"The Sage…
The name Anastasia uttered sent a murmur rippling through the assembly hall.
As everyone exchanged glances with expressions of disbelief, Subaru alone was left behind, completely out of the loop.
Wearing a troubled look, Subaru nudged the shoulder of
"Hey, is this Sage Shaula somebody famous?"
"…Subaru, when you were studying your letters, didn't you read stories about the Witches? I think that fairy tale was among the many books you read."
"A fairy tale about a
Prompted by Emilia, Subaru dredged up an old memory from a year ago.
The memory had nearly been buried under the avalanche of tumultuous days, but he'd been studying his letters using children's picture books a year ago—right around the time he'd first begun staying at Roswaal's mansion. The book was a celebrated anthology of fairy tales popular across this world, and it had indeed contained a section about the "Witch of Envy." However, the details had been— "Honestly, it wasn't that detailed, so I have no idea about the specifics. Something like, 'a long time ago, a Witch did some bad things somewhere,' was about the extent of it."
"Was it really that vague… Let me see…"
"-'Long ago, she brought chaos and ruin to this world—the terrifying symbol known as the Witch of Envy.'"
As Subaru paraded his ignorance, Emilia was racking her brain for how best to explain. It was Julius, seated on the far side of her, who opened his mouth in her place.
"According to records, she was a half-elf of tremendous magical power who commanded shadows, possessing a personality so cruel and cold-blooded it defies description. Beyond that, only her name is known—
"Oh…"
Subaru nodded along to Julius's flat, carefully emotionless explanation.
The very effort he put into keeping his delivery detached spoke volumes about his state of mind, but no one in the room remarked on it. Julius's account continued without pause.
"At the Great Waterfall at the far eastern edge of Lugunica, there is a shrine built from demon-sealing stone. The Witch remains sealed within that shrine to this day, spewing forth vast quantities of miasma."
"I… heard she couldn't be destroyed. But still, to think someone managed to封印—seal away such a powerful Witch."
"That is where the Sage's name enters the picture."
Hearing Subaru's question, Julius nodded.
The knight touched the sword at his hip and directed his gaze toward the red-haired young man at the end of the round table.
"Four hundred years ago, three heroes contributed to the sealing of the Witch of Envy. One of them bore the name 'Sword Saint'—
"There are also records suggesting that the first Sword Saint, Reid Astrea, had not yet received the Blessing. What we know as legend isn't always fact, you understand. Of course, it is historical truth that that Reid established the current Astrea family and the name of the Sword Saint."
Reinhard supplemented Julius's explanation, glancing at the knight. Yet for all that it was about an ancestor who had achieved legendary deeds in history, Reinhard's expression as he spoke was strangely subdued. He seemed to be considering Julius's feelings, and perhaps wasn't keen on the topic of the Blessing he himself had inherited.
In any case, "So the Sage was one of the Sword Saint's companions—that's the idea?"
"More precisely, Sage Shaula and the Divine Dragon
He'd heard the name of the "Divine Dragon" Volcanica many times during the Royal Selection announcement. The claim had been that the dragon's blood brought bountiful harvests to barren land, could cure any illness, and had some other extraordinary, almost absurd properties.
"The Sword Saint, the Sage, and the Divine Dragon are collectively called the Three Great Heroes. It's worth remembering."
"Whoa, that's pretty hype… Got it. Thanks for the explanation."
Subaru raised a hand to acknowledge both Julius and Emilia, then stole a glance at
Unfortunately, even Beatrice seemed to know nothing about legends from four hundred years ago.
As an artificial spirit created by
"Sorry for stalling the discussion. Let's keep going. The main topic is this Sage Shaula, but…"
Apologizing for interrupting, Subaru tried to steer the conversation back on track. But even as the words left his mouth, he noticed something off and tilted his head.
He now understood the background of the Sage Shaula, the hero from four hundred years ago—but— "Wait, what? She's alive? It's been four hundred years!"
"Is that really so strange…? I'm actually over a hundred years old myself, in a sense…"
"——!?"
At Subaru's muttering, Emilia pressed a finger to her lips with a puzzled expression. Her words caused a brief stir in the assembly hall, but conversely, Subaru found himself thinking, "Fair point."
When he thought about it calmly, Emilia was over a hundred in actual years, and Beatrice was a four-hundred-year-old loli. Pack had said something about being four hundred too, so the average age of Emilia's camp might well be around a century.
"A pretty shocking fact… but aside that, what about the Sage's life or death?"
"She's alive. —That much seems certain."
"Seems…?"
Subaru furrowed his brow at Julius's vague answer. But it wasn't just Julius who was being cagey—everyone around the table wore the same expression. In particular,
"So, what does that mean exactly?"
"Her location is known, and her survival has most likely been confirmed. However, no one has managed to actually exchange words with the Sage herself… or so it would seem."
"That's even more confusing?"
Her whereabouts were known, and her survival was tentatively confirmed. Yet contact was impossible.
That was how he understood the summary.
"Currently, Sage Shaula has built a tower near the Witch's shrine and has been stationed there since that time, keeping watch to suppress anyone attempting to revive the Witch of Envy. She's been doing that all this time."
"…Four hundred years?"
"Four hundred years."
It was an staggering tale.
Four hundred years cooped up inside the Forbidden Library was one thing for Beatrice, but this Sage Shaula was equally stubborn.
"The tower where Sage Shaula resides is called the
"…Yeah, I have thoughts about the name of the tower, but fine, go on."
"Going on—that's pretty much the end of it, y'know? Sage Shaula sacrifices herself, keeping watch over the shrine forevermore for the sake of world peace. The end."
Ferris clapped his hands together with a thoroughly sour expression, as if to say, "Ta-da."
Being told "the end" didn't close the matter at all—his attitude made that obvious, and it certainly didn't explain the funeral-like atmosphere pervading the hall.
Naturally, there had to be some reason for it— "So, is there something wrong with her, or…?"
"The Sage Shaula, who watches over the Witch for the sake of world peace… that name is known far and wide, across the entire world. I've known it since my days in
"?"
Anastasia flashed a sweet, honeyed smile and paused for a beat.
Then, directed at Subaru, who had a bad feeling about what was coming, she spoke.
"Sage Shaula is a person of extreme misanthropy who trusts absolutely no one. —Anyone who approaches the shrine or the Watchtower, no matter their purpose, is killed on sight. Every last one of them."
* —According to Anastasia's explanation, here was the situation.
Sage Shaula, who had constructed the Pleiades Watchtower and continued to watch over the Witch's shrine.
There had been numerous attempts over the years for people to make contact with and interact with the Sage, but every single one of these efforts had ended in failure or collapse.
And the reason was none other than Sage Shaula's own interference.
"The Great Waterfall at the eastern edge of Lugunica… the Witch's shrine and the Watchtower are in the same area, but from the Sage's perspective, she can't tell what purpose anyone approaching might have."
Therefore, the Sage made no distinction between the depraved Witch Cultists seeking to desecrate the shrine and people trying to make friendly contact at the Watchtower. She killed them all without discrimination.
The target's morality, affinity, justice, or malice—none of it mattered. This was simply the optimal course of action.
As a result, no one had successfully made contact with Sage Shaula in four hundred years. There were no records of it either.
"Buut the situation of getting attacked whenever you approach has been going on and on, so we know for certain that Sage Shaula is still at the Watchtower, nya."
"That's one incredibly troublesome Sage…"
"That's not quite right, nya. Actually, there are far more Witch Cultists trying to approach the shrine than Subaru-kun would imagine. So the Sage, picking them off one by one, is at least fulfilling her purpose of preventing the Witch of Envy's revival."
That said, even though Ferris expressed a positive opinion, his expression remained gloomy. In fact, looking unhappy was something shared by all the Royal Guard members—perhaps the entire order had been on the receiving end of the Sage's wrath at some point.
Subaru, for his part, also nodded along with Ferris's position.
Taken from the angle of using any means to achieve one's end, it was certainly an extreme inconvenience. But given the nature of the
Rather, it was precisely because such a being existed—who remained perpetually vigilant against the Witch of Envy—that this world had a kind of safety mechanism against the Witch's influence.
"The identity of a hermit who despises the world and lives in fear for as long as time allows is of no consequence. What matters is the fact that you are borrowing my finite time. If this idle chatter is to continue, I shall return to my quarters at once. Shult must massage my feet."
"Y-yes, that is correct! Lady Priscilla has worked tremendously hard and is very tired! I shall tend to you with all my heart!"
Shult, pulled close and buried in a generous bosom, responded with a flushed face. Priscilla, stroking the boy's head with a smile fit for a villainess, had never seen much value in this conference to begin with.
The fact that she hadn't thrown a tantrum and had gone along with it this far was itself nothing short of miraculous.
"Same deal with the Princess over there, but I'm getting impatient to get to the point, and I'm not alone in that. Tell us—about the Sage,"
Sensing her frustration, Subaru turned to Anastasia.
"Sorry for all the interruptions, but what about this hermit-like Sage?"
"Ah, and now we finally return to the very beginning of the story."
Anastasia clapped her hands. She touched the fox fur stole at her neck and swept her gaze across everyone at the round table.
"Everyone already knows that Sage Shaula contributed to the sealing of the Witch of Envy with her extraordinary wisdom and magical power. And she's said to have a breadth of insight that sees through the world, as well as knowledge that encompasses everything in it. If both of those are the unembellished truth… wouldn't she likely know some way to deal with what the Witch Cult has done?"
"…But that's still just wishful thinking, isn't it?"
"Natsuki-kun, are you saying you're against it?"
The question was returned as a question, but answering Anastasia's inquiry wasn't straightforward.
Simply looking at the title of "Sage," relying on her was honestly not a bad idea. On that point, Subaru didn't think it was a poor plan. A person who had accomplished deeds worthy of being recorded in legend—she might genuinely know of a way to resist the factors of a Great Sin Archbishop.
However, a separate unease gripped Subaru and refused to let go.
The name of "Sage" Shaula, and the Pleiades Watchtower where the Sage resided. Those two keywords made it impossible for Subaru to accept the proposal at face value.
Both Shaula and Pleiades were words deeply familiar to Subaru.
"————"
Shaula was the name of the second-brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, in the modern knowledge Subaru knew.
And the Pleiades of the Pleiades Watchtower was even more blatant—it was the name of a cluster of stars called the Pleiades star cluster. Its Japanese name was "Subaru."
He didn't think it was necessarily pointing to
The Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops—Petelgeuse, Regulus, Sirius, Capella, Alphard, Batenkaitos.
Every Sin Archbishop whose name had been identified bore a name that was also a star from Subaru's world. Given that reality, it was impossible not to carry a preconception about Sage Shaula and the Pleiades Watchtower.
"Putting Subaru-kun's objections aside…"
Ferris interjected on behalf of the silent Subaru, who couldn't manage an effective rebuttal. He raised a finger to his cheek and, aside from his sharp gaze, assumed his usual demeanor.
"The idea of visiting Sage Shaula might be fine, but the problem is the 'how,' isn't it? Is there even a way? No one can reach the Watchtower."
"Not being able to reach it—does that mean the Sage is too strong?" Felt asked, sitting cross-legged on her chair.
She glanced sideways at Reinhard.
Indeed—if it was simply a matter of the Sage's power being beyond reach— "Wouldn't Reinhard be able to handle it? He's useless for anything other than being strong, but just being strong is incredible enough."
"It's rare for Lady Felt to compliment me. Thank you."
"There it is."
Felt clicked her tongue in irritation at Reinhard's response. But immediately after, Reinhard lowered his eyebrows with a troubled expression.
He prefaced his next words with "However…" looking apologetic.
"Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the Watchtower. My strength was insufficient."
"…This guy being insufficient is kind of a big deal, isn't it?"
"I don't mean it in terms of combat power, Lady Felt. There is no domain in this world beyond Reinhard's capability. However, the Pleiades Watchtower presents a problem entirely different from that kind of obstacle."
"Knows a lot about it… Oh, right, he was a Royal Guard, so that makes sense."
Ferris made a uncomfortable face at Julius, who backed up Reinhard. As Subaru watched the awkward dynamic among the three Royal Guard members, he turned to Reinhard.
"What was the purpose of trying to meet the Sage?"
"A royal order. To find a cure for the plague. —That was two years ago."
"Two years ago…"
The words "plague" and "two years ago" immediately helped Subaru understand the context.
Two years ago from now—that was precisely when members of the royal family had been falling one after another to an illness of unknown origin within the royal palace. An epidemic with no known cure—most likely, Reinhard had been ordered to seek out the Sage to learn of a treatment.
But he had failed, and that was why the three Royal Guard members wore such grim expressions.
"The Watchtower and the shrine are located within the
"But?"
"Strange phenomena occur frequently within the sand dunes, preventing anyone from getting close to the Watchtower. Some say it's caused by the miasma leaking from the shrine."
"On top of that, the miasma attracts monsters, and the Augria Sand Dunes have become a nest of magical beasts. In land saturated with miasma, monsters become abnormally ferocious and resilient. In that sense, heading there is considered suicidal from the start."
"A labyrinth of shifting sands full of monster nests—truly hell."
On top of the Sage's own troublesomeness, there was a desert that even Reinhard couldn't traverse, and within that desert lurked swarms of monstrous beasts—there were simply too many factors demanding abandonment.
It was no wonder that contact with the Sage had never been achieved in four hundred years.
"—But what if there were a way to cross that hell?"
"————"
Just as the gloomy atmosphere was settling over the room, a sudden remark drew everyone's eyes up.
Anastasia wore a look of deep satisfaction, as though she had cut in at the perfect moment. She nodded so that everyone could see.
"That's why I went out of my way to bring up the Sage's name."
"You, who came from Kararagi, happen to know of a way to reach a Sage who's been in seclusion for four hundred years, and you're telling us at just this moment? …What sort of method would that be?"
"Don't make that prickly face—it ruins your cute looks. No need to be hostile; I'll explain properly."
Anastasia brushed off Ferris's challenge with ease and removed the fur stole from around her neck. She spread it out on the round table and lifted it by its head.
"Remember what I said before the battle—about my artificial spirit, Echidna? This one knows the path to the Pleiades Watchtower. —Which means we can go meet the Sage at the Watchtower."
"————"
At Anastasia's assertion, Subaru held his breath.
The artificial spirit Echidna, disguised as a fox fur stole—she held the key to reaching the Sage.
"When you all stare at me like that, it's… well, it's a little embarrassing," the white fox spirit said, craning her neck.
Just like the Witch whose name she bore, how far she could be trusted remained entirely unknown to Subaru.