"House arrest, huh… That's yet another unsettling word to throw around."
Lying on his bed, Roswaal faced Subaru as the latter mused over the words he'd just been told. Considering the context, he might have laughed it off as a tasteless joke under normal circumstances — but the current situation lent the statement an unpleasant credibility. After all, "You mean to tell me, Roswaal, that someone in the village did that to you?"
It was
Roswaal was wrapped head to toe in bandages, the white gauze faintly stained with blood — a wretched sight. His appearance served as undeniable proof of the truth behind his words. That was precisely why Subaru couldn't laugh it off.
"If there's someone in the village who can wound Roswaal this badly… that puts us in a situation that's anything but a laughing matter."
Subaru pressed a hand to his chin, picturing the balance of power between the two sides, and felt a spark of anxiety kindle in his chest.
In truth, as the foremost court magician of the
"Relax. I'm not keen enough on you to risk my life in some reckless charge for the sake of a few extra goodwill points… Wait, what does that even mean? That contradicts what you said earlier. You just told me you're under house arrest…"
"Well, my injured body is being detained, so calling it house arrest isn't wrong per se, is it? It's not that I was hurt in order to be placed under house arrest — it's that I, having been injured, am now being kept under house arrest. …Though if I go into the details, that's not quite right e-i-ther."
Subaru's head swirled with question marks at Roswaal's roundabout way of speaking. He tried to break it down, forcing himself to stay calm and sort through the context. In other words— "So the
"Not strictly nothin' — but if you're askin' whether they're the direct cause, then the answer is no. In other words, tha-a-at's how it i-i-is—"
"In other words, they're indirectly related."
Roswaal, who had tilted his head, blinked with a look that suggested Subaru had hit the mark. Then, letting out a small sigh, he quipped with a smirk, "It's like watching a child grow."
That attitude told Subaru he'd latched onto the crux of the matter. He had no intention of loosening his grip, and was about to choose his words carefully to press Roswaal further when— "——Barusu, why don't you show Roswaal-sama a bit of consideration?"
The speaker was
A fragrant aroma filled the room, and Subaru was jolted by the realization that his field of vision had narrowed — the result of having fixated so intently. He also became freshly aware of just how terrible Roswaal looked at first glance.
"You corner Roswaal-sama, who is injured as badly as this, and then badger him until you're satisfied? How cruel, when he's in so much pain he could cry."
"Don't talk to me like I've already been put in my place. Besides, is he even the type to cry over pain and suffering? It doesn't suit him."
"Oww, it huuurts. It's so painfu-u-ull. Words that lack compassion and kindness really sting the wound, y'knooow."
Subaru fired back with a retort to Ram's complaint. On the bed, Roswaal launched into a little performance, parroting Subaru's words with exaggerated flair. Subaru's brow furrowed with irritation, and at the same moment, Emilia cleared her throat to reset the frayed atmosphere.
Gathering the gazes of all three, she prefaced with "Anyway, then," and continued.
"It's obvious just looking at him that Roswaal isn't in good shape, so let's wrap this up quickly. Haven't you cast any healing magic?"
"Healing magic is a field in which Ram is… not well versed."
Ram's answer, delivered with an expressionless yet clearly frustrated look, prompted Emilia to turn to Roswaal with an air of slim expectations. Roswaal waved the hand he'd raised in a lazy, wavering gesture.
"Much the same — my aptitude is dedicated to destructio-o-oon. I can handle just about anything related to breaking, corrupting, or bewitching, but when it comes to healing, I'm absolutely usele-e-ess."
"That's a grim outlook. You should invest some skill points in defense too, not just offense."
That said, if Subaru had been playing a game where he could set his own growth parameters, he would have gone full glass cannon — pouring everything into offensive skills. He was in no position to judge Roswaal too harshly.
While Subaru arrived at this odd sense of understanding, Emilia sighed, saying, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
"I'm not at full strength since
"The Great Spirit will?"
At Emilia's words, Roswaal raised his eyebrows — just slightly. Then, narrowing his eyes, he regarded her with an expression that carried a faint chill to it, quite unlike his typically relaxed face. Subaru involuntarily shrugged.
"Serious face on you — that's a rare look. Is Puck's absence really that surprising? I didn't know you were a closet mofumofi enthusiast…"
"As it happens, the only time I've been close enough to the Great Spirit to touch was when I fed him mayonnaise, a-a-h. He's scary, you kno-ow. …But is that so."
Roswaal didn't brush off Subaru's quip. Instead, he furrowed his brows as if deep in thought. Then he glanced at Emilia with his yellow eyes and asked— "Emilia-sama, have you been feeling under the weather, or noticed anything different about yourself co-o-ompared to normal?"
"…? Not really. Other than Puck not showing his face. But Puck's been absent since just before we came to the Sanctuary… Oh, actually, there is one thing."
Emilia raised a finger in response to the question. Then she swiftly swept her gaze around — not the room, but as though surveying the entirety of the Sanctuary beyond the walls — before lowering her voice.
"This Sanctuary… no, maybe ever since we entered the forest. I've gotten the feeling the spirits' reactions have been dull. And also, just now, when I was outside… I felt like someone was watching me. A weird kind of stare."
"A weird… stare?"
Subaru tilted his head at the unexpected remark. Emilia nodded, chin dipping in affirmation. She explained that this was the reason her expression had clouded over back at the spot where she and the others had parted ways with Garfiel and the rest.
"It felt like I was being watched intently. It gave me this really awful feeling… I thought it might just be my imagination, so I couldn't bring myself to tell you, Subaru."
"Both of Emilia-sama's feelings are correct, y'kn-ow. This place is uncomfortable for spirits, and moreover, the residents here harbor feelings that are very uncomfortable toward Emilia-sama."
Despite her clearly troubled tone, Roswaal laid his inconsiderate words right over Emilia's. Subaru saw the pain flicker in her eyes and opened his mouth to rebuke Roswaal on reflex— "Anyway, let's lay off that, 'kay? No point pushing an injured person too hard. 'A cold dish is best served piping hot,' as they say."
"I'd love to agree with you on that, but I'm afraid my comprehension isn't quite high enough. Here's a random question, though — are you and I the only ones here whose language translation actually works properly?"
Subaru turned to face the open doorway, where Garfiel was leaning with his back against the frame, baring his fangs. The sight made Subaru shrug. Garfiel gnashed his teeth, then swept his gaze around the room.
"The old bat's place should be the biggest and therefore the most comfortable, but with this many people crammed in, it's still tight, isn't it? figures I was right to leave that loudmouth brother behind."
"Speaking of which, I don't see Otto anywhere. Did he go back? Did you eat him?"
Subaru's question made Emilia's eyes go wide with alarm, but Garfiel burst out laughing as though he'd just heard the joke of a lifetime, slapping his knee.
"I've got carnivore blood in me, sure, but I don't eat people, y'know? Especially not that guy — even on the verge of being eaten, wouldn't he still be going on about his dragon carriage and earth dragons? …Anyway, I'm sure he came up with some reason and slunk off."
With a wave of his hand, Garfiel strode over and dropped himself heavily into a chair against the wall. He then looked up at Ram, who was watching him from the corner of her eye.
"Tea."
"I'm going to step outside and gather some fallen leaves. Will you wait for me?"
"I can kind of guess where this is going, but what exactly do you plan to do with those leaves once you've gathered them?"
"I have no intention of wasting precious tea leaves on someone who can't appreciate the aroma or the taste. That is Ram's answer."
Delivering her cutting verdict, Ram then actually stepped outside the building. Garfiel pointed at her retreating form, and Subaru looked at him, wordlessly asking "What's so great about her?"
Garfiel chased her with his gaze as she left, then answered.
"A woman with some spirit to her is more worth pursuing, isn't she? Besides, as a male, it's only natural to be drawn to a strong, capable female — nothing weird about that."
"There's no need to go 'cheep cheep' about males and females — this isn't a chick-sorting contest. She's still a proper lady, you know, Ram is. That aside…"
"Huh? What are you on about? I treat her like a proper woman, don't I? And besides, before any of that, the two of us…"
Subaru raised an objection to the crude language, and Garfiel's expression twisted as though something had suddenly struck him. His brow shot up, and then his face quickly darkened. He leveled a sharp, hostile gaze at Roswaal on the bed.
"You — you still haven't told 'em, have you? If the only thing going on is that you're a wreck, I'd laugh it off and call it a joke. But if that half-elf over there… if Emilia-sama has gotten involved, then that's a whole different story."
"…Huh?"
The irritation dripped from Garfiel's tongue as he spat out the words. Mid-sentence, Emilia reacted with surprise at hearing her own name. But Garfiel paid her no heed, his expression still simmering with rage as he tore into Roswaal.
"The moment Emilia-sama set foot in the Sanctuary, the problem became ours too. And what do you do? You still haven't even gotten to the important part. You think we're here for a sightseeing trip or something?"
The latter half of his fury was directed not only at Roswaal but at the silent Subaru and Emilia as well. His glare at Emilia in particular burned with a fury that was far from trivial. She shrank back slightly, and Subaru stepped forward to shield her.
"Hold on. I can see you're angry, but I've got no idea what started it. Talking to someone who doesn't understand will only make you more frustrated, right?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you — it pisses me off! When the people involved just sit there…"
"The ones who've been proceeding with this conversation while ignoring the people involved are you and Roswaal over there. If you want us to understand and care about this problem, then take responsibility and explain it to us. Expecting people to just get it when you haven't said a word — that's about as shameless as I used to be."
Facing Garfiel head-on, Subaru felt the pressure from the other man intensify with each word he spoke. Garfiel was shorter than Subaru, and since he was sitting now, the difference in height was considerable. Yet Subaru couldn't feel that smallness at all. No — judging by the quality of the intimidation being projected, Subaru might as well have been staring down a boulder.
Given Subaru's inherent cowardice, it would have been perfectly excusable to avert his eyes and take a step back.
But— "…Subaru."
He felt slender fingers clutch at the hem of his garment. A small, wavering voice slid into his ears, and the sensation gave life to knees that had been on the verge of buckling.
Behind him, Emilia stood. She was looking at him with an expression of unease, silently placing her trust in him.
No way in hell was he going to kneel before her — not in front of her.
"…Tch."
They continued exchanging looks in silence, and it was Garfiel who broke eye contact first. He clicked his tongue, leaned back against the chair, and raked his short blond hair with his fingers in a rough, restless gesture.
"Argh! Alright, alright! That was just me blowing off steam, okay? I got carried away — I said I was sorry, didn't I?!"
"No, you didn't. And beyond that, don't you think people would call you difficult?"
Despite being the type to get emotional and lose perspective, Garfiel was able to regain his objectivity and admit fault almost immediately. It struck Subaru as an incredibly troublesome personality trait, and he found himself smiling ruefully before he could even feel indignant.
Garfiel let out a "Hah" — an oddly refined sigh for him.
"Shut it. I'm gonna keep my mouth shut for a bit, so you guys go ahead and talk. When I butt in, things just get complicated and everything stalls."
"That you can self-analyze that much and still not change is almost impressive in its own way."
"Flattery won't work on me — I'm too dense, remember? And—"
As Subaru went from exasperation to grudging admiration, Garfiel snorted. At that moment, Ram returned from outside and handed him a cup of steaming black tea.
"It's nothing but crude leaf water."
"Wouldn't most people say something a bit more humble before serving tea?"
Ram let the remark pass with an unbothered "Was that so?" while Garfiel tilted his head back and downed the scalding tea in one gulp. A carnivore, but clearly not a cat-tongue. When he drained the cup in a single breath, Ram let out a deep sigh.
"As usual, you're a man who makes brewing tea entirely pointless. You're not worthy of my tea."
"It just tastes like leaves, doesn't it? Water would do the same job as long as it hits the throat. Right?"
"I agree that tea only tastes like leaves, but I'm not about to nod along to something that extreme. Ram, why don't you have him drink the other one too?"
At Subaru's suggestion, Ram held out the cup she'd been carrying in her other hand to Garfiel. The slightly off-color liquid was, by its wavy hue, what Subaru had already suspected from across the room. He didn't stop her. In fact, he encouraged it.
"Well, look at you, being perceptive! I guess one cup really isn't enou— gaah!? Hey, this is just leaf juice, isn't it—"
"If it wets your throat, then whether it's water, tea, or leaf juice shouldn't matter, right? You've already taken a sip, so finish it. If you don't, I'll wring it out for you."
Ram didn't specify where, but her stare was aimed squarely at Garfiel's crotch. That alone made her target obvious, and Subaru felt an involuntary chill shoot through him. Garfiel reluctantly drained the cup and grimaced at the bitterness. Meanwhile, Roswaal — who had been watching the exchange — suddenly burst out laughing.
"Aha-ah. Are you lot planning to let me rest and recover, or are you trying to make me laugh until my wounds reopen? Because I do believe your aim is succeeding for the time bei-i-ing."
As he spoke, Roswaal lightly pressed the bandages on his chest and gave a wry smile. In truth, a faint red had begun to seep through the white fabric.
In an instant, the previously relaxed atmosphere shifted entirely. Ram's face went pale as she rushed to Roswaal's side, placing her palm over his hand where he was pressing the wound.
"I'm terribly sorry, Roswaal-sama. Ram was right here and still…"
"For that matter, you were the one who gave him the extra push with your little tea prank, weren't you?"
Subaru tried to interject, but a sharp glare from Ram silenced him. He zipped his lips and watched Roswaal's condition. Either way, while there had been some bleeding, it didn't appear to be anything serious. It was probably the fresh wound that had just barely stopped — in truth, this was the moment he should have been resting the most.
"Roswaal, you really should get treated—"
"No, there's no need for tha-a-at, Emilia-sama."
Emilia reached the same conclusion as Subaru and moved to approach Roswaal, spirits floating around her. But Roswaal himself shook his head, stopping her. The faintly glowing blue spirits swayed, caught in their master's hesitation.
Watching Emilia's white profile, Subaru noticed something.
The way Garfiel was staring at Emilia — with eyes frozen by an emotion Subaru couldn't begin to fathom.
"The thing is, there are more pressing matters than my little injuries, so if you would be so kin-i-ind as to prioritize those instead. I'm not in danger of losing my life, after all."
"How can you say something like that? When someone's hurt and you just leave them behind to deal with other things…"
"And if I told you it was necessary in order to claim the throne?"
The Emilia manner of speaking erupted at full force, freezing what had been a scene heading toward forced treatment. Emilia's cheeks stiffened at the words, her purple eyes widening. Roswaal's yellow eyes met hers head-on — sharp, and glowing with an eerie light as though peering into their depths.
"This 'Sanctuary' is nothing more than land inherited through the Mathers bloodline, but for Emilia-sama's future, it holds great… yes, truly gre-e-at significance. It was always my intention to invite you here eventually — it just so happens that this visit has come a bit earlier than I had pla-anned."
"Something I need…? What do you mean by that?"
"The problem this Sanctuary faces is closely tied to the problem Emilia-sama faces. And so, perhaps here — Emilia-sama may find her footing."
"——!?"
Subaru watched, transfixed, as Emilia's expression changed before his very eyes. Roswaal had prompted that change, and now he observed her reaction — apparently accepting her one brief look of anguish as going according to plan. Subaru, unable to read the emotional undercurrent between the two, could only fumble with a frustrated helplessness.
But before his frustration could form into words, Roswaal pointed at the silent Garfiel.
"You've been called, Garfiel. Take the two of them on a tour of the Sanctuary — no, take them to the Graveyard."
"Oh-ho? You sure about that?"
Garfiel hooked a finger through the handle of his empty cup, tilting it idly, and laughed in a low voice. Roswaal tucked his chin, then gently stroked Ram's pink hair as she tried to change the bandages on his wound.
"First, it's essential that they understand the situation. I can explain the details and so on after the sun goes down, but the Graveyard, we can't exactly do tha-a-at."
"Ah, right — the sun's about to set, isn't it? After dark, even a simple thing like that becomes a hassle. Fine, I'll take them."
Garfiel stood, set the cup on his chair, and turned to face Subaru and Emilia. He tilted his head, baring his canines, and spoke to the two people who, despite being the ones most involved, were being left behind.
"What's with those blank expressions? If you don't want to end up like 'the Rampaging Hogwallow of old, who couldn't even remember yesterday's fury,' then let's move."
"Wait, wait, wait. I can't keep up. We haven't even finished our conversation with Roswaal. At least let us—"
"She reopened her wound. The priority is changing her bandages and having her rest. Barusu and the others, go on ahead to the Graveyard as Roswaal-sama instructed."
Subaru tried to protest against Garfiel's forceful suggestion, but Ram's resolute voice cut him off. Subaru turned to find her gaze cold as ever, her hand resting on the bedsheet.
"Once night falls, we'll talk. Roswaal-sama isn't going anywhere. But the Graveyard — if you don't go before sunset, it will be."
"Never heard of a graveyard that actively runs away."
Subaru scratched his head in response, all the while feeling Emilia's gaze boring into the side of his face. Her eyes wavered with a helpless emotion, and it seemed she was leaving the decision entirely in Subaru's hands.
Stay here and settle things with Roswaal? Or go along with their plan and have Garfiel lead them to the Graveyard? — The answer was already decided.
"Fine. We'll go to this Graveyard. You need us to, right? But when we get back, I swear you're going to tell me everything."
"What a swe-e-et thing to say, with things having turned out like this. We'll have plenty of time to talk once night falls, won't we?"
At Subaru's answer, Emilia let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders. Roswaal gave a satisfied nod. Garfiel and Ram also seemed satisfied, and the pair began moving to carry out their respective tasks. But before they could, Subaru raised a single finger.
"One thing before we go to the Graveyard."
"Hmm? Sure, why not? If it's something I can easily answe-e-er, go right ahead."
"Then I'll take you up on that. — Does the name
Subaru made it sound like a casual aside, but slipped in the real question. The first to react was Ram — though not in the way Subaru had hoped.
The moment the name reached her ears, Ram tilted her head as though she'd heard an unfamiliar word. Subaru's heart sank. Roswaal, meanwhile, rolled the name around in his mouth.
"…How about it?"
"Hmm. Sorry, but the name doesn't really ring a b-e-ell. The name itself is similar to Ram's, but I don't think I'm mixing it up with anything."
"Is… that so. No, it's fine. If you don't remember, there's nothing to be done. Nothing to be done."
Subaru hung his head and shook it, accepting the answer.
Ram's and Roswaal's responses shattered Subaru's faint hope with ease. The two people who had presumably known Rem the longest — the two she had devoted her very life to serving — had both forgotten her existence.
That fact settled into the hollow space within Subaru's chest, and he became all the more keenly aware of it.
— In this world, he was the only one who still remembered her.
"Subaru, are you okay?"
Emilia's concerned voice came softly as she touched his sleeve. Savoring the gentle sensation of her fingertips, Subaru closed his eyes to keep her from seeing his darkened expression, then forcibly raised his cheeks into something resembling a smile.
"I'm fine. It's not like I was getting my hopes up or anything — just figured something like this might happen. But now I'm certain. I have to do something about this."
"Yeah. Let's do something. I'll help too."
Emilia nodded in response to Subaru's resolve, promising her unwavering support. Subaru felt the rough edges of his heart soothed by her kindness, and shrugged.
"If Rem comes back, then the love your dear Subaru has been pouring into Emilia will be split — doesn't that make you jealous?"
"If the amount of feelings you direct toward me would decrease, then maybe. But that's not the case, is it? You said you had a proper share for me and a separate one for Rem."
Subaru's usual deflecting banter met an unexpected counter. He faltered, unable to form a reply, and Emilia — a faint blush coloring her cheeks — gave a triumphant smile.
"Let's go, Subaru. I want to reunite Ram with Rem as soon as possible too."
"R-Right. Yeah, you're right."
Even if no one else remembered — this was the reunion of twin sisters. Perhaps the meeting would evoke something in memory, a tremor born from lost love.
If there was meaning in clinging to even that fragile hope— "Barusu."
As Emilia slipped out of the room following Garfiel's lead, and Subaru moved to follow, a voice from behind called him back.
He turned to find Ram, who had drawn close enough to reach him. She was holding replacement bandages for Roswaal.
"What's up? If you want to play bandage doctor, I can step out and leave you and Roswaal to it—"
"The Graveyard is for Emilia-sama alone. Barusu, you must not — under any circumstances — enter."
The lighthearted comment was cut short, and the severity in Ram's tone even snuffed out Subaru's momentum.
Ram lowered her voice to a level Roswaal couldn't possibly hear, and said— "—If you don't want to be imprisoned by a
She repeated it once more.
*** The air inside the Graveyard was cold and clear — a refreshing atmosphere utterly at odds with what the name implied, and it greeted Subaru as he stepped inside.
With every footfall, his footsteps echoed, forcibly asserting his existence in this place. And yet, that echo brought a certain comfort to his heart.
— In a darkness where not even a few meters ahead was certain, where his very existence seemed to waver under the miasma, even that much was a salvation.
He had long since lost sight of any wall to lean on. He didn't even know where he was standing. Step after step, he never seemed to reach the end of the path, and Subaru began to wonder if he was even moving at all.
But the footsteps denied that illusion. The echoing sound alone guaranteed his existence, the steadiness of his stride — and so he pressed onward, relying on nothing but that.
He had no sense of how much time had passed. In this darkness, even estimating was impossible. His thoughts grew hazy, his throat frozen from having long since abandoned the idea of calling out. Despite walking this far, no fatigue visited him — in fact, even the sensation in his limbs had grown indistinct.
And still, he walked. He had to walk. He must not stop.
He was not allowed to halt. He had to keep going. Even beneath the weight of the burden he carried, even when his legs nearly buckled, he had to grit his teeth and continue.
Because if he didn't, how could he ever face her— "——I see. So that is the crux of you. Quite fascinating."
A voice rang out suddenly, and an eternity that had lost all sense of ending was granted its final curtain call.
The darkness that had seemed to stretch on forever cleared in the span of a blink. The vast world he had assumed lay beyond the edge of existence was replaced by a narrow stone corridor. Beneath his feet was packed earth, caked with dust, and his steps made no sound. Most of all, the air was foul enough to turn his stomach — a stark contrast to the world he had just left.
A realistic, weathered ruin — precisely the kind of place he had imagined before entering the Graveyard — spread out before him, and Subaru was struck speechless.
Then, from ahead, someone approached. It was— "I apologize for the unwelcoming welcome. I didn't intend for it to turn out that way, but I'm afraid this body of mine is a greedy one. I simply can't escape the desire to know."
She was a girl with an impression as white as a virgin snowfall.
Her hair, long enough to reach her back, was a pure, ephemeral white that seemed to reflect the snow itself. Her skin, mostly concealed by her simple clothing, was beautiful enough to seem transparent. Only her eyes — lit with an intellectual brilliance — and the modest garments she wore were pitch black, and these two colors adorned her with a beauty that was nothing short of striking.
A beauty that would captivate anyone who laid eyes on her — and yet, facing her, Subaru was consumed by a dread unlike anything he had ever felt.
Not even when he had first encountered the
Before the speechless Subaru, the girl swished her white hair, narrowed her eyes, and then — as though something had just clicked — gave a small nod.
"My apologies. Here I am, and I haven't even introduced myself. How terribly rude of me. I haven't interacted with people in so long that I seem to have lost my manners."
Despite the lightness in her voice, her expression barely changed as she shook her head ever so slightly.
Then, looking at Subaru — still frozen in terror — she placed a hand over her chest and quietly announced herself.
"My name is