「Aaah! Guuuh!」
Lui, seated on the driver's box, bounced her rear end as she pointed at the cityscape stretching out before them.
You'd want to tell her to stop obstructing the handling of the Gale Horses, but Medium, the one actually gripping the reins, pulled Lui close to her shoulder and chirped, "I know, right!" with such delight that pointing it out felt tasteless.
For that matter, Subaru, seeing the same sight, was more or less overwhelmed himself.
"So that's the Demon City, Chaos Frame…"
He gulped audibly, unable to stop his body from expressing his astonishment.
In Lugunica, he'd been struck by the breathtaking scenery of the Watergate City
In Subaru's understanding, a city was an agglomeration of people living together, and as such, unified styles and rules should govern its architecture.
Yet the streets of Chaos Frame bore no sense of such cohesion.
It was, in every way, a melting pot of miscellaneous and half-baked philosophies—befitting a city crowned with the word "Chaos."
At the center of the city, the most eye-catching structure was a castle coated in glossy red paint, and the streets radiated outward from it in a roughly circular pattern. At first glance, it resembled the royal capital of Lugunica, but there the Noble District, Commoner District, and Slum District were clearly demarcated by social stratum.
Chaos Frame had nothing of the sort.
Beside a dazzling building stood a dilapidated ruin. Along a street of low structures, a spire more than twice their height suddenly jutted skyward. Adjacent to a lush green park existed a desolate stretch of barren sand.
Over all these streets, beams and scaffolding had been haphazardly patched together in countless places, and from a distance, the entire city looked as though it were wrapped in a spider's web.
A city utterly divorced from discipline, order, and all things "decent"—the Demon City. It had earned that name.
At a single glance, Subaru understood: this was, without question, a place where chaos ran rampant.
"It sure looks like the kind of streetscape that'd crumble from a single 'Giant's Punch,' doesn't it?"
That was Al, squinting at the city's haphazardness as he pulled up alongside Subaru. He pressed a visor he'd made with his hand against the brow of his helmet and murmured at the Demon City's panorama.
Not that it mattered, but was there any point in fashioning a sunshade over a helmet?
"I've been living in Volakia for a long time too, but this is my first time on the eastern side. Pretty fresh."
"So Al hasn't been to Chaos Frame before either? Then you've been on Volakia's western side the whole time?"
"More like one spot. There's a colosseum floating in the middle of a lake—the Sword Slave Isolation Island. I was a sword slave there the whole time."
"A colosseum sword slave…"
Subaru had heard snippets of Al's background before, but the sheer brutality of it left him at a loss for words.
Losing his arm was one thing, but the circumstances Al rattled off casually were invariably heavy ones. Presumably, he kept his tone light precisely because they were so heavy—so as not to burden the listener— "My mental load from this hasn't减轻ed at all, you know…"
"Hm? Did you say something, brother?"
"No, nothing. …Come to think of it, what's a 'Giant's Punch'?"
"Huh? They don't say that back in your hometown? It's about earthquakes, stuff like that."
At the unfamiliar expression, Subaru tilted his head and asked again.
Although he and Al were from the same homeland, in this context "homeland" broadly meant the original world—so of course their actual hometowns would differ.
He could recall plenty of yokai-related proverbs, but not many involving giants.
"Could it be the name of a baseball team or something? I'm not really up on that stuff."
"Ah—hmm, could be? I don't exactly remember where I picked up the phrase, and I wasn't especially into baseball or anything."
"Huh. You'd seem like the type to crack open a beer and watch a baseball broadcast, though."
"For the record, I never drank that stuff anyway."
At Al's wry remark, Subaru recalled the era in which Al had been summoned to this world and thought, That checks out.
Anyway, while they traded such idle chatter, the carriage carrying the group arrived at the front gates of the Demon City—the entrance to this chaotic metropolis.
When it came to entering or leaving a city, the checkpoint that most recently came to mind was
There, a grand main gate open to the streets—set up on the north and south sides of the city—served as the checkpoint, where the identity and purpose of anyone entering or exiting was questioned.
Whether the checkpoint had been functioning properly was debatable, given that Subaru and his companions had ultimately been allowed to infiltrate. But Zikr's comment—"The soldiers were so dazzled by Lady Natsumi's group's ravishing beauty that they couldn't look"—could be extracted and filed under "we handled it well."
In any case, the existence of some form of checkpoint was universal, whether in the Kingdom or the Empire.
Lugunica's cities all had similar screening procedures. So Subaru had treated this as a crucial hurdle and reconstructed his "Natsumi Schwartz" persona accordingly—but— "Enter."
"Roger that! Thanks!"
"Uuuh!"
Scanning the interior of the carriage, the one who granted passage was a cyclops—a race possessing a single large eye in the center of the face—who was supposed to be serving as one of the city's guards.
Permission to enter had been granted on a single glance. Subaru was underwhelmed. Or perhaps that distinctive single eye harbored some special ability to perceive things.
"Perhaps that's why he was assigned to gate duty."
"You're reading too deeply into it. The cyclops have no such ability. I hear they can see slightly farther than those with two eyes, but the function of their eyes is essentially the same."
"Of course! Because they're letting a suspicious carriage like this one pass right through!"
Subaru pressed a hand to his chin, seeking his own form of understanding, and barked that last line without restraint.
Hearing Subaru's high-pitched complaint, the other party let out a soft snort and adjusted the angle of the mask covering his face—a red oni mask—before settling back deeply into his seat.
Having arrived in the Demon City, Abel had immediately donned the mask he'd brought along. At this, Subaru had repeatedly pleaded that the gate guards would find them suspicious.
But Abel's mask hadn't come off, and the gate guards' reaction had been exactly as he'd predicted, so Subaru tasted bitterness in more ways than one.
That Abel hadn't drawn suspicion was, of course, good news.
"This is truly a grave matter! The gate soldiers—the first line of the city's defense—acting like that. What sort of laws could possibly be in effect here?"
"I, too, agree with Natsumi. The fact that no one said anything about me wearing long-sleeved clothing is just—"
"Mmm… that surprise and my surprise are a little different in nature, aren't they…"
Taritta, her cheeks stiff, voiced her agreement, but unfortunately the culture shock she'd experienced had a different origin from Subaru's.
His was about the city's attitudes; hers was about her identity as one of the Shudrak.
"————"
Subaru recalled the conversation he'd had with Taritta around the campfire before arriving in the Demon City.
After that, she hadn't voiced the same anxieties or worries again, but that didn't mean she'd been freed from them. Even if she completed the decisive act of inheriting the role of clan chief, the unease might never vanish.
He earnestly wished she could find a resolution that would put her heart at ease, but— "That aside, this is a problem with the Demon City."
Having cleared the cursory checkpoint, the carriage was swallowed by the chaotic, disorderly streets.
From the driver's box, Medium and Lui's shrill cheers of wonder rose one after another, and even Subaru, who couldn't gauge the city from its exterior alone, was wide-eyed at the view from within.
First, upon entering the city, what struck him was the sheer diversity of races—more than he'd ever seen before.
The cyclops gate guard had made a strong impression, but once inside, Subaru realized that even he wasn't especially eye-catching.
Broadly speaking, a wide variety of beastfolk traversed the streets—everything from catfolk and dogfolk to rabbitfolk and lionfolk, with clearly delineated small and large species.
A band of lizardfolk with reptilian features operated a shop; a many-armed multi-armed race went about their business; a group with abnormally long hair—whether that was a fashion choice or a racial trait was impossible to tell.
Then there were species that looked like walking boulders, and chimeric beings whose bodies appeared to be a hybrid of two or more races caught the eye as well.
"————"
At this reckless mingling of species, Subaru was struck speechless.
Of course, the royal capital of Lugunica had also presented him with scenes striking enough to immediately clue him in on his summoning to another world. But as he'd gained the knowledge needed to live in this world, he'd come to understand, to some degree, the complex circumstances surrounding demi-humans.
Led by
For better or worse, the custom of keeping different things at a distance transcended borders.
He'd heard that most demi-humans whose differences were prominently visible on their bodies would leave populated areas and live quietly to avoid trouble.
The "
But what about Chaos Frame before his eyes?
A multitude of races stood shoulder to shoulder, living without hesitation—that was one thing, but what surprised Subaru most was the posture of those who lived this way.
Every single one of them stood tall and proud, boldly asserting their species.
Beastfolk didn't blunt their claws and fangs; lizardfolk didn't polish down their scales; beings deemed strange or monstrous didn't cover their faces or bodies with cloth. —And to Subaru, that sight was fresh.
"So you said—'What sort of laws could possibly be in effect here.'"
Suddenly, it was Abel—seated in the carriage, wearing his oni mask—who spoke those words.
While not only Medium on the driver's box but also Al and even Taritta were surveying their surroundings with keen interest, the masked Emperor drew Subaru's attention to himself and continued.
"As you can see, what exists here is lawlessness. If you ask what laws are in effect, I would say: formless laws. One could call it a depraved city that mocks the very essence of order."
"Depraved… Here I am being moved, and you go and pour cold water on it."
"Moved, you say? Were you impressed? For an outsider like you, I suppose that's only natural."
At Subaru's slightly curved-lip retort, Abel gave a thin-shouldered shrug.
That phrasing—"an outsider"—once again made him feel like he was being treated as a third party, and Subaru recalled the argument they'd had in the carriage a few days prior. Though, since Subaru had been the only one who'd gotten emotional, calling it an argument would only earn a scoff from the other party.
"But isn't the whole point of this city that disorder itself has become a kind of order? What do you say to that, Abel?"
"If one asks what the essence of order truly is, one can discern whether this city is disorderly or not. —Tell me, where do you believe the essence of order resides?"
"That's like a Zen koan, brother. Pass!"
Al tossed the question aside almost immediately. Subaru narrowed one eye at him.
Unlike the prideless Al, Subaru felt reluctant to raise the white flag so easily. He crossed his arms, tilted his head, and let his long hair cascade over his shoulders.
"The essence of order is… isn't it that? Um—everyone getting along! Peace!"
"The essence of order is sameness."
Ignoring Subaru's elementary-school-level opinion, Abel stated this flatly.
When Subaru furrowed his brow at those words, Abel added with a supplement.
"That many share the same set of values. Doctrines, beliefs, goals, or desires—it doesn't matter. It is the identity that, within a group rather than an individual, prevents deviation from one another. That is what is called order. And upon that foundation of order is built the idealistic picture you just described."
"Idealistic… Huh? Is peace really that ridiculous?"
"Conflict is an inescapable human instinct. Even when the weapons for it become words or nations rather than swords, the essence remains unchanged. However, order is an excellent mechanism for shaping an environment far removed from collapse. —Observe."
Jutting his chin, Abel directed their attention out the window.
Without even needing to look outside, he indicated what could only be there—the Demon City's symbolic red castle, visible from anywhere.
"As the fool said, this city operates under an order of disorder. And while it has become a melting pot of many races, the reason it has not collapsed into ruin lies in that."
"That castle… no, inside the castle…"
"——
Abel's voice struck Subaru's eardrums with force as the name left his lips.
Abel's expression was hidden by his mask, so Subaru couldn't read it. But what did Abel himself think of this person—one of the most problematic of the "Nine Divine Generals," and someone indispensable to his bid to reclaim the imperial throne?
In the Demon City, where everything from the vertical to the horizontal was a jumble of mismatched things, and people of every stripe milled about without uniformity—the castle at the city's center gazed down at the Emperor's party who had come to its doorstep, its glossy outer walls glowing with an eerie light.
△▼△▼△▼△ ——Regarding Yorna Mishigure, very little information had been provided in advance.
She was Volakia Empire's strongest, one of the "Nine Divine Generals," a woman who had been bestowed the rank of "Shikkoku" (漆).
She held a general's commission, was counted among the strokes of the Emperor's sword, and yet had repeatedly staged rebellions throughout her career, sowing needless turmoil within the empire.
It was Zikr—who had given Subaru information about the Nine Divine Generals in place of the busybody emperor—who had spoken about her, though in matters of character, he had been evasive about only two people: Yorna and Cecilus, the "Ichi" (壱).
In short— "She'd be the woman of the craziest male-female pair in the empire… that about right?"
Speaking those words aloud, Subaru felt his false chest grow heavy as he contemplated what lay ahead.
Negotiating with the woman was the immediate trial, but eventually he'd have to face the man as well. Moreover, both of them shared the condition that failing to win them over meant near-certain defeat.
He'd been about to say "the same," but Abel's speech about order came back to mind— "The one I have to deal with is someone very far from 'order,' isn't she…"
He murmured, brushing his bangs from his forehead with a finger as a dull headache crept over him.
Abel's discourse had been fascinating, befitting an emperor, but whether it would prove useful in tackling Yorna right away was questionable.
Still, that conversation hadn't been merely Abel wanting to show off his intelligence. The point he'd been making was something else entirely—the order of the Demon City.
Though Chaos Frame looked to the eye like a place where people and things overflowed with miscellaneous disorder, even in that boiling pot of chaos, a "秩序" held firm.
Abel had declared that order to be none other than Yorna Mishigure.
In other words, Yorna possessed the power and talent to hold all that chaos together and keep it from spilling over the rim of the pot.
That was why Abel, despite her being a dangerous rebel who had staged insurrection multiple times, had never expunged Yorna from the Nine Divine Generals or had her executed.
"But she's a tricky one, no doubt about it. Let's hope we don't draw the short straw, brother."
At that lazy remark, Subaru glanced sidelong at Al, who sat cross-legged with a casual air.
Watching Al lounging about on the plank floor, Subaru let out a small sigh. Al's composure was sometimes a relief, but that depended on the situation.
"Al, could you please sit up properly? You never know when, where, or by whom you might be observed. And please stop calling me 'brother.'"
"I can work on my attitude and posture, but the name thing… What else should I call you? Should I write 'sisters' but read it as 'brothers'?"
"That pun doesn't really translate if you don't get the kanji, does it?"
The beauty of Japanese's multifaceted expressions was genuinely moving, but in the current circumstances, there was no point increasing exchanges that only he and Al could understand.
What he needed was, rather, a form of address usable in public.
"Medium and Taritta both call Abel with a familiar '-chan' suffix, so wouldn't it be natural to extend the same courtesy to me?"
"In that case, 'Natsumi-chan'? Whoa, goosebumps!"
"Control yourself! Honestly, so immature…"
Subaru scolded Al in his capacity as the group's leader as the latter showed the gooseflesh rising on his right arm.
That was an odd dynamic, but given that seniority didn't apply in this particular assignment, there was no helping it. It was fitting for Subaru—already burdened with a heavy role—to keep his guard up.
After all— "We've already entered the 'Crimson Lapis Castle.'"
Muttering only to himself, Subaru steeled his resolve.
Yes—Subaru and his companions had already been admitted to the heart of the Demon City, into the crimson-gleaming castle, and were now waiting to be received by its ruler, Yorna Mishigure.
——The entry into the Demon City had been accomplished, and what followed moved quickly.
Once they found an inn where the Gale Horses and carriage could be stabled, the group took rooms and set about the actions they'd planned for the Yorna operation.
That said, their course of action had already been decided on the road, so there was no hesitation.
And that course of action was— "Deliver this to the castle's lord, Yorna Mishigure. There should be a reaction from her."
With those words, what Abel handed to Subaru was a letter he had penned himself.
The envelope containing the letter was sealed with beeswax and rendered unopenable. For important documents, it was customary to press a ring bearing a family crest into the wax before it hardened as proof of the letter's origin.
However, the seal on the letter he'd been entrusted bore no such mark.
"The imperial seal I'd procured has already been shattered—both of them. One by you, the other at Guaral's city hall."
"Right… the 'Blood-Name Ceremony' and '
"There's no need for unnecessary concern. I have no intention of revealing the contents, but I've arranged it so that she'll know the letter is from me the moment she reads it."
"I see. …Incidentally, wouldn't it be certain if you went in person?"
Tucking the received letter into his coat, Subaru asked directly.
He'd been ordered to deliver the letter precisely because Abel would not be accompanying them to the castle. In terms of verifying their identity and circumstances, having Abel along would seem to settle the matter in one stroke.
Hadn't Abel come along specifically to negotiate with Yorna in person?
To put it bluntly, if that wasn't the plan, Abel might as well have stayed in Guaral.
"Furthermore, there wouldn't be the worry of getting held up at checkpoints along the way, and the journey would have been far more stable, I would think…"
"Your insolence knows no bounds."
"Well, you'd disrupt our group dynamic all by yourself…"
Strictly speaking, it wasn't just Abel—Lui's presence was another destabilizing factor.
But this was a moment when Subaru wanted to needle Abel, so he shelved the matter of Lui, whose specialty was unsettling his peace of mind.
"I'll speak with Yorna Mishigure directly whether you ask or not. But showing my face too early would be inconvenient. Surely you can work that out."
"Work it out… Oh, I suppose you're right."
Abel radiated displeasure from behind his oni mask, and Subaru quietly accepted the reasoning.
Come to think of it, Yorna was the type to have staged multiple rebellions. From her perspective, those rebellions had presumably stemmed from dissatisfaction with Abel's rule.
Naturally, the relationship between Abel and Yorna must have been like water and oil—or more like a powder keg with the fuse already smoldering. And yet Abel had come all the way to the Demon City.
"Your current role is to deliver the letter to Yorna Mishigure. However, do not reveal that it is a personal letter from me—from the Emperor."
"Eh, why not? Won't I get turned away at the gates if I don't say that?"
"As a precaution. If I can get her to look at the letter, things should go well enough, but I can't read a change of heart before the letter is even handed over. So, use your ingenuity."
"Ingenuity…"
At the unexpected difficulty dropped on him, Subaru looked at Abel with surprise.
Abel crossed his arms, his expression hidden behind the oni mask.
"Look at this city, and you should be able to gauge roughly what manner of tastes and temperament she has. Deploy every wicked idea at your disposal and pique her interest."
"There's real malice in the way you phrase things!"
"There is a second-best option, but I'd rather not rely on it. It would undermine things down the line. If you consider my long-term goals, the road ahead is long. Understood?"
"You really are an arrogant man, aren't you…"
At Abel's insinuating tone, Subaru curled his lip in open dissatisfaction.
At this point, he wouldn't have minded staging a rebellion of his own alongside Yorna against Abel. Thinking about it that way, maybe he and Yorna could even get along.
If they could commiserate over their grievances against His Imperial Majesty, they might even become best friends.
"…Then I'll proceed along those lines."
"You've hit on something, I see. Judging by your expression, it's nothing wholesome."
Coming from someone who wasn't exactly wholesome himself, that remark carried zero conviction.
——And thus, having gone through all of that, Subaru and his companions had now entered the heart of the Demon City—Yorna Mishigure's stronghold, the "Crimson Lapis Castle."
Following Abel's instructions, they'd gained entry without mentioning his name.
The method was somewhat unconventional, but Yorna's private guards, who shared the gate soldiers' lack of vigilance, allowed Subaru and his party into the castle and instructed them to wait for an audience with Yorna.
Therefore, Subaru and the others now found themselves passing time in a spacious waiting room on the castle's plank-floored interior, awaiting the lord's readiness.
There were no sentry guards posted in the waiting room, and they could leave whenever they wished.
The lax security and carelessness were enough to make Subaru—an outsider—more nervous than anyone. Things had, above all, proceeded so smoothly that even he was bewildered.
"Of course, this is convenient, but… if visitors are being let into the castle like this, wouldn't that make assassination a free-for-all, regardless of whether she's a Divine General?"
"Our weapons weren't even confiscated. I was genuinely surprised when they told us we could keep them on the way in."
"That's because we weren't planning on causing trouble. No one gets mad if you're not causing a ruckus."
Rather than the other side being generous, their response was simply defenseless, and both Subaru and Al were dumbfounded. Medium, sitting quietly to the side, laughed heartily at their exchange.
The three who had entered the Crimson Lapis Castle as envoys were Subaru, Al, and Medium. Abel, Taritta, and Lui were left behind at the inn.
Since Abel couldn't come to the castle, it was inevitable that at least one person would need to stay behind as a guard.
Moreover, they wanted to avoid diverting anyone to watch over Lui, who was unlikely to be of any use—hence the division of labor.
"I did consider the possibility that the castle's lord might have a taste for rare things, though."
If that were the case, then Taritta—someone from the Shudrak, who rarely left the forest—could pique Yorna's interest, and including Taritta in the party had been considered.
However, there was no acceptable option for leaving only Abel and Lui at the inn, so Taritta ended up bearing a considerable burden.
"'Taste for rare things'—with all those different species wandering the streets, wouldn't Taritta just be one more novelty at this point?"
"I thought the same. That's exactly why I devised this plan."
"Natsumi-chan, you're really bold! It surprised both me and Al."
"Oh yeah, Al was totally stunned."
Al shamelessly piled on alongside Medium. Though he had thoughts about the man's attitude, Subaru allowed himself a small moment of pride at "Really?"
He'd been tasked with delivering Abel's letter as an envoy, yet told he must not invoke Abel's name—and in his predicament, he'd found a ray of light.
Actually, that very idea must have worked in their favor, which was why they'd been admitted to the castle.
"My key to winning her over is: 'piss Abel off.'"
"Ahaha, Natsumi-chan, you really do needle Abel! I think that's amazing."
"Amazing? Me? Or Abel's awful personality?"
"Both!"
"Medium's got guts too."
Medium raised her hand cheerfully as she commented on the dynamic between Subaru and Abel.
The relationship between Subaru and Abel wasn't quite water and oil, but since they had no choice but to walk in the same direction, they did so while bumping shoulders every step of the way.
In terms of closeness, it was reminiscent of the old Subaru-and-Julius dynamic.
That said, including the
"But even that isn't a simple matter."
To put it bluntly, the grudges had thinned and they could be said to have warmed to each other.
But that, too, was the result of a long journey and the many mountains and valleys they'd overcome.
Human relationships were never simple to mend.
At the very least, so long as both parties didn't want to improve things, the rough road would never become smooth.
Even if one side tried to even it out, as long as the other kept trampling it down—never.
"——Thank you for waiting. Envoy, please come this way."
That bitter sentimentality was cut short by the words of a servant who had appeared in the waiting room.
It was the same young girl who had guided them up to this point—a deer-folk girl with large stag antlers sprouting from her head, otherwise largely human in appearance, a demi-human.
She looked to be in her mid-teens, her slender body draped in a kimono-like garment whose long hem trailed along the floor as she led the way.
Her composed movements and bearing brought something familiar to the mind of Subaru's knowledge, creating a faint ache of recognition.
Unable to pull forth exactly what it was, Subaru followed as the guide led them upward through the Crimson Lapis Castle—to the very top floor.
The castle's construction, Subaru noted, felt more like the old-fashioned Japanese castles he knew than the Western-style castles he'd grown used to. Of course, both the materials and architectural style were different, but the open, layered structure of the interior—broad and exposed to the outside—gave that impression.
The sight of kimono-clad figures scattered throughout, led by their antlered guide, was likely another factor.
In any case, Subaru and his companions behaved properly and followed their guide to the audience chamber.
"Please wait here. —Lady Yorna will arrive shortly."
"Oh, thank you. …Hmm?"
Subaru thanked the guide girl, was ushered into the great hall, and then tilted his head.
The reason was the presence of prior guests. —There were other figures in the hall, seated with their backs toward Subaru and his group, who had entered from the rear.
That none of these figures was the castle's lord Yorna was made clear by the empty chair placed at the far end of the room.
"Those people over there…"
"They, like you, have requested an audience with Lady Yorna. Lady Yorna is a whimsical person, so she receives everyone at once—"
"I see…"
At the girl's matter-of-fact words, Subaru let out a small groan of reluctance.
It was one thing to be presumptuous, but this arrangement was positively outrageous. For starters, being thrust into a situation where you had to sit across from total strangers was excruciatingly awkward.
Some of them might have topics they'd rather not discuss in front of unknown parties.
"Speaking of which, that's exactly our situation too, Natsumi-chan."
"…Being called that makes me cringe too, you know."
At Al's words, which seemed to read his mind, Subaru replied in kind.
Though the detailed contents of the letter were unclear, it undoubtedly contained a request for Yorna's cooperation in Abel's bid to reclaim the throne, explaining his ouster.
Since he didn't know what kind of person Yorna was, her reaction to the letter was impossible to predict. At the very least, Abel had said that if she got as far as reading it, things shouldn't go badly.
"Please wait inside. Lady Yorna will be here soon."
Ignoring Subaru and Al as they whispered back and forth, the guide girl gave a bow and withdrew.
Of course, stopping her wouldn't change anything. If it was the lord Yorna who had given the order, there was no point blaming the girl for it.
"So, what do we do?"
Medium tilted her head as she touched the twin swords at her hip, her freely-tied hair swaying.
The fact that she so readily deferred to their plan showed she was surprisingly cooperative. Medium gave the impression of being free-spirited and emotional, but she was obedient to whoever took the lead.
Perhaps it was the fruit of the role division she'd established during her travels with Flop.
Facing Medium's straightforward question, Subaru rubbed his eyes, shook his head with a "Well, there's no helping it," and stepped into the hall.
"At the very least, let's ask them to clear the room before I hand over the letter. They may refuse, but in a situation like this, there's no loss in asking."
"If you're a princess-type, you might have your head lopped off just for saying something she doesn't like, though."
"Please don't bring up extreme examples like that…"
Being presented with such an extreme scenario only raised his wariness toward Yorna, who was likely an equally extreme figure.
Hesitating to enter the great hall, Subaru felt Al's hand clap him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. I told you, didn't I? I've got your back. Brother— I won't let you go through anything nasty."
"Al… You were the one who made me nervous in the first place."
Saying that, Subaru glared at the hand resting on his shoulder. Al hastily withdrew it, but whether for better or worse, the tension in Subaru's shoulder had eased.
Accepting Al's sentiment with gratitude, the three of them stepped into the hall.
The atmosphere of the spacious hall, minus the tatami mats, reminded Subaru of the audience chambers in period dramas where a lord conducted council with his vassals.
Being made to sit in the lower seats and await the lord's arrival from the upper seat—same as any of those.
"Let's sit over here if we can."
Moving deeper into the hall, Subaru settled himself at a position opposite the prior guests.
It felt odd to sit directly in front of or behind the other group, so he maintained some distance and positioned himself on the opposite side of the hall. In period dramas, there was a curious tendency for the lord's seat to be left open in the center while the retainers spread out on either side—and it had ended up the same way here.
Finding this odd coincidence amusing, Subaru stole a glance at the prior guests.
There were four of them, all bearing weapons just as his group did. One among them was unarmed and sat slightly ahead of the rest.
Presumably, that person was their representative, and the other three served as guards.
"All of them look more dependable than Al…"
With that remark, Subaru dismissed Al's earlier concern as he eyed the three guards.
He then turned his attention—though he felt it was rude—to the person they were protecting, wondering what sort of individual had come to seek an audience with Yorna, and for what purpose— "——!"
In an instant, Subaru choked on shock, his cheeks and neck going completely rigid.
An involuntary sound escaped him, and when he reflexively lowered his face, that very movement drew the gaze of the person in question.
But when the person saw that Subaru had lowered his face and turned his body toward the lord's seat at the front, apparently finding no particular interest, the gaze drifted away and attention dissipated.
Sensing this, Subaru let out a quiet breath to steady the explosive pounding of his heart.
Al and Medium, watching from behind, seemed puzzled by his behavior, but soon enough the two of them would experience the same shock Subaru had.
Because— "This isn't… a joke."
Subaru muttered through bitter teeth. Five meters ahead of him, seated among the prior guests awaiting Yorna Mishigure's arrival— ——was a man bearing the same face as Abel, who had no business being there.