An incomprehensible situation ravaged
That was no exaggeration—it was a shocking turn of events.
Without even the awareness of death, Subaru had returned to the middle of laying down rules with Olbart—whether he wanted to admit it or not, there was no escaping the truth.
Subaru had lost his life and used Return by Death to come back to this very moment.
And what was more— "...In the middle of a game of hide-and-seek where I wasn't supposed to die."
Covering his mouth with his small palm, Subaru desperately tried to recall what had happened.
The game of "hide-and-seek" with Olbart had begun, and after overcoming the old man's twisted cunning once, they had succeeded in finding the shinobi hidden in the first room—"Behind the Eyelids."
Riding that momentum, Subaru and the others had stepped outside the inn to locate Olbart's next hiding spot. That was when the world had abruptly gone dark.
And when he came to, he had returned to this place.
"—"
"If you accept my proposal, we ought to establish the rules clearly."
"Oh? What's that mean, then?"
"Something you said yourself. If the odds of our side winning are greater, we should leave plenty of room for desperate measures. The terms each party desires should be made explicit."
"— Hahahahaha."
While Subaru was lost in thought, his negotiation with Olbart was advancing to the next stage.
The conversation between Abel and Olbart was progressing, and what lay ahead was the selection of a contest to serve as the basis for the rules—that is to say— "—It's hide-and-seek."
That was what Abel declared.
△▼△▼△▼△ The terms of the "hide-and-seek" game subsequently agreed upon with Olbart were, as Subaru already knew, the same as before. No new conditions were added, and nothing necessary was cut. Inevitably, it remained the same content.
Though— "Just to confirm, Olbart will only be hiding, right? He won't be sneaking around and launching attacks on us or anything..."
"Come now, now, that's way too paranoid, kid. But I'll tell you—what I'm testing in you lot isn't your arm strength or anything like that. It's how sharp your heads are. If it were just about muscle, I would've won at the castle tower yesterday, wouldn't I?"
"—"
Despite Olbart's words being meant to reassure him, Subaru couldn't simply take them at face value.
The fact remained that Subaru had indeed lost his life and used Return by Death. And the most immediate threat to them right now was none other than the Olbart standing before them.
Could he have broken the no-interference rule and targeted them?
"My, my, that's quite the suspicious glare you've got there."
"It's not like I'm in a position where I can trust you, old man. Talk about cheeky."
"Hahahahaha! You've got that right. You were just as cold eight years ago when we got along."
Sensing the deep wariness in Subaru's silent demeanor, Olbart shrugged. He bared his teeth and laughed at Al's follow-up remark, responding with brazen nonchalance.
Naturally, Al also fell into a grudging silence at Olbart's logic.
In any case— "Olbart, you should understand without being told, but your hiding spot is meaningless if it's somewhere we can't physically reach. Don't try any clever underhanded tricks."
"I understand, I understand. Small group, this. Would've done it if you hadn't said anything, though."
Abel pointed out the same thing Subaru had flagged last time. Once Olbart agreed, the start of the contest was officially declared.
Namely, the presentation of the first hint.
"So, where are you going to hide first, old man?"
"A little warm-up... I'll hide near this inn, in 'Behind the Eyelids.'"
For an instant, a tight knot of dread formed in Subaru's stomach, but it proved to be unfounded.
He had feared Olbart might designate a different hiding spot than last time, but that didn't happen. And as for everything that followed—Taritta and Al barely restraining themselves from lunging as Olbart casually turned his back and walked away—the overall flow was identical to before.
And so— "What's wrong, boss? You look pretty pale."
It was Al who spoke up to Subaru while Taritta, at Abel's direction, was lowering her bow. Unlike last time, though, what Al said was slightly different.
Originally, he had been voicing his displeasure about going along with Olbart's contest, but this time he was concerned about the color of Subaru's face—no, about how quiet Subaru had become.
That was only natural. Subaru himself was still reeling from confusion and bewilderment.
He couldn't pull himself together from the sudden Return by Death and the psychological shock that came with it.
"No, sorry. While we were talking, I suddenly got hit with this wave of exhaustion... that's all."
"Come on, pull it together, I'm begging you. Unlike me and Medium, who got our abilities cut in half from shrinking, your strengths don't diminish just because you got smaller, right, boss?"
"My strengths... what are those?"
"Obviously! The awesome thing about Subaru-chi is his brains! Aniki's great too, but Subaru-chi is great as well! So what if your chest got tiny? No big deal!"
Medium chimed in energetically after Al's words of encouragement.
Holding Louis in her arms, she patted her own flat chest as if to demonstrate. Subaru's eyes widened at the sight of the two of them, and then he let out a long breath.
They were right.
Whether shrunken or not, there were virtually no situations where Subaru was physically useful. If that was the case, then the one least affected by being small was Subaru.
And Subaru couldn't afford to keep dragging around this mental exhaustion.
"...So stop looking at me like that. If you want the oni mask to work properly, the 'perception-blocking' function is all that matters."
"Your eyes seem somewhat more focused now. But I must say, you surprised me. I thought you were the type who wouldn't even notice the effects of that mask."
"...Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you were just wearing it for the eccentricity alone."
Encouraged by Al and Medium, Subaru lifted his face and shot back at Abel head-on.
Even Abel, who had been looking down on him with contempt, noticed that Subaru had regained the will to raise his head and swallowed any further taunts.
The fact that Subaru considered that a concession spoke to the deficiency in Abel's interpersonal skills, but there was no room to discuss that right now.
"So then. You said this was a warm-up, but just considering the area around the inn, there are tons of candidates. Do you and Abel have some kind of plan, boss?"
Al redirected the focus at Subaru and Abel to move things forward.
In response, all Subaru could offer was the fact of Olbart's first hiding spot—namely, that the old man would return to the very room they were discussing.
As long as Olbart's hint remained the same, there was no worry about that changing.
The problem was what happened after they found Olbart—when they stepped outside the inn.
"It's not exactly a plan, but I can guess what 'Behind the Eyelids' refers to."
"Seriously? That's incredible, boss."
"...But there's likely a separate problem that comes up with 'Behind the Eyelids.'"
Subaru needed to share with Abel, Al, and the others that some kind of threat had attacked him—or rather, all of them.
That said, Subaru himself had too little information to offer many definitive opinions. If there was anything he could say— "The agreement Olbart and I made... about not letting him interfere. But is there a chance Olbart might break it?"
"Huh? You mean he'd break the fundamental premise?"
"Yeah, I think it's possible..."
"—No, it isn't."
From the fact that they had been attacked the moment they left the inn, Subaru tried to steer his companions' attention toward Olbart. But Abel flatly denied it with unusual firmness.
When Subaru's eyes widened at that reaction, Abel crossed his thin arms and said: "Olbart would gain nothing from such an action. Therefore, it is impossible."
"B-But Olbart was even thinking about assassinating the emperor! Even you hadn't imagined that, right... So then!"
"A reputation earned after death is a concept foreign to me. However, I can understand that such a thing exists. That there are those who desire it. But that and this are separate matters."
Pierced by the sharp gaze from behind the oni mask, Subaru felt his insides shrink.
It wasn't as though Abel was projecting any more intensity than before. And yet, the sensation of being pinned down didn't fade, and Subaru's breathing grew ragged.
While Subaru suffered under that feeling, Abel continued, "Understand?"
"As you yourself have seen through, and as this masked clown has also pointed out, Olbart Dunkleken has no reason to harm us of his own volition. If he were to aim for the emperor's head, my information would be something he'd want badly enough to tear it from my throat. The premise, everything, would become moot."
"Yeah, I agree with Abel, boss. That old man was ordered by the emperor not to lay a hand on us. If he had the will to break it, it wouldn't matter whether it was inside or outside the inn. Right?"
"So that's... how it is...?"
"Boss?"
"Oh! Yeah, that's right! Hmm, I think so too. That makes sense."
Subaru's comprehension lagged by a few seconds behind Abel and Al's rapid-fire reasoning.
But once it was laid out so logically, it was something Subaru could accept.
What Abel and the others didn't know was that Olbart actually had a track record of killing Subaru and the others.
However, within Olbart's own logic, that had been a consistent course of action, and even Subaru could see the reasoning. At that time, the only thing that went wrong was the timing.
If that logic held, then this time—the fact that Subaru and the others were killed the moment they left the inn—did seem odd under Olbart's rules.
Just as Al said, if Olbart had truly intended to kill them all along, it would have been far less conspicuous to do so before they even left the inn. Perhaps he had wanted to kill them in a visible location, but that reasoning was unclear too.
Maybe he thought killing them when they believed they were safe would make them more surprised or cause more suffering.
"Then he would have wanted to show his face properly, wouldn't he?"
If Olbart, out of sheer spite, had been aiming to make Subaru and the others' emotions seesaw, wouldn't he have wanted to witness their disappointment and despair with his own eyes?
If that was the case, Subaru couldn't think of any reason for Olbart to kill them outside the inn.
In other words— "So what does that mean...?"
"Hey, hey, Subaru-chi, what are you worried about? Worried about outside?"
"Huh?"
In his haste to sort out the situation, Subaru had gone silent, and Medium poked her face in to look at him.
With those big, round blue eyes suddenly right in front of him, Subaru involuntarily flinched back with a small "Wha—" In response, Medium instinctively grabbed Subaru's hand.
And then— "There, there, Subaru-chi, calm down, calm down."
"—Ah."
Pulling him toward her, Medium cradled Subaru's head against her chest.
His back was gently stroked, and Subaru could feel the rhythm of Medium's heartbeat through his forehead and cheek. The steady cadence of her pulse softly broke through his rigid consciousness.
"When my head's all jumbled up, I have Aniki do this for me~ And Aniki said someone used to do it for him back in the day."
"...It's... calming."
"Mhm, mhm, that's good! Then, just stay like this, okay? Tell me—what are you worried about outside?"
Medium's voice coming from directly above didn't rush Subaru for an answer.
He wanted to let himself indulge in Medium's unchanged magnanimity and kindness, even now that she was small, but Subaru knew the situation didn't allow it.
So as a compromise, with his head still cradled in Medium's arms, he laid out his thoughts haltingly.
"That is, um... I have this feeling that it's dangerous outside the inn..."
"Dangerous outside?"
"Yeah, that's right. Someone is... targeting us, I think..."
Medium nodded along, listening to Subaru's painfully vague assessment. Honestly, even he recognized that it lacked both persuasiveness and evidence.
Without a better argument, he wouldn't be able to convince Abel or Al, even if Medium was willing to listen. For example— "Actually, the moment we step outside the inn, we'd die right there—"
—in that instant, the world froze.
"—"
The heartbeat he had been clearly hearing from Medium vanished into the infinite distance. Her face, which had been right in front of him, and her breathing, both receded beyond reach.
Everything became far away.
Color drained away, sound drained away, the flow of time drained away, and the freedom to so much as twitch was stripped from him.
He couldn't move. He wouldn't move. He wasn't being moved. He couldn't be moved.
And at the very edge of Subaru's consciousness—where even his voice, his breathing, and his eyeballs were no longer his own—something abominable, terrifying, and grotesque slowly drew closer.
Why had he touched the taboo? the black shadow moaned as it crept nearer.
Why had he forgotten this? the dark, slender fingers slid smoothly into his chest.
Why did he try to repeat it over and over? the all-consuming voice of the "
"—I love you."
A voice he hadn't heard in so very, so very long dragged Subaru into hell.
His heart was gripped, and excruciating agony tore through his immobile body—ripped it apart, ravaged it, violated it. Never forget again, it branded into him.
And then— "—!"
"Subaru-chi?"
Sound, color, and the flow of time came rushing back, and Subaru felt a violent surge of blood through his entire body.
The head pressed against Medium's chest no longer picked up her gentle heartbeat, but rather his own blood resuming circulation and the abnormally elevated pulse that had been jolted by terror.
The "Witch's" fury at his transgression against the taboo was so immense that it stripped him of his voice, ground his understanding to dust, and defiled his very soul. Subaru cursed himself.
Why had he wittingly walked into such pain, such suffering?
Return by Death could never, ever be revealed to another person.
He couldn't even let slip something that might suggest it.
If he tried to convey that intent to anyone, that dark, demonic hand—the Witch of Envy—would cross any hardship whatsoever to reach his heart.
And more than that— "That was... close..."
Murmuring that, Subaru confirmed the presence of Medium, who was holding him, as well as Abel, Al, Taritta, and Louis, all of them safe around them.
The heat rising in the corners of his eyes was relief that they hadn't been harmed. Confessing Return by Death carried the risk Subaru feared most.
The demonic hand might not stop at Subaru—it might strike at someone else, and unlike the threat made toward Subaru, it would not relent until it took their life.
If that possibility didn't materialize and only Subaru suffered, it was the next-best outcome.
Of course, it couldn't be denied that the best outcome would be if Subaru didn't have to endure the pain at all.
"Medium... thank you. I'm okay now."
"Really? You still look even more pained than before, though..."
"If I'm the only one suffering, that's the best the situation can offer."
Saying that, Subaru lifted his face and freed himself from Medium's embrace. Medium looked somewhat reluctant, but Subaru's firm insistence left her with nothing more to say.
Her concern was appreciated, but the situation wouldn't allow for it. And without exaggeration, the truth was that Medium had genuinely saved him.
"Sorry for saying something weird and worrying you. But I really do feel that it's dangerous outside. So—"
"So you're saying we shouldn't go outside? But then we'd never settle the contest with Olbart. Of course, there is the option of not engaging with him at all—"
"—"
"In that case, the negotiation with
"Well, some people might spend their whole lives wishing for the result of getting younger, I guess."
Al chimed in weakly after Abel's cold remark. But Al's argument directly contradicted what Olbart himself had said.
Although the details were unclear, the "infantilization" that had struck them apparently came with some kind of drawback. It wasn't simply a case of getting younger, it seemed.
In short, this "infantilization" was just as much of a bomb as anything else.
"Either way, we can't stay shrunk. Since we didn't choose to surround and beat that old man up, the only option is to win at hide-and-seek."
"I know. I'm not throwing in the towel. But outside is really dangerous. So..."
"So?"
"So, if we're going outside, I want to be careful. Also, even if I say something really strange, I want you to trust me."
"—"
Subaru looked up at the others head-on and made his plea.
Abel narrowed his eyes behind the oni mask at the direct, unvarnished appeal. Al, too, conveyed a subtle sense of confusion.
It was true—Subaru had no persuasive evidence, nor any clever rhetorical strategy.
"However, there is merit in what Subaru says. We have fallen into the enemy's trap, and this could well be considered enemy territory. In that case, there is no loss in heightened vigilance."
"Yes, yes, I agree with Taritta! Let's be careful! If we shrink any more, I won't be able to stop Louis!"
"Au—"
Taritta and Medium sided with Subaru's opinion. Louis's final vocalization was unclear in intent, but she didn't seem to harbor any hostility toward Subaru.
Taritta and the others weren't making any complicated arguments. They were simply reinforcing their own awareness: never let your guard down.
Abel had no reason to object beyond simply disliking Subaru.
"If... if you don't trust me because you dislike me, then I'll, um, show you proof."
"Proof?"
"Proof that you shouldn't ignore what I think. I'll show you—I'll tell you where Olbart's hiding spot is, 'Behind the Eyelids.'"
"Do you think that constitutes a fair trade? Either way, you'll have to reveal that information. You'd be just as disadvantaged by keeping it hidden."
"Ugh..."
Abel countered shrewdly, and Subaru couldn't help but groan. Then Al interjected with a "now, now": "Abel, the boss is offering up judgment material. Honestly, the boss came at this so suddenly that even I still have question marks over my head. But the boss coming up with something outlandish is nothing new. Right?"
"—"
"If we're not going to listen to the boss's opinion here, then there's no point in dragging the boss around. And if you're going to brush the boss off, I'm not going to be too happy about it either."
"Oh?"
Al shifted his stance to shield Subaru and faced Abel, his voice dropping low.
It was low by kid-voice standards, but it was enough to change the atmosphere. Abel's gaze, looking down from above, grew colder, and Subaru swallowed without thinking.
He hadn't paid much attention to it until now, but the relationship between Abel and Al was far more tenuous than Subaru had realized.
Originally, Al was accompanying Subaru on the journey to the Demon Capital out of a sense of obligation. And like Subaru, being a citizen of the
If anything, it was Al's master, Priscilla, who desired it.
So Al, as an individual, had no reason to take Abel's side—or to invest in Abel himself.
Now, that fact was surfacing clearly as a crack in their relationship.
Physically, Al had been reduced to around ten years old, but could Abel actually beat this Al? With the strength of this shrunken Al unknown, a prolonged staring match would benefit no one.
So— "Stop fighting! Fine, I give up! I surrender!"
Cutting in front of Al, who had positioned himself as a shield, Subaru raised his voice and declared as much.
There was nothing to gain from allies squabbling among themselves. If something that pointless was going to continue, it was far better for Subaru to be the bad guy.
Besides, the warning had been delivered either way.
Taritta, Medium, and even Al—all of them would remember Subaru's plea. When they left the inn, they would surely be on their guard.
The problem was if "death" came for them in a way that vigilance alone couldn't prevent.
In that case, Subaru would have to put his own body on the line and do whatever it took.
"There's no time to stand around! Everyone, let's get ready!"
"—So, where is this 'Behind the Eyelids' of yours?"
"That is..."
Subaru insisted that they waste no more time here. At his words, Abel finally gave a positive response.
The fact that even that much was a relief spoke to the emperor's deficiencies in interpersonal skills.
In any case, Subaru decided to answer honestly.
Olbart's first hiding spot was— △▼△▼△▼△ "Next time, I'll hide somewhere with a bit more bite, y'hear!"
"Wait, old man! ...Damn, he's gone!"
Al flung open the room's window and dove after Olbart, but by the time he reached the windowsill, the veteran shinobi had already vanished into the bustle of the city streets.
His speed of flight was second to none—all Al could do was reluctantly concede with grudging admiration.
"Subaru, the man's next hiding place is..."
"Mhm, mhm, Subaru-chi, can you figure it out? You can, right?"
The sequence played out the same way. Both Taritta and Medium turned expectant gazes on Subaru, who had correctly deduced Olbart's first hiding spot.
Unfortunately, the answer to the second hiding spot—"the Panoramic Abyss"—remained unknown.
Unable to give a satisfying answer, Subaru watched Medium's shoulders droop, but her rallying spirit followed the same pattern as before.
"So what's your read, Abel? The boss nailed that old man's location, after all."
"Delivering results is worth recognition."
"...Is that all?"
"We still have no time to spare. We must uncover Olbart's whereabouts two more times. What else is there?"
"...Is that so."
Perhaps influenced by their earlier conversation, Al slumped at Abel's response.
Al's feelings were appreciated, but Abel reacting that way had been predictable. Last time, too, Subaru couldn't recall Abel offering any particular comment about this result.
In fact, he could barely picture Abel being straightforward in praising anyone—Subaru or otherwise.
This time was simply another scene that confirmed that impression.
"A panoramic view suggests a high elevation, does it not?"
"But an abyss is a pit, right? Pits are in the ground, aren't they?"
"You both make valid points. And to arrive at that answer... Abel, wasn't there somewhere with a lot of people you wanted to go?"
"—"
Taritta and Medium speculated about Olbart's next hiding spot.
To advance their discussion, they needed to put Abel's plan into action—the plan that had failed to blossom last time. Subaru was fairly certain Abel had originally intended to head for a crowded bar.
It was on the way out of the inn following that plan when "death" had suddenly struck them on the street.
In other words, that critical moment was approaching with every passing second.
"Hey, Abel?"
"—Your thinking is correct. A place where many people come and go... preferably one frequented by outlanders."
"A place where outlanders come and go would be..."
"A place where people drink... a bar, was it?"
The conversation progressed in perfect step, and Abel gave a quiet nod at the word Subaru produced.
And so, they all left the inn and headed for a bar— "Avoid the front. We'll leave through the back entrance."
The one who said that was, of all people, Abel.
At that sudden reversal, Subaru let out a confused "Huh?", and Al and Taritta's eyes went wide.
"Wait, Abel-chi, does that mean you believe what Subaru-chi said?"
"There is no harm in being cautious. Now that we've identified Olbart's location, there is room for consideration. It's nothing more than that, really."
"...You really are a terrible personality."
Subaru muttered it like a grudge, and Abel simply snorted "Hmph."
But setting aside that haughty attitude, Subaru was actually grateful for Abel's judgment. He had been wanting to guide everyone to the back entrance himself.
"So the boss's achievement really does count for something, huh?"
"...Apparently. I mean, that was always the case, wasn't it?"
For some reason, even Abel's professed philosophy of "reward and punishment" had come to seem suspect to Subaru.
If he could understand that, the rest of the way to deal with Abel would mostly make sense—or so Subaru was beginning to perceive.
It was almost like he was relearning everything about how to interact with Abel from scratch.
"Still, nailing that old man's location like that was something else. How'd you manage that? —If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd read a strategy guide."
"Strategy guide... what a nostalgia-fueled thing to say. That'd be nice to have, but it was nothing like that. It was just experience paying off."
"Experience? From hide-and-seek?"
"Something like that. Before... before?"
As Al dug into the accomplishment of finding Olbart, Subaru's train of thought ground to a halt.
Part of the reason Subaru had been able to see through to Olbart's presence in the first room was that it was the classic move for that type of person.
But someone had done that same move before Olbart.
And Subaru should have remembered it clearly.
"Drawing a blank? Forgetting things is an old person's game. The irony is, you've gotten younger and you're still forgetting—now that's weird, boss."
"Forgetting..."
"It's gotta be someone, right? Someone from your inner circle. Not the silver-haired lady, and not the loli kid you always bring around..."
"—
"Whoa!"
Subaru's head snapped up and he shouted the name so forcefully that Al flinched.
But Subaru had no composure to spare for Al's surprise. How could he?
"This can't be right..."
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense.
Beatrice. It was Beatrice. Subaru's partner, his beloved, precious Great Spirit. It was her who had played the first prank on Subaru—and that very prank had become the key to finding Olbart.
If that counted as an accomplishment, it was one that Subaru and Beatrice had won together.
And yet, for that to slip from his memory? Impossible.
It shouldn't have happened.
"—Subaru! Al! Please come here!"
Snapping Subaru out of his stunned silence was Taritta's sharp voice.
He looked up instinctively. Taritta, who had gone around to the back entrance of the inn, was peering through the door she had gently pushed open, her profile etched with intense vigilance.
The source of that vigilance was almost certainly the "death" that had struck them— "—We are already surrounded. Likely close to a hundred strong."