—How many times must my heart be broken before I'm forgiven?
"Well, that's that... What a thoroughly ungratifying job."
Inside the dim storeroom, a raven-clad beauty tilted her head as she gazed upon three corpses submerged in a sea of blood.
Despite standing in a field drenched with the stench of blood, not a single drop of splatter had touched her—a display of abnormal skill—and the unnerving composure with which she regarded the carnage before her without so much as a change in expression.
Truly, here was a monster wearing the skin of a human.
The monster walked across the blood-soaked floor, examining each fallen body with idle curiosity.
A massive old man, severed from shoulder to arm, bleeding out profusely from his neck. A black-haired boy whose belly had been sliced clean open, entrails spilling out as he thrashed about and died.
—And then, the silver-haired girl, bisected from her left shoulder diagonally down to her right hip.
—Just how many times had she protested that she never wanted to see this sight again?
"The outcome of the commission is the worst possible state, but... what to do about it?"
Pressing a finger to her red lips, the monster murmured in an oddly relaxed voice that was entirely out of place for the setting. In the hand opposite the one touching her lips, she dangled a sinister-shaped blade stained crimson—a Kukri knife.
The weapon that had claimed three—no, four lives in this storeroom swayed back and forth as Elsa, the monster, wore a bewitching smile.
"Oh my."
Easing, Elsa tilted her head and lightly leapt backward from where she stood.
An instant later, the spot where Elsa had been was pierced from directly below by a blade of ice. Chain-reacting icicles pursued her descending feet, thrusting upward like fangs—stabbing, biting, lunging to tear into her.
"This is—"
"You've got some nerve—doing what you did."
Pale light gathered in the air before Elsa as she dodged the ice blades, coalescing into the form of a small spirit.
The floating cat spirit—Pack—had sharpened his expression, his androgynous voice trembling with fury.
"I'll make you regret taking
"Oh, that child... she was a spirit user? How delightful. I've never gotten to look inside a spirit's belly before. —But—"
Elsa laughed, her face lit with an ecstatic expression as she welcomed the premonition of battle, Pack floating icicles in the air and assuming a combat stance before her. However, before taking her stance, she closed one eye.
"Why didn't you come out before that child died? A spirit user and their spirit function as a pair—you can't get the full experience without both present. What a waste."
"Save your breath, murderer. —Even I wouldn't be bound by a contract right now."
Pack shook his head, his expression twisted in revulsion.
Baring his fangs, he extended his small hand toward Elsa.
"I have no intention of exchanging words. I'll freeze you solid and at least offer your soul to Rem's peace. After you—this country, the world, the dragon, the
"Oh, how wonderful—entertain me, won't you!"
Elsa leapt, scurrying across the ceiling and walls like a spider. Aimed at her slender frame, icicle after icicle was launched, piercing the storeroom walls, freezing the very atmosphere, as a shrill shriek tore through the air.
The field of vision whitened over, and nothing could be seen.
Not even the bodies of Subaru and
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ —How many times must the world betray me before I'm rewarded?
"Rem merely prevented the situation from worsening preemptively. When we found him, Subaru-kun was already beyond saving. —He must have wanted it over with as quickly as possible."
"That result... you'd call that a kind end, Rem? Subaru is my benefactor—there must have been so many things we still wanted to talk about, and to just—"
The voices of two beloved girls arguing reached his ears.
One voice stirred in Subaru a mixture of tenderness and anguish.
And the other—how many times, whenever he was thrust into dire straits, had he wished to hear it, clung to it, longed for it to touch him gently.
The blue-haired girl and the silver-haired girl faced each other, an uneasy tension flowing through the room.
The setting was the mansion's drawing room. The two sat across a table from each other, a confrontation on the verge of erupting.
"Now, now, Lady Emilia, let's not be so hasty. First of all, shouldn't we properly hear Rem's side of the story?"
"Roswaal... are you even aware of what's happening? Rem... your servant... killed Subaru, my benefactor—the guest of your household as well!"
"Oh, I am quite aware. That's precisely why we must hold this discussion properly. —So that our feelings don't go awry."
Roswaal narrowed his yellow eyes as he responded to Emilia's words. Then the clown turned his gaze to Rem seated beside him. Sensing his look, Rem tucked her chin and began: "Late last night, in the East Wing... on the floor where Lady Emilia's quarters are located, there was an intruder. I detected this with the alert stone and immediately went to the scene, where I found Subaru-kun crawling about."
"So at that point, Barusu was already under the curse's influence."
"Yes, just as my sister said. Subaru-kun was weakened to the point of near death. The curse had reduced his life force to its absolute limit, and I judged that there was no way to save him, so..."
"So you beat him to death with an iron ball. —Mauling his body so brutally."
"Lady Emilia—"
It was
"Facts are facts. ...Subaru's body—the torso and head were in terrible condition. If all you wanted to do was ease his suffering, there were far simpler methods. So why did you—"
"That is..."
"............"
Rem faltered under Emilia's questioning.
The reason she couldn't bring herself to say more was twofold: Rem was constitutionally unsuited to lying, and Emilia's words had struck squarely at the truth.
At this point in time, Rem harbored deep distrust toward Subaru.
Two weeks into her stay at the mansion—after killing Subaru inside the house and being unable to conceal his death, this discussion had been arranged.
And around that time, Rem's hostility toward Subaru had intensified, given his overly familiar treatment of Ram. She had felt no hesitation whatsoever in carrying out her murderous intent.
—When she raised that iron ball over Subaru on the upper floor of the mansion, what had she been thinking?
Even Rem herself probably couldn't say for certain.
"—That your hand slipped, or that you hesitated... that was the kind of answer I was hoping to hear."
"———!"
Emilia murmured sorrowfully with her eyes closed. Rem jerked her head up in response.
Whether Emilia's words had truly captured Rem's true feelings was unknown. And it would remain unknown forever.
" Lady Emilia, where are you going?"
As Emilia rose and brushed off the hem of her skirt, Roswaal asked, his expression now blank.
Receiving his words, Emilia ran her hand through her long silver hair.
"—I'm leaving. It was only a short time, but thank you for everything. Without your support, I wouldn't have been able to participate in the royal selection. But... I can't trust you anymore."
"Even without trust, wouldn't we still be useful to each other? Walking out in a huff like this isn't exactly the wisest choice."
"A huff...?"
Emilia froze mid-step, her expression hardening in shock at Roswaal's choice of words. Then she marched right up to him.
"————"
A sharp, dry crack rang out. No one could stop it.
Her slender white fingers had struck Roswaal's pale cheek in a firm slap.
Emilia was breathing hard from just that single blow, her cheek beginning to redden. Roswaal, the one who had been slapped, showed no reaction whatsoever—but Ram, pale with fury, started to rise.
"Ram."
"But, Roswaal-sama—"
"It's fine. Stay seated. Lady Emilia, my apologies for Ram's rudeness."
"Always like this with me... yet you never say a word about Subaru...!"
Emilia bit down on her lip, glaring at the coldly composed Roswaal. Fury swirled in her violet eyes, but Roswaal remained utterly unperturbed under the weight of her gaze.
His attitude practically said he was standing in a different place from her entirely.
"Leaving this mansion, returning to the forest—what exactly do you think will remain inside you?"
"I was wrong to fall for your sweet talk. The debt I owe... there were other ways to repay it. I chose wrong, and Subaru died."
Roswaal closed his eyes at her words, and Emilia spoke in a quiet voice.
Then she shook her head slightly.
"I'll take his soul with me and lay him to rest peacefully in the forest. —Whether it's Subaru or anyone else, no matter how long it takes, I'll dedicate my time to performing rites of repose. And with that, this conversation is over."
Making it clear she had no intention of continuing, Emilia put distance between herself and Roswaal.
Roswaal's mismatched eyes followed her retreating back as her silver hair swayed. Still seated, he half-extended a hand toward her departing figure—then lowered it.
"If the script has changed, then this must be... where I end up, huh—?"
"Roswaal-sama..."
Ram took his hand and spoke to him in a worried tone as he murmured weakly. The clown glanced at the girl gazing at him with concern and offered a feeble smile.
"It seems the bet is yours to win, Ram. My objective will likely be stalled at this point... which means the contract will be fulfilled."
"...Yes. Yes, Roswaal-sama."
With the two exchanging quiet words behind her, Emilia made her way toward Rem, who had risen and opened the door. Before passing by, she looked at Rem, who bowed solemnly.
"Take me to Subaru."
"Lady Emilia, that's—"
"I know he's in a terrible state. Do what you can to put him back together... I'm taking him to the forest with me."
Rem's expression stiffened, then she looked down at the sight of Emilia's sorrowful profile. Her look seemed to carry both regret and anger.
She was surely struggling with why things had turned out this way.
—Why things had turned out this way—no one could say.
"I'm sorry, Subaru—I couldn't do anything."
That was the last thing Emilia whispered.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ —How many times must I be confronted with my own stupidity before I'll finally understand?
"Death, death! Death-death-death-death, death!!"
Cackling, shrill laughter echoed through the air.
A young woman with long red hair flung wildly about was howling with laughter—chest thrust forward, mouth gaping wide, drool trailing from the corners of her lips.
Everything about her would make any woman her age avert her gaze. Most of all, those bloodshot eyes, wide open as she displayed her lunacy—she was utterly devoid of anything human.
"With love! For love! By love! Love alone! Repaying love—that is everything, death! Aaah! Oh, Witch! Beloved Witch! Where my love leads!"
Dropping to her knees, she thrust both hands skyward, tears streaming down her face as she proclaimed her love to the heavens.
All around this woman indulging in madness, corpses lay scattered across a sea of blood. Bodies with limbs torn off, necks gouged open, their human dignity trampled and discarded.
Among them lay the body of a black-haired boy who had run his own sword through his throat.
In the village of Arlam, blood pools had spread everywhere. The armed members of the subjugation team had all fallen to the ground, their lives ripped out root and stem.
Once the Sword Devil—the group's main force—had fallen to the ambush, the outcome had been decided.
What remained was a massacre at the hands of the "Invisible Hands," and even the chain of their death agonies had ended in a matter of minutes.
" My diligence! That I struck down the lazy—what else can one call that but an act of love? Aaah! My devotion, my faith, my unwavering love! Accept it! Receive it! Embrace it—!!"
The woman who screamed of love, wept tears, and howled in a sea of blood—this was the monster who stole bodies and corrupted minds, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
The madman had wiped out Subaru and the others who had come to rescue the village, and even having lost all his followers, he still proclaimed his love at the top of his lungs.
And then— "—What... happened?"
A breathless girl came running down the single road leading to the village, her silver hair sticking to her forehead, which she irritably brushed aside. Her violet eyes scanned the carnage.
—Emilia opened her eyes wide at the sight of the villagers submerged in a sea of blood. And then she noticed.
"Subaru?"
Among the devastation, the boy she knew so well was lying there.
In that instant, what emotion swept through Emilia's mind? The feelings that churned behind those widened eyes were so complex that no one—not even she herself—could have understood.
All Emilia could do was tremble, her lips quivering.
"How... Subaru, why are you lying there...?"
"Rem—! It's bad, it's the
While Emilia stood there in blank disbelief, unable to accept reality, Pack flew out in her place, frantic with urgency.
He circled around Emilia, glaring at Petelgeuse standing alone at the scene of the tragedy, his dark eyes filled with intense vigilance and hostility.
"Rem! Right now, right this instant! You have to leave this place immediately! You mustn't encounter that... the Sin Archbishop! The trial will begin! If it's imposed on you, something terrible will happen!"
"Pack...?"
"I remember now, finally! That one... when I met that person, I finally remembered! Why did I forget this... there's still so much I can't remember... it was made so I wouldn't remember unless things reached this point... if that's the case—"
Tilting his head skyward, stretching his small body to its limit, Pack screamed.
"This isn't what I agreed to—
His voice, laden with urgency and hatred, echoed loudly through the trees. Pack shook his head, panting. Emilia was at a loss for words at the sudden transformation of this being so close to her.
And the madman, hearing that cry, slowly rose to his feet.
"Well, well—how do you do, death!"
Petelgeuse tilted his upper body, violently yanking at his own long hair, pulling strands free without mercy until blood began to trickle from his scalp.
The sight of his self-harm sent a shudder of revulsion and fear through Emilia's eyes.
"Archbishop of Sin of the Witch Cult, holder of 'Sloth'—Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti, death!"
Cackling, the madman laughed as the atmosphere itself trembled from the sound resonating in his throat.
Still laughing, he fixed his gaze on the frozen Emilia, tilting his upper body, his neck, looking her up and down as though licking her with his eyes.
"...What a marvellous... vessel, death."
He breathed out a sigh of awe.
A dry sound—applause. Petelgeuse clapped his hands and directed his applause toward Emilia.
"How splendid, death! What a vessel befitting a worthy host! What a visage that recalls the Witch in her prime! To think such a vibrant vessel could be prepared—there can be no other outcome! The trial! The trial to see whether the Witch Factor will take root!"
"Silence, madman! If you take one step closer to this girl—I'll make you regret ever being born! Without exception!"
"Before love, pain and fear are all but offerings to be made... nothing serves as a reason to stop, death."
Petelgeuse spouted his delusions, and Pack fired back vehemently—but the madman wouldn't listen. As the madman approached with his shambling gait, all Pack could do was tremble.
"Why... why, at a time like this can't I... no, wait. I'm remembering. No. That's right, no, no! No! I—"
"Pack! Wh-what should I... what should I do?! I—Subaru, he's right there—!"
"The trial! The journey's end of a diligent soul—chosen right here! A full vessel would interfere with the soul poured into it! The contents are unnecessary—death!"
Emilia called desperately to the head-clutching Pack, and Petelgeuse continued advancing without pause, closing in on the two bewildered figures.
His fingers moved in grotesque contortions, tongue licking his lips. The alarm bells inside Emilia screamed at full volume.
At his unhinged gaze, Emilia gasped, her voice a rasp.
"No... I'm scared, Father... please..."
It was a pleading whisper.
A tiny voice that seemed like it could reach no one.
Petelgeuse completely ignored it and extended his hand toward Emilia. From there, the "Invisible Hands" of the Authority of Sloth—invisible to any eye—surely reached out.
To bind Emilia's frozen body and carry out his foul intentions— "—Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on my daughter!!!"
In the next instant, with staggering density and force, a wall of ice appeared before Emilia's eyes.
The wall divided the space between Emilia and Petelgeuse, then kept rising, splitting the ground one after another as it expanded outward.
Caught off guard, Petelgeuse—who had been extending his Invisible Hands—leapt backward as well.
"This is—!"
"I finally remembered the most important thing... I'll break contracts, sever bonds, do whatever it takes to protect this. If this constraint is the price, that wretched—"
The floating small cat spoke quietly to Petelgeuse, who was shaken in rare alarm.
Dispelling the confusion that had clouded him moments before, the spirit glared at the madman with a clear, resolute expression.
"I remembered why I became what I am. To protect my daughter—that was the reason all along. If the restriction for that is what it is, then fine."
"—"
Pack looked about ready to click his tongue as Emilia reached out her fingertips toward him, but her throat went dry.
There, at her chest, a crystal stone glowed with green light. The spirit vessel for Pack, the precious stone that connected Emilia and Pack.
Without anyone having touched it, it had suddenly shattered into pieces.
"How... why...?"
"Because I... I broke the restriction, so the payment has begun. Was this always part of the plan from the start... even so—"
Turning around, Pack brought himself to the same height as Emilia's face.
Emilia's eyes wavered with confusion at Pack's actions. Gazing at her like that, Pack's expression softened with a look of deep tenderness.
"Rem, this is goodbye—"
"But—"
"I broke the restriction, and I can no longer maintain this form. I can't stay by your side anymore, and with the price taken from me, that's impossible too. —I'm sorry."
"No, I don't want that, Pack... because everyone, everyone is gone... Subaru is there too... everyone's gone. Gone! And if Pack goes away too... I'll be all alone forever... I don't want that!"
Whining like a child, Emilia wept ugly tears.
Pack wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks with his long tail, then pressed his lips to the nose of the weeping girl.
"Don't say unreasonable things. Ram is still at the mansion.
"But I... I can't be with anyone other than Pack..."
"Now go. In my world, the most precious, the loveliest, the most beloved Emilia—"
"Pa—"
Before Emilia could say another word, Pack's small body pressed firmly against her forehead.
Unable to withstand the unexpected force, Emilia's body drifted backward—in an instant, a rift in space swallowed her slender form.
"Wha—"
In the blink of an eye, Emilia vanished from the village without a trace.
—Having witnessed this, Pack let out a long breath.
"I'm sorry for forcing you into this, Beatrice."
His words of gratitude directed at the co-conspirator of that sudden disappearance.
Then Pack turned around and regarded Petelgeuse, who had been watching the whole thing intently.
"Just standing by and watching... you're a remarkably well-mannered fanatic, aren't you?"
"If you had made a move, that would have meant you intended to destroy me at that moment, death. Either way, once I chase you back to the mansion, the result is the same, death. There's no need to recklessly tread on the tiger's tail, death."
"I see. For someone who seems unhinged, you're surprisingly lucid. —Scum."
Spitting the word, Pack leapt over the ice wall and headed toward Petelgeuse.
Petelgeuse, greeting his advance, was not so crass as to launch an interception with his Invisible Hands mid-approach.
The two faced each other at a set distance.
"There's no time. —So let's start and finish this quickly. I've left everything after that to my dependable little sister."
"You seem to have changed your demeanor, death. For a spirit, you're awfully human."
"—You think so?"
With his small hand, Pack rubbed his pink nose and smiled sardonically.
"This is how I look now, but originally I was a bit taller and shorter, with a handsome face. If your daughter's that adorable, it stands to reason, right?"
"...A statement that defies comprehension, death."
"Ah, it's fine. You don't have to understand. —You're going to die here."
As he spoke, Pack's body began to turn white as he pointed both hands at Petelgeuse.
His mana was depleted, and he could no longer maintain his physical form. This was partly due to the severing of the path between him and Emilia, and perhaps also a consequence of the restriction he himself had spoken of breaking.
Either way, his outline was becoming hazy— "I'll destroy you before I disappear. Having a fanatic as your suicide partner—that's nauseating."
"Regrettably, even if this body perishes, I will not—"
"I'll freeze your soul along with you, right here. —And then, what happens?"
The expression that had remained fearless until that moment froze on Petelgeuse's face.
At the madman's wide eyes, Pack laughed from the bottom of his heart with genuine amusement.
"Aah—that's the face I wanted to see, you idiot."
In that instant, as the spirit's outline unraveled, a white light erupted— ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Forced to witness one ended world after another, Subaru lay flat on the ground.
He no longer even understood where he himself was.
Was this reality, or a dream? Was he trapped in a repeating nightmare? Was he even allowed to dismiss that as merely a nightmare?
Were these simply possible worlds? Or had they truly occurred? Could he be sure that his own mind wasn't fabricating convenient worlds to spare him? And if so, what were these worlds where information he had never known flowed in?
Were they worlds born from delusion? Was reality being consumed by a different reality? Regardless, the suffering Subaru's heart had endured was immense.
So much so that he could not stand up straight—could not so much as lift his head.
And so— "You can't stand anymore, Subaru-kun?"
He heard someone beside him gently reaching out to cradle his heart.
And it felt like a voice he cherished—the voice of someone dear.
"————"
A single streak of hot tears traced a path down Subaru's cheek.