's around, though."
Unfortunately, that stance didn't seem to be getting through to Russell, at least. He somehow had the mistaken impression that Subaru, as the knight of Emilia's camp, was hard at work weaving schemes and keeping a multitude of cards up his sleeve. One thing that likely led him to think so was the negotiations with Crusch and Anastasia for the White Whale's subjugation, so saying Subaru bore no responsibility at all would be a bit too convenient. In any case, Subaru got Russell to give him some time under the pretext of "looking into a way to contact Roswaal" and arranged a private talk with Beatrice. Needless to say, the topic was—
"—A Witch who researched transformations of the soul, huh."
"...Subaru, do you think that's about Mother as well?"
"If we're talking about Mother, then yeah. The Echidna who's closely tied to Beako and Roswaal."
"That's right."
Beatrice, nestled in his arms, gave a little nod, and Subaru let out a quiet “hmm.” Time and again, The Witch of Greed had thrown Subaru’s otherworld life into chaos, and this time looked to be no exception—she was getting involved in a messy, roundabout way.
"The Echidna I know, and the Echidna who's Beako's mother. Plus the Echidna over at Anastasia's, and the Sphinx we ran into in the Empire... Is this some kind of Echidna bargain sale or what?"
"If you ask Betty, the Witch of Greed that Subaru and Emilia know is just a shoddy knockoff. Mother isn’t such a nasty villain."
"Well, from what I've heard, the one who sounds like the bad one is the Echidna I know..."
The Echidna Beatrice spoke of was the benefactor who created the Sanctuary, and above all, the one who brought Beatrice into this world—someone Subaru could only feel grateful toward. Her reality was clear from the corpse laid to rest in the coffin hidden in the deepest reaches of the Sanctuary’s tomb. Subaru had seen that Echidna sleeping in the coffin himself, so there was no mistake—but—
"Same features, but a different person. ...The Echidna on Beako's side feels more, I dunno, grown-up? Like an older-sister type, or like mother Dona or parent Dona."
"W-what a way to refer to her...! Even for you, Subaru, Betty won’t allow you to treat Mother so offhandedly...!"
"No, no, sorry! I get it! I do, but how am I supposed to explain it?"
For what it was worth, Subaru did have a hypothesis to resolve this. —Namely, the Echidna he encountered in the tomb was her younger self, and after that version grew and learned to behave as an adult, the result was the parent Dona with the motherly disposition Beatrice adored. In that case, the Echidna in the tomb, having rejuvenated in a soul state, might have dropped all the good sense she’d painstakingly acquired.
"If that’s so, it would make sense of her brutal witch act... maybe. Either way, it’s a possibility Beako wouldn’t want to contemplate."
"Betty doesn’t think Subaru is lying. But it’s undeniably hard to believe. And as for that fellow Russell’s idea, Betty is skeptical as well."
"By skeptical, you mean not just that the story Russell brought might not serve as a countermeasure against 'Lust,' right?"
"That’s right. —Even if Mother’s research would be a lead, Betty has never seen any book related to it in the 'Forbidden Library.' Not a single one."
At Beatrice’s words, her gaze lowered, Subaru was left with a complex, indescribable feeling. The four hundred years Beatrice spent in the 'Forbidden Library' were both a mission from her Mother and a time that forced upon her an endlessly long solitude. In those four centuries, Beatrice had read every book that existed in the 'Forbidden Library.' And among them, nothing touching on the 'Soul' Russell sought could be found. Only—
"There’s absolutely no mistaking that Echidna researched the 'Soul.'"
In the tomb, Echidna told Subaru she had been conducting research aimed at immortality, and in fact the Sphinx existed as a failed product of that approach of transferring the 'Soul' into a different vessel. So the 'Witch' who researched the 'Soul' definitely refers to Echidna. The problem is that not a single piece of that research material was in the 'Forbidden Library.'
According to Subaru’s hypothesis, the future form of the Echidna he knows is the parent Dona whom Beatrice reveres as her mother. If anyone did the inhumane research, it would have been the twisted one you could call past Dona or 'Young Dona,' meaning that for parent Dona it would be research from her own past. In that case, it would be natural for books related to it to be in the 'Forbidden Library' entrusted to Beatrice.
"...My head’s getting all tangled. But I can’t believe there’d be a 'Witch' other than Mother who’s delved deeper into that field than she has."
"Yeah, none of the 'Witches' I know gave off that vibe either."
Thinking back on the other Witches of the Deadly Sins besides Echidna—Minerva, Sekhmet, Daphne, Carmilla, and Typhon—they all seemed utterly unrelated to that scholarly, researcher type. And of course, Satella wouldn’t fit that mold either.
"...So, in other words, even though Echidna did the research, there was a reason she didn’t leave the materials in the 'Forbidden Library.' Maybe it didn’t rise to the level of being a forbidden book?"
"Even if it’s called the 'Forbidden Library,' not everything in there was actually forbidden. There was even a Meat Pie recipe book—Ryuzu had taught that recipe to Mother—and it was kept there."
"Well, if it’s a secret family recipe, that’d be plenty forbidden—"
With a wry smile, just as he was about to say so, Subaru suddenly held his breath. At Subaru’s reaction, Beatrice looked over with her round eyes and said, "Subaru?" For an instant, a certain possibility flashed through his mind. It was impossible given Subaru’s impression of Young Dona from his memories, but it was a possibility if it was the impression of 親ドナ he’d heard from Beatrice. The reason the proscribed materials hadn’t been placed in Beatrice’s 『Forbidden Library』—that was—
"—Because of Ryuzu, maybe?"
"...Ryuzu?"
"Yeah, and by Ryuzu I don’t mean Grandma Ryuzu, the one who still serves as everyone’s fountain of wisdom, but your... Beako’s first friend."
"—"
Beatrice’s eyes widened, the distinctive patterns in those twin orbs quivering with intense agitation. She had once confided in him about a friend from the time of the 『Sanctuary』—the original of the Ryuzus, who are copies—a girl named Ryuzu Meyer. That girl, said to have fallen victim to the 『Sanctuary』’s system, had been Beatrice’s first friend, and parting from her had greatly influenced Beatrice’s decision to choose solitude. And he’d heard that the 『Sanctuary』’s system was an application of 『The Witch of Greed』’s research into immortality—namely, research that used the 『Soul』. —So he thought.
"Maybe your Mother didn’t want to leave materials that would remind you of that where you could see them, or something like that."
"Mo—ther..."
"—"
It was hardly even an idea—piling hypothesis upon hypothesis, it was little more than a delusion. Hearing such an unsubstantiated story, Beatrice’s eyes welled, and Subaru panicked. Her feelings and memories of her Mother were precious things stored away in the treasure box of her heart. Worried he’d trampled over them with rude abandon, he searched for words to patch things up. However, the Beatrice in his arms pressed her head against Subaru even more firmly, and—
"If that were the case, I think... I’d be happy."
"Beatrice..."
"We no longer know who the 『That Person』 was that Mother told Betty to wait for. Nor what Mother was thinking when she entrusted that to me... But if, before leaving that place, the 『Forbidden Library』, in Betty’s care, she’d been thinking of me that way, I’d be happy."
"...I see. Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure that’s it."
Haltingly, uncertain as she was, Beatrice pleaded that she wanted to rejoice in the possibility of a mother’s love. Stroking her back, Subaru tossed aside that shitty notion Young Dona had spouted—"I want to know who Beatrice will choose as the 『That Person』"—as just another part of her harassment of him. No, not just tossed aside—he stomped on it. That saved Beatrice’s feelings, and Subaru’s own indignation cooled a little too.
"But even if we settle the reason that book wasn’t in the 『Forbidden Library』 with that heartwarming explanation, it still doesn’t solve the actual problem."
Even if the information that could counter the authority of 『Lust』 was the fruit of Echidna’s research, if there was no way to obtain it, they were back to square one—or so he thought.
"As for that, Betty has an idea. ...No, not that she had one—it may have just come to me now."
"W-what do you mean? I’m not getting anything here except that you’re cute."
"Knowing the obvious doesn’t earn you praise. —It’s simple. If the book compiling Mother’s research isn’t in the 『Forbidden Library』, then it just means it’s somewhere else."
"Which means... you have an idea where that 'somewhere else' might be?!"
Subaru gaped, and Beatrice pulled her face away from his chest, briskly wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand before giving a confident, smug little nod.
"That would be the place where Betty and Mother lived. Whether going to the 『Sanctuary』 or anywhere else, we basically passed through there."
"So that means... Beako’s family home, right?"
"Family home... yes, you could call it that."
Taken off guard by the unexpected revelation, Subaru naturally went wide-eyed. Somehow he’d simply assumed Beatrice was also from the 『Sanctuary』, but thinking calmly, the place where your friend is isn’t your home, it’s somewhere you go. She had a home that wasn’t that—and the realization that Beatrice had one too came as a fresh surprise.
"So basically, that makes it the house of a 『Witch』, right? Where is it?"
"You can’t get there by ordinary means. That place is set up so you can’t reach it unless it’s via 『Door Crossing』 from a specific spot."
"『Door Crossing』, a-after so long...! But yeah, that’s security I can get behind!"
You could say a very 'Witch'-like security system has been put in place. In fact, if the conditions aren’t met, it’s a setup that looks like it would be left alone for hundreds of years. And Beatrice could disable that security—
"Do you know the specific place too, Beako?"
"Of course I do. But the world has changed a lot since the old days, so we need to pick a port where we can be sure we can do Door Crossing. In that case..."
"In that case?"
"—Great Flugel Tree"
"...Huh?"
With a hand to her mouth, Beatrice pondered seriously and voiced the place she had in mind. Hearing that, Subaru blinked rapidly and, holding up a single finger, said, "One more time."
"What did you say?"
"I said the Great Flugel Tree. Because it stands out, it’s the perfect landmark for hiding a port. —To get to Kugelschreiber Castle."
"——"
At Beatrice’s bold claim, made as she crisply raised a finger to match Subaru, Subaru was hit by a double shock and fell silent for a while.
As you know, the Great Flugel Tree ended up getting snapped. That might be considered Subaru’s doing, so it’s necessary to check whether the port is still functional. And the other shock was—
"Kugelschreiber means 'ballpoint pen' in German."
It was a jab at Beatrice’s family home, wondering who on earth had thought what when they named it.
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