——The hoarse voice that wove its proposal threw Subaru and the others into great confusion.
"——"
The one who had inflicted "infantilization" on Subaru and his companions was
To get Olbart to undo the infantilization, Subaru and the others had sought negotiation. The condition Olbart proposed in return was something befitting this old man—or rather, this wily elder—who had so thoroughly tormented them body and soul: a bizarre stipulation that would bewilder anyone who heard it.
After all—— "Hey, tag...?"
Subaru, who had been trembling in dread at whatever impossible demand he might face, fumblingly chewed on the words he had just heard.
Olbart, hands open wide, furrowed his brow quizzically at Subaru's voice.
"What's with that question mark? Don't tell me you don't even know what tag is?"
"Of course I know the word. It's just not the kind of word that comes up in a situation like this."
No matter how you spun it, it was nothing more than a children's game of tag.
It was hard to imagine it carrying some other meaning. Though if it were the kind of tag played in a shinobi village, there was a very real possibility of unique rules being mixed in.
Something like—— "During tag, killing each other is fair game," or something.
"Ka-ka-ka-ka! No way in hell. If that kind of scary game was popular, the shinobi would've wiped themselves out in no time. And with my own hands, no less. Crazy, right?"
Olbart denied Subaru's concern, but considering his violent acts and behavior up to this point, Subaru understood him to be someone who wouldn't hesitate to get blood on his hands if necessary.
Honestly, it wouldn't even be that surprising if the shinobi village had already been destroyed.
"—That tag of yours. How does it work?"
It was Abel who urged Olbart to continue, stepping in for Subaru, who was being burned by suspicion.
Olbart twisted his cheek into a grin at Abel.
"You seem surprisingly eager, masked young fellow."
"Nonsense. We're well past the point of whether we accept the challenge or not. The moment we revealed that we possess the information you desire, that was already decided."
"Ka-ka-ka-ka! Well, that's true."
Olbart threw his head back, opening his mouth so wide his jaw seemed about to dislocate, and laughed boisterously without a shred of remorse.
In truth, Abel's point was correct—Olbart's thinking was wicked. Regardless of the outcome of this tag game, Olbart would obtain the information he wanted.
Whether that came at the end of a negotiation or the end of a torture session—forcing them to choose how to cough up the information was the very purpose of "tag."
"So, the rules of the game aren't anything special. One runs, the other catches... Ah, it's easier for me since I'm the one running. You know, chasing a bunch of people around is tough on an old man's stamina."
"So if we catch the old man, we win? Easy enough."
"It might be straightforward, though..."
Medium responded optimistically and Taritta responded pessimistically to Olbart's rule explanation.
Subaru's opinion leaned more toward Taritta's. The rules were certainly simple, with no room for uncertainty factors. In other words, pure ability would be the deciding factor.
And in terms of that ability, Subaru and the others combined wouldn't come close to matching Olbart.
"Well, it might be tough since you're all runts. Tell you what—I'll bend the conditions a little for you."
"To be so brazen about it when you're the one who caused this...!"
"No need to get angry. If my fingers slip off the bowstring, then I'd have a justification for self-defense, and we'd settle things much faster, you know."
Olbart surveyed the room with his eyes and shrugged, while Taritta gritted her back teeth.
As the wily elder had pointed out, Taritta's bow remained trained on Olbart. However, Olbart coolly ignored it and was even using it as leverage in their negotiation.
Her distress was more than understandable. But what should be prioritized right now was— "Bend the conditions? What do you mean?"
"It's about how we play tag. Instead of having to catch me, what if you win just by finding me? But in that case, it'll be best of three."
"Best of three..."
"I'll hide three times. You find me three times. If you can't do that, you lose. In that case, it's less like tag and more like hide-and-seek... That sounds kinda weird."
Olbart tilted his head, not entirely satisfied.
Swallowing the old man's proposal, a word rose from the pit of Subaru's stomach— "—Hide-and-seek?"
"Oh, good name. I'll adopt that."
Olbart snapped his fingers and latched onto the sound of "hide-and-seek."
Right then, Olbart raised one finger on each of his outstretched hands and displayed them to everyone, turning them left and right.
"For tag, you just need to catch me once. For hide-and-seek, you need to find me three times. Which gives you better odds—you don't need me to tell you, right?"
Subaru held his breath as Olbart closed one eye and posed the question.
As Olbart said, this was a question that required no deliberation. Having already witnessed the old man's transcendent abilities, there was absolutely no reason for Subaru to choose tag.
No reason at all, but— "You're being awfully kind. Going out of your way to propose a method where we have the upper hand—makes me suspect there's a catch."
Al confronted Olbart like that for offering to concede an advantage of his own volition.
Al, whose helmet had been replaced with a cloth wrapped around his face. His voice was somewhat muffled by the fabric, but his now-childish voice had a higher pitch and wasn't hard to make out.
Olbart heard Al's words without missing a beat, and shrugged.
"Hey now, don't go getting the wrong idea that I'm some old man who's desperate to win at all costs. From my perspective, it'd be a blessing if you won. I'm only doing this because I want to see if you're worth listening to."
Olbart waved his raised left and right fingers as he answered Al with an airy tone.
Hearing that answer didn't dispel Al's suspicion. But it was a logical response, and it seemed to give him pause about pressing further.
Subaru wasn't naive enough to believe that was Olbart's honest feelings.
But prying into the heart of this accomplished shinobi elder would require far more time and material than they had.
Even as they stood there, the deadline Yorna had imposed was ticking closer, second by second.
The limited choice Olbart had presented—neither option could really be called optimal. The chances of turning things around from here were infinitesimally close to zero.
If anything, one could say that having done everything perfectly had led them to precisely this situation.
"—If we're accepting your proposal, we should clarify the terms clearly."
"Oh? How so?"
"You said it yourself. If it's more advantageous for us to win, we shouldn't leave too many loopholes for malicious circumnavigation. The demands of both sides should be clearly defined."
"...Ka-ka-ka-ka."
Abel, who appeared to have reached the same conclusion first, continued his address to Olbart.
Clarifying the rules of the contest—the intent behind this posture was crystal clear. It was proof that accepting the challenge, and its terms, had already been decided.
Olbart chuckled low, and Abel met his gleaming gaze with a nod.
And then— "—Hide-and-seek it is."
△▼△▼△▼△ Afterward, three major conditions were established between the two parties.
First was a guarantee of "no mutual harm."
Olbart, who could easily slaughter them all if he so chose. What was stopping him from committing such an act were the false emperor's orders and his wariness of Yorna.
But depending on the situation, he might break that prohibition, making this guarantee essential.
Second was that "hiding spots are limited to within the city."
If they were to take his stated principle of leaving them a chance to win at face value, limiting the area was indispensable for maintaining fairness. Of course, even limited to the city, the usable area was quite vast.
As for that, however, a condition Subaru had extracted should do the work.
Third was "clarifying the victory conditions."
Since they had chosen hide-and-seek on account of its favorable odds, no one could fault them for pursuing every edge to win.
Therefore— "I get that our chances change between tag and hide-and-seek, but why three times? Can't we just do one each? Don't be stingy."
"Ka-ka-ka-ka! Now that's just being greedy, youngster. I'll say this—with one round, there's room for luck. But with three, it comes down to pure skill."
"There's also the philosophy that luck is part of skill."
"Sorry, but I don't believe in fate and fortune. Most people in the Empire think the same way, actually. You're the one saying something rare."
It was a thoroughly meritocratic, utterly inescapable way of thinking—befitting the Empire.
There was no such thing as luck or misfortune; every outcome was the result of one's own ability. For those who couldn't survive without an escape route, that attitude must have been suffocating.
Someone like Subaru during his truant school days, for example, would find no place in this Empire.
"Also, it's three times because there are three of you kids who got shrunk, right? I just came up with that on the spot, but it sounds reasonable enough, doesn't it?"
"Then, shall we undo the spell on one person each time we find you?"
"Oh, trying to squeeze that in, are you? Then forget the excuse I just made."
Olbart waved both hands back and forth, refusing Abel's confirmation.
Either way, once they'd hashed those out, there was nothing left to deliberate.
In other words— "Alright, let's get to it, then."
"Olbart-san, one small thing to confirm... there are no places we physically cannot reach as hiding spots. If you hide somewhere remote, we'd be helpless."
"What a detail-oriented fellow. —Well, I would've done it anyway if you hadn't asked."
"Olbart, I want to make it clear—I'm not saying I absolutely want to win. But don't forget. This is your litmus test."
In other words, they were being judged on everything—including shrewdness, vigilance, and quick thinking.
For all his relaxed and easygoing demeanor, Olbart was ruthlessly pragmatic. If he judged someone not worth his attention, he would mercilessly go for the kill.
Even just now, if Subaru hadn't spoken up, the old man would have genuinely done just that.
Though— "—I didn't think that masked young fellow over there would let that slip, either."
Olbart jerked his chin toward Abel and showed a cunning smile.
Despite sensing the trouble there, Subaru exchanged glances with Abel and Al, confirmed their nods, and steeled himself for the challenge.
"When we win, you'll turn us back to normal."
"If I win, it'll be ten years before you get turned back. Well, if the Commander and that fox girl reconsider, I'll extract your secrets my own way."
The wily elder hinted that this was a shinobi interrogation technique—a method that bordered on torture—sending a chill up Subaru's spine as he fixed Olbart in his dark eyes.
Then, before the elder set off for his first hiding spot, Subaru pressed him.
"—So, what's the first hint?"
It was a question that would be dismissed as absurdly naive if this were a dead-serious competition.
But Olbart didn't scoff at it. Because this was precisely the condition Subaru had forced him to accept for their hide-and-seek.
Now that Subaru and the others had been infantilized, what Olbart wanted to evaluate wasn't their combat strength or physical ability, but rather the quick thinking and creativity mentioned earlier.
Put simply, it was the natural sentiment of "I won't deal with idiots."
"First, a warm-up... I'll hide at 'Behind the Eyelids,' somewhere near this inn."
"—Behind the... eyelids."
"Come on, give it your all, youngster. Give this old man with one foot in the grave at least a little entertainment."
With a flutter of his hand, Olbart turned his back on Subaru and the others. The instant his retreating figure walked away with that easy stride, Subaru felt the tension in the room tighten like a drawn bow.
If anyone there could have lunged at Olbart right then, solving the hide-and-seek, the infantilization, and every other problem all at once—no one thought that way.
But no one executed that reckless plan either. And that was the right call.
"Ka-ka-ka-ka."
Right before the door closed, Olbart let out that laugh—perhaps because he'd seen through their hesitation.
Combined with that hoarse laughter, it was a fitting end for the "Wily Elder"—one befitting his reputation to the last.
With Olbart having left the room and the realization that it was now allies only— "Taritta, lower your bow. There's no longer anyone to aim at."
"...Yes, sir."
With the enemy gone, Abel instructed Taritta to lower her drawn bow.
The face of Taritta, who complied with the order, was tinged with humiliation. Of course it was. Olbart had faced her aimed bow and maintained his composure with an utterly indifferent expression.
As one of the Schudrak—or rather, already appointed to the role of next clan leader—such an attitude from the wily elder was tantamount to mocking the Schudrak's strength.
He had allowed a member of the "Schudrak people" to be made light of.
And it was because of her own inadequacy.
Originally, Taritta had accompanied the others to the Demon City to seek affirmation for her resolve to become the clan leader.
If things continued like this, rather than building confidence, it would be counterproductive.
"You're really gonna play along with that old man's little game seriously, brother."
Al addressed Subaru this way, as the latter couldn't find words to say to Taritta.
With his face still covered by a cloth that didn't sit quite right, Al's tone was tinged with irritation and dissatisfaction over his exchange with Olbart. For someone who gave the impression of mostly taking things in stride, such a reaction was somewhat surprising.
That said, being made to look the fool by Olbart—he could understand the frustration.
"I'm not exactly thrilled about being handled like that either. But we managed to keep some possibility alive, right?"
"Possibility..."
"That we can turn back to normal, obviously. Right, Suba-rin?"
Medium sat on the floor, holding down Louis, who was squirming. Since their size ratio had hardly changed, she was restraining Louis with technique rather than brute strength.
Probably a skill she'd picked up at whatever orphanage she'd grown up in.
Rocking Louis gently, Medium's blue eyes met Subaru's nod.
"If we'd offended the old man back there, our bodies would've stayed shrunk... That's unacceptable from a future-planning perspective and a policy standpoint alike. Turning back is a must."
"...There was also the option of ganging up on the old man."
"Are you kidding? The only reason we're alive is because Olbart-san was following the emperor's orders. If he'd decided to go all out, we wouldn't stand a chance."
"...You make it sound like you've actually seen it happen."
Al averted his gaze from Subaru, his tone suggesting "that's impossible."
Al's remark about it sounding like Subaru had "actually seen it" was apt—his insight was nothing short of otherworldly cheating. In fact, he had actually seen it.
Even what Al considered impossible would happen whether he wanted to accept it or not.
Still— Without meeting Subaru's eyes, Al said nothing more.
He too had grasped some measure of Olbart's ability during yesterday's encounter at the watchtower. Naturally, he understood how slim their chances would be if the elder—who hadn't been remotely serious back then—were to display his true power.
That was probably why he'd made the judgment to let Olbart walk away.
"Regardless, we're out of time. If I'm going to meet Yorna, I need time to get into disguise. I need about thirty minutes for everything... so that leaves a little over two hours of leeway."
"So disguise is still necessary after all..."
"Yesterday's three requested it too. And also..."
As he spoke, Subaru turned his gaze to Abel, who had remained silent.
If Abel wasn't interjecting, he was fundamentally on the same page as Subaru. He surely wasn't lost in the emotion of having survived a brush with death.
Or— "Are you shocked that Olbart-san is after the emperor's life?"
"Nonsense. I'm well aware he harbors ambitions beyond his station. Though I didn't think it extended to the emperor's head. I assumed there was nothing to gain from such an act, but apparently what he seeks is the final thrill of accomplishment and infamy after death."
Abel shrugged his slender shoulders, clearly finding it incomprehensible.
For Abel, who refused to accept defeat even when stripped of his imperial throne and driven into the most extreme disadvantage, the idea of throwing away one's life for posthumous fame was apparently beyond his understanding.
On that point, Subaru shared a complicated but similar opinion. He didn't want to be praised after death.
After he died, Subaru wanted to be forgotten by the precious people he left behind. Rather than having them grieve or suffer, he'd prefer that at the moment of his death, everything be nothing but memories—and then be forgotten entirely.
Though he had no intention of sharing that sentiment with Abel.
"...Still, Olbart-san's really missing something, huh? Having those grand ambitions and not even noticing who's standing right in front of him."
So Subaru deflected the conversation's direction with a casual remark.
But the moment he said it, Abel's eyes—visible even through the demon mask—registered clear bewilderment.
"—What are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
"I'm wearing this mask. Olbart's reaction was only natural, then."
Abel touched his cheek on the demon mask and stated flatly.
Subaru furrowed his brow, conveying with his expression that he didn't understand. The instant he did, Abel's bewilderment through the demon mask turned into open disappointment.
Maintaining that gaze, Abel sighed deeply.
"This mask has the effect of distorting others' perception. It conceals the wearer's true identity."
"Wh—! Does that mean it's some kind of 'Perception Interference'!? But that mask was originally from the Schudrak settlement..."
"Y-Yes, that's right. It's said that in the old days, when the emperor and the Schudrak formed a friendship, the emperor used it to visit the forest without being recognized."
"So it was a mask with that kind of history...?"
Stunned by the revelation, Subaru's mouth hung open. For Subaru, still reeling from the shock, Abel continued with unmitigated disappointment.
"Did you truly believe I wore this mask all this time for fashion or eccentricity?"
"If you'd simply explained that from the start, you could have saved yourself the trouble!"
To be fair, Subaru was partly at fault for not asking, assuming it was just another of Abel's quirks. But Abel also bore responsibility for assuming he'd be understood without explanation.
Thanks to that, Subaru had been made to feel unnecessary shame and unnecessary concern.
Either way, it finally made sense how Olbart had failed to notice Abel's true identity.
Abel, who never bothered to disguise his haughty speech or overbearing attitude beyond simply hiding his face—Subaru had worried for nothing about the identity being exposed at any moment.
"Hey, Al-chin, Al-chin. Abel-chin says all that, but is there a reason Al-chin is hiding his face too?"
"For me, it's a complex about the scars on my face... But my story doesn't matter. Hide-and-seek has already started. We need to move, now."
Al pointed with his hand out the window—at the streets of the Demon City.
The sprawl of Chaos Frame, one of the Empire's great cities, was at least five times the size of the fortress city of Gwallar.
Finding the hidden shinobi chief in such a vast area was no small task.
And they had only two hours, a team of just six (half of them kids), to do it three times.
"He said it was a warm-up, but just around the inn alone, the candidates are endless. Brother, Abel—do you have some kind of plan?"
"Plan might be too strong a word... but there are several approaches. Though they're probably different from what that clown is thinking."
"Downgraded from strategist to clown—don't take that mask thing too personally. ...Not that I'm particularly attached to being your strategist or anything."
Abel's cold tone suggested he'd taken rather more offense than expected at Subaru treating his mask-wearing as a quirk, and Subaru could only grimace and groan.
Either way, time was slipping away as they talked.
"Before I forget what it felt like to have limbs of normal length, we need to get moving."
"Well, I don't think either of us brothers ever had long legs, but..."
"I'm talking about relative comparison."
Brushing aside Al's deadpan interjection about being short all their lives, the group prepared with minimal equipment.
Al carried his blue-bladed saber in its sheath on his back. Medium wore one of her twin swords at her waist. Subaru brought his whip as well, though he honestly had little confidence in using it.
Then there was Abel and Taritta, both at full capability, and— "Aaah, uuuu!"
"Oh, Rui-chan! You're raring to go! Alright, let's do our best and find that old man!"
"Uuu!"
Medium raised a small fist in encouragement at Rui's voice—they couldn't very well leave her behind.
The truth was, there was a high chance Rui would be a hindrance. Olbart had been forbidden from changing his hiding spot, so Subaru wanted to believe that even if the noisy Rui approached, he wouldn't try to put distance between them.
"What if he argues that he was switching hiding spots the whole time and stayed in one place the whole time, huh?"
"That was clarified too. Olbart's goal isn't his own victory. Going to such convoluted lengths is for the purpose of gauging our caliber through this game."
"Gauging our caliber, huh? Meaning..."
"Whether we have the ability to back up the claim that we're after the emperor's throne."
Abel stated it clearly in response to Al's doubts.
Subaru didn't see any lies there either. While he was reluctant to take Olbart at face value, since the old man's goal was the emperor's life, it was in his interest for Subaru and the others to be the genuine article with real information.
Olbart wanted them to demonstrate their abilities to earn his trust.
To that end— "I didn't ask, but what about the 'Yang Blade's' flame or whatever..."
"I'm afraid I don't have time for a lengthy lecture on the history of the Volachia Empire. Setting aside your half-baked knowledge, my strategy isn't something that can be deployed from a room in an inn."
"Tch. Fine."
Abel made no secret of his refusal to divulge, and Subaru clicked his tongue in response.
That said, if what Olbart said was true, Abel—Emperor of Volachia—possessed some form of protection, and as long as he had it, no harm could befall him.
Come to think of it...
So far, Subaru had never witnessed Abel's death with his own eyes.
Since coming to this Volachia Empire, Subaru had been exposed to mortal danger at a dizzying pace and had even actually died and used "Return by Death." But he had never been present for Abel's death. There had been moments when it seemed he'd died, circumstances-wise— Like when Olbart had revealed his true nature last time, or when Todd had burned the Baudheim forest along with the Schudrak settlement. Abel, a captive at the time, should have perished.
But that was only circumstantial—Subaru had never directly confirmed his death. That was precisely why he wanted to verify one thing.
"That 'Yang Blade's' flame... is it still protecting you?"
"You're persistent. Or are you saying you'll turn against me if you don't hear the answer?"
"...There's no benefit in doing that."
Abel's mocking tone made Subaru wince, and this time he finally dropped the matter.
With preparations to leave the inn complete, Subaru looked around at his companions' faces.
"Unexpectedly, we've been forced into a contest. But if all we need to do is find him, we should be competitive even with half our members shrunk. In fact, in a hide-and-seek contest, being in our current childlike state might actually be an advantage—body and mind returned to the innocence of childhood."
"H-How does that logic work...?"
"Leave it. It's meaningless babble even if you listen." In fact, it was barely above a joke, so that was the correct response. Subaru expressed his regret with a furrowed brow, then— "Anyway!" He raised his voice louder than necessary. "Everyone, pay maximum attention to your surroundings. —Now, let's go!"
"Ohhh!"
"Aauuu!"
"...Getting way too pumped up, you guys."
In makeshift clothing, looking thoroughly awkward but fired up, Subaru led the way. Medium and Rui pumped their fists in following, and Al sighed at the sight.
Meanwhile, Taritta, now their strongest fighter, had tension and anxiety in her eyes, and Abel—whose expression behind the demon mask was impossible to read—remained empty-handed as ever, maintaining his characteristic arrogance.
The group of them filed out of the inn room together.
First, they needed to identify Olbart's first hiding spot. With that determination, Subaru slammed the door shut with a loud bang and took a bold step forward— "—We'll be right back."
"Huh?"
With the foot he'd planted so firmly, Subaru kicked off the floor and spun half a turn. Al let out a dopey sound of surprise at the sight of Subaru turning back toward the door they had just exited.
Without so much as a glance back, Subaru pushed open the room's door.
Then, pointing inside the room they had just left— "—Olbart-san. Found you."
"Ka-ka-ka-ka! Hey now, isn't that just mean, catching on right away!? If I get found out like this instantly, I'd blush—I'm super embarrassed, you know!"
Having slipped into the room in the moment Subaru and the others had traded places, Olbart laughed heartily at Subaru's first declaration of discovery.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Seriously, brother...!"
Al was shocked to find Olbart inside the room, calmly re-brewing cooled tea.
Following his lead, Medium and Taritta also peered in, their eyes wide. Abel, the last to register Olbart's presence, narrowed his eyes.
"I see. 'Behind the Eyelids,' then."
He looked down at Subaru's young profile and murmured.
"Did you know from the start that was where he'd be?"
"The expression 'Behind the Eyelids,' and the first candidate that came to mind near this inn—it was here. The type who'd propose this kind of game always tries this one at least once."
What came to Subaru's mind was a distant, fond memory—the first time he'd met
Beatrice, who had created a looping corridor with magic, trying to make Subaru walk through the same space endlessly. Subaru had seen through her scheme at a glance, realizing immediately that the starting point was the destination.
Looking back now, he wished he'd played along with adorable Beatrice's little trick. But this opponent wasn't the playful Beatrice—it was a wily elder with a truly malicious streak, so no quarter could be given.
And so Subaru twisted his young face into a broad, shameless grin of triumph.
"Honestly, I saw right through it, 'Wily Elder.'"
"Hey now, don't pile on. This is a shameful display I can never show the young folks back in the village. You should take the name 'Wily Kid' instead."
"I'll pass. Besides, I haven't done anything particularly nasty."
"Oh, that's the real modesty. After all, you made such a show of the departure just to make sure I could hear. What a performance."
Olbart raised one eyebrow and stared at Subaru, who scratched his cheek.
He'd been that over-the-top on purpose, of course—though even if Olbart had seen through his intentions, the old man couldn't have changed his hiding spot. The rules required him to decide in advance and provide a hint.
"It was a pretty quick first round, but you'll count it properly, right? You're not gonna get offended just because I rejected the 'Wily' title, are you?"
He didn't want Olbart to claim it was a letdown result and try to invalidate it.
At Subaru's confirmation, Olbart closed one eye and said, "Of course."
"The quick resolution was my own mistake. Making you clean up after me would hardly be fair play. As agreed, two more rounds."
"Ohhh! Nice one, Suba-rin! That was like ten seconds for the first one!"
"Yeah. Great news."
Standing beside the overjoyed Medium, Subaru exhaled in relief.
At least for now, Olbart's first riddle—yes, this was a kind of test borrowed from "hide-and-seek." You could say they were being given a test question.
They were being tested on whether they met Olbart's standards.
All of this was thanks to Beako's...
He was about to say "thanks" when Subaru tried to picture the adorable girl in his mind.
But that thought froze and went blank for an instant.
A faint sense of dissonance. A small catch that sent tiny splinters through his heart.
Before he could pursue a clear answer to what that feeling was— "Well then, I need to reclaim my honor too. Time to rush off to the second hiding spot."
"A-Ah, right. So what's the next hint?"
"Hmm... the next hiding spot is, well, quite something."
Olbart clasped his hands behind his waist, tilting his head and body as he pondered. But the deliberation didn't last long. The wily elder grinned.
"—I'll call it 'A Fine View into the Abyss.'"
"A fine view..."
"...into the abyss?"
Taritta and Al picked up the words, chewing on the bizarre next hint.
But Olbart had no intention of leaving any further clues.
"The first round was above expectations, but the real contest starts now."
The old man showed his white teeth in a smile, then nimbly leaped backward. He opened the window wide, casually stepped onto the windowsill, and— Before the stunned eyes of Subaru and the others—jumped outside.
"Next time, I'll hide somewhere a bit more challenging!"
"Wait, old man! ...Shit, he's already gone!"
Al rushed to the window and looked outside, clutching his masked head.
Indeed, catching Olbart who was committed to evasion was extremely difficult. His overwhelming escape speed convinced them that switching the game from tag to hide-and-seek had been the right call.
Either way— "Subaru, that man's next hiding spot is..."
"Yeah, yeah! Suba-rin, can you figure it out? You can, right?"
"Ugh... well, that is..."
Turning to face Taritta and Medium's expectant looks, Subaru faltered.
The second hiding spot hint—"A Fine View into the Abyss"—honestly, Subaru couldn't find even the slightest foothold connecting it to any meaningful answer.
"Sorry. Nothing comes to mind immediately. It's not like I'm reading minds, just the trajectory of events."
"Aww, sorry! We can't just lean on you the whole time! Let's think together!"
"That's right. I'm not particularly good at using my head either, but I'll think."
Medium and Taritta responded to Subaru's sheepish bow.
The first hiding spot being the starting point was something of an expected formality. Even if they'd been wrong, it was a spot with virtually no time loss, so it had been a safe gambit. But from here on— "It becomes a straightforward race against time."
"...I can't figure out the next spot either, brother. Yeah, that's fair."
"That's fair... You might've been our last hope, but being told that so bluntly stings."
The first salvo of the real hide-and-seek contest—and the blow came from their own side.
Subaru accepted the assessment as fair, though he would have preferred at least a little sugar-coating. Even among friends, there's a dress code.
Al waved his hand dismissively.
"Can't blame a brother for not knowing. After all, I'm right here with you."
"Hmm? I don't really get what you're saying. Like, having Al around lowers my IQ? What kind of system is that?"
"It's not exactly that, but it's hard to explain... right?"
Even when asking Al, Subaru found the other man's uncertainty-free tone puzzling.
Setting Al aside, this conversation wasn't heading anywhere productive. The priority was cracking Olbart's hint: "A Fine View into the Abyss."
"'Behind the Eyelids' was the first room, so 'A Fine View into the Abyss' should be a similarly poetic stand-in..."
"A fine view implies a high location, doesn't it?"
"But isn't an abyss a hole? Holes are in the ground, aren't they?"
Or perhaps there was a spot in Chaos Frame that bore that name.
Either way, the information available from a room in the inn wasn't enough to arrive at an answer. They would need to head into the city.
"...My brain's not working well. Oh, Abel, what about your plan?"
"I already told you it's not something that can be deployed from here. Ideally, somewhere with heavy foot traffic—more specifically, a place where people from outside come and go."
"A place out-of-towners frequent? Where in this city would that be..."
Al tilted his head, considering the execution of Abel's plan.
The real purpose behind seeking a place with outsider traffic was unclear, and pressing Abel on it before the execution stage would likely yield nothing. Not exactly hostile cooperation, but it was difficult to work with.
That said, they already knew he was the type of man to ruthlessly play his cards in pursuit of victory.
"If it's somewhere with lots of people coming and going... there—that place, where you drink alcohol."
"A tavern?"
"Yeah, that. I think we should head there."
Whether it was more beneficial to search for Olbart directly or to help execute Abel's plan was debatable, but for now, prioritizing Abel seemed the wisest course.
With that decided, Subaru and the others set out with renewed determination.
"A gaggle of adults with kids—it's about as eye-catching as it gets."
"Four out of six are kids, so don't complain. Besides, if we're talking about drawing attention, a demon mask is already a non-starter. Unless... the mask's effect makes it look like a different face?"
"It only conceals identity. The appearance remains that of a demon mask."
"Then it's definitely going to stand out..."
Abel's unreasonable complaint aside, Subaru sighed and let his small shoulders droop.
After greeting the inn staff at the entrance and asking where the tavern was, the group set out into the streets. With Abel's objective in mind, they headed toward the establishment.
On the way, Subaru suddenly thought— "Instead of all going together, wouldn't it be better to split up? One group to search for Olbart, and another to go with Abel to the tavern—"
He was about to suggest splitting up when— "—Huh?"
Suddenly, a red light scattered at the edge of his vision, and Subaru's eyes were blinded.
And then— △▼△▼△▼△ "Oh, good name. I'll adopt that."
"Huh?"
The sudden voice struck Subaru's eardrums as the red light scorched his eyes.
That familiar sound and its abruptness drew a dumb reaction from Subaru, and right in front of him, someone let out a low, raspy laugh.
Subaru's eyes went wide at the voice.
"Ka-ka-ka-ka! What's with that idiotic noise? I was praising it as a good name."
"...Olbart...-san?"
The wily elder stood before him, throaty laughter shaking his narrow shoulders.
It was so sudden that Subaru couldn't process it, blinking several times. Then he swallowed and declared what needed to be said.
"O-Olbart-san. Found you."
"—? What's that? Are you really starting the game again already?"
"Wha...?"
At this unexpected second discovery—and the missed opportunity to act on it—Subaru noticed the dissonance.
The tilt of Olbart's head, his words, and the biggest oddity of all: the scenery around him. He was supposed to have exited onto the streets of the Demon City, yet Subaru was standing inside some room.
No—not just some room.
"...No way."
Subaru was in his room at the inn. The very room they had just left.
And if he was there, face to face with Olbart, talking— That could only mean one thing.
Under rules where death should have been impossible, he had no choice but to acknowledge that he had experienced "Return by Death."