A look of insolent arrogance—a smirk delivered from behind that mask—and Subaru held his breath.
There was no doubt this was the same insolent man who had shown him the way when he'd gotten separated from
"———"
Lying on bare ground inside a wooden cage, his entire body battered—forget hands and feet, every limb in tatters—Subaru's life apparently continued on without interruption.
He had led Todd and the other Imperial soldiers into the forest, used his own miasma as bait to lure magic beasts, and tried to escape during the ensuing chaos—only to end up here.
"Then, after that, I…"
"Apparently, you were caught in a trap while wandering the forest. The settlement folk were making a fuss about a human getting caught in a trap meant for hunting beasts."
"A trap… the settlement…?"
Listening to the masked man's explanation, Subaru rubbed his aching head and directed his attention beyond the cage.
The wooden cage holding Subaru was far cruder in construction compared to the iron one he'd seen at the Imperial camp. If anything, it looked hastily assembled—built in a rush.
Beyond the cage, what he could make out in the distance was a cluster of tall trees and land cleared from among them. To Subaru's impression, the settlement looked like it might be near the
The Sanctuary had also been a settlement built within a deep forest, the Kremaldy Forest. However, unlike the Sanctuary, which had houses and a church even though it was situated in the woods, this settlement consisted of nothing but what could generously be called log cabins and, less generously, primitive dwellings.
"Nature enthusiasts" seemed like the safest way to describe them.
But what mattered far more to Subaru than the settlement's poverty was who exactly was living there.
In other words— "—The People of Shudrak?"
"Oh? So you knew of them. Well, given your sorry state, you must have endured quite the ordeal in just one day. Did you find the girl you were separated from?"
"…Yeah, thanks to you."
At the masked man's question, Subaru let out a deep sigh.
The masked man maintained his composure with ease—but he, too, was in the same cage as Subaru. Unless he had some peculiar hobby of locking himself in a cage alongside a fellow prisoner, his position was the same as Subaru's.
He'd just been captured at the Imperial camp, but here he was—a prisoner once again.
However, there was one difference.
"—This… the wounds on my shoulder and back—did you treat them?"
Touching his shoulder and back, the tight sensation told him the bleeding had been stopped. The sharp, acrid smell also seemed close to what an antiseptic or medicinal solution might produce.
To Subaru's question, the masked man snorted with a "hmph."
"If I hadn't, you'd have died as you were. They probably didn't know what to do with you either. Like me—they didn't know what the right course of action was."
"That composure of yours… where does it come from?"
"If pressed, from my soul. And you—how long do you intend to keep making a fool of yourself,
"I don't need your—"
Subaru was about to retort with "concern," but the pain of his wounds forced him to bite down on his molars.
The treatment was minimal—just enough to keep Subaru alive, not enough to close his wounds quickly or alleviate the pain. By comparison to what he'd received at the Imperial camp, the conditions were worse.
Right—thinking about the Imperial camp, Subaru realized something.
There was a reason he needed to get back there as soon as possible.
"Oh no—how long has it been since I was brought here?!"
"Let's see… about two hours, I'd say. I should note, that's quite generous of me. If I'd had no qualms, I would have woken you sooner—"
"Then why didn't you wake me sooner?!"
"———"
Subaru pressed his trembling knees against the ground and made his plea, while the masked man narrowed his eyes.
From his perspective, this was an absurd complaint. He had let the wounded, near-death Subaru sleep for two hours because he judged the boy needed rest.
As for having stepped on Subaru's head afterward—that could be seen as the act of someone whose patience had simply run out, a testament to his Volakian brand of human nature. But if that were the case— "You should have reached your breaking point sooner."
"What a thing to say. Do you even understand what you're saying? You're telling me you wish I had stepped on your head sooner."
"Yeah, that's exactly right! What else would—guh, kugh…!"
Spouting those absurd words, Subaru's vision flashed red.
His entire body was in pain, but what hurt most was the new stabbing wound on his back near the shoulder blade—Todd's knife, aimed at him as he fled.
Come to think of it, the knife that had pierced him was the one the masked man in front of him had given him. To receive that wound and then meet its giver again—that was some cruel twist of fate.
In any case— "I left Rem back at the Imperial camp… Before Todd and those guys make it back from their encounter with the magic beasts in the forest, I need to get back too, or Rem will…"
When the giant serpent broke up their formation, Jamal and the others had naturally prioritized dealing with the magic beasts. But among all of them, Todd alone had prioritized killing Subaru.
Todd had probably figured out that Subaru was the one who lured the magic beasts. And in that moment, Todd had tried to eliminate Subaru immediately to prevent him from summoning a second beast. That split-second judgment and execution couldn't be underestimated—and must not be.
Subaru had tried to make it seem like his connection to Rem and the others was thin, that extracting information about him would be fruitless—but— "If there's no certainty, they might just resort to torture as a stopgap."
That was the kind of threat the Volakia Empire posed, starting with Todd.
To prevent that, Subaru had to go back and save Rem.
And yet— "Stuck here…!"
"I see. So this 'Rem' you mention is the woman you were searching for. After parting from me, it sounds like you ran into quite the ordeal. The ones outside the forest—Imperial soldiers?"
"Yeah, that's right! She'd been captured! So I put on an act to escape… but I couldn't bring Rem with me. So…"
"That desperation of yours. No wonder you looked like someone used to being a prisoner."
"Who looks like a prisoner?! And besides—"
Wasn't the masked man in the same boat?
Though he was someone who'd done him a kindness, the irritation welled up so sharply that Subaru nearly snapped back. But before he could act on that impulse, a realization stopped him.
"———"
Bickering back and forth with the masked man, Subaru had been so caught up in the argument that he hadn't noticed a different kind of gaze piercing toward his profile.
Turning to look, beyond the cage, through the gaps in the bars, he could make out two points of light peering in. As they slowly came into focus, he could see they were emerald-green eyes.
The owner of those eyes blinked at Subaru's gaze.
"—Oh. Uu noticed ye."
"Wha…"
"Tell Mee."
Saying this, the owner of those emerald eyes pulled away from the bars. Subaru hurriedly tried to stop her with a "Wait!" but he was too late.
By the time Subaru lunged toward the bars, the girl had already slipped away and was running off without so much as a backward glance.
"Who was that…"
"A girl from the People of Shudrak. Curious sort, probably. She came by several times when I was alone, peering in—demanding to see my face, telling me to take off the mask. Annoying beyond belief…"
"———"
The masked man grumbled with his arms crossed, apparently不满 with his observer's attitude.
Unfortunately, Subaru had no luxury to commiserate. His attention had been stolen by the one who was retreating—that young girl.
She was around ten years old, with dark-brown skin.
A white cloth was wrapped around her body, and she wore a revealing outfit with plenty of exposure—practical attire adapted to this subtropical land.
Her hair was close to a bob cut, with only the tips dyed pink—a special coloring that was probably the result of dyeing. The roots were black, which matched Todd's description of the People of Shudrak as dark-haired.
But what truly shocked Subaru about the girl's appearance wasn't anything special about her physical form—it was that this was not the first time he'd seen her.
"…She…"
His memory insisted: this was the girl who had killed him.
She was the one who had shot a poison arrow into his back, ending his life.
When Subaru's carelessness had caused the jungle to catch fire, she had watched him flee the spreading flames, her eyes brimming with hatred—this was that girl.
The dots connected in Subaru's mind.
The reason she'd looked at him with such loathing was none other than this—it had been revenge. Revenge for the destruction of her home and her people.
"What's wrong? You've gone quiet, as if someone doused you with water."
"…Ah."
Subaru pressed his forehead against the wooden bars and bit his lip as the man's voice reached him from behind.
The masked man had returned to his original position and was watching Subaru, whose emotions were violently fluctuating. His gaze made Subaru profoundly uncomfortable, and he looked away.
"You're a difficult one to pin down. In any case, it would be best to stop shouting. Shutting you up here is too much trouble. You'd waste energy unnecessarily. You don't have to scream for every single—"
"I don't have to scream?"
"—They'll come to you. Look."
Following the man's chin gesture, Subaru turned around and his eyes went wide.
What slowly illuminated the dim field of vision was fire—the light of torches. Several figures carrying torches had appeared, heading toward Subaru's cage.
At their head was a tall, powerfully built woman. Her originally black hair had been dyed red, and her brown skin was marked with white paint patterns. She had strikingly intense green eyes.
Peeking out from behind her was the girl from earlier. The approaching group numbered about ten, and all of them appeared to be women.
"———"
Yet Subaru found himself involuntarily overwhelmed by their presence.
This wild group was different from the knights of the
A group built not on reason but on instinct at their core—that was the impression they gave.
As Subaru watched their approach with that impression, the women—the People of Shudrak—stood before the cage and fixed their gazes on the two men inside.
And then— "Ye've woken, I see. —Who exactly are the two of ye?"
They addressed both Subaru and the masked man as one.
△▼△▼△▼△ —Who are you?
It was a question you heard often enough in stories, but one that rarely came up in real life.
The situation of being suspected of hiding your true identity and confronted about it wasn't something that happened often in everyday life. Unless both the questioner and the questioned were in a profession that demanded it, these might be words one never encountered in a lifetime.
In that sense, it wasn't exactly a familiar question for Subaru either.
However, he could still vividly recall the first time he'd been asked it in his life.
Who Subaru was, and what his purpose was.
The first person to ask Subaru that was none other than Rem—who had questioned him at the mansion when she suspected his true identity.
"Not just you, but you… plural?"
Shaking off those memories, Subaru placed a question mark over the inquiry.
Even though they were in the same cell, his relationship with the masked man was tenuous. Or rather, they'd been put in the same cell because it suited the other man's convenience—Subaru's involvement was practically zero.
To be treated as if they were in the same position seemed rather unreasonable.
"Don't get hung up on pointless things. I told them you and I are acquaintances. Their questioning stems from that alone."
"You…! Acquaintances? We're not that close!"
"I haven't lied. Both you and I can recognize each other as familiar faces. What more is needed to call someone an acquaintance?"
"You're… completely absurd…"
It was an absurdly forced line of reasoning, but Subaru recognized the tactic. He knew someone—one of those very acquaintances—who used this same kind of logic to steamroll Subaru and others into submission.
Did all important people resort to these tactics? Subaru's head was spinning—until— "Hey, what are ye whispering about? Answer the question!"
"Ah—ah—my name's Natsuki Subaru! As you can see, a pathetic, wretched, lost little wreck! And the guy behind me is… uh…"
"Abel."
"Right, Abel! He hides his face behind a mask, has an insufferably arrogant personality, but he's got this unexpected side where he'll gift a knife to someone who's lost—and with that gap between image and reality, he's made countless girls cry! A real playboy! So with that, introduce yourself!"
"O-Oh…? I am Mizelda, ye see…"
Subaru's torrent of words overwhelmed her, and the woman at the front—Mizelda—introduced herself accordingly.
Once Subaru had the leisure to properly observe, he found a word that perfectly described the atmosphere Mizelda and the other women radiated. —Amazons.
Lots of women, hardened and powerful physiques, body paint fitting the image of a tribe or indigenous people, some carrying bows on their backs—it was all exactly as he'd imagined.
The People of Shudrak were, without a doubt, the Amazons of Subaru's understanding.
"Come to think of it, it's also kind of a shock that the masked man's name turned out to be Abel…"
"———"
"But that can wait! Listen, Mizelda, and everyone from Shudrak!"
Putting the mention of the masked man—Abel—on hold, Subaru raised his voice to the gathered women.
Judging by appearances, they didn't seem to have any intention of killing him outright. That was evident from the fact that they'd treated his wounds and from their willingness to hear him out.
If that was the case, then perhaps speaking to them sincerely and earnestly would get through.
"You might already know this, but there's an Imperial army camp outside this forest. The person most important to me is being held there, and I need to get back before it's too late! So please, let me go!"
"———"
"Also, the Imperial soldiers are targeting the People of Shudrak. They say they want to talk, but if worst comes to worst, they're prepared for war. If it comes to that, then I could…"
Subaru was about to offer to mediate, to set up a negotiating table, but then he clamped his mouth shut.
It was true that if he could pull it off, war between the Imperial soldiers and the People of Shudrak might be averted. But for Subaru to broker such a thing was now impossible.
In Todd's understanding, Subaru was the one who had lured them into the magic beast trap. There was no way they would trust him—expecting otherwise was just being naive.
Subaru had made a clear choice: Rem versus Todd and his soldiers.
And to save Rem, he had chosen to harm them. He could not escape the consequences of that choice.
"I'm sorry—let me correct what I just said. It's true that the soldiers are targeting the People of Shudrak. They've got a large force camped outside, and even if we fight…"
"—You think we would lose?"
"I…"
The difference in numbers and available tactics made it undeniable that they'd be at a disadvantage. Subaru was about to explain that when Mizelda cut him off with a quiet declaration.
Hearing her reaction, Subaru realized he'd chosen his words poorly.
The People of Shudrak were, most likely, a hunting people.
For warriors who honed their skills and constantly improved their abilities, telling them they would lose in a fight was the worst possible argument—a landmine of persuasion.
"We know the Volakia soldiers are out there. But between them and us, there is an ancient pact. There will be no fighting."
"Wait—! I don't know anything about that pact, but they are seriously targeting you—"
"Enough!"
"—!"
Subaru tried to press closer, but was knocked backward by the impact through the wooden bars. Mizelda had struck the bars with her fist, her eyes blazing with indignation.
This was yet another of Subaru's verbal missteps.
Just as their pride in battle was sacred, so was this ancient pact of theirs.
Subaru had unconsciously, and once again, trampled all over it.
"The Volakia soldiers do unit movement training outside the forest. They've done it many times."
"Unit movement training… military exercises, you mean?"
The unfamiliar word made Mizelda furrow her brow. But Subaru was gradually beginning to see the full picture of the trap that Volakia had set.
Imperial soldiers setting up camp near the Badoheim jungle under the pretext of military exercises—it was something that happened regularly. The People of Shudrak had grown completely used to it by now.
And the Volakia army intended to exploit that familiarity—a complacency born of repeated exposure—to surround the Badoheim jungle and, in one decisive stroke, conquer the People of Shudrak.
If there was something that concerned him— "Why go to all this trouble to target these people?"
Of course, the women standing before him—starting with Mizelda—were without question members of a formidable tribe. That much was clear from the overwhelming fighting spirit they radiated.
However, Subaru couldn't understand the reason for mobilizing an army, surrounding the forest, and going to such lengths to conquer them.
Even now, they showed no intention of leaving the forest. They were people who lived here, who simply intended to go on living.
And yet— "Natsuki Subaru and Abel both refuse to tell us the truth. That won't do for us."
"Wait—could it be—?"
"———"
Mizelda slowly shook her head, signaling the end of negotiations.
None of the other People of Shudrak objected to her cold decision. It seemed that Mizelda, at the head, was the leader here—or perhaps of this entire settlement.
Following her decree, the People of Shudrak turned their backs on Subaru's pleas and rejected him.
As the torch-carrying group began to retreat, Subaru desperately called out after them.
"Wait! I'm not lying, I'm not lying! Everyone's in danger! The pact… pacts can be broken! Everyone, and Rem—they're all in danger!"
He pleaded with every ounce of desperation he had.
But the People of Shudrak, having received their chieftain's decision, did not stop. The only one who kept glancing back at Subaru was the young girl—but even she didn't stop.
Hoarse, coughing up blood-tinged phlegm, Subaru pleaded—but no one would listen.
"Cough… damn it… why is it always like this…!"
Collapsing to the ground, Subaru slammed his forehead against the bars and lamented.
His right shoulder and left fingers were both injured, so he couldn't even take out his frustration on the cage. A battered, useless wreck with nothing to offer—not even his silver tongue.
If that was the case, what value did Natsuki Subaru have left?
"…Just my refusal to give up and a bit of cleverness, I guess."
Tasting a despair that felt like his world was going dark, Subaru nonetheless refused to yield. He clenched his teeth and resolved to fight on.
The old Subaru would have arbitrarily set his own limits and given up.
But now, having looked back at his past and reflected on how difficult the path he'd walked had been, Subaru was slightly different.
He was slightly less prone to giving up. That was a certain light, illuminating the dark road ahead.
"That was quite the pathetic negotiation."
"———"
Abel's mockery-laced contempt reached Subaru, who was gnawing at one of the branches forming the cage's bars, trying to find or create a gap wide enough to squeeze through.
It was infuriating. But he couldn't deny it. In truth, Subaru had stepped spectacularly on every landmine the other man had set, completely bungling the negotiation. Thoughtless to the extreme.
However— "If I was pathetic, then you were nothing to speak of. Besides—I warned you, didn't I? I told you there were dangerous people in the forest, so don't go in."
"So you did. That advice proved useful. I should thank you for it."
"Even though I'm still a prisoner? I'm drowning in helplessness. …Dammit, is there no loose spot anywhere?"
He threw his whole body against the cage, but the makeshift wooden prison showed no gaps. The log-like bars were each driven deep into the ground, with what seemed like heavy-machinery-level reinforcement.
Of course, since this world didn't have heavy machinery, this had been built by human hands. Either by a large group, or by someone with superhuman strength like
"In a settlement full of women, they built something like this…"
"Never underestimate the People of Shudrak. They are a matriarchal race where only females are born, descendants of warrior goddesses who have lived in this forest for hundreds of years. Male hands are unnecessary except for procreation—and even that man is typically snatched from elsewhere."
"So they really are Amazons… Hey, don't tell me the reason we're locked up here—"
Capture men and use them for breeding.
Such thinking had existed throughout history, particularly in remote mountain villages. And this was, after all, a foreign land within another world where Subaru's common sense didn't apply—it was entirely possible.
But Abel scoffed at Subaru's suggestion.
"Rest assured. They're selective about their mates. The seed of someone who would deceive and scheme against them would bear nothing but corruption. Such a lineage would be unwelcome."
"…Deceive and scheme."
Taking in Abel's words, Subaru cursed the clumsiness of his own explanation.
The reason Mizelda and the others hadn't believed him was, impatience aside, a product of how poorly he'd structured his argument.
A sincere and desperate appeal, without understanding the other party's customs and where their pride lay, was no different from a rude offense. And indeed—that's exactly what it had been.
"But I'm not lying. The Imperial soldiers are targeting the People of Shudrak. And also…"
"And also?"
"As a last resort—or no, as their very first resort—they'll set fire to the forest."
At Subaru's words, Abel briefly caught his breath for the first time.
Fire set to the forest—that was what had happened when Todd learned of the magic beasts' presence in the woods. Last time, just from hearing Subaru's account, the Imperial army had chosen to burn the Badoheim jungle to the ground.
If they confirmed the beasts' existence firsthand, the burning of the jungle would be unavoidable this time as well.
"…If Todd and his squad had all been wiped out, it'd be a different story."
By choosing to lure magic beasts into the fray, Subaru had fully considered that possibility.
A strategy of summoning enemies who might kill you was no different from indirect murder. Subaru had known that and still carried out his trap—and people might have actually died.
Thinking about that, a heavy weight formed deep in his chest, and his heart ached as though it were being squeezed shut.
But carrying that aversion and guilt toward killing would be a lifelong burden. What he needed to focus on was something else entirely—Todd and his soldiers were probably not all dead.
"———"
Twenty-odd men, with limited experience fighting magic beasts.
But taking into account Todd's judgment and Jamal's unexpected initiative, hoping that single giant serpent had destroyed Todd's entire squad was too much to ask.
Naturally, they should assume Todd's survivors had retreated from the forest and returned to their camp.
Once back at camp, Todd would report Subaru's betrayal and the presence of magic beasts. Depending on the circumstances, he might even conclude that the People of Shudrak had taken hostile action—perhaps while still believing only that Subaru was one of them.
If that happened, then as before, to minimize military losses, the Imperial soldiers would unhesitatingly set fire to the forest. The People of Shudrak would be burned.
"—What's with that look in your eyes?"
"No, it's just…"
Noticing Subaru's gaze, Abel asked what it was about. Subaru quickly looked away, but what he'd been thinking about was Abel's fate.
It was likely that Abel, too, had been captured by the People of Shudrak in the previous timeline. If so, when the forest burned, he would have burned along with them.
It was unlikely that the People of Shudrak would have gone out of their way to keep a male prisoner alive during a massive fire. Worst case, he could have been trapped in the cage and burned to death.
If that was true— "The People of Shudrak, Abel—I'd have killed them all."
He didn't want Rem to die. He didn't want his own life to end. He didn't want Abel or the People of Shudrak to die either.
That was exactly why Subaru had to get up and find a way out.
"Can't you see it's pointless? These are not the kind of people who would leave such an obvious gap for you to exploit—especially when you're injured. All this for just one woman? Why go so far?"
Still gnawing at the wood, desperately trying to resist, Subaru was met with Abel's exasperated words.
But those words ignited a fire in Subaru.
"Because that girl isn't 'just one woman'—she's more than any word like that could cover. There's no one else like her. Rem is Rem, and that's all there is to it."
"———"
"And you—can you really just sit there criticizing everything I do? I don't know why you're here, but are you just going to accept being a prisoner and do nothing?"
When Subaru had first encountered Abel, he'd been wearing a "Concealing Mantle" or something similar and had given the impression of being in the forest for some purpose. Even without that, according to Todd's story, he was the kind of person who would casually hand over a fine dagger that might have been gifted by the Emperor himself.
The idea that he was here with no purpose was hard to believe—impossible, even.
"What are you going to accomplish, just sitting there on the cold ground?"
"…I was simply waiting for the right moment."
At Subaru's question, Abel answered in an unusually quiet voice.
It sounded different from his earlier provocations and his mockery of Subaru—like words that had spilled genuinely from the depths of his heart.
"Waiting for the moment… a chance? A chance for what?"
"I don't know what you mean by 'chance,' but I was waiting for the board to be set. Until it was, if I made my move, it would introduce unwanted variables—so I stayed on the sidelines. Ideally, I would have waited for the people outside the forest to make their move first… but…"
"———"
"If they intend to burn the forest, I can't afford to sit idle any longer."
With that, Abel uncrossed his arms and slowly rose to his feet.
Watching his slender figure stand, Subaru stiffened at the implications of his words.
"What's with that vacant look? Directed at me, it borders on disrespect."
"I don't know about disrespect… but are you saying you believe me? The People of Shudrak already…"
"I do not. They trampled their own pride and treated their sacred ancient pact as worthless—a truly abysmal failed negotiation, if ever there was one."
"Guh…"
Even Subaru himself recognized there was nothing to defend in his performance, so Abel's assessment hit him hard.
As Subaru grimaced, Abel continued with "However." And then, looking at Subaru through his mask— "I am not one of the People of Shudrak. Their pride and their precious pact mean nothing to me. What I need is the fact you brought—the truth, not lies."
"…What if I'd been lying?"
"That would be simple. —Pay with your life."
Those words carried a weight that drew a clear line between idle threats of death and genuine ones.
Abel was saying in earnest that if Subaru's actions proved to be wrong, he would pay with his life. This was no game—this was a moment that demanded real resolve.
Sensing this, Subaru instinctively straightened his spine.
He had stopped struggling against the cage and now faced Abel directly. Gazing into Subaru's black eyes, Abel's stare grew even more intimidating.
"Answer me carefully, Natsuki Subaru. —Are you prepared to sacrifice everything for the sake of those you wish to save?"
"———"
The question was direct, allowing no room for hesitation or deception.
If Subaru answered here with a mix of truth and lies, he would forfeit his life. Abel's voice contained enough force to make Subaru believe just that.
Subaru received Abel's question in his heart.
To sacrifice everything—to sacrifice everything else for the sake of saving what mattered most. Was he prepared for that?
If the answer to that question was— "I'm not prepared for that."
"———"
"All I can offer is myself. —That much, I'll stake everything on."
Not with his pierced right arm, but pressing his broken-fingered left hand to his chest, Subaru gave his answer.
This was his honest, unvarnished answer to Abel's question.
Being told to sacrifice everything, all of it—accepting that was something he simply could not do.
There were too many precious things in this world, too many dazzling things he had yet to see.
Therefore— "What a cleverly evasive answer. What an infuriating clown."
"———"
"But you didn't lie. Very well—then I won't burn you."
Hearing Abel say that, Subaru felt viscerally that he had escaped with his life.
Cold sweat poured out from every pore, and Subaru understood that Abel had held his very life in his hands.
As his earlier evaluation on the grasslands had indicated, Abel was by no means an extraordinary powerhouse.
Compared to the strong individuals Subaru had seen or dealt with so far, Abel was still within the realm of ordinary humans. But even so, Subaru felt he had dodged death.
It was something other than physical strength or swordsmanship that resided in Abel—something else entirely.
"Then the conversation is simple. —You there, girl."
"Hwah!?"
While Subaru broke into a cold sweat over his brush with death, Abel suddenly called out to someone. In response, a small shriek came from behind something.
Startled, Subaru turned to look. In the direction of Abel's gaze, peeking nervously from behind a tree some distance from the cage, was the girl.
Her pink-tipped hair was unmistakable. She tried to flee at the sight of their attention—but— "If you run, you'll miss your chance. That's not what you truly want, is it?"
"…Ugh."
Caught off guard by Abel's words, the girl let out a small whimper. Then, wearing a sheepish expression, she trudged over to them.
"Uu… Uu…" she stammered, lips trembling hesitantly.
"Mee says don't listen to men's talk. But Uu is curious. Ye—Uu is curious about ye."
"…Me?"
The girl who called herself Uu pointed at Subaru. Surprised to hear that he'd caught her interest, Subaru widened his eyes, and the girl nodded.
"Just now, ye were trying really hard. Uu and the others are in danger. But Mee won't listen."
"Ah…"
"Why were ye trying so hard? Uu and ye have no connection."
Why would he exert himself for people he had no connection to?
Was she pointing out his meddlesome behavior? For an instant, Subaru caught his breath. But that wasn't what the girl meant. She was asking purely out of curiosity.
Why had Subaru tried so hard for the People of Shudrak—people who had nothing to do with him?
Subaru himself didn't know the answer, but— "…Because I don't want to see you make that face."
"…?"
"That kind of face—hating someone, being forced to glare at your enemy. I don't want you to have to make that face."
The girl who had shot a poison arrow at her target, watching her enemy's "death" with eyes full of hatred.
In Subaru's eyes, that hatred still lingered—along with the intense guilt of the events that led to it. It churned. It thorned itself into his chest, causing pain.
That shouldn't happen. It shouldn't be repeated.
"Return by Death"—if only he never had to use it.
Still, in a world where dying meant starting over, if there was a way to guide the people he was involved with toward a better path— "That's what I think my effort is for."
"…Uu doesn't understand."
Even hearing Subaru's answer, the girl couldn't grasp its true meaning. Of course not. Telling this to someone who didn't know about "Return by Death" would be nothing but incomprehensible.
And Subaru didn't expect her to understand. The very existence of that fact was unnecessary in this girl's life.
"—Is that enough? I don't have the luxury of long conversations, and neither do you."
"…Y-Yeah, sorry."
Abel cut off Subaru's exchange with the girl, apparently having no interest in it.
Then, turning toward the girl, she seemed to feel the same oppressive presence Subaru had felt earlier—her small body tensing as she looked up at Abel.
"Girl. I don't intend to waste time talking with you. The one called Mizelda—go bring her. She's the chief, I presume."
"Mee? What does Mee want to talk to ye about?"
"Nothing much. I simply have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
While Subaru and the girl looked on with tilted heads, Abel nodded deeply.
Then, though it was invisible behind his mask, he formed a smile.
"—Tell her I will accept the Ritual of the Blood Price. It is the most efficient way to convince them."
He declared.