"Well, aren't you back awfully early?"
Anastasia greets Subaru and the others upon their return to City Hall, a strained smile tugging at her lips.
Having made such a brave show of leaving the building, only to end up slinking back — Subaru frankly wasn't eager to face anyone right now.
But the situation cared little for anyone's feelings.
"Yeah, I'm home. But I've got something to take care of here, and then I'm heading right back out. There's something I need to do in City Hall."
"Did you come up with something again? I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Pretty much. ...Anyway, the first shelter was a mess. Like I said over the communication mirror. I think the effects of 'Wrath' are showing up all over the place."
"The emotion sharing, right? I've felt it too. Once your mood dips, it just keeps sinking like there's no bottom. ...Though I guess there's some individual variation."
Subaru nodded in agreement with Anastasia's deduction.
In truth, it was something he'd sensed along the way as well. Sirius's Authority seemed to have a spotty effect, probably because of the distance between them.
Perhaps knowing about the existence of an Authority in the first place helped soften the blow. Experience had proven it — Subaru had been able to calm both Garfiel and Al precisely because of that.
"Whatever's causing the shelters to fall apart, I'm worried about the main force here going down the same path. I really don't want to come back and find ourselves caught up in a bloodbath."
"There's no need for that kind of worry. Fortunately, we've got the level-headed crowd here, so they won't be easily swayed. Personally, it's the ones making inflammatory remarks that worry me far more."
Al, who had returned with Subaru, surveyed the first floor of City Hall as he spoke. Anastasia snorted and silenced his loose tongue with a barb.
Al shrugged and fell silent. Anastasia turned back to Subaru.
"So, what's the plan? You came back with something in mind."
"Right. ...By the way, where's Julius? He's not with you?"
"I don't really like answering a question with another question, but... Julius has been acting a little off too. I'm sure it's partly because Joshua still hasn't been found, but I get the feeling it's more than that."
"Acting off... now that you mention it, he was a bit off, wasn't he?"
After the failed assault on City Hall, Subaru remembered how Julius had been notably guarded during their conversation. He'd made decisions and suggestions he normally wouldn't have, and shown uncertainty in himself.
He was a man driven by responsibility. Subaru had assumed he was simply tormented by letting 'Gluttony' slip away, but perhaps it was something more than that.
"Boss. Carrying everything on your shoulders is a bad habit, y'know. I dunno what's eating Julius, but ain't there stuff we gotta do right now?"
"Y-Yeah, you're right. Well, he'll figure things out on his own. More important — Anastasia. The broadcasting device on the top floor, it's still working, right? Not broken, no missing instruction manual?"
Snapped back to focus by Garfiel's reminder, Subaru asked his question. Anastasia blinked her round eyes at him.
"It ain't broken, and I've handled the same type before so I'm fine with it... But what do you want with that? What are you scheming?"
Subaru scratched his cheek under Anastasia's suspicious gaze.
It was a proposal that would likely draw opposition, but it was the only idea he had — the strategy that would maximize its effect in minimizing casualties.
"Like I said over the communication mirror, this town is heavily under the influence of Wrath's Authority. The shelters we visited became... well, bloody, because irritation and the like spread everywhere. A small negative emotion can produce the worst kind of damage. That's what's scary."
"Right. I think so too. The more people there are, the more that anxiety about being powerless grows exponentially. But as long as shelters exist as a system — no, even without shelters, people cling to one another. Isn't that so?"
At Anastasia's question, Subaru nodded silently.
The terrifying thing about Sirius's Authority was that its effect grew stronger the more people there were. And once word of the
Whether the Witch Cult had orchestrated this in tandem was unknown, but the vicious cycle had taken hold regardless — and it was terrorizing people at this very moment.
"So you're saying you've come up with a way to counter that?"
"At a 'maybe I can pull it off' level, yeah. I think it's worth a shot. But..."
Anastasia's eyes were full of expectation, but Subaru's sentence trailed off.
Feeling Anastasia narrow her eyes, her gaze seemingly trying to pierce through to his thoughts, Subaru exhaled deeply.
"Once we start, the Witch Cult will hear the same broadcast. So there's a risk that we'd be provoking them — a different kind of danger."
"In exchange, there's a high chance the current, more insidious danger gets pushed back."
"Yeah, exactly. We just recaptured City Hall, and apart from Sirius's Authority, the shelters haven't been directly attacked yet, so weighing the trade-offs isn't easy..."
By making the big move themselves, who knew how the Witch Cult would react. The risk of bringing a flame near a powder keg was always present when dealing with them. The problem was that the powder keg would explode eventually regardless — that was the truly helpless part.
"——So what Natsuki-san wants to do, I think I've got a pretty good idea."
"Really?"
Anastasia, who had appeared to be deep in thought, let out a long sigh and said that. Subaru raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Just following the flow of our conversation, plus the fact that you checked the broadcasting device first. If that didn't give it away, I'd be far more concerned."
"R-Right. So? You against it after all?"
He'd predicted she would be.
That meant Subaru would have to win a war of words — somehow talk down the formidable wall that was Anastasia — but— "Oh well. Can't be helped."
"...Wait, you're okay with it?"
"Logically, it's the best play. No matter how much I hate losing, having a mountain of corpses left after we beat the Witch Cult would leave a pretty awful aftertaste."
An answer he never saw coming left Subaru momentarily dumbfounded.
During that silence, Anastasia was biting her lip, wrestling with emotions she couldn't quite digest. But it was Garfiel who cut in.
"Hey, Boss, sis. So what're we doin' exactly?"
"You're awfully slow on the uptake. Even our Ricardo would've figured it out by now."
Anastasia showed no mercy toward Garfiel, who wasn't quite following. Garfiel snapped his fangs irritably at her, but it was Al who clapped him on the shoulder from behind. Turning around with a grin, Al said: "So here's the deal, brother. To fight back against the 'Wrath' Authority spreading all over this town, the quickest path is to turn it right back on itself."
"Turn it back? What's that supposed to—"
"Sirius's power is emotion sharing. People are scared and anxious right now, so everyone's emotions are building up — a small thing tips irritation into an explosion. If that's the case—"
"You overwrite the fear and anxiety with a different emotion... hope. And that hope gets shared too," Anastasia finished, unwinding Garfiel's confusion in tandem with Al and Subaru.
Hearing this, Garfiel's eyes went wide, and he let out a sound of realization.
"So that's it! With that, there's no way a massacre breaks out. And if it goes well, even those who've lost the will to fight might get their spirits back!"
"When you get swallowed up by the atmosphere around you, even battle-hardened folks tend to lose their nerve. If we can free them from that fear, we might be able to address the manpower shortage everyone's worried about."
"Hey, that's great! Let's do it, Boss! We've got the device — let's start right away and then—"
"Hold on, hold on! It's not that simple. I wouldn't be bringing it up if I hadn't already thought of that."
Anastasia clapped her hands, reining in Garfiel's enthusiasm.
Garfiel bared his faths at her.
"Huh? Then why'd you stop me? You were just agreeing it was the only option, and now you're chickening out at the last second?"
"It's not that I'm backing out. I said I'd thought it through. This plan has issues beyond simple pros and cons."
"Pros and cons — that's what you just said, right?"
"The pro is the whole point of the operation: dispel the fear of everyone in the city and remove the worry that's weighing us down. The con is that broadcasting city-wide obviously means the Witch Cult hears it too. We'd have no way of predicting what they do."
As Garfiel pushed back and Subaru listened calmly, Anastasia crossed her arms and continued, "But—"
"I don't think we need to worry too much about this con. When they made their demands, their broadcast never prohibited resistance. Or more accurately, they simply didn't care. About being obstructed, or defied."
"...If you put it that way, the fact that we attacked City Hall itself — as punishment for that act alone — didn't draw any penalty, did it? The people in City Hall suffered like that just because it suited their twisted amusement."
"Amusement. Good word. Their bad taste really comes across."
Anastasia sighed, and Subaru grimaced at the memory of the Sin Archbishops' lineup.
But they were in agreement that the broadcast itself wasn't the danger. What Anastasia was concerned about was— "I have no objection to broadcasting itself. The issue lies elsewhere... specifically, in who says what."
"Who says what...?"
Subaru furrowed his brows, unsure where Anastasia was going.
Broadcast hope to the people of the city, sweep away the anxiety clinging to their hearts. To achieve that goal, who would deliver the message — but of course— "Well, it's obviously Anastasia's turn, right? You're a Royal Selection candidate, you've got name recognition. If you showed the determination to fight from your own mouth—"
"I hate to say it, but expecting that level of effect from my words is difficult. It's frustrating to admit my own shortcomings, but..."
Anastasia shook her head, cutting off Subaru's hurried proposal.
He didn't understand why. Anastasia was a Royal Selection candidate. Naturally, the people of
Her name recognition should far surpass that of any ordinary person.
"What do you mean, shortcomings? You're—"
"If it were just about name recognition, sure, I'd be the one. If that alone would turn things around, I'd happily broadcast. But it won't. My name currently carries no power connected to repelling the Witch Cult. The idea that 'maybe someone famous is going to fight the Witch Cult, so maybe things will work out' — that's all it amounts to."
"But—"
"That's not enough. What people need is hope. A burst of hope that can jolt the hearts of those consumed by fear."
Anastasia's declaration left Subaru at a loss for words.
In truth, he wanted to call out her defeatism and set her straight. But — of all people — Anastasia herself felt the sting of her own inadequacy.
She wasn't speaking carelessly. Quite the opposite. She had thought it through so thoroughly that she'd concluded she was the wrong person for the job.
"If it were a matter of silver-tongued deception, there's nothing I can't do. I could fool five out of ten people if I wanted. But that's not hope people can cling to. It'd be a rope in a windstorm — barely enough to shift someone's feelings."
"Then— what about Crusch-san? She's got a warrior's reputation, and as a Lugnica noble—"
"...Right. Crusch's words would have carried weight. But that's the old Crusch. The current Crusch doesn't have that power. And more than that, she's on the brink of death. Before she could even muster the strength to encourage someone else."
"Brink of death?! It's that bad?!"
The reality was worse than what Subaru had been told, and he pressed Anastasia.
Anastasia, shorter in stature, looked up at him with lips pressed tight. Instinctively, Subaru turned to Garfiel, but the young man shook his head weakly.
"Cat-ears sis... I really don't think she'll die. She poured that much vitality into her... But having her stand in front of the device and give a speech? Even I'm against that. She's not in any shape for it. It'd come through in her voice."
"Damn it! Then Julius — Julius has the right to—"
"Julius is an outstanding knight of the Royal Guard. The kingdom's finest knight, and a source of my pride. But how useful would his personal name recognition actually be in this city? His chances are about the same as mine. And in terms of speaking ability, I'm the better one."
The idea of Crusch was shot down. Julius was rejected as well.
Then among those staying at City Hall, who else could stir up hope? Perhaps Wilhelm or Ricardo's presence? Ricardo lacked both the pull and the name recognition for that.
And could Wilhelm even be asked to take on something like that? How much weight would the title of former commander of the Royal Guard actually carry?
"Then what do we do? Who else is there—"
"Hey, uh."
Just when Subaru thought he'd found an effective countermeasure against Wrath, the execution stage presented an impossible problem — no suitable candidate.
As Subaru pondered, Al suddenly raised his hand in a casual tone.
"Can't the guy doing the broadcast be you, brother?"
"—Huh?"
The sheer matter-of-factness of it caught Subaru off guard.
His mouth hung open. There was no need to consider what Al was implying.
At a time like this — a tasteless joke? What could he possibly be thinking?
"Listen, Al. We're in the middle of a serious discussion. A time-sensitive one, at that. I don't have the bandwidth for your nonsense."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on. Sure, I got hired by the princess because over half my statements are jokes, but I'm being dead serious right now."
"If you're being serious, how does that lead to wanting me to do it? And if you're not joking but having a stroke or something, I don't wanna hear it."
"What's so strange about it? Just look around, will ya?"
Al maintained his unserious demeanor, but his voice dropped and he jerked his chin. Following the gesture, Subaru looked at the other two — Anastasia and Garfiel. He'd expected them to be staring at him with exasperation, but— "...Hey, what's with you two?"
Anastasia and Garfiel's eyes were serious. Not exasperation, not frustration.
They gazed at Subaru with earnest, solemn expressions.
As if to say they agreed with Al's proposal.
"You've gotta be kidding. When I'm the one speaking, how does that translate to people believing it? If Anastasia or Julius can't reach them, how am I supposed to—"
"Brother, think about it. This is the result of everything you've built up from here. Garfiel said it himself, didn't he? Boss, Boss, right?"
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
"It's the same thing! You've shown Garfiel enough to make him call you Boss. That's trust, isn't it? And here's the thing — I think brother's been selling his own accomplishments short. But let me tell you: being the guy who defeated the Witch Cult's 'Sloth' — right now, not just in this city, but in this entire world, you're the only one with that title. The only two people who could rally this much hope and expectation are the Sword Saint Reinhard and you. And right now, the only one here is you."
Subaru's voice rose, and Al leaned in close.
The cold helm pressed against Subaru's forehead, the hard metal transmitting its chill. From point-blank range, invisible willpower bore into him, and Subaru drew a sharp breath.
"A man killed a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult in a city occupied by the Witch Cult. Of those conditions, is there anyone else who can stoke people's hope and expectation like that? If anyone, it'd be the Sword Saint Reinhard and you, brother. And right now, only you're here."
—!
The forceful clash of their foreheads sent Subaru staggering back.
He pressed his hand to the spot where they'd collided and stepped away. Al shrugged his one-armed shoulder.
"I was in agreement, too. If someone's gonna do it, there's no one but Natsuki-san."
"Anastasia..."
Sububar turned around, hand still on his forehead. Anastasia had lowered her gaze.
It was the same expression from when she'd spoken of her own inadequacy — yet it also carried the weight of someone who felt the responsibility of entrusting hope to another.
It was only at this point, seeing that expression, that Subaru truly became aware of the enormous expectation resting on his shoulders.
"Garfiel? You feel the same way?"
"I don't really know the details about the Boss killing some Sin whatever called 'Sloth.' But my thinking's the same."
At Subaru's low question, Garfiel scratched his closely-cropped head.
"If someone in this city's voice can become someone else's hope... then for me, that's the Boss's voice. If the Boss says he'll do it, if he says 'lend me a hand' — then I feel like I could pull it off. That's what I believe."
—— The trust behind those words was staggeringly heavy.
Startled, holding his breath, Subaru felt the full weight of their expectations.
He turned to look at Anastasia. She nodded.
Then Al. He, too, shrugged.
Garfiel remained focused on Subaru. When Subaru turned to face him, he nodded.
Taking in the reactions of all three, Subaru tilted his head upward.
He narrowed his eyes against the feeble glow of the crystal lamps in the first-floor lobby, and let out a long, deep breath.
——What an absurd overestimation.
He'd felt it from Wilhelm, from Julius, from Reinhard.
They were all sorely, fundamentally mistaken about him.
Those people were far more admirable, far more hardworking, far more noble — and yet they praised Subaru as though it were the most natural thing in the world, reached out their hands to him, called out to him with genuine warmth.
And that had been his torment all along.
Being acknowledged like that by someone he respected, someone he refused to lose to, someone he could never hope to reach — it didn't only bring joy.
He was afraid. The day his true self was revealed, he would surely disappoint them all.
When they saw that the real Subaru was pathetic, weak, and utterly hopeless — he would put that sad look in their eyes and make them regret every kind word they'd ever said.
He'd always believed that. And yet— Al, Garfiel, Anastasia — they still expected it of him.
Crushed under the weight, always desperate, but always being told that desperate wasn't enough, they kept piling more and more burdens on Subaru's back.
This was the path
——The path of being, just for one girl, her one and only hero.
A path where he would eventually cease to be her hero alone, and what Subaru should bear would become— "If you're going to do it, brother... what you'll be carrying from now on is a hero's delusion."
As Subaru sat in silence, Al spoke those words.
He lowered his gaze slowly, and Al continued in a strangely deflated voice: "You can't lose. You have to win. You bear hope, carry expectations, and fight while showing the way to the future. If you make this decision here, that's what you become."
"...Not losing is always the case, isn't it?"
"The weight is different. Your loss won't just be your loss anymore."
Subaru didn't quite understand what Al meant.
His fights were always like that. When Subaru lost, it wasn't only himself that was lost. Everything he wanted to protect would vanish with his defeat.
It was always like that. There was never a time it wasn't.
If losing meant nothing would be lost, he wouldn't want to fight either.
But Subaru fought because there were things he could only protect by fighting.
And right now, in this moment, those things were impossibly vast in number.
"Then I guess nothing's changed, huh?"
He exhaled. He'd made up his mind.
The restless turmoil in his chest subsided, and the world before his eyes turned oddly clear.
He could tell that Al, standing in front of him, was holding his breath — dumbstruck — even though he couldn't see his face.
"Anastasia. I'll do it. If my voice can make a difference, I'll be the one."
"...Are you sure? Once you choose to become hope—"
"What I need to do doesn't change. A hero — I mean, honestly, it's embarrassing as hell, and claiming that title is a bit much, but—"
To Anastasia's worried expression, Subaru lightly rubbed the tip of his nose with his finger.
"Doing hero stuff is something I decided to do over a year ago. If I don't, I'll embarrass the girl who's watching, and I won't be able to keep up with the girl running ahead of me."
"——I see. Well then, that's fine. Boys always have to act cool."
Anastasia smiled with resignation and lightly poked Subaru's chest.
He was a little surprised by her reaction.
Unguarded, genuinely — he thought that might have been the first time Anastasia had shown her true feelings on her face.
He tucked that sentiment away into the chest she'd poked and looked up.
"Thanks, Garfiel. Al. It's because of you guys that I was able to make up my mind."
He addressed the two behind him, then followed after Anastasia as she walked away.
Standing before the broadcasting device, he racked his brain for what to say.
He still hadn't quite figured out what to say — or what he should say.
But strangely, there was no hesitation or anxiety.
It probably felt like any other time.
——Because he knew, just like always, that he had to put on a brave face.