— A tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back.
Strictly speaking, the situation was different, but that was the phrase that flitted through Subaru's mind.
That it took him a moment to even recall the proverb only underscored how dire his predicament was.
"Nearly a hundred enemies?!"
Al raised his voice in disbelief at Taritta's astonishing report, delivered from the inn's back entrance where she'd been peeking outside.
To this reaction, Taritta gave a quiet "Yess" and then nodded.
"We're surrounded. Rather than hostility, the impression is more like... vigilance."
"If it were just one or two, we might overlook them, but not when it's close to a hundred."
Abel spoke those words as Taritta closed the back door and lowered her voice. At his remark, Taritta tucked her chin, and Abel's gaze slid to Subaru, his eyes narrowing behind the demon mask, his sharp stare piercing through to the soul.
And then— "You have your own problems beyond being surrounded, don't you?"
"...Ah."
"Your limbs have shrunk against reason. Nothing would be surprising if something happens."
Abel, detecting Subaru's distress, pointed it out with a faint sigh.
Hearing those words, Subaru felt his cheeks burn with shame—for being so transparently read by Abel, and for the awareness that he was holding everyone back.
The desire to simply tough it out and pretend nothing was wrong welled up inside him.
But— "Subaru-chin, are you okay?"
Medium's voice, which had just been comforting the weakened Subaru moments ago, stopped him cold.
Being stubborn here wouldn't solve anything. And if his stubbornness caused harm, it wouldn't just be Subaru who suffered—Medium and the rest of their companions as well.
So— "Actually, um... I think there's something wrong with my memories. Things I should remember, I can't recall properly. It might not be good."
"...So that's what that weird behavior earlier was about."
Al was left speechless at Subaru's confession, which swallowed down his pride.
Al had also noticed something off about Subaru's earlier reactions. Having the specifics laid out planted anxiety in him as well.
What happened to Subaru was not someone else's problem as far as Al was concerned.
"...Specifically?"
"...Important family names wouldn't come up. No! I mean, they did eventually, it just took time..."
"Brother, this isn't the time to be putting on a brave face..."
"I'm not putting on a brave—"
He was about to reflexively say "no, I'm not," but stopped himself. Was that, too, a form of bravado?
He didn't want to be told outright that he'd forgotten important names. He remembered
He remembered the comrades they'd left at the mansion. He was sure of it.
"So I'm not being brave..."
"Tell me precisely."
"Huh?"
"Have you forgotten? Or does it take time to put into words? Which is it?"
At that question, Subaru instinctively faltered.
Abel's interrogation, closing the distance by one step, was sharp and brooked no lies.
A numbing sensation spread through his brain, and he couldn't tear his consciousness away from the man before him. As Subaru remained silent, Abel pressed further.
"You can't see what's around you anymore—and now you can't even see inside your own head?"
"That's—no! I didn't forget them, they're just hard to remember! That's right, they won't come out easily, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten!"
"...It takes time to draw them out, then?"
When Subaru reflexively pushed back against the merciless probing, Abel quietly accepted the answer.
It was an excuse Subaru himself didn't even understand the difference of. So he found it surprising that Abel hadn't dismissively brushed it aside.
In fact, Al reacted to Abel's response with an irritated "Hey."
"What's the difference? Is this really something worth fixating on in this situation?"
"A vast difference. There is a world of difference between forgetting and difficulty in recalling."
"Huh?"
Al grumbled discontentedly, but Abel offered nothing further.
He left the bewildered Subaru and Al, turning back to Taritta, who was listening intently outside.
"How are things outside? Have they made their move yet?"
"For now, they're just holding their breath. The encirclement should already be complete, though."
"Then it means they haven't been given what they require."
"What they require...?"
Taritta cocked her head, and Abel didn't elaborate. Instead, he stroked his chin in thought, then turned back to Subaru once more.
Subaru, unable to keep up with the speed of his reasoning, flinched as Abel turned toward him. Abel closed the distance in a single stride, bringing his face close to Subaru's, and asked: "What will make the things outside attack?"
"...What?"
"Answer me. What are the conditions for the things outside to make their move against us?"
"I... I don't know how to..."
Pressured by the repeated questions through the demon mask, Subaru held his breath and tensed up.
Even being told that, he didn't know. After all, even thinking back to before the "Return by Death," the "death" that came so suddenly was completely beyond his understanding.
If he had more information, he could suggest appropriate countermeasures— "Answer me."
But Abel trampled over Subaru's hesitation and confusion, hurling the question at him. When Subaru couldn't respond, the demon mask, still wearing its expression of fury, seized his small shoulder.
"Answer me,
"I—I don't know! As soon as you go outside, they attack! That's all!"
Forced by the intimidation, Subaru answered—and then froze, eyes wide, pressing his hand to his chest.
Once again, he'd impulsively revealed information gained through "Return by Death." He flinched, bracing for the penalty of violating the taboo once more. But nothing happened.
The world didn't stop. No malevolent hand descended to punish his foolishness.
Instead, in its place— "Graaah!"
Rui squeezed between Subaru and Abel with a growl, shielding Subaru behind him and glaring head-on at Abel, who had adopted a hostile stance.
Abel shook off the grip on his shoulder and turned an unpleasant gaze toward Rui. But Medium immediately joined Rui as a staunch ally.
"Abel-chin! Don't bully Subaru-chin! I'll tell on you to Ani-chan!"
"...And if he's told, what would I do about it? All I did was make him share necessary information. —So leaving the inn is the trigger, then?"
Without a shred of remorse, Abel shrugged under Medium's accusatory gaze.
Watching Abel mull things over, Medium put her hands on her hips and went "Geez!" before turning—not to Abel, but back to Subaru.
"Subaru-chin, are you alright? Abel-chin was scary, wasn't he~?"
"Wh—I wasn't scared, exactly. Just a little surprised... yeah."
"Really? That's good then. Subaru-chin, good boy, good boy."
As she spoke, Medium's palm gently stroked Subaru's black hair.
The gentleness of that gesture, combined with being praised as a "good boy," brought yet another wave of embarrassment. But undeniably, his racing heart did slowly settle.
Something was seriously wrong.
The relief he felt from Medium's comfort was part of it, but the bigger problem was a wordless resistance toward Abel—and something that felt like fear.
Wasn't he being pushed around by Abel's force of will, unable to push back?
Almost as if— "Almost like an adult and a kid. And I don't just mean physically."
"...Ugh."
Al's voice came to Subaru's side profile as he stood there with his hand still pressed to his chest, head bowed.
Still hungover from his exchange with Abel, Al's tone was stiff, and Subaru felt as though he was being scolded, his cheek twitching.
An adult and a kid—yes, now that Al said it, the question dissolved. That was exactly right. In truth, the dynamic between Subaru and Abel in their exchange just now was closer to the power relationship between a child and an adult.
Not just in appearance, but down to the substance—and it seemed even that was being dragged along.
"Listen. I've identified who's arrayed against us."
"I-Is that really true...?!"
While Subaru was tasting a nameless dread, Abel spoke in a low voice.
At Abel's declaration, Taritta's eyes went wide. And it wasn't just her—everyone present besides Abel was similarly stunned. More precisely, everyone except Rui, who couldn't follow the conversation.
In any case, Abel gathered everyone's attention and gave a nod.
"Given the conditions Olbarth laid out, and the hundred-strong force Taritta sensed... once you eliminate impossible possibilities, the answer narrows naturally."
"So what's the brilliant Abel-chan's assessment? Who's targeting us?"
"Chaos Flame."
"Chaos Flame... you mean this city?"
At Al's and Medium's questions, Abel nodded gravely.
And then, surveying their faces that still hadn't connected the dots, he continued.
"Chaos Flame—in other words, the residents of the demon capital. The ones surrounding the inn from outside, waiting for an opportunity to strike—there's no mistaking that they are the citizens of this city."
△▼△▼△▼△ — Abel had stated plainly that their enemies were the residents of Chaos Flame.
"..."
At Abel's declaration, Subaru opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. —No, not just Subaru. Al and the others were equally stunned.
That was only natural. Being told out of the blue that the people of the city had become enemies— "That can't be right. How did you reach that conclusion?"
"It's an entirely natural line of reasoning. After all, very few factions could mobilize a force of a hundred for an encirclement of this inn. That alone narrows it to two possibilities... the Emperor's entourage, or the forces of the demon capital. But Chisha is impersonating me. What I wouldn't do, he wouldn't easily do either."
"You mean without being found out as a fake? What about stuff that wouldn't look bad?"
"A reckless act like openly leading troops into the demon capital."
Subaru was tempted to nod along, but he couldn't tell whether this was definitive information. Were a hundred soldiers accompanying the Emperor a lot or a little?
It felt like that could be perfectly normal...
"I don't really know, but how many soldiers does Abel-chin's castle have?"
"Are you asking about the Imperial Capital's troop count? Then..."
At Medium's question, Abel glanced toward Subaru. When Subaru didn't catch the intent behind that look, Abel touched the forehead of his demon mask, thought for a moment, then— "No fewer than thirty thousand. But that's not about available forces. The question is whether the Emperor would bring them along or not—that's the crux. And—"
"Even the real Emperor wouldn't do that."
"Exactly."
Abel nodded, dismissing the fake Emperor's blunder.
Even hearing this, Subaru felt that the other party might have simply been careless, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing he wouldn't be listened to.
In any case— "The Emperor declared no interference with us, and Olbarth showed willingness to comply. Given that, sending troops our way would be illogical."
"...But there's the theory of 'I didn't personally do it,' isn't there?"
"Then tell me—do you think I would tolerate such reasoning?"
"I don't think so," Taritta answered from the side, and Al shook his masked head the same way.
Since the fake Emperor was impersonating Abel, his decision-making should be identical to Abel's as Emperor. In other words, what Abel wouldn't tolerate, the fake Emperor couldn't tolerate either.
Which meant the fake Emperor had to maintain the posture of being equally narrow-minded.
"Even if he tried to split hairs,
"Kafma... that was the stern-looking guy from yesterday?"
"He's obedient to the Emperor, but he'll voice objections without hesitation even against a single general when something violates reason. Even Olbarth's cunning couldn't bend Kafma's principles."
"Does that guy really have that much power?"
"At one point, he was approached about promotion to the 'Nine Divine Generals.' It was shelved for various reasons, though."
At Abel's response, Al let out a disgusted "Ugh."
If that was true, then yesterday at the Red Lapis Castle, there had been two people of "Nine Divine Generals" caliber—no, counting the fake Emperor, three.
That was certainly more reliable than bringing along a clumsy military force.
"But if the fake Emperor isn't the enemy..."
Naturally, Abel's speculation began to take on a sense of reality.
In other words, the ones waiting outside were the residents of the demon capital Chaos Flame, and the one pulling their strings— "You mean Yorna-chin is having them attack us?"
"...Can you think of anyone else? I mean, there's no one else who knows about us and has a reason to target us, right?"
"...Abel, what do you think?"
The demon capital Chaos Flame—a figure who could command its residents as pawns. Naturally, the first person who came to mind under those conditions was
But much like Olbarth—no, even more so than Olbarth, her thoughts were impossible to read. Was she really the mastermind who had orchestrated this entire situation?
At Subaru's question, laced with that doubt, Abel tapped the forehead of his demon mask with a finger and replied concisely: "It doesn't add up."
"It doesn't add up? That means... you're not convinced, right? Why?"
"To assume every question will yield an answer is the height of arrogance. —A personal letter."
"A personal letter?"
Adding an unnecessary remark, Abel answered Subaru's question.
The personal letter was the one delivered to Yorna yesterday. Delivering it had been yesterday's objective, and it was presumably why they'd been summoned today.
Abel had never told them the details of what was written in it, but— "The letter offered her the thing she desires as a reward."
"That big sister's desire... meaning, the position of Empress?"
"A bride?"
At the content of the letter, Al and Medium spoke up in succession.
Based on yesterday's conversation, what Yorna desired was the "Emperor"—and not just Abel specifically, but the "position of Emperor."
So if Abel had written that he would give Yorna what she desired, that's what it should mean.
"Is it really okay to convey something like that in a letter?"
"Don't reduce the issue to your own scale. Regardless of the method, she gets what she desires. That's precisely why she invited us to her castle. Yet sending troops against us makes no sense."
"Ah—maybe she hates the idea of becoming Abel-chan's bride so much she'd want to kill him..."
Or perhaps the letter contained something so offensive it made her want to kill him.
If this was how he acted in person, then there was a very high chance he'd been equally condescending to the woman he intended to marry, Subaru thought.
But Abel scoffed at their speculation.
"If necessary, I'll do it. Sentiment comes second. It's not as if I'm Priscilla."
"I thought that big lady had about the same level of troublesome as Priscilla-nee!"
Subaru agreed with that. Both Priscilla and Yorna were terrifying.
However, since Abel had stated it with such confidence, his reasoning did seem to hold water. —Besides, remembering yesterday's Yorna reinforced that.
"I too am the master of this demon capital, and I shall not speak falsehoods in front of my attendant."
That was what Yorna had said with a radiant smile. More precisely, it was her promise that she would not read the letter Subaru and the others had given her and then discard it without reading.
But after that, when they'd fallen into the stable, Yorna's attendant
At the very least, she didn't come across as a woman who would casually go back on her word.
Since she didn't, Subaru wanted to believe Abel's reasoning.
"Either waaay, the people outside are getting tired of waiiiting. What do we do?"
Keeping watch on the outside, Taritta indicated they were reaching the limit and asked for direction.
Abel's stated conditions for the attack—in the sense of what would trigger the enemy to strike—currently, they assumed it was leaving the inn. But the enemy was preparing to attack, so they could burst in at any moment.
On top of that, Subaru and the others were in the middle of a game of "hide-and-seek."
"Even if we know the people outside are going to come rushing in, we can't exactly stay put, right?"
"Well, if that old man had outsmarted himself and hidden in the first room a second time, that'd be a different story... but just in case, should we check the rooms again?"
"If there were clues pointing to the 'nice view of the abyss,' I'd have considered it."
Abel shot down the idea, and Al disappointedly scratched his head.
Actually, Subaru had also considered that Olbarth might be hiding in the first room again. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't connect it to the "nice view of the abyss," so he hadn't said anything.
While they debated, their course of action solidified.
Naturally, there was no option but to fight their way out. The question was what kind of strategy to employ to make that option succeed.
"—Taritta, draw their attention."
"Abel!?"
In an instant, Abel delivered what seemed the cruelest possible order.
Taritta's face stiffened at the command, and Subaru raised his voice in protest. But Abel ignored Subaru's voice, keeping his gaze fixed on Taritta, and continued.
"Go wild out there, attract the attention of those outside. In the meantime, we escape."
"Abel-chan, there has to be a better plan that makes more sense..."
"There isn't. In our current situation, this is the best play we can make with the cards we have. If you hadn't all shrunk in fear, we might have been able to explore other options."
"Unnecessary comments!"
"Gwahh!"
Abel cut off Al, who was worried about Taritta's safety, with that remark.
When Subaru bit back at his callousness, Rui similarly raised his voice in righteous indignation. But in response to their reactions— "Y-Yes, understood. I will draw the enemy's attention outside."
"Taritta-san! No matter what, this is too..."
Shaking her head, Taritta accepted Abel's reckless directive.
He wanted to find some better plan to ensure her safety. But the only things Subaru could think of in his head were two kinds: vigilance toward the dangerous enemies outside, and anxiety.
"Taritta, hand me the luggage. It'll be needed where we're going."
"Fine. Once I've drawn enough attention, take the opportunity to slip awaaay. I won't have time to give a signal, thooough..."
"That's for Medium to decide."
"Huh? Me?"
Abel took the luggage from Taritta's shoulders, slinging the bag over the narrow end. At Abel's continued instructions, Medium—specifically named—eyes went round.
Abel turned to Medium and nodded.
"Even in fear, you've kept your eye for opportunities. You're the best suited among us."
"Mm~ got it. I'm watching carefully too! So be careful out there, Taritta-chan."
"Yess."
Without Subaru, everything was moving along at a brisk pace.
Abel was one thing, but Taritta and Medium were far too composed. Especially Taritta, who was being given the most dangerous role.
"Well then, off I ggo."
Gripping her bow, Taritta reached for the back door handle. Subaru couldn't hold back and called out to her back— "Taritta-san!"
"Um, d-don't die...!"
"..."
How pointless—saying something so obvious it barely counted as encouragement. If he couldn't offer useful advice or an unbeatable strategy, he should at least say something to bolster Taritta's morale.
And yet all he managed was a trembling plea. —But Taritta's eyes softened just slightly at the edges.
"Well, I'll see you laaater."
With a faint smile, Taritta's body shot outward through the door.
Just before that, Abel threw a final remark at Taritta's back as she headed into enemy territory.
It was— "Taritta, there's no need to hold back. Go all out. —The people of this city, no matter who they are, won't be easy to kill."
—A sinister piece of advice that was neither encouragement nor a winning strategy.
△▼△▼△▼△ — The instant she stepped outside, hostility surged toward her with ferocious intensity.
Feeling it against her brown skin, Taritta narrowed her eyes and took in the full panorama in a single sweep.
For the "Children of Shudrak," who lived as hunters in the dense jungle, instant assessment of terrain and situation was a minimum essential skill, and Taritta was no exception.
—No, compared to her sister Mizelda, Taritta had been entrusted with the role of chieftain.
Therefore, among the fellow Shudrak, Taritta needed to excel above all in those skills. And she did.
"Ah—"
Deep in her throat, barely audible, Taritta assessed the number of hostile presences directed at her.
Roughly a hundred people filled the area with fighting spirit, but of those, fewer than twenty had locked onto Taritta as she burst from the back entrance.
Among those, even fewer could move quickly.
For now, she'd take down the ones she could— "No—"
Abel's parting warning—"Go all out"—flashed through her mind.
Abel was an arrogant, handsome man. He met Mizelda's criteria for an ideal man, and Taritta found him difficult to deal with. Her own weak will made her easily swayed, and when facing someone of Abel or Mizelda's temperament, she couldn't get a single word of her own in.
So Taritta preferred partners who listened to her. Especially since she needed time to organize her thoughts—being rushed made her head spin.
From that perspective, leaving Flop behind at Gwallar's place had been very— "Ggh—what am I thinking?"
Blushing with a momentary wave of embarrassment, Taritta drew her bowstring taut in a burst of frustration.
And then, in the next instant, the arrows nocked on her bow were released—all three at once. Taritta's archery, displaying its true caliber, sent three arrows each aimed at a different target.
One flew straight, two curved through the air of the alley outside the inn, and pierced their prey.
Three men who had turned toward Taritta and were about to advance—their necks and chests were each struck, instantly robbing them of their ability to fight.
"Hunting suits me."
She didn't need to talk to anyone, and that suited Taritta just fine.
Her prey didn't want to talk with Taritta, and Taritta didn't desire communion with her prey. The only conversation was the arrow meeting its target.
And even that exchange resulted in life and death—something unnecessary to discuss at the end.
"Ohhh!"
A roar went up as multiple shadows rushed into the alley to replace the fallen men.
The first to enter Taritta's field of vision was a bull-headed beastman with a massive, towering frame. Short, thick horns jutted from his crown, and he charged forward with a thunderous war cry, putting his imposing body to full use.
If hit head-on, Taritta's slender body would have every bone shattered.
But there was no escape behind or to the side. Even leaping upward, she'd likely be grabbed by the foot.
Having assessed all of that, Taritta lowered her body and charged forward.
"What—!?"
The bull-headed man's eyes went wide, his throat tightening—perhaps her action was unexpected. Taritta extended her leg toward his face and drove it into his snout, using it as a foothold as she crushed his nose.
Bending her knees to absorb the impact softly, Taritta vaulted lightly into the air, using the bull-man's blood-spraying face as a springboard. She completed a half rotation, assuming an inverted position in midair.
She spun, securing a 360-degree view that included the area behind her—areas she couldn't see before—spotting enemies positioned in building shadows, on rooftops, and on scaffolding erected throughout the city, all preparing to attack, all at once.
"I'm running low on arrows."
Speaking calmly, she pulled multiple arrows from the quiver on her back in a single bundle, nocked them onto her bow at dizzying speed, and unleashed triple-shot after triple-shot in rapid succession, cutting down the enemy.
The number of targets she'd spotted outnumbered her arrows. Resigned to the math, she relied on years of instinct to prioritize the most dangerous threats first.
The strangeness she felt in the appearance of those who showed up—she ignored it for this moment.
"Urghhh—!?!"
Raging arrows tore through like a storm, and those they struck were blown back by the impact.
Following Abel's advice, she delivered merciless precision strikes—aiming for chests, throats, and where possible, eyes and mouths—inflicting fatal wounds on roughly thirty enemies.
However, in this initial exchange, her arrows were spent.
All she could do now was retrieve as many arrows as possible and serve as a decoy— "...This is somewhat... unexpected."
Taritta stopped short as she moved to recover arrows from those she'd felled.
Taritta, as a Shudrak warrior, had shot countless beasts in her time. Though their forms varied, the sensation of hitting a vital point was something she could feel the moment she loosed the string.
And based on that experience, she was certain she'd taken the lives of those she'd pierced.
"Ugh..."
Yet the ones groaning and rising to their feet—every single one of them was still alive.
Even if not killed outright, they should have been on the verge of death. But those who stood up were not only far from dying—they were glaring at Taritta with their fighting spirit entirely intact.
And then, a change came over the eyes staring at Taritta.
"What is... that?"
Furrowing her brow, Taritta confronted the bull-man who had risen. He didn't answer, but the transformation occurring in him was too alien to ignore.
—His right eye was engulfed in scarlet flame.
His eyes weren't the only ones burning.
All those Taritta had pierced and felled—every one of them, though whether it was the right or left eye varied—now harbored a crimson fire in one eye, fixing their gaze on Taritta.
But it wasn't only those she had shot whose eyes burned with fire.
Those who had arrived late, summoned to surround Taritta—their eyes, too, held that same crimson flame. Flickering, scattering embers as they burned.
And what was truly astonishing was that the same fire was cauterizing and healing the wounds the bull-men had sustained.
The bull-man's crushed nose. The arrow wounds in the others' bodies—all of them.
"...Perhaps you were somewhat... too concise, Abel."
The scene overlapped with Abel's earlier warning, and Taritta murmured a sigh.
She wasn't certain, but Abel had likely anticipated this to some degree. If so, she wished he'd been more explicit.
But she was the type who wasn't comfortable pushing for more and more from a conversation partner, and even now, her fickle mind wished for what was convenient.
However— "My role is a decoy, not to eliminate all enemies."
Therefore, in terms of staying focused on her role, this was going well.
As for what came next— "...They'll break the arrows, won't they?"
The ones she'd shot were snapping the arrows that had fallen from their bodies, one after another. Her projected arrow recovery plan had fallen through, and Taritta's renowned archery was now effectively sealed.
But that didn't mean she was out of options.
"Hunting uses short swords and slings too, you know."
Lowering her body, Taritta drew the short sword hidden beneath the formal attire she'd been given, holding it together with her now arrowless bow.
Her fight—the continued performance of her role—was only just beginning.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Taritta-san is... incredible!"
Running alongside, Subaru's voice trembled as he took in the sight of those with burning wounds and burning eyes.
The ferocity of Taritta, whom they'd sent out as a decoy—her prowess had far exceeded Subaru's expectations.
Honestly, Subaru had to admit he'd considerably underestimated Taritta, who had a reserved and mild-mannered personality, regarding where she ranked among the Shudrak.
He'd seen the helplessness she'd displayed against Olbarth.
Of course, since Mizelda had designated her as the next chieftain, he'd assumed she was on par with Kuna or Holly in terms of ability.
But watching her precise aim and rapid fire, the grand battle she'd unleashed against an overwhelming number—there was a possibility she was on Mizelda's level, or perhaps even more skilled.
"And yet..."
Even with Taritta's evident skill, the strangeness of those assassins couldn't be shaken.
For one thing, their appearance was bizarre. None of them wore armor, and none carried anything resembling weapons. They were completely unarmed.
Their appearance was the same as the crowd Subaru and the others had passed through in Chaos Flame since yesterday—the same as ordinary citizens of this demon capital, distinctive-looking but otherwise unremarkable.
Those citizens had surrounded Subaru and the group, and after enduring Taritta's devastating arrow assault—even taking lethal hits—had calmly risen to their feet.
From what he could see from a distance, the assassins included women and children. Taritta must have been shaken that these weren't assembled warriors.
She had successfully drawn their attention, and Subaru and the others had dashed into the city on Medium's signal. But was it right to flee? Should they be helping Taritta?
He didn't know what the right call was, and options kept spinning in Subaru's mind.
As Subaru agonized, Abel adjusted the luggage on his shoulder, and without looking back— "As I thought. She's laid the 'Soul Marriage Art' across the entire city."
"Konkon...? Hey, hey, Abel-chan, what the hell is that?"
"The mechanism that makes them stand firm despite facing Taritta."
Al ran along clumsily, and Abel gave an answer that barely qualified as one.
The content didn't fully register, but one thing was clear. —Abel knew the connection between those burning eyes and the assassins.
"Abel! Don't keep secrets! Tell us everything!"
"—It's one of the lost secret arts described in ancient texts. Called the 'Soul Marriage Art,' it involves sharing a portion of one's own soul with others, amplifying their value."
"I don't get it! What does that mean?!"
"In plain terms, souls bound by the 'Soul Marriage Art' share a portion of their power. And in this city, there is only one user of the 'Soul Marriage Art'—"
Hurried from both sides by Subaru and Al, Abel broke it down as much as he could.
Even so, it was still difficult for Subaru to understand, but he managed to pick up the gist.
In other words— "—Everything that constitutes this demon capital shares in the power of Yorna Mishigure. That is why this city is not so easily conquered, even if an army is sent against it."