The otherworldly being who once plunged the world into screaming terror, who swept away the witches of old and seized their power to annihilate half the world, who was feared by every living thing across the globe.
Her body was sealed in crystal by the hand of a hero, and even now she remained imprisoned—unable to be destroyed.
That was what Subaru thought, anyway, with the sensibilities of a modern-day kid. What a load of nonsense.
By the common sense of his original world, such a thing couldn't exist. If it were merely that her misdeeds had been passed down through stories for hundreds of years, fine—but the idea that such a being was still slumbering somewhere in the world?
"Well, it's the kind of era where people don't know the president's name but can tell you who the most popular member of the national idol group is, so I guess you can't take it too seriously."
And Subaru, for his part, was the poster child for a tasteless, passionless existence—he had zero interest in either.
Chewing over these thoughts while also chewing over everything
In the garden bathed in morning light,
Even repeated however many times, this vision never lost its otherworldly beauty—one of the most breathtaking sights in the world. It was part of Emilia's morning routine.
Not wanting to disturb her, Subaru stood a little ways off, scratched his head, and smothered a yawn building in his throat before letting the breath escape as a sigh.
One night had passed since his meeting with Beatrice in the forbidden archive, and now he was entering the third morning. For Subaru, who had blitzed through yesterday daytime by sleeping like the dead, his body still felt like it was in peak condition.
He had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask Beatrice from the wee hours through dawn, but— "It's bad for my skin, so I'm going to bed now. In fact, it's your fault I stayed up this late in the first place," the girl had said, veins popping on her forehead in fury, and she'd kicked him out of the library.
Come to think of it, she was always in that room. But where did she actually sleep in there? Aside from the bookshelves, the only furniture was the stepladder that was Beatrice's usual perch and the desk Subaru occasionally sat at. Not much else of note.
Directly on the floor, probably—though given her personality, that was unlikely.
"I wonder if she's got a room or something. I've never run into her once, though. Not that I'd expect some lucky pervert scenario with a little girl like that."
If she was keeping it secret, that was just rude.
Next time an opportunity arose, he'd secretly follow Beatrice around for a day.
Once he broke out of the loop and life at the mansion settled into something peaceful— —another reason to push forward with a positive attitude, and Subaru let his lips relax.
Then— "You're looking awfully chipper, nya."
He looked up at the voice and found a grey puffball floating before his eyes.
Or rather, a small cat with a pink nose. It was
He was performing the same paw-to-face washing gesture a normal cat would, and said: "Honestly, yesterday was hard to watch. I'm a little relieved now."
"Sorry about that—worrying you was my bad. But my fragile little heart is nowhere near healed yet. I need you to comfort me. Specifically, by letting me rub—"
"Oh, that kind of bravado is probably fine. Good. That means the time Reia spent letting you rest your head on her knee wasn't wasted."
Puck gave his stamp of approval, and Subaru couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. Seeing that reaction, Puck went— "Whap!"
"Ow—!? Why did you just scratch me!?"
"As a mother figure, I thought it was touching. But as a father figure, I harbored a wordless discomfort toward you."
"So you're torn between maternal and paternal instincts—how complicated can you get!?"
"Having a cute daughter makes parenting tough, you know. Ah, so move a little further from Reia, okay? See?"
"Open sabotage! This is my non-negotiable line! The fact that I can't quite reach when I stretch out my arm is what makes it dignified, so please!"
He bowed low and groveled until he somehow obtained permission, maintaining the status quo.
Then he turned to look at Emilia again. She seemed absorbed in her conversation with the spirits, apparently unaware of the one boy and one cat making a racket in the quiet of the morning.
Watching her gentle profile—the kind that occasionally broke into a smile so beautiful it startled—Subaru murmured under his breath: "——A silver-haired half-elf, huh."
One of the threads of the Jealous Witch's heritage, as Beatrice had told him.
A witch whose birth had shaken the world and instilled fear in all. Having that in common with her—just how heavy a burden was that in the course of living? Subaru, for whom such feelings weren't remotely close at hand, couldn't even guess. But he could tell it hadn't been an easy path.
And yet she'd grown up into someone so honest and straightforward. To live as a flower without losing her charm—she could probably do that because...
"She must have had wonderful people around her. Or maybe..."
"Her adoptive parents were good people. Fufun."
Puck placed his paws on his hips, puffed out his chest, and chuckled while stroking his whiskers.
A cat who could read emotions. Combined with Subaru's muttered words, he'd clearly grasped exactly what Subaru was thinking.
Subaru closed his mouth, beaten to the punch. Puck floated in the air and spun himself in a vertical rotation, then continued: "Well, her innate disposition is the biggest factor. I'm not going to lecture you, but believe me—she's suffered a hundred thousand times more than you imagine. —And yet, she still carries herself that way, which is exactly why she's so precious."
Not a shred of a rebuttal came to mind.
It was true that Subaru didn't know much about Emilia, and Puck had shared those unknown days with her. Subaru's imagination could only stretch so far—a human imagination steeped in lukewarm complacency. Reality blew past such feeble musings with ease and came crashing in.
When tossed about by fate, that was how powerless a person became. Having been made to feel that truth again and again since coming to this world, Emilia too must have experienced it countless times.
"Hey, Puck—do you know about the Witch of Envy?"
"There's not much I don't know, you know."
"Then let me ask... what kind of situation would make someone use the name of the Witch of Envy? No—'use' sounds bad. Maybe I should say 'borrow' the name of the Witch of Envy."
What surfaced in his mind was that loop from the day he was summoned.
The very first event of the very first loop. Back then, Emilia had given Subaru—the ignorant newcomer—the false name "Satella."
He had a hazy guess at the true intent behind that, but Subaru wanted someone else to confirm it. Ideally, her closest confidant.
Puck was silent for a moment, unsure of the question's aim. Then he slowly opened his mouth: "Either way, it's suicidal, don't you think? People who bear grudges against witches still crop up endlessly, and the terror and despair carved into their hearts never fade. To use the witch's name like that—there's no way to describe it other than insane."
"I'll take that."
"?"
Puck cocked his head, a question mark practically floating above him.
Leaving the confused spirit behind, Subaru pumped his fist internally—he'd gotten the validation he needed for his own theory.
Yes. Using the witch's name at that point would naturally make anyone think you were out of your mind. The only reason it hadn't gone that way was because Subaru happened to be absurdly ignorant of common sense. Normally, that was exactly how things would play out.
So then—why had Emilia done it, knowing full well what would happen?
"If she made people think she was crazy, they'd stay away, and she wouldn't have to drag anyone into the dangerous business of searching for the insignia."
She'd done it to keep people at a distance. That was what Subaru believed.
Emilia's intentions, which she'd already acted upon, had vanished to the far side of dimensions—and the only person who knew about that exchange was Subaru. And Subaru would never have the chance to go ask her about her true feelings.
But it was the only conclusion he could reach. And once he decided on it, that was enough—because the certainty he'd received from her was all he needed.
In short— "Emilia-tan, you're practically a saint."
"Don't lump yourself together with incomprehensible people."
Having just confirmed across dimensions the maternal warmth Emilia radiated, Subaru found the real deal approaching him with a wry smile.
Her conversation with the spirits seemed to have concluded—the faint motes of light that had been floating around her were gone. In their place, Puck, who had been bobbing beside Subaru this whole time, hopped onto her shoulder.
"Home sweet home. This is where I'm most at ease."
"Welcome back. Sorry about always leaving you alone. But when Puck is around, the other spirits get all timid."
"Making spirits timid? That's beyond flattering—that's practically megalomaniacal. People might start getting the wrong idea that I'm some big shot."
"Fufun, I am a big shot, you know. Demand more respect for me! As tribute, how about some dried sardines?"
"You're going full cat mode..."
Puck started doing a Pikachu-style head shake. Subaru reached out and scratched the grey head with a finger, and Emilia turned to face him directly.
Being confronted with her beauty head-on, Subaru noticed he was fighting the urge to avert his gaze.
How embarrassing. Obviously.
After all, this was just one night after she'd given him a pillow on her lap and he'd bawled his eyes out, and she'd spent hours stroking his hair before they parted. What face was he supposed to show her? Ideally, he'd be hugging a pillow and rolling around on his bed wrestling with the question.
But the fact that he'd come to find her anyway—that was how severe his condition was. A serious Emilia addiction. He was beyond the point of functioning without her.
"Um, this is kind of embarrassing. ...Are you feeling okay?"
"My withdrawal symptoms were flaring up, but you just cured them, so I'm great. Emilia-tan, you're... you know. For everything—sorry—"
He started to apologize but faltered, swallowing his words and starting over.
"Thank you for everything. My head and heart were a foggy labyrinth, but I don't think it was all for naught."
"You don't seem like you've completely come to terms with it, but even wanting to—that's progress. If I could help even a little, that's good enough. And if you start feeling worn down again, come find me, okay? Big sis will take care of you."
She pressed a hand to her chest and teased him with a grin.
That too, probably, was an act of consideration meant to ease his guilt. He noticed she looked really pleased at playing the older sister, which almost made him think she was being genuine—slightly动摇ing that conclusion.
Either way— "If you're feeling energetic, that's what matters. You've got work today, so do your best! You slept at a weird hour though—feeling sleepy?"
"Rest assured. A shut-in like me basically runs on sleeping during the day and being awake at night. I've been way too healthy lately."
"You say that sometimes, but what exactly is this 'shut-in' thing?"
"Someone who burns charcoal in their room and bets on whether a pink-haired mage will burst in to save them."
That was, honestly, a feat on a whole other level of soul.
Emilia gave a slightly guarded nod at the strangeness of his explanation. Watching her reaction, a thought suddenly struck Subaru: "Now that you mention it—mages—Emilia-tan, you're a mage too, right? What kind of magic can you use?"
What kind of magic can you use—that was a question you could only ask in another world. Realizing how fantastical his words were, Subaru almost laughed. But Emilia shook her head: "Strictly speaking, I'm not a mage. In my case, the contract with Puck aside—I'm a spirit user. What I use isn't magic but spirit arts. The principles are nearly identical, but..."
"Mages and spirit users are different?"
He tilted his head and glanced at Puck, who was perched on Emilia's shoulder. When the small cat noticed the conversation had turned to him, he fiddled with the fur near his belly and explained: "Mages use the mana inside their own bodies to cast spells. Spirit users, on the other hand, use mana from the atmosphere. The results might be similar, but the path to getting there is quite different."
"So what exactly is the difference between them, sir?"
Subaru raised his hand like a student addressing the lecturer.
Puck straightened up, looking pleased, and said with a broad grin: "It comes down to whether you use a gate or not, so the difference is pretty significant. For a mage, the size and number of gates directly determines their aptitude. But for a spirit user, that barely matters. They use external mana regardless of gates."
"So through the gate, you pull in mana from outside, store it inside, and then use that stored mana to cast magic. Spirit users don't have that part."
Subaru chewed on Puck's explanation internally, then tilted his head at a question that surfaced halfway through: "Wait, wait—wouldn't that make spirit users completely overpowered? Mages store their fuel internally, but spirit users can just draw from the atmosphere indefinitely... infinite MP means this isn't even a fair fight."
"You're a quick study. But it doesn't work out that neatly. The mana in the atmosphere isn't infinite, and..."
Puck trailed off and raised his gaze to Emilia. She picked up where he left off: "The strength of the arts a spirit user can wield depends on the power of the spirit they're contracted with. And contracts with spirits themselves are extremely rare, so you can't really say one is superior to the other compared to mages."
"Hmm... but if you contracted with a powerful spirit, you'd be in pretty good shape, right? Emilia-tan, Puck's actually really strong, isn't he?"
"Well, I won't deny that I rank near the top if you count from there, nya."
"You say you're all calm and mellow, but when you talk, you really talk... Your conviction in yourself never wavers, huh."
Subaru had his own opinions about self-assurance, but even he was surprised by how unshakeable Puck was. Probably a difference in experience. The gap between a greenhorn and a Great Spirit was exactly that—the sheer number of years invested.
Despite that, the Great Spirit seemed unused to praise, looking rather bashful and pleased. Subaru pointed at him: "Oh yeah—what kind of spirit is Puck, anyway? Back in the stolen goods vault, you were pumping out ice left and right... but in my memory, ice isn't one of the elemental types?"
When Roswaal had lectured him in the bath that one time, Subaru had been told about the four standard elements—fire, water, earth, wind—plus the dreaded system of Yin and Yang.
It was Emilia who answered his question. She turned her right palm upward: "It is ice, but it's actually fire mana. Fire is primarily heat-related mana, so hot and cold things are both broadly classified under fire."
A crack split the air, and an icicle appeared just above her palm.
About the size of a traffic cone, the icicle pointed its sharp end toward him and began to spin like a drill.
"Even if you don't mean anything by it, that's scary!? If I had a phobia of pointed things, I'd be wetting myself right about now!"
"Ah, sorry. I was trying to demonstrate and it just kind of... came out. I mean, it's useful, but I couldn't think of a purpose for it just now..."
"Having no purpose and going straight to intimidation is a dangerous thought process! I like gentle, elegant Emilia-tan!"
"Sure, sure."
Emilia clapped her hands, and the icicle dispersed into mist.
Not by melting or shattering—literally turning to powder and fogging away.
What a bizarre principle. That kind of fantasy was exactly what kept Subaru's curiosity burning.
Perhaps that eagerness showed on his face. Puck, who had been watching the silent Subaru, suddenly said: "Hmm, do you maybe want to try casting magic?"
"Can I!? For real!? Then I want to! Ultimate destruction incantation—"
"No, you can't. Whether it's magic or spirit arts, you can't neglect the fundamentals. Magic isn't mastered overnight."
Puck slammed down on Subaru's flare-up of enthusiasm from above, arms crossed. Subaru's shoulders slumped. Taking pity on him, Puck stroked his whiskers and added: "But... I could let you have a simple体验, maybe?"
"What would that involve?"
"Basically, since you want to cast magic, either I or Reia could provide support. We'd use the mana inside your body and cast the spell through you. From our perspective, it's just a question of whether the mana comes from the atmosphere or from you—and the magic itself comes out through your gate. How about it?"
"Hey, Puck, don't be so quick to promise things. It might be dangerous."
Emilia, his partner, reined in the tempting offer. She seemed genuinely concerned about the safety of the act, but— "Sorry, Emilia-tan. I appreciate you worrying about me. I really do... but I'm going for it!"
Subaru flashed a thumbs-up, baring his teeth in a grin, and gave Emilia his most confident smile.
Seeing that he'd discarded every ounce of doubt and apprehension, Emilia couldn't hide her surprise and blinked repeatedly: "Wh-why go that far...?"
"Even when you know it's dangerous—even when you know full well the risk—a man sometimes has to do it. ...If I pass up a chance to maybe cast magic, there was no point in being summoned to another world!"
He clenched his fist and roared from the depths of his soul.
Right now, Subaru was more fired up than he'd been since coming to this otherworld. Until now, the otherworldly benefits he'd encountered had all been limited to eye candy. To let this slip by would make the entire otherworld meaningless.
Realizing opposition was futile, Emilia resigned herself with a warning: "I'll stop you the moment it seems dangerous."
Taking that advice with a bright smile, Subaru turned back to Puck: "So what do I do first? Do I need to draw a magic circle or offer Beatrice here as a sacrifice?"
"That you're on good terms with Betty is wonderful. Let's start by figuring out your attribute. We need to know what kind of magic you can use—can't begin without that."
At Puck's suggestion, Subaru's previously cheerful expression darkened in an instant. Puck blinked at the dramatic shift, but Subaru waved his hand dismissively: "M-My attribute is definitely 'fire,' right...?"
"Why did you suddenly start speaking in broken Japanese?"
At Emilia's question, Subaru turned his head to the side with a slow, grinding creak. He didn't want to think about it anymore.
But Puck, paying no mind to Subaru's feelings, leaped off Emilia's shoulder, floated in front of Subaru's face, and said: "Excuse me then—"
"Wha—what is this new sensation?"
He extended a tail as long as his small body and touched the tip to Subaru's forehead. He was probably examining the mana inside Subaru's body.
He'd been told that when Emilia had connected with him mind-to-mind, they'd pressed foreheads together—though rather than dwelling on the difference in technique, he was more jealous that he'd gotten to press foreheads with Emilia.
"Even as I try to bluff, reality doesn't change—no, wait, let me think positively for once. Come to think of it, wasn't Roswaal's attitude at the time unnatural? Yes—he was jealous of the extraordinary talent as a mage sleeping inside me. Oh! Shit! He was jealous of me! That's why he filled my head with lies and tried to seal off my brilliant path as a mage—"
"Surprising, nya—you're pure 'shadow' attribute, straight up."
"SECOND OPINION—!!"
Across dimensions, an independent stamp of approval delivered by a different party—Subaru was devastated.
Unless Puck and Roswaal were secretly colluding, he had no choice but to believe this result. How much chance was there that the cat—who so earnestly embodied his real mother's favorite saying of "outsiders are outsiders, home is home"—had lied out of jealousy toward Subaru's talent?
"A debuff specialist, huh... I wanted to spam lightning and blow away ten-thousand-strong armies..."
"Oh, and you have zero talent too. Small gates—though you have slightly more than average in number. A lot of them aren't fully open either, so ventilation looks pretty bad."
"I know that, you're so annoying! Stop describing people like they're a room that hasn't had its screen washed! By the way, if you quantified my talent, what would it look like?"
"If you dedicated twenty years to magic training and nothing else, you might—maybe—reach just below the first tier?"
"Betting half my life to fall short of first tier... I'm giving up on this dream...!"
Tears held back, Subaru declared his surrender. Emilia gave him a look of exasperation. But there was no helping it—in Subaru's dictionary, words like "effort" and "trying your best" were written in ink so faint you could barely see the letters.
Putting that sentiment aside— "I still want to try the magic experience, so please. How do I do it?"
"Since you're 'shadow' attribute... I was a bit surprised, honestly. A simple shadow spell would be—what was it, Reia?"
"For shadow, I think the blinding spell 'Shamak' would be one... Sorry, I'm not very confident."
Emilia lamented her lack of knowledge. Before her, Puck went "Ah, right" and clapped his hands: "Shamak—of all the spells, we get that one. It's rarely used. Well, let's make casting that our goal for now."
"Wait, wait, wait. I can't just let this proceed like it's a given. What even is Shamak? If I try it without knowing the effect and some incomprehensible power turns me into a frog, what then? In that case, Emilia-tan, kiss me and turn me back into a prince."
"I feel like the logic isn't connecting...?"
Emilia stared at him with dead eyes, and Subaru shrank back. Meanwhile, Puck conceded that Subaru had a point: "Fair enough. Using a spell you don't know is a little scary. Then, let me show you. This is Shamak."
He flicked his short arm, and Puck completed a brief incantation.
Suddenly, Subaru's vision was swallowed by darkness. He blinked, opened his eyes—and it was still as dark as if his eyelids were shut.
He let out a small gasp of surprise, but even that sound didn't reach his ears. The darkness that had appeared completely severed his sight and his connection to the outside world, sending a sensation like dread racing down his spine.
"All done."
"Mommy... huh? It's back?"
"You're back. Hey, Subaru. Were you so scared you just called for your mom?"
"I would never do something that unmanly! That was—y'know, that thing! Where you accidentally call your teacher 'Mommy' at school!"
His vision returned, and seeing both the beautiful face and the small cat in front of him, he felt immensely relieved.
He touched his own eyelid, confirmed nothing had changed, and said: "So that was a blinding spell—Shamak. It's subtle, but couldn't it be pretty effective?"
"Not really. Against someone stronger or at your level, it gets repelled by pure power differentials and doesn't last long. If I were the one casting it on you, though, I could make you spend your entire life in darkness."
"Scary line of thinking!? Even without that long, just one day of that would be enough to knock me flat, I'm sure."
Chuckling wryly, Subaru secretly clenched his trembling fist behind his back.
Just a moment ago, he'd tasted the sensation of everything fading away—the loneliness of feeling abandoned by the world still fresh in his memory.
The feeling of being the only person in the entire world, convinced there wasn't a single ally anywhere—that memory surfaced unbidden, and his hands trembled.
How pathetic, he bit his tongue. Then, forcing a smile: "Anyway—whether it works or not, I can at least use that magic now, right? I want to try it right away!"
"Sure! I'll handle the support. Reia, in case something unexpected happens and the mana runs wild, you'd better step back—if Subaru blows up, your clothes might get dirty."
"An unexpected incident is exactly what you said it'd be!? That'd be the kind of failure that almost never happens, right!?"
Puck smiled serenely and silently. Emilia wore a slightly forlorn expression, told him "Don't push yourself," and actually retreated to a safe distance.
Surrounded by this deeply unsettling setting, Subaru's slight falter in confidence was left behind as events began to move forward.
Puck settled on the crown of Subaru's short black hair, adjusting his position: "Your head is prickly and uncomfortable to sit on."
"Never thought the day would come where I'd be carrying someone on top. Can't offer you a cushion, but make yourself comfortable."
"Honestly, I miss being inside Reia's hair, so I'll wrap this up fast and get back. Anyway—are you ready?"
At the question, Subaru hesitated for the briefest instant. But he quickly twisted his lips into a grin and slowly nodded.
There were plenty of reasons to be anxious. But curiosity was stronger.
Receiving Subaru's affirmative, Puck gave one big nod.
Then Subaru felt his entire body grow hot. A sensation different from blood circulating—a raging, formless torrent surging through his body. This invisible flood must be what they called mana.
Through the presence of Puck perched on his head, he could feel that energy inside him beginning to move with a directed purpose.
"Subaru, try to visualize it. I'm grasping the flow of mana inside your body and guiding it now. Take a portion of it and push it out through your gate—outside your body. It will take shape out there—like a dark cloud, similar to what you saw earlier."
"Visualize, visualize. Leave it to me—I'm an expert at delusion."
He slightly misinterpreted Puck's advice and sought an outlet for the writhing energy inside him through his imagination.
The gate—the "door" as it was called—visualized at his body's center. The heavy door creaked open, and energy spilled outward from inside. That energy flowed out, and at Subaru's will, it sublimated into a phenomenon— "Hmm, this is tricky. His gate is being a bit—"
At the critical moment, Puck murmured suddenly.
There was no time to ask what.
Immediately after— "You two!?"
Emilia's scream rang out. Seconds later, a corner of the Roswaal mansion's garden was engulfed by a black mist that had erupted in an explosive burst.
——It hadn't blown him apart, but the result was still a spectacular failure.