Despite traveling along an unpaved road, the jostling inside the carriage was remarkably gentle. No matter how many times he experienced it—even now that he was actually using it—he couldn't help but find this so-called "blessing" to be a truly miraculous power.
If the blessing of "Wind Clearance" alone could achieve this, then perhaps unraveling every last one of the countless blessings out there might yield phenomena that could only be described as nothing short of miraculous.
"Wait, when did I start using my brain to dodge reality like this?"
Craning his neck forward from the driver's seat, Subaru peered past Otto's shoulder toward what lay dead ahead—the outer appearance of the "
They were driving across bare earth that had been cleared of the greenery that might have constituted a road, and perhaps a hundred-odd meters ahead, the forest gave way to an open clearing. A few scattered wooden rooftops were visible in the distance, and he gathered they must be the homes of those who lived in the "Sanctuary." At first glance from this remove, it gave off the vibe of a poor, remote village—nothing particularly eye-catching.
If he had to voice his impression: "This place feels pretty dreary…"
The entrance to the "Sanctuary"—a gate made of terribly aged stone—only served to reinforce that image, and the village, enclosed by a low fence, projected an air of closed-off isolation.
Subaru's remark had escaped involuntarily at the sight, and Garfiel, overhearing it, slapped his own knee with vigor.
"Told ya! Dreary place, ain't it? And I'll tell you what—those inside are even drearier! Every last one of 'em's walking around with dead-eyed looks like they're already corpses."
"You're trash-talking them pretty hard. But hearing that makes the 'Sanctuary' feel even further from what I imagined. It's almost…"
Subaru sighed at the way Garfiel cheerfully agreed with such backhanded praise, and recalled the man's earlier remark. When Subaru and the others had called this place the "Sanctuary," Garfiel had spoken without any attempt to hide his self-mocking tone. That is to say— "What does it mean—'the graveyard of the
It seemed
Her eyes, as she posed it, were steady and resolute—but her fingertip, extended so as not to be noticed, was softly hooked into the hem of Subaru's clothes. He felt a quiet swell of satisfaction at being relied upon, yet he also harbored complex feelings because he had a pretty good idea of where her unease was coming from.
"The Witch… basically, the one everyone knows by the title of 'Witch' is the Witch of Envy. Almost nothing about the other witches bearing the names of the major sins has ever gotten out."
"Huh, really? But weren't they famous going back four hundred years?"
"What Emilia said isn't wrong. Ah—Subaru's fine. It's not that they're overshadowed because the Witch of Envy is so famous. The records of the other witches who were devoured by the Witch of Envy are practically nonexistent anywhere. But well, there are exceptions."
"And this place is one of those exceptions?"
Garfiel, picking up Subaru's thread of doubt, gave a slow nod at Emilia's question. Emilia's eyes went wide as if struck by a jolt, but for Subaru, whose knowledge of witch-related matters was shallow, the answer was easy enough to accept as "oh, so that's how it is."
No—wait. A sudden flicker of doubt shattered his carefree attitude. If there were multiple witches— "D-don't tell me the
The reason for his run of chills was precisely this, and he considered it an element that could not be ignored.
Petelgeuse, from the things he had let slip in his speech, could reasonably be assumed to have been a high-ranking member of the faction that worshipped the Witch of Envy,
But if, hypothetically, factions worshipping other witches also existed— "You're talking about something pretty scary there, but you don't need to worry about that, Natsuki-san."
The one who shot down the chill that had raced up Subaru's spine was Otto, who kept his eyes forward and his grip on the reins. Unlike Emilia, who was ignorant about the Witch Cult, or Garfiel, whose trustworthiness was questionable, Otto was reliable in terms of both credibility and common-sense awareness. The knowledge Otto possessed could reasonably be judged as representative of what ordinary people in the know understood.
"The Witch Cult… I'd rather not speak the name too loudly, but the only one they worship is the Witch of Envy. The other witches are considered even more taboo to mention than the Witch of Envy herself."
"More taboo than the Witch of Envy? What do you mean? Worse in nature than the Witch of Envy?"
"It means no one knows what a Witch Cultist will do when they hear the name of a witch other than the one they worship, and that's terrifying. Do you know about the incident in the southern Volakia Empire, where an entire city was destroyed?"
The topic Otto brought up jogged a memory of something Subaru had heard before. It was what Wilhelm had told him during the subjugation of Petelgeuse, to illustrate the horror of the Witch Cult. If he remembered correctly— "The 'Archbishop of Greed' single-handedly wiped out some city in that Empire of theirs, right? They said even having a hero there couldn't stop it."
"The act itself was so flashy that the real reason behind it gets overlooked. The reason the Witch Cult did it is what's truly frightening. That city was one of the few places in isolationist Volakia that had a thriving trade network… apparently there were rumors that an artifact connected to a witch had been unearthed there."
"An artifact connected to a witch…"
"No one knows what exactly it was, even now. But there's no shortage of collectors who would covet such a thing. If it had been something belonging to the Witch of Envy, it would've been dismissed as mere bad taste… but the result was an entire city wiped off the map."
The Archbishop of Greed must have moved either to claim that artifact or to eliminate it. The Volakia Empire had inadvertently provoked the Witch Cult, and in return received a devastating retribution.
"Ever since then, any association with witches other than the Witch of Envy has been strictly forbidden, since it risks provoking them. …Even so, there's no shortage of shameless people still dealing in such things behind the scenes."
"You're being unusually venomous. Something hit a nerve?"
"…It's nothing major. I just had relatives living in that city at the time, and they got caught up in it. That was over fifteen years ago, so it doesn't really have anything to do with me now."
After that, Otto pressed his lips shut and made it clear he would not pursue the topic further. Subaru, resigned to letting it drop, scratched his cheek and turned his attention back inside the carriage.
In any case, Garfiel had been waiting for Subaru to finish getting his facts straight, and now he touched his chin and said, "You satisfied yet?"
"The nitty-gritty details, I don't know either. But the fact that this is the graveyard of the Witch of Greed—the old man and old lady won't shut up about it, repeating it like they've 'got rot of the tongue just from hearing it' or something, so it ain't wrong."
"I don't even want to know what's rotting, but I take it you don't have the details either?"
"The only thing I'm interested in is being the strongest, full stop. If you wanna hear the full story, you'd have to grab Roswaal by the collar and wring it out of him. Whether you can do that right now, I dunno."
"—Huh? What does that…"
"Excuse me—it looks like we've arrived. Is it all right if we go straight in?"
Before Subaru could probe the significance of Garfiel's words, Otto called out from the driver's seat ahead. Garfiel muttered "Can't be helped" and hopped lightly off the dragon carriage.
"If we barge in without anyone going ahead to smooth things over, we'll end up looking like a bunch of trespassing outsiders, and the whole scaredy-cat brigade will come at us full force. It'll be like 'a magma-ring full of holes cracking up.' I'll go ahead and talk to 'em, so just hang tight."
"Yeah, I'm counting on you. Come to think of it, you were in some kind of patrol role for the Sanctuary, right? Based on how we ran into you."
That was what made Subaru tilt his head in puzzlement—the way Garfiel had so casually abandoned that role. And the fact that he'd been patrolling alone, at that. Though, for someone of his caliber, solo operations might simply be more efficient.
To Subaru's question, Garfiel merely waved his hand back and forth without answering. Subaru furrowed his brows at the unhelpfulness, and at almost the exact same moment, Emilia let out a small "Ah" beside him.
He turned toward Emilia, and she pointed ahead with a fingertip she had raised in an "I didn't mean to" sort of way. Following her gaze, Subaru understood immediately what had surprised her. Standing there was— "You're back, Garfiel. That was quicker than expected."
"Didn't need to do a full circuit through the forest. And Roswaal being away from your side is pretty rare, ain't it? He finally kicked the bucket, huh?"
"If that were the case, this place would have been burned to the ground by now by a Ramp who'd lost all hope. Be grateful to Roswaal-sama that it hasn't happened."
"That's some killer logic—makes no sense whatsoever!"
A girl in the familiar attendant's uniform stood facing Garfiel, her pink hair swaying. While Garfiel grinned cheerfully, her expression was cold and almost devoid of emotion. Seeing that again after so long, Subaru felt his shoulders loosen with relief.
"Ohh—she's the big sister they told me about, huh? Makes sense. Of course, she looks just like the sleeping young lady."
Otto, seeing her for the first time, murmured his admiration. The person standing at the end of his gaze was a dead ringer for
It was a long-overdue reunion with
"Ram!"
Subaru leaned forward and waved from the dragon carriage. Ram noticed him and let her eyes narrow ever so slightly as she looked him over, then conspicuously shrugged and shook her head.
"I don't know which Barus you're supposed to be, but your arrival was disappointingly late. I expected someone to notice the anomaly sooner and come here… Ah, but I suppose that's asking too much of Barus."
"If you're going to claim you don't know me, then stick with that story and stop flip-flopping! And speaking of being hard to read—Roswaal's the same way, but you two really need to work on making your demands clearer. I'll be sure to tell him that to his face later!"
He raised a finger in protest at her unchanging attitude. Ram responded with a deliberately exaggerated slump of her shoulders, then looked at Emilia standing beside Subaru.
Emilia, who like Subaru had loosened with relief at confirming Ram was safe. But in the instant Ram's gaze fell upon her, Subaru caught a fleeting, almost-washed-away wisp of sentimentality in those eyes. It vanished in a heartbeat, however.
"Welcome, Emilia-sama. Roswaal-sama is waiting for you, so please go to the building in the back. Garfiel, take the dragon carriage and the driver to an appropriate spot."
"You treat me like dirt, y'know that?! There's a way to ask people that actually makes 'em wanna cooperate!"
"If you want to eat Ram's cooking, then put in some effort. If you'd rather throw away that sliver of a chance with your own badmouthing and behavior, then Ram won't say a word."
"I got it! I got it, okay?! You're an impossible woman to get a handle on—but that's exactly what I like about you! Hey, driver guy! Park the earth dragon and carriage at the edge and then follow me!"
"I did introduce myself properly, I think—could you please stop with the degrading forms of address!? And what's more, spending time one-on-one with this person is an actual threat to my life!"
Otto recoiled from Garfiel, who had been backed into a corner by Ram, and Subaru shot him a thumbs-up as if shoving it in his face, baring his teeth.
"I'll pick up whatever's left of you!"
"That phrase is absolutely never used in a positive context, is it!? Seriously—if anything happens, I'm filing a damage claim!"
With those parting words, Otto helped Subaru and Emilia down from the dragon carriage and followed after Garfiel. Subaru watched the two of them head into the village with
"There's a bunch of stuff I want to ask about and talk about, but I'm guessing you'll be willing to humor me for a bit?"
"…Ram does not have permission to relay that information. You'll have to ask Roswaal-sama directly. I don't know how much Garfiel let slip, but—"
"Garfi—ah, you mean Garfiel. He's different from the impression I'd gotten just from hearing his name. Come to think of it, he was saying something that caught my attention."
"What about?"
Ram's eyes sharpened instantly. She seemed to be bracing for the possibility that Subaru would bring up information Roswaal hadn't authorized her to share, but Subaru just crossed his arms and said: "He said he likes you. Or something along those lines."
"…I was wondering what he could possibly come out with."
Ram didn't bother hiding her genuine exasperation as she let out a sigh. Still, the fact that she didn't deny it put a grin on Subaru's face that he couldn't suppress, however out of place.
"I'm not gonna call you weird for it. You're cute, and all. …Though I imagine it takes real grit to keep liking you for as long as you've known someone."
"It's only natural that a male would be drawn to Ram's combination of beauty and talent. Ram has already devoted everything she has to the one she was meant to serve, so there's nothing left to hope for."
She gave a wry reply to Subaru's teasing, delivering her answer to Garfiel's affection with a clean, decisive cut. Then she turned her back, said "Follow me," and strode off without another word.
It wasn't as though Subaru had been trying to play matchmaker, but her brisk departure left him deflated all the same. Then again, he'd been too afraid to bring up the topic he actually needed to raise, so maybe he had no right to complain.
"And here I am, too scared to even bring up Rem's name. It's not like I'm getting my hopes up or anything…"
He was terrified of asking.
He'd already heard from Emilia and Petra that they knew nothing of Rem's existence—and yet, to ask her own twin sister about that erasure…
Even if the fact that Ram did not confirm Rem's existence in this place already served as an answer to a question he could not bring himself to ask.
"No point moping over hypotheticals. Let's just follow Ram for now, Emilia-tan. —What's wrong?"
Subaru turned to Emilia, who had been silent ever since they stepped down from the dragon carriage. Since leaving the carriage together, she had kept her mouth shut and was now looking around with an unsettled air. When Subaru called out to her, she shook her head slightly.
"I just… don't feel settled. I don't know how to put it—it's this weird feeling, and it's frustrating that I can't find the words."
"Don't feel settled, huh? For a reclusive shut-in like me, a new environment always feels like that at first… But I don't get a particularly bad feeling from it, personally."
He followed Emilia's gaze around, but it all struck him as a fairly ordinary backwater village. If anything, compared to
Still, it wasn't as though he felt no sense of discord. He just wasn't sure what it was.
"There's no point in being on guard, Emilia-tan. Ram and Roswaal are here, so we can at least judge that there's no immediate danger."
"It's not really about being on guard… No, it's fine for now. If only I could consult
She touched the crystal pendant—the green stone hanging from her neck—and called the name of the spirit sealed within. Her unease was plain. The Great Spirit who had always stayed by her side was gone, and the harsh anxiety that absence brought her was unmistakable.
Her genuine fragility at that moment, and the frustration at himself for being unable to be the one she could rely on— "Subaru?"
"Let's go. If anything happens, I'm happy to be the meat shield. That's two meat shields now, actually."
Without thinking, he took the hand that had been resting on the crystal, turned his face away, and said that. He pulled her along, setting off before she could object. Naturally, Emilia ended up following in his footsteps.
It was impulsive—he could feel his own face flushing with embarrassment at the recklessness of it. But it was his emotions acting ahead of his thoughts. He just hoped she wouldn't find it weird.
"…Mm."
But even as Subaru's pulse raced, Emilia gave a small nod and did not pull her hand free.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ The building was, of all the structures in this "Sanctuary," one of the few that had been maintained in reasonably proper shape.
By the standards of his original world, the stone-built structure was comparable to an ordinary single-family home. It was a single story, with a simple layout dividing the interior into several rooms. It would presumably be comfortable enough.
For Subaru, who had grown used to living at a certain standard of luxury in places like the Roswaal and Crusch mansions, it felt cramped—but with his commoner sensibilities, he figured that given enough time, this place would probably feel more homey. It was tidy enough to give that impression. And then— "Oh my, if it isn't Emilia-sama and Subaru-kun! It feels like it's been fooorever since our last reunion, doesn't it?"
Roswaal greeted them with a loose-limbed smile, waving in their direction.
This was indeed the first time Subaru had faced Roswaal since the capital. Considering they hadn't reunited once during the last loop, the gap had actually stretched to nearly a month. In that time, the grievances he'd accumulated against the man were considerable, and he'd been thinking that the first thing he'd do upon meeting him again was plant a fist right across that smug face— "Well first and foremost, I'm so relieved to see you safe, Emilia-sama. Ram told me about the trouble around the mansion—I would have been beside myself with worry if anything had happened to you. Truly, I would have been."
"If you really felt that way, you could have at least prepared better… No, forget that—what happened to you? Seriously, what's all this?"
Emilia was clearly relieved at Roswaal's safety, but Subaru and the others couldn't relax at all. The mountain of things they wanted to discuss simply evaporated in front of the Roswaal currently before them.
Lying on a bed, his body covered in injuries too numerous to ignore, bound in blood-soaked bandages—his appearance was nothing short of wretched.
In response to Subaru's questioning and Emilia's silent stare, Roswaal managed, with his relatively uninjured left arm, to trace his covered left eye lightly over the eyepatch.
"Oh my, so you're going to ask me about that? Well, I am still a man, you know? Having to display myself in this state is already damaging enough to my pride, so I'd appreciate it if you'd just let it be…"
"Don't be ridiculous. Seriously, what happened, Roswaal? How did you get so hurt… especially you, of all people."
Emilia's sharp rebuttal brooked no evasion. She started to extend her trembling fingertips but hesitated to actually touch the all-too-wound-covered Roswaal. He gave her a bitter smile, tilted his right eye toward the ceiling, and murmured: "Well now, where should I start? As for my injuries, I will say they are wounds sustained in the line of duty—necessary sacrifices for the sake of maintaining appearances, one might say."
"Stop dodging with those roundabout answers. I'm asking you seriously. And you need to answer seriously, too."
"…It seems Emilia-sama's disposition is rather unfavorable as well. That may be an unavoidable consequence of being in this place, however."
Subaru noticed Emilia's tone growing harsher, and Roswaal pointed it out at the same moment. Emilia's brows rose slightly at the observation, but since it was true, she bit her lip.
"It's this buzzing feeling—my heart won't settle down. What exactly is this place? You all kept calling it the 'Sanctuary,' but to me it doesn't feel anything like one. Then what is this place really…"
"A graveyard of witches—that would be much easier to accept, wouldn't it?"
"!"
Roswaal lowered his voice as he spoke those words. The fact that both Garfiel and now Roswaal had uttered them caused the weight of the phrase to increase dramatically.
Emilia's gaze shot to Subaru. He could see the complex emotions swirling in it, and he nodded slowly, sharing her bewilderment.
"Hold on. Let's organize what we want to ask first. At this rate, the conversation will go in a million directions at once and we'll never get anywhere. We won't be able to draw a single conclusion."
"My, my—haven't you become quite the organizer since we last met? Subaru-kun, has something changed in your outlook?"
"I'll save that story and sum it up with a nice victory lap after we're done with the stuff I need to ask about. Oh, right—there's one thing."
He raised a finger at Roswaal's teasing, fixing him with a glare.
"Alliance with Crusch is done. You probably heard from Ram, but are you satisfied that you left me behind?"
"Fully satisfied, yes. As I said—you were a find."
Roswaal's satisfied smile made Subaru close his eyes with a sigh. He'd expected as much, but his actions had apparently played right into Roswaal's hand. There had been a component of using the situation to his own advantage, but being told he'd been used in return wasn't exactly fun.
In any case, Subaru wanted to get the conversation on track.
"First—Arlam Village. Since Ram is safe, that's probably fine, but the villagers who evacuated here—are they all right?"
"Rest assured. I may not look like much in this state, but I am still the lord of this domain, you know? I put my body on the line to protect my people. They're all living in this village's great hall."
"The great hall, huh. We'll come back to that. So next…"
The confirmation of the refugees' safety was one weight off his shoulders. He'd been the one who chose to evacuate them and picked their destination, so their wellbeing had been the outstanding concern at the end of the last loop—especially since this was a point he could no longer redo.
Relieved, Subaru let his shoulders drop and glanced at Emilia. She took the cue, gave a small nod, and then said: "Tell me about this place. Roswaal, you called it the 'Sanctuary.' But Garfiel called it 'the graveyard of the Witch of Greed.' Which is it?"
"Both are true, Emilia-sama. This was once the final resting place of the Witch of Greed—
"The Witch…"
"Echidna…"
Both Subaru and Emilia choked on their words at the answer.
Roswaal spoke quietly—but every trace of his earlier clowning had vanished from his voice. That was precisely what lent his words a ring of truth that could not be mistaken for a slip.
Emilia swallowed, blinked several times, and then said again: "The Witch of Greed… the other Witch, the one said to have been destroyed by the Witch of Envy."
"Yes, exactly. Her name no longer appears anywhere in the recorded history of the world. Only in the memories of those who actually knew her does it still exist."
"Wait, wait, wait—something's off about what you just said."
Subaru waved his hand and cut in to Roswaal's somber narration. Facing only a single narrowed eye, Subaru felt slightly daunted but pressed on: "If my memory serves, the Witch of Greed was killed by the Witch of Envy four hundred years ago. I can accept that this place was where the Witch of Greed met her end four hundred years ago… but you, personally, knowing her—that's a stretch."
"I wouldn't say I knew her personally, no. This is a piece of oral tradition passed down only to the head of the Mathers family—to those who inherit the name Roswaal."
"An oral tradition… So you're saying that the head of the Mathers family way back in the old days had some kind of connection to the Witch of Greed?"
"Echidna."
"Huh?"
Roswaal suddenly uttered the name, and Emilia's eyes went wide. He turned his gaze to her, and then, as if confirming something, murmured "Echidna" once more.
"Please—when you refer to her, use her name. 'Witch of Greed' sounds so dreadfully villainous, doesn't it? And it's such a mouthful."
"Oh—understood. So, Echidna's final resting place was this village, and the Mathers family has been managing this village for generations… is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, that about covers it. Though 'managing' may be more than the word implies—it hasn't required much hands-on effort. Echidna's influence still lingers heavily here, which means no one can set foot inside without following the proper procedures. The fact that you and the others were able to enter… I imagine that's thanks to someone like Frederica having cooperated."
Roswaal nodded in confirmation, a look of understanding settling in his eye. Once Subaru had witnessed that, he stepped forward, seeking to push the conversation ahead.
"So this is Echidna's graveyard, and it's under your jurisdiction. Got it. What I still don't understand is the purpose of this place, and why none of you have come back to the village."
"It may seem odd coming from me, but you're taking this remarkably well. Here we are in the graveyard of a witch, and I had been keeping it secret—yet you're just… accepting it."
"Unlike the Witch of Envy, I don't even know what this Echidna witch actually did. Honestly, almost nobody outside of me knows either, right? Writing someone off as evil just because the word 'witch' is attached is pretty shortsighted. Can you imagine Emilia-tan being this cute just because the word 'half-elf' is attached to her?"
"! …D-don't just say things like that out of nowhere. Sneak attacks are forbidden!"
At the end of a serious conversation, Subaru had slipped in an offhand compliment, and Emilia's face flushed red as she gave his side a light pinch. He was smiling ruefully at her adorable counterattack when Roswaal noticed and let out a mocking "Ahaa~."
"My, my—the distance between you two has closed quite a bit, hasn't it? I wasn't sure what would become of you after that falling out in the capital, but it looks like you've worked things out."
"After a whole tangled mess, we've finally gotten our love story off the ground. I'd love to brag about it, but let's get back on topic. The purpose of this place—and the reason you haven't come back."
"You've lost that amateur air and started sounding reliable—it's almost alarming. Now then, as for why I and the villagers haven't returned… it's really quite simple. We can't go back, even if we wanted to."
"Can't go back?"
Subaru furrowed his brow at the cryptic answer, and Roswaal nodded.
Then, before Subaru's question mark of an expression, he smiled breezily and said: "You see, right now, all of us are being held here under house arrest by the village's residents. Ah, and once you two set foot inside, you're in the same position."