Roswaal's proposal—the release of the refugees from
Much like last time, the proposal itself went through without much pushback. With almost no benefit to keeping the refugees cooped up in the
"I got thoroughly hated by the guy who wanted to tack that condition on, so..."
"What's wrong, Subaru?"
"Mm, nah, it's nothing. More importantly—are you doing okay,
He gave a wry smile and waved his hand as he spoke to the girl beside him—Emilia.
They were in the room that had been set aside as Emilia's quarters in Ryuzu's house, sitting side by side on the bed in the bedroom, spending time together without particularly sparking up any conversation.
It was already dusk, and night's curtain was about to fall.
Emilia had woken before noon, they'd had a late breakfast, and after that, they'd wrapped up a meeting centered on the "refugee problem" with Roswaal and Ryuzu in attendance. The discussion had gone smoothly, and they were about to disperse with the release of the refugees set for tomorrow—but then— "Now, this is the obvious question, but—Emilia-sama is going to challenge the Trial again tonight, right?"
—that came Garfiel's remark, like a nail hammered in to make sure.
Holding back the urge to click his tongue at those words, Subaru glanced at Emilia and saw fear and sorrow flash across her face—just for an instant. That confirmed his half-belief that Emilia once again would not be able to overcome the Trial.
Unlike Subaru, who could carry his memories forward, Emilia's circumstances were ultimately unchanged. For Emilia to potentially overcome the Trial, the environment surrounding her would need to change dramatically through Subaru's actions.
And in this current loop, there was no prospect of finding a way to drastically change her environment in such a short time. Even if she challenged it tonight, she would likely only be worn down.
"But the fact that she won't spit out any weakness—that's Emilia-tan for you."
At Garfiel's provocative question, Emilia concealed the emotions that had flickered through her in an instant behind her eyes, and declared firmly, "Of course I'll do it."
Garfiel narrowed his eyes as if somewhat impressed by that resolve, and when Subaru heard Roswaal whistle softly, he nearly burst with rage.
In any case, there was no taking it back now. The Trial tonight would begin in just a few more hours.
After the meeting ended, they had a light lunch that wasn't too far removed from breakfast, and then returned to this house—already three hours ago. During that time, Subaru, who had been with Emilia the whole while, had been scattering topics of conversation without pause, but as the time for the Trial drew ever closer, her responses visibly dwindled.
Now, she would only offer the faintest acknowledgment to his words. Even so— "Mm... no, that one's no good."
"Ah, got it. Sure. I'll just focus on breathing in Emilia-tan's exhalations until she calms down, so don't worry."
"That's extremely creepy. ...But stay here, okay."
At the complexity of a young woman's heart, Subaru shrugged and did as he was told, staying right where he was.
Sitting side by side, without even the courage to hold hands—they were in a rather pathetic state, but being wanted was genuinely a happy feeling. Especially by Emilia herself.
Even if it was a substitute for having the one person she could rely on most no longer by her side.
Ever since coming to this Sanctuary—no, more precisely, since returning to the mansion after
While part of him was simply happy that she was letting her guard down, another part of Subaru harbored a quiet worry.
That other part asked whether Emilia, having lost her anchor, was in a precarious position.
"...Hm?"
"Nothing! I was just thinking Emilia-tan has such long, pretty eyelashes—they look so cute I want to eat them."
"Subaru, you're always saying things like you want to eat someone's hair or eyelashes or lick their cheeks... Do you, um, have some kind of fetish?"
"Back where I'm from, that's the ultimate expression of love, you know!"
With Emilia drawing back slightly, Subaru responded with a show of sulkiness while scratching his cheek.
Saying he wanted to do the prpr thing was, in Subaru's mind, the ultimate declaration of courtship, but if he actually went through with it, the reaction would surely be catastrophic. Especially in a world like this where the hidden meaning would never be read correctly. He needed to watch his mouth. Way too late for that, though.
This was all Subaru could manage now—occasionally saying something silly to take Emilia's mind off things. He knew the fragments of the past Emilia had to face. If he spoke of them, it might trigger a dramatic change different from last time— —but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't see that change going in a good direction.
What was needed, in any situation, was always time.
For Emilia to face her past, to build the resolve within her heart—time was needed. For Subaru to offer her those fragments of the past and draw out the truth from her lips—time was needed too. Time, time, time. There was never enough of it.
"Why the hell does everything have to be on such a tight, breathless schedule? Since I came to this world, have I ever actually had a stretch of peaceful time?"
He searched his memories, but if Subaru had ever experienced anything resembling tranquility, it was probably only those few weeks after settling the matter with the Juggernaut.
Before and after that, it had been an unrelenting torrent of events—he himself marveled that he hadn't died of overwork by now.
And just as he was thinking such idle thoughts— "——Subaru."
Her sudden call caught him off guard. When Subaru looked toward the voice—toward Emilia—she was gazing at him from up close, her violet eyes glistening with moisture.
In an instant, those dewy eyes captivated him so thoroughly that his heart seemed to stop. He drew a sharp breath. As Subaru stared back, Emilia's eyes held wavering resolve and hesitation—or perhaps, with the Trial looming before her, she was struggling with whether to confide something in him.
"What is it?"
So Subaru, with as much gentleness as he could muster, carefully chose his words, making sure not to rush her. If her resolve was forming, he would not let anything interfere with it.
But Emilia simply let her gaze drop at his response— "Ah... sorry. No, it's nothing. I just... wanted to call your name."
"...R-Right. You just wanted to call me! That totally sounds like something a brand-new couple would do!"
"I should be heading out soon..."
Her resolve had crumbled. Regretting that he'd missed his chance while trying not to let it show, Subaru put on a brave face. Listening to his voice, Emilia stood and looked up through the window at the sky where day had given way to night.
"I have to go to the Tomb. You're only coming part of the way, right?"
"I want to ask Garfiel to escort us to the entrance, but I'm not sure I can convince him. ...Emilia, I know this might be useless, but—"
"——It's useless. Don't, Subaru."
There was no need to push herself—that's what Subaru had tried to say to stop her, but Emilia's preemptive rejection cut him off before the words could land.
In front of Subaru, who fell silent, Emilia smiled bravely, pressed a finger to her own lips, and said: "I know you might not think that after seeing me fall apart yesterday, but I'm going to try my hardest. I want to try. I think I have to try."
She clenched the hand she'd held before her face into a fist, and continued: "If you're going to say something to me, don't tell me 'it's okay to stop'—cheer me on with 'you can do it.' If I can feel that even one person is counting on me like that, I'm sure I can turn that into strength."
"I'm counting on you, Emilia-tan. The only person who might expect as much from you as I do is maybe your Papa Cat. —You've got this."
"Mm. I'll do my best."
For the first time that day, Emilia showed him a genuine smile from the bottom of her heart. Relieved by that smile, Subaru stood and followed her out of the building.
In the Sanctuary at night, with the daylight gone, a cold wind blew—cold enough to feel genuinely chilly against the skin.
In that wind, Emilia's silver hair danced and shimmered as she walked ahead.
Watching her walk—her back strong with each step—as her silver tresses caught the moonlight like a river of silver, Subaru knew with certainty— —even so, tonight would end in failure.
*** The return to Roswaal's mansion with the refugees was accomplished two days faster than last time.
Aside from the dates, there were no major differences from before. The refugees boarded the same dragon carriages they'd arrived in, and the traveling merchants who had been employed were released along with them beyond the Sanctuary's borders. Subaru and Otto would accompany them.
If there was one significant difference from last time, it was this: "I'm surprised Ryuzu-san was the one who volunteered to guide us. Isn't this usually the kind of job for, like, the lowest-ranking people? Or people in that sort of position?"
"What's that, dissatisfied with old me? And after we shared tea and a nice chat too—Subie-boy, you're so cold to the elderly. It ages the heart."
As she spoke, she made a show of crying—the old-lady-in-a-little-girl's-body. She had squeezed her small frame into the cramped driver's seat and was sitting right next to Subaru as though she owned the place. It was already a two-person seat, but with another person—even in a child's body—the space was extremely tight.
"Oh, I really feel for you there. Natsuki-san is completely devoid of tact or restraint—he must have forgotten all those little social nuances in his mama's womb."
"Oi, Subie-boy. There's a stranger sitting next to the driver's seat. Who's this one?"
"Is that really where I stand in your mind, too!?"
Otto tried to start the Natsuki Victims' Association only to have the ladder pulled out from under him. He was the one holding the reins on the driver's seat—the literal lifeline of the dragon carriage—yet he remained as undervalued as ever.
He let a shadow fall over his surprisingly well-featured face: "Ah... I feel like I've been nothing but screaming ever since we got to this place. Do you think I managed to make a proper impression on Count Meilers?"
"Your usual relaxed self really came through—you were so funny I nearly burst my stomach wound open laughing, so in terms of impression, I'd say it was pretty strong."
"The world has good impressions and bad impressions. When someone's stomach literally bursts open, which side of that do you think the impression falls on?"
"Someone else's stomach bursts open and that's what you come up with... This guy's hopeless."
"If I'm hopeless, then you're at least twice as hopeless!"
The reason Otto was accompanying them to the Sanctuary—his meeting with Roswaal—had been concluded without issue. That part followed the same flow as last time, and in truth, having witnessed Otto's antics firsthand with great amusement, Roswaal's estimation of him was probably not low.
Though the sense of being seen purely as a merchant was admittedly slim.
"Well, you can sort that out as you go along with future dealings. Either way, you already know Meilers territory's top-secret intel, so you're not going anywhere."
"Meeting Natsuki-san was the end of my luck, wasn't it... No, I've actually achieved a kind of enlightenment about that, so it's fine."
The man truly had the backbone of someone who'd kept at the merchant's trade while running down the path of misfortune. He might never ride the destiny of great success, but Subaru would make sure he never regretted the choice he'd made.
While silently feeling genuine friendship toward the man who went along with all this, Subaru said: "I'm gonna keep working you to the bone, so keep up the good work! Otto!"
"What kind of cheerful-looking thing did you just say, this man!"
Otto screamed as Subaru clapped him on the shoulder and flashed a thumbs-up.
Watching Ryuzu cover her ears in annoyance at the commotion between them, Subaru looked down from the dragon carriage before departure— "Well then, I'm heading out, Emilia-tan."
"Mm. Be careful."
He exchanged words with Emilia, who waved her hand raised gently before her chest, watching them leave with a worried look.
—Last night, Emilia had challenged the Trial with Subaru by her side. The result was as he'd known: failure. Since Subaru couldn't accompany her into the Tomb, the Trial was never interrupted midway. Emilia, reduced to a dazed stupor, had crawled out of the Tomb on her own, her eyes trembling, and collapsed into Subaru's arms—then lost consciousness.
Subaru had stayed by her side all night, but he could no longer remember how many times he'd wiped the tears from her sleeping face.
Leaving her behind with that level of mental exhaustion—he couldn't say he felt no unease about it. If he could, he wanted to be by her side as much as possible, supporting her trembling body.
"I'll be back in a day or two, so don't push yourself. Once the villagers are taken care of, there's no need to rush. Take your time and wear it down gradually."
"...Okay. Yeah, if Subaru says so..."
Unlike the faint hint of strength he'd seen in her smile last night, what she offered now was a fragile thing that conveyed nothing but frailty. Even so, simply standing here to see them off was an effort in itself. Perhaps she was trying to forget the very thing that shook her to the core by splitting her attention elsewhere.
"
"How is that not nailing something down? Ram finds that puzzling. ...Rest assured. It's irritating, but Ram agrees with Barus. This is fundamentally a long-term battle. Unless Lord Roswaal gives the order, Garf will hold back."
"I'd say 'I owe you,' but that feels dangerous. I'll repay you with something else."
"Tch. Barus has an annoyingly sharp intuition."
"Right now, I secretly just dodged a death flag for a completely different issue—"
Despite having clearly heard her tongue-click, Ram gave a polite bow as she saw them off, showing no remorse. She took a step back, and Subaru settled back into the driver's seat for the real departure—only to spot a blond young man with arms crossed, watching from the far end of the send-off line.
When Subaru noticed him, he noticed Subaru in turn, and their eyes locked.
What emotions each had poured into that exchanged gaze was unclear, but given last night's events with Emilia, there was not a shred less hostility between them.
"You little punk. I'll find some way to get a handle on how to break through this..."
"Natsuki-san? We'll be departing shortly—is that all right?"
"Absolutely. Ryuzu-san, the guiding is in your hands!"
"Leave it to me."
With a theatrical gesture, Ryuzu nodded, and Otto, gripping the reins, signaled the two earth dragons—
The carriage's speed was far from full—roughly equivalent to a slow drive in a car. With only children, the elderly, and women aboard, that consideration was unavoidable.
"Still, everyone looks so much better knowing they can go home."
"Home—that's how powerful the word is. No matter how little there is to see, no matter how boring it is, in the end, you've already left your heart there."
Murmuring vacantly as he looked back, Subaru listened to Ryuzu follow up. At her words, he tilted his head with his arms crossed: "So Ryuzu-san, you still feel attached to the Sanctuary?"
"...How should I put it? In my case, it's also a special situation where I don't know anything beyond that place. I won't say I'm not afraid to think about what lies outside it."
"Afraid?"
"Stepping into unknown territory is a terrifying thing, Subie-boy. Especially for a doddering old servant like me who's done nothing but accumulate useless years."
With an aged smile and a distant look in her eyes, Ryuzu gazed off—but because of her youthful appearance, no matter how seriously she tried to come across, she still just looked like a little girl trying to act grown-up. That was the trouble.
Along the way, the dragon carriage continued its slow march through the forest, punctuated by scattered conversation. The one-way trip was roughly eight hours—a long haul. Thanks to the blessing of wind, the ride was as smooth as sitting in a royal seat, but that very comfort made the passage of time feel slower.
"A remarkably clever earth dragon, that one. She rarely takes a wrong turn even without my guidance."
"She's my precious girl. It's a bit of a stretch for me to brag, but the company around me is pretty high-level, huh?"
Starting with the residents of Roswaal's mansion, everyone he'd met since the Royal Selection began was a remarkable person in their own right. Being ordinary among such an impressive crowd was frankly humiliating, but at this point, he'd resolved to embrace it. He'd started late and was laps behind, but he'd begun running—and to catch up, all he had to do was keep going. The power for that had already been given to him.
"Oh, now that I think about it—you're guiding us part of the way, but what about the trip back, Ryuzu-san? The dragon carriages are all heading back to Arlam Village, so you won't have any transportation."
"Don't worry about me. I'll walk back on my own two feet, of course. Let me tell you—these legs of mine can still give any young person a run for their money."
She slapped her short, thin legs that swung with the carriage's motion. She radiated absolute confidence, which was frankly unconvincing, but crushing the spirits of a self-assured little girl didn't sit right either— "Fine, fine... Hey, Otto. Would you have the energy to carry a little girl on your back and run all the way to the Sanctuary?"
"I don't understand the intent behind that question, so I'd like to decline answering if that's all right?"
"Hear that, Ryuzu-san? Apparently he doesn't have the stuff to carry a little girl through a dark forest alone. He says one or two little girls are nothing to worry about."
"How awful—the hearts of men have truly grown cold!"
"You two coordinated that, didn't you!?"
Otto's scream sliced through the forest's silence as it always did, and as he and Ryuzu locked eyes and laughed, she suddenly looked up.
"About time, I suppose."
At those murmured words, Subaru furrowed his brow. In the next instant, Ryuzu abruptly leaned her weight against him. He caught her light body, and when he let out a small "Whoa?"— "Otto, stop. Something's wrong with Ryuzu-san."
"Shall we head back to the village?"
He gave a short command, and Otto pulled the reins to halt the dragon carriage. He signaled the column behind them with hand flags to do the same, and the earth dragons' snorts of stopping were heard one after another.
Then, in Subaru's arms, Ryuzu raised a small hand: "...Sorry. There's no need to go back. We've simply come close enough to the barrier for it to affect me. If we push any farther toward the edge of the forest, I'll lose consciousness."
"A barrier... The same as when Emilia entered the Sanctuary?"
A memory from Subaru's time—nearly a week ago now—when he'd first visited the Sanctuary.
Just like now, while being jostled in the dragon carriage, Emilia had suddenly lost consciousness, after which Garfiel had given them a less-than-warm welcome.
Ryuzu's condition closely resembled Emilia's from that time. If the carriage kept up its momentum, her consciousness would be cleanly severed.
"But seriously, this barrier doesn't discriminate at all. Neither I with my sensitive skin nor Otto with his thick skin felt a thing."
"Thick skin? There's no such thing as sensitive or insensitive when it comes to skin."
"And that's exactly how young people who neglect their skincare gradually, gradually start suffering from spots and sun damage in their late twenties, coming to regret their youthful ignorance."
"I genuinely can't tell what you're saying anymore, but getting back to the point—Ryuzu-sama, you're parting ways with us here, is that right?"
Perhaps fed up with the banter, Otto ignored Subaru and directed the question to Ryuzu. She nodded with a pained expression: "That's right. I go no further. The residents of the Sanctuary simply don't mix well with this barrier. I came back after so long, but... as expected, nothing can be done about it."
"Were you maybe testing that by coming along?"
"To think even I would harbor such self-serving thoughts. The result speaks for itself. ...If it's too much for me, then as expected, the Sanctuary won't be freed unless the Trial is completed. You understand that now, don't you, Subie-boy?"
At the little girl's glance, Subaru realized she had shown him firsthand what it was like for those trapped within the Sanctuary. And at the same time, he understood that she too yearned for the world beyond the Sanctuary's borders—that she harbored the most natural of desires.
"So Emilia will probably end up the same way once she goes in."
"Having entered, I suppose so. Not every resident of the Sanctuary was born and raised there. Roz-bou occasionally brought in people with similar circumstances from the outside. Those children, too, became the
"...I feel like there was some more information buried in there that I really shouldn't have missed."
So Roswaal had been bringing people from outside into the Sanctuary—and being affected by the barrier meant those people were also, essentially, "half-breeds."
"You brought them in and locked them in? Come on, what are you thinking?"
"As for the truth of that matter... it would be wrong for me to be the one to explain. Go back and ask Roz-bou yourself, Subie-boy."
With a weak shake of her head, Ryuzu slipped from Subaru's arms. She lightly hopped down from the driver's seat with her small frame, stroked the neck of Patrasche, who had turned toward her: "You're a fine earth dragon. Support your master well, now."
Patrasche rubbed his nose against her as if affirming her words. Above all—not out of conceit, but genuinely—this was the first time Subaru had seen Patrasche grow so attached to anyone other than himself. The dragon regularly headbutted Otto, even though they could talk.
"There's plenty to do at the Sanctuary, and once I've asked Frederica what I need to, I'll probably head right back."
"That would be wise. ...Just a gut feeling, but I don't think Sanctuary matters will move forward without you."
"Once again with the wild overestimation... Just a gut feeling?"
"The intuition of a woman who's lived over a hundred years, mind you."
"Whether having been around that long is a good thing or a curse really changes the verdict, huh."
Giving that answer to Ryuzu, Subaru offered her a proper bow from the driver's seat. After she'd stepped away from the carriage, Otto murmured "Here we go" and— "Well then, Ryuzu-san, see you later. Get home safe, okay."
"Mm. Go straight from here and you'll pass through the forest. Once you hit the main road, the earth dragons will handle the rest. Take care."
Subaru was waved off by Ryuzu, and Otto signaled with his flags as the dragon carriage resumed its march.
Ryuzu watched them go as she turned toward the depths of the forest. Subaru watched until her small figure was swallowed by the gaps between the trees, praying she would make it home safely—while in his chest, he felt a nameless unease settle in.
"...Something felt off."
An unease born from their conversation. Unable to put into words what exactly it was, Subaru let his weight sway with the carriage's motion.
They passed through the forest, sunlight broke through, the road widened—and crossing the barrier, they emerged from the Sanctuary.
Beyond here, another long, long road stretched ahead.
Things that had to be done, things that had to be said.
With that mountain of tasks before him, Subaru continued rocking in the dragon carriage.