"So, to give you the gist of
The breezy tone of Subaru's proposed plan drew unanimous grimaces from those seated in a circle around him. Whether it was bewilderment, concern, or plain anxiety—or simply copying the face of whoever was sitting next to them—the root of every reaction was the same.
"Treating them like mindless beasts sounds risky, doesn't it? No matter how you slice it, they're not the kind of enemy who'll fall for the same tricks you'd use on a magical beast."
"They really are that easy, though. At least, if the pattern involves someone stealthy trailing behind me from the shadows, the odds should be pretty good."
Julius's objection met a head shake from Subaru, who dredged up memories from before.
Inside the forest where the Witch Cult had cast its net, Subaru's presence had apparently been transparent to them—readable at a glance. No matter which route he took, they always appeared right in front of him. That was proof positive that the
But in truth, there had been a nagging suspicion: while the Cult could detect Subaru, their awareness of anyone else might not be nearly as sharp.
"When those Cultists engaged me head-on, they didn't notice another person flying in from behind. They were too focused on me."
Subaru vaguely recalled the moment a Cultist reached out to seize him, only to have his skull caved in by an iron ball.
It was the memory of that time—when Subaru had been hurled from the dragon carriage, battered and groaning, and
Back then, they hadn't sensed Rem's presence until she struck first.
Part of that was because they were hyper-focused on Subaru, but the rest was likely because Rem happened to be a skilled practitioner at suppressing her presence in mountain terrain.
So, in other words: "If I dangle myself as bait, the others—the ones outside their field of vision—stay invisible to them. I lure the Cultists scattered throughout the forest into the open and find their hideout."
"Then we raid the hideout by surprise," Julius continued, pressing a finger to his chin. "But the anomaly will spread quickly. Once word gets out, the faithful at other hideouts will mobilize, that much is certain."
"That's why we need numbers. We stake out each hideout we find, and once the signal goes out, we hit them all at once—clean sweep. How's that?"
Subaru raised a finger to punctuate his proposal, and Julius touched his lips in thought. Beside him,
It was a diminutive beastman—compact in stature, with features strikingly similar to Mimi's, a monocle adorning one eye. The boy was Tivey, the youngest of the siblings.
Introduced as Mimi and Hetaro's little brother, Tivey fixed Subaru with a gaze carrying even more intellectual sharpness than his siblings'.
"Your employer seems remarkably well-informed about the Witch Cult's affairs. But is that information actually trustworthy? I mean—this is the Witch Cult we're talking about. The very definition of obscure and unknowable."
Doubt plain in his eyes, Tivey voiced his misgivings. At this reasonable challenge, Subaru clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
"I've got a grudge against them. Honestly, I expected you'd dig into me about it. I did expect it, but… you'll just have to trust me."
He couldn't explain.
If he spoke of Return by Death, his heart would be wracked with an agony so unbearable it felt like the end of the world—whether it was his own heart or someone else's.
So this was the absolute limit of what Subaru could offer. If pushed any further, he'd have nothing.
Tivey narrowed his eyes further, about to press harder— "Honestly, being told to just trust you with no explanation isn't really convincing…"
"What're you so worried about for? You gotta man up more—you're a boy, after all, Tivey!" Mimi laughed heartily and smacked the back of his head.
The thunderous crack sent Tivey's head pitching forward as though his neck might snap clean off. Mimi grabbed his head before he could topple, spun his dizzy, blinking face toward hers, and grinned.
"This onii-san is the one who worked super-duper hard fighting that huge fish, you know? Someone who tried that hard for us would never think anything mean about Mimi and the others. Even without thinking, you can tell he's a good guy. Dummy!"
"S-Sister!"
Tivey shook his head and tried to argue, but Mimi cheerfully shut him down. She lunged forward and cracked her forehead against his—bang—sending sparks flying in his eyes.
"Oww…"
"See? You're always, always being so… huh? Kokazashi? Kozaka? Kozakoza…shi…?"
"T-Too-clever…?"
"That's the one. If you keep being a smarty-pants, you'll never grow up!"
Having headbutted her own little brother, the elder sister poked the lump forming on his forehead, made his eyes water even more, and then glanced back at Subaru.
"Tivey didn't fight with that fish earlier, so maybe he doesn't totally get why he can trust this onii-san. But that's fine—just trust your big sister. Okay?"
"…………"
"Because big sister trusts onii-san, Tivey should trust big sister, and then you can go ahead and trust onii-san too. And if anything goes wrong, I'll protect Tivey no matter what!"
Mimi laughed and clapped her brother on the shoulder. For a moment, Tivey stared in surprise, but then his expression softened and he let out a quiet breath.
Watching the exchange, the people around them couldn't help but crack smiles. Laughter spilled out freely, and Mimi tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.
"What's everyone laughing for?"
"Don't worry about it. Besides, you're fine just the way you are, yeah. I already told ya."
A large palm descended from above and engulfed Mimi's small head, ruffling it roughly.
Even as her neck was twisted this way and that, Mimi squeezed her eyes shut with a ticklish grin. Ricardo petted her with visible delight, then cast a knowing look at Subaru.
"I mean, sure, there's some stuff to worry about, but now that we've come this far, suspecting the guy would be wrong, wouldn't it? That ship's sailed a long time ago."
Dumbfounded and left trailing behind the conversation's current, Subaru received a wink from Ricardo. Wilhelm nodded in agreement.
"My lifelong wish was fulfilled thanks to Lord Subaru's cooperation. Naturally, I will heed Lord Subaru's request without fail. There is no need for doubt, no room for suspicion."
"I…?"
Subaru's lips trembled beneath Wilhelm's gaze, which entrusted him with its implicit faith.
He couldn't make excuses. He couldn't tell them everything. And yet Wilhelm, Ricardo, Mimi—they all trusted him anyway. That was…
"It is trust born from the results you achieved, Lord Subaru."
Subaru couldn't explain the circumstances, but he had given them plenty of reason to believe him through his actions.
Just as Rem had believed in Subaru no matter what, so too were these people now bewildered perhaps by the truth of Subaru's words, but not once doubting his sincerity.
Repeating Return by Death over and over, and at last gaining what he needed—a way to convey future information to them. That connection lay before him now, woven together at last.
--- *"I-It's not like I'm happy just because they believed me, okay?! These aren't tears of joy—they're the tears I shed when I remembered the time I forgot to record the finale of my favorite anime! Don't get the wrong idea and think I'm thrilled!"* —The bashful deflection Subaru offered at the end of all that, of course, was a separate matter. From there, the Witch Cult hunt proceeded swiftly, exactly as planned.
They entered the Mathers domain. Subaru ventured alone into the forest where the Cult was presumed to be lurking. Close behind, keeping just out of sight, trailed Mimi, Tivey, and Wilhelm—all skilled in covert movement.
Whenever Cultists appeared, drawn by Subaru's scent, they would be guided to the hideout. Subdue squads would be stationed in ambush, then repeat the process.
"If what that bishop said is to be taken at face value… there should be about ten hideouts."
Petelgeuse had apparently called his subordinates "fingers." Subaru remembered that Rem, fighting to rescue him, had destroyed a group he called the "Ring Finger." If that was accurate, then including Petelgeuse's own lair, the Cult should be split into ten small clusters.
And indeed, thanks to Subaru wandering through the forest trailing his own body odor like a lure, they managed to uncover a total of seven hideouts.
But by the time they were down to the last three, the sun had climbed dangerously high. Linger any longer, and the ambush teams they'd left behind risked being discovered.
With that in mind—and a fair amount of unease still lingering—Subaru pressed on through a forest he recognized, toward the cliff where Petelgeuse waited. There, he confronted the so-called Archbishop of Sloth, and— "Did you do it?!"
Wilhelm's blade sliced through the air, its silver arc cleaving Petelgeuse's slender body diagonally from shoulder to hip in a single devastating stroke. The Archbishop's face twisted in shock, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Subaru.
"Impossi—"
What the madman would have said next, Subaru would never know.
The silver flash arced, scattering blood as it sheared the wind in a horizontal line. The madman's head was sent soaring into the air on a fountain of crimson.
At the splatter playing out right before his eyes, Subaru stood speechless. An instant later, a massive figure dove in from above—Ricard swinging a huge cleaver downward with both hands, crushing the decapitated torso as it crumbled, the ugly bite of the blade shearing through flesh.
The wet, meaty squelch of flesh compressed between earth and steel rang out magnificently. Hearing that sound, Subaru felt vomit rising in his throat. Gritting his teeth, he managed not to spew the burning bile flooding his mouth, then crouched down, tears in his eyes, and looked up.
"It's… over, right?"
"If it ain't over after that, even I'd start believing in Witch stuff."
At Subaru's tentative question, Ricardo answered with the cleaver resting on his shoulder. Subaru looked away from the bits of flesh the man flicked off the blade with his finger and gazed down at what remained of Petelgeuse—barely recognizable as having once been a human body.
At this level of destruction, it almost felt artificial, lacking any sense of reality. A strange sense of relief washed over him as the nausea receded.
"The others—they're doing okay, right?"
"Even though he was the main target, most of the forces were concentrated here," Wilhelm confirmed, examining the severed head before returning. He gave a small shrug. "Still, with Ferris and Lord Julius in charge, there should be no problems with the command structure."
Wilhelm's reassurance was reassuring enough, but Subaru's anxiety refused to die. They had the advantage in numbers, and moreover, this was a sneak attack after locating the hideouts. He'd ordered them to go all-out, and the primary objective was burial by earth, so complications should be minimal— "The Witch Cult has quite a few combat-oriented members, you know. Rem struggled against them."
"Ferris is one thing, but that Julius kid'll be fine. The only ones among us who could go toe-to-toe with him are Wilhelm and me," Ricardo said.
"…Seriously? He's that strong?"
Ricardo's reply left Subaru with mixed feelings. Having Julius be strong as an ally was more than welcome, but a lingering aversion made it hard to accept wholeheartedly.
Anyway— "That hole is plugged. No reinforcements coming, right?"
"Our resonance waves collapsed the cave beneath the cliff completely. If anyone was inside, I feel sorry for them," Tivey reported.
The beastman siblings returned from confirming the cave's total collapse. Reassured that the danger at this location had been eliminated, Subaru turned his gaze—eyes closed to one side—toward what remained of Petelgeuse.
"It was a dirty move, taking you out from an ambush with no warning. Honestly, I know the method was questionable, but don't hold it against me. You're the one who's the real piece of work."
In this world, it had technically been an aborted attempt, but Petelgeuse's crimes were unforgivable in Subaru's eyes. Apparently, the man who called himself "Sloth" had caused similar devastation in numerous locations across the world. There was no room for mitigating circumstances.
The Cultists buried in the collapse were equally complicit.
Turning around, Subaru realized he had never personally been harmed by them directly—but the memory of how badly Rem had been hurt still set his blood boiling with rage.
"The Witch Cult…"
"Hm?"
"What even drives these people to do what they do? The Witch is something the entire world despises—who in their right mind would follow her?"
At Subaru's murmured question, every brow furrowed. Only four people had accompanied Subaru for the Petelgeuse confrontation: Wilhelm's brow furrowed in thought, Ricardo wrinkled his nose with disinterest, and Mimi was kicking dirt over Petelgeuse's corpse. The last of the four was the one who answered.
"Maybe they have a death wish? If not, it could be degenerate thinking, or they've convinced themselves they're the most miserable people in the world and want company."
"You're being awfully negative. I can't relate at all… though I'd never say that out loud."
A death wish—a desire to drag everything down into oblivion, to render it all meaningless. Anyone driven to a state of despair could understand that impulse.
Subaru, who had been particularly prone to that line of thinking, understood more than he cared to.
"You're getting too sentimental there, boss," Ricardo said, waving his hand dismissively with a sharp gaze and bared fangs. "Don't go feeling sorry for these bastards. You mustn't understand these people—not even a shred, not a single hair's worth of understanding. If you do, you'll get dragged in."
"I'm not going that far. It's just scary to think there are people out there like this—people you can't understand at all."
"See, that's the mistake right there."
Ricardo poked Subaru's forehead with his finger, then pointed the same finger toward the cave and the body being buried under the earth.
"You mustn't think of them as the same kind of human. They're a different species from us. That's why you can't understand them, can't communicate with them. If you try to seek understanding, you'll find nothing but a 'Gospel' shoved in your face."
"Gospel… you know something about that?"
That word had come from Petelgeuse's lips time and again.
The Gospel—Subaru had assumed it was the black-bound book Petelgeuse always carried, but— "You were awfully eager to join the hunt. Do you have a grudge against them too?"
"…Look, brother. I know you don't know this, but avoiding the Witch Cult and not trying to understand them—that's just common sense. Same as how the Witch is reviled worldwide. Just basic, common knowledge. The Gospel isn't anything that complicated."
Ricard shook his head and deflected Subaru's question with a look of mild exasperation. Subaru started to press further, but Wilhelm spoke first.
"The Gospel is something each member of the Witch Cult possesses… one might call it their scripture, I suppose."
"Scripture…?"
"Apparently, it's sent to people who have a likelihood of joining the Cult. And once they receive it—well, would you look at that—they've become a full-fledged Witch fanatic."
"Wha—!?"
At Ricardo's casual delivery, Subaru was struck speechless.
If he read between the lines, what Ricardo was saying was this: people who received the book called the Gospel might have been brainwashed by it, forcibly converted into Cultists against their will.
"If that's true, then the people buried alive were just collateral…"
"Lord Subaru, that is not the case."
Wilhelm quickly interjected, his voice calm and firm as he steadied the pale-faced Subaru. He nodded deeply.
"The moment the Gospel arrives, there is no turning back for that person. And the moment they open it, their intent is clear. There is no brainwashing to speak of—no such mercy exists for them. Did the Archbishop you confronted appear rational to you?"
"W-Well, no, but… it still felt like an exception."
Petelgeuse's unhinged behavior was worrying in a different way from brainwashing—it raised concerns about just how deeply the Witch Cult had corrupted him. Honestly, using that as grounds for certainty was a tall order, but Wilhelm didn't seem the type to offer hollow comfort. So Subaru swallowed his doubts and buried them.
"Hey, hey—aren't we done yet? Standing around chatting here won't change anything. Let's head back to everyone!"
Mimi, who had sat out the conversation until now, grew impatient and chimed in.
She wagged the tail poking out from the back of her boot, and once she'd finished a hasty burial of Petelgeuse's body, she bounced up and down on her feet.
"We already took out the enemy, right? We gotta go check if the others managed to take theirs out too! C'mon, let's go, let's go!"
"Your drawling way of speaking somehow sounds way more ominous when you're calm about it. Combined with your cute appearance, it's giving me quite the culture shock."
"Hehehe~ You think I'm cute? That makes me blush!"
Subaru let out a resigned sigh as Mimi selectively heard only what she wanted to hear and acted bashful. He turned around.
The cave had fallen completely silent. There was no sign of Petelgeuse's remains beginning to regenerate or any other shocking disturbance. It was a oddly anticlimactic state of affairs, but as Mimi said—there was nothing more to be done here. And for today, at least, the confrontation with the Witch Cult was over.
And in the most complete victory imaginable, at that.
"But… do you think things will really go that smoothly? It's me we're talking about! After everything I've been through—pouring my heart and soul in only to be betrayed over and over. There's no way it's this easy… there's gotta be some kind of trap somewhere…"
"What're you being paranoid about? Let's go already. You'll keep 'em waiting."
Ricard spoke to Subaru with an exasperated look as the latter mumbled to himself, unable to believe his own success.
"O-Okay," Subaru replied, clinging to his lingering disbelief, and followed the others as they set off.
They needed to loop around the forest and rendezvous with the allies stationed at their respective positions. Only once they confirmed everyone was safe could this battle truly be called a victory.
Then— "—Don't tell me this is a flag for him coming back to life after I said we were leaving?!"
Subaru came sprinting back, kicking up dust as he skidded to a halt.
Lifting his gaze, he saw that Petelgeuse's crude grave was exactly as it had been. No sign of anything crawling out from beneath. No resurrection flag—confirmed.
"Phew, that'd be a real third-rate horror move."
"What've you been doing this whole time?! If you don't get back here right now, I'm really gonna get angry!!"
Ricard punched Subaru for his paranoia, then casually hoisted the smaller man over one shoulder.
Carried by the tall beastman, Subaru finally left the scene for good.
This time, for real. And then— "Onii-san was being loud, so just in case—"
Mimi launched a piece of magic ore that blew Petelgeuse's grave to smithereens.
And this time, with no lingering doubts, the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Sloth—Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti—was reduced to nothing but dust.
--- "From the look of things, it seems you settled your end safely too."
Subaru had picked up
Julius's bangs were slightly disheveled, and his immaculate royal guard uniform bore scattered flecks of blood. Judging by the slender sword he was wiping clean, his side hadn't exactly been a one-sided victory.
"The moment your signal went up in the sky, it just so happened that four of them had slipped outside the hideout. We had no choice but to simultaneously destroy the base and eliminate the faithful. I daresay it was fortunate I was the one here. With Ferris alone, things could have gotten messy."
As he spoke, Julius sheathed his polished blade. Behind him, just as described, four bodies in black robes lay on the ground.
Each had been dispatched with a single, precise strike—elegant enough to preserve Julius's refined bearing. Every corpse bore a single wound to the throat or torso, blood pooling where they had fallen. From Subaru's memory, these had been seasoned fighters, which served as quiet proof of Julius's formidable skill.
"And the Sin Archbishop?"
"Wilhelm took his head, Ricardo crushed the body, and then the kitten's big sister blew the remains to bits on a whim. That's definitive."
Even for Subaru, having the grave blown to powder was a bit much—but being told it was done for his sake left him with no room to complain. He complained anyway, for the record.
Incidentally, the elder sister had been scolded mercilessly by everyone and was now sulking, her lips pursed as she curled up on her brother's back. The brother carrying her was the real victim in all this.
As Subaru reflected with a sigh, Julius shifted his gaze toward the figure behind him—Wilhelm. Receiving that meaning-laden look, Wilhelm responded in a quiet voice, "There is no mistake." Only then did Julius finally relax his composed expression.
"Good. If Wilhelm vouches for it, there's no doubt. At the very least, it appears we've eliminated the Witch Cult's commander at this location."
"You didn't trust my answer, did you?! I wasn't playing around—I checked with my own eyes! I looked twice, even three times!"
"My apologies. I'm sorry—and, having apologized, let's move on."
"You're the one moving on, not me! That's exactly what I hate about you!"
Subaru stamped his feet, his frustration with Julius's otherworldly composure plain to see. Julius watched him with the detached amusement of someone observing a mildly interesting insect, then glanced around.
"I don't see Ricardo. Where is he?"
"If you're looking for that knock-off kobold, he went to welcome Ferris. Wilhelm said there were no signs of combat in the forest, so we figured it'd be faster to split up and go meet them."
Worst case, "no signs of combat" could also mean the fight had already concluded.
In which case, Ferris—hardly a combatant—would be part of a group that had been wiped out in an instant. But— "Well, I made sure to put strong fighters in Ferris's group specifically to prevent that. Even if he's a pure healer with zero attack power, we should be fine…"
"How thoughtful of you to worry~ Ar-i-ga-to♪"
A breath tickled Subaru's ear from behind, and his limbs shot rigid with shock. Turning his eyes sideways, he found a cute, small face gazing up at him from point-blank range. Knowing it was a man beneath that face only made his complexion go blue instead of red.
"This is so not worth it. Stop it—seriously, stop. I'm not joking. Do that again and I'm throwing a Big Bang Impact right into that pretty face of yours."
"Oh, you're blushing~ How cuuute. Don't worry—your Ferris-chan came back safe and sound, Subaru-kyun~"
Ferris delivered a wink and a blown kiss simultaneously. Subaru slumped his shoulders in exasperation but did a quick visual check. At a glance, nothing seemed different from when they'd parted ways. Unlike Julius's group, Ferris's had apparently gone smoothly.
Ricard had returned with Ferris, and the rest of the accompanying members followed close behind. With that— "Everyone, safe and sound… nobody got hurt, right?"
"Aside from here, it seems combat broke out in two locations, but there were no issues. These are people forged under Wilhelm's command. Their strength is on another level."
The members who had accompanied Ferris were, Subaru had heard, handpicked from even the elite. Given the rarity of Ferris's technique—the man held the title of "Blue"—it was only natural. But it made Crusch's decision to send them to the front lines without hesitation a little harder to fathom.
"That's Crusch's sincerity for you. Don't make me spell it out, idiot."
"…Hm?"
Subaru's thoughts had apparently been written all over his face, because Ferris saw through him effortlessly and delivered the rebuke.
In any case— "The bulk of the Witch Cult has been destroyed, but… the problem is the two remaining hideouts we haven't found. We took out their head, so optimistically, they should pull back…"
"The Witch Cult, though. Normal logic doesn't really apply, does it?" Ricardo said, arms folded.
It seemed the others shared his view. Most wore grave expressions and nodded heavily.
Subaru himself considered leaving those loose ends unacceptable, so he opted for a steady approach.
"Let's sweep the forest and hunt down the rest of the Cult. I'm not saying we should kill them all—but at the very least, I think they're worth capturing."
"They'll likely take their own lives, though. …That's how it's always been."
Julius's quiet correction cut through Subaru's softer outlook. Subaru held his breath, but Julius too bore a pained expression on his profile.
"If we can avoid killing them, then that's obviously the better path. I agree with prioritizing capture and searching for the remaining faithful. But—might it be a good time to report the situation to Lord Roswaal as well?"
"…Oh, right. Yeah, you're right."
At the suggestion, Subaru recalled a reality that had completely slipped his mind.
He had deliberately chosen not to rush back to the mansion to shield
And now that Petelgeuse himself had been defeated— "Can I… go back to the mansion now?"
The moment those words left his lips, a sudden wave of reality crashed over him.
Blood rushed to his face. A sensation he hadn't felt in ages made his entire body burn.
He could march back to the mansion with his head held high.
He could boast of his accomplishment, face Emilia, and apologize for the pathetic, trust-shattering behavior of days past. Back then, he'd been consumed by his own problems and hurt her without even realizing it. He could offer an apology from the depths of his heart.
And only after making peace could he truly begin his relationship with Emilia anew.
"Oh no—I'm getting emotional. In that case, I wanna go home right now! Let's go! Yankee, go home!"
"You can get as riled up as you want, but we've still got stuff to deal with here. So—what's the actual plan with the remaining Cultists?" Ferris said with a sly squint.
Subaru floundered, and Julius shook his head with a resigned air. He raised a finger and drew the group's attention.
"Here's what I propose. We split into two groups: one heading to Lord Roswaal's mansion, the other continuing the search through the forest. For the mansion, Subaru should go as both messenger and stakeholder. There's no guarantee the road will be safe from Witch Cult ambushes. Wilhelm and a few others as escort should suffice. The rest of us—Ricard and I included—will continue searching the forest. How does that sound?"
Julius's efficient summary concluded with a glance at Subaru, as if to confirm.
That expression—like he'd done Subaru a favor by laying everything out neatly—sparked a rebellious impulse, but Subaru quelled it with a deep breath.
"Fine. We'll do it your way, Julius. Everyone, I'm counting on you."
"Understood."
The old swordsman's acknowledgment came first, and the rest of the group quickly voiced their agreement. The matter was settled.
With everyone of one mind, Julius suddenly raised his hand.
"One thing—I am not Julius, but Yuri, a freelance mercenary. Don't get that wrong."
"Nobody remembered that cover story in the first place!!"
Their unified shout rang through the forest canopy.
--- "Seriously, my heart's pounding so hard I feel sick."
Subaru slumped weakly against Patrasche, who let out a soft snort. She seemed put-out, likely because even the wise earth dragon could sense that Subaru was genuinely nauseous. That she didn't shake him off was, in its own way, the meager bond of trust built between them.
"Has the fatigue from riding an unfamiliar earth dragon hit you all at once now that you can finally relax?"
"Maybe partly, but I think it's something else. …Honestly, the thought of facing Emilia has me terrified."
After all, when he thought about it, they'd parted on the worst possible terms.
For Subaru, it had been over two weeks, and the emotional sting of that moment had dulled considerably. But for Emilia, it had been only four days ago. Unlike Subaru, there was no reason to believe she had undergone any dramatic shift in heart.
He'd confirmed as much during the previous loop, in the brief time he'd spent with her. The same went for the worst mistake he'd made during that encounter.
"I don't know the full details, but apparently you had a falling out," Wilhelm said.
"Spot-on, which… yeah, that's rough. That's exactly why facing her is so awkward. Ugh… my stomach hurts. And my heart hurts from lovesickness."
"He looks more pained than when he faced the White Whale. I understand the feeling perfectly," Wilhelm said warmly.
Subaru tried to play it off with a quip, and Wilhelm smiled. Surprised by the gentle reaction, Subaru let out a small "Huh."
"Wilhelm, did you ever have, like… heavy feelings about fighting with your wife?"
"Of course. In my case, when I angered my wife, I couldn't win physically. She used to cut me down by force quite regularly."
"The Sword Saint's wife was no joke?!"
"After that, I'd hold her in my arms until her anger melted away. Quite forcefully, mind you."
"Your wife stories are on another level!"
Revived by the topic, Wilhelm looked visibly pleased. His liberated demeanor made Subaru envious. Here was a senior figure going out of his way to ease his heavy heart. To dismiss that effort would make him fail as a man.
"You're not, like, actually going to keep the wife stories going seriously from now on, are you?"
"I'm afraid I don't follow what you're— Oh."
At Subaru's nervous probe, Wilhelm responded with a perfectly blank expression. Then, suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he looked ahead.
Following his gaze, Subaru realized the path had widened into the proper highway—the road connecting the mansion and the village—and they were close enough to see the village itself.
And beyond Wilhelm's line of sight, the entrance to the village was faintly visible.
"That village is the closest one to the mansion. Wait—do you already know that, Wilhelm?"
"Yes. Ferris and I visited the mansion once. We passed through the village, but… something seems off."
Wilhelm's eyes remained narrowed, and a subtle tension began emanating from his entire frame. Subaru felt a knot of dread tighten in his gut.
"Wh-What is it? Is something wrong?"
"There are far too many dragon carriages parked in the village. —Lord Subaru, please wait here. I'll go check and return."
With that, Wilhelm issued the same instruction to his accompanying subordinates, lightly pushed off the ground, and shot forward like a gust of wind—crossing the distance to the village in a blur.
Roughly three minutes elapsed.
His teeth chattering with a fresh wave of anxiety, Subaru feared the catastrophe he'd tried so hard to avoid had returned. His mind flashed with the horrifying deaths of the villagers he'd witnessed twice already, and the face of the girl with empty eyes—Petra—was burned vividly into his memory.
Never again. He never wanted to see that again. He'd fought so hard to prevent it—so why— "Lord Subaru."
A knight beside him spoke suddenly. Subaru, on the verge of tears, looked toward him. The man was pointing toward the village, indicating something. Following his finger, Subaru saw Wilhelm waving from the village entrance.
The earlier tension had vanished from his posture entirely. Subaru rushed over, and only then did he finally understand why.
Inside the village, a multitude of dragon carriages—more than twenty—were lined up in rows. Naturally, the earth dragons pulling them and their drivers had entered the village as well.
The reason for this unfamiliar fleet of carriages was— "Ah, right. My insurance policy."
"It would appear so. Was this arranged the moment we left the capital?"
"Mm. I asked Anastasia and Russell to set it up. Just a little something."
Wryly surveying the impressive lineup of dragon carriages, Subaru looked toward the center of the village. There, it seemed the caravan's representative and the village's representative were locked in an argument.
With no prior communication between them, opinions were likely split. If the caravan's arrival was as Subaru had predicted, smoothing things over would require a bit of time. This was precisely the moment for mediation.
"Wait, wait! Hey—over here! I know you've both got plenty to say, but hear me out first!"
Subaru dismounted Patrasche and wedged himself between the two tense figures.
They were a man and a woman. The man, who radiated the more aggressive energy, was the first Subaru addressed. Looking up at him, Subaru couldn't help but let out a small "Oh."
The face was familiar. This was the merchant who had introduced Otto to Subaru during the very first loop— "Your name is, uh—shoot, I forgot—but you're the traveling merchant who came here on orders from the Capital's guild, right?"
"That's right… but who are you? You don't look like any merchant I've seen."
"I'm more on the employer side, actually. There's been a mix-up—the letter hasn't reached the mansion yet. I'll sort it out."
If the letter of introduction had actually made it to the mansion, none of this confusion would have happened. It probably hadn't reached Emilia's hands yet.
Once she knew the situation, she would have made the right call.
"So—stop, please." Subaru held up his hand to silence the man, then casually scanned the area. He'd half-hoped to spot Otto among the merchants, given his connections, but the man was nowhere to be seen. A small pang of disappointment.
Subaru then turned to the woman. Standing as the village's apparent representative, she had soft, reddish-brown hair and slightly slanted eyes— "Look, just hear me out. For the sake of these unforgettable, strangely familiar eyes that you can't forget once you see them—wait, who are you?"
The woman furrowed her brows, clearly not understanding the question.
But Subaru understood even less of her reaction. After all— "I know every single person in this village by face, and I'm confident they know me. So why don't I recognize you? You're standing here as the village representative—but who the hell are you?"
Pushed by his rising unease, Subaru blurted the question in a rush.
And in that moment—on this very day, when he had been so desperately keeping his guard up—it was his first and most catastrophic misspeak.
—Without warning, the woman's shadow before him surged outward, swelling violently.
"Wha—!?"
Subaru froze at the familiar sight. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late.
The swelling shadow rose into the sky, spiraling outward, unravelling like threads into countless black, ethereal hands—and lunged at every living soul within view.
The merchants, the villagers watching from a distance, Wilhelm and his subordinates who had rushed forward the moment they sensed Subaru's danger—and Subaru himself, the only one who recognized what was happening but had frozen, losing his chance.
Black arms coiled around every neck, sealing them all in place.
"This can't be… this is…"
Choking under the crushing force at his throat, Subaru's forehead soaked with sweat, his body rigid with horror.
This phenomenon, this occurrence—without a doubt, it was the one he had believed he had finished— "Ah… my brain… is trembling…"
A woman's whisper. Subaru heard it, right in front of him.
Eyes wide with shock, he stared at the figure before him.
At arm's length, the woman raised her head and brought a finger to her mouth—and bit down on the tip with savage brutality. Blood dripped. Every person present, their movements sealed, held their breath in the unnatural silence. Then, the woman lifted her face.
Her mouth was painted in blood, framed by a ghastly, ecstatic grin.
"I am a Witch Cult Sin Archbishop—"
Click, click. Click, click.
"Sloth—"
Manic laughter. Hysterical laughter. Mocking laughter—erupting everywhere— "—Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti!!"
The woman declared the name of the man who should have been dead.
Click click click click—laughter echoed.
Click click. Click click.
—Click click, click click, click click click click click click.