Chapter 5, Section 32: City Hall Strategy Meeting

"Ugh, damn it! Healing magic won't work on this! The idea that we have to treat her with such primitive methods is just—!"

Ferris ground his teeth in frustration, flecks of blood spattering his cheek as he flailed his arms.

Lying on a makeshift bed before him, Mimi remained limp, her shallow breaths coming in rapid succession as blood continued to seep from the wound in her chest.

They had pressed cloth purified by magic against the wound and wrapped bandages around it in a desperate effort to stop the bleeding. If the injury had been to a limb, keeping the wound above the heart could have reduced blood flow, but Mimi's injury was directly above her heart.

Her remaining time alive depended entirely on her life force—that was all anyone could say.

While Subaru watched the frantic treatment, he worriedly eyed Garfiel, who had collapsed against the wall. Garfiel couldn't bring himself to look at Mimi. He sat hunched over, blood-stained hands buried in his short golden hair, his appearance far from reassuring.

Beyond Mimi's blood, Garfiel himself bore multiple wounds. His mouth, where he had coughed up blood, and the bleeding on his left shoulder and right knee were particularly grim. His pants had been torn clean open at the knee, revealing flesh shaved away enough to show white bone beneath.

"Garfiel. We can only leave Mimi to Ferris for now. You need to treat your own wounds too. Can you cast healing magic on yourself?"

"...Yeah."

At Subaru's words, Garfiel nodded slowly and pressed his palm against his wounds, beginning to channel healing mana into his own body. Watching the injuries gradually close, Subaru lowered his gaze to the dialogue mirror in his hand.

The old swordsman reflected in it wore a complicated expression on his wrinkled face, remaining silent.

Subaru understood at least the surface of what turmoil was brewing in his heart. Surely Wilhelm had arrived at the same conclusion Subaru had.

"That means the wound won't close..."

"Nine times out of ten, it's safe to say this is a wound inflicted by the Blessing of the Death God."

Picking up where Subaru left off, Wilhelm voiced the conclusion he had already reached.

The Blessing of the Death God was a fearsome power that cursed any wound given by its bearer with a healing that could never be sealed.

Mimi's chest wound refused to close with magic—it was almost certainly because it had been affected by that Blessing.

And as far as Subaru knew, there was only one person who carried that Blessing.

Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the same Blessing resided in a different person, but...

"Wilhelm. I hate to ask this, but... how is the wound on your arm?"

"———"

At Subaru's question, Wilhelm closed his eyes. Then he removed his jacket and gently showed Subaru his left shoulder.

The area was wrapped tightly in bandages, and there was no visible sign of blood. If that was the case, then it seemed safe to assume there was no bleeding.

"If the one who inflicted that wound carried the same Blessing as my wife, the fact that my wound hasn't opened means it couldn't have been her. A natural conclusion, I suppose."

"Wilhelm..."

Subaru couldn't tell whether Wilhelm's lowered voice came from disappointment or relief.

For Wilhelm, his wife was someone he had believed lost fifteen years ago. Even after learning of doubts about her death from events a year prior, he couldn't have allowed himself to hope.

Still, even if unconditional hope was difficult, believing in a small hope—that was only human weakness. If Wilhelm possessed such weakness, Subaru didn't think less of him for it.

And so, in this moment, Subaru couldn't find the right words to say to Wilhelm. Wilhelm, for his part, wasn't looking for easy consolation or hollow encouragement either.

And so, while Subaru stood frozen in place, changes were occurring behind him.

That was— "Hey, big bro. I know it's rude to interrupt while you're patching her up, but can I have a sec?"

Saying that, Ricardo dropped heavily to the floor.

The beastman, who had been beside Ferris during the desperate treatment, sat down in front of Garfiel with his fur drenched in blood from various wounds and fixed him with a sharp gaze.

Garfiel slowly raised his head under that stare.

"I don't rightly know what happened myself. But if you hadn't brought big bro here, little sis woulda died for sure. So, like this—"

"———"

"Really. Thank ya. I owe ya one."

Both fists planted on the floor, Ricardo bowed deeply.

Seeing Ricardo press his forehead to the ground in gratitude for bringing someone precious to him—one who was family in every way that mattered—Garfiel's face went slack with shock.

Mimi's condition still allowed for no optimism. Garfiel was clearly consumed with guilt over failing to protect her. But that didn't make it Garfiel's fault. What good would it do to blame him?

Deep down, Ricardo must have been hoping for Mimi to come back safe and sound. There was no way he could be at peace seeing her return in that state.

And yet, in his posture of bowing, Subaru saw the sincerity of Ricardo's heart.

At the same time, he felt an unbearable anger toward whoever had done this to Mimi.

And so— "Garfiel. This might be hard to talk about, but tell me what happened. Getting beaten up like that isn't something that just happens. Besides..."

While asking Garfiel for an explanation, a thought passed through Subaru's mind.

It was the idea that had flitted through his head earlier, when he and Julius and Wilhelm had been piecing together information and considering the desperate situation Priestella found itself in.

The Witch Cult had seized five key locations throughout the city, taking hostage the lives of everyone within it.

If their theory was correct—that each of those five locations was being controlled by a powerful entity—then in addition to Wrath, Greed, and Lust, there was a high probability that Gluttony was present.

And that Gluttony was the very target Subaru could not afford to let slip away.

Greed, who had taken Emilia. Wrath, who was hunting Subaru because of his connection to Petelgeuse. Lust, whose foul nature was plain to see. And Gluttony, the one with whom Subaru had a grudge.

The situation was as bad as it could get, but at the same time, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Now, caught in the spider's web, was the perfect chance to hunt the spider itself.

"We've got no choice but to take all of them down. If we don't, nobody gets to go home from here safe."

"———"

At Subaru's declaration, Garfiel stared at him wide-eyed, as if struck by a punch from an unexpected direction.

Subaru nodded firmly at that stunned expression.

There was no sign of hope yet. The situation was the worst it could be, and things were completely deadlocked.

But that was no reason to give up, and for Subaru, this was nothing new.

As always, he'd thread the needle through impossible conditions and come out the other side safely with everyone.

That was why he had to take action from here.

"...After hearing that broadcast, I headed straight for City Hall in the middle of town with the brat. I was gonna smash that voice to smithereens, I swear."

"We were just sayin' the same thing. Looks like ya beat us to the punch."

"On the way to City Hall, there weren't any lookouts or anyone trying to get in our way. So I was gonna barge right in, and then—"

Garfiel cut himself off, his fists and fangs trembling.

It wasn't fear. It was anger. But Subaru sensed the brunt of it was directed not at the enemy he'd faced—rather, at himself.

Once, biting down hard on his teeth, Garfiel exhaled a hot breath and continued: "Two enemies showed up. One was a huge guy carryin' two massive swords. The other was a scrawny woman holdin' a long blade. Both of 'em... if it were a straight fight, probably about even with me. No, probably stronger than me."

"Stronger than you? Seriously? Was one of them the voice from the broadcast?"

"...I don't think so."

It was a claim that made you question your ears.

Within the Emilia camp, Garfiel was the top combatant. Even among the full force assembled to oppose the Witch Cult, he held the highest position in terms of raw power.

And yet Garfiel himself declared that there were two people stronger than him. And if Subaru trusted his words, they weren't even Sin Archbishops—just regular members of the Witch Cult.

"Those two didn't give off the same rotten, nasty vibe as that broadcast voice. Even when I was wide open, they didn't lunge at me. That might have been some kind of... courtesy, like a code between swordsmen or something."

Garfiel, who had faced them, seemed to hold even a sense of awe toward their strength.

He looked uncharacteristically cowed, and it was clear that Mimi was weighing heavily on him.

Ricardo, who had been listening to Garfiel's account, slapped his own knee and stood up with a sharp crack. Then he grabbed Garfiel by the shoulder.

"Whether they're strong or not, I already get that. What I wanna know is, if those two are the ones who did you in—which one of 'em did that to Mimi? Tell me which one I gotta cut down to get my revenge."

"...It was the woman who cut down the brat. But that's exactly why that woman is—"

"I'm afraid I must insist on handling that woman personally."

Ricardo, burning for vengeance on Mimi's behalf, and Garfiel, equally sworn to settle the score—the one who cut in between them was Wilhelm, who had been silently listening through the mirror.

This was information he couldn't ignore either, that much was certain. But it would have been harsh to expect the other two, who didn't know his circumstances, to accommodate that.

"Why? What's that got to do with anything, Wilhelm? No matter who you are, you ain't got the right to interfere with me getting revenge for my family."

"I cannot explain the details until I've confirmed the truth. But if it is as I believe, that woman has a deep entanglement with me. In that case, I absolutely cannot concede this to you."

"Well now... if even you're gonna make me angry, I won't hold back."

Ricardo's fur bristled with irritation, but Wilhelm refused to yield an inch.

Since Subaru understood both their circumstances, the honest truth was that he couldn't say either was wrong. And so the one who put an end to their standoff was not Subaru, but— "Wilhelm. And Ricardo. Now is not the time for allies to be fighting among themselves. The lives of every citizen in this city are in danger."

"Lady Crusch..."

With a clear, commanding voice, Crusch rebuked the two.

Upon hearing their lady's rebuke, Wilhelm's face showed shame, and Ricardo scratched his head where the blood had rushed to and roughly crossed his arms.

Sensing that the imminent internal conflict had been defused for the time being— "All right, all right, then let's wrap this up."

Anastasia lightly clapped her hands, took control of the mirror, and pointed at Subaru.

She smiled at Subaru's exasperated expression and, fiddling with her fox-fur stole, said: "First off, about the counterattack on our end—Subaru's proposal to launch a preemptive strike on City Hall. Crusch and I support that. There are probably people who know the city's systems being held in City Hall, and even if we don't recapture the control tower, there might be other ways to deal with the waterways. It's a bit optimistic, I admit."

"No, I agree with that. And if they keep making moves on us, our forces will keep getting worn down and our options will only shrink. If we're going to act, sooner is better."

"My, you really have gotten reliable over the past year. Anyway, Subaru's right. Right now, thanks to this dialogue mirror, three locations can coordinate. Fortunately, about seventy percent of our total combat power can be mobilized immediately. The assault on City Hall should be doable."

At Anastasia's words, Subaru glanced at Garfiel and Ricardo.

To seize City Hall in one fell swoop, they would need to commit a corresponding amount of force.

From this shelter, the available fighters for the City Hall assault were Garfiel and Ricardo. From another shelter, Julius and Wilhelm could contribute as well.

Members of Iron Fang, Ton and Kan. If they gathered other adventurers who happened to be in the city, they could still bolster their strength.

"If I'm being honest, it'd be perfect if Reinhard were here. ...Can't you two ask Ton and Kan to call Reinhard?"

"That's the thing—it's a strange situation."

Julius responded to Subaru's thought of relying on the greatest power available. He cast his gaze toward what appeared to be the two delinquents in the same shelter, then continued: "Before entering the shelter, those two apparently followed the plan they'd been told about and fired magic into the sky. But Reinhard, who should have come running, never showed up. And this isn't exactly a pleasant topic, but..."

"But what? Honestly, I'd rather not hear any more bad news, but—"

"Then have the decency to receive it with grace, the same way I did. ——Felt-sama's two retainers separated from Felt-sama and Reinhard shortly before the incident began. And when they parted ways, it seems they were talking with a red-haired man."

"A red-haired man... don't tell me it's that bastard?"

"That is neither something I can confirm nor deny with any certainty."

Listening to Julius's refined non-answer, Subaru bit down hard in frustration.

If the person Felt and her group had met was indeed Reinhard's father—Heinkel—then what the hell had they gone to talk to that man about?

And what did it mean that he still hadn't shown himself in the midst of all this?

"But he showed up at Sirius's speech location last time. ...What's different? Could he have moved before hearing the broadcast?"

Subaru couldn't clearly identify what condition had changed before and after.

But even so, learning that Reinhard couldn't be summoned right now was more than enough to be disheartening.

And as Subaru's shoulders slumped, Ferris returned from deeper in the shelter. His face was drenched in sweat, and his feminine clothes were stained dark with blood as he said: "...There. I've done everything I can."

"So what's the deal with Mimi? She gonna make it? She's gonna make it, right?"

Ricardo pressed close to Ferris, wiping his brow, his breath ragged. Behind him, Garfiel wore a desperate look, unable to even stand.

Yet at those two pleading gazes, Ferris mercilessly shook his head.

"I won't say she won't make it. But the wound still won't close, that hasn't changed. Right now, I've forced the connection through the Blessing those kids share with their sister—Hetaro and the others. I've artificially strengthened it and am barely managing to keep things going, but..."

"The 'Three-Second' Blessing? What does that mean exactly?"

"The triplets originally had a Blessing that let them share fatigue and injuries. I've forcibly amplified that connection on my end, making the brothers shoulder more of her severe wounds than normal. It's bought more time on her life, but..."

"—When big sister's life runs out, we'll die too, right?"

From the mirror, Hetaro's and Tivey's weak voices reached them.

Ricardo grimaced and peered into the dialogue mirror, where Hetaro and Tivey sat side by side. Both were clutching their chests in pain.

"You idiots. You really are hopeless idiots."

"...But if this is the pain big sister's been going through, then I'm a little... happy that we can share it."

"I'm not as stubborn as big brother. So, Captain—please, fix this quickly. If we die, we're coming back as ghosts to haunt you."

The two younger brothers, bearing the damage distributed from their sister's injuries, suffering the same grave wounds in kind.

Having watched Hetaro and Tivey collapse in the other shelter, Ricardo heaved a deep sigh and hoisted his machete onto his shoulder.

And then— "...If we're doing this, it's gotta be a blitz. Otherwise, there's no point. Right?"

Ricardo growled in a low voice, and no one would be able to stop him now.

And no one present was so heartless as to fail to understand his surging emotions.

"I'll send Iron Fang out to secure the route to City Hall. Then we drop our elite into the heart of it and take it in one shot—that's the ideal. Right now, the enemy looks like it's that huge guy and the thin woman. And we can assume 'Lust' is in there too."

"Our elite: Garfiel and Ricardo. Then Wilhelm and Julius."

"—I'll be joining as well."

The one who spoke up was Crusch, her hair neatly tied back as she rose to her feet.

She held a long sword in hand, having removed the skirt portion of her dress to reveal knee-length pants, demonstrating her readiness to fight.

"You'll be joining? Lady Crusch, can you even fight?"

"I may not be what I once was, but I trained under Wilhelm. I also possess the Blessing of Wind Observation. I have no intention of being a burden."

Crusch's strength before she lost her memory had been formidable—enough to fight brilliantly even against the White Whale. But Subaru had no idea what the current Crusch, without her memories, was truly capable of.

Honestly, given that her personality had become noticeably more feminine and gentle, he had assumed her aptitude for combat had been lost—but "Lady Crusch's swordsmanship has not diminished in the slightest. I can guarantee that."

As if dispelling Subaru's concern, Wilhelm gave his seal of approval. The old swordsman nodded, his gaze through the mirror fixed on his lady Crusch.

"But please, do not push yourself. Your safety comes first—I must insist."

"It is the duty of nobility to bear wounds and shed blood before one's people. If the innocent weep, how could anyone retreat out of self-preservation? I will fight, Wilhelm."

"...Truly. It is precisely because you are this kind of master that I dedicated my sword to you."

At Wilhelm's admonition, Crusch replied with unwavering resolve. Watching her lord's answer, Wilhelm nodded with satisfaction. Ferris, seeing this, raised his hand quickly.

"Yes! Yes! Ferris! If Lady Crusch is heading out, then I want to go with you! Please let me accompany you!"

"Ferris, you will go to the various shelters and provide healing magic to those who need it. Your sentiment is appreciated. But you must not be mistaken. Don't lose sight of which battlefield you should be fighting on."

"Ngh, grrr..."

Ferris fell silent in frustration, desperately racking his brain for a rebuttal. But he couldn't talk his way past Crusch, the embodiment of unassailable logic, and with a near-tearful expression, he surrendered.

"Old man. You gotta protect Lady Crusch. No matter what."

"Yes, I understand. Even if it costs me this life—even if I must burn it out right here, I will see it done."

Wilhelm's reply carried the weight of a grim, resolute determination.

On their side, Ricardo gave his machete a light swing, and Garfiel stood up from his treatment, his back still leaning against the wall.

Through the mirror, they could see Wilhelm standing briskly with his sword at his hip, and the changed Crusch flanked by a composed Julius.

The force heading for City Hall—five in total.

Under Anastasia's orders, Iron Fang would pin down the Witch Cult forces and clear a path.

When the decisive moment came—then Natsuki Subaru would also— "Urrgh, gahhh...!"

"W-Wait, Subaru-kun, what are you doing?!"

Biting down on the pain in his right foot, Subaru forced himself to stand.

Watching him brutalize his foot that hadn't even fully healed, Ferris rushed over and slapped him hard across the head.

"That hurts, you know."

"Of course it hurts! I told you to stay absolutely still—why do you keep doing reckless things like this!? Subaru-kun, are you cursed to disobey everything Ferris says? Your foot could literally fall off, you know!?"

"Even if it falls off, there's something I have to do. Ferris, you understand how I feel, right? You want me to just lie here and wait for things to work themselves out?"

"...Mmph."

Pressing close, Subaru made Ferris purse her lips in frustration.

Sending his allies to a place that could become their grave and sitting here waiting for the outcome—that was something Subaru couldn't endure. If his clever little mind could find a way to fight that might help save someone, how could he just lie here?

"You can fight by healing people. Then I have to fight too. Beatrice protected me, and Emilia is still in danger from 'Greed.' You want me to just sit tight and stay out of the way in a situation like this?"

"...And you can honestly say you won't regret it even if your foot falls off?"

"Of course I'd regret it. But I'd regret it a whole lot more if I hadn't gone."

"Hah. ...As I figured, you're going to keep up appearances to the very end."

Ferris pressed her palm to her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh.

Then she flicked Subaru hard on the forehead, sending him reeling, before gently placing her hand on the wound in his right foot.

"What I'm about to do is really, truly just a stopgap measure, you understand."

"A stopgap—hey, wait, Ferris. The wound really hurts, so don't dig your fingers in like—wait, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—huh? It doesn't hurt?"

Ferris drove her nails roughly into the wound, tormenting Subaru. Then a faint light spread from the wound through his right foot, and the stabbing, gouging pain faded rapidly.

Startled by the unexpected magic, Subaru looked at Ferris's face.

"My secret weapon."

"S-Seriously...!? What the hell. If you've got a convenient spell like this, don't hoard it—use it sooner! All right, all right, I can move!"

Sticking out her tongue and snickering, Ferris watched as Subaru lightly bounced on his right foot. Delighted by the painless limb, he stepped in place. Pain, movement—no problems.

He slapped his palm against the wound, celebrating the remarkable change. Then he felt something wet and sticky against his hand. He looked. Bright red. The wound in his right foot had split open.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!? It wasn't healed!?"

"I didn't say it was healed, did I? Didn't I ask if you'd regret losing your foot? Ferris just removed your sense of touch and pain from your right foot. As long as you're careful about your foot falling off, you should be able to run around."

As Subaru panicked over his bleeding foot, Ferris re-wrapped the bandage and cast the spell again. The bleeding stopped, but the anxiety grew in Subaru's chest as he realized he felt nothing at all from his own leg.

It was close to being under anesthesia, but without the sluggishness that came with it. Purely his sense of touch in the right foot had been removed, while his normal range of movement was preserved.

However, pain was a safety mechanism that prevented the body from overexerting itself. Removing it at his own convenience meant— "Obviously, you're guaranteed to be overdoing it at this point. After all this is over, there will absolutely be some lasting aftereffects. If you want to minimize the damage, the least you can do is be careful!"

"...Got it. Thanks. I owe you one."

"...Subaru-kun never listens to Ferris, does he."

As Subaru nodded, checking his right foot's condition, Ferris puffed out her cheeks and looked away.

He wanted to say that wasn't true, but whether he'd actually be able to follow Ferris's instructions remained to be seen.

It was better not to make promises he couldn't keep. After thanking Ferris one more time, Subaru dashed over to Garfiel and Ricardo.

"So anyway, I'm coming too. It's no use trying to stop me. Sure, I might not be much in terms of raw power, but there's stuff I can—"

"Stop ya? Who's tryin' to stop ya? With you there, it's like havin' a hundred extra men. We're countin' on ya."

"There's stuff I can—huh?"

He'd braced himself to be turned down, only to be met with an unexpected welcome, leaving him taken aback.

Subaru looked at Ricardo, confused, but the beastman opened his wide mouth and said: "I saw how you were at the White Whale, and during that whole 'Sloth' thing too—how you gritted your teeth and pushed through. You ain't the only one who thinks highly of ya, Wilhelm. I got my eyes on you too. Whether I actually like ya or not, that depends on how things go, though."

"H-Huh. Somehow, that makes me feel weird."

Buoyed by Ricardo's words, Subaru's participation was accepted without issue.

Before leaving the shelter, Subaru stopped by Beatrice's bedside and gently stroked the forehead of the sleeping girl.

"Beatrice, I'm heading out. You've done more than your share—now it's my turn to push. I'll take them all down and get Emilia back. Just rest here."

"———"

There was no answer. Taking only her peaceful breathing as encouragement, Subaru rose to his feet.

Beside him, Garfiel and Ricardo were also speaking words to the suffering Mimi. Mimi had no consciousness and no strength to respond, but both men's faces—each carrying a different color—bore the unmistakable sign of fierce determination rising within them.

"Once we leave the shelter, we rendezvous at the main waterway leading to City Hall. ——Everyone, stay sharp."

Before setting out, they exchanged glances, each swearing to do their best, and rose to their feet.

The battle to reclaim Priestella—the assault on the Central City Hall.

Two swordsmen and the Sin Archbishop of 'Lust' awaited them.

Each carrying their own resolve, the warriors stepped onto the battlefield.