— Lying flat on his back on the hard ground, the man did not move.
"—"
He was neither dead nor asleep.
He simply kept his eyes shut, carefully steadying his ragged breathing, and quietly organized his thoughts.
Building them up, building them up, building them up — "Hey, you alive?"
"— Yeah, alive."
A voice called down from directly above, and when he cracked open his lids, he was greeted by the face of a man he knew. Even viewed upside down, the rough impression the face left was hard to shake — a rare talent, in a way. Still, that had precisely nothing to do with resolving the current situation.
"What about those guys?"
"They blew right past us, dropped you, and bolted straight for the horizon. You... do something about that. Watching it was painful enough as it is."
"That? ...Oh, this thing?"
He scratched his head as he sat up, then glanced at the spot his companion had pointed to on his flank. A thick arrow was buried deep in his side.
Had it been lodged just a touch higher on his left flank, it would have punched clean through his heart.
A near-death wound, all told, but he felt surprisingly little emotion about it — not visually, and not in terms of the sensation of having his own flesh pierced.
"Actually, it doesn't hurt as much as it looks? I'll be moving stiff for a while, but..."
"Moron. Who said I was worried about you? I'm saying it hurts to look at. Yank the damn thing out already."
"Hurting a wounded man like that, you're all heart. ...Fine."
At the other man's grimace, he reluctantly grabbed hold of the arrow. The trouble with arrow wounds was that once the flesh clamped shut around the shaft, you couldn't pull it out at all.
Fortunately, it hadn't been lodged long. A firm tug and it came free.
The blood that flowed, he stanch by stuffing torn scraps of cloth into the wound and forcing it to clot.
"So, the arrow's dealt with — just as ordered. What now?"
"If it's a serious wound, pull back and rest. I'll take a squad and go crush the ones who ran. Teach them what happens when they—"
"—That'd be a stupid move, Jamal."
"What?"
He raised a hand to stop Jamal — the man who had just laid out his plan.
He understood the desire to chase down the ones who'd gotten the better of them, to pay them back for the humiliation. But pressing the attack rashly would only land them in deeper trouble.
"Think about it. Why did those people waltz right into
"...Only if you're dumb enough not to think that far."
"—They deliberately came to us. They even planted ambush troops outside the city."
Jamal's gaze flickered to the arrow that had just been pulled from his body, and he swallowed.
For all his rough exterior, Jamal was a warrior of considerable skill, and he had the eye to gauge the sheer power and precision behind the shot that had pinned their companion down.
Naturally, he'd reach the same conclusion.
"Then their aim is...!"
"To lure the Imperial soldiers holed up in Guaral out into the open — and hunt them down. It'd be one thing to pursue with our full force, but a small detachment would be playing right into their hands. — So tell me. Which side is the prey?"
"—"
Jamal ground his teeth in frustration and glared in the direction the enemy had fled.
Beneath the surface, he was consumed by a seething, gut-wrenching fury — and Subaru understood that feeling all too well. Or rather, rather than anger, what filled Subaru's own chest was something closer to grudging admiration.
Using himself as bait — openly, brazenly — and luring the foolish enemy into a trap by exploiting their overconfidence.
An enemy without equal. A child of war, born and bred.
"...We really botched killing him that time."
He murmured those words with quiet feeling, gazing in the same direction Jamal was staring.
Then, with a small sigh to steady himself, he added: "There'll be another chance for revenge. — They'll come back eventually."
"When they do, I won't show a shred of mercy."
Jamal's answer, spoken through clenched teeth, was met with a silent nod of agreement.
For the time being, they would accept this battle as a defeat. And from that foundation — "Jamal."
"Hm. ...What's with that look?"
Subaru, still sprawled on the ground, stretched both arms out toward Jamal, who furrowed his brow at the sight.
He tilted his head at the other man's lack of perception, then continued: "Come on, it's obvious."
"Carry me."
"Go die alone!"
What a friendless answer. Subaru shrugged his shoulders.
△▼△▼△▼△ He planted his feet firmly on the hard ground, cut through the wind with his shoulders, and strode forward with long, powerful steps.
As he drew closer to his destination, the restless, leaning-out-of-a-ox-cart excitement became impossible to hold back, and in the final moments before arrival, his body burst forward of its own accord.
He thought he heard voices around him — various people trying to hold him back — but they didn't register.
Brushing them aside, he made a beeline for the target building. He charged into the largest wooden structure at the center of the settlement, the one that towered above all the rest, and the eyes of the several people inside swiveled toward him.
And then — "—Back already? You returned sooner than I expected."
The man who said that with such brazen nonchalance was the one wearing the demon mask — the imperious figure seated there.
Without a word in response to that utterly self-evident attitude, Subaru pressed straight ahead. Riding the momentum, he reached out and mercilessly ripped the demon mask right off the man's face.
The mask came away with almost no resistance, revealing a refined and striking visage.
By the collar of that insufferable face, Subaru hauled the man to his feet. Then, drawing back his fist to slam it into that face — "Stop. Subaru."
A heartbeat before the punch landed, his reared-back arm was seized from behind and forcibly restrained.
It was Mizelda — the tall, red-tipped-haired leader of this settlement. Subaru opened his mouth to protest her interference at this of all moments, but Mizelda spoke first: "Face. No. Anything else. Fine."
"You — !!"
"—!"
After a beat, Subaru's fist buried itself in the man's extended torso.
The man, who had steeled himself for a blow to the face and then had it denied, let out a strained grunt and stumbled backward. That alone didn't wipe away every last drop of accumulated frustration — but — "Don't think this makes us even, you piece of trash...!"
"— Hmph. A man who's all appetite and no restraint."
Subaru exhaled roughly as Abel — the mouthy man who had just picked up the demon mask from beside him and placed it back on his face — the very man Subaru's bottled-up frustration had been directed at all along.
For this single punch, he had retraced over three days' worth of journey just to get back here.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Look, sister! This is supposedly the famous settlement of the 'Shudrak'! It truly is deep in uncharted wilderness, just as the rumors say! What a discovery!"
"Wow! That's amazing, big brother! Look, look! Everyone's got abs of steel, just like me — abs of steel! Big brother, abs of steel!"
"Abs of steel!"
The carefree commentary of this pair — entirely indifferent to the time and place — echoed across the settlement.
The brother and sister whose unfiltered observations were being so freely exchanged were none other than Flop and
Perched on an ox cart in the middle of the plaza, the two siblings were surrounded by a gathering of curious Shudrak who had come to see the newcomers. Their fearless temperament, it seemed, was location-independent — despite attracting the attention of a large crowd, they showed not a shred of fear, wariness, or unease, carrying on with the confidence of veterans.
Though, given that they were in reality surrounded by a little-known, uncontacted tribe, a healthy awareness of mortal danger would have been the more reasonable response.
"What a noisy lot you've brought back. Are these the personnel your journey requires? If so, your values and mine must be rather different."
"I won't argue about having different values — what you and I see when we look at the world are worlds apart. But even so, that attitude of yours is a bit much, don't you think?"
"Oh?"
Subaru and Abel sat facing each other across the floor of the gathering hall, much as they had days before.
Abel, who had just absorbed Subaru's retaliatory punch to the gut moments ago, showed no trace of remorse in his words or demeanor. Not that Subaru had expected — or wanted — an apology.
But he could not let Abel's remark about Flop slide.
Because — "Abel, they got dragged into this because of us. They were kind to us when we were standing on our last legs outside the city. ...That's all there was to it."
"—"
It was
Unlike last time, the gathering hall had not been cleared of outsiders. Beyond Subaru and Abel, several other faces had joined the discussion.
Seated beside Subaru, in seiza, were Rem — and, in the companion seats, Kuna and Holly. At Abel's side sat the sisters Mizelda and Taritta.
Louie, for his part, was being looked after by Utakata, who was close in age. Right now he was probably in the plaza by the ox cart, right in the thick of the Shudrak surrounding Flop and the others.
In any case — "Thanks to the two of them, we made it back safely. In exchange, Flop and the others have become targets for the city's soldiers..."
"No — let me correct you. The ones targeting us, and those people outside, are not the city's soldiers. They are Imperial soldiers. Soldiers who serve this nation have become your enemies."
"—"
Through the demon mask, Abel's cold words stabbed into Subaru and Rem.
Rem's light-blue eyes drooped无力地 at his frigid tone. And Subaru, for his part, understood — it was a fact that could not be denied.
But understanding something intellectually and accepting it emotionally were two different things.
"I made the mistake of attracting the attention of the soldiers in the garrison. The confrontation itself was a result of the choices I made."
"That's right. Before you ever made contact with the 'Shudrak,' the grudges you forged were your own doing."
"I can't make excuses for those grudges. I'm the one who made the enemies — that's certain. — But the bill for those grudges shouldn't have to be paid by me alone."
It was true that the lion's share of the blame rested with Subaru, but the real problem here was Abel's stance.
From the start, Abel had understood the danger of Subaru and company entering Guaral. He'd known they might encounter surviving Imperial soldiers and face attack.
Which was precisely why — "I'd already instructed Kuna and Holly to wait outside the city for us. So they could cover our escape if we had to flee."
"Indeed, indeed, that was a close one, noh! If Kuna and Holly hadn't been there, Subaru's head would've been split clean in two by now, noh!"
Holly sat cross-legged, stuffing her cheeks with round dumplings, and delivered this assessment with perfect nonchalance. Unlike Kuna, who looked awkward beside her, Holly seemed oblivious to the tension in the room.
Of course, Subaru was grateful for Holly and Kuna's aid. Without their cooperation, having his skull cleft by an axe was a very real possibility.
"Kuna keeping watch with her eyes, Holly providing cover with her bow from a distance... A tag-team of their two skills."
"...It wasn't actually that dire, was it, me?"
The lack of conviction in Kuna's supplemental remark was proof of the guilt she carried toward Subaru and company.
That said, Kuna's sense of guilt was entirely misplaced. Before they'd entered Guaral, her parting words had given Subaru the idea he needed.
Without that warning, they never could have secured Holly and Kuna's assistance.
However — "That reasoning only applies to the two of them — Kuna and Holly. — I'm not going to be kind to you, who predicted this outcome with perfect accuracy."
Which was why the very first thing Subaru had done upon returning was deliver that punch to Abel.
Had Abel shown even a hint of remorse after taking the hit, the conversation would have gone very differently. But, much as Subaru had anticipated, Abel showed not the slightest regret — let alone shame.
He sat there in his unchanged, imperious posture, toying with their anger.
Even now, his piercing gaze behind the demon mask held not a flicker of dimness.
He looked as though he might say "So what?" at any moment.
"Hey, don't just sit there silently — say something."
"— So what?"
"...He actually said it with a straight face."
His loathsome prediction had hit the mark. Subaru ground his teeth and narrowed his eyes at Abel's words.
But Abel brushed off Subaru's glare with a cool — no, a frigid — expression.
"You rush back and strike me, and this is the best you can muster? Nothing but petty complaints? From the very beginning, I warned you, Subaru. — That the road would not be easy."
"Guh...!"
"This is what happens when you leap at momentary comfort without thinking. The town nearest to a burned-out camp is the most likely destination for any stragglers. It's self-evident."
"Then... then you should have said so from the start!"
Abel's words, delivered from his seated position with one knee up, stabbed at Subaru's immaturity one blow at a time.
But Subaru already understood his own fault. He acknowledged it. The chain of misfortune had been born from his own lack of foresight and from the actions that preceded it.
Still — Abel had known there was danger, seen it, and looked the other way. That was a simple act of aiding the enemy. And if the framework of friend-or-foe didn't apply, then it was tantamount to setting a trap.
"You knew everything from the start. The chance of running into surviving Imperial soldiers in Guaral, the likelihood we'd panic and flee from the city, and in the middle of all that, Rem..."
"—"
"In short! You knew it all. And you kept your mouth shut."
In the heat of the moment, he almost said something he shouldn't have. He caught himself just in time, and rather than glancing at Rem beside him, he directed all of his anger squarely at Abel.
Subaru's fury blazed higher. Abel regarded it with cool — no, icy — composure.
With those piercing eyes, how far did this man see through the world?
And having seen through it, why was he toying with Subaru and the others?
"Answer me, you bastard. Why did you..."
"I simply cut out unnecessary steps."
"Unnecessary steps...?"
Abel delivered that answer in a tone indistinguishable from a sigh, even as Subaru bore down on him like a man about to lunge for his throat.
Abel's eyes narrowed faintly at the response, then he slowly scraped his palm across the ground of the gathering hall. Picking up a handful of dry earth, he let it trickle through his fingers — "People like you place more weight on what your own foolish eyes have seen than on a wise man's counsel. No matter what words come from my mouth, the sting of a downpour speaks far more eloquently."
"—"
"So it must have driven the lesson home. — There is no escape for you."
As he spoke, the dry soil trickled from Abel's palm.
With that simple gesture alone, Subaru felt as though he'd been thrust, with brutal clarity, into the realization that he was cornered on all sides.
If the man before him were the Emperor of the Holy Volakian Empire, then manipulating others with honeyed words would come as easily as breathing.
Before a seasoned ruler like this — a man of a thousand tricks — Subaru's pleas were no more than the chattering of a caged monkey.
And in truth, Subaru had no recourse but to hold his head in his hands.
"...In the end, what is it you even want?"
"My purpose, as I have already told you: to reclaim what was taken from me. To that end, the Empire as it currently stands is my enemy. It is also your enemy."
"— You're asking me to cooperate with you?"
"I merely explained, for the moment, that I have no reason to harm you."
The words wormed their way into Subaru's mind like poison.
Abel's rhetoric, which never allowed Subaru to pin down a clear answer, had the cunning of a man who kept his opponents lost in fog — yet it also felt as though Abel was testing him.
Again and again, Abel had made it clear without ever saying so directly: think for yourself. Choose for yourself.
Here, too, Abel was issuing his challenge — if you want to argue, come stand on my ground. Right now, Subaru couldn't even reach the same platform.
And His Majesty the Emperor was not kind enough to wait for Subaru to quietly mount the stage.
"...Is this all just you playing puppet master? I don't like it."
"— Unfortunately, the only people I can control are a select few. Precisely because there were some I could not command, I find myself sitting on the dirt floor right now."
"—"
The reply, thrown back at Subaru, might have been a self-deprecating remark.
Abel's expression was hidden; his tone of voice hadn't changed. But it sounded like self-mockery. And that was rare — no, Subaru had never heard Abel mock himself before.
And it was proof that Abel possessed an unmistakable recognition of reality.
An uncrowned Emperor, betrayed by his own subordinates, driven from his throne.
Sitting on the dirt floor of the Shudrak's gathering hall, deep in a vast forest — that scene, for Abel, was surely the undeniable evidence of a failure from which there was no excuse.
"—"
Subaru stared straight at Abel and quietly turned the situation over in his mind.
He was thinking about his own and his group's path forward, but Abel's true intentions remained unclear. The thought of being maneuvered by him once more into the same kind of misfortune was absolutely unacceptable.
In truth, what was Abel really after?
Subaru didn't believe Abel would go to such elaborate lengths just to draw him into his camp. Abel would see no value in Subaru on that level.
And yet — if Abel did want Subaru close at hand, the interest was directed less at Subaru himself and more at the accessories he brought with him — "— Master! The people here are wonderfully jovial and broad-minded! I'm quite impressed!"
"Gwah!?"
Subaru had been holding his breath, deep in earnest thought.
Flop appeared in the doorway of the gathering hall, having apparently slipped on the threshold, his beautiful voice ringing through the chamber. He scanned the assembled faces inside the hall and — "My apologies for the late introduction! It seems the ones I see before me are the leaders of this settlement. And my, my — young ladies who look just like Kuna and Holly!"
"That's us!"
"It's us, noh!"
"Oh, is that right! How rude of me!"
Flop brushed his long fringe back with one hand, strode briskly to the center of the gathering hall, and offered a charming smile and a bow.
"Allow me to introduce myself once more — I am
"Seems to understand social graces... or doesn't... hard to say, noh."
Taritta pressed her fingers to her temples at Flop's energetic introduction. Then she glanced sideways at Mizelda — "Elder sister, what would you do? We told outsiders to withdraw..."
"Yes... Hmm, a handsome one. Let's keep him, no?"
"Elder sister..."
Mizelda crossed her arms and made her judgment of Flop based entirely on his looks.
The reasoning was simple and easy enough to understand — Mizelda logic. But for Taritta, who supported her elder sister as clan leader, it must have given her quite the headache. Of course, if that alone were the basis of Mizelda's decision, Subaru wouldn't be allowed to stay in the settlement either, so there had to be more to it.
"Oh, right — Mizelda, one thing I need to confirm. Flop is my guest, or rather, I brought him along on my own judgment. But subjecting him to the 'Blood Oath Ritual'..."
"The 'Blood Oath Ritual'? Could that be some kind of traditional welcoming ceremony unique to this settlement!? I'd very much like to experience it myself!"
"It's a traditional ceremony, but it's a bit rough for a welcome."
Flop seemed eager to take on the challenge, but even he would surely balk at the prospect of being made to fight a magical beast. Or — and this was the truly frightening possibility — his attitude might not change at all even after hearing what it entailed. Either way, Subaru didn't want it to happen.
"—I knew it from the moment the wall was all that separated us, but he is a loud one."
Not welcoming Flop's enthusiasm, naturally, was the cold-blooded Emperor behind the demon mask.
The warm, sunlit Flop and the frigid-blooded Abel could not have been more different. At the very least, Subaru's blood ran cold at the thought that there was any reason Abel might take a liking to Flop.
"My, what an unusual mask! Could you by chance be the head of the settlement? I once read that people who dress in distinctive clothing are typically in positions of distinction!"
Their first meeting began with Flop's comment on Abel's outlandish attire.
It was only natural for Flop to make that deduction from the eye-catching demon mask, but it was difficult to view Abel as one of the Shudrak. Apart from the mask itself, everything about him was culturally at odds with the rest of the tribe. Looking at him again, his outfit was absurdly mismatched.
"Your reasoning isn't bad, but you lack attention and foresight. Earlier, you said you earn your living as a merchant...?"
"Oh, yes indeed! My sister Medium pulls the ox cart loaded with goods, and we travel across the Empire trading — we are siblings of the wind, wanderers without a home!"
Flop placed a hand over his heart and answered as though singing a song.
From outside the building, from the plaza, came Medium's voice: "That's my big brother!" — Even separated by a wall, the bond between these siblings was palpable.
But even this heartwarming display was apparently not enough to thaw Abel's frozen heart.
Hearing Flop's answer, Abel let out a small "Hmph," then — "—
"Don't treat people like objects. If anything, the accurate way to describe it is that we were the ones picked up by Flop."
"The essence of the matter is what counts. I have no time to waste on trifles. Still, this is the first time I've commended you for doing something — your return. Well done."
"I don't feel commended... What are you plotting?"
Honestly, Subaru's assessment was that Flop and Abel got along terribly.
He'd intended to have Flop wait in the plaza and introduce him at a more opportune moment, but Abel's reaction had taken Subaru by surprise.
Of course, Abel's interest lay not in Flop's character. Nor, obviously, in Medium, whose existence was known only by the volume of her voice. Which meant the answer was clear.
"Merchant — how well do you know Guaral?"
"Now there's a fine question, Village Chief! I dare say I know my way around Guaral quite well! After all, it's plainly obvious that traveling too far puts your life in danger! Even as a merchant, you have to stick to a familiar circuit and grow accustomed to the roads!"
"Somewhere between cautious and cowardly, noh..."
Kuna let out an exasperated sigh at Flop's relentlessly positive answer.
But the moment Abel heard Flop's response, the man behind the demon mask went silent. — No, Subaru's ears faintly picked up a sound that was not silence.
It was the small, dry click of Abel's throat.
"This is fortunate. A stroke of luck, Natsuki Subaru. — If you're a merchant who knows the city well enough, you should know the location of at least one or two secret passages."
"Hey, wait, Abel. Secret passages? What are you going on about?"
"Asking others for the answer yet again? It seems you still don't understand the meaning of my repeated questions. I have nothing to say to someone so obtuse."
"—"
Every word was infuriating, but Subaru couldn't counter him.
Walking out now — breaking off this discussion and turning his back — would leave Natsuki Subaru far too isolated. And so, loath as he was, he thought it through.
— No, he didn't even need to think. Abel's intentions were mostly clear.
That last question to Flop had made it obvious.
"Abel, don't tell me you..."
"Even with a head that works in circles, apply yourself and you'll find the answer. Yes — you've hit the mark."
Abel gazed back at Subaru, whose lips trembled and cheeks stiffened with tension, and through the demon mask, those piercing eyes told of a ruthless policy.
And to make sure everyone else understood as well, Abel declared: "— We will seize the fortress city of Guaral. As our next stronghold, we need that city."