"Ugh, ugh, auuu…"
"Ah, ah, snifflin' and cryin' your eyes out — now that's a real pickle, huh?"
Snot running, sobs unceasing, Subaru clung to the old man's back. Olbart shrugged his shoulders and idly scratched his cheek with a finger.
—It had been an extraordinary, truly extraordinary experience.
The ten seconds of despair that befell Subaru, and the eleven seconds beyond that — how many times had he tasted "death" to reach that point?
To despair, to have his heart shattered, to grind his soul down to nothing without it vanishing entirely — that alone felt like a miracle.
Yet, after that hellish ordeal, he had arrived.
"Uuaah—"
Clinging tightly to Subaru's sobbing arm and groaning along with him was Rein.
Rein hadn't experienced the exact same thing Subaru had, but in the countless trial-and-error cycles she couldn't even begin to count, she had followed Subaru's fate over and over, losing her life each time.
Leaping onto Olbart's back and clawing her way to what could only be called a fluke victory — none of that would have been possible without her existence.
"I… I really don't get you."
"Mm…"
"But without you, I couldn't have done it. …Thank you."
Subaru's mind was a complete mess — tangled, jumbled, every thought crashing into every other.
He knew what Rein had done. He knew what kind of karmic entanglement she represented to him. He knew all of this, yet gratitude overflowed from his chest regardless.
And it wasn't only Subaru's gratitude that overflowed.
"Uaah, ugh…"
"Rein?"
It came suddenly.
Hearing Subaru's halting words of thanks, tears welled up in Rein's large, round eyes and streamed down her cheeks in an instant.
The tears rolled down Rein's face in torrents, as if she had forgotten how to stop crying.
"Rein, you're… you're crying, so…"
"Uuuh, uuuh!"
Rein must have known she was crying, yet she made no effort to wipe the tears away or stop them. All the while, she clung desperately to Subaru's arm, as though terrified that even the brief moment it would take to wipe her face might cause him to vanish.
"Your… your face, wipe it, you dummy, you big dummy…"
Watching Rein cry like that, Subaru — who had just barely managed to steady the waves of his own emotions — felt himself teetering again. The tears he'd shed, the sobs he'd let out — he'd lost count long ago.
Would the two of them just keep crying together like this forever, endlessly, never stopping — ?
"——You two did well. Real well, y'know."
"Ah…"
"Cryin' all you want is fine. This魔都's master — that'd be me — gives you permission."
From behind, long arms reached out and gently, tenderly enveloped both of them.
Startled by the warmth and softness in those words, Subaru looked up, eyes wide, and was captivated by the beautiful profile beside him. Long lashes, lips tinted crimson, and brilliant blue eyes that shone with such clarity — vast and magnanimous enough to seem capable of absorbing any sorrow or suffering.
And Subaru already knew what kind of person those eyes belonged to.
That was why he understood the words and the warmth behind them held no ulterior motive whatsoever.
He knew he could surrender everything and still be forgiven.
"Ugh, guu… ah, ugh, auuu…"
"Uuaah… uuaah! Uuaah, ugh, uuaah…!"
"Good, good. …Children have the privilege of crying and clinging to an adult's chest. If my chest will do, then cry your heart out to your fill."
Subaru raised his head, tears streaming anew. Rein clung to him, still weeping.
The two of them were held gently in Yorna's embrace, her small back patted soothingly — this quiet moment at the end of battle unfolded in the keep of Crimson Ramble Castle, when— "This whole time I'm the one gettin' acted on from behind, and I don't even know what kinda face I'm supposed to be makin'."
"Shut up."
And the grizzled old man's uncouth quip was promptly silenced by the mistress of the demon city.
△▼△▼△▼△ "So then, Old Man Olbart — do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Say for myself? Was I supposed to have somethin' to apologize for? It was that fox girl over there who picked a fight with me on her own whim, wasn't it?"
"————"
Some time after Subaru's monumental meltdown, it seemed they'd finally entered a calm discussion — or so one might have thought. Instead, the keep was instantly swallowed by a hostile atmosphere.
The cause, needless to say, was Olbart's nonchalant, unrepentant attitude.
He sat squarely on the roof, one pinky digging into his ear, and said: "I did kinda do what was asked of me, y'know? Well, I did try to sneak a few loopholes here and there, but on that front, well, I was square with that brat over there."
"Guh… th-that's, but…"
"Now now, you'd best listen up, boy. —Because if it really is anything-goes, the one who benefits most is yours truly. Ka ka ka ka!"
Olbart threw his head back and roared with laughter. Subaru faltered.
In truth, Olbart was right. If Subaru tried to object to Olbart's exploitation of the rules here, and that led to a situation where the rules were scrapped entirely — there'd be no way to defeat Olbart the shinobi. Probably nowhere in the world.
Olbart had countless hidden techniques at his disposal, and he wouldn't hesitate to drag everyone else down with him. Subaru had learned just how formidable such an opponent was, time and again since coming to the Empire.
"Man, Olbart reminds me of someone scary I used to know…"
"Really? If that's the case, you'd best kill 'em right away. No good person comes to mind, and it'd be a real pain in the neck to deal with."
"In that case, it would only be logical for me to put an end to Old Man Olbart's life right here and now, and for you to agree with that."
"Whoa, whoa, you really hate my guts, huh? Well, can't say I blame you."
The air was taut with tension — but that was entirely due to the one-sided hostility Yorna radiated.
As for the target of that hostility, Olbart had already completely dropped his combat stance. Of course, that could be a feint, and he could switch back in an instant.
That said, Yorna's anger was entirely justified, and Subaru harbored his own powerful fury toward Olbart. But there were compelling reasons he couldn't act on that anger.
Specifically, these shrunken limbs and this sluggish brain.
"Olbart, about the technique you cast on us…"
"Oh, that. Well, it'll wear off when I die. I mean, there might be other ways, but nobody who's been freed of it has ever lived to tell the tale."
"I knew it…!"
"It's like an insurance policy. As far as my village is concerned, it's classified as a secret technique. Basically, they dispose of the body so no trace remains, keeping the whole thing under wraps."
Olbart said all this with a carefree grin, as though discussing something perfectly mundane.
At the same time, Subaru mentally congratulated himself on walking the tightrope he'd walked. Even if Yorna had defeated Olbart, if Olbart had died, their "infantilization" would have remained. He'd be stuck as Natsuki Shubar forever.
Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.
"I don't know the full details, but I heard these children were treated unjustly."
Yorna fixed Olbart with a hard stare, a smoking pipe between her lips, purple smoke curling into her lungs.
When Subaru had asked for her cooperation, he'd tried to share information as straightforwardly as possible, but he'd omitted the more tangled details. That included the fact that Olbart's technique had shrunk Subaru's body.
If Olbart undid the infantilization, Subaru would return to normal. Once that happened, he planned to apologize with everything he had and ask Yorna for her forgiveness. He doubted it would magically reverse her entire impression of him, but still.
He wanted to believe Yorna was the kind of person who would understand once things were explained.
"Old Man Olbart — you acknowledged your loss in the duel, yes?"
"Yep, acknowledged, acknowledged. Got taken down fair and square. Losing and not dying is the best you can hope for, really. Though, gotta say, I wasn't expecting to lose."
"You weren't expecting it?"
"I figured the one who'd be puttin' up a fight against me was the boss of those brats."
Carrying on the conversation while Subaru worried about other things, Yorna and Olbart went back and forth. At Olbart's mention of "the boss," Yorna murmured the word softly, then gently placed a hand against the chest of her kimono.
"The one who sent the letter. I was looking forward to meeting them…"
She paused, cutting herself off mid-sentence. Her gaze sharpened as it slid toward Olbart.
That sharp look prompted Olbart to tilt his head.
"Nothing's scarier than being glared at by a beauty. What's the matter?"
"What's the matter, you ask? Nothing at all. I sent word to the envoys to come to the castle — through
The temperature in the air plummeted as though the sky itself were gasping.
Yorna's fury always surfaced whenever the citizens or children of the city were harmed. And that was doubly true for Tanza, who satisfied both conditions — citizen and child.
Still, Tanza had conspired with Olbart to keep Subaru and Yorna from meeting. Treading carefully would be necessary.
However — "I was also sure Tanza would be with Olbart. But she's not… right? She wouldn't be hiding under some tiles or anything?"
"If it's inside the castle, it's as good as the inside of my own body. It's impossible for me to overlook anyone who enters or hides within."
"R-really. That's incredible, Yorna…"
Listening to Yorna's confident reply, Subaru was once again overwhelmed by just how far beyond the norm she was.
After being overwhelmed, it dawned on him — he and Rein had teleported into Crimson Ramble Castle, and Yorna had found them almost immediately.
At the time, Yorna had casually claimed she'd stumbled upon them while walking through the castle, but that had likely been a convenient lie. In truth, she had noticed Subaru and Rein suddenly appearing inside and moved to apprehend the intruders.
She hadn't done so immediately, and had instead treated them as Tanza's friends — perhaps because she was still uncertain how to handle two children as young as Subaru and Rein.
In the end, from the moment they first encountered her, Yorna had been protecting them.
"————"
The more Subaru touched upon Yorna's character, the more a feeling grew within him: should he really drag this woman into the Volachia Empire's great conflict?
The same went for the people they'd encountered along the way — the residents of Chaos Frame, the ones called the horned people.
They had been subjected to hardship, expelled, and finally found a sanctuary they wished to protect.
What was wrong with wishing to continue their peaceful lives? And especially when they had a lord who cherished them?
—How was that different from the world that the girl Subaru adored so much had wished for?
"————"
In silence, Subaru gazed down from the keep at the city below — the jumbled streets of the demon city.
Everything about it was chaotic, tangled, messy, and utterly devoid of uniformity. When Subaru had first arrived, he'd wrinkled his nose at how disorganized it was.
But in the brief time he'd spent here, seeing both the people of this city and Yorna, Subaru thought: This place had freedom.
The freedom to live without being bound by anyone, without having to make yourself small. That freedom existed here. That was why the city overflowed with this motley, chaotic energy where everyone expressed themselves freely, and nobody denied anyone else for it.
Free, equal, and fair.
It was as though some kind of ideal blueprint for the future was drawn here.
Was it really right to take Yorna away from a place like this?
"Old man, answer me. Where is the girl — where is Tanza?"
Setting aside Subaru's internal conflict, Yorna's interrogation of Olbart continued.
Tanza wasn't in the castle. Subaru hoped Olbart didn't also have the ability to carry shrunk-down people in his pocket.
"No need to look so scary. I'll tell you straight. I only partnered up with that deer girl because the conditions for the duel just happened to line up."
"——Where is she?"
Yorna's follow-up question, demanding that Olbart cut the pointless banter, pierced him like a blade.
Taking the hint, Olbart tilted his head and cast his gaze toward the city below — the demon city spread out before him in what should have been a magnificent view.
"Nothin' complicated about it. I'm an outsider, right? There's only so many places I can hide a girl."
That was his answer.
△▼△▼▼△ —Slightly before Olbart broke under Yorna's questioning.
It was a single inn within the demon city of Chaos Frame.
Not particularly large, not lavishly decorated — a plain establishment. And yet, in truth, the building's walls and interior were sturdily constructed, so that sound rarely passed through them.
In all of Chaos Frame, this was the one place — or close to it — that felt markedly different from the rest. It was a lodging facility prepared for VIPs, just in case of some unlikely emergency.
The room in question had been made spacious by removing the walls between three rooms and joining them into one. That said, only a precious few of those who used this inn ever occupied it.
There were no refined furnishings, no dazzling works of art, no fine spirits to please the palate — because most of the people who stayed here were pragmatists.
In that sense, too, this inn occupied a peculiar position within Chaos Frame.
A city of lawlessness called a symbol of "freedom" — the demon city. Yet behind that chaos, under Yorna's rule, the inhabitants of Chaos Frame were remarkably unified in will.
These people, who shared a kind of collective vision, harbored a spirit that showed no mercy to external threats while offering compassion to internal woes. That was precisely why provisions like this inn were unnecessary.
Indeed — "——Let the imperial citizens be mighty, and this city of demons stands against that very ideal."
"Ah…"
"A certain degree of policy is delegated to the city's leader. But even that has its limits. —Is it because some among you failed to recognize those limits that you dare do such a thing?"
Asked by the man with arms folded, the small-statured girl tightened her cheeks and fell silent.
The man who posed the question was Abel — clad in black and red, his face hidden behind a demonic mask. Facing him was a beautiful girl in a kimono, a horned demihuman with antlers — Tanza.
In this city, the two were presumed to be adversaries.
—No, to be precise, it was not just Abel and Tanza who had come face to face.
"Have you any notion what kind of place this is — have you intruded with that awareness…!"
"————"
"Answer! Depending on your reply, you may not even leave bones behind!"
Kahma Ilrux, the Empire's second general, his sun-darkened skin flushed with fury, burst into the inn room and roared at Abel and the boy and girl accompanying him.
His outstretched hand held nothing — but weapons were unnecessary for him. Every form of armament was literally nested within Kahma's own body.
When he declared that not even bones would remain, it was no empty threat — it was a simple fact.
That was the true worth of Kahma Ilrux, the "Insect-Fighting General."
"Hey, Abel-boy, are you serious right now?"
Faced with Kahma's overwhelming pressure, the masked boy Al spoke in a voice strained with extreme vigilance. Abel glanced toward him — the boy who carried a Qinglong blade he couldn't even use properly.
"How many times must I ask you the same question before your mind is made up?"
"I wouldn't keep askin' if it was decided, now would I?! I climbed in here despite everything, and I'm askin' because I still haven't decided! Jeez, why the hell did I even come along…!"
"It is decided. —You are far too timid to be on your own."
"Guh…"
Al choked on his next words. It was obvious at a glance that Abel had struck a nerve. That Al couldn't even muster a rebuttal was proof that he recognized it himself.
For some reason, Al had become incapable of keeping his composure even while simply walking down a street.
"Abel-chin."
Taking Al's place, the other companion Medium called out to Abel in protest.
Medium had watched over the now-useless Al and done her utmost to help reach this far alongside Abel. But even her expression bore a heavier shadow than usual.
All of this traced back to the point where Subaru and Rein had dropped out.
"I don't think that was a very nice way to put it."
"You think this is a moment for roundabout language meant to deepen mutual understanding? You two clowns alike — understand the situation. One wrong move, and not even bones will remain, just as was declared."
"That's exactly why! I'm saying that way of talking isn't okay!"
"————"
"When Abel-chin talks like that, Subaru-chin and Rein-chan…"
She began with a strong objection, but her subsequent words trailed off.
That was simply Medium's nature. Even if she wanted to pin all the problems on Abel, her compassionate heart wouldn't allow it.
She understood perfectly well that her own attitude and glances had also contributed to cornering Subaru and Rein. That awareness was perhaps the fruit of her brother's teachings.
Either way, both Al and Medium were experiencing some kind of breakdown.
"Therefore, I have no intention of fighting either. Lower that arm, Kahma Ilrux."
"You — are you sane?! You dodge my question, then try to impose your own demands as though you stand above all. Are you perhaps deluded enough to imagine yourself a king!?"
"——Not far from the mark, at least."
"You—!"
Kahma's fury, born of fierce loyalty to the Emperor, pushed to its limit, eyes bloodshot.
Inadvertently, Kahma had brushed against the truth behind Abel's identity — but fell half a step short of grasping it. The demonic mask obtained from Shudrak's village, its power of "perception inhibition."
In essence, no one could overcome this mask's effect unless they were either someone the wearer intended to reveal himself to, or someone who already had certain knowledge of the wearer's true identity.
In other words — "I'm done playing along with this farce of yours! Even if yesterday's business—"
"——Silence, Kahma Ilrux."
Kahma's arm tensed, the tattoo on his skin writhing — and then his impulse was brought to a dead halt by a voice from behind.
Kahma's eyes went wide as he turned. There, in the back of the room, seated in a reclining chair with regal composure, was a dark-haired man of striking beauty.
Black hair, black eyes — his features, noble and sculpted with almost inhuman perfection, seemed to透彻 through everything, unshaken even by uninvited visitors.
Truly another perfectly crafted "mask," Abel reflected with grudging admiration.
Setting aside Abel's assessment, the man in the back regarded each of the three visitors in turn.
"They bear no hostility toward us. At least, not under these circumstances."
"But, my lord! This man has the audacity to appear before you without even showing his face, displaying not the slightest trace of deference! And he came with children…"
"What about children?"
"Well — it's just that bringing children makes absolutely no sense…"
Kahma's confusion was palpable. He rubbed his brow, wrestling with his own bewilderment.
This man Kahma had an unfortunate habit of taking everything far too seriously. There was a fine line between engaging with something earnestly and giving yourself unnecessary cause for distress.
That earnestness alone had been enough for him to voluntarily resign from his position as one of the "Nine Divine Generals." And — setting that personality aside — he was indeed possessed of power equal to a Divine General's.
Even if no one had fallen victim to Olbart's machinations, and even if Taritta had been present here as well, fighting Kahma head-on would have been virtually impossible.
On that front, this encounter tilted in Abel's favor. After all — "I'll apologize for disturbing your rest, but our business here is with the girl. At present, I have no intention of causing trouble with you."
"What…!"
"My. To stand before me and speak with such boldness. You should recognize this face, this voice. Especially if the envoy who crossed paths with us yesterday in the keep has any connection to you."
"Hmph."
Abel snorted, touching the jaw of his demonic mask, and fixed his gaze on the man opposite — the one Subaru had called the false emperor, whose identity he already knew.
Beside Abel, Al and Medium wore complicated, strained expressions — proof that, outside the mask's perception inhibition, Vincent's words sounded exactly like the same voice as Chisha's.
Chisha's impersonation, as the "White Spider," was flawless.
His voice, his manner — if one were to serve as a stand-in for Vincent Volachia, there were likely no more than two people in this world who could pull it off as convincingly as Chisha Gold.
In some ways, he seemed even more like Vincent than Abel himself was. That was how contradictory the thought felt.
But — "I've heard from my subordinate about the greeting. For the ferocious Emperor of Volachia to show such magnanimity toward an insolent woman's rudeness."
"I am not so eccentric as to concern myself with those who don't know their place. But if I recognize the appropriate value in my counterpart, I treat them accordingly. After all —"
Vincent responded to Abel's barb. A beat of silence, then their gazes crossed in midair, and their lips moved in unison.
"——Let the imperial citizens be mighty."
Yes — that was the ideal and the defining philosophy of the Holy Volachia Empire.
As the Emperor of Volachia, his answer — that he had engaged with someone who had shown the will to resist — could only be called magnificent.
Even if the one who had said the same thing to him had been Abel, his answer would have been identical.
No matter what feelings he harbored within.
"Kahma. That girl over there —"
"Yes. Old Man Olbart asked that we look after her at this inn. The, er, the old man himself went out into the city and hasn't returned."
"I see."
Kahma replied with an awkward expression. At his answer, Vincent tilted his chin slightly and turned his gaze to Tanza.
The girl, who had shrunk into a corner of the room and was trying to at least fulfill her duty as a fugitive, trembled beneath the emperor's gaze and let out a small "ah."
Vincent took in that reaction — fear or something else — as an inevitability.
"Given Olbart's involvement, the agreement with Yorna Miskreg yesterday, and the fact that someone connected to yesterday's envoy has come searching for you — I can infer the general circumstances."
"I… I…"
"There is no need for excuses. That said, I will have
"Ah…"
"If you've begun a fight, then fight with everything you have until its end. That is the only way to determine whether you can burn through the fate you've chosen."
In measured tones, Vincent declared that he would offer no further protection.
But to say that this plunged Tanza into despair of abandonment — that would be wrong.
"————"
What glimmered in Tanza's round eyes was likely the same light, the same flame of resolve that had been kindled when she first chose to defy this struggle.
Tanza — a member of the horned people. It was easy for Abel to imagine that her life had never been smooth or bright. And as a deer-folk of Chaos Frame, her race was precisely the root cause of the rebellion that the former Yorna Miskreg had once led.
It would not be strange if Tanza herself had been connected to those very victims.
"Lord Vincent, I apologize for the inconvenience. However, regarding all that has transpired — it was I who devised everything in secret, without my lord Yorna's knowledge."
"As I said before, there is no need for excuses. The truth of the matter, I will ascertain from Yorna Miskreg directly. Keep your intention to speak for yourself."
"Thank you very much."
Tanza straightened, sat formally, and bowed deeply to Vincent. Then she raised her head, and her gaze turned toward Abel and the others.
Unlike the one she had aimed at Vincent, this stare was loaded with unmistakable hostility.
"!"
Behind her, Al's throat tightened at the girl's intensity.
He was already at the very edge of cowardice, but the pressure she exuded was real. And it was easy to imagine the circumstances that had pushed this girl so far.
It all came down to — "Please — please do not drag Lady Yorna into this war. She is a kind woman. She will surely fight for the sake of the many weak, get hurt, and wear herself down. I cannot allow that. Lady Yorna is my everything."
"Ah…"
"Please, I beg you. Please…"
Tanza's trembling voice, filled with desperate supplication, widened Medium's eyes.
For Al and Medium, Tanza's motivation had been somewhat unexpected. The horned people's objective — that had been the general purpose of the residents who attacked them along the way — was to maintain the horned people's standing.
If Yorna Miskreg's protection was lost, their sanctuary in the demon city of Chaos Frame would be gone, and the brutal days of wandering the wasteland would resume. That was what they feared.
Undoubtedly, many of the city's inhabitants harbored the same sentiment.
But on the other hand, Abel had already surmised that the majority of the demon city's residents would side with Tanza.
What had convinced him was the "Soul Marriage Arts" that permeated the city's people.
That was a secret art that could not function on one-sided feelings alone.
The mechanism that bound such an enormous number of partners — that itself, Abel had not yet confirmed within his own understanding. But regardless.
"The decision lies with Yorna Miskreg. Even if you bow your head to me, nothing will change."
"—You!"
Abel's folded-arms reply somehow only stoked Kahma's anger further.
Though Kahma had virtually no relationship with Tanza, the simple fact that she was young was enough for him to feel a degree of sympathy. Broadly speaking, he was the same type as Yorna.
And when it came to the essence of the demon city alone, what Kahma could not see was visible to Tanza. That was why she kept her head lowered and continued: "No, that is not the case. The decision is not Lady Yorna's — it is yours."
"————"
"Lady Yorna's heart is vast, deep, and kind… and she dreams of something so impossibly far away that we cannot help her achieve it. Yet she possesses the means to make it come true."
"…Did you learn the contents of Yorna Miskreg's letter?"
"No."
Tanza shook her head, denying Abel's suspicion. But she stopped her head in mid-shake, her expression turning painfully fragile as she looked down.
"But I understand. Because — I had never before seen Lady Yorna with that kind of maiden-like expression."
"A maiden's expression, hmm?"
"Lady Yorna responds to the love directed at her. But to see that woman so openly yearning for someone of her own accord… and if the answer to that is in that letter—"
"You concluded that Yorna Miskreg would not refuse. And therefore."
"——Yes. I orchestrated everything."
Tanza lowered her head deeply, confessing her scheme.
"Everything" might not be precisely accurate. Without a doubt, Olbart's hand had been involved in Tanza's plan, twisting its content into something more devious.
But Tanza was claiming responsibility for all of it — from the moment she had set things in motion, through the entire scope of what Olbart had touched — as her own doing.
It was far too — "——Beautiful."
That voiceless murmur took shape in the silent interior of a mouth where no one could hear.
Naturally, it reached no ears. Not Tanza, who had her head bowed. Not Al and Medium, who stood on guard. Not Kahma, who was restraining his anger. Not even Vincent, who leaned his cheek against his fist.
"I have registered your involvement. But what will you do?"
"…What will I do — you mean—"
"Even having revealed your intentions, you could continue as you are. Even if it costs you your life, you could keep directing the city's residents to target us. —No, in fact, once your head is off, Yorna Miskreg would never take your hand."
"————"
"Or perhaps — even your own death was part of the plan."
Still bowing her head, a faint tremor ran along Tanza's neck. Noticing it, Abel became certain that Tanza had reserved even her own death as a hidden card.
Entirely plausible, given the situation. —The number of people willing to carry it through to the end, however, was small.
"You were planning to die. …What a terrible young lady."
"No! That's — I absolutely won't let that happen! Right, Abel-chin?"
Learning of Tanza's resolve, Al was struck speechless. Medium looked to Abel, seeking his reaction.
If Abel said something contrary to their wishes here, what would Medium do? That was worth considering — but ultimately moot.
"I said it before. If she is prepared to include even her own death in the scheme, then killing her would mean fulfilling that very plan. I have no intention of playing along with such a strategy."
"Abel-chin…!"
"People should die more efficiently."
"Abel-chin…"
Pieces that defied expectations — whether they belonged to one's own side or the enemy — were troublesome things.
Judging from that standpoint, Tanza's existence was a dose of poison hard to swallow. But without the resolve to swallow that poison, one could not absorb a greater one.
Having reached that conclusion, Abel fixed his gaze on Tanza, who sat on the floor.
"I have no intention of taking your life. But I will have you rescind the orders you gave your people."
"…Then, regarding my earlier request—"
"To keep Yorna Miskreg out of the war? —That is impossible."
"!"
Abel's clear, decisive words caught in Tanza's throat.
To her, this was a prophecy of the very outcome she had been willing to sacrifice her life to prevent. But Tanza was mistaken — catastrophically, desperately mistaken.
Because — "Even if I had never come, Yorna Miskreg would be swallowed by the maelstrom of war. That is the position she has chosen — an inescapable truth."
"What exactly did you see to—"
"I have no intention of recounting what I see to anyone else. But since it is something that can occur, I will take countermeasures. Regardless of how that may appear to those around me."
As he responded to Tanza's trembling eyes and voice, Abel's gaze suddenly shifted away from the girl.
In its place, his black eyes turned to the silent Vincent at the back of the room. Now seated on the emperor's throne, claiming a false imperial mandate — Vincent Volachia.
Whatever thoughts drove him to cast Abel aside — "My way of being will not change. It cannot be changed. The retreat is burned, and only one path remains. —Burn that into your soul."
"…I shall hold you to that."
Vincent's quiet reply to Abel's words.
That alone was enough to make the air in the room feel scorched and searing. In truth, everyone besides Abel and Vincent was drenched in cold sweat.
"Girl — Tanza. Raise your head."
After the silent standoff between the old and new emperors concluded, Abel addressed the girl who lamented her inadequacy. She slowly lifted her face, eyes brimming with tears, and Abel exhaled softly.
"It was never my intention to use you as expendable. The manner in which she is utilized will require careful thought, but a valuable asset must be employed optimally. —People should die efficiently."
"…May I trust that?"
"Even if you don't, what I do will not change."
Tanza, who had been about to clutch at the hope that bloomed, received that answer — gentle as it was not. Behind her, Al pressed a hand to his forehead and Medium sighed. Yet, after a brief moment of hesitation, Tanza nodded with a small dip of her chin.
"Understood. …Please, Lady Yorna—"
"To fulfill that, you will need to take action on your end as well. As things stand, you can barely walk the streets of this city."
"Oh, right. That was the whole reason we came here in the first place, wasn't it?"
Al perked up at the condition Abel had laid out.
For Al, who was currently terrified of everything, this was truly a matter of life and death. Getting the people who had been pursuing them at Tanza's behest to stand down was an urgent priority.
"But how did you know I was here?"
"If Olbart were involved, that's what I determined he'd do. I also considered the possibility of Crimson Ramble Castle, but the arrangement of pursuers and the distance factor led me here first."
"Ah…"
"More than anything — if we don't get your people to withdraw, too many lives on our side are at risk."
Taritta, being chased by a hundred, and Subaru and Rein, who had gone off on their own — neither had any guarantee of safety as long as they continued to be pursued.
And that included Abel himself, accompanied by the combat-incompetent Al and the half-strength Medium.
To continue the battle with Olbart, subduing Tanza was the top priority.
"…I lost, didn't I."
"That goes without saying. But there is no need to be ashamed."
"…?"
At Tanza's quiet murmur, Abel gave only that response and turned his back.
Not hearing the words she expected, Tanza blinked her round eyes. Then, a voice called out to her back.
"Girl."
"Lord Vincent…"
"As that one said — there is no need to be ashamed."
"B-but, I…"
"You lost. But that means you challenged. —I, too, would be the same."
Leaning his cheek on his fist, gazing into the distance, Vincent's words made Tanza's eyes go wide. Then, slowly, tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and she looked down.
Bowing her head, tears spilling quietly— "Lady Yorna, I'm sorry… I was so incompetent…"
She whispered her apology to her beloved mistress through her tears.
△▼△▼▼△ And so, with Tanza's tears behind them — "So, can we assume those guys chasing us are gonna back off for now?"
"That should be the case. Of course, there's the possibility Tanza was shedding those tears to deceive us, but—"
"No way! Absolutely not! Never!"
Medium puffed out her cheeks and stood her ground, bristling at Abel's concern.
Abel closed one eye, tracing the forehead of his mask with a finger.
"And yet, your own situation shows no signs of improving?"
"Guh…"
"If you're useless, there's nothing to do but leave you behind without mercy. Don't think being Priscilla's clown grants you immunity. Make sure you remember that."
"I-I know… It's not like I want to stay like this forever either."
Glared at and condemned, Al ground his teeth as he replied.
There was no strength in his voice. His fear had not diminished. But regardless of Al's mental or physical state, this much should allow him to walk the streets again.
"So, back to searching for the old man… no wait, should we look for Taritta first? Or maybe…"
"If the goal is to rendezvous, moving ourselves is the wrong approach. With Taritta's eyes, she'd find us far faster than we could find her. As for those fools…"
"U-uh…"
"…Either way, their plan to find Olbart remains unchanged. So, during their search for Olbart, they should cross paths with us. If we can get a lead on that 'Overlook Abyss'…"
Abel folded his arms and murmured. Medium's eyes went round.
"Wait — Abel-chin, do you already know where the old man's hiding?"
"I've at least identified the second hiding spot. Crimson Ramble Castle."
"How can you be so sure about that? And, uh — that castle?"
"It was Tanza's reaction. When the castle came up, her eyes darted. Tanza herself had taken refuge at the inn, but she must have known about Olbart's hideout too. Whether she also knows the third one, I can't say."
The logical sequence was: Olbart and Tanza conspire; after Tanza's message, Olbart challenges Abel to a duel; after the first hideout is discovered, Olbart exits with Tanza and regroups at the inn.
Of course, it was possible Olbart had fed Tanza false information with the expectation that she'd be apprehended.
"Hiding in Crimson Ramble Castle — that's the kind of thing Olbart would like."
"…Yeah, got it. Then we should head to the castle quickly."
"Agreed. We need to get that old geezer to restore our bodies. …If our bodies go back to normal, things should be fine. Then, my little brother and that runt too…"
Al clenched his fist, muttering words that were half-curse, half-prayer.
Having lost his physical composure, Al was losing his mental equilibrium too. He harbored a keen resentment toward the absent Subaru and Rein and their connection.
He wanted Subaru to return to normal quickly and judge Rein with a clear head. Of course, Abel doubted that
"No matter what you think, I have no intention of allowing Olbart's technique to be undone easily."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"To be precise, I don't mind if yours and Medium's are reversed. But I do not intend to release Natsuki Subaru from his. I would prefer him to remain in that state for a while longer."
At Abel's policy, the two stared in open-mouthed shock.
After a beat — "Like hell! What the hell are you talking about?! Nobody asked for that!"
Al surged forward, voice shaking with rage, and grabbed Abel's chest — though due to his height, he could only reach Abel's midsection.
Abel's expression didn't change in the slightest at the feeble threat. "Exactly what I said," he replied.
"He stays in his young form for now."
"You—!"
"Is that because of how you were treating Subaru-chin?"
Al lurched forward again, and Medium grabbed his shoulder from behind, fixing Abel with a hard stare.
At her question, Abel exhaled quietly.
"I have no recollection of doing anything so low as 'bullying.'"
"Whatever you call it! The point is, Abel-chin — you spent the whole time scaring Subaru-chin and trying to make him talk! Was it because of that?!"
"————"
"That's so unfair! If you wanted to know something, you could just ask and he'd tell you! So why did you have to—"
"——Unfortunately, things aren't that simple."
The quiet voice, weighted with restrained emotion, made Medium falter, her "eh?" caught in her throat.
Watching Medium's surprise, Abel easily brushed off Al's grip.
"My reasoning has nothing to do with Medium's suspicions. It is simply necessary."
"Necessary?! What the hell for?! Why just my little brother… what about me and Medium?!"
"That wouldn't meet the criteria. You have one arm, and Medium has her hair and eye color."
"…What!?"
Al's anger only mounted at the nonsensical words. Medium, too, wore an expression that couldn't grasp Abel's true intent, and was left behind by yet another surprise.
And Abel himself — "Even if the situation remains unchanged, the pieces are falling into place. Therefore —"
Through his demonic mask, Abel gazed past the inn room's window, fixing his eyes on Crimson Ramble Castle.
That gesture was aimed not at the castle itself, but at something more symbolic — and indeed, Abel reached out as though grasping for something far beyond his reach.
"I'll be borrowing your company, Natsuki Subaru. Into the eye of the storm, where no wind can be resisted."
△▼△▼▼△ "So long story short, that deer girl is with the authorities — I mean, with the big boss over there."
"————"
Olbart sat cross-legged, short arms folded, and delivered his answer with perfect composure. At his remarkable reply, Subaru was utterly dumbfounded.
Not because it was beyond his imagination.
"If it wasn't the castle, I figured maybe our inn…"
"Oh, so you figured that, huh? That's some nasty thinkin' there, boy. You really do have some Volachia royal blood in you, don't you?"
"That — seriously, stop saying stuff like that. It's genuinely creepy…"
It was probably Olbart's idea of a joke, but his jokes were never even remotely funny. As always, he was cackling away — "Ka ka ka ka!" — in high spirits. Perhaps that was the secret to longevity.
Don't worry about others, don't accumulate stress, laugh a lot. A fine example to follow.
"There's a saying back home — 'the unloved child lives long in the world.'"
"Oh, a saying, is it? What does it mean?"
"Something like, the more people hate you, the longer you live…"
"Ka ka ka ka! Can't argue with that one. Ouch!"
Olbart burst into laughter at the proverb's origin. Rein's fist struck him — a single blow. She'd tapped his shoulder, but even that was a Herculean task in her current state.
Probably, if that had been a blow born of genuine hostility or murderous intent, Olbart could have dealt with it effortlessly as a member of the Empire's strongest.
In that sense, Subaru had made the right call by having Rein use teleportation as a chase rather than an attack. He patted himself on the back for that.
"In any case, we know where Tanza is. …It seems my city's people did rather terrible things to you, and I'd like to apologize for that."
"No, no, Yorna, please don't! There's nothing to apologize for!"
"Uuah!"
Yorna dropped to one knee and bowed with sincere gratitude. Subaru was flustered; Rein nearly jumped out of her skin. The weight of Yorna bowing to them was enormous.
In truth, Yorna had listened to their story earnestly, hadn't backed down an inch even against Olbart, had tried to help Subaru again and again, and then — "Ugh…"
"? What's the matter, little one? Why's your face so red?"
"Nothing, I just… remembered a few things…"
Once the situation had settled and the nightmare-like cascade of pain and suffering receded, Subaru remembered — in those repeating loops, he and Yorna had shared kisses countless times.
That memory didn't persist within Yorna, and Subaru himself hadn't been in any state to retain the sensation of those kisses. All he had was the abstract awareness that they had happened.
Even so — Yorna, who hadn't hesitated to kiss him in order to save a child on the brink of death, to make herself loved — Subaru honestly respected her enormously. He'd even fallen for her a little.
That was precisely why — "I don't want to involve her."
The resistance he felt — dragging Yorna into battle, summoning her to a warzone that could shake the entire Empire — surged powerfully within him.
Was it because Subaru was currently in a child's body? Would his thinking be different if he had his real body back? He didn't know.
But even if the adult Subaru might think differently, the things this young Subaru felt and thought didn't seem wrong to him either.
Because if they were — "Uuaah?"
"I don't want to leave her answer about you — that decision — entirely to the grown-up version of me."
Rein — the girl holding his hand. Her fate was a question Subaru couldn't answer.
If he was going to rendezvous with Abel and the others, that topic was unavoidable. But there was one thing — beyond those ten seconds of despair, Subaru had felt something certain.
He didn't want to let Rein be killed, and he didn't want Rein to die. That much was absolute.
"We'll put off repairing the castle for now. First, I'll go and fetch Tanza."
"Ah… Yorna, about Tanza…"
He wanted to say "please don't be too hard on her," but from his position, those words were difficult to utter.
She had her own reasons and her own way of thinking — and Subaru hadn't even listened to them.
"I won't jump to scolding her blindly. If she was driven to extremes, then I bear some responsibility as well."
Without Subaru even needing to worry, the mistress of the demon city knew what she had to do.
That was precisely why so many in the city — Tanza included — held her in such devotion.
If possible, Subaru hoped that even after he returned to his original body, she wouldn't suddenly grow cold.
"If that happened, I think I might cry…"
That was, honestly, a thought that genuinely hurt his chest. He wished with all his heart that it wouldn't come to pass.
In any case, if Yorna could persuade Tanza, the residents who had been chasing Subaru and Subaru's group should call off their pursuit. Subaru's second ordeal would begin from there.
But — "——There's nothing scarier than dying."
After everything he'd endured, he needed to tell himself that it would be okay.
With that resolved, Subaru was about to descend the castle with Yorna when — "Hey, hold on, boy. You're not headin' back, are ya? Or did you start likin' how you look now? Not that I'd mind either way."
"Oh — sorry, no, no. I'll go back, I'll go back. It's just, I've gotten kind of used to this state, but I'd have trouble with clothes and stuff…"
"Ka ka ka ka! What a thing to worry about!"
Olbart called out to stop him, and Subaru turned around on the roof tiles.
In truth, he'd only been shrunk for a few hours, but he'd shared more life-and-death moments in this body than his entire cumulative death count up to this point.
He didn't want to blame that for it, but a small body did feel unlucky, and if he could restore himself, he'd rather do it sooner than later.
The only thing that scared him was the possibility that his current mindset might suddenly change — but — "It'll be fine, Rein. This time, I'll face you properly."
"Uuaah… auh."
Rein looked down at Subaru's words, then nodded with a small "mm." Subaru pressed a finger to her forehead and passed her over to Yorna.
Yorna caught the small Rein bumping into her from the front.
"Little one, what Old Man Olbart did is—"
"Yeah, I don't trust him completely, but I'd like to think there's at least some basic sense of fair play left in him — enough to follow the rules of winning and losing."
"Hey, I can hear you, y'know."
"I know. That's why I said it."
At Olbart's interjection, Subaru smiled wryly. At his answer, Yorna gently hugged Rein and narrowed her eyes.
"If you understand that, then I have nothing more to say. I don't know what will happen, but this child and I will be watching over you."
"Mm!"
"Yeah, got it. Uh — please be nice to me in the future too, Yorna."
"…? You are quite the worrier, little one."
Yorna's faint, wry smile. Rein's brave little face. Subaru was seen off by both of them as he made his way back to Olbart. The old man stood up and slapped his own hip.
"Lecturin' me like always, huh. Geez, let's just get this over with already."
"Yeah. …Uh, will it hurt?"
"Did it hurt shrinkin'? That's your answer!"
A brief reply to Subaru's timid question. Then Olbart's outstretched hand gently touched the area near Subaru's solar plexus.
According to Abel's theory, Olbart's infantilization technique worked by interfering with the Od — and the Od might be located somewhere around the heart.
At the same time, Subaru's memory resurfaced — yes, yesterday, fleeing from this very keep, Olbart had struck him with a painless blow.
That blow had triggered the interference with his Od, causing the infantilization.
He'd only been shrunk for a few hours, but it felt like the greatest crisis since arriving in the Empire. Then again, the Empire was nothing but crises.
Those ten seconds of despair — setting aside the Empire entirely, they had been on the worst possible scale — "Oh, that reminds me."
Suddenly, he recalled something he'd been trying not to think about.
Those ten seconds of despair, that hellish loop of death and restart — it had been fundamentally different from the "Return by Death" Subaru knew.
What had caused it? And what had happened to the authority of "Return by Death" that dwelled within him — ?
"——Found you."
△▼△▼▼△ —The instant it happened, even those present could not fully perceive the event.
"Gu—"
Olbart gasped and yanked back his right hand.
But too late. Olbart's wrinkled right hand — from the wrist forward, it scattered into motes and vanished.
And then — "Little one—"
"Uuaah!!"
Yorna's eyes flew wide. She pulled Rein tight against her, and with the thrashing girl still in her arms, leapt far backward.
The next instant, black darkness overflowed to fill Yorna and Rein's entire field of vision, engulfing the Crimson Ramble Castle's keep — its upper floors, its middle floors — in a single, all-devouring sweep.
And — "My lord! That is…!"
"————"
Far away, Kahma witnessed the scene through the window, a razor-sharp fighting spirit igniting within him as he stood vigil beside the emperor he must protect, feeling every insect inside his body recoil in terror.
Vincent rose to his feet in the interval, his keen gaze directed at the darkening castle, deep and measured thoughts racing silently behind those eyes.
And — "Impossible, the castle… Lady Yorna…"
"A-a-a-aaaaah—!!"
"Al-chin!?"
The young ones stared in blank shock at what had unfolded, stunned.
Tanza, worried about the mistress left behind in the castle. And Al — more than anyone in this city, no, more than anyone in the entire world — he screamed.
Medium rushed to his side, supporting his shoulder. She, too, stared at Abel with desperate eyes, as though clinging to him for answers in this incomprehensible situation.
And — "Oh my, what a… This is a bit unexpected, I'd say."
"You—"
As though unable to decide whether the real danger was the distant shadow or the man standing before her.
And — "——So this is the true nature of what you carried inside you."
Looking upon the same thing — the false emperor, the screaming children — Abel murmured.
His fists clenched white, his lip bitten until blood welled, hidden behind the mask's inner surface. That demonic mask, terrifying as it was, was rendered expressionless by comparison — Abel's face, contorted beyond recognition, was fixed on the pitch-black darkness.
And — △▼△▼▼△ —I love you.
—I love you. I love you. I love you.
—I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.
—I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.
It was a curse-like love that transcended every dimension, engulfing the very existence of Natsuki Subaru, utterly refusing to let go.
He had known a world without love — a world like hell.
Natsuki Subaru had learned that he was loved regardless.
But at the same time, he needed to understand — not everything that constituted "love" was something to be affirmed.
He had not known, and that was why there was a reckoning.
Because he had not known why it was feared, why everyone recoiled from it.
—Becoming a black shadow, devouring everything, destroying everything, and applauding.
Applauding the reunion, the rendezvous, the embrace, the binding, the fate, the stride forward.
Applauding the confession, the regret, the suspicion, the mystery, the elation, the devotion.
He had known a world without love — a world like hell.
Then what kind of hell awaits a world where love does exist?
Subaru didn't know. He didn't know anything.
In a situation where no one knew anything at all, if there was one thing he could say: The utopia that the outcasts had built — the demon city of Chaos Frame.
—Its collapse would be brought about by none other than Natsuki Subaru's own karma.