——It had been nearly three months since Subaru last set foot in Millum, the nearest town to the
The visit was supposed to be a stopover on the return trip from the
And so, this was only his second time visiting the sleepy roadside town, three months after the first.
"——Through the sand wind, welcome."
The one who greeted Subaru and the others as they ducked through the shop entrance was the surly innkeeper, idly polishing a glass with a sour expression on his face.
He vaguely remembered being received in much the same way last time, but Subaru slapped at the sand clinging to his body, trying to shake off as much as he could at the doorway. It was no use getting it all off, of course, so he accepted the innkeeper's displeasure as a necessary expense and took a seat at the counter.
"What'll it be?"
"Milk. Cold, please."
"Milk, is it... hot perhaps?"
"Milk for me too, warm please."
Having a string of milk orders thrown at him in a bar clearly grated on the innkeeper's nerves—his craggy face scowled worse than ever. But without a single complaint or grumble, he set about heating milk on the flame. Hospitality was hospitality, even if the man was half-rusted.
While the innkeeper went about his work, Subaru pulled the cloth mask from his mouth with a soft "phew,"
"Haaah—I specifically avoided the Sand Time because of last time, and the wind still comes through all sandy. I was underestimating things again."
He grumbled as he used a finger to chase the gritty feeling of sand from inside his mouth. Beside him, a girl who had similarly lowered her sand-covering veil nodded along with a "Yeah, you really were."
"I warned you ahead of time, Subaru. Now my hair's absolutely covered in sand... I'll have to comb it out properly later. I'll do
"I've told you this before, you know. Whether my appearance can be snap-reset into perfection is my concern, not yours. Forget about me and focus on your own business."
"Hmm, I know that, but Beatrice's hair is so thick and luxurious it's worth the effort. I just want to do it, that's all."
"I get it, I get it. Handling Beako's hair is like a little adventure."
When it came to the topic of Beatrice's hair, Subaru—who made sure to comb and tie it every morning, maintaining those drill-shaped twin tails—had plenty to say. Of course, as Beatrice's snap-reset remark made clear, it wasn't actually necessary. It was purely a matter of sentiment.
In fact, Beatrice—having her hair treated like an amusement attraction—was puffing out her cheeks in displeasure.
"My elegant hair and these cute cheeks are not playthings, I'll have you know."
"I wasn't talking about your cheeks, but Beako's cheeks really are bouncy-bouncy land, aren't they?"
"They do feel really nice to touch!"
The enthusiastic second came barreling in from the side, and Subaru grinned with a "Right?!" Then he picked up Beatrice, who was sitting next to him, and plonked her down on his lap.
"Mew!" Beatrice tensed in surprise, but it was already too late.
The escaped Beatrice's cheeks were poked from both sides by different fingers.
"Wh-hey, stop that! We're in public! Have some decorum!"
"Oh, the great Beako has finally learned shame in front of others. That's growth! Before, you didn't have a shred of it... you even tried to follow me into the bathroom."
"That was during the initial contract period! Over a year and a half ago!"
"Back then and now, the two of you are still just as inseparable. But I think I understand how Beatrice feels right now, wanting to cling to Subaru like that."
The girl on his left leaned her head lightly against Subaru's shoulder as she spoke. When Subaru looked over in surprise, the girl met his eyes and gave a bashful "Hehe."
A girl trying to act mature while being in the midst of a clingy mood—making it hard to fully indulge her. Subaru found her rare attitude endearing and went to continue stroking Beatrice's cheek with one hand while reaching to pet the other girl's head with the other—— "There. Milk's done. ...What's with that tableau?"
"Oh, s-she's here, she's here! Come on, Beako, back to your seat~"
"Back to nothing—you're the one who forcibly yanked me out of my seat! How rude!"
The innkeeper held out the steaming cups of milk with a deadpan look. Subaru gave a sheepish smile, set Beatrice back in her seat, and accepted the warm milk.
Then, as the innkeeper finally handed over Subaru's order of cold milk in a glass—— "Oh, so it really is you, huh? You're that kid who went to the Sand Sea with a pretty lady that one time, right?"
"Ah, you remember? That's right—that was the milk I ordered back then too."
"...Word came through. Someone apparently reached the Sage's Tower. They're saying a flood of
"————"
"You made it there, didn't you?"
The innkeeper's low voice carried just a hint of expectation and excitement.
As Subaru raised the glass of milk to his lips, he glanced down at the man's feet—one of which was a prosthetic—and recalled that the innkeeper was likely one of those who had once attempted to conquer the Sand Sea.
Back then, the man had offered earnest advice to Subaru and his party as they set out for the tower. Remembering that guidance from a fellow traveler, Subaru flashed a grin and gave a thumbs-up.
Then—— "Yeah, I went to the tower and met the Sage. ——Loud, clingy, and adorable, that's the Sage for you. Got a little errand to run, so this is gonna be my second attempt."
That was his answer.
△▼△▼△▼△ ——The journey to the Augria Sand Dunes. In other words, a revisit to the Pleiades Watchtower.
It was a journey born from Al's request—the request of someone Subaru had come to genuinely care about during their time in the Volachia Empire, Al, grieving the loss of his lord,
Al's goal: to view the "Book of the Dead" housed in the Pleiades Watchtower. To read Priscilla's book, now that she was gone, and to touch the feelings she had left behind.
When Al pleaded that he simply had to do this, Subaru could not say no.
"I mean, Priscilla would probably fly into a rage if she knew someone did that."
He closed his eyes and pictured her—arrogant and imperious in every way, and yet all he could recall were smiles. The fact that her glare of anger and contempt came to mind so naturally told Subaru that doing so went against everything Priscilla stood for.
And yet, he couldn't help imagining himself in the opposite position.
If Subaru hadn't had "Return by Death," or if even that power had failed to retrieve something, if he had fallen into the same situation as Priscilla and lost someone precious to him—— In that case, wouldn't Subaru want to know the last thoughts of that "someone"? Before that question, reason and ideals meant nothing, he thought.
Of course, Subaru had no intention of reading Priscilla's "Book of the Dead."
He had no right to do so, and he doubted he could endure it even if he could. So he couldn't say with certainty that Al had the right either.
Still, if anyone did, it would be Abel, Yorna, or Al himself. That much he could say.
Therefore—— "I want to respect Al's feelings about wanting to read the 'Book of the Dead.' I'm going to bring him to the Pleiades Watchtower. ...That's what I can do for Al. For Priscilla."
It was easy to imagine that Priscilla wouldn't want anyone reading her "Book of the Dead."
But at the same time, Subaru felt that if Priscilla knew her death had shattered Al's heart so completely that he couldn't stand, and that the means of overcoming that despair was her "Book of the Dead," she would not refuse his reading it.
Having witnessed that final moment, having watched Priscilla vanish as a shaft of light into the morning sun, Subaru sensed that the exchange between Al and Priscilla had carried that meaning.
Even so—— "Let me make this clear:
Ram spoke these words flatly the instant she heard Subaru's proposal, but regardless, there were naturally many objections to Subaru heading to the Pleiades Watchtower with Al.
The most vocal among the dissenters were Otto, and—somewhat unexpectedly—
"I agree with Ram-san. It's not just about Rem-san, but you, Natsuki-san, have surely exhausted yourself more than enough in the Empire. Your body was stretched and compressed, and even setting that aside, you've been wound tight. Wouldn't it be better to just rest for a little while?"
"Look, I totally understand Subaru wanting to worry about Al. I know Al is hurting too, I really do. ...But it's not that I blame the tower or anything, but Subaru got sent all the way to Volachia from there, right? What if we send him back and this time he gets sent somewhere like
Otto's concerns were practical; Emilia's stemmed from worry.
Both came from caring about Subaru, and dismissing them felt terrible. But the fact that Al needed a helping hand right now, in this very moment, was what made up Subaru's mind. He had decided to go to the tower.
Frankly, this was something he felt genuinely sorry about and could do nothing but keep bowing his head in apology—— "——Garfiel, could I ask you to come along?"
"Ooh, leave it to ya, bro Otto! I'll keep my eyes on the big guy and stick to 'em like glue, just like ya said!"
"Beatrice, hold Subaru's hand tight. No matter what happens, do not let go."
"I wouldn't need to be told that. The idea of experiencing the kind of regret I had when Subaru and the others were sent to the Empire again is absolutely out of the question."
The very people Subaru had been agonizing over how to persuade—Otto and Emilia, who should have been standing in his way—had already delegated the task to Garfiel and Beatrice respectively.
When Subaru's eyes went wide at this, the two of them shrugged at each other.
"I had a feeling this would happen after Al-san's story came up. ...However, Emilia-sama and I must return to the Royal Capital—along with our report on the matter of Priscilla-sama. So."
"We'd been talking about leaving it to Beatrice and Garfiel, of course. Honestly, I want to go so, so badly—but I know I have a duty to fulfill."
Weighing her role against her feelings, Emilia had firmly decided to do what was required.
As a candidate for the Royal Selection, she had intervened in the Volachia Empire's war against the "Great Calamity" at Abel's request, and Priscilla had lost her life in that conflict. That too had to be reported.
The
Even so—— "Subaru, I think that what you want to do for Al is something only you can do—the Subaru who spoke with Priscilla one last time. ...Please, take care of Al for us."
Emilia's earnest, violet-blue eyes looked straight into Subaru, and he felt his mouth go dry.
He had, once again, imposed on kind people like Emilia and Otto in order to see his own feelings through. Ideally, Subaru should have gone to the Royal Capital as Emilia's knight—above all, as someone directly involved in the events of the Volachia Empire.
And yet, he was taking advantage of everyone's goodwill.
"I—! I'm going with you this time!"
As Subaru's eyes stung with the warmth of that understanding, Petra raised her hand with a sharp snap and made her declaration.
Naturally, this trip to the Pleiades Watchtower would be yet another long journey. Someone would be needed to take care of everyone along the way and at the tower.
Stepping forward to volunteer for that role, Petra clenched her fists with red cheeks and declared with spirit, "This time, I'll be useful! Frederica-oneesama and Ram-oneesama, please look after the mansion and Emilia-sama's group!"
"Y-yes. ...That's quite the enthusiasm."
"I've always been left behind, so this time I decided I wouldn't hold back!"
Frederica accepted Petra's burst of courageous determination with surprise. From Subaru's perspective, having Petra along was more than enough. With that, the members heading to the tower were set, and Subaru turned at last to face Rem.
She had finally returned to Lugunica from Volachia, and had been looking forward to settling into the Roswaal Mansion—different from the old one, where so many of her memories resided—and slowly working to recover her former "memories" through trial and error.
"It's incredibly frustrating that I can't be part of that process..."
"The same thing happened when you reunited with oneesama, so please don't feel bad about it. ...But are you really going?"
"Yeah, I'm going. I can't just leave Al be. You understand, right?"
"I understand. ——That's exactly why you're so despicable."
Hearing this, Subaru's eyes widened in surprise.
At his reaction, Rem bowed her head and said, "I said too much," then, "Please come back safely. Until then, I'll do my best not to remember you too much—so you won't be a disappointment when you do."
"No, that's... it's my own choice, and I don't want to interfere with what you want to do."
"In that case, that's impossible. ——There's no way anything you do won't have any effect on me."
She pressed a hand to her chest as she spoke, and Subaru was left at a total loss for words.
Staring at the speechless Subaru, Rem stuck her tongue out with a playful little grin—looking for all the world like she'd gotten the last word, which only rendered Subaru even more mute.
——That was her cheer, and everyone's, to push Subaru forward. And even Subaru, who never seemed to grow up, understood that perfectly well.
△▼△▼△▼△ ——And so, here they were again today, having arrived at the nearest town to the Augria Sand Dunes.
Thinking of everyone who had seen them off, thinking of the tower guardian who had parted ways with them after the first attempt, Subaru felt a dull ache stir deep in his chest.
Before him, the innkeeper heard the report of reaching the tower and lowered his face.
"Hey, old man?"
"————"
Subaru called out to the innkeeper, curious about the reaction, but the man said nothing. Subaru shot a worried glance at Beatrice, checking whether he'd said something wrong.
But Beatrice shook her head at his look.
"Nothing strange happened. He just has a milk mustache under his nose, that's all."
"Ah! You could've told me sooner! I was making all these cool poses for nothing!"
"You did look cool, you know. And also, I thought you were cute."
"That kind of comment... in my life, basically only Emilia-tan says stuff like that..."
Cute and cool—a combination that suited Emilia perfectly when she was at her most magnificent. Most people could only pull off one or the other, so it was truly the hallmark of a miracle beauty.
In any case—— "I see. So you did..."
As Subaru hurriedly wiped his upper lip, the innkeeper murmured with deep emotion. Then he wiped his own eyes with a finger, slapped his palm hard against the counter, "That's the spirit! Well done! Drinks are on me today!"
"Seriously!? Then I want to stock up on food before we cross the Sand Sea again—give me everything you've got!"
"Don't get cocky!"
"Fair enough!"
The innkeeper, now in high spirits and grinning broadly, laughed along with Subaru. But his laughter faded as he looked over the young girls accompanying Subaru and cocked his head in puzzlement.
Last time, the person who had left an even stronger impression than Subaru—Emilia—wasn't with him. That was probably what was bothering the innkeeper. Subaru understood the sentiment, but—— "Unfortunately, she's not with us today. But she's gotten back safely, so don't worry."
"I see. Safe is what matters. ...But that means you've got a more anxious-looking group than last time."
"For the record, Beako was one of the team that made it through last time. She just didn't show her face because she was busy treating our companion back then."
"I'm doing this for the very first time, but I won't fall behind Emilia-sama either."
"Oh, wow, that's some serious confidence. Reliable, reliable."
Subaru went to pet this boldly chest-thumping girl's head—the petting he'd been denied earlier—but his outstretched hand was caught from below by a girl's quick grasp.
Then, locking eyes with the startled Subaru, the girl—Petra—peered up at him with a pointed stare.
"Subaru. You were just about to pet my head, weren't you?"
"Huh? Yeah, I was... was that bad?"
"...It's not bad, but can I ask you something? Do you ever pet Emilia-sama's or Rem-oneesama's head?"
Asked in such a serious tone, Subaru blinked and thought it over.
Did he pet Emilia's or Rem's head? Come to think of it, he had petted Rem's head before, but doing so to the current Rem might well get his arm twisted out of its socket.
And as for Emilia's head—just thinking about it made the difficulty level seem impossibly high.
"No, for various reasons, I don't pet either of their heads. I don't."
"Then you can't pet mine either."
"Really!?"
"Really!"
Petra turned her face away with a huff and dropped his hand, leaving Subaru reeling. He had never anticipated such a rebellious phase from Petra—it was a bolt from the blue.
As Subaru slumped in dejection, Beatrice gave a resigned shrug.
"Well then, pet mine instead. I'm offering unlimited head-petting right now, you know."
"Beako, please provide that unlimited service for eternity."
"Hmph, that depends on your behavior going forward. You'll need to pet me so thoroughly that I'll always feel it's perfectly fine for you to touch my hair."
"That's a high bar! But I'll clear it...!"
Subaru extended his hands, every nerve fingertip-aware, toward the lofty Beatrice. At his gentle touch, Beatrice let out a soft "Hwaaah."
"Th-this is... quite... not bad, actually... in fact, good? Is it good? I never knew you had this kind of potential hidden away...!"
"You're too sweet, Beako. Time apart grows love, after all."
"I really do feel that way. Time apart really does that, huh..."
"Petra-san? You've got some kind of aura going on, don't you...?"
As Subaru worked Beatrice's head with the God Hand, Petra moved her chair half a step closer, her piercing gaze boring into him.
But when Subaru addressed her, Petra affected an innocent "Do I~?"
As Subaru wilted under her attitude, the innkeeper spoke up.
"Well, it's certainly an entertaining bunch. But are you sure? Just because things went well once doesn't mean you should let your guard down."
"Yeah, I know. The biggest threat—that giant sniper with the most surface area—is gone, but the sand winds and the monsters are still going strong. Oh, speaking of, old man—that tip you gave us about the birds flying toward the tower? That was a huge help."
"Glad to hear it... But you know the other obstacles too, right? What's your plan?"
"Right, that's the countermeasure and the meetup."
In the assault on the Augria Sand Dunes, three barriers stood in the challengers' way. One was the "Sand Time," when the sand winds grew violently intense. Another was the fierce magical beasts that inhabited the Sand Sea. The last had been
And as for the magical beasts, which were the most likely obstacle standing in the way of tackling the mandatory Sand Time—— "Geez, this area really is nothing but sand, huh."
A dissatisfied voice and the sound of sand being brushed off someone's body drifted in from the entrance. Subaru and the others turned as if they'd been waiting for exactly this, and their eyes found the newcomer.
Standing there was a girl in dark attire, her blue hair braided in three plaits.
When she noticed Subaru and the others seated at the counter, her eyes widened for just a moment before she broke into a mischievous smile.
"Hi there, big brother. You made it back safe and sound, I see. And Petra-chan and Beatrice-chan too—it's good to see you both looking well."
As Mei Li Portroute—she waved, and from somewhere in her hair a small scorpion popped out, wagging its tail in time with her hand.
In that fashion, Mei Li and the small red scorpion together welcomed Subaru's party back to the Kingdom of Lugunica and the long-awaited reunion.
At Mei Li's appearance, Subaru turned and flashed a grin at the innkeeper behind the counter.
"That girl there is our number one ally in conquering the Augria Sand Dunes."
"With a grinning kid like you and three girls... hang on, is the Sage's Tower maybe not as far away as I thought?"
At the stunned innkeeper's remark, Subaru scratched his cheek with one hand as if to say, well, now that you mention it—while continuing to stroke Beatrice's head with the other.