——Cradling the tiny scorpion that had emerged from the dust in his palm, Subaru quietly trembled.
He had wanted to save her.
He had wanted to carry her out of this lonely tower of sand.
He had promised to save her.
And yet, he had failed to keep that promise.
"——"
Crouching on the sand, Subaru was silent, and no one could bring themselves to speak to him.
Neither
Only the tiny scorpion, as if to console him even as he forgot even how to sob and simply wept, crawled down his arm, climbed up his shoulder, and pressed its body against his neck.
Subaru had no idea what this little scorpion truly was.
From the crumbling dust of the Scarlet Scorpion's massive form, this scorpion had appeared — what relation could it possibly have to
At the very end, Subaru had exchanged words with Shaula.
Whether that exchange had actually happened between them, or whether it was a waking dream Subaru had seen at the moment of parting, he couldn't say for certain.
But Subaru held the sorrowful conviction that it had truly happened.
Shaula was lost.
Her existence had been bound to the very rules of this
Therefore, once the watchtower finished fulfilling its role, she too had to take her leave.
Until the very end, she had died performing her role as a "mechanism."
And in doing so, she had carved out a hole in Subaru's chest — proof that she could never have been *just* a mechanism.
"——"
That brazen smile, the annoying way she'd sought physical contact, the voice calling "Master, Master" with inexplicable fondness — all of it was gone.
If Shaula had cried out, had screamed that she didn't want to disappear, Subaru would have desperately searched for a way to save her, would have thrown away his life again and again to go to her aid.
But that wasn't what she wanted.
Laughing, she had only said that she wanted to meet him again — and then vanished.
Whether that method even existed, whether it was truly possible, he didn't know.
He didn't know, but — "I understand. ...Someday, I'll find you again. That's why —"
He would fulfill the wish of the girl who had smiled so brightly and told him she loved him.
For that sake — "That's why, for now — goodbye, Shaula."
The sand wind carried away what remained of her — the red dust of her thoughts, the remnants of her being.
Watching it go, Subaru let out a breath. He noticed the scorpion that had nestled against his neck was now pinching his ear with its pincers, as if to say *snap out of it.* "Ow!"
The sharp pain made him feel as though someone was scolding him for moping around.
Wincing with tears in his eyes from the pain, Subaru said "Okay, okay" and nodded, grabbing the scorpion at his neck and trying to pull it off his ear.
But — "Ow! Hey, I said it's fine now, you can let go... ouch! Hey, it's bleeding from my ear... This thing! It's serious...!"
"...Big brother, what are you doing?"
Subaru felt a sense of crisis as the small scarlet scorpion clamped onto his ear, utterly impossible to pry off.
He very nearly lost the soft cartilage of his ear entirely, but it was Meili who threw him a lifeline.
She looked exasperated as she casually took the small scarlet scorpion from Subaru with her tiny hand.
"Even though it's small, it's still a mabeast, you know. If you're careless enough to get your face close to it, don't blame me if it eats your eyes or nose."
"Eyes and nose!? But this thing wouldn't do something like that..."
"It's a mabeast, big brother. —Not like that naked lady, you know."
"——"
Saying that, Meili plopped the small scarlet scorpion onto the top of her head.
Unlike its rampage against Subaru just moments ago, the small scorpion behaved itself atop Meili's head. It had apparently been brought under control by Meili's Blessing of Magic Manipulation, its ferocity now suppressed.
Without needing to be told, this was proof that the small scarlet scorpion was a mabeast susceptible to Meili's blessing — and also proof that it had no identity as Shaula.
"Subaru, you need to get your wounds treated."
Beatrice gently tugged at the sleeve of Subaru, who had begun to look down again, her concern turning to his well-being.
Biting his lip at her thoughtfulness, Subaru nodded deeply. They couldn't stay in the Sand Sea forever.
"——Subaru! Everyone!"
From a distance, the great doors of the watchtower's entrance swung open, and
Even she looked like she'd been through considerable turmoil, her appearance making it clear her path had been far from easy. They'd need to talk about all of it — together.
There were too many things that needed to be discussed, and too many farewells that needed to be properly said.
△▼△▼△▼△ "......Shaula was a super hard worker, wasn't she."
After hearing the full account of what had happened, and the explanation for why Shaula was no longer there, Emilia gazed out at the Sand Sea where even the last traces of dust had scattered, and mourned the loss in her own characteristic way.
Gently, a white finger touched the small scarlet scorpion atop Meili's head. Although it had been commanded by Meili not to resist, the small scorpion accepted Emilia's touch — even without being able to read its expression or gestures, it seemed to enjoy it.
"Emilia-sama, how was the first floor? You were able to complete the 'trial' safely, I trust?"
After finishing her explanation about Shaula, Emilia turned a worried gaze toward the somber Subaru.
But it was Julius who deliberately chose to steer the conversation onward. At his words, Emilia nodded and said "Yes."
"I didn't really understand what was going on, and it was tough, but I think I managed to finish it. ...Also, Julius, do you remember me properly now?"
"——. Yes. Certainly. I can clearly recall now."
To Emilia's tentative question, Julius answered with a look of sudden realization.
Placing a hand over his own mouth, Julius repeated "Emilia-sama" to himself, confirming that her existence — which should have vanished from within him — was indeed still there, and nodded.
"Beatrice! Do you remember me? What about Meili?"
"......There was no need to worry, I suppose. Rather, I had nearly forgotten that I'd forgotten until someone pointed it out. What an unsettling feeling."
"I remember you properly too! But what about you, big sis? Do you remember me, and the promises you made?"
"Of course. I'd never forget. I was glad — since
Hearing Beatrice and Meili's answers, Emilia let out a sigh of relief.
But their reactions prompted Subaru to call out, "Hold on."
Drawing everyone's attention to himself, Subaru swallowed hard — "This is incredible news, but I want to sort through it properly. So, in other words? Does everyone remember Emilia now? That means... uh..."
"——That Lady Ram has slain Rai Batenkaitos."
"——"
Julius summarized the conclusion and stated it flatly, and Subaru's eyes went wide.
Rai Batenkaitos — one of the three Archbishop of Gluttony. To Subaru and Ram alike, he was perhaps the enemy with whom they shared the deepest grudge.
Within this tower, too, he had devoured Emilia's "Name," wreaked havoc, and forced them to taste bitter defeat time and again.
Hearing that he had fallen, Subaru felt a terrible dryness in his throat.
Because if Rai Batenkaitos had been defeated — "That means the things he stole are coming back...? Then if Emilia's 'Name' has returned, the effects of the other Gluttony authorities should be undone as well."
Having styled himself as a "Gourmet," Batenkaitos had taken far too much. If everything stolen was now being released, then the people of the watergate city
Thinking that far, Subaru shook his head.
Enough with the self-deception. He was done trying to put a lid on his own heart and tell himself lies.
In this moment, Natsuki Subaru harbored an overwhelmingly selfish, egoistical hope.
If Rai Batenkaitos had been slain, and his authority's influence was unwinding — "——Did you... remember
The girl whose existence was so vast it had carved a gaping hole in Subaru's heart, yet who had been forgotten by everyone.
This journey was a journey to reclaim what had been stolen — and for Subaru, it was the very journey to save Rem.
The irony that Gluttony had attacked the watchtower where he had sought the wisdom to accomplish that was bitter, but if the outcome was the same, it didn't matter.
Urged on by his flaring hope, Subaru scanned the faces of the group.
But to his question — "......I'm sorry, Subaru. I still can't remember Rem."
"——!? Why!?"
"Betty can't either. Ram's sister — I still can't recall her. And also..."
"And also? What else is there? What more could there be?"
When Emilia denied it and Beatrice followed suit, Subaru was struck dumb.
Having his hope born and immediately rejected, Subaru pressed Beatrice, who had trailed off. Desperation shone in his eyes as Beatrice indicated Julius behind her with her pale chin.
"I still can't remember Julius, either. Perhaps not all the damage from 'Gluttony' has been undone."
"Julius's..."
Accepting Beatrice's explanation, Emilia nodded in agreement as well.
Meili, who had never known Julius before his "Name" was taken, simply shrugged — but there was no reason for Emilia and Beatrice to lie.
Then neither Rem nor Julius had had their "Names" restored — "As for that point, I can make an educated guess as to why my 'Name' hasn't returned."
Amid the group's confusion, it was Julius himself who spoke up.
He fixed Subaru and the others with his sharp eyes and continued.
"——The Archbishop of Gluttony,
△▼△▼△▼△ Passing through the great gate and returning inside the Pleiades Watchtower, they found the dragon carriage that had brought them to the tower of sand waiting on the fifth floor, where a figure waving its hand greeted them.
"Emilia-san, and you too, Natsuki-kun — it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"......Could that be Anastasia-san?"
At the sight of the figure who smiled warmly and waved languidly, Subaru's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Her gestures, her mannerisms, even her expression — all of it was completely natural. This was the full reproduction of the humanity that
It was the original person's personality. You wouldn't call that reproduction.
In other words — "Anastasia-san! You're awake!?"
"That's right, that's right. I've been sleeping for far too long, it seems — I'm sorry for worrying everyone. I had Echidna tell me everything that happened these past few months."
"Echidna's all right too, then?"
"More or less. Aside from the guilt, it doesn't seem like there's anything that could actually kill me."
To Emilia's question, Anastasia replied. The fur collar around her neck stirred, and the white fox Echidna hung her head apologetically.
Anastasia stroked Echidna's head and scolded her with a "Now, now."
"Stop blaming yourself like that. I told you — it was my own choice, so there's no reason for Echidna to feel bad about it. That's what I think. Right, Julius?"
"Me? ...Well, yes. Honestly, Anastasia-sama's decision had me quite on edge, so I can't say I fully agree..."
"Can't fully agree, but?"
"Being told the reason you were closed up inside yourself — it speaks well of a knight's duty, I should think."
Julius replied elegantly with a faint smile. At his answer, Anastasia laughed and said "Oh, now you're just being modest" as she placed a hand over her own mouth.
Their exchange was remarkably well-coordinated. Master and retainer, to be sure — though — "Are you sure you really don't remember Julius, Anastasia-san? Because the two of you seem to get along suspiciously well..."
"What the original relationship was, I've forgotten... That alone is enough to make my stomach churn with frustration! But...!"
"Gritting your teeth and holding it together — that's your style. Fortunately, there's plenty I've learned about Julius over these two months that I can share. It seems I was born for exactly this purpose."
"...You've gone off the deep end too, I see."
Anastasia's lips trembled as she spoke. Beatrice addressed Echidna, who had just defined her own existence, with a gentle word.
At that, Echidna twitched her fox nose and nodded with a soft "Yes."
The artificial spirit Echidna, who had no past, had come to the watchtower as Anastasia's proxy. She too had evidently found her own answer after much thought.
The fact that Anastasia had safely reclaimed her own body was perhaps a part of that.
The regrets about having whittled away at Anastasia's od to function, and the problems inherent in Echidna's very creation — those hadn't been resolved, exactly — "But butting into that would be pretty tasteless of us, huh?"
The issues between Anastasia and Echidna were something they needed to work out between themselves.
Of course, if asked for help, they would struggle together and assist in finding a solution. They'd earned enough of a bond through these two months of desert wandering to do that much.
"Hey, Anastasia-san. I'm super happy you came back safely, and there's a lot I want to talk about, but..."
"I know, I know. It's about the Archbishop of Gluttony that Julius defeated, right? Julius took care of it and shoved it into the dragon carriage."
"Julius took care of it..."
Anastasia shrugged and gestured toward the dragon carriage behind her.
Processing her words, Emilia stood beside Subaru. He held his breath and looked at the dragon carriage. Inside, the Archbishop of Gluttony, Roy Alphard, was imprisoned.
Before circling around to the back of the carriage, Subaru stroked the neck of the bound earth dragon — Giant.
The stout four-legged Agares earth dragon had been an unexpected hero in the final battle against Shaula, helping Subaru's group secure their victory.
They hadn't achieved the best possible outcome. But that didn't mean Giant's consideration had been wasted. Moreover, Meili's survival was a testament to Giant's spirit.
"Thanks to you, we made it. ...If something happens after this, help me again."
Giant snorted through its nostrils as if to say the burden had been heavy.
Subaru offered a brief, wry smile before immediately tightening his expression and moving to the passenger compartment of the dragon carriage. He exchanged nods with Emilia and the others, then peered inside.
There, the Archbishop of Gluttony — "——This is..."
Subaru peered into the carriage with tension coiled in every muscle, only to be taken aback by what he saw.
Inside the carriage, Alphard was indeed there. However, the manner of his restraint was quite different from what Subaru had imagined.
Roy Alphard was completely encased in a black crystalline substance, restrained with his eyes rolled back — no, he had been sealed.
"The opponent is an Archbishop of Gluttony... Simply restricting his movement wouldn't be sufficient. So I froze him in place as securely as possible."
"Froze him...? What's the principle behind this?"
"If I had to classify it, it's probably an application of shadow magic. We severed his consciousness with Shamak and then preserved him in that state. ...It's a rather brutal method, I suppose."
"So this black stuff is basically a lump of Shamak...?"
Hearing Beatrice's explanation, Subaru stared wide-eyed at the seal once more.
Shamak was arguably the single most relied-upon spell Subaru had used in this world before forming his contract with Beatrice — and he could only marvel at the effects it produced, and at the way Julius had applied those effects for his seal.
Watching Subaru's reaction, Julius prefaced his words with "I'd like you not to misunderstand —"
"This isn't a technique I invented. The world's most famous seal uses the same formula, though on an incomparably grander scale."
"The world's most famous seal... Don't tell me —"
"——The
While observing the sealed Alphard, Emilia spoke, and Julius nodded deeply in confirmation.
Alphard's seal was the same method used to seal the Witch of Envy, four hundred years of sleep, east of here — in the
In other words, a method proven by both trust and track record, and with Julius as the one who had applied it, the trustworthiness could only be higher. However, that wasn't the real issue.
"The issue is: why keep this guy alive?"
"Subaru..."
Emilia's eyebrows dropped at the sight of Subaru staring at the sealed Alphard.
Pained by her gaze, Subaru turned back and said, "But it's obvious, right?"
"One half of Gluttony is gone... Batenkaitos is dead, and everyone remembers Emilia. So if the rest of the 'memories' — if this guy dies too..."
"There's no certainty that they'll return. That was the primary reason I refrained from executing him."
"——"
"No one doubts that Lady Ram killed Batenkaitos. But the fact that Emilia-sama's 'Name' was released — was it truly achieved simply by killing him? There's no ruling out the possibility that something else, something active, returned it to him. A rash move could cost us everything."
Julius continued in words meant to restrain Subaru's impulse, and every point was spot-on.
Even Subaru had to concede, finding no room to argue.
But — "Then... what about the Book of the Dead?"
What Subaru proposed as an alternative was a method that existed solely within this watchtower.
No tool laid bare another person's thoughts more thoroughly than the Book of the Dead. After all, it was the very thing that allowed one to relive a person's entire life.
"Even if we interrogated him, there's no guarantee he'd tell the truth. In that case, even if it means using the Book of the Dead, it would be better to expose his inner thoughts..."
"Subaru, that's... I don't think that's a good idea. That method..."
"But it's guaranteed, isn't it? This way..."
"Hey there, mind if I butt in?"
As Subaru proposed using the Book of the Dead and Emilia showed visible reluctance, Subaru moved to press his point — only for Anastasia to raise her hand.
She looked at the grimacing Subaru, folded her white hands in front of her chest, and spoke.
"I heard about it from Echidna too, so there might be holes in what I'm about to say... but this 'Book of the Dead,' isn't it? Isn't it dangerous to place too much faith in it?"
"Dangerous? Why?"
"Not for any deep reason — it's just that you experienced it yourself more than anyone, right Natsuki-kun? While I was asleep, didn't you say you lost yourself too?"
"——"
In however brief a time she'd had to speak with Echidna, Anastasia had zeroed in on his sore spot.
However, Subaru's memory loss and the dangers of the Book of the Dead weren't strictly equivalent. His memories hadn't disappeared *because* of the Book of the Dead.
Still, that didn't eliminate the Book of the Dead's danger entirely.
In fact, Subaru had read Meili's Book of the Dead and nearly had parts of his thoughts and emotions overwritten by her personality.
Subaru didn't consider himself especially strong-willed or mentally tough, but even so — what would happen to someone more susceptible?
Or perhaps the result might even be a new Roy Alphard, inheriting the original's psyche.
"So... so you're saying, Anastasia-san, that keeping him alive is the right call? After everything he's done! Everything he's put people through!"
"If we're talking about what's right and wrong, I certainly don't think keeping an Archbishop of Gluttony alive is 'right.' If killing this person would restore Julius's 'memories' inside me, I'd consider that fine too. But I have my own conviction here."
"A conviction...?"
"Life or death, fighting and struggling — that's always the last resort. —People who casually send others to the grave don't meet good ends. This isn't some grand philosophy of mine, just what I believe."
At Anastasia's words, Subaru's eyes went wide.
In this fantasy world of swords and magic, he felt the urge to push back — *how naive.* But simultaneously, some part of Subaru's own moral compass told him she was right.
Of course Subaru thought that fewer deaths was better.
For allies, naturally. But even for enemies, fewer casualties were preferable.
But that reasoning only held when the other side was worth extending that courtesy to.
"He's made countless people suffer, and he's hurting everyone even now. ...Even someone like that, you're saying we shouldn't kill him?"
"If it becomes necessary, I will. I'll make that decision, and if it comes to it, I won't hesitate to get my hands dirty. But acting on impulse is different. —I think you're on that side too, Natsuki-kun."
"That's not..."
"Which is why you can cry for someone who's gone. ...I'd much rather stay on good terms with you forever, Natsuki-kun, than with a heartless version of you who has no blood or tears."
Anastasia traced her finger along her own cheek, pointing out the traces of Subaru's tears.
In that instant, the wound of losing Shaula throbbed, and Subaru quietly bowed his head. Anastasia's way of putting it was unfair. But undeniably effective.
"......Subaru, I agree with Anastasia-san. When I think about Julius, and about Rem, who's still asleep, I want to rush to solve it too, but..."
"At the very least, please don't concern yourself with me. Now that things have reached this point, certainty must take priority over haste. ...My brother is involved too."
The thought of Joshua, left behind in Priestella, was surfacing at the edge of his memory — Julius's opinion was the epitome of caution. But as noted, it was the right call.
Wanting to fill the void of what he'd lost, Subaru was demanding results too hastily. That was likely the state of mind he was in.
"Let me summarize. The consensus from both Ana and Julius is to transport Roy Alphard, the Archbishop of Gluttony, to the royal capital and extract from him a way to free the victims of his authority. After that, a pardon is unlikely. Capital punishment should be inescapable."
"There are limits to leniency based on age. That's where this will end up."
Seeing Subaru's clenched fists relax, Echidna and Anastasia consolidated the discussion.
Regarding Alphard's fate, Emilia had no objections either. He would be transported to the royal capital in his sealed state, and in a sense, he would be in the same position as Sirius, who had been taken earlier.
"Is that all right with you too, Emilia-san?"
"Yes. I want to properly remember everyone who was forgotten."
In response to Anastasia's confirmation, Emilia raised her head and answered firmly.
Her words brooked no argument, and Subaru felt a mix of admiration and bitterness as he turned away from the Archbishop of Gluttony in the carriage and suddenly dropped to one knee.
"Huh..."
"Subaru! Oh, seriously, you pushed yourself way too far! Carrying that disgusting thing around like that — it's only natural you'd end up like this!"
Beatrice caught Subaru's shoulders as his head grew heavy and his vision blurred, shouting at him.
Her cute voice rang through his skull, and Subaru realized he was even more exhausted than he'd thought.
If anything, it was only to be expected.
He'd lost his memories, died multiple times during that period, died again afterward, faced himself to recover his memories, confronted the five obstacles that assailed the tower upon awakening, fought while shouldering the burden of his comrades' suffering through the authority's effects, and finally lost Shaula — His mind and body had both been pushed to the absolute limit.
It truly felt as though he had spent more than five years in this tower, even though only a few days had passed.
"Ah... I..."
"Subaru, it's okay. It's fine. Just rest for a little bit right now, all right? When you wake up, we'll talk properly. I have a lot I want to say too."
Emilia caught Subaru as he crumpled to the ground, the strength draining from his limbs, and held him head-on. The soft sensation and sweet fragrance — normally he would have tensed up — acted on him like a powerful drug, and consciousness slipped peacefully into darkness.
If he died here at the bottom of that darkness, would he be able to return once more to this tower and find a way to save Shaula?
He half understood that no such possibility existed, yet he couldn't stop wishing for it.
Slowly, Subaru's consciousness was swallowed by the dark.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Heave-ho."
Emilia lifted Subaru's unconscious body in her arms, letting out a breath.
The deep, nearly deathlike rhythm of his breathing — with his eyes gently closed and his body completely limp — was proof of just how hard he had fought for the sake of solving this watchtower's problems.
How desperate Subaru had been to save Emilia and the others.
Despite having lost his own memories and struggling because of it, he had come running to Emilia — who had been stripped of her "Name" by Batenkaitos and forgotten by everyone. How happy that had made her.
She wanted to properly tell him that.
So that this hardworking Subaru wouldn't blame himself too much.
Shaula's death was not Subaru's fault.
It was the responsibility of all of them, Emilia included — and to say more — "It was
The Sage. The person who had burdened Shaula with the duties of the "Sage," and then, along with the renewal of the Pleiades Watchtower's role, put her to sleep.
Even if he had been one of the Three Heroes who saved the world, the moment he made Shaula lonely and made Subaru cry, in Emilia's eyes, he had earned his place among the worst of the worst.
Of course, she would never have the chance to meet him and tell him this, so this fog of emotion would never be cleared for anyone.
"From what I can tell, the exhaustion is quite severe... but nothing appears life-threatening. If we let him rest, he should recover. Shall we take him to the 'Green Room'?"
"Yes. Ram and the others are there too... While Subaru was away saving me, Anastasia-san was looking after Rem, wasn't she?"
"It's not as dramatic as all that. After I reclaimed myself, I simply saw off Julius to help Subaru and Ram-san to help Emilia-san. ...Unfortunately, there was no change in Rem-san."
"......I see."
Thinking of Ram and Rem waiting in the Green Room, along with Patrasche and the others, Emilia furrowed her elegant brows.
Defeating Batenkaitos could, in a sense, be considered avenging the stolen memories and Name of Rem. But what mattered was whether Rem would actually wake up — and since that hadn't happened, the success or failure of the vengeance was secondary.
At the very least, Ram would say so without hesitation: what matters is Rem's return.
"Let's hope we can learn something about that from Roy Alphard, too. There are still far too many unknowns about this watchtower — no, about the Great Library Pleiades."
"The Great Library that knows everything — that's what Shaula claimed. She was a loose woman, but because of that, she wouldn't twist the words she was told. We were definitely told that this is the Great Library."
Whether that function as a Great Library meant the Book of the Dead, or if there were other possibilities — they would need to verify that.
On top of that, there was something Emilia needed to tell Beatrice and the others.
"After we get Subaru settled in the 'Green Room,' I want everyone to come with me somewhere. ...There's someone I want you to meet."
"......Does this have to do with the first floor, by any chance?"
They had ascended to the first floor, and Emilia had overcome the final "trial."
Beatrice and the others already knew that much. The problem was everything that came after, which she hadn't yet described.
Specifically, what was on the first floor, whom she had met, and what Emilia had done.
It had been so bizarre, so transcendent, so difficult to put into words that — "It's not a long story, but it's complicated, so could you just come see for yourself?"
And with that, Emilia pointed upward — far above, to the very top of the tower.
△▼△▼△▼△ *"——You who have reached the tower's summit. The sovereign petitioner who treads upon the first floor."* "——"
Led by Emilia, the group had arrived at the uppermost level of the Pleiades Watchtower — the first floor — and stood struck speechless by the colossal dragon that greeted them.
Seeing their reactions, Emilia tilted her head and said, "Pretty shocking, right?"
"When I went up to the first floor,
"W-wait, hold on. This isn't something that can be brushed off with just surprise!?"
Before the "Divine Dragon" clad in blue scales, Beatrice's voice cracked in alarm, her composure shattered.
Beatrice flapped her hands up and down in agitation. But she wasn't the only one.
"This is..."
"Haaah, I have to admit even I didn't see this coming. What's the deal? Wasn't the 'Divine Dragon' supposed to be beyond the Great Waterfall?"
"That was the understanding, yes. According to the Dragon History Stone's prophecy, it was supposed to appear in the year the Royal Selection was settled, to renew its covenant with Anastasia, who would become Lugunica's king."
Standing beside the speechless Julius, even the normally composed Anastasia couldn't entirely hide her cold sweat. Echidna, at her neck, was also slightly breathless.
However, Julius was a beat behind the women in his reaction. Straightening his posture, he spoke with formal respect.
"Great Dragon, Divine Dragon who has long guarded our kingdom — Volcanica-sama. I humbly apologize for my discourtesy. It is an honor to be in your presence, even in this manner. I am Julius Euclius, a member of the Royal Guard of the
Julius knelt on the spot, removed the sword at his hip, and placed it on the ground — the highest form of respect.
And as a knight serving the Dragon Kingdom, he paid his most sincere regards to the holy dragon. Receiving this, Volcanica narrowed its golden eyes.
*"——I am Volcanica. By the ancient covenant, I question the resolve of those who reach the summit."* "My everything — my faith, my loyalty — is devoted entirely to
"Ju-Julius, are you *crying*?"
Anastasia faltered as Julius knelt before her, unable to contain his tears. To her words, Julius replied, "Forgive me," and wiped the tears with the back of his hand.
"Not only was I able to exchange words with
His voice trembled with the weight of what he had touched.
It pained Emilia to dampen such genuine emotion, but — "Um... Julius, you're so happy it's hard to bring this up, but..."
"——. Forgive me, Emilia-sama. To act without permission, attempting to speak with the 'Divine Dragon' when it should have been Anastasia-sama or you..."
"No, that's fine. The thing is, about Volcanica..."
Emilia struggled to find the words, trying to choose them carefully so as not to wound Julius. But then, Volcanica's voice passed right over Emilia's head.
*"——You who have reached the tower's summit. The sovereign petitioner who treads upon the first floor."* "...Wait a minute. I feel like I just heard that same line before."
At the repeated words, Anastasia was the first to voice her suspicion.
But the same question spread to the others. It was only natural — they all quickly noticed the change in Volcanica, who kept repeating the same phrase.
And — "The thing about Volcanica is, it seems like staying here for so long has made it go senile. Its body is perfectly fine — it was incredibly powerful when it attacked — but..."
Volcanica's senility had advanced far. Its dragon strength was genuine, but its mind had been ravaged by the passage of time.
The "Divine Dragon" had apparently served as a "trial" on the first floor, unleashing tremendous power to hinder Emilia's approach to the pillar. But once Emilia reached the monolith and judged she had passed the "trial," it reverted to its vague, passive state.
Moreover, even though the "trial" was over, it was still talking about the "trial."
"The great 'Divine Dragon' has gone senile...?"
"Ju-Julius, calm down! See, you look a little tired, don't you? Wouldn't it be better to sit down?"
At Emilia's explanation, Julius was the one most deeply shaken.
After Reid, this second legendary encounter was nothing like the stories — his knees were trembling.
Emilia, who didn't want to disappoint the sparkling-eyed Julius, felt a pang in her chest.
However — "Emilia, I think that's not quite right. It's not senility."
"Huh?"
"Echidna, you can sense it too, surely. This isn't dementia..."
"Yeah. I couldn't tell at first, but now I can. This isn't mental deterioration. The soul is hollow."
"The soul is hollow...?"
Emilia tilted her head at the exchange between Beatrice and Echidna, two artificial spirits who understood each other.
Julius and Anastasia wore bewildered expressions. Beatrice raised a finger and prefaced her words.
"Hollow soul... in other words, the container is empty, I suppose. That's why it can only repeat certain phrases and exhibit limited reactions. Think of it as being ninety percent asleep."
"Ninety percent...? But it was incredibly strong?"
"If its soul had been fully present, the difference would have been far greater."
At Echidna's words — which carried the nuance of *you're lucky to be alive* — Emilia felt a chill.
With the help of the ice soldiers, Emilia had barely managed to survive the razor's-edge battle. Her confrontation with Volcanica, from its perspective, had been like fighting someone half-asleep.
There was a vast qualitative difference between genuine senility and merely being drowsy.
"But even with a hollow soul, this is still the body of the 'Divine Dragon,' isn't it? If that's the case, there might be a way to help the people of Priestella."
"——!? A way to help everyone? How?"
"——I see. So we need to obtain the blood of the 'Divine Dragon' — the dragon's blood."
Anastasia snapped her fingers. Beatrice nodded at her words.
Hearing this, Emilia's eyes went wide.
The blood of the "Divine Dragon" Volcanica — the wellspring behind the many legends passed down in the Kingdom of Lugunica.
Dragon's blood could revive barren earth, promise abundance, and instantly heal wounds and illness — records documented a staggering array of effects.
And most importantly of all, that dragon's blood contained an element Emilia could not afford to overlook — "If I could get blood from Volcanica..."
Emilia's purpose for joining the Royal Selection — to obtain the "Dragon's Blood" preserved by the Kingdom of Lugunica, and use it to thaw the Eternal Frost of the
It was for the sake of freeing her frozen compatriots — those who had been encased in ice by the uncontrolled outburst of Emilia's own power — that Emilia had entered the Royal Selection.
The greatest goal behind Emilia's participation could, at this very moment, become reality.
The thought left Emilia flustered, her breath catching.
If she could receive Volcanica's blood here, the reason for Emilia to claim the throne would be gone — "I..."
"......Emilia, I'm sorry if this is confusing. But the 'blood' you're thinking of and Volcanica's blood are different things. So I'm afraid that won't work out."
Beatrice spoke to Emilia, who was on the verge of losing the very purpose of the Royal Selection.
Emilia blinked. "Won't work out? What do you mean? I studied really hard. To melt the ice in that forest, I need the 'Dragon's Blood' kept in the castle. And that..."
"Your understanding isn't wrong. But as I said, the 'Dragon's Blood' in the Royal Castle of Lugunica and Volcanica's blood are strictly different. ...The castle's 'Dragon's Blood' is the blood that spilled from the heart of a dragon in its final moments, I believe."
"The final... blood from its heart?"
At this completely new information, Emilia frowned elegantly. Beatrice nodded quietly in response, and Julius raised his hand.
"Pardon me, but Beatrice-sama — where is this information from? I am also a knight of the Royal Guard. Much of the kingdom's knowledge has reached my ears. But I've never heard this..."
*"The final beat of the heart, poured into a vessel as the dragon's lifeblood. That blood, true dragon's blood, is entrusted to the royal castle as proof of the covenant between humans and dragons."* "——"
"There's no reason you would know. The source is a record sealed in the Forbidden Archive — a passage left behind by the 'Witch of Greed,' Echidna, whose name no longer survives in the outside world."
At Beatrice's answer, Julius's eyes went wide and his breath caught.
Even a kingdom knight like Julius hadn't known this, yet the content was far too specific to be Beatrice's fabrication. And if it was true — "Then the 'Dragon's Blood' preserved in the Royal Castle of Lugunica — whose blood is it? If it's the final heartbeat... then the dragon that left it behind must be dead..."
"If that's the case, then the 'Divine Dragon' that's alive but empty-headed doesn't make sense."
Julius and Anastasia's questions were perfectly reasonable.
If the "Dragon's Blood" was the final heartbeat, then it couldn't belong to Volcanica. And if it was still a blood of immense power — "Unfortunately, the book didn't say anything beyond that."
"...Incomplete information, huh. I'm guessing this 'Witch of Greed' is the main reason Natsuki-kun was so cold to me? She already didn't give me the best impression, but this confirms it."
"Don't speak ill of Mother. Watch your words."
"Both of you, stop fighting! But, yeah... I see..."
Emilia scolded the two as their opposing Echidna natures clashed, and quietly bowed her head.
The revelation that the castle's "Dragon's Blood" and Volcanica's blood were different things was entirely new to her, and it was shocking. But at the same time, she felt a faint sense of relief.
"...That's so strange."
Helping the people in the forest was Emilia's foremost goal. That hadn't changed and never would. So if she could receive Volcanica's blood here and use it as the solution, she should have simply used it to free the Elior Forest.
And yet, even though that was what she wanted, Emilia had hesitated.
If she could find another way to melt the Eternal Frost of the Elior Forest — could she then withdraw from the Royal Selection and step off the stage?
"......Setting aside Emilia's thoughts, if Beatrice is right, can this Volcanica's blood really help? Isn't it more likely to be a letdown?"
"Senile or not, soul missing or not — this is still the 'Divine Dragon.' Its blood undoubtedly carries tremendous power. But..."
"...Not enough to melt everyone's ice."
At Emilia's question, Beatrice nodded apologetically.
Seeing Beatrice looking even more dejected than herself, Emilia smiled gently and lifted her head, showing she wasn't beaten down.
"It's a super disappointing outcome, that's true. But it was so sudden that the shock was the bigger factor, and it hadn't really sunk in yet... I'm fine."
"I'm sorry. Perhaps I should have explained sooner. ...I never imagined the 'Divine Dragon' would be here. It was a terrible shock."
"You're right. What a nuisance."
Not wanting to see Beatrice looking dejected, Emilia straightened her back with conviction.
She was honestly disappointed. But what she'd told Beatrice was also true. If anything, it was as if she'd been told she couldn't take shortcuts or cheat — and she could accept that.
"Then, let's return to the main topic. This 'Divine Dragon's' blood — there may be a way to use it to restore the people of Priestella who were transformed by the 'Lust' authority. As Beatrice said, even without a soul, the immense power residing in its blood should still be there."
"They say even a single drop of the castle's 'Dragon's Blood' revived a wasteland. Couldn't it be used as medicine?"
"That would mean we'd need to dilute it several thousand-fold."
"Nevertheless, it's a significant improvement compared to having no method at all. If the stories about it being a universal cure are true, it's worth trying."
Listening to the exchange between Echidna, Anastasia, and Julius, Emilia felt hope kindling once more.
She had crossed the
If they could bring back a solution for both "Gluttony" and "Lust," that would be the best outcome.
Otherwise, there would be no way to repay Subaru for the wounds he'd sustained.
"...And here I am being super selfish..."
To try to give meaning to Shaula's sacrifice — it was an incredibly selfish thought.
Shaula had her own will and her own wish, and she had spent a long time in this tower. Giving meaning to that was Shaula's prerogative, not Emilia's.
"Mm, understood. Let's try asking Volcanica. We might not be able to communicate at all, or it might go on a rampage if we try to take its blood..."
"That sounds exhausting. Emilia, shouldn't you have authority as the new manager of the Pleiades Watchtower? Can't you use that somehow?"
"Manager authority... I really don't have any awareness of that..."
She had solved the mystery of the third floor, bested Reid on the second floor, and shown her resolve to Volcanica on the first floor.
Looking at those conditions alone, Emilia could certainly be called the watchtower's conqueror. But whether that had brought about any tangible change for Emilia — it hadn't.
What she vaguely understood was — "That no one would refuse to come to the sand dunes anymore... I think?"
"Is that what you've decided, Emilia-san? The 'Book of the Dead' sounds like quite a handful too — and that's also a pretty big gamble, isn't it?"
"There might be dangers, but if everyone is careful and uses it properly, I think that's the right way. There are many things we can't judge on our own."
For Emilia's group to reach conclusions with their limited numbers — the issues at stake in this watchtower were too large.
For better or worse, they didn't have the right to decide the fate of this place. They should gather the wisdom of more people and seek the best path forward.
"I think so, but... is that a bad idea?"
"......I feel it places perhaps too much faith in others, but it's a conclusion that suits you. I won't oppose it if Ana and Julius don't."
"Thank you, Echidna."
Emilia thanked the first to voice her agreement.
Anastasia waved her hand and said, "Fine, fine."
"I won't oppose it either. Honestly, even if we tried to keep this hidden, it'd be too difficult to handle. Splitting the credit for discovery and development would be far better — plus, we might be able to bring back a solution for 'Gluttony' and the dragon's blood."
"We must not seek too much, nor染みた ourselves with petty ambition. Above all, it was Emilia-sama who reached the top of this tower. Let us respect her wishes."
"Anastasia-san, Julius — thank you!"
With their agreement secured, Emilia smiled and expressed her gratitude. Then, turning at last to Beatrice, who had yet to give her verdict — "What about you, Beatrice? Do you think it's irresponsible?"
"If we're talking about responsibility, abandoning this place without even investigating it would be far worse. Betty won't oppose it. And personally, I find it rather fascinating."
"Great!"
Relieved that her closest companion hadn't objected, Emilia let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Surely, pooling everyone's wisdom would reveal a good way to use this watchtower.
"All right, then. The remaining issue is the blood. ...If Volcanica would come with us, that would be the simplest way to handle it."
"That alone sounds like it would cause all sorts of problems."
True, Volcanica was enormous. Trying to bring it along would probably involve a lot of bumping into things. But Volcanica could fly, so if it stayed aloft while they entered a city, there shouldn't be a collision problem.
"Hey, Volcanica. Can you come with us? Or if you really have to stay here, could you share a little blood..."
*"——"* "Volcanica?"
Half hopeful and half resigned, Emilia had approached Volcanica expecting to hear more trial-related muttering. But Volcanica's reaction made her raise her eyebrows.
Volcanica had returned to its original posture, leaning against the pillar at the edge of the first floor. Slowly, the "Divine Dragon" raised its head and turned its gaze outward from the tower.
It wasn't speaking to them as they approached, nor was it attacking.
The sheer abnormality of that attitude was at least clear to Emilia.
And at the same time — "What... is it?"
A chill ran down her spine, as though cold fingers traced along her back, and Emilia hastily looked toward the source of her unease — the direction Volcanica was gazing, to the eastern side of the tower.
To the east of the tower, beyond the vast expanse of the Sand Sea, lay the Great Waterfall — the end of the earth — or rather, the Great Waterfall, and *something else.* That something — △▼△▼△▼△ "Nn..."
Rubbed by something rough against his face, Subaru groaned as he forced his eyelids open.
Blurred vision gradually sharpened through several blinks, and the cause of the rough sensation filled his field of view — Patrasche's face, licking Subaru's cheek with a rough red tongue.
"...Patrasche, huh?"
"——"
"Sorry for worrying you. ...You fought hard again, didn't you? Sorry, as always."
Reaching out to gently stroke the sharp features of his beloved dragon's worried face, Subaru's lips softened.
This jet-black earth dragon had saved him from the brink time and time again. The gratitude he owed for rescuing him during his amnesia went without saying — but in this final loop as well, the role Patrasche had played was enormous. After all — "If it weren't for Patrasche, Rem would've been in real danger. Getting her back here has to be the single greatest achievement of Barusu's life."
"I can't deny it, so I'll just let that slide. You also brought Betty out of the library and retrieved the insignia for Emilia. Both of those had Roswaal's involvement, though."
Strictly speaking, Roswaal had nothing to do with Beatrice's situation, but saying it that way was a better counterattack, so Subaru deliberately phrased it that way.
As expected, Ram clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Looking at her — Ram leaning against the wall of the Green Room, arms folded — Subaru winced at the sight of her battered condition.
Her fight against Rai Batenkaitos had clearly been a fierce one.
The fact that Meili had been wounded partway through was one factor, but the drastic reduction in the burden Subaru could bear was also likely to blame for her struggle.
He wanted to apologize for it — to say *it's my fault you got hurt* — but — "Hey, Ram. My fault you got hurt like this—ngh!"
"Don't be absurd. You think Ram got hurt because of Barusu? In Ram's life, Barusu hasn't been the cause of a single thing. How repulsive."
"'Repulsive' is overdoing it! The one shoving grass balls into someone's mouth is way scarier!"
Spitting out the chunk of vines he'd had stuffed into his mouth, eyes watering from the bitterness, Subaru protested. Hearing this, Ram scoffed without a trace of remorse.
Then, from the exchange between Subaru and Ram, a soft chuckle could be heard.
"Big brother and big sis are really close, huh? Just like real siblings."
Sitting on the floor with her legs stretched out — the small scarlet scorpion still perched on her head — was Meili, giggling.
Ram's face visibly twisted at Meili's words.
"Barusu as a brother...? Even granting that, he'd be a no-good, talentless little brother. Someone that useless would be used as rations in the oni village."
"The oni village is that harsh? At least I'm glad I'm not an oni..."
"Kidding. Ram simply ran out of patience and became rations."
"Quit stacking hypotheticals on top of hypotheticals to make things confusing!"
Subaru fired back at Ram's usual style, spit flying. But he could tell — beneath the harshness, Ram was showing her own kind of consideration.
She was telling him that her injuries were not his fault.
It was painful to accept that kindness. But if he stubbornly kept insisting it was his fault, that would be more likely to earn Ram's anger.
"You really are a troublesome woman, big sis..."
"Don't call Ram 'big sis' right after Meili's nonsense. If someone misunderstands, it'll be a hassle."
The same blunt reply as always. Despite the Ram-like feeling it gave him, Subaru surveyed the room — the "Green Room." Present were Subaru and Patrasche, Ram and Meili with the small scarlet scorpion, and on the bed at the back of the room, the "Sleeping Beauty" — "...Rem hasn't woken up."
"No. I wrung the neck of that hateful brat, though. So Emilia-sama's memories seem to have come back..."
"But Julius's haven't, and neither has Rem's. ...Is something missing?"
Subaru pressed his fist hard into his palm, chewing on the bitter feeling.
The conversation with Emilia and the others before he'd lost consciousness. —In the end, the only way to completely eradicate Gluttony's damage was to get information directly from them.
"Who's here based on severity of injuries? Where are Emilia and the others?"
"Big sis and Beatrice went upstairs to meet someone. The first floor — way, way up... You know who's up there, don't you, big sis Ram?"
"Nothing important. Just a senile old man."
"There's absolutely going to be some key character at the top of the watchtower..."
At the news of yet another new character, Subaru furrowed his brow.
Who was this senile old man Ram had described? If he was like Reid on the second floor — an examiner for the trials — "It's not Flugel, is it?"
"Barusu."
"If Flugel is up there, I swear I won't forgive him. I've got a mountain of things to say to him. If it weren't for him, Shaula would..."
"Barusu, calm down."
"Calm down? Ram, Shaula was..."
Pressing his knees into the floor, Subaru's flushed cheeks burned with an urge to storm the top floor and confront the old man's identity — when his cheek was flicked.
Ram had stepped close and slapped him.
Struck, Subaru stared at Ram in shock.
"Stop using Shaula as an outlet for your own helplessness."
"——"
"I heard about Shaula. She was loud, lacked class, and had completely lost her mind admiring Barusu... but she didn't deserve to disappear like that."
Saying this, Ram gently placed her hand on the cheek that had been struck.
The struck cheek was burning, but Ram's palm was cool against his skin. Feeling the contrast, Subaru caught his breath as Ram continued.
"If you want to mourn her, don't do it with anger. Do it with tears. Being used as a punching bag isn't what Shaula would want — she'd be happier knowing you were crying because you missed her. —Ram would be, anyway."
"Ram..."
"I still believe you were wrong in how you felt, though."
She added one final word and flicked his forehead. The painless tap sent him tumbling onto his backside, and Subaru touched his forehead where he'd been flicked, murmuring "Sorry..."
Now that he was calm, the idea that Flugel was the one on the first floor was clearly just Subaru's wishful thinking — and if he was being honest, bordered on paranoia.
If Flugel were truly up there — "Before Barusu could do anything, Ram and Emilia-sama would have already half-killed him."
"......Emilia aside, I believe that part about you."
Thinking of Shaula, anger toward Flugel was a natural feeling that anyone in this tower would share.
Ram's confirmation let Subaru finally exhale.
Still, the senile old man on the first floor was a mystery that greatly piqued his curiosity.
"Forget about it for now. Even if the senile old man is useful, it's the victims of the 'Lust' Archbishop that need help, not the 'Gluttony' ones."
"That's still a pretty big deal, but... right."
Ram's priorities were clearly set. Her ability to state them without hesitation was one of her strengths.
And Subaru could sympathize with her thinking more than he wanted to admit.
Having a lead on rescuing the victims of "Lust" was significant. But — "But, big sis Ram, you had a different idea just now, didn't you?"
While Subaru was engaged in self-restraint, Meili threw out that observation, poking the small scarlet scorpion on her head with a finger.
"Didn't you say something about how Gluttony's effects are related to time or something?"
"......Loose lips. You'll need stricter discipline when we return to the mansion."
"Eeeek, scary!"
Meili stuck out her tongue and grabbed her head. The small scorpion on top of her head raised its pincers and tail toward Ram as if to protect her, but flinched under Ram's cold stare and immediately curled up.
In that clumsy gesture, Subaru caught a glimpse of the girl she had once been — "Ram, that hypothesis? What was that about?"
"It's simple. The Archbishop of Gluttony said he *eats* other people's memories. If that's not just a metaphor — if memories are truly treated as food — then digestion time would matter, wouldn't it?"
"Digestion..."
"Emilia-sama's 'Name' was taken only a few hours ago, and she was able to recover it. But what about Knight Julius, the Priestella victims, and Rem?"
"Oh..."
At Ram's finger-raised hypothesis, Subaru's eyes went wide at its simplicity.
Just as she said — the Archbishop of Gluttony had likened the usurpation of "memories" and "names" to a meal. If that was more than mere metaphor, Ram's theory held water.
The stolen "memories" and "Names" had a digestion period.
And the reason Emilia's "Name" had returned while others hadn't — "...Could it be that they've already been fully digested?"
"......I don't know. But it's also possible that they simply need more time to return. If so, there's hope. For Julius, for the other victims... and for Rem's memories to come back."
"——"
Ram left it at that — it could be taken as both good and bad news, and she offered no further explanation.
Subaru understood her thinking. This was a question without an immediate answer.
However, with Batenkaitos defeated and Alphard captured, a major concern loomed for Subaru — no, was born anew.
"Louis Arneb..."
The last "Gluttony" sibling, encountered in the "Hall of Memories" and left behind there.
That girl who lacked her own physical body and had committed her evil through possessing the bodies of her two brothers and Natsuki Subaru — was she even a Witch Factor holder?
Her abilities were comparable to the authority of "Gluttony" itself.
But if the key to recovering all the authority's victims was the Archbishop of Gluttony's life, how was he supposed to defeat Louis Arneb, who existed in that place?
For starters — "Does the concept of death even exist in that place?"
That place had existed as a spiritual realm without a physical body.
By the conventions of manga and games, perhaps "spiritual death" could apply there — but would spiritual death release the Witch Factor?
That place, and Louis who remained there — everything was uncertain.
And even if he could determine the answer — "Julius defeated Reid, and the 'trial' has ended. Wouldn't that mean Reid's blank Book of the Dead has returned to normal?"
The reason Subaru had been able to reach the "Hall of Memories" — the Cradle of Od Laguna — was that a spent, empty Book of the Dead had existed to lead there.
Reid Astrea's soul had been used for the "trial," which created the blank space in his Book of the Dead, which in turn connected to the "Hall of Memories." If that was gone now — Natsuki Subaru might have lost his chance to defeat Louis Arneb.
"——"
Whether this was Subaru's mistake or not, he had no way of knowing whether Reid's Book of the Dead was still blank without checking. On top of that, Subaru had his own Book of the Dead to challenge — another potential bridge to the "Hall of Memories."
He would have to endure the hell of witnessing his own "death" once more, but that was far better than every possibility being cut off. *Far* better.
Far better than resigning himself to the many irreparable mistakes he'd already made.
"...Idiot."
"Sis?"
"If you have time to brood over useless things, you'd be far better off resting your body and mind. —You weren't the only one who couldn't find the optimal solution in this tower, Barusu."
Shaking her head, Ram gently touched her own forehead.
The place where her horn had once grown — now marked by a delicate old scar. Stroking it softly, she then extended the same finger toward Rem on the bed.
And as she lovingly caressed her sister's forehead — "I borrowed Rem's power to defeat the Archbishop of Gluttony. We won in the end, but the cost was high. ...This child was made to bear quite a heavy burden."
"A burden..."
"She performed as she had in the days of her horn. If it had been Barusu, he would have been blown apart from the inside."
This was no exaggeration — Subaru, who had experienced Ram's hidden suffering firsthand, understood perfectly. Merely breathing, merely existing normally, was a hellish ordeal for Ram.
She had pushed herself to the limit. What kind of feedback would that produce?
Without exaggeration, if Subaru had taken it, some part of him would surely have been irreparably destroyed.
Having forced that burden on Rem, Ram closed her eyes framed by long lashes.
But then she continued, "Listen —"
"I may be resented by Rem when she wakes up. But I won't regret it. I am Rem's sister. Whether she hates me or resents me, that bond is the same. ...So, I'll reach out to touch that future."
"——. Rem wouldn't hate you."
"I think she would. —She's a wonderful girl. My pride and joy."
With a confident smile, Ram looked at Subaru with her rose-colored eyes.
She had never known her sister in her own memory — she only knew Rem through Subaru's accounts — yet her love for her sister was absolute, unshaken.
Rather than regretting the past, she would challenge the future.
"...And you're saying that to me. Which is pretty much the definition of salt in the wound."
Ram's mindset was the polar opposite of Subaru's. He had run himself ragged time and again, trying to twist the past into a different shape.
From Ram's perspective of ultimate forward-thinking, Subaru's "Return by Death" was the ultimate backward-looking mindset.
Changing what had already happened through "Return by Death" was always, without exception, the product of regret over the past.
"In the end, I really shouldn't use it if I can help it..."
Unclenching his fist once more, Subaru managed a wry smile.
He accepted his own attitude — striving for a future where he could laugh together with everyone, using "Return by Death." But he also needed to remind himself not to drown in "Return by Death" itself.
He had heard enough tears and voices lamenting his loss in this tower.
"I don't really get it, but big brother seems a little better, huh?"
Noting the change in Subaru's expression, Meili, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, murmured.
"I can't really motivate people the way big sis or big sis Ram can, so don't look so depressed, okay? You promised you'd show me your proper back, remember?"
"Yeah, that promise too. Got it. This time, I'll keep it."
Looking at Meili and the small scarless scorpion on her head, Subaru nodded firmly.
As if to back up Subaru's resolve, Patrasche pressed her cheek against his. Her tough, armored scales — once you got used to them — could be pressed cheek-to-cheek without pain.
Returning the affection wholeheartedly, Subaru rose to his feet.
He had collapsed earlier from sheer exhaustion, but it seemed some of his strength had returned. All thanks to the Green Room's spirit.
"Come to think of it, this was an all-hands effort including Giant. How much the spirit in this room helped us — I can't even begin to express my gratitude..."
The Green Room was being used as a recovery room, but according to Shaula, it had originally housed a benevolent spirit that healed any living creature that entered.
It had no physical body and no desire to communicate, but its intention to heal wounds was clear, and Subaru's group had relied on this room many times during their tower conquest.
Ever since arriving, Rem had practically lived in this room.
"Well, it's not like I had her soaked in it on purpose..."
"Spirit, huh. Barusu's... no, never mind. What if you forced it to materialize using Julius's Blessing of Spirit Attraction?"
"I get what you're saying, but my charm is a Beatrice-only special, so I'm not losing any sleep. Still, if Julius's blessing actually let it talk..."
The Blessing of Spirit Attraction Julius possessed was, simply put, a blessing that made spirits like you more. He had used it to form contracts with the six quasi-spirits — now full spirits — but if it could also allow communication with the Green Room's spirit, that could open up new avenues.
A spirit who had spent even more time in this tower than Shaula — perhaps as much or more.
If that nameless entity could help unravel the watchtower's mysteries — "——?"
As Subaru was thinking this, a faint sigh escaped into the room.
It was Ram who had let out that sigh, her elegant brows furrowed. Narrowing her rose-colored eyes, she swept her gaze around the room.
"Ram? What's wrong?"
"...I'm sensing a strange atmosphere. Something's off."
At that very moment, Ram spoke her premonition.
"——!?"
"What the—!?"
Without warning, a phenomenon erupted in the center of the Green Room — light spilled forth, and Subaru and the others were stunned.
Caught off guard, Subaru and Ram sprang toward Rem. Meili and Patrasche also bared their teeth in alarm, backing away from the light.
"What, what, what, what is it!?"
"I don't know! Just don't get separated from me, no matter what happens — ugh!?"
Shielding the panicked Meili behind him, Subaru's warning was cut short.
The room's light flared to blinding intensity, searing his eyes. Shielding his face with his arm, Subaru cautiously peered through his fingers at the light.
After that intense flash, the light gradually faded, dying away. Caught between relief and renewed vigilance, Subaru laid eyes on *it*.
"...Huh?"
At what had appeared at the point where the light faded, Subaru's mind went blank.
Speechless. Stunned. Then speechless again.
"...A girl?"
Beside Subaru, Ram stared and murmured the same thing.
Her perception was correct. Subaru was seeing the same thing. But between the two of them, there was a clear difference in what they knew about this "girl."
Subaru knew her name.
Because lying on the floor of the Green Room was — "Louis Arneb."
△▼△▼△▼△ In the center of the Green Room, having appeared on the floor in a flash of light, was Louis Arneb — the youngest of the three sibling Archbishops of Gluttony.
The "Satiation" — who should have had no physical body — had now manifested in reality. Subaru was speechless.
But Ram caught his words.
"Louis Arneb... the last of the 'Gluttony' siblings' names."
This loop, Subaru had encountered Louis through the Book of the Dead but had only told Ram and the others the bare outline. Still, Ram's memory was sharp.
To her question, Subaru answered while still shaken.
"Y-yeah. She's the last of Gluttony... Louis Arneb. Batenkaitos and Alphard's sister, apparently..."
"......She appears to be unconscious."
Ram calmly observed Louis, and Subaru confirmed that she was indeed asleep.
Or was it sleep? Her actual condition was completely unclear. For starters, how had Louis — who lacked a physical body — appeared here?
It seemed unlikely that she, who had been so terrified of Subaru and so despairing of "Return by Death," would have recovered in mere hours and come to challenge him again.
Death left that kind of wound on a person's heart.
"Mulling it over won't help. Meili! Go get Emilia and the others! Ram and I will keep watch!"
"Tch, such a demanding guy. ...Don't go and die while I'm gone, okay?"
Meili cautiously retreated toward the entrance to the Green Room. Before slipping outside, she called back one last warning, and Subaru gave her a thumbs-up.
Watching the small scarlet scorpion on Meili's head mimic the gesture by raising its pincers, Meili spun on her heel and raced upstairs to fetch Emilia and the others.
Left behind in the room, Subaru and Ram — "I'd rather not, but should we tie her up with vines for now?"
"I don't want to provoke her unnecessarily. ...And Barusu, have you noticed?"
"——? Noticed what?"
As Subaru discussed how to handle Louis, Ram stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Confused, he tilted his head.
Ram lifted her chin toward the Green Room's ceiling — no, at the room itself.
"The room's healing effect has stopped. The spirit is gone."
"Wha—!? No way!"
"I'm not lying. Even you should be able to feel it if you concentrate, Barusu. The emptiness here."
Alarmed by Ram's words, Subaru scanned the room.
If she told him to concentrate, Subaru's methods for sensing a spirit's presence mostly involved hugging, nuzzling, or sleeping beside them. He didn't know any other way.
But just as Ram said, he could no longer feel the gentle wave that had blanketed his body.
The disappearance of the Green Room's spirit seemed to be a genuine phenomenon — "If so, that Archbishop isn't unrelated."
"——"
Subaru couldn't deny Ram's inference.
He had been thinking the same thing. The Green Room's spirit had vanished, and in its place, Louis Arneb had appeared. That might mean — "......Anyway, let's not rush to conclusions. We should wait for Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama to return. When they come back, we can discuss what to do about Louis."
Ram's sentence was cut short.
Before she could finish — a black apocalypse descended upon the Pleiades Watchtower.
"——!?"
A tremendous explosion erupted beneath their feet, hurling their bodies into the air.
The next instant, they were slammed against the ceiling and walls with full force. Subaru screamed, "Gah!" and shook his head to clear it, finally realizing what was happening.
A horrifying aura that made every hair on his body stand on end was approaching.
"That's impossible..."
Shaking off the premonition that said *this can't be happening*, Subaru forced himself upright. But the chill only intensified, trying to carve his doubts into certainty.
It was the obstacle he had believed wouldn't come — the one that, until this very moment, should have been unable to manifest. And yet, it had arrived as a force of immense destruction.
"Patrasche! Take Ram — !"
"——!!"
Subaru scooped up Ram, who had fallen and couldn't get to her feet, and hurled her toward Patrasche.
Patrasche caught her despite being covered in wounds, understanding Subaru's intent, and bolted for the doorway.
"Barusu, you fool — !"
Ram's resentful words, but there was no time to listen.
Subaru steadied his shaking legs and rushed to the vine bed where Rem lay. He gathered her body in his arms and headed for the door — But at the edge of his vision, he caught sight of Louis rolling on the grass.
"Damn it! Son of a — !!"
With a curse, Subaru summoned every ounce of strength his broken body could muster. He held Rem in his right arm and grabbed Louis's wrist with his free left hand.
Both were light. In this emergency, he could carry them out without worrying about weight.
And just as he was about to bolt from the Green Room with both of them — The floor burst open and a black shadow poured into the room — cutting between the doorway and Subaru.
Yes — a black shadow.
The last of the five obstacles — the obstacle Subaru had been certain would not come — the "Witch's" black shadow, which had been obsessively fixated on him, had at this late hour attacked the watchtower.
"Ram — !"
Roaring, Subaru tried at least to push Rem through the gap in the shadow.
But the black shadow consumed his entire field of vision, leaving no opening. And its flood didn't stop — not just from the front, but from the sides and behind, the shadow swallowed everything.
"Damn it... after making it this far...!"
Staring at the approaching shadow, Subaru's heart was consumed by frustration.
If swallowed by the shadow, Subaru would die and "Return by Death." If he triggered "Return by Death" in this watchtower, and the restart point hadn't been updated, he would be forced to start over with Louis Arneb already lodged inside his mind.
If that happened, this white-haired Archbishop would dominate him once more.
He had feared exactly that — which was why he had given everything to this loop, believing it was his last chance — "Barusu! Hold it together! Rem is crying!"
"——!!"
From beyond the black shadow, Ram and Patrasche's desperate voices reached him.
He tried to answer, drew breath — but couldn't push out a single word.
The black shadow swallowed Natsuki Subaru whole before he could.
△▼△▼△▼△ Engulfed by the vast black shadow, Subaru's consciousness drifted slowly through darkness.
"——"
Hands, feet, blood, flesh — the sensation of his very existence being disassembled and conceptualized.
He was being consumed by a colossal emotion, one far too vast, and his identity was being overwritten.
*"— I love you."* Someone was whispering to him in the empty, pitch-black void.
It sounded like a strangely familiar voice, and Natsuki Subaru's consciousness smirk bitterly.
*I love you* — being told that so often made him sound like some elegant knight beloved by six spirits.
He didn't have that kind of worth. All the love he could give barely filled both hands and his back, and even that was a massive strain.
"I want to keep pushing beyond that limit, though..."
*"— I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."* "Sorry, but I can't answer that. ...Right now, those words are a landmine for me. I just failed to catch the hand of someone who said them to me."
*"— I love you. I love you. I love you."* "......Looks like neither of us is willing to listen. In that case, just drain it already."
In this empty space, with everything coming to this, there was zero hope of leaving alive.
If so, then Natsuki Subaru would die here in this darkness.
But rather than despair, he would turn that to rage and resolve, and accept it.
"When I come back, the worst possible scenario might be waiting. A fully lucid Louis might be trying to seize 'Return by Death' this time."
*"— I love you. I love you. I love you."* "But I won't lose. I won't lose. No matter how many times, I'll fight. No matter how many times — I'll fight. This time, I'll keep my promise."
*"— I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."* "For the day after tomorrow — I'll fight as many times as it takes."
The words *I love you*, repeated over and over, failed to crush him.
His heart, which could have been wounded by those words, had already been thoroughly destroyed mere moments ago. Such affection could no longer bind Natsuki Subaru.
But the accumulation of love's words paid no heed even to his rejection.
Truly, blindly, love's words surged to engulf the world itself, and Natsuki Subaru's existence was swallowed into the dark — *"— I love you. I love you. I love you. I love"* *"— I am Volcanica. By the ancient covenant, I question the resolve of those who reach the summit."* The next instant, a tremendous pillar of blue light descended from above, striking headlong into the darkness that enveloped the world.
The ferocious light devoured the dark, and the world changed color in an instant — Changed — Changed —.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Nn..."
Rubbed by something rough against his face, Subaru groaned as he pried his eyes open.
Consciousness rose slowly to the surface. As it did, the blurred vision beyond his opened eyelids gradually sharpened into proper form.
Throughout that time, the rough sensation continued to press against Subaru's cheek.
"Patrasche... got it. I got it. I'm up. I'm already up..."
Subaru's voice was barely a rasp as he struggled to speak through the persistent nuzzling and licking.
Exhausted as he was, the sound that escaped his throat was impossibly thin, and it seemed his intentions weren't getting across — the physical contact continued unabated.
"Hey, how much are you going to cling to me... If you're going to be that cute, aren't you going to rocket to the top of the next heroine race... huh?"
"Aahh?"
"Aahh...?"
Working saliva into a bone-dry mouth, Subaru finally managed to form words — and received a response.
But that response wasn't what he expected, and Subaru's cheek went stiff. The tongue that had been lapping at his cheek slowly came into focus, and there, hovering over him — "Uuaa...?"
Was Louis Arneb, straddling Subaru and licking his face.
"Ugh — WAAAH!?"
"Uwah!"
At the impossible sight, Subaru instinctively shoved Louis away. She shrieked and went tumbling across the grass.
Watching her, Subaru frantically scooted backward.
"Wh-what — what the hell!? What do you think you're doing!? Trying to mess with me again..."
"Uu... uu? Uuaah..."
"Uuaah! What — what happened... I died and...?"
Subaru stared at Louis, bewildered, his voice shaking.
Louis lay on her back in the grass, flailing her limbs like a child and groaning.
Her intentions were unclear. Her objective — no, before even that — "Where am I...?"
Not taking his eyes off Louis, Subaru heightened his guard and surveyed his surroundings.
What greeted him was a vivid green plain — flowers swaying gently in the breeze. It was an expansive field of grass.
"——"
A scene impossible in the Augria Sand Dunes.
To be precise, the bear-flower fields near the Flower-Wife Bears' territory did have something resembling a meadow, but this wasn't one of those artificial creations — it was genuine, natural vegetation.
In the distance, he could see a forest, further confusing Subaru's thoughts.
This wasn't the Augria Sand Dunes. But it didn't seem to be the "Hall of Memories" where he'd confronted Louis, either.
"The grass has substance. It even tastes like... blegh! Grass!"
Plucking a blade of grass and sniffing/tasting it, Subaru confirmed it was real.
He then checked his injuries and the state of his torn clothing — traces of the earlier battle, the fighting around the Pleiades Watchtower, remained.
In other words, that battle had definitely happened, and Subaru was not yet dead.
Despite the black shadow's attack on the Green Room — despite being swallowed — he had survived.
"That's right! Rem! Rem is..."
If Louis was in front of him, then Rem — whom he had been carrying at the same time — should be nearby.
Abandoning Louis, Subaru scanned the grassy landscape for Rem. Before long, he spotted her lying quietly in a patch of low grass.
"Rem! Oh, thank God... you're safe, you're really safe..."
Rushing to Rem's side, Subaru confirmed she was unharmed and collapsed in relief.
She appeared uninjured. Her body was warm, her breathing calm — the same as he'd seen before. Reassured from the bottom of his heart, Subaru wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Haah... what a relief. If anything had happened to you, big sis would've kill me..."
Even setting that aside, Subaru would have been unable to forgive himself.
As he thought this, Subaru raised his head and said, "Still, though..."
"Where is this...? Where's the tower? Emilia, Beatrice... where are they?"
He looked around, but couldn't spot the watchtower, which should have been visible from any direction.
The view was the same no matter where he looked.
"Emilia!! Beatrice!! Ram!!"
"Uu — aah!"
Hoping for an answer even if he couldn't see them, Subaru called out.
But his voice echoed emptily, and only Louis, lying in the grass, responded. He was irritated by that fact, but he couldn't ignore her either.
Not knowing what she was planning, he was in an impossible situation — yet he was the only one who could protect Rem. Standing up to deal with Louis — He was gently tugged by the arm.
"——eh?"
On one knee, about to stand, Subaru let out a ragged breath.
The pull on his arm — on his sleeve — wasn't particularly strong. But he couldn't move.
His knees trembled, and a cold sweat broke out across his entire body.
It truly was an inexplicable impulse. His insides lurched simultaneously, and every fiber of Natsuki Subaru's being reacted to the phenomenon, thrashing wildly.
It was an impact beyond words.
It was a passion beyond comparison.
It was the strongest wave of astonishment he had ever felt in this world.
"Ahh..."
Slowly, his eyelids trembled and began to part.
Beyond them were eyes like a clear lake — pale blue.
Those eyes, sparkling with joy, were what he loved.
Those eyes, mischievously bright, were what he loved.
Those eyes, pleading so tightly it constricted his heart, were what he loved.
He had yearned for that light for so, so, so long.
"Re..."
His heart leapt, his throat trembled, and sound wouldn't come, as if something were lodged in his throat.
Something *was* lodged there. Yes. How many feelings had accumulated in this heart?
Words he wanted to say, topics he wanted to discuss, wishes he wanted to share — there had been so many, piled higher and higher.
And in pursuit of all of that, Natsuki Subaru — "Rem."
His lips trembled as he spoke the name.
Pathetically, it had taken countless failures just to say this much.
Had he said it clearly enough for her to hear? Perhaps what he thought was clear was only an illusion — perhaps nothing had really gotten through.
Terrified, he gasped for breath and repeated it again.
"Rem, Rem... Rem, Rem... Re... Rem... Rem...!"
Each time he spoke her name, tears poured forth in torrents.
And each time the tears fell, her image blurred. If he lost sight of her face, she might slip from his grasp again — and the thought was unbearable.
Frantically wiping his face with his sleeve to keep the tears and snot from obscuring his vision, Subaru struggled to keep her in focus.
"——"
Softly, gently, blinking — clarity returned to the hazy eyes, a definite light settling within them.
At this point, there could be no mistaking this for a phantom born of Subaru's desires.
Without question, she was here. Rem was here.
"Ahh..."
Rem moved her lips weakly, trying to form words.
Just hearing that single faint, hoarse note was enough to make Subaru feel his chest would burst.
He had spoken to her sleeping face, felt the thread of life in her breathing, and clung to the certainty that she was alive.
He had sworn he would save her, greeting dawn and dusk again and again.
But in all that time, not once had he heard her voice.
Close his eyes and the memory came flooding back — the words she had spoken to him, the way she had called his name, in so many different moments. But all of that was in the past.
He had wanted to hear her voice — new, in the present, for tomorrow.
And now, finally, that wish could be fulfilled.
"Rem... it's okay. Take your time..."
"Uu..."
She moved her lips with difficulty, struggling.
He should have gone to fetch water for her, if only a cupful. But there was no water nearby, and he couldn't look away.
One word. If she would call his name one more time — If he could just hear that one word, Subaru would — "...atah"
"...Rem?"
Quietly, Rem paused her lip movement, seeking a trace of moisture for her parched mouth.
Wetting her tongue with what little saliva she could produce, she managed to gather just enough strength and opened her mouth.
And with those blue eyes reflecting Subaru's face — "Who... are you?"
"——"
The voice that left her lips — the sound bound to meaning — penetrated Subaru's brain.
*Who are you.* "——"
Subaru, kneeling and gazing down at Rem's face, held his breath.
Then he exhaled the bitter air that had pooled deep in his lungs and struck his own chest.
Hard. Hard. Twice, three times, he struck himself, making his case to his own body.
*— This possibility. I should have expected it.* He had considered the possibility that Rem might wake up not remembering him.
When it came to the authority of "Gluttony," it was the natural outcome. She could easily have lost her own "memories" or "Name" and awakened like this.
Yes — it was entirely possible. It wasn't as though he hadn't thought about it.
Of course, that didn't make the shock he felt, the pain, any less.
Even so, he didn't have to curse fate, rage against the injustice, or wallow in self-pity like a tragic hero.
More than anything, Natsuki Subaru had already been told.
*"Please show me your cool side, Subaru-kun."* "My name is Natsuki Subaru."
Gritting his back teeth hard, Subaru lowered the despairing expression and twisted his cheeks into a smile.
Wiping his face messily with his sleeve, he put on every ounce of bravado he had and smiled at Rem.
A Natsuki Subaru smile — groundlessly, impossibly cheerful.
"You might not remember me yet. But I'm..."
"You... are..."
At Rem's hoarse question, Subaru paused, squeezed his eyes shut.
Then, looking back at her blue eyes with his dark ones, he continued.
"I'm your hero. —Rem, I missed you."
So he spoke, and once more, Natsuki Subaru claimed the title of hero — for the girl he had made his vow to.
Shouldering the battered image of heroism, the boy called himself a hero once more for the girl's sake.
— To swear his vow once more. To begin their story from zero.