"Kapi-kapi—!"
"Oh, shut it! Don't keep saying it!"
The next morning, Garfiel walked through the streets with Mimi, looking utterly wretched.
Mimi giggled as she tugged at the chest of her robe, fussing with the spot where Garfiel's tears, snot, drool—everything foul—had dried and stained the fabric.
The stench was so potent it reached even Garfiel's own nose as he walked beside her.
For Mimi, whose sense of smell was just as keen, that proximity should have been unbearable. But when Garfiel suggested she wash up somewhere first, she replied: "Mm, it's fine, isn't it~? We'll head back to the inn and change. I didn't go home last night, so Miss is definitely gonna be mad! Plus Hetaro and Tivey too!"
"...Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it~! Mimi was just patting Garfi's head because he was a good boy, and Garfi was just going kapisleep~!"
Garfiel apologized in a quiet voice, and Mimi answered with her usual sunny, innocent smile.
Last night—reuniting with his mother, and then saying goodbye in the truest sense of the word.
The relentless one-two punch had left Garfiel reeling. He'd ended up holding Mimi in a sorry state on the outdoor rooftop, wailing like a child.
And to make it even more pathetic, he'd cried himself to sleep right there, only to wake up to the sound of his own booming voice echoing across the city, with his head squarely in Mimi's lap.
Garfiel was trying to compose himself, but in front of Mimi—who was perpetually in her default cheerful mode—his flustered state was embarrassingly obvious.
Before he could even offer a proper excuse, the building's owner had found them on the rooftop and chased them out. Now they were making their way back at a considerable jog.
"So, do you feel a little better now~?"
"Yeah, a little. Y'know, it's just... that thing."
"That thing~? I see~..."
"...Yeah. That thing."
Garfiel made a sour face, having failed to properly thank her. Mimi didn't seem to mind in the slightest, which left Garfiel at a loss for what to say.
He remembered what Mimi had blurted out last night—about having feelings for him.
Before he knew it, he'd been catching himself following Mimi with his eyes.
He'd thought she was just clingy, but he never expected she actually harbored romantic feelings. He'd assumed it was more of a pet-owner kind of fondness for a liger, but apparently not.
And yet, despite saying something like that, she'd been completely her usual self since this morning without missing a beat.
The frustrating part was that even though he himself had been proactive about expressing his feelings toward
"So, what about breakfast~? Are you gonna go see your mom~?"
Lost in thought, Garfiel was startled when Mimi stopped in front of him and looked up. Her words jolted him further.
"H-Hold on. Why do I gotta go see her again?"
"Hmm~? But Rialla's your mom, right~? So shouldn't you have a proper talk with her~?"
"Did this girl not get the meaning of what I said at all?"
She'd hit the most important part instinctively, but beyond that, she hadn't picked up on any of the nuance. Garfiel wondered whether to explain his complicated situation—and that family's situation—to her, then immediately gave up as pointless. Besides, this was a matter for his own heart.
"It's fine. She doesn't... she's better off not knowing I'm her son."
"Is that so~?"
"Yeah. ...Although, I do need to think about whether to tell Frederica."
His sister Frederica was the analytical type.
She'd waver, but she'd reach the same conclusion as Garfiel—only faster.
Still, even if the conclusion was the same, his sister had the right to know their mother was alive. Whether he should saddle her with the same burden of suffering—that was something worth agonizing over.
"There's no choice but to take my time and decide."
"Must be tough~. Mimi wishes her mom was around—wouldn't it be nice if you just got along~?"
"...You don't know your mom?"
Unexpected words from Mimi made Garfiel's ears perk up. He asked her to repeat herself.
"Yup," Mimi nodded casually. "Mimi, Hetaro, and Tivey don't know our mom or dad either. See, we're triplets, right~? Raising three of us sounded way too hard, so we got abandoned. Then Big Brother took us in. So Big Brother's our family! Miss is our family too!"
"...Is that so. So it's a big family after all, huh."
Without thinking, Garfiel reached over and lightly patted Mimi's head.
Instantly— "Kyah!"
Mimi swatted Garfiel's hand away and jumped back.
Seeing her face flushed bright red, Garfiel's eyes went wide. Mimi immediately turned her back, rubbing her cheeks vigorously while making frustrated sounds.
"Something's off since yesterday. Whenever Garfi gets close, I start feeling all weird."
"R-Right. Sorry about that... Should I walk further away?"
"N-No, I don't want that. So, like, not too far but not too close is good."
Mimi scurried back and positioned herself just beside him—close enough to be out of arm's reach but within speaking distance.
When Garfiel furrowed his brows in confusion, Mimi gave her usual wide grin. But her face still looked a little red.
"Oh! Hey, the Souwarie! We've got Souwarie! Let's eat it~!"
"O-Oh."
As if deliberately changing the subject, Mimi rummaged through her robe and pulled out a bag of sweets.
It was something Rialla had given her as a parting gift last night.
A brief, stinging pain crossed his chest. But when a wrapped pastry was placed on her outstretched palm, he caught its fragrant scent and sniffed gently.
Souwarie was a baked confection made from sweetened dough, filled with cream or bean paste—a small, indulgent treat.
There were two large Souwarie in the bag. Garfiel and Mimi each took one and bit into them in lieu of breakfast.
"Mm! Sweet! So good! Delicious, delicious!"
"Yeah, this is great."
Just as Mimi exclaimed with delight, Garfiel savored the taste.
Sweet, but not overly so, and the dough was perfectly soft. It would have tasted even better fresh out of the oven. Could this have been one of his mother's specialty dishes too?
If it was, then in another life, he might have had countless opportunities to enjoy it.
"Garfi?"
"I ain't cryin' or nothin'. It's nothing. Let's go."
Answering Mimi, who peered at him, Garfiel turned and started walking with renewed resolve.
He turned his back on the place where his mother lived, heading toward where his companions should be waiting. Like Mimi, Garfiel had stayed out overnight without permission.
First, he'd have to face the scolding— "Eeeeexcuse me~? Is this working? Can you all hear me nice and clear~? If you can hear me, worthless meat bags, please scream; and if you can't, just drop dead, would you? That'd really help me out. Kyahaha!"
"Huh?"
"Oh dear~?"
Just as they were about to take a step, that voice suddenly struck Garfiel and Mimi's eardrums.
The two looked at each other and simultaneously looked up at the sky.
Because the voice sounded as though it had fallen from the heavens themselves.
"That stupid voice just now..."
"S-So~? Did any of you worthless meat bags die just now? If not, that's fine, I suppose, but ignoring my words takes some serious nerve, so I'm already offended! Kyyahaha!"
Ignoring Garfiel's reaction entirely, the voice continued at a grating volume.
Looking around, the other people walking through the morning streets had frozen in shock. Every one of them was looking up at the sky just as Garfiel and Mimi were, dumbfounded.
An enormous voice—or so it seemed. But it wasn't.
Garfiel, with his non-human sense of hearing, could tell the sound wasn't emanating from a single point. Instead, it resonated throughout the city, echoing everywhere at once.
But knowing that didn't help. What he knew was— "Just breathing in and out offends me! You living creatures are absolutely worthless—trash, trash, trash! If you're just going to breathe out stinky air and drool while thinking dirty thoughts, do the world a favor and drown yourselves in a sewer right now! In fact, please just die already—please~! My pretty please! Kyahahaha!"
—The owner of this voice was someone with a purely, relentlessly evil and wretched spirit.
"What the hell. Don't you mess around...!"
"Garfi... something about this feels really gross."
Mimi murmured uneasily. At her anxious look, Garfiel traced the scar on his forehead and clenched his jaw until his teeth ground together.
That face didn't suit him. He didn't want to make that kind of face.
"Now then, now then—speaking of me, haven't you dull-witted meat bags figured it out by now? This broadcast—I'm the one doing it, meaning, meaning, meaning~!"
"Broadcast, meaning?"
"Thaaaat means—I, no no no, we have seized control of this city's central hub! Oh, by the way—didn't they call it the control tower or something out at the edge of the city? I've seized that too~!"
"The control tower... the one Otto talked about!?"
Regardless of the speaker's true intent, Garfiel felt a chill of threat and held his breath.
Before arriving in the city, Otto had described the structure of
And controlling those waterways were the control towers at the four cardinal points of the city—to have those seized meant this horrible-voiced speaker was holding the entire city hostage.
Reaching the same conclusion, Garfiel felt alarm and urgency spread to those around him.
People raised their voices and panicked, but the echoing broadcast laughed with gleeful malice.
"Kyahahaha! Now you realize? Now, at this late hour? It's pathetic—truly pathetic—that you can only see the candle flame of your lives about to be snuffed out now! Ah, trash, trash, trash! Kyahahaha!"
"————"
"Oh my, how careless. I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? A bunch like you will start running from reality if I don't spell it out! So~ let me, kind and merciful as I am, clearly explain the situation~!"
As the city teetered on the brink of panic, Garfiel gripped Mimi's hand.
And he listened intently to what the voice would say next.
"I am a Sin Archbishop of the
"Witch Cult...!"
"—
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Immediately after the broadcast, Garfiel was forced to make a choice.
The claim of the Witch Cult had spread panic, but the citizens of Priestella still moved in a relatively orderly fashion. Accustomed to the city officials' emergency protocols, they knew to head for the nearest shelter even amid the chaos.
People nearby guided Garfiel and Mimi toward a shelter, but the pair firmly declined and decided to act immediately.
And yet, once again, a choice descended upon Garfiel.
The result of that choice— "Oh, Sir Garfiel!"
"—!"
At the shelter they reached, Garfiel spotted Rialla rushing toward him.
Her lips parted in relief at finding someone she knew. Garfiel steeled himself against the ache in his chest and met her gaze.
—This was the result of his choice.
The moment Garfiel declined the nearest shelter, he had been presented with two paths.
Return to
Logically, Garfiel knew he should return to Emilia's side.
And yet his feet had carried him here, because from the broadcast's location, this was closer—and he could verify they were safe before going back. That was, of course, an excuse.
"I'm glad you're safe too, Mimi-san. That broadcast had me worried."
"Mm, I'm fine~! Oh, the Souwarie was delicious, thanks for the treat~!"
"Oh no, not at all. I'm glad it suited your taste."
And regarding Garfiel's decision, Mimi had followed along without a single objection.
In truth, Mimi would have preferred to return to Anastasia or her brothers. Rialla and her family were complete strangers to her—she had no reason to be here.
"————"
Listening to his own voice berating himself, Garfiel at least felt a measure of closure knowing Rialla was safe. Now he needed to return to Emilia and the others immediately, contribute to planning their next move, and lend his strength.
If the Witch Cult was involved, he would fight to protect Emilia. That was the promise between men—the unbreakable vow he'd made with Subaru.
He'd failed to remain the tiger. But he could not afford to forget what it meant to be a man.
"Looks like you're alright. Then, we..."
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. It's just—Sir Garfiel."
Rialla faltered, as if finding it difficult to speak, just as Garfiel was about to say goodbye and leave. At her rare, hesitant tone, Garfiel frowned, and she spoke timidly.
"Have you seen my children? They went out to play this morning... They're not in this shelter."
"—!?"
Garfiel snapped his head up and scanned the surroundings. But the pair he sought was nowhere to be seen. Those siblings weren't here.
"And my husband—no, never mind, forget I said anything."
"What? Don't hold out on me now. Tell me."
"That broadcast—it came from City Hall. My husband works there today, so... I'm afraid something might have happened to him."
"————"
City Hall was the tall building at the center of Priestella.
He'd heard it governed the city's core functions, and indeed, the Sin Archbishop had declared in the broadcast that he was at City Hall.
Garek should be in that building.
"Hah... hah, hah..."
His heart hammered like a war drum. Garfiel felt faint.
The siblings, missing. Garek, in what had become a danger zone. By confirming Rialla's safety, he'd learned of his entire family's peril.
"Boss, Lady Emilia..."
Subaru and Emilia flashed through his mind.
He needed to go back immediately. There were people who needed him to lend his strength.
But right on their heels, the images of those siblings and Garek also surged through his mind.
"I'm sorry. I've put you in a difficult position, Sir Garfiel. Please, forget what I said."
"...Ah."
"That was terribly selfish of me. It's fine. The children and my husband both know the protocols of this city well."
Rialla smiled bravely, but her clasped hands trembled in a visible, minute shudder.
She was clearly putting on an act—desperately trying not to worry Garfiel.
"————"
Silence. Silence. Silence.
Clamping down on his words, grinding his teeth, Garfiel thought.
Mimi said nothing. She simply waited in silence.
Only holding his hand. Not saying a word.
"...Don't worry. I'll go find your kids and your husband."
"—! Sir Garfiel!?"
Rialla's voice caught in shock at his unexpected answer.
Giving her a firm nod, Garfiel looked down at Mimi, who still held his hand.
"From here on, this is my selfishness. You should go back..."
"Nuh-uh!"
"Ow!"
As Garfiel tried to tell her to return, Mimi stomped hard on his foot. He yelped in pain, and Mimi planted her feet with her chest puffed out.
"Garfi said something cool, so there's no way Mimi's running away! We're going—I'm coming too~!"
"You... fine. Sorry about that."
"Apology accepted~!"
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome~!"
Mimi grinned. Garfiel managed to smile back, feeling something like salvation.
Then he turned back to the still-stunned Rialla.
"We'll find them. So you stay here. Don't move with the others—just sit tight and wait quietly until this is over."
"B-But... why would you go that far?"
"————"
Why would you go that far for us?
Rialla's eyes searched his, asking the question.
Garfiel bared his teeth in a grin.
"Because I'm the Golden Tiger! Gorgeous! A tiger—that's why!"
"And Mimi is Gorgeous Mimi~!"
With a thunderous shout, they struck poses. The stunned onlookers' eyes turned toward them.
Taking one final look at Rialla, Garfiel and Mimi whirled around and bolted out of the shelter.
"Garfi, what do we do~?"
"We track by scent. I've got those two's and Garek's scents burned into memory!"
The problem was that this was a vast city with water running through it.
The conditions for scent-tracking weren't ideal. Too many people, and his sense of smell—while sharp for a beast-type—still fell short of a real dog's. Still, between two beast-types, they could manage.
First, they returned to Rialla's house and picked up the trail from there.
In the meantime, the city's evacuation seemed to be proceeding smoothly—Priestella had taken on the eerie emptiness of a ghost town. With the citizens gone, there'd have been no shortage of opportunity for looting, but the absence of such behavior was perhaps testament to the weight the name "Witch Cult" carried.
"Mm, this! I think this is it—the smell, Garfi!"
"...Yeah, you're right. This scent, this direction."
Mimi picked up the trail and Garfiel confirmed it, narrowing down the direction the siblings had taken. It appeared to lead from their home in Third Avenue toward First Avenue.
The moment Garfiel's mind connected to First Avenue, a single prediction crossed his thoughts.
"Oh, right. Those two—they went to the park again today to hear the songstress sing..."
The boy had said yesterday they'd left too late and missed it. So today, he'd decided to leave early to make sure they didn't miss the performance.
This time, his sister had probably come along.
"If we head to First Avenue, we can..."
At the same time, heading there would let him link up with Subaru and the others faster.
The situation was looking more favorable than expected, and Garfiel's expression brightened slightly. —Then, a scent brushed past his nose.
"————"
"This... is the father's scent?"
Garfiel noticed it, and Mimi did at the same time.
From the siblings' trail toward First Avenue, another scent branched off at a fork in the road—heading in a different direction, toward City Hall in the center of the city. That was Garek's scent.
Once again, a choice descended upon Garfiel.
If he continued straight toward First Avenue, he would almost certainly find the siblings. If they'd made it in time for the songstress's performance, they'd probably already taken shelter.
But City Hall?
The Witch Cult had infiltrated City Hall for certain. With every passing second, the lives of anyone inside were in greater danger.
Garek was in a place where the probability of death increased with every tick of the clock.
"Garfi... what should we do~?"
"————"
Garfiel was forced to choose.
Confirm the siblings' safety and rendezvous with Subaru and the others—but doing so would very likely mean abandoning Garek at City Hall.
What kind of person was Garek to Garfiel, really?
Unlike Rialla—who was Lisia's mother—or the children she'd borne, there was no clear bond between Garfiel and Garek.
If blood was the basis for a rescue, then Garfiel had no obligation to save Garek.
But if Garek were lost, what would happen to Rialla and the children?
They'd be consumed by grief, left to weep. Perhaps it would be because Garfiel here, now, had chosen to abandon City Hall.
That family might end up in tears.
"...City Hall has a Sin Archbishop in it."
"Yeah, that's what they said."
"The other control towers are in danger too, I get it. But the one giving orders—that's the Sin Archbishop, no question. And if we take him out..."
"Everyone gets saved? That's amazing! That's super amazing!"
Mimi bounced up and down on the spot, praising Garfiel's reasoning.
But she quickly stopped bouncing.
"But... is it really okay? Something feels... prickly."
"Prickly?"
"Like, dangerous-ish. I dunno. But it feels bad."
Without evidence but with a sense of foreboding, Mimi spoke.
Garfiel felt a flicker of irritation at her hesitation.
This whole time, Mimi had trusted his judgment. He'd believed she'd do the same here—have his back no matter what he decided.
"...Pathetic. Taking it out on you—this isn't like me at all."
"Garfi, what should we do?"
"Your bad feeling isn't something to ignore either. And the Sin Archbishops being bad news—the boss has drilled that into me until my ears bleed. But..."
If he retreated on that alone, the reputation of Emilia's camp's strongest fighter would be a joke.
Besides, no matter how he looked at it, this enemy had to be confronted head-on to save the city.
"First, we scope out City Hall. Check for sentries, see if the people inside are safe. Grab the Sin Archbishop by the throat—that's where it starts."
"A... detective thing? Hm... hm! Got it! Let's do detective stuff!"
Mimi agreed, albeit with a reluctant look.
Garfiel watched her pull her favorite staff from her robe, then strapped his twin shields onto his arms.
Silver gauntlet-like apparatuses covering both forearms. He was ready.
"Let's go."
"Okay!"
At Garfiel's terse command, Mimi responded, and the two headed for City Hall.
Based on what Subaru had told him, the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Sloth had brought many subordinates. Not as many as Garfiel, perhaps, but seasoned Witch Cult followers, when gathered in sufficient numbers, were a formidable enemy.
On the way, they remained vigilant for such fighters, proceeding with extreme caution. And yet— "...There's nothing here at all. What the hell is going on?"
Not a horde of Witch Cult followers—there wasn't even a single sentry in sight.
Missing them—their scent-masking abilities would have to be on a level beyond Garfiel's detection. Unlikely. Which meant— "They're so damn confident they're not even bothering to guard. That's what this is, isn't it?"
"............"
Recalling the broadcast's voice, Garfiel seethed at the Sin Archbishop's arrogance.
They apparently didn't expect any attack at all. With the control towers already seized, they probably thought they'd already won.
He wanted to tear that pride apart with claw and fang.
"Mm... mm..."
Beside Garfiel, who was grinding his molars, Mimi whimpered softly again and again.
Fidgety, she kept scratching the back of her neck and sniffing the air repeatedly with a troubled expression.
"What is it?"
"I dunno. But it feels bad, Garfi. Ahead—it feels really bad."
"Cut it out!"
Mimi grabbed the hem of his robe and suddenly started voicing something close to tears.
Here, at the final stretch, she was on the verge of suggesting retreat—and Garfiel barked at her.
Not a single sentry posted. No precautions taken. The Witch Cult's attitude was either supreme arrogance or utter contempt.
To back down now based on nothing more than a bad feeling? Impossible.
If he withdrew here, the odds of Rialla's family being struck by grief would only increase.
"If you don't like it, stay here! I'll personally tear the throat out of the bastard behind that ridiculous voice!"
"Garfi!"
He shook off Mimi's grip on his robe and lunged out of hiding.
Racing along the waterway and across the plaza, he bore down on City Hall, now looming in plain sight.
The distance closed. No presence nearby. They were either supremely confident or screwing around.
Nothing came. Ten steps. Nine. Eight. Seven. He could scale the wall and ambush the top floor in one rush. Six. Five— "Garfi—!!"
"—!!"
The instant he tensed his legs to launch, Garfiel hurled his body sideways instead of forward.
A heartbeat later, a silent sword flash carved a vicious arc through the cobblestones with horrifying sharpness.
The destruction was so smooth it produced not even a sound.
The diagonally sliced cobblestone remained where it stood, unaware it had been cut. The white wisps of smoke that drifted up were the friction residue of that impossibly keen slash.
"———!"
If Mimi hadn't called out, Garfiel would have taken that slash to the neck.
The brilliant strike would have shaved through his brain stem at an angle, leaving his head dangling by a flap of skin in a grotesque display across the plaza.
A chill ran through him.
Landing and spinning around, Garfiel saw— "————"
"————"
Two figures stood before him in the plaza, having descended from nowhere.
One was a giant of a man, so tall you had to crane your neck. He held a massive sword in each of his two arms, regarding Garfiel with a casual air. The other was a slim, feminine figure gripping a long, single-edged blade.
Both were shrouded head to toe in black garb, their faces impossible to make out.
"...Now that's quite the greeting."
Cooling the sweat forming on the back of his neck, Garfiel put on a brave face, unwilling to show he'd nearly been intimidated.
But neither shadow offered a word in return.
"Garfi, those two..."
Mimi circled wide around the pair and rushed to Garfiel's side.
Without looking at Mimi, keeping his eyes locked on the two shadows, Garfiel muttered— "Yeah, they're strong..."
Mimi's voice was tight with tension, and Garfiel couldn't keep the strain out of his own shoulders.
From the two figures looming before them radiated an aura of terrifying, otherworldly malice.
Their threat levels were matched—so closely it was impossible to gauge which was more dangerous. The crushing pressure that pricked at his skin made Garfiel's throat go dry.
These were clearly transcendents who had crossed beyond the realm of ordinary combat.
And at a single glance, he could tell they surpassed even the mad female assassin he'd crossed blades with before.
"So, those two, huh."
No other silhouettes in the area.
Only these two had come to intercept. They'd hidden their presence from even Garfiel until the last instant—but even if there were others, they'd be just as undetectable. It was unlikely there were more powerhouses of this caliber lurking nearby.
In other words, these two were the wall he had to break through to reach City Hall.
The moment he understood that, Garfiel shuddered—then twisted his lips into a grin.
"Heh, this is getting interesting..."
"Garfi?"
"I'm gonna break through! Smash right past this hell and go!"
Rallying his flagging resolve, Garfiel slammed his shielded fists together in front of his chest. The high-pitched clang and shower of sparks ignited the cold seeping into his body.
But Mimi grabbed his robe hem and screamed.
"N-No! Garfi, no! Not those two! They're super, super strong! Mimi and Garfi alone can't possibly win! No way!"
"——Whether I can win or not, I won't know till I try. I ain't accepting 'impossible' as a verdict. Besides—"
Mimi's words to hold him back stung his pride, and Garfiel jerked his chin toward the two shadows.
"Those two won't let us run even if we wanted to. No choice but to fight."
"Then—then—one time only! Charge in, push past, run! That's the only way! Just the two of us isn't enough! We need someone like Big Brother or Julius!"
"————"
Garfiel bit his lip, thinking hard.
Of course he understood Mimi's reasoning was sound. Combat ability that might surpass Elsa's—and two of them at once.
Taking on two such enemies at the same time was, by any standard, suicidal.
But was retreating truly the right call?
The two before him were a wall. An insurmountable wall of overwhelming power.
Having been defeated by Reinhard, Garfiel had felt firsthand just how distant the summit of "strongest" truly was.
The path to the strongest—the journey required to claim the title of Golden Tiger—the awareness of being a shield for those precious to him.
And his mother, reunited with him in a form he'd never wished for, along with her new family.
If he backed down here, at the very least Garek would— "————"
Garfiel's thoughts spiraled in every direction. Mimi's grip on his robe hem tightened, her face still anxious. He suddenly recalled the night when he'd been sheltered by that warmth.
In an instant, the frozen wall of stubborn emotion began to crack and thaw.
"...Fine. You're right. We go in with one hit, then pull back. Grab the others and come back for a second assault. —That work for you?"
"Mm! Yeah! Let's do that! Alright, let's do our best!"
Mimi looked relieved that Garfiel had dropped his reckless plan.
The two settled their breathing on the spot while the shadowy pair stood watching in silence.
They could have attacked during the argument. The fact that they didn't—was it pride? Mercy? Or simply confidence?
"———Let's go!"
"Hah—!"
—If it was confidence, he'd smash it to pieces.
Without a signal, Garfiel and Mimi charged at the two shadows simultaneously.
Garfiel went for the woman. Mimi, the giant.
Garfiel rocketed forward with bullet-like speed. The woman swayed her upper body and, in the next instant, brought her blade down with terrifying velocity.
The beauty of that descending slash was such that Garfiel might have been transfixed, momentarily forgetting time itself.
"——Gah!"
But he wasn't so dazzled that he'd let himself be cut.
Blocking the sword strike with his raised right shield, he pivoted and launched a kick aimed at the woman's torso. She evaded with inhuman flexibility, spinning around and unleashing another cut with the blade he'd deflected.
Garfiel caught the neck-targeting slash with his left shield, then drove his half-recoiled kick straight into her midsection, sending her slender body flying backward.
"What's that?"
The way she sailed away lightly made Garfiel feel as if he'd thrown a feint.
A glance over his shoulder showed Mimi nimbly dodging the giant's sweeping greatsword strikes, then unleashing a single magic burst before breaking away from the plaza.
Mimi could make it out cleanly if she kept going.
The giant couldn't match Mimi's speed. And the woman was in no position to counter Garfiel's pursuit. In that case— "Take you down—!"
One down meant easier odds afterward.
If he finished the woman, he could even turn around and cleave the giant behind him.
Still reeling, the woman was wide open. Garfiel launched himself forward with a powerful push off the ground. The blade was still far away, deflected; her torso was completely exposed.
If his right fist connected, a slender body like hers would shatter. There was no way this woman had some kind of immortal constitution like Elsa's.
"I'll take—"
Her life. Garfiel was certain.
The moment he shouted in confidence, "death" came from behind.
—Despite the distance from the giant, the aura of "death" swelled in an instant, and Garfiel's body reacted on a spring-loaded reflex.
He aborted the attack immediately, looping his left arm behind his back and launching himself straight up.
But the strike from behind shattered his left-arm guard in a single hit and hammered him into the ground with a sickening crunch of bones.
"Ah—gah!?"
"————"
Swallowed by the impact, Garfiel groaned at the incomprehensible weight of the blow.
Bouncing off the ground, his body barely recovered before another horizontal slash came closing in. He managed to raise both arms in a desperate guard—but the force sent his body hurtling through the air.
Horizontal in mid-flight, Garfiel rocketed through the sky. The giant and the woman both exploded off the ground in pursuit.
"————"
"————"
"Gaaaaaah!!"
Sandwiching Garfiel between them, the two shadows attacked simultaneously.
He deflected the long sword's slash bearing down from the front with his shield, then barely dodged the greatsword's devastating strike from behind by kicking at its flat edge. The long sword came sweeping up again; he met it with his shield, sparks searing his cheek—only to be smashed from above and below by the twin greatswords.
"Guuh—gh!"
His pelvis and sternum creaked under the impact, and his vision went blood-red.
Being hit head-on by both greatswords would have killed him—had they been cutting weapons. But their blunt-force nature was what saved Garfiel's life.
Spitting blood and groaning, Garfiel desperately used his body's springlike reflexes to break free from the pincer. But the two deadly opponents didn't allow it.
"————"
Without a word, the silent slash closed in on Garfiel's neck.
Though lighter than the greatsword, the woman's blade carried a beautiful "death" that defied mere measures of power. The way she wielded that long blade with effortless grace—even grazing its tip would inflict damage equivalent to having half your body carved through.
"————"
The giant, likewise silent, fought with raw brutality.
But that brutality had nothing to do with clumsy technique. It was the crystallized optimization of destruction that only a true master could achieve. He swung weapons too heavy for most people to even lift, wielding two blades as freely as a giant's own arms.
"Guh—ah—aaoohh!!"
The flow of water that was her slashing. The raging tornado that was his.
Faced with two styles at the opposite poles of stillness and motion, Garfiel was forced entirely onto the defensive, unable to even plant his feet.
On the cobblestones, he desperately retreated, parrying blade strikes that skimmed past his eyes, deflecting bludgeoning blows wielded like hammers—relying on instinct and reflex to catch, deflect, and block with both shielded arms.
—At this rate, the sheer volume of steel would crush him and cut him to pieces.
"————"
"————"
The two shadows hadn't so much as broken a sweat while pressing Garfiel back. Garfiel, meanwhile, couldn't even find room to breathe—his oxygen-starved brain frantically searching for a solution while desperately evading lethal blows.
Once his stamina ran dry, his focus would crumble.
Once his focus crumbled, his hands would fall behind, and the blades would find their mark.
Two transcendents who had surpassed the realm of masters.
Even Garfiel, who prided himself on his physical toughness, would be killed easily.
The more time passed, the fewer options he had, the less hope remained.
A decision. A decision was being forced upon him.
To break free of this situation and sink his teeth into them—this was the only moment. For his enemy and for himself, the balance of overwhelming advantage was crystal clear.
Now—right now—was Garfiel's chance to turn the tide.
One breath. He seized it.
"—Hah!"
The lethal threat was the woman's slash. He deflected it with both shields and relied on a minimal body twist to dodge the giant's blow.
Sure enough, the giant's strike shattered Garfiel's left shoulder and cracked his right kneecap. But damage of that scale could be managed in this one breath.
"Gaaaah—!"
"————"
"————"
He roared, unleashing the seething heat from within.
Blood felt like it was boiling, his vision going white for an instant. He felt his own facial structure shifting with an audible crack. His mouth split wide, fangs extended, the muscles of both trained arms ballooned, and golden fur spread across his entire body.
A partial transformation—upper body only. A demi-beast form.
The taste of blood threatened to snuff out his reason, but in this state, his thoughts were still intact. His enemies had just watched a man transform before their eyes. They couldn't remain calm either.
"————"
Facing the two silent shadows, Garfiel unleashed a roar that threatened to rupture their eardrums, confirmed their momentary hesitation as they flinched as if hit by a gale, and tore into the giant's torso with his thickened, clawed arms.
His claws were about to rip the slender female shadow apart—when the giant interposed himself in front of her.
Didn't matter. Those claws would punch through a wall of muscle the same way they'd punch through a paper shield. Besides, for reasons unknown, the giant had extended his arms to shield the woman—not a defense, not a counter—a protective stance.
Noble. But this was the end.
—Claws tore through the giant's torso, then curved to shred the woman's slender frame— "—!?!"
The flow he'd anticipated was cut short at the very first step.
Garfiel's claws had failed to rip through the giant. Before they could, both of Garfiel's arms had been caught by the giant's outstretched limbs.
The giant's robes fell open, revealing six arms extending from beneath.
Those six arms held Garfiel's massive forearms in place, while the greatsword he still gripped blocked the tips of Garfiel's claws head-on, absorbing the full force of his attack.
—A complete defense formed by eight arms.
"————"
Dumbfounded, Garfiel lost all words.
The giant held him in place without so much as a tremor.
Which meant Garfiel was left completely, utterly exposed— "————"
Circling behind the giant, the woman appeared at the defenseless demi-beast's back.
With Garfiel's fur-covered, broadened back laid bare, drawing the long sword in a flowing upward arc was no different from cutting down a wooden doll.
The blade's tip traced its path. Garfiel sensed the unseen "death" approaching from behind. But with his movements still locked by the giant, he was drawn toward the inevitability of that death— "Stay away from him—!!"
"————"
An instant before Garfiel was bisected diagonally, a spirited shout cut through the air. The woman's slash struck a blue, expanded barrier of magic and was blocked.
The grating sound of ice against steel rang out as the woman's blade skidded across the barrier's surface, gouging the ground.
The one who'd accomplished this—who'd saved Garfiel at the last possible moment—was a small, orange-furred cat.
"Garfi, I told you we'd get in and get out quickly!"
For the first time, Mimi's voice carried a note of blame toward Garfiel.
In his half-beast state, hearing those words from behind, Garfiel recognized his own stupidity with a mind teetering on the edge of reason.
He'd rushed the outcome, let his guard down, underestimated his opponents, and landed in mortal danger. Mimi had saved him at the brink of death.
He couldn't help but be stunned by the toughness of the barrier she'd deployed.
The woman's blade was far more vicious than its elegant appearance suggested, and the skill Mimi had shown in blocking it was equally formidable. He was truly grateful she was here.
"—Ow—Gaoooh!!"
"————"
Relief had barely spread through his chest when Garfiel wrenched free of the giant's grip. He drove a kick into the giant's torso, confirmed the blow was caught by the giant's arms, then wrapped an arm around Mimi's slender waist and launched into a wide leap.
He'd carry Mimi and escape. Per the original plan, they'd regroup and launch a fresh assault.
"————"
The woman lunged after them. Mimi deployed another barrier—larger than the last—directly in her path. Watching the woman's slash deflect off it, Garfiel poured everything into his legs for a full-powered getaway.
One breath. The woman's shadow halted, drawing back her arm slightly before the barrier. Flying, almost— "——Ah"
"————"
"Huh?"
A ragged, small sound. A light impact.
Garfiel's mouth hung open, but his body had already completed the leap. The half-beast shattered the cobblestones and soared into the air, and behind him, fresh blood painted a red arc across the sky.
Fresh blood. Where had it poured from?
"Kid...?"
His consciousness snapped out of the half-beast form, and Garfiel's body rapidly reverted to human. But the chill racing up his spine was more jarring than the sensation of fur falling away.
Mimi's body went limp in his arms. He looked down. Through the air, he saw the woman withdrawing the long sword she'd thrust forward.
Red blood coated the first half of the blade.
A hot sensation spread across Garfiel's lower abdomen. Mimi was motionless in his arms. He saw the staff she'd carried slip from her grasp and fall.
"————"
Landing. Another leap. Garfiel vaulted onto a nearby rooftop and fled without looking back. Being pursued would be troublesome, but fortunately the two opponents didn't follow.
Whether they had no interest beyond defending the plaza, or simply didn't feel the need—the pair radiated nothing human. No. None of that mattered now. Leaping four, five times at full force to widen the distance, Garfiel shattered a random rooftop, landed, and set down Mimi's limp body to assess her condition.
Mimi's eyes were closed. Blood gushed from the wound that had pierced her chest.
He ripped open her clothes to examine the wound. By a razor's margin, the vital organs had been missed. But that was no cause for relief. She'd lost a tremendous amount of blood. He had to heal her immediately and get her to rest.
"————"
Pressing his hands to the wound, Garfiel channeled healing mana into Mimi's body.
Garfiel's healing magic had been among the finest even in the
As long as it wasn't a fatal wound, he could heal even deep injuries with confidence.
Mimi's wound should have closed from his healing waves in an instant. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pressed his hands to the gash, stanching the bleeding while pushing healing energy into the torn skin, the muscles, the damaged organs. Pushing. Pushing. Pushing. Pushing.
—The wound wouldn't close.
"Wh... y..."
A faint, weak voice murmured.
Seeing this unfold, Garfiel wanted to punch whoever would make such a sound. He looked up, scanning the surroundings. No one. He realized immediately—that voice was his own.
That he could make such a feeble sound. That he had.
It was as if, as if, as if— "——! Close! Close, close— heal, heal, heal, HEAL DAMNIT!!"
Pouring every drop of mana circulating through his body into the healing spell. Waves of restoration flowed into Mimi's form, filling her with gentle energy.
And yet, the wound that needed to close, wouldn't.
"...No way."
Unable to accept the reality before him, Garfiel let out that weak sound again.
He immediately slapped his own cheek, then bit through his lip with his teeth—shocking himself back to awareness with sharp pain. This was no time for weakness. There had to be something. Something, something, something—there had to be.
He didn't understand why. Not understanding wasn't a reason to give up. No matter what—right now, no matter what it took—he had to save the girl in his arms.
Because wasn't this the girl who had made him cry?
There was no way she should die because of him, for trying to save him.
"————"
Clenching his teeth, Garfiel charged upward in a daze. He pressed his hand to the girl's wound, trying to stem the bleeding while continuing to cast the ineffective healing spell.
The stench of blood. The stench of "death." The deserted streets. What had happened—everything had been wiped clean from Garfiel's mind.
Someone—anyone. Save this girl. Whoever you are, wherever you are, create a miracle. Tell me. If there's any way—anything at all—if you can save everyone— "————"
Clutching at straws, Garfiel sharpened his sense of smell to its limit.
The smell of water. The blood that had saturated the surroundings. The surge of emotion. The acrid scent of charred flesh. Amid the miasma of foul odors, Garfiel latched onto a familiar scent, gave chase, and ran—ran—ran— He burst into the shelter he'd found and was met with a small shriek at his blood-soaked appearance. There was no time to acknowledge it. Eyes wild, he scanned the place. Searched, searched— "Garfiel!?"
From the other side, someone found him.
In the farthest recesses of the dark, cold underground facility, the figure he'd been searching for stood.
Subaru.
To Garfiel, a symbol of miracles—the man who could find a single ray of light even in the worst of circumstances. His last hope.
His legs buckled. His head swam.
The light weight in his arms constricted his throat. Garfiel staggered forward.
At the sight of him approaching, Subaru and whoever stood nearby gasped. They'd noticed the limp Mimi in his arms.
When he finally reached them, Garfiel bowed his head to Subaru. Then he held Mimi out, cursing his own idiocy.
"I'm sorry, Boss...! I'm useless! A dead weight...!"
He'd failed to protect his family. Failed to fulfill his role as a shield. Challenged the enemy alone and failed to produce results. And now, he was about to lose this gentle girl.
"Garfiel, what—no, now's not the time!
"I know! Hurry, give her to me!"
Mimi was taken from his outstretched arms. The slender figure beside Subaru laid her on a bed.
The next instant—an overwhelming wave of healing force poured forth, incomparable to Garfiel's own. If Garfiel's was a single drop of rain, this person's power was a waterfall.
Witnessing a restorative force that might even revive lost life, Garfiel watched the treatment with a hollow, vacant expression.
Subaru gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Garfiel looked up sluggishly, and Subaru, wincing as he pressed on his badly injured leg, nodded toward him.
"I ain't gonna say things are looking good, but you made it here—and that's something. You did the right thing coming to where Ferris is. Because of you, that kid's gonna be fine."
"Because... of me?"
What was Subaru talking about?
Because of Garfiel, Mimi would be fine? What kind of absurd notion was that? Mimi had gotten hurt in the first place because of Garfiel.
So why—why was her survival a given, while his judgment was— His mind wandered in a void, swamped by unending self-reproach and the awareness of his own foolishness.
And the world would never forgive Garfiel's foolishness.
The price of mistakes would always be collected.
In the most wretched form imaginable.
"Ferris, what's wrong...?"
Sensing a shift, Subaru's expression changed.
Subaru limped over to the bed where treatment was underway and called out to the healer working desperately.
Amid an extraordinary torrent of mana, the healer shook her head.
"Why...? The wound—it won't close! At this rate, she can't be saved!"
A grief-stricken voice rang through the underground as Garfiel looked up at the ceiling he couldn't see.
Nothing. The ceiling above showed Garfiel nothing.
—Nothing, except that the price of one's mistakes would be paid in blood.