A cry of rage rang out.
Subaru, who had been reaching toward the blood dripping from his right hand with his tongue in his desperate hunger, heard the voice from afar. Rage. Pure rage. Fury. Someone was furious. Someone was seething. It was the sound of someone driven mad with wrath for something's sake.
—It didn't matter. Right now, all he wanted was to satisfy this hunger.
He chewed, chewed, and chewed still, and it wasn't enough.
What could two fingers possibly satisfy? How much could this flowing blood quench his thirst?
Not enough. Not enough. Not nearly enough.
Even after devouring his right hand down to the last, even after devouring what remained of his left, even after gnawing through his own flesh — still not enough. Appetite had no limits. It simply desired what it desired. And for that — "GRAAAAGH!!"
"What the — donk!?!"
A blow from straight above pierced through his rolling skull, and Subaru's body slammed into the ground with a shockwave. The force was so tremendous that the earth buckled violently, and a crater formed in the hill with Subaru at its center.
The one who delivered the blow, her fist still pressed against the back of Subaru's skull, gasped with ragged breath: "I can't take it anymore... why does everyone have to fight...? Violence is the worst... the absolute worst..."
A half-sobbing voice rained down from the sky, and Subaru's consciousness — still confirming the taste of dirt — was pulled back to reality. At the same time, water droplets struck the back of his head, and guided by their touch, he raised his face.
The silhouette of the golden-haired girl was blurring, the tear-streaked figure fading away.
—He didn't realize what had happened to him until he tried to push himself upright and saw that his right hand was intact.
Instinctively, Subaru called out to the disappearing girl: "Th-thank you for healing me...!"
"...Tch."
She turned her face away, and the
Just before vanishing, her averted face was red, her cheeks softening with barely concealed happiness.
And so the golden-haired girl — the Witch of Wrath — vanished from the spot, replaced once again by the ungainly coffin: "Nell is so meddlesome, honestly. It was just a little bit of studying, you know? Right, Suba-ruu?"
The blind Daphne sniffed at his reaction: "That's right, that's exactly the kind of wariness you need. Because this world is nothing but a relationship of eating or being eaten."
"I don't want to think it's really that cutthroat...! What was that just now? It was only for a brief moment... but I was definitely losing my mind."
"That's the kind of starvation madness I'm talking about. When hunger reaches its extreme, it turns people into something worse than beasts. If you saw with your right eye, it'd get even more interesting?"
"...Screw off."
A mystic eye, most likely something of that nature — Subaru had figured as much.
Should he call it the "Mystic Eye of Famine" or the "Mystic Eye of Starvation"? The moment he'd locked eyes with her left eye, Subaru had unconsciously been devouring the fingers of his own right hand.
An hunger so overpowering it obliterated even pain — everything visible became fodder to fill that insatiable void. In other words — "You're telling me that's what the
"Those children modeled themselves after Daphne's nice empty tummy from the start, so... you understand the urge to eat each other, right?"
She said it with a completely straight face. "In the first place, doesn't it bother you to have given birth to creatures like that? You lecture me so high and mighty, but that means you know that hunger too, don't you? Your own children... making your own children go through that..."
"—? Even if the Great Rabbit gets hungry, Daphne's stomach doesn't get hungry?"
"...I'm the idiot for asking."
They were talking past each other. No matter how far they went, he could never understand this Witch.
To her, even the magical beasts she'd birthed were nothing more than emergency rations to nibble on when she felt a bit peckish.
She gave birth from her own body and consumed them herself — the ultimate in self-sufficiency.
"If you'd just sequestered yourself in some other dimension and lived self-sufficiently without bothering anyone, nobody would've had a problem."
"What it really comes down to is, what did Suba-ruu want to ask Daphne? If all you want to do is badmouth me, you'll just get hungry even while you're awake, so I'd like to be excused..."
Inside the coffin, Daphne turned away from Subaru and relaxed her entire body into a reclining position.
He finally understood why she confined herself in that mobile coffin, why her whole body was sealed with restraints. It wasn't a cage to contain her danger — it wasn't.
It was simply a fashion choice, done to reduce the calories she burned by moving, by keeping her limbs bound, to distract from that gnawing hunger.
The eyepatches over both eyes might be an exception, but even those were most likely worn to avoid the physical fatigue of using her mystic eyes.
From start to finish, her existence was entirely self-contained.
A lump of nothing but "appetite" — the Witch of Gluttony. Now that was a fitting name.
"Honestly, I don't expect much, but... how do you destroy the Great Rabbit?"
"Hmm? You want to destroy the Great Rabbit? That child is weak, easy to eat, and multiplies — it's one of Daphne's finest creations, you know?"
"If you can accept the philosophy of eating or being eaten, then you kill to survive. I want you to acknowledge survival instinct too — something that goes beyond mere appetite."
Subaru hurled sophistry's extension at the reluctant Daphne.
In truth, Subaru had already half-resigned himself to the impossibility of extracting useful information from her. She seemed incapable of providing anything helpful, and there wasn't even a hint that a proper conversation could be established between them.
What made it particularly aggravating was that on the surface, they appeared to be having a proper back-and-forth. In reality, she simply crushed every ball he threw, refused to throw one back, and demanded the next.
But — "If you kill to survive, then you'd have to acknowledge killing to survive... hmm, that's... yes, that is true, isn't it?"
"—Wait, you actually understand me?"
"When I think you're right, Daphne concedes. What kind of person does Suba-ruu think Daphne is?"
The honest answer was "by far the most witch-like person I've ever met," but he kept quiet, since saying so would open a can of worms he couldn't close.
Daphne, who had been pouting, took the silence as a casual "hmm" and let it pass: "If you want to destroy the Great Rabbit, then Me-tme-to, Do-nado-na, or Mi-rami-ra could handle it easily."
"Wait — those pet names of yours are impossible to follow. Do-nado-na is
"
"It's a little sad to be rejected by the Lust candidate, but your plan won't work. The Witches can't leave the Tomb. Their power can't be lent."
"Hmm, so it won't work?"
An ally strategy was exactly what Subaru wanted — if they could come out and use their power exclusively against the Great Rabbit or Elsa.
"Hypothetically, even if you could get outside... would you be satisfied just destroying the Great Rabbit? Would you eat your fill and go home?"
"Daphne has never once felt full in her entire life."
"That's exactly why I said you can't get out — none of you can."
He stuck his tongue out at the predictably unsurprising answer and rejected Daphne's proposal. She hummed thoughtfully in the coffin: "If that won't work, then the only option is for everyone to fight hard together and eat every last one of them. They can't multiply from zero, after all... haa haa..."
"Eating them is one thing, but genocide? Still, if even one survives, they'll come back, right? You said they act as a herd — are they always all together?"
"They are. There are many of them, but they share a single consciousness. One consciousness, shared across the group. They're not clever enough to scatter."
"So... there won't be a panic-horror ending where we exterminate them and the survivors multiply underground?"
Defeating the monsters that brought devastation only to discover remnants breeding below, revealing that "the crisis isn't over!" — that was the standard monster-panic conclusion.
At least the Great Rabbit didn't seem capable of that kind of cunning.
"By the way — roughly how many Great Rabbits are there on average? If they cannibalize each other, there should be some system to keep their numbers in check."
"...I don't know? Does Suba-ruu count raindrops when it gets foggy?"
"You're at that level... No, I already know you're useless. I'll have to see for myself."
Considering the swarm that had descended on him, there had been at least a hundred in that single encounter. Given that they consumed the entire
Eliminating them all would require careful consideration of methods and means.
While Subaru contemplated extermination strategies, Daphne yawned hugely, announcing her boredom. Even as Subaru fell silent, she continued moving her mouth: "If Suba-ruu is busy pondering riddles, can Daphne disappear now? Existing makes you hungry, you know."
"Saying you don't want to exist because you get hungry is quite the outburst, but... yeah, regardless of the process, this was helpful. Thanks. Oh, and —"
He tossed off a dismissive thank-you, then added one final thing.
To Daphne's puzzled look, Subaru said in the most spiteful voice he could muster: "I'll be the one to destroy the Great Rabbit. The
"............"
"Four hundred years — those things you created, for whatever reason you thought was right, have been rampaging. That's enough. I'll wipe them out without a trace."
"Just a mere human..."
At Subaru's declaration of war, Daphne reacted in a way he'd never seen before.
She tore her mouth wide open to the sides, displaying for the first time a clear emotion beyond "appetite": "If you can do it — go ahead and try."
From a maw lined with teeth far too sharp, the Witch of Gluttony extended her red tongue and smiled.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ A strong gust of wind blew against him, and Subaru instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes.
The sudden wind whipped through the grassland at his feet, scattering green leaves into the air. He followed them with his eyes, watched them get swallowed into the sky, then turned his gaze back: "Sorry about the outburst, Echidna."
"From my end, I tried to stop you because I knew that's what would happen."
"Can't be helped. You loosened the restraints and removed the eyepatches of your own free will. All I ask is that you appreciate that I didn't touch you."
"That's true. If you'd touched Daphne, it wouldn't have ended with just that. Daphne isn't that threatening with just her left eye. The real terror of Daphne begins with her right eye and the part where 'you get eaten.'"
Horrifying words flew out at him, and Subaru could only recoil.
Honestly, even just that "not that threatening" part had been more than enough abnormality for him.
"...I don't need a post-mortem status report on a target I've already dealt with. Though if I'm going to fight something similar, I'd like to hear about it beforehand."
"A monster, huh?"
The negative impression of Daphne wouldn't wash away, and the words slipped out. At Echidna's slightly parched murmur, Subaru caught his own gaffe.
To her, Daphne was apparently someone she could call a friend. The fact that she could maintain a friendship with someone like that was further proof that Echidna was indeed a witch — but that was one thing, and this was another. Besides, calling another witch a "monster" right in front of a witch — "Ah — that was definitely thoughtless of me. Sorry. I was a bit on edge. I have no comment regarding your friend. That's all I can say."
"Heh heh heh — you don't need to be that considerate around a witch. It's a word I'm quite used to by now."
"...I can't exactly go easy on words regarding Daphne, but I don't think of you as a monster. That much, I'll make sure to say explicitly."
At Subaru's words, Echidna blinked with a slightly dumbfounded expression.
Subaru averted his gaze from that reaction, disgusted with the calculating thoughts churning inside him.
That was about as transparent a piece of flattery as one could manage. Of course, about half of it was probably genuine — but he couldn't ignore the part of him that didn't want to leave a bad impression on this cooperative witch.
Then again, a veteran witch like her probably saw through that much.
"No good, no good. Trying to smooth things over with honeyed words — I won't be so easily fooled. Want to settle it with tea and cookies instead?"
"Don't say that with such a giddy smile on your face! What's with your weird pushover-ness? This goes way beyond being lonely!"
He was worried about Echidna's future if she was this susceptible to such obvious flattery.
Even knowing she didn't truly lack for companionship — a pang pierced through his chest.
"I'll pass on your bodily fluids and whatever might be mixed into those cookies."
"I didn't put any hair in them!"
"At this point I can't help but suspect every word you say!"
He resolved to never eat or drink anything in this place again.
To Subaru's suspicious gaze, Echidna gave a wry smile. Then she fixed him with a steady, evaluating stare. The weight of that gaze was, for some reason, deeply uncomfortable.
"I don't like it when you look at me like you're trying to see right through me."
"If merely peering into someone could reveal everything about them, I'd gladly stare at you until you burned to cinders... but still — are you self-aware of it, or not?"
"Self-aware of what?"
"With my meager imagination, I'd venture to say that what happened to you just now must have been quite a shocking scene for a human. Defeating hunger by devouring your own flesh — that's not exactly a common experience."
At Echidna's flat, detached tone, Subaru reconfirmed just how terrible his state had been. The five fingers on his raised right hand were all there thanks to the Witch who had administered a rather violent healing method — a road-side cauterization, so to speak.
He asked her to convey his gratitude, and Echidna closed one eye: "As for
"The death of a witch, huh. I've heard you were all consumed by the Witch of Envy — is that something I can ask about?"
"Asking the dead about their cause of death — I'm not sure whether to consider that tactless or not. There's not much precedent, after all. As far as my personal feelings... yes. I don't intend to tell you everything. It concerns the honor of the other five as well."
Echidna sealed her lips on the matter of their deaths, and Subaru accepted that as fair enough.
He himself had died countless times, and if someone asked whether he could talk about those deaths with a laugh, the answer was no. "Death" was something that deep and that heavy.
"Come to think of it, that means you're among the very few people who can share this feeling of mine."
"...I'm not sure about that. We may have died once, but whether we can think the same way you do is another matter entirely."
Subaru had hoped for some measure of empathy, only to be denied.
He felt like telling Echidna off for her dismissive attitude, but that impulse dissolved at the sight of her serious expression. She looked at him and furrowed her brow with something like pity: "This ties back to that self-awareness question earlier... Do you realize that you're in a distorted state right now?"
"Distorted...?"
"The special condition of 'Return by Death' is undoubtedly the cause. That's why, knowing the source, I can only see it as painfully obvious — and it's even worse if you're unaware of it."
"You're not getting to the point. What exactly do you mean..."
"Do you believe it's normal to casually converse with someone whose fingers you just ate — simply because the wounds healed?"
"———"
For an instant, Subaru's breath caught.
Echidna observed the frozen Subaru, studying him carefully through her twin eyes. As he resumed the breathing he'd forgotten: "So you weren't unaware after all."
"...I think it's a matter of how I direct my consciousness. Honestly, I am aware that my current thinking is pretty far from normal. It's like I've been stripping away everything else for the sake of what matters most."
"Everything else, such as?"
"For me right now, breaking through this dead-end situation is the top priority. The mansion, the Sanctuary — but above all,
He inhaled through his nose and gazed up at the sky.
Blue sky, white clouds drifting by — an air of somewhere peaceful. Taking that vista in, Subaru let himself imagine the day he'd be staring up at it for real, luxuriating in boredom: "Because you've decided to use everything at your disposal — and use it ruthlessly."
"...You're going to affirm 'Return by Death'?"
"I'm not affirming it. It's just that, for someone like me with few tools to work with, it's the only viable option. ...Don't get the wrong idea — it's not something I want to do."
Seeming to read his true intent, Subaru pressed on even though he knew the words were redundant: "If spending my life gets me closer to the future I want, then that's what I'll do. I've been guaranteed that the number of 'Returns by Death' won't run out — at least as long as I maintain my sanity. After that, it's up to me, spineless as I am, to grit my teeth and push the limit further."
"Accumulating deaths to reach out with your fingertips — that's a resolve no ordinary person could manage."
"I've died too many times. ...Part of me must be going crazy."
He didn't treat death lightly. If anything, the accumulated experience of his own deaths had only strengthened his conviction that death was something terrifying and irrevocable. That much was certain. His fear of death had grown, not diminished.
And yet, the reason Subaru could bring himself to exploit his own death was simple enough.
Having seen worlds where his deaths inevitably led to the same conclusion, Subaru had become unable to endure the deaths of the people he knew — even more than his own.
If he could save them, or him, from the inescapable fate of that death, then he'd spend as many of his own "lives" as it took — lives that could be reclaimed, unlike theirs.
Pain, suffering, terror — he'd swallow it all, die, and live through it.
That, now, was the core of what Echidna had called
"As long as the price I pay only has to crush my heart, I'll do it. 'Return by Death' — huh. Turns out it's the perfect power for a helpless, ignorant, dependent person like me."
"............"
"I half expected you to say something like 'you don't need to put yourself down that much.'"
"Considering the obstacles standing in your way, I can't say that lightly. If you truly wish to change your current situation, there's no path that doesn't involve using it. Personally, I'm dissatisfied that you must rely on the Witch of Envy — but that's all."
The fact that she didn't offer cheap comfort showed that Echidna understood the situation well enough.
It wasn't reassuring, exactly, but having someone who would kick him like this was something to be grateful for.
Even walking a path he knew would leave him covered in bruises — it gave him something to strive for.
"So in the end, I just have to keep repeating 'Return by Death' and go through every possible option. At this rate, I'm worried about how many more times I'll have to suffer."
"............"
"There's a mystery I still need to solve — the Sanctuary as a laboratory, and what kind of experiment you were running there... I take it you still won't tell me?"
"...No, I won't. I already told you — I don't want you to look down on me."
Echidna shook her head at his question, refusing his request.
Accepting that, Subaru cracked his neck: "If you won't tell me, fine. I'll move around on my own and uncover the secrets you're hiding. You won't try to stop me, will you?"
"...If it's going to be uncovered, then so be it. If you're going to wrestle down the secrets I'd rather keep hidden and drag them into the light by force — then I'll accept that with grace."
"The way you say it makes me feel like I'm about to do something terrible!"
Echidna's cheeks flushed faintly as she looked away.
He couldn't tell whether she was deliberately teasing him or if this was just her natural temperament. From what he'd seen at the tea party, her genuine innocence was frankly more terrifying than anything witch-like.
It was right around then that — "Hn —"
Suddenly, still seated in the chair, Subaru felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Like a head rush, it wavered his consciousness several times in succession. It was — "It seems your physical body is about to awaken."
"This tea party's over too, then... If I can call it productive, it was certainly productive."
"Last time, you had absolutely nothing to ask — so as the Witch of Greed, I'd say I redeemed myself somewhat?"
For a witch who loved to talk, loved to teach, and loved to listen — this tea party was likely a great satisfaction. The barely concealed joy and the slight reluctance she showed as Subaru departed tugged at his heartstrings, but he shook his head and cut the sentiment short.
She was a strangely moving witch, but it wouldn't be good to sympathize too much. She was a witch — and moreover, a dead one. Which was the bigger problem, he wasn't sure.
"When I want to come here, what do I need to do?"
"The condition for the tea party? Oh dear, no, no — you mustn't become so dependent on me. I do understand how anxious you must feel, being the only person you can truly open up to about 'Return by Death' — with no one else on the outside who knows. But I'm dead and you're alive, so... no, it won't do."
"Don't say that while visibly wiggling with happiness!"
The fact that he was a guest who hadn't visited in ages and her favorability was skyrocketing — how should he read that?
With one hand on his cheek, glancing sideways, Subaru couldn't decide how to handle Echidna. She covered her mouth and giggled: "Don't look so troubled. I'm a girl too, you know — there are times I want to have a lively chat like this. It's nothing more than that. I know perfectly well the gulf between a witch and a human."
"...Echidna."
"About the tea party condition — you must scream 'I want to know' from the bottom of your heart within the Tomb. The first time, I invited you unconditionally, but the second time onward won't be so easy. The third time will probably be... difficult as well. A surface-level scream won't reach me."
At her rapid-fire explanation, Subaru recalled what had happened just before he was summoned.
Having died and 'Returned by Death' after the Great Rabbit tore his body apart, while his flesh still lingered in the sensation of death, writhing in agony — his consciousness had kept screaming, demanding to know what was happening.
This time, Echidna had heard that scream and invited him to the tea party. If he wanted to come here again, he'd need to put in the same amount of desperate effort — or more.
"That does sound like something I'd rather avoid..."
"Doesn't it? So this may be the last time you and I see each other face to face. Unless you choose to take on the 'Trials,' that is."
As with the first Trial, she would apparently be present for the second and third as well. If Subaru was going to take on the Trials in Emilia's place, then their reunion was practically guaranteed.
In other words — "So we'll meet again in the Trial chamber. There probably won't be tea, though."
"If you insist on having tea, I wouldn't mind brewing it on the spot, but..."
"No, after seeing the manufacturing process, I really don't think I could drink it."
He held out his palm in refusal, and Echidna showed the most disappointed expression yet.
He had no idea what drove her to so eagerly offer her own bodily fluids. Was it some kind of fetish — deriving pleasure from a part of herself becoming part of someone else? She was something else.
"I should be going soon... Well then, Echidna — thanks for everything. Next time we meet..."
"Before that — may I?"
Feeling his body's sensations growing hazy, Subaru was about to bid Echidna farewell. But it was Echidna herself who stopped him.
She stood, and approached Subaru with the hem of her mourning skirt swaying: "You attended the tea party, and I gave you a portion of my knowledge — but... haven't you forgotten something?"
"Forgotten something?"
"Payment."
Narrowing her eyes, Echidna tilted her head and showed Subaru her red tongue.
At those words, Subaru's eyes went wide. "Payment..." he murmured under his breath. Echidna nodded and said, "Yes, payment": "I charged you last time too, didn't I? Deals with witches always come with a price. The previous payment was for the previous tea party — so what shall I take as this time's?"
"Is a rain check no good? Right now, with few cards in hand, having something taken or conditions imposed on me is pretty rough."
"You're a bit short on bargaining skills for negotiating with a witch."
She pressed forward, backing Subaru up even as he retreated with his chair, and a masochistic gleam appeared on her pretty face. She looked Subaru up and down, pondering what to take.
The Witch's price — last time, it had been the erasure of Echidna's existence from his memory upon returning to reality. If she did that again, this entire tea party would vanish from his mind and his progress would be set back. On the other hand, whether he could comply with heavier conditions was unclear — "All right, I've decided."
As Subaru braced himself, Echidna bent forward and brought her face close to his. Just as her lips were about to graze his and Subaru panicked, her body slipped further past him, down into his chest.
White hair fluttering, the witch at close range carried a faint scent of flowers, and Subaru — unused as he was to dealing with beautiful girls — flustered for the first time in a while.
Echidna, ignoring his inner turmoil, reached into his chest: "I'll take this."
"Huh—?"
Confused, Subaru watched as Echidna withdrew her hand from his chest — between her white fingertips, she held a handkerchief fluttering in the wind.
It was white cloth edged in gold, with gray embroidery of the Great Spirit on its lining: "The handkerchief Petra gave me before we set out from the Sanctuary...?"
"You should be grateful to the person who gave you this. It carries a pure, earnest concern for your well-being. Every stitch and thread is imbued with magic power channeled through that sentiment. The power that dwells in things like these is extremely fascinating."
"...Petra, huh."
"You're loved, you know. Sorry to the girl who cared for you, but I'm going to take this."
With a gentle smile at the
With that playful tone, she pinched the hem of her skirt and gave an elegant bow.
Subaru rose from the chair, responding to that small, uncharacteristic gesture of kindness — a farewell as casual as she could manage: "Thanks for everything. All of it. —Farewell."
He too pinched the hem of his clothes and bowed, drawing a wry smile from Echidna.
And the scenery was swallowed by white light — and Subaru departed the tea party.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ —When Subaru's consciousness returned from the tea party, what he felt was the sudden cold and hardness of the floor beneath him, and the foul taste of dust in his mouth.
"Gah! Ptoo! Is this the default every time...?!"
Spitting out the foreign matter, Subaru pushed himself upright and shook his head to hasten his awakening.
First, checking his body's condition, he recalled what had happened before he'd awakened: being killed and eaten by the Great Rabbit and returning, then being invited to Echidna's tea party. Enduring Daphne's torment, steeling his resolve, and being saved by Petra's innocent affection before returning.
None of it had been erased from his memory. He felt relieved at that: "Echidna kept her promise. This tea party wasn't erased from my memory either."
The white-haired witch was burned clearly into his mind this time as well.
She was lacking in many things one would associate with a witch, but the fact that she'd kept her promise — combined with her genuine concern for him — made her one of the few allies he could count on.
It was unfortunate that there didn't seem to be many chances to call on her, but — "This time, above all, was a harvest... if I can call it that."
He placed a hand on his chest and once again recalled the events of the tea party — namely, that he'd been able to confess about 'Return by Death.' He savored the relief.
Being able to reveal it in that place — limited as it was to Echidna and the other witches — and to have someone share the burden of that secret: that was the greatest harvest of all.
Hearing someone who knew more about this otherworld's circumstances than he did give their perspective on 'Return by Death' was another part of it.
He'd returned carrying the knowledge that the Witch of Envy was the root of everything, and that he would inevitably have to face her someday — a heavy burden indeed.
"With renewed feeling, I, Natsuki Subaru, am reborn. For now, I'll rely on that witch's power. As many times as it takes — I'll spend my life as many times as I have to."
If that got him closer to the answer, then that was exactly what he wanted.
"My sense of timing is off from the tea party, but this should be right after the 'Trial'."
That the scene of 'Return by Death' hadn't changed was what Echidna had said, and looking around the dim Tomb, Subaru confirmed that this was indeed where he was.
Verifying that her words had been correct, Subaru realized he needed to start by getting Emilia out of here, and began searching for her: "Given it's right after the 'Return by Death,' it's the third time, and I need to think about how Garfiel will react too. ...I don't think he'll suddenly try to kill me, but..."
Still, given how impulsive the man was, there was no telling what he'd do.
Remembering him brought back the most recent death — torn apart by the Great Rabbit — and before that, the village massacre, and dark emotions welled up unbidden.
Defeating the Great Rabbit, defeating Elsa, solving the mystery of the Sanctuary, and settling things with Garfiel.
The fact that these things hadn't happened in the current timeline didn't mean Subaru could simply forgive them. He had to make things right for Garfiel too, in some way.
Harboring those thoughts, Subaru had been building up his negative feelings toward Garfiel outside — when those thoughts were suddenly cut short. Because — "...Emilia? Where is she?"
—She was nowhere to be found.
Subaru furrowed his brow at the dissonance and strained his eyes in the dark Tomb. But no matter where he looked within the Trial chamber — not particularly large — he couldn't find Emilia's slender form lying on the ground.
This was unprecedented.
"If this is right after the 'Return by Death,' Emilia should still be in the middle of the Trial..."
Normally, Emilia — who had failed the first Trial and was struggling to face her past — should be lying beside Subaru.
And yet she wasn't here. But the timeline was correct — it had returned him to the Tomb right after the Trial.
"............"
A bad premonition.
Emilia's absence, and the difference from the usual circumstances.
The only way a change that shouldn't have occurred could happen was if Subaru's actions had altered the future. But Subaru had been unconscious — what impact could his actions have possibly had?
Driven by mounting urgency, Subaru burst out of the Trial chamber and into the corridor. His heavy footsteps echoed as he passed through the passage and outside the Tomb.
And in the moonlight, Subaru stepped outside to find —.