——Felix Argyle.
That was the real name of the person standing before him.
He'd heard it through the grapevine, and more to the point, the man himself had just introduced himself by it. He'd always thought it had a manly ring to it, quite at odds with that dainty appearance.
But even now, faced with the person who had actually spoken that name, Subaru couldn't quite reconcile the fact with reality.
That was just how thoroughly his way of life was built around the image of "
"Dismissed from knighthood…? You mean—"
"I quit, is what it means. Well, but it can't be helped. The moment I decided to take the hand of the
"Ferris…"
"When you showed up back then, it really was a comfort. It wasn't just me, Old Man Wilhelm, and Lady Crusch's other supporters—I could see that there were people out there who were glad I was all right, that what I'd done wasn't wrong. I… really felt that."
Ferris folded down the cat ears atop his head, his eyes crinkling as he answered.
Emilia, who had been half-rushing toward him before stopping in her tracks, looked as though she couldn't decide what to say—her hands rising, then falling, then rising again.
Her hesitation and bewilderment were perfectly justified. —But the sight of Ferris slipping his arms into a tailcoat and claiming to have resigned from knighthood drew a different answer from Subaru.
"Wait! Subaru, where do you think you're going?"
"—Where do you think? To Crusch. This is too much!"
Gritting his teeth, Subaru had been about to wheel around on his heel when the voice called him back, and his low voice came out harsh.
He could piece together the circumstances well enough. The "Dragon's Blood" that had been corroding Crusch's body—the way to remove that agony was to borrow the aid of the Divine Dragon Church, and the result was that Crusch's faction in the Royal Selection had been rendered precarious.
And it was Ferris who had made that decision in Crusch's stead, while she drifted in and out of consciousness.
Through Ferris's judgment, Crusch had been saved—but victory in the Royal Selection had grown far more difficult. It was a decision Crusch, who held so strong a motivation to become king, would never have wanted.
"But everything you did was for Crusch! And now they're firing you for it… That's wrong!"
"Subaru!"
But Subaru wasn't stopping. He was going to run straight back to the Karsten estate, corner Crusch in person, and make her take back the dismissal of Ferris, no matter what.
However, his very first step toward doing so was halted by
"Rem, don't stop me. I don't want you all to see me losing it and screaming like a total mess."
"If you're self-aware enough to know you're being overly emotional, then stop right there. Besides, before you go throwing a fit, why don't you actually look at the person in front of you?"
"The person's… face?"
Subaru, who had charged forward on impulse, was reined in by Rem's words. She nodded, then jerked her chin. Following the gesture, Subaru turned around—and took in Emilia and Beatrice watching him with worry in their eyes, and beyond them, at the mausoleum entrance, Ferris gazing down at him.
The very Ferris who had been the driving force behind Subaru's fury now looked at Subaru's outburst with an exasperated expression. He first glanced over at Rem.
"Thanks, Rem-chan… It's my first time seeing you standing and walking, but you're way nicer than I expected. Is it just boys you have no taste in?"
"…I heard Ferris-san took care of me while I was sleeping. So as someone to whom I owe a debt, I'll keep this polite: what you just said was a terrible misunderstanding."
"Okay. As long as that's how Rem-chan sees it, fine by me. But I'm glad you woke up."
Over Subaru's head, Rem and Ferris exchanged that bit of banter. When Rem pursed her lips with a complicated expression, Ferris moved on with a "Right then."
Narrowing his eyes, he looked down at Subaru.
"You know, Subaru, you really are arrogant."
"Arrog…!"
"I think it goes beyond being self-centered—which is why I'm actually choosing my words here. It's not that everything you do is for yourself; you do it for someone else. But it goes off the rails at breakneck speed, and it ends up being meddlesome overkill."
"You, talking like that—"
"—So if Subaru's arrogant, then I guess I'm arrogant too."
The instant Subaru caught sight of that smile, he felt as though ice water had been poured over him.
"————"
He stared back at Ferris—the same Ferris who had just excoriated him just as thoroughly as he had excoriated himself. Ferris's demeanor hadn't changed since he'd become aware of them at the mausoleum. He remained utterly inscrutable, or rather, so composed that it set Subaru on edge.
If anything, he was like the sea in a dead calm. —But that couldn't be right. Given everything that had happened to Ferris, he should have been in the thick of the worst storm imaginable.
Subaru squinted, searching Ferris's expression for some sign of that storm. But Ferris paid him no mind, closing one eye, and then letting out an "Ah."
"Oh, that's right. If you'd like, Lady Emilia and the rest of you—would you like to pay your respects as well?"
"Pay our respects…? You mean in that mausoleum behind you? Can we go in?"
"Yes. I have the key from the caretaker, and I also have standing as a proxy worshipper, so I come quite often."
"Proxy worshipper…?"
"Wow, Subaru, you really don't know anything, do you? Acting like that as the First Knight—you're going to embarrass Lady Emilia!"
Ferris stuck out his tongue with a small laugh. Subaru clamped his mouth shut.
More than having his ignorance pointed out, it was the fact that the words "First Knight" had come from Ferris's mouth that struck him as an extremely delicate topic under the circumstances.
Of course, Ferris, with that mischievous glint in his eye, had probably said it on purpose.
Keeping Subaru and the others off-balance, Ferris gently placed his hand on the mausoleum door—the one he'd just come through, which was about to close.
"We can talk inside—there's plenty to discuss. —I was thinking it would be lonely for His Highness if I visited alone."
△▼△▼△▼△ Even within the Royal Mausoleum, this particular shrine stood out as something unmistakably set apart from all the rest.
Built from white marble quarried from across the entire kingdom, and adorned at every turn with the dragon motifs that symbolized the
Step inside, and in the white-ivory corridors that followed lay the tombs of the royal family. The stone sarcophagi were arranged in orderly rows, each adorned with carvings and decorations befitting the deceased, and looking upon them was enough to conjure the image of the person in life.
In particular, the resting place of the Fourth Prince drove that feeling home.
"This is His Highness's… the grave of
Ferris led the way across the polished floor, his footsteps echoing. He stopped and indicated with his hand a tombstone that stood out from all the rest—the sarcophagus of Fourier Lugunica.
Within this mausoleum, governed by strict and solemn order, that principle wavered ever so slightly here.
After all, the Fourth Prince's tombstone was far too colorful for a place where the dead were laid to rest.
"Are these… offerings? Letters, knitted things, and wooden animal carvings…"
"They don't exactly feel like offerings befitting royalty, do they? In fact, the ones who asked me to place these here were children with no connection whatsoever to upper-class etiquette. So there's nothing to be done about it."
"People with no connection? You mean, gifts from ordinary citizens? Doesn't that stuff get confiscated or screened before it even reaches the mausoleum?"
"If any of it was a prank, of course they wouldn't let it through. But I verify that nothing of the sort is the case when I accept the items as proxy."
Ferris crouched down in front of the sarcophagus, his eyes softening as he regarded the various items placed there.
Each of these offerings had been prepared with genuine feeling by those who had loved the Fourth Prince resting here—regardless of their station.
A proxy worshipper was someone who, on behalf of those who could not visit this place directly, was granted special permission by the mausoleum's caretaker to bring in such offerings.
Ferris had been carrying the feelings of the people in this capacity as the Fourth Prince's proxy.
"The Lugunica royals were all, well, people-people—kind and easy to be fond of, a lot of them. But Fourier was especially bright and fun to be around. He was always sneaking out of the castle to mingle and play with the people of the capital."
"…That's incredible. It's the kind of thing you only hear about in manga. But if someone actually did that, it'd be a huge deal, right?"
"Oh, it was. They'd dispatch the Royal Knights to search for the missing prince. And in the end, he'd be found mixed into a soup kitchen in the Slums—which just happened to be run by the Divine Dragon Church. That almost caused friction between the castle and the Church, and everyone went into a panic."
"That's the kind of story that's hard to laugh off right now."
Over Ferris's hunched back, Subaru gazed at the grave of Fourier, so deeply loved by so many.
Ferris's reminiscence, peppered with smiles, brimmed with undisguised affection for Fourier—the man at the center of it all. That he had been someone loved by everyone was evident from even this single fragment of the story.
"…Had I mentioned Fourier to you before, Subaru?"
"Yeah—something about a guy like that who was close friends with you and Crusch. And something about him and me being similar?"
"Huh? Why would Fourier and Subaru be alike? I'd kill you."
"You said the same thing last time!!"
His voice had come out surprisingly serious, so Subaru hurried to clarify.
In truth, what Subaru had been told about Fourier was roughly that much. Of course, even the dull-witted Subaru understood that the prince's death was inextricably linked to Crusch's decision to enter the Royal Selection.
"So Crusch entered the Royal Selection for this Fourier?"
"…As expected of Lady Emilia. You sure don't hesitate to ask the hard questions."
"Ah, I'm sorry. But the reason you invited us here to visit this grave was because you wanted to tell us that story, wasn't it, Ferris? I wanted to hear it before I decided what to do next."
"What you'll do next? What do you mean?"
"Well, Subaru stole my thunder earlier, but I'm going to go tell Crusch to reconsider too. I'll sit down with her and talk it out. What do you think?"
"That's a good idea. …Ow!"
"Don't go blurting things out without thinking. Do you have any idea where we are?"
The moment Subaru agreed with Emilia, Rem pinched his side and he groaned. Watching the three of them, Ferris gave a wry smile and rose to his feet.
"Like I said, please don't go to Crusch with more of that. I did this knowing full well it would come to this from the very beginning."
"But…"
"I've already accepted it. I said I was dismissed, but really, I was the one who told them I no longer had any right to stand at her side. Besides…"
He held a finger to his lips, pausing for a beat. Then, with that same finger, he pointed at Emilia, then at Subaru in turn.
"If someone—Lady Emilia, or the Council of Wise Men, or whoever—told you to reconsider your master-servant relationship with Subaru, what would you do?"
"Huh? My relationship with Subaru is something I thought long and hard about and decided on my own. So if someone told me that, I'd feel really frustrated and think, 'What's it to you?'… Oh."
"That's exactly what you're trying to do right now, Lady Emilia."
An outsider's meddling, well-meaning but utterly unwanted. Ferris explained it that plainly, and Emilia's shoulders visibly drooped. Of course, seeing her like that didn't do much to temper the joy Subaru felt at the fact that she'd answered that she didn't want anyone else weighing in on her relationship with him.
More importantly, this particular argument was effective not only on Emilia but on Subaru as well.
Ferris, who surely knew this, looked past the deflated Emilia at Subaru, who was also shrugging.
"To answer your earlier question—Crusch isn't that narrow-minded. So Fourier was only one reason she entered the Royal Selection."
"…But it wasn't a small part, was it."
"My, what a sharp-tongued nitpicker. You've really lost all your charm, Subaru."
That said, Ferris didn't seem particularly stung by the jab, and continued.
"I won't deny it. Fourier's death was… for Crusch, and for me, a truly devastating event. I was deeply hurt. I cried enough for a lifetime. Well, I'm a crybaby, so I went on crying plenty after that, but still."
"————"
"Crusch didn't show it on the surface, but she was hurt, and hurt, and hurt. She suffered. —But the thing that hurt Crusch the most was what happened after Fourier was gone."
"Huh…"
"One by one, the other royals died, and everyone was thrown into chaos. Duke Karsten—Crusch—participated in the castle meetings as one of the high nobles… and that was when she realized something. That everyone in those meetings was more troubled by the possibility that the Covenant with the Divine Dragon might be severed than by the deaths of the prince and the others."
It was quiet. He tried to keep as much emotion out of it as possible, choosing his words with care. But that very effort laid bare how grotesque the reality Ferris described truly was.
Looking at this mausoleum, one could understand just how warm and beloved the Lugunica royals had been. On every other tombstone besides Fourier's, someone had left offerings to pray for the deceased's peace.
And yet, even the deaths of people so beloved were dismissed in the face of the Covenant with the Dragon.
"So that's why."
It came out like a sigh—Emilia had arrived at the same understanding as Subaru. She pressed a hand to her chest, her violet eyes narrowing with anguish.
"That's why Crusch decided that when she became queen, she had to make this into a stronger country—one that didn't have to rely entirely on the Covenant with the Dragon."
"…That wasn't the only reason, but yes, that's right."
"Not the only reason…?"
"Crusch hated it. …She hated the thought that if she hadn't been close to Fourier, she would have ended up thinking the same way everyone else did."
That was something one could never know without it actually happening, and since it hadn't happened, it was no reason for Crusch to blame herself.
No matter how she struggled, Crusch had met Fourier and come to that conclusion. To despise the version of herself that never met him—the self that didn't exist—would only bring pain.
But even as Subaru thought this, he realized that the situation Crusch had been placed in wasn't simply a matter of having made a choice that contradicted her position in the Royal Selection.
Crusch had declared she would end the Covenant with the Dragon—and it was the very Church of the Divine Dragon, who worshipped that Dragon, whose miracle she had been saved by. —And that wasn't all.
"Crusch had sworn to restore an environment where the Lugunica royals… where Fourier would be sincerely mourned. She was working to fulfill that vow. And then she couldn't."
"…And on top of that, the Divine Dragon Church hadn't saved Fourier. But they saved Crusch."
"——!"
Those words, hoarse and quiet from Ferris, struck Subaru and the others to their very cores.
Up until now, Subaru had been brimming with righteous indignation, ready to march over to Crusch and tell her that dismissing Ferris from knighthood—even factoring in her poor physical and mental state—was going too far.
But now that he knew about the resolve Crusch had shouldered, the ideals and vows she had upheld, and how they had been shattered in the worst possible way—what could Subaru possibly say to her?
He'd sooner offer his own arms or legs and take Crusch's curse upon himself— "That's exactly why I said you're arrogant, Subaru."
"What…"
"Anyone can tell just by looking at that face. No wonder Beatrice can't let you go. And even if you did offer, it wouldn't solve anything, and you know that."
Ferris tilted his head, speaking as though explaining something to a child, rebuking the shallowness of Subaru's thinking without becoming emotional about it.
He knew. Subaru's current idea was an armchair theory, and as Ferris said, it was pointless.
Even if the person being saved switched from the Divine Dragon Church to
"Having someone else solve your own problems before you're even queen, huh…"
"…That's harsh. But that's about the size of it."
"…I'm just parroting."
And those were words he had parroted from none other than Crusch herself.
Back when the
That was a lesson Subaru should have taken to heart. That was why he didn't resent Crusch for it. He didn't resent her—yet having it all thrown back at him like that was too much of an irony.
"Hey, Ferris—I'm not sure if this is okay to ask, but…"
Subaru fell silent, unable to find the words. Emilia stepped forward in his place, addressing Ferris.
She approached him, stood before Fourier Lugunica's tombstone, and studied the many offerings placed there. Then she grasped the magic crystal at her chest and closed her eyes.
Looking behind her, Subaru could see Beatrice and Rem standing side by side, each offering their own silent prayers for the deceased.
When she was done, Emilia gazed at a particularly splendid bouquet—the one Ferris had just crouched to reposition, clearly the one he himself had brought—and asked: "Were Crusch and Fourier in love?"
"————"
At that question, Ferris's eyes widened just slightly. Then he smiled softly.
And then— "That's not something I can say. —It would be far too tasteless coming from me."
△▼△▼△▼△ The mausoleum doors shut with a sound, and Subaru found himself face to face with the dragon carved in relief upon the double doors.
He understood it was a depiction of the "Divine Dragon"
"I did run into the real thing up in that tower, but in that empty-headed state, even if someone told me about a Covenant with the kingdom or its being the object of the Divine Dragon Church's faith, it's pretty hard to take seriously…"
"Perhaps it only sharpens up when it's needed. The rest of the time, it runs on idle—like Otto when he's got nothing to do."
"No matter how idle Otto is, calling the Divine Dragon empty-headed is going a bit far. …Actually, since the comparison is the Divine Dragon, would that be a compliment for a citizen of the kingdom?"
Following Beatrice's line of reasoning, Subaru tried mentally simulating Otto as the Divine Dragon in his head, but idle Otto spent his free time being goofy after finishing his work, so he didn't come up with anything particularly useful. Best not to overdo the drinking.
Anyway— "Ferris, what are you going to do now?"
"Now?"
"Yes. You can't go back to Crusch's place right now… it'd be uncomfortable, wouldn't it? You've been living together at the same estate all this time. Do you have somewhere to go?"
On the way to return the mausoleum key to the caretaker, Emilia posed that question. Ferris, looking troubled, scratched at his cheek as he wrestled with his reply.
That reaction told Emilia her question had hit home.
Wilhelm had likely told Subaru and the others where Ferris was precisely because he was worried about the young healer's future—and it must have been a bitter decision.
Whatever the circumstances, Crusch and Ferris had dissolved their master-servant bond. In that situation, Wilhelm—who served Crusch—could not act against his master's wishes.
Confirming that Ferris's future would be in good hands was the greatest care Wilhelm could offer in that moment.
And if Subaru truly wanted to honor Wilhelm's concern— "Emilia-tan is saying: why don't you stay with us for a while?"
"Yes, exactly! What do you think? Of course, I'm not talking about forever. It would be sad to part ways just like this, and some things need time. It took me about a hundred years to accept the fact that I'd frozen everyone in my homeland, after all."
"That does seem rather patient, if you ask me."
"By the way, Betty took four hundred years to accept my love."
"That does seem rather unfortunate even for this person, if you ask me."
Emilia and Beatrice's incautious remarks from their long-lived perspectives drew a slightly pitying look from Rem toward Subaru. He'd sort out that misunderstanding later, but at the very least, the offer to Ferris was genuine.
However, Ferris received it with a "Haah," pressing his palm to his forehead.
"I kind of had a feeling you'd say that, but you actually did. I mean, I'm a talented and extremely skilled healer, so I get that people would want me around, but—"
"Hmm, I wasn't joking, you know…"
"Yes, yes, I know Lady Emilia is always serious. I'm happy you invited me. Really."
"…But with an answer like that—"
"—That's right. As much as I appreciate the offer, I can't accept it."
He shook his head slowly from side to side, giving a wry smile as he declined Emilia's proposal. Subaru very much wanted to press the point, but he understood why Ferris couldn't say yes.
Because— "Even if we're apart, I still care about Crusch with all my heart. My own decision is what made the Royal Selection turn hopeless for her, so turning around and supporting someone else besides Crusch—I just can't do that."
"I-I don't care if you hate me! I just want to make sure Ferris doesn't wander off somewhere. If I could know he was all right…"
"I don't hate you. —Ah, that's a lie. I do hate you. I've always, always, always hated Lady Emilia. Right from the start."
"Wha—! Really!?"
Even going so far as to propose an unreasonable bargain, Emilia pressed further, only to be stunned by the answer. Ferris nodded with a "Yes," and then used the mausoleum key to gesture toward Subaru and the others.
"It's not just Lady Emilia. I've hated every single Royal Selection candidate besides Crusch. And their knights too. I hate Beatrice, and I hate Rem even though we've barely met. And Subaru—I really hate him."
"With phrasing like that, it sounds like I'm the only one who's genuinely hated…"
"Who says you're not genuinely hated?"
Being answered that way left Subaru with nothing to say in return.
"…You're really not going to change your mind?"
Even Emilia could tell that Ferris's "hate" wasn't genuine. He was using likes and dislikes as a pretext to decline Emilia's offer. And that no matter what was said to him, no matter how he was treated, his feelings about supporting Crusch would not change.
"There's no need to worry so much. The Royal Knights—I'm not sure if I'll continue there, so I'll discuss it with the Captain, but hospitals or clinics, there's no shortage of demand."
"…You're not going to do anything reckless, right?"
"Reckless? You mean, like, giving up on life and ending it…? Me, of all people, who hates dying more than anything in this world?"
"…My bad."
Ferris had answered with absolute certainty and zero trace of humor in that one moment, and Subaru apologized.
Even if he parted from Crusch, Ferris would not twist the essence of who he was—the "Blue," the healer. Subaru believed that.
"Ah, but man! This is killing me! I can't go talk to Crusch, and if Ferris won't even let us take him in temporarily, there's nothing I can do!"
"That's what Ferris was calling arrogant, wasn't it?"
"R-right, just like Rem said."
"But Rem…"
"—There are some problems that only the people involved can solve."
Rem lowered her eyes and let out a small sigh as she watched Subaru struggle with the unbearable helplessness of witnessing a tragedy unfolding in slow motion—yet having no right to set it straight.
"Just as no outsider can meddle in your master-servant relationship with Emilia, or your contract with Beatrice… what relationship is there between you and me?"
"Rem?"
"…What are you to me? What am I to you?"
"Don't spring that on me out of nowhere! You—you're important to me!"
"We feel the same way! Rem is super, super important to us!"
"——. Thank you, Lady Emilia."
"What about me!?"
Her existence brushed past his entirely, and Rem elegantly ignored Subaru's strangled voice.
With all of that going on behind her, Beatrice tugged on Ferris's sleeve. "A moment, I suppose," she said, still pinching the hem of his clothing.
"Betty isn't as worried about your future as Subaru and the others. But Betty does owe you an enormous debt, you know."
"Beatrice-sama owes me? What does a great Spirit owe me?"
"You saved Subaru when his Gate was nearly shattered from overexertion. Granted, Subaru ignored your warning and broke the Gate anyway, but it bought time, didn't it? Without your power, Betty and Subaru's contract would never have happened."
"Hmm… I'm happier about that than I expected."
"Enjoy it while you can. And Betty is the type who always pays back her debts. So if anything happens to you, Betty will be there to help."
"Even if Subaru's about to fall off a cliff?"
"I'll pick Subaru up first, then race over at top speed."
Ferris's eyes widened slightly at Beatrice's answer—hands on her hips, nose in the air. He pressed his hand over his mouth and let out an "Ahaha."
That impulse to laugh only grew stronger, and soon, tears welled up in the corners of Ferris's eyes.
"Aaah, come on. Don't make me cry, Beatrice-sama."
"Just as you declared—a crybaby, I suppose."
Ferris's smile burst out even wider at that.
△▼△▼△▼△ "If you change your mind, come visit anytime, okay? I'll make sure someone's always around to take care of you! It's a promise! Can Ferris keep a promise?"
"Stray bullet straight at me!"
"That's fair."
Right up until the very last moment of their parting, Emilia and the others had done their earnest best to invite him.
There was no malice or scheming behind it—Subaru understood that completely. And though guilt gnawed at him for how many times he'd had to refuse, darkening Emilia's expression each time, there was nothing to be done.
"It's not that I have any doubts about Lady Emilia and the others, you know," Ferris murmured.
He had voluntarily given up that right, but Ferris had been Crusch's knight.
For him—even temporarily—to seek shelter under the banner of any candidate other than Crusch was unthinkable. If anyone found out, it wouldn't do Crusch's reputation any good. And above all, he was terrified of what Crusch would think of him.
"…Your Highness was something else, though. Weren't you afraid?"
He had meant to spend as much time as he could at the mausoleum, confessing before the tombstone and sarcophagus. Yet even after just a moment had passed, the desire to be heard crept back.
Wretched, wretched, wretched. Even switching his attire to men's clothes, the fundamental soft-heartedness at his core refused to fade. He truly hated himself.
But there was one thing he could point to as a decision he'd made correctly— "I was glad I could be the one to say it."
As he'd told Emilia and the others, the dismissal from knighthood had been Ferris's own initiative.
The moment the Divine Dragon Church extended its hand and he decided to borrow the power of Fiore's miracle, he had steeled himself for the fact that he would lose his right to stand at Crusch's side. But Ferris's soul could not sit idle and wait for those words to come from Crusch's own lips.
So he had said it first—spared Crusch the pain of having to be the one to cut him away. —And yet. He'd been about to praise himself for a correct decision, only to realize it was just another manifestation of that hated soft-heartedness.
"I'm just full of lies, aren't I…"
He'd thought he'd made a correct decision. A lie.
He'd asked whether Fourier had been afraid. A lie.
He'd said he had no reservations about Emilia and the others. A lie.
The dismissal from knighthood had been to protect his own fragile heart. And he knew that even Fourier, when inviting Crusch somewhere, had always had to summon every ounce of courage.
And the rapid advance of Emilia and her camp—starting from an overwhelmingly disadvantaged position, achieving one feat after another, and thoroughly frustrating the high nobles with her half-elf heritage—particularly the exploits of Subaru, who held the same rank of knight. It was impossible to feel nothing about that.
In truth, Ferris had never asked Subaru about the circumstances of his right hand—the one with the glove removed.
The fact that Subaru hadn't volunteered the information suggested that it was likely a technique that would be of little help in treating Crusch. But that was only a guess. He hadn't pursued certainty. The reason was obvious: he'd been running from the possibility that there was an answer besides relying on the Divine Dragon Church.
Everything—everything—felt as though he was prioritizing his own escape from pain.
"Am I… really someone who cares about another person?"
If he truly cared for that person, should he not have cherished the one thing they could not compromise on? If he stood in a position where he knew of the prayer Crusch had made at Fourier's graveside, then even if tormented by an incurable pain, should he not have searched for a path that would not let that wish die?
Wasn't it that very rage at staring down an unacceptable reality that had summoned Crusch's memories of Fourier—and made Crusch herself realize the ruthlessness of Ferris's actions?
If that jumble of "memories" Crusch had experienced upon recalling Fourier was triggered by her anger at Ferris's betrayal of their vow…
Then perhaps Ferris was being hated not only by Crusch, but by Fourier as well.
"—No, stop. This is meaningless."
He caught himself again—using self-reproach as a pretext to find words of comfort.
If he had time to waste on such pointless anguish, he needed to figure out his place going forward. For Emilia's sake, for Subaru's, for Beatrice's—and especially for Wilhelm, who had been caught between them.
The truth was, he no longer had a reason to continue as a knight. The title of "Blue" still held, so if he went to work at a hospital or magical research institute, he'd be welcomed with open arms. Securing a position wouldn't be difficult, but just drifting along without purpose was meaningless.
Continuing to save others with these hands of healing was, of course, one thing he desired. There were other things, too.
Even if Ferris—no, Felix Argyle—had thrown away the right to wish for them.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was worried we might have crossed paths and missed each other."
As Ferris was walking back from the mausoleum, glaring at the cobblestones of the Noble District, a voice addressed him—and his ears, attuned to it, trembled.
He stopped and looked up. Standing in the middle of the road, straight ahead, was a figure. —One he recognized.
A man with dull blond hair and deep blue eyes. Tall and slender, dressed in a well-tailored suit, his hair and chin beard neatly groomed to give off an elegant air. Given his profession, none of that was particularly unusual.
After all, the man was— "—
"That's right. I'm honored you remember me. Shall I address you as Ferris? Or Felix?"
"…Either one's fine. Take your pick."
"Then, with your permission—Felix. In my line of work, it's always better to address people by their proper name rather than a nickname."
"Hm."
Ferris closed one eye as Russell Fellow dipped his head with precisely measured courtesy.
Russell was a sharp operator who ran the
"That said, I'm hardly in a position to jump on any money-making schemes these days. Sorry to disappoint…"
"I'm aware that your master-servant contract with Duke Karsten has been dissolved. Yes, I know."
"…You're scarily well-informed."
Even as he said it, Ferris reflected on what a stupid thing to say.
Because Russell had clearly been lying in wait for him. This had never happened before—not once. If he was doing it today of all days, it could only mean he'd found a reason to take this step.
And there was one more stupid thing Ferris had been slow to notice.
"…Is it just me, or is there nobody else on this street even though it's only evening?"
"————"
Russell stood in the center of the road, about ten meters from Ferris. But neither Russell's surroundings nor Ferris's held a single trace of another person on this street of the Noble District.
If it were deep night or early morning, it might make sense. But at this hour, with the sun not yet set, it was impossible. And when the impossible happened, there was always a reason.
In this case, the reason was— "Felix, there is something I very much wish to discuss with you. If you would be amenable, might I invite you to dine at my estate? In case you haven't yet decided where you're headed."
"Already trying to recruit me now that I'm masterless? Sorry, but the answer is—"
"No, this isn't a recruitment. In truth—the conversation is not optional."
Russell shook his head slowly, almost mournfully. —In that instant, Ferris felt a cold blade settle against the slender column of his neck, held by someone who had appeared silently at his back.
"——!"
He held his breath, his body frozen. In that split second, there was nothing he could do. All he could tell was that the blade was a slender, heavily curved saber—and that whoever stood behind him was considerably taller. No, and also— "You're not exactly an ordinary merchant, are you?"
"I wonder. I'd like to think so."
Russell closed the distance one step at a time. With a blade to his neck and no way to act, Ferris could at least keep his eyes from flinching—but he hated himself all over again.
How had he ever mistaken someone capable of those cold eyes for a common civilian?
He bit his lip hard, holding back any whimpers or groans that might escape. He told himself that this was the absolute limit of what he could do right now.
Russell watched Ferris up close, his gaze still cold, and delivered his words.
"Now that you are no longer the duke's knight, there need be no hesitation in questioning you. I'm going to need you to talk. —About the Secret of the Immortal King, passed down through the Argyle family."