Breathless and bursting into the room, Subaru found surprised eyes fixed on him.
He hadn't expected either of them to be the type who would look particularly startled. That reaction amused him, and the vicious grin on his face deepened further.
"—A wager?"
Murmuring that, narrowing eyes of mismatched colors—it was Roswaal, lying in bed.
The face that should normally have been painted with clown makeup was now bare, stripped of cosmetics. It was the face Subaru had seen only once, back when time was looping—Roswaal's unadorned face.
The skin beneath the white paint was pale, and without the eyeliner, his features conveyed not sharpness but something closer to plainness, so different from the impression Roswaal typically gave. The face that, with makeup on, appeared calculating and suspicious, transformed with just its removal into that of a handsome young man of an almost innocent sort.
A beautiful face is beautiful even without effort—Subaru appraised Roswaal's bare face internally with that thought, then gave a slight chin-lift in response to Roswaal's murmur.
"That's right, a wager. You and me, betting our wishes… A dead-serious, one-shot showdown."
"——"
Holding up a single finger, Subaru declared his challenge to Roswaal with full composure. Roswaal narrowed his eyes, wearing an expression as though scrutinizing Subaru's proposal. But before Roswaal could utter a word, a figure interposed between their gazes—the pink-haired maid,
Standing with Roswaal behind her, Ram faced Subaru with eyes full of severity. Her gaze was always sharp whenever she found an opportunity to berate Subaru, but now it was on an entirely different level.
"Wait just a moment, Barusu. You barge into the room unannounced, and when I wonder what you could possibly want to say, it turns out you intend to burden Lord Roswaal while he's still recuperating? This is nothing short of insolence."
"A patient's injuries are a pretty weak excuse when you think about what's actually at stake. Tongue sharpness and black-heartedness have nothing to do with that… You're going to push yourself a little, whether you like it or not."
"Barusu—"
"I don't care what anyone says!"
Ram's eyes blazed with a blend of irritation and menace. But before she could move, Subaru preemptively stomped his foot with a resounding thud. He pointed at Ram, who had tensed and halted.
"On my end, there's no reason to hold back and no hesitation needed. That much, at least, should exist between you and me, Roswaal."
"—Hmm."
"Or what—are you going to sulk and lose all motivation just because things went a little off-script compared to your little diary? Where's that fighting spirit to at least try for your successor's sake?"
"—Fascinating argument. My successor, you say."
Crafting words that would reach Roswaal without directly referencing Return by Death, Subaru pressed on. Ram was frowning in confusion, but Roswaal appeared to understand.
A faint flush of life returned to his previously listless expression, and Roswaal addressed Ram's back.
"Ram. Step aside… no, actually, could you wait outside for just a little bit?"
"…! But, Lord Roswaal—"
"It's fine, it's fine. Just because we're alone together doesn't mean Subaru-kun is going to suddenly attack me. He's not that rash. Besides, dispatching me would be easy enough. Right-ee?"
"Yeah, that'd be a pathetic thing. If it came to a physical fight, I wouldn't even have the confidence to drag you out of that bed."
Ram ground her teeth in frustration, cheeks taut with vexation as Subaru waved both empty hands in confirmation. She turned a worried gaze back to Roswaal.
"—Please, do not overexert yourself."
That was all she said. With a solemn bow, she moved toward the room's exit. Just before passing Subaru, she cast him a sidelong glance.
"If anything happens to Lord Roswaal, I won't forgive you."
"How about worrying about what that desperate lunatic might do instead?"
Shouldering shrugging, Subaru watched Ram leave, and once the door closed, he turned back to Roswaal. Roswaal still wore a contemplative expression, one eye closed, his yellow pupil reflecting Subaru.
"Quite different from the face you showed at our parting last night, wouldn't you say? Just a few hours—has something changed in you?"
"I guess you could call it a change of heart. Got lectured, exchanged fists and friendship… well, it was too one-sided to call it a proper exchange, really."
Rubbing his cheek where Otto had struck him, Subaru recalled the faint sting that had lingered that morning.
For someone who looked scrawny, Otto actually had decent stamina. Probably the difference in how many life-or-death situations each of them had been through. Subaru figured he'd been through his share since coming to this world, but apparently he still fell short.
"What kind of hellscape did that guy grow up in…"
"So you say, so you say. Well, we did confirm yesterday that you weren't under enough pressure, and I see you've bounced back sooner than expected—so perhaps it wasn't a miscalculation after all."
"I was pretty much at my limit, though. …Maybe it just means I'm simple."
With Otto's words and fists, that twisted stubbornness had been hammered back into shape.
It had been an extremely rough, simple method. Getting punched by a friend to set yourself straight was about as naive as it gets—something Subaru would have mocked if it were happening to someone else.
"But I don't think it's bad. When you're stuck in a dead end, feeling like a friend's help might actually find you a way out—it's a pretty good feeling."
"How naive. Young and green. …The suffering of this world can ultimately only be resolved by yourself. Depending on friends—such feeble thinking is unnecessary for you."
"Rely on people, rely on bonds, rely on your feelings… and that's not enough?"
"It's not enough, no-oo."
"Is that so. —Then I've got no choice but to challenge you."
Roswaal's expression changed. Subaru stepped forward, approaching Roswaal on the bed. He snapped his finger, producing a sharp sound, and pointed that finger at Roswaal.
"Just like I said—let's make a wager. The chips are our wishes, and the table is a one-shot deal."
"Why not let me at least hear the terms?"
Confirming that Roswaal hadn't dismissed the proposal outright, Subaru raised the pointing finger toward the ceiling and laid out the conditions.
"This time, I won't be going along with what you want. Not just this time—I have no intention of going along with it in the future either. …But if I keep insisting on that, you and I are just going to stay at a standstill forever. So let's set a deadline."
"A deadline?"
At Roswaal's question, Subaru nodded.
Wetting his lips with his tongue, Subaru stared straight into Roswaal's eyes.
"In this current loop, I'm going to push through with my own method. If that fails… then from the next loop onward, I'll move the way you want. That's the deadline."
"—You, who possess the power to redo, would give up that right?"
"You said it yourself—I'm not under enough pressure. I think so too. …Being able to redo things—turns out, getting cocky about that led to the mess we're in now."
He had no intention of fundamentally denying that line of thinking, of course.
In this cruel world, what could
He'd simply changed his perspective. If he gave it everything he had, and Return by Death came at the end of that—then so be it. But if, without giving his all, he died before truly living…
"That would be a desecration to the people who cry for my sake. I won't do that anymore."
"A self-imposed limitation, then… Heehee. As far as I'm concerned, that's a welcome condition—but what guarantee do you have that you'll honor it?"
"A guarantee, huh."
"Yes, a guarantee. That's important, you kno-ow? After all, with the power to redo, you could simply pretend this agreement never happened. Fail, redo, return to last night, and casually try a different method…"
"Roswaal."
Subaru called Roswaal's name in a quiet voice.
At that, Roswaal stopped mid-sentence. Facing the look in Subaru's eyes, he widened them ever so slightly. Then Subaru continued, his tone unchanged.
"Do you really think I would do that?"
"——"
"If you think I would do that… then this deal can't happen. That's all there is to it."
At Subaru's words, Roswaal narrowed his eyes, then lightly raised both hands and let out a sigh.
He said "Now, now—" and continued.
"Let's hear the rest, shall we? The judgment can come at the end."
"…Yeah, do that. Like I said before, let's set a deadline. This time, this one loop—I'm putting everything on the line. If it doesn't work, I'll do what you say. Either way… if this approach doesn't work, then I probably don't have any other options left."
"I wouldn't call it confidence. Simply resolve. …In that case, I suppose I must respond in kind. So—you've set a deadline and declared this is the last attempt. What would you ask of me, then?"
A measure of Roswaal's usual cadence had returned to his tone.
Through negotiation, through conversation—exchanging their wills back and forth—Subaru clapped his hands together.
"My demand is simple. If, this time, my method manages to break through the situation, the future that follows will take a shape different from what you desire. In that case, you'd lose the will to live in a world different from the Gospel—but I want you to keep that will."
"Keep it—that is, you want me to not lose my motivation? Howev-er, I'm afraid that's a rather difficult demand to make. On the surface, I could maintain appearances, certainly, but the inner workings—even for me…"
"Look, Roswaal. It's not like I want to be your enemy forever."
"—Hmm?"
Not understanding what Subaru was getting at, Roswaal tilted his head.
Reading that attitude, Subaru scratched the bridge of his nose.
"I know you hate that the future is going off the rails from what the Gospel prescribes, that it's diverging from your set path. But even with a future that breaks from the Gospel, I'm going to keep bustling around to make
"——"
"Roswaal, my demand is simple. If I open up a future that breaks from the Gospel's script… then throw away that Gospel and come with me. Make Emilia the King. For that, I need your power."
No matter how many unforgivable things Roswaal had done, his power was necessary for Emilia's goal. Personally, Subaru had felt revulsion, incomprehension, loathing toward the man. In this timeline as well, left unchecked, Roswaal's scheming would produce an irreversible catastrophe. —But Subaru would cut that catastrophe down with his own hand, averting the decisive rift.
At Subaru's proposal, Roswaal drew a long, deep breath.
Closing his eyes in thought, touching his own chin, he slowly opened his lips.
"So the resolution you seek… is that."
"Convenient as it sounds, yeah. And I love a convenient story. Emilia works her heart out, becomes King, and I celebrate from her side—and you can be one of the people standing beside her too."
"For someone who's done things the same way for so, so long—it's a difficult proposal. To try to move someone like me… the terms must be strict."
"Yeah, they are."
At Roswaal, who had one eye closed, Subaru nodded and held up two fingers.
Feeling Roswaal's gaze converge on the tips of those fingers, Subaru lightly waved one.
"There are two conditions. Both things you've called impossible, things you've said can't be done. Two conditions. When I clear them—the wager goes to me."
"And if the conditions go unmet, it's my victory. You'll have to abandon your humanity."
In a low, heavy tone, Roswaal looked at Subaru with both eyes. Subaru nodded, grit his teeth once under Roswaal's expectant gaze, and began.
"First condition. —Get Garfiel on our side and bring him outside."
"——"
"You said it was impossible to drag him away from the
"—And the second condition?"
The instant he heard the first condition, a dark emotion passed through the depths of Roswaal's pupils.
Without commenting on it, Roswaal asked for the next condition. Subaru nodded.
"—Have Emilia pass the Trial. The one who overcomes the Trial in the Tomb and liberates the Sanctuary will be Emilia. Not me."
"Impossible!"
Roswaal's voice rose. He struck the bed hard with his palm.
A dry crack echoed, and his face twisted into rage. Shoulders heaving, he jabbed a finger at Subaru.
"I told you last night! She cannot pass the Trial! And Garfiel could never possibly abandon his attachment to the Sanctuary!"
"Well, you don't know until you try, right?"
"That's true—you don't know until you try. And isn't it precisely because you've tried that so many times that you were slumped before me in such despair!? That version of you—your resolve this time—is proof that the two of them aren't worth hoping for!"
Shouting, Roswaal's shoulders heaved with ragged breathing. But Subaru's expression remained perfectly composed.
"You're putting quite a lot of energy into that anger."
"What did you…?"
"For you, the stricter my conditions are, the more advantageous it is. Getting angry over harsh conditions—that doesn't add up, does it?"
"This is a question of whether the wager is even valid. Forget disadvantage—if the legitimacy is suspect, the entire result could be void. My caution is only natural."
Roswaal seemed suspicious—the conditions Subaru proposed were so unfavorable to himself that they were almost too advantageous for Roswaal. But Subaru's cheeks twisted at that reaction. Viciously, viciously, his grin deepened.
"Roswaal, I think you've got the wrong idea."
"…………"
"That I'm at too much of a disadvantage? Sure, at first glance these conditions are harsh—I won't deny that. There's a part of me that thinks it's only by going this far that I've got any right to ask you to revise your long-standing plan. But… that's a separate matter."
To the silent Roswaal, Subaru kept his grin and continued.
"You said it yourself, Roswaal."
"——"
"When I'm backed into a corner, I become the strongest card. —Your opponent might not be in the form you wanted, but it's still the strongest card there is. And you're still not satisfied?"
At Subaru's declaration, Roswaal said nothing.
He simply stared at Subaru, steadying his breathing. Then, once his breath had settled, Roswaal held up a single finger.
"—A contract."
"——"
"Very well. I'll accept the conditions you've presented. —Garfiel's liberation from his binding, and Emilia-sama's liberation of the Sanctuary. When both are achieved, I will abandon my plan and follow the path you create. Let us exchange a contract to that effect."
At the tip of his raised finger, a faint light ignited.
The concentration of mana—that rainbow-hued glow—closely resembled the light that had been produced when Julius destroyed Petelgeuse, the light born from binding multiple attributes together.
"The contract will be engraved upon our souls through our Gates. You may deceive anyone, but you cannot deceive your own heart. —A contract engraved on the soul persists beyond distance, beyond time, beyond even the boundaries of worlds. It will hold even against your resets, I imagine."
"So there was a way to make sure of it after all. …Though, honestly, that works better for me too. If we're bound by contract, I won't have to punch you when you throw a tantrum after losing the wager."
"You don't seem to be taking it lightly, but… very well."
Roswaal said little more at Subaru's acceptance.
The glow at his fingertip was aimed at the center of Subaru's chest, and something seep into his body from that point. Immediately after, he felt a wave from within, as though every pore in his body had opened, and Subaru exhaled.
"Ah—h."
"Now I'll engrave the same upon my soul. —When Natsuki Subaru's contract is fulfilled,
Similarly, a rainbow light burst over Roswaal's chest.
In an instant, the light spread across Roswaal's entire body, and in the blink of an eye, he was back to normal.
"Is that it?"
"That's it. …There's no going back now."
Confirming that neither of them could escape the line they'd drawn, Subaru drew a small breath.
Then, placing a hand on his own chest, Roswaal spoke.
"I'll do my part to bring about the fulfillment of your conditions, just as you'll do your part to bring about the fulfillment of the Gospel's writings. You won't object to that?"
"—Five days from now. Will you reproduce even the part where it snows?"
"…If Emilia-sama won't do it, then I suppose I'll have to."
In other words—the time limit had been set.
The
"Once that's decided, time is precious. Let me get to it."
"Subaru-kun."
Roswaal called out to Subaru, who had already stepped away from the bed and was about to spring into action.
Turning back, Subaru saw Roswaal avert his gaze slightly.
"The same goes for the mansion. —Do your best, and good luck."
"If I bust my ass and fail, then in the next loop I'd probably be more inclined to move the way you want… is that it?"
"——"
At Subaru's retort, Roswaal responded only with silence.
At that, Subaru gave a wry smile. Then he pointed at Roswaal one last time.
"Roswaal, you're throwing off my groove—put your clown makeup back on."
"Hmm, now that you mention it… I believe this is the first time we've spoken face-to-face without makeup."
"In this world, yeah."
He caught the reaction—Roswaal's eyes widening at the implication of those words.
Feeling that reaction on his back, Subaru walked out.
"It's a contest between you and me. Two clowns tossed about by fate—let's do this fair and square."
With that, he left the room.
The conditions of the wager had been set. —And so, from here, it begins.
Natsuki Subaru's final challenge to liberate the Sanctuary.