Chapter 7: My Friend

"Are you okay? Think you can manage?" "Big sis, watch your hands! Careful, careful!" "That's the silver-haired half-elf everyone's talking about, right? Dump it on her head!"

"Stop chattering at me from the sidelines! And don't go egging on outright malice! The Scripture says: 'Lay not thy hand upon the scales of the dragon with an unclean heart. The defiled shall be smitten by the silver rain, and shall not pass through the golden gate until the dregs of their heart be scoured away.'"

"...What's that mean?"

"That you'd better feel sorry for even *thinking* mischief, not just doing it, or I'll get angry, is what it means! Now, go on, I have guests to see to! Go and play outside!"

With that, the clear, carrying voice good-naturedly shooed the children, who meant no harm by it, out of the room. They went shrieking and squealing out of the building. Two boys and a girl, and the girl had the foulest mouth of the three. All of them wore habits dyed an indigo so deep it was nearly black, so they presumably had some connection to the church. Either way, it was nice to see them so full of energy, and Subaru took it at that.

"I'm sorry my children are so rowdy. I do lecture them every single day, but it never quite seems to take. Or rather, they don't take me seriously... Hup."

Watching the children go and giving a limp shrug was the blonde, red-eyed nun: Filore. It was the lament of someone who had been pestered by the children nonstop while preparing to receive her guests, and in truth, what they'd seen looked like half affection and half being walked all over. Still, before anyone could offer her a word of comfort on that score, the attention of Subaru and the others was swallowed up by her precarious steps as she came toward them with a tea set on a silver tray.

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle. Everything on the tray was sending out danger signals. Waiting at the table in the parlor they had been shown into, Subaru and the others watched the delivery in progress and swallowed hard.

"...Um, shall I help you with that?"

"Wait, please, don't touch it! Right now, if I do say so myself, an exquisite balance has been struck upon this tray, and a single misstep will ruin everything. Slowly, slowly..."

"Y-you're trying super hard...! Keep going...!"

Slipping between Rem, who had offered to help, and Emilia, who was cheering her on in earnest, Filore gingerly brought the tray in for a crash landing on the table without tipping it over. As Subaru and the others broke into applause with an involuntary "Ooooh," she mimed wiping her brow.

"Ahem. Sorry to keep you waiting. And I must apologise for putting you all on tenterhooks right from the start. Ordinarily I leave the welcoming of guests to others, but at the moment I'm the only one here."

"No, it's fine. Thank you for having us. If anything, it sounds like we came by when you're short-handed."

"Not at all, it's quite all right. The doors of the church should always stand open. The Scripture says: 'To fear and revere the might of the dragon is the mark of love. Love without reverence is pride; reverence without love is servility; true love dwelleth in the nobility that standeth straight before the dragon's presence.'"

"Um, meaning?"

"That you should keep yourself standing tall in case someone important is watching, is what it means."

Filore answered Emilia's question with one index finger raised. She was presumably quoting a line from the Scripture of the Church of the Divine Dragon, and she had a real knack for breaking it down into something easy to follow. The way she turned stiff, formal wording into something digestible was a blessing for Subaru, too, given his shallow grasp of the faith.

"Then again, you call spitting at the kids standing tall?"

"Ugh."

"And watching her turn bright red when she spotted Betty and the rest of us was quite a show, I suppose."

"Oof."

Filore clutched her chest and groaned at each jab in turn, first Subaru's, then Beatrice's. Subaru was savouring how good her reactions were when, all of a sudden, Rem was standing beside him and Emilia beside Beatrice, and each of them had an ear pinched.

"That remark was unnecessary." "Honestly, you mustn't be mean."

"Ow, ow, ow!"

And so, made to pay for their mischief, Subaru and Beatrice took some damage of their own. By that count, simply bringing out the tea had claimed three victims. But that was enough of that nonsense—

"Once again, thank you for coming all this way. I am Filore... the nun of the Church of the Divine Dragon who has just caused such a stir at the Royal Castle."

"—"

Filore introduced herself with a hand pressed to her chest, and Subaru and the others said nothing. At that, her face clouded over before their eyes.

"S-say something, please. Otherwise I'll start to get nervous."

"Nah, I just mean you're aware you caused a stir."

"Well, of course I am. ...I am. When everyone at the castle looks at you like that, with that sort of, how shall I put it, indescribable expression, anyone would think, 'Oh dear? Have I blundered?'"

"Well, we weren't there, but that feeling of being so out of place you want to crawl into a hole? I know it really, really well, actually."

"You do?! That hellish feeling?!"

"Oh, do you mean that time Subaru went and insisted in front of everyone that he was my knight, and I got so embarrassed I said he wasn't?"

"Urgh, more or less, yes!"

Filore leaping on it, Emilia clasping her hands in front of her chest: struck from both sides by guileless wonder, this time it was Subaru's old wound that ached as if fresh. For that matter, it seemed that in Emilia's mind her denial back then had come down to embarrassment. He had never actually sat her down and surveyed how she'd felt at the time, but for such an adorable reason, the damage Subaru took was brutal.

"...Just hearing about it is excruciating, but did that really happen?"

"Unfortunately, Betty hadn't made her contract with Subaru yet back then, so I don't know the details, in fact. Still, it wouldn't be surprising for the Subaru of those days to pull something like that, I suppose."

"Having Rem and Beako pick apart that day now, of all times, is seriously painful! For the record, the Rem from before she lost her 'Memories' knew what happened, and she was pretty sympathetic toward me, okay?"

"Was she really? Isn't it possible the old me was simply too appalled to comment?"

"Stop it, now I'm starting to think so too!"

In truth, whatever Subaru had been feeling at the time, there was no doubt his methods, his approach, his wording and his delivery had been one wrong choice after another. But he had already done his repenting for all that, so even if he was the one who'd brought it up, he would like to be forgiven sometime soon. But just as Subaru was being pummelled by the deeds of his past self—

"—I know that feeling."

With a firm grip, two hands reached across the table and wrapped tight around Subaru's right hand. He looked up to find Filore leaning in from the other side, nodding at him. As Subaru stared wide-eyed, her red eyes blazed.

"The cold looks from everyone around you, staring at this out-of-place person who suddenly showed up."

"—!"

"My tongue, which got going in such a rush that there's no turning back now."

"Yes, yes. That's it exactly!"

"And once you've said it all, the silence that stretches on like an eternity until someone finally says something!"

"A few seconds that go on forever...!"

"I thought, quite spectacularly... 'I may have blown it.'"

"Filore...!"

Every shudder of dread she had tasted felt as though it were his own—no, it was his own. Realising it, Subaru squeezed Filore's hand back. Hands clasped over the table, Subaru and Filore nodded to each other. Yes, Subaru and Filore were comrades, both of whom had gotten carried away and blundered at the castle—

"However, Filore produced results right there on the spot, whereas you, apparently, put off your chance to redeem yourself. Aren't your positions rather different?"

"C-come on... We were having a moment just now..."

"That's right, that's right! The Scripture says: 'Beneath the shadow of the selfsame wing, thou shalt not whet thy claws to rend thy neighbour. Brothers who contend beneath the selfsame sky do cast away the Dragon's mercy by their own hand, and go astray.'"

"Um, meaning?"

"Fellow sufferers of the same humiliation should get along instead of bickering, is what it means."

"I totally get it! Maybe I'll join the Church of the Divine Dragon!"

"That is a delicate matter, so don't go treating it so carelessly, in fact!"

Being comforted so wholeheartedly had Subaru on the verge of converting, until a loving slap from Beatrice pulled him back. If love for the object of one's faith was the great driving force, then Subaru was certainly already a believer in the Church of Beatrice, with concurrent membership in the Church of Emilia and the Church of Rem.

"Wait, by that logic, I belong to a lot of religions. I've been playing the typical non-religious Japanese guy all this time, but from a god's point of view, am I actually unfaithful...?"

"...Well, I'd say so, wouldn't you?"

"What a straightforwardly cold look!"

The instant he murmured it fearfully, Rem's pale blue eyes ran him through. Beside her, Emilia and Beatrice were smiling wryly too, so Subaru stopped digging into the subject. Having made his tactical retreat, Subaru and the others turned their attention back to Filore. Honestly, she was already ridiculously easy to get along with, but there was something they needed to tell her. Namely—

"I heard you saved Crusch. You might think it's weird, me being the one to say this, but... thank you. Seriously, thank you."

"—"

With that, Subaru bowed deeply, so low his forehead nearly struck the table. At his words of thanks, Filore's eyes went round, and she looked over at Emilia and the others. Even with that "weird" disclaimer up front, it seemed whatever had surprised her hadn't gone away. But then Emilia bowed her head to Filore too,

"Let me thank you as well. All of us wanted to do something for Crusch. And you're the one who actually did it."

"Truth is, we were still searching for some way to help, I suppose. That was well done, in fact."

"I've only heard about it secondhand, but I think it was admirable of you."

With not only Emilia but Beatrice and Rem following up with their own thanks, Filore's mouth flapped open and shut for a while. Then, once she had somehow taken the blow in full, she slowly shook her head. And there before Subaru and the others, she put on a serene smile brimming with compassion,

"—It's quite all right. I merely did what had to be done. If someone was saved by it, then that alone is my heart's true wish."

It was a reply perfectly suited to the compassionate nun Subaru had pictured. So much so that it would have been flawless, if her little nostrils hadn't been twitching with delight.

Of course, out of gratitude and a warrior's mercy, Subaru kept that to himself.

△▼△▼△▼△

"—I was abandoned in front of the church as a baby and taken in. That was a little over fifteen years ago."

Once the exchange that had begun with greetings settled down, Filore started explaining her position, the circumstances surrounding her, and the personal history tied up with them. Her opening line about being abandoned made Subaru and the others exchange glances in spite of themselves. It was exactly the topic no one could avoid when it came to the "Filore = the missing princess" theory.

"Abandoned... So you don't remember your parents?"

"No, I don't know their faces or their names. But everyone at the church is my family. As for feeling lonely because of it... well, there were times when heartless people teased me and I went all 'grrr,' but on the whole, no. There was always someone with me."

"I see. But, like, didn't you ever think it was weird yourself? I mean, blonde hair, red eyes, and the name Filore? That's a total grand slam, a critical hit, or..."

"This is the Church of the Divine Dragon, you know? It's only natural for the Church to keep its distance from the royal family and the Royal Castle, and that sort of information never reached me. ...No, thinking about it now, they must have kept it from me on purpose. Curse them..."

Her fists trembling on the table, Filore fumed over her lot. As one could gather from their rather startling first meeting and their short exchange so far, Filore seemed to be quite impulsive, or rather, the type to be dragged around by her feelings. Her direct appeal at the Royal Castle, the thing that had bound her and Subaru in such deep empathy, looked to be the product of one of those emotional outbursts too.

"I'd thought for some time now that the Witch Cult's rampages were beyond tolerating. And then came what happened in Priestella. ...I'd simply reached my limit."

"So you shook off everyone trying to stop you and stormed the castle alone, yelling."

"Could you put it a little more kindly... Let's see, how about 'stormed in yelling, with dignity and grace'?"

"Fine, you stormed in yelling, with dignity and grace."

"...I feel my noble devotion isn't coming across quite the way I'd hoped."

Then again, since Subaru had only followed instructions, he could hardly be held responsible for the results. Either way, it was clear Filore had acted out of a sense of duty and fierce indignation. What interested Subaru and the others, though, was the thing that had made that action possible in the first place. And that was—

"—You called it a Sacrament, didn't you, Filore?"

At the word Emilia raised, the air in the parlor grew faintly taut. The Sacrament: the "something" Filore was said to have used to heal Crusch's body, the chance of overturning an Authority that she had stormed the Royal Castle to prove. And, for whatever reason, a means of saving the Witch Cult's victims that the Church of the Divine Dragon had kept secret and refused to bring into the open.

"—"

Wetting his lips, Subaru tried to tame the faint tension. Given the name Sacrament, it naturally had to be one of the Church of the Divine Dragon's most closely guarded secret arts. The kind where, in some cases, merely knowing it existed might make the Church treat you as an enemy. If they tried to dig into that, even Filore would surely go tight-lipped—

"The Sacrament? Yes, that's right. It's a secret art handed down since ancient times in the Church alone, and only a very, very few can use it. The Church calls such people 'Saints,' and I happen to have the qualifications, which is why I can use the power."

"You said that super casually, but is that okay?!"

"Okay or not, I've already announced it to the whole castle, however much the Church wanted it hidden. There's no point trying to hide it now... The Scripture says: 'Defile not with the poison of avarice the soil the Dragon hath cleansed. To fill a spring once run dry shall require a thousand years of prayer and the tears of the transgressor.'"

"Um, meaning?"

"Basically, if you keep the good things all to yourself, it's awfully hard to make it right when something goes wrong, is what it means. —And I believed that now was exactly when something had gone wrong."

And so, defying the wishes of the Church of the Divine Dragon, which wanted the Sacrament kept secret, Filore had followed the doctrine she believed in and chosen to wield its power in the open. Naturally, the Church, having had that done without its leave, had been thrown into a frantic uproar, and the Royal Castle, now owing the Church an enormous debt, must have been in quite a state too. Still, whatever had come of all the chaos, there was no doubt the spark had been goodwill.

"Right about now, the Royal Castle is discussing what's to be done with me... The important people from the Church are taking part, and so is the family I've had since I was little."

"But it's about you, Filore. You're not joining in?"

"I wanted to, but they threw me out! It's about me, and yet they said things would only get complicated if I were there... There's at least a tiny chance they wouldn't, isn't there? Don't you think that's awful?!"

"It's rather sad that she rates the chance of them not getting complicated so low, I suppose."

"Don't rub it in, Beako."

Red-faced, Filore protested how unfairly she was being treated, but given how headstrong she was, Subaru had to admit the people involved had made the right call. She claimed to be fifteen, and for all her grown-up looks, inside she was every bit fifteen. Possibly even younger. Part of that was likely down to her having been cut off from the world and raised like a sheltered young lady. Honestly, what the Church of the Divine Dragon had meant by raising her that way was beyond Subaru.

"So the people involved are at the castle? That's why you were left at the Church on your own, Miss Filore."

"That's right. Well, the children from earlier are here with me, so it isn't lonely, but I've been told not to go wandering off by myself. When I want to spread the Sacrament's power around as soon as possible, even one second sooner...!"

"Never heard of a saint with that kind of motivation."

It probably just meant she wanted that badly to save people, but she was a saint with no saintliness about her whatsoever. Then again, there was what Garfiel had said at the noble residence, and when Subaru thought of the victims in Priestella waiting for that day to come, he could only agree with how Filore felt. If anything, part of him wanted to give her a push.

"I get how you feel, I really do. What if I asked Reinhard to fly you to Priestella in one hop..."

"Ngh...! What a tempting offer...! But I was told to wait quietly."

"You didn't actually promise, right? And even if you did, if someone ends up getting saved, a little bit of..."

"Subaru? Are you trying to make someone else break a promise now, not just break them yourself? That's super not good, you know...?"

"The habitual promise-breaker has finally hit rock bottom, in fact."

"Gngh...!"

Scolded in a tone that said I know how you feel, but, Subaru was left without so much as a word, just that strangled noise. Together with Filore, who made much the same sound, he sank to his knees before the sanctity of a promise. For now, all they could do was pray the discussion at the castle wrapped up quickly and for the better.

"—That said, Miss Filore, you're a nun of the Church of the Divine Dragon."

"Rem?"

"Yet, despite that position, you let Miss Emilia in without a second thought."

When Rem changed the subject like that, out of nowhere, Subaru, who had been offering a prayer in the direction of the castle, knitted his brows in puzzlement. But the reactions of Emilia, whose eyebrows drooped, and of Filore, who lowered the hands she'd clasped in the same prayer as Subaru, made it clear the topic was far from off the mark. What Rem was pointing at, the true nature of the relationship between the Church of the Divine Dragon and Emilia, was—

"The Church of the Divine Dragon reveres the power and grace of the Divine Dragon Volcanica, and its covenant. And the Divine Dragon's greatest deed in the Kingdom of Lugunica was sealing away the Witch of Envy, wasn't it?"

"Hey, you don't mean..."

"The more devout a follower of the Church of the Divine Dragon is, the more likely they are to have feelings about Emilia... That is what I mean."

Subaru had shot to his feet without meaning to, but Rem didn't turn toward him, wouldn't even meet his eyes. Her lips were pressed tight. She knew what she had said was harsh, the kind of remark that could shatter the oddly cordial mood the meeting had enjoyed until now. Even so, Rem had said it. She hadn't let an unnatural situation slide just because leaving it unnatural was easier.

In truth, Subaru hadn't noticed anything strange either until Rem pointed it out. Part of it was that the Church of the Divine Dragon had never been anywhere near his everyday life, but the bigger reason was this: for Subaru, Emilia being an ultra-beautiful girl was a fresh surprise every single day, and from their first meeting until now, she had never once been someone to fear or hold in dread.

But he couldn't forget. Because of her origins and her appearance, Emilia was constantly confronted with her resemblance to the most feared Witch this world had ever known.

"—"

And that resemblance to the Witch of Envy was surely nothing the Church of the Divine Dragon could ignore, or accept with open arms, when it revered the Divine Dragon, one of the Three Great Heroes who had halted that same Witch's tyranny four hundred years ago. All the more so for Filore, the bearer of the Sacrament, the church's secret, someone who stood in the role of a Saint. Raised on the teachings of the Church of the Divine Dragon, whatever impression she had formed of Emilia, it would be neither strange nor surprising.

"Am I an idiot? No. I'm an idiot."

This was something Subaru should have realized himself, not something Rem should have had to point out. He held the position of Emilia's First Knight, and yet he had nowhere near enough caution, or knowledge, about the places where she might be unfairly hurt. If Emilia's face clouded over because of it, was he planning to balance the books by cursing himself and calling it his fault? Regretting how little he knew had been part of the reason he'd hurried to the Royal Capital in the first place—

"Rem, you studied up on this when I wasn't looking. I'm super surprised."

But while Subaru was busy with his regrets, what Emilia herself said was neither a scolding for her useless First Knight nor surprise at having her eyes opened by Rem's words. She only smiled and thanked Rem for choosing to raise the subject.

"...Studied is far too grand a word for it. It's just that I was given a place to belong as well, so I listened when Sister told me things."

"But that makes me happy. You're worried about me, and I'm happy... that's weird, huh?"

"...No, I can understand it. Being worried about can make you feel pathetic sometimes, but it also makes you feel cared for."

"Hehe, really? Then you were caring about me too, Rem."

"...I think you were the one who did it first, Emilia."

Rem kept her eyes lowered as she answered Emilia's straight gaze. But Subaru could tell that this was her own way of hiding her embarrassment. Emilia's honest, pure gaze peeled back every layer of overthinking you tried to hide behind. Subaru understood exactly how Rem felt; it was a lesson he'd been taught more than once himself.

"Beako, cheek!" "Good grief, I sup-pose!"

Right after their exchange, Subaru called out to Beatrice. Instantly, as if she'd been waiting for it, Beatrice slapped his cheek with her small palm. Smack. A tingling sting shot out from that adorable hand, and Subaru's shoulders jolted.

"Eek!? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Startled by the abrupt display, Emilia gently touched Subaru's cheek. Letting the coolness of her white fingertips soothe the throbbing, Subaru shrugged and said, "Nah,"

"I was just getting my spirits fired up a bit. Mentalism where Beako puts me back together... let's call it Beamentalism. Or maybe Bea-therapy. Which do you like better?"

"Sorry, I don't really get what you're saying."

Subaru's nonsense earned Emilia's usual reply. That reaction alone was enough to show she wasn't afraid of the issue he'd been worried about, and wasn't feeling uneasy over how hopeless he'd been.

"Course, I can't just keep leaning on that. It's not a good look when amnesiac Rem picks up on the faction's worries faster than I do."

"Please reflect on that properly."

"You're saying that because you believe I can do it. All right, leave it to me."

"...Well, that will do."

With Rem's encouragement, Subaru's flagging motivation recovered. Then he turned smartly to face Filore once more. She was a nun of the Church of the Divine Dragon, and a Saint. But that was exactly why—

"I think it means something when a person like that is freed from prejudice. So how about it, Filore? Why not take this chance to form a friendly relationship with Emilia-tan?"

"A friendly relationship? Hey, Subaru, does that mean..."

"That's right. In other words, the two of you become friends!"

Subaru clenched his fist as he made the declaration. In response, Emilia's violet eyes lit up, and she pressed her hands together in front of her chest. It went without saying, but Emilia was starved for friends. This was a girl with a track record of slamming that very proposal straight into Felt's face and coming away a friend. And it wasn't only Emilia, that friend monster—

"—Friends, with me? You mean it?!"

With a loud clatter, Filore planted her hands on the table and pounced. Her large red eyes quivering, she looked back and forth between Subaru and Emilia,

"No, I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. I must have misheard. Not 'friends' but, for instance... yes, 'friendless.' As in, I have no friends."

"Uh-oh. This Saint is way too much of a loner."

"B-but I think I know how she feels. When Subaru tried to get close to me, I couldn't figure out what he was thinking, and it made me super uneasy."

"Sorry I made you uneasy! My feelings haven't changed since the very beginning, they just keep growing bigger and bigger with time... Ow! Rem, did you just step on my foot?!"

"No. I dropped an iron ball."

"You brought it with you? The Morning Star?!"

Rem hurriedly tucked the Morning Star she had dropped on Subaru's foot behind her back. Nearly having the top of his foot crushed had left him shaken, but the sight of Rem in her maid uniform lugging around the spiked iron ball she had polished so diligently back when Subaru could still stay at the mansion warmed his heart all the same.

"Hey, Filore."

Leaving Subaru and the others to themselves, Emilia walked over to Filore, who was busy fleeing from reality. When Emilia touched the hand resting on the table, Filore's shoulders jumped, and she stared up at Emilia in astonishment.

"It was Subaru's idea, and it's super lazy of me to just hop on board, but what do you say, Filore?"

"Wh-wh-what do I say, you mean? I don't quite understand... If you don't say it plainly, I might get the wrong idea. Or rather, haven't I already? Is this a dream...?"

"No, it's not a dream. And so you don't get the wrong idea, I'll say it plainly. If you'd like, will you be my... no. Let's be friends, you and me!"

"—Yes, of course, absolutely, I'd love to!!"

In an instant her feebleness and meekness were gone. Her face lit up, Filore squeezed Emilia's hand back, and the two of them set about nurturing their new friendship at zero distance. A little overwhelmed by how quickly it had all happened, Subaru nevertheless felt, beyond any doubt, the wind blowing in a good direction, and nodded deeply.

"Glad we got through that without it getting tangled. Still, that momentum... it reminds me of when Beako finally listened to me trying to win her over."

"When it was Betty, it was far more romantic and dramatic, in fact! I wasn't nearly that ravenous, I suppose!"

"Ow, ow, cute, cute."

Indignant beyond words, Beatrice stomped again and again on the foot opposite the one Rem had nearly crushed, but both her weight and her sulking were adorable. And when he glanced over, he saw Rem, too, laying a hand on her chest in relief at the bond forming between Emilia and Filore.

It had been something that needed to be addressed, but it had also been a relationship that could have fallen apart because of her. Rem's feelings were easy enough to guess.

"You good with it too, Rem? Being friends?"

"I don't think it's something to take so lightly. Besides, I have Katya."

"Can't you have as many friends as you want? Me, I consider pretty much everyone I met on Gladiator Island a friend."

"I have Katya."

A rather stubborn answer. Well, how a person sorted their friends was up to them, so it would be tactless to make a fuss about it. At the very least, a friendly relationship had been forged between Emilia and Filore. Surely that counted as a historic achievement, for Emilia's Faction and for the Church of the Divine Dragon alike.

"I made friends with Felt, and I've promised to be friends with Anastasia too. Maybe I'm good at making friends."

Emilia, for her part, had gained confidence from making several friends in such a short span. At this rate, she looked liable to start calling out to passersby in the street and collecting new friends one after another. That didn't sound all bad, but he had a feeling it might earn her a bad reputation of a different kind, so Emilia's appetite for friends would need to be put on hold for now.

"Now wait, hold on, Emilia... I shall call you Emilia. We've only just become friends, haven't we? And yet here you are, bringing up the names of friends other than me. Isn't that a little cruel? Not that... not that I mind, mind you, but you could look at me a little more, seeing as I'm your brand-new friend..."

Filore, for her part, might have gone friendless for far too long. Perhaps she was pinning too much hope on friendship; some of her remarks had a faint yandere tinge. Probably all her craving for friends was tilted toward a single person, so things could get dangerous unless she made more friends and spread the demand around. If Rem couldn't be pushed into it, it looked like Subaru, or possibly Beatrice, would have to take up the slack.

"But seriously, Filore, was this actually okay on your end? I mean, obviously the only thing my Emilia-tan has in common with the Witch of Envy is her looks."

"...? Is there some problem with my Emilia?"

"Yikes, no wonder this saint can't make any friends!"

Filore had pulled on the arm she was holding and spun neatly into Emilia's embrace. At that display, Subaru pressed a hand to his forehead; this friendship might be more trouble than he'd thought. Watching the exchange, Emilia smiled wryly as she ended up holding Filore from behind.

"Come on, calm down. Sorry about my friend."

"What? What kind of one-upping am I getting hit with right now? Emilia-tan, what am I to you!?"

"Huh? You're my knight, aren't you?"

"Right!? Phew, that was close. Self-esteem fully restored."

The rift that might have opened between the silver-haired half-elf and the Church of the Divine Dragon had not opened. Instead, a crack had begun to form between Emilia's First Knight and her friend. —And it had reached the brink, where it seemed set to grow wider still.

"—Filore, did you chase Lucian and the others out? You were supposed to be kept under watch, as proof you'd properly reflected on what you did, weren't you?"

Without warning, the parlor door swung open, and a young man appeared in the doorway. He was slender-faced and handsome, dressed in dark purple garments beneath a wide-brimmed black hat. Taking in Filore and, beside her, Subaru and the others, he said "Oh?" and his yellow eyes went round.

"So we had guests. Honestly, those kids didn't even tell me, and they've abandoned their watch on top of it. I'll have to give them a proper scolding later."

"Oh, welcome back, Tiga. Look, look, this is Emilia. She's my friend. Aren't you jealous? My friend... hehe, friend, hehehe."

The young man tugged down the brim of his hat, hiding his eyes. Filore introduced Emilia, who was still holding her, to him, joy quietly dripping out of her as she did. Being a pretty girl kept it just barely within acceptable bounds, but it was the face of someone on the verge of friendship addiction. At her words, the young man called Tiga raised his eyebrows at the name "Emilia?" and looked from the Emilia in question to Subaru and the others.

"I see. I'm glad you've made a friend, too. But I can't say I care for that triumphant look you're giving me over it. For instance... hey, how about we be friends?"

"Huh, me?"

"That's right. I'm Tiga Rauleon. And you are..."

"Natsuki Subaru. Pleased to meet ya, My Friend."

"—Yeah, pleased to meet you, 'My Friend.'"

Tiga strolled over and held out his hand, and Subaru shook it without hesitation. Tiga handled the English phrase tossed his way without a hitch and even threw in a wink, smooth as anything. All the while, he repeated "My Friend, My Friend" a few times under his breath, quickly making the words his own.

Meanwhile, the one unable to hide her shock at Subaru and Tiga's lightning-fast friendship was Filore, a long-time sufferer of friend deficiency. Her eyes went wide in disbelief, and she pointed back and forth between the two of them.

"A-aren't you scared? Of what you'd do if he turned you down?"

"Hey, what kind of upbringing are you people giving her? She's got that fearless personality, but she turns timid only when it comes to making friends? The balance is all off."

"Can't make any excuses there. She was kept so strictly sheltered that she's starved for contact with the outside world. We may be in for a long acquaintance, so help her get used to it bit by bit. She doesn't bite."

"That's a pointless footnote! Of course I wouldn't bite! What do you take me for?! I'm Emilia's friend, you know?! And a Saint-in-waiting!"

"Is it all right that being a Saint comes as the afterthought...?"

Rem's murmur was fair enough. In a very short span, the impression Filore gave had tumbled head over heels. Still, if Tiga, who apparently belonged to the Church, had come back, did that mean the discussions at the castle Filore had mentioned earlier had reached some kind of conclusion?

"That's about the size of it. Mind you, there's still plenty we need to talk over among ourselves. Sorry, but I'll have to ask you to take your leave for today."

"Seriously, My Friend? Keeping secrets between the two of us? That's cold."

"So being able to bare everything is what makes a friend? I'd say a friend is someone who's considerate where it counts, and where both sides put in the effort to keep the relationship going. What do you think?"

"No good, he out-argued me, smooth as anything. Beako, say something like a sore loser."

"Unlike you, there are no petty secrets between Betty and Subaru, in fact."

"That really was just being a sore loser."

It wasn't as though he had seriously weighed up the definition of friendship, but Tiga's way of putting it carried more than a little conviction, so pressing the point would be a losing battle. And so, riding on the sore-loser line Beatrice had delivered on his behalf, it seemed there was nothing for it but to wrap things up and retreat quietly.

"Well, it wasn't a wasted trip. I couldn't tell until we met her, but at least now I know Filore isn't out to throw the Royal Selection into chaos."

"That's right. Filore's a good girl."

"Did you hear that, Tiga? That's my friend."

"Yes, yes, I heard. Thank you for getting along with our Filore."

Subaru had wondered what they would do if she clung on forever, unable to tear herself away, but Filore meekly let go of Emilia, and they succeeded in recovering her safely. Then, as Emilia came back to Subaru and the others, Tiga took her place at Filore's side, removed his hat, and gave an elegant bow.

"While I'm thanking you, it'd be a shame to do nothing but chase off Filore's friend and My Friend. Let me pass along a bit of good news for your side too."

"Good news for us? What is it?"

"—Duchess Karsten, who's been asleep, has woken up."

"—! Crusch has?"

As Subaru naturally leaned forward to ask, Tiga gave him a nod brimming with flair. Reacting exactly the way the other man intended left Subaru feeling outplayed. But he didn't mind being outplayed. Crusch waking up was unmistakably good news.

"Emilia-tan, after this..."

"Yes, of course. Let's go and visit her. I want to talk to Crusch too."

"Then I'll go along with Emilia and the others—"

"You're over here, Filore. You're waiting with me for Sakura and the rest to get back."

Filore, who had breezily tried to fall in line with them, had her shoulder caught by Tiga. She glared resentfully at the hand resting on her shoulder.

"...Isn't that strange? It's about Duchess Karsten, isn't it? I have a duty to witness the results of the Sacrament. Yes, a duty. How about that?"

"In that case, it wouldn't add up unless you also fulfilled your responsibilities as the Sacrament's bearer. Of course we'll go and check on the Duchess's condition. Later, as members of the Church."

"E-Emilia..."

"Mm, it's okay, Filore. I'll make sure to visit her for you too."

"She didn't get it?! But we're friends?!"

She was expecting far too much of friendship. In any case, sorry as he was for Filore, Subaru's own wish to see for himself that Crusch was all right was considerable. Strong enough that he wanted to set off right away.

"Let's talk again some other time. It was good to talk today. Right, see you."

"How perfunctory! I don't think that's right at all... mmph, mmph!"

"Leave this to me. You lot go on ahead!"

Pinning down the still thoroughly reluctant Filore, Tiga volunteered for the villain's role and saw them off with an all too dependable line. So, though it tugged at them to leave, Subaru and the others made their escape from the Church.

"Aww, you're leaving already?" "How was big sis? How was she?" "She was spinning her wheels, right? Honestly, she's hopeless without us."

And so, on their way out of the Church, they were also sent off by the children who had been playing with Filore. A rather scathing assessment, but an accurate one. In any case—

"—Wait for me, Crusch. There's a mountain of things I want to talk to you about."

Unable to rein in his eagerness, Subaru walked faster and faster.

△▼△▼△▼△

—And so, once he had watched the visiting members of Emilia's Faction take their leave, Tiga released Filore, whom he had been holding back.

Freed at last, Filore tottered over and propped her hands on the table, her eyes clinging to whatever traces Emilia and the others had left behind, and then she glared at Tiga.

"What kind of look is that? Something you want to say to me?"

"Hatred..."

"Don't just say the nasty word and leave it there! It couldn't be helped. There really are things we need to talk about, and Duchess Karsten really did wake up."

"Hmph. The ever so sociable Mister Tiga Rauleon wouldn't understand, so there."

She turned her face away in a sulk, then picked up the cup of tea that had sat untouched on the table in front of her and brought it to her lips. Everything had moved at such a breakneck pace that she truly hadn't had a moment to drink it. Tiga watched her profile, his yellow eyes narrowed, but—

"Still, Lady Emilia, of all people."

"...And what is that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you're going to start on about silver-haired half-elves too."

"That's part of it. But it's not the whole of it. —Filore, where's the Insignia?"

At Tiga's question, Filore looked faintly put out, then drew the Insignia from inside her robes. When she opened the hand that held it, the crimson Dragon Jewel blazed with dazzling light. Looking at it—no, at that light, and at Filore who made it shine, he murmured. And what he said was—

"—Things are about to get busy. After all, we're starting a year and a half late."