"The people in the city all have the same power as Yorna…!?"
As he sprinted through the alley, Subaru's eyes went wide at the words Abel had just told him.
The fox-faced woman he'd faced in the keep of the Crimson Tower — a being who could only be described as the empress ruling this demon city — Subaru didn't know the true extent of her power.
But she'd been selected as one of the Nine Divine Generals, had rebelled against the emperor who knew how many times, and had not only survived but been kept alive. There was no doubt she was extraordinarily strong.
And for every single person in the city to possess that same amount of power as the extraordinary Yorna — "There's no way something that scary exists! The Soul Marriage Art, and…!"
"You think I'm just spouting nonsense? Then explain the phenomenon of your limbs shrinking. The Kingdom and the Empire have fundamentally different foundations for their arts and different histories of refinement. Naturally, there would be phenomena beyond your imagination. Lost techniques are too numerous to count."
"Well, even if you say that…"
Being lectured with such lofty words, Subaru bit the inside of his cheek in frustration and hung his head.
His legs nearly buckled and he almost tripped, but he forced himself to keep steady, unwilling to be left behind by the others. Because they'd shrunk, none of them — Subaru, Al, or Medium — had shoes that fit. So their feet were wrapped in cloth, like makeshift tabi.
If he tripped or the wrapping came loose, he'd be stopped in his tracks. That was unacceptable.
Even if he couldn't keep up with the conversation, at least his body had to keep pace.
"Still, it was among my considerations, but I never truly expected it."
"…So what you're saying is, even you, Abel, didn't know that lady was the one using the Soul Marriage Art?"
"I still suspect there's no other explanation. It is, after all, an act that defies all reason."
Abel answered while running, breathing lightly, his gaze fixed forward through the demon mask. At his words, Al groaned in his throat and Medium turned to look at Abel.
Even at their reduced size, Medium still seemed to have the most stamina. She was fine for now, but Subaru would be gasping before long. Running endlessly like this wouldn't be easy either.
"Everyone, halt. It seems we've shaken off those who were lingering around the inn."
It probably wasn't out of concern for them, but Abel suddenly called a stop for the whole group.
With the alley's exit just ahead, the five of them ducked behind a jumble of discarded materials, catching their breath while keeping watch on the street.
"Is Taritta okay? She was moving way more than I expected."
"Huh? Ah, yeah, she was amazing — bouncing around like this, swishing and shooting arrows everywhere…"
"Brother, you doing that on purpose? Or…"
"On purpose? On purpose what?"
Medium tilted her head, frowning at Al's question.
Had she said something wrong? She'd just been praising Taritta's effort, matching Medium's admiration in her own way.
Al shook his head at her answer and said "Nothing" in a tone that clearly meant it was very much not nothing, then turned to Abel. And — "What did you mean earlier, about it defying all reason?"
"…I told you already. The Soul Marriage Art involves ceding a portion of one's soul to another. The soul is, in essence, the od at the very root of one's being."
"Od… and she cedes it?"
Repeating the words, Al's voice trembled at the truth of it.
Od was, as Abel had said, the very source of one's existence — not just the body, but the center of something far more spiritual, like the wellspring from which mana flowed.
In this world, it was often treated as synonymous with the 'soul.' So the Soul Marriage Art could just as well be called the Od Marriage Art. At least, Subaru thought so, though he wasn't entirely confident.
"But why does binding souls together make you stronger?"
"A close analogy would be the relationship between spirit art users and spirits. The art user and the spirit form a contract, connecting each to the other's root. In doing so, they draw out each other's power. Physical distance is irrelevant to this bond. You should be able to relate."
"A relationship where you draw out each other's power — yeah, I get that, but…"
Being presented with the example of spirit art users, Subaru clutched at his chest.
He didn't have much to be proud of, but Subaru was technically a spirit art user himself. He'd contracted with the adorable dress-wearing girl —
And oh right,
"But what's wrong, Subie?"
"Oh, it's just… forming a contract with a spirit is incredibly difficult, and she's doing that same thing with tons of people at once! That's a little…"
"Mm-hmm."
"It just seems… really hard, doesn't it?"
Without rushing him, Medium listened with care, drawing out Subaru's thoughts with genuine attentiveness.
A contract with a spirit was an incredibly important thing, and doing the same with countless partners was difficult. At the very least, Subaru couldn't do it with anyone other than Beatrice.
It wasn't just that Beatrice was originally that kind of contracted spirit — he suspected he couldn't have managed it even if she weren't.
And hearing Subaru's doubt, Abel nodded, as if to say "precisely."
"That is precisely why I said it defies all reason."
"So the Soul Marriage Art being dangerous — it's about that?"
"Think of the Soul Marriage Art itself as simply a contract of the same nature as the one formed with spirits, only capable of being performed without selecting a specific partner. What is difficult to believe is the act of施 it upon an unspecified multitude."
"————"
"I said 'a portion,' but regardless, it is the ceding of one's soul. It means tearing apart the very foundation of oneself countless times and recklessly surrendering pieces. To maintain one's identity through all of that is not something done in the ordinary course of things. Or perhaps… no, this is a futile line of thought."
Abel shook his head slowly, describing the abnormality of Yorna's Soul Marriage Art.
Honestly, Subaru couldn't grasp the situation as clearly as Abel did, but even he understood that it was something truly terrifying.
In Subaru's terms, it was as though she were giving away pieces of her soul to countless people other than Beatrice. Of course, there were people Subaru trusted enough that handing over a piece of his soul to them wouldn't be a problem.
Medium and Al, right here, wouldn't do anything malicious with it. But if asked whether he could give a piece to Abel — he'd whine and refuse, no question about it.
And then there was — "Mmm…"
"— ah."
His attention was pulled away by a small, quiet voice. Someone was tugging gently at the hem of his shirt.
Louis, with her long golden hair tied behind her head, had followed along quietly with their escape until now. — No, not just until now.
Louis was surprisingly obedient. The loud voice Subaru had worried about never materialized. She didn't attract the enemy's attention, and she did what needed to be done when the time came.
And — "————"
Now, the tug at his hem didn't seem to be an attempt to ease her own anxiety by making Subaru deal with it. Rather, it was as though she was searching for a way to sit beside his.
"You…"
She was hateful. She was frightening. She was unforgivable.
Subaru had thought about that long and hard — more than enough, more than enough — and he had no doubts.
The fact that he'd been transported to the Empire of Vollachia alongside her and hadn't abandoned her on the spot was because of that girl, because
Even now, the only reason he stayed with Louis was that he didn't want Rem to hate him.
And yet — "Hey, but doesn't this make things clear?"
Ignoring Louis's hand still gripping his hem and Subaru's turmoil, Al suddenly declared just that.
Al's gaze was directed at Abel, and the two — the man behind the demon mask and the man behind the veil, the adult and the child — faced each other. Looking down at Al, Abel listened as Al thumbed his own chest and said — "The guys who attacked us are under the influence of Yorna-nee's Soul Marriage Art. So the one who sent them after us was Yorna-nee too. That's Q.E.D., right?"
"…That is likely the most straightforward answer to the current situation."
"What's with the careful wording? If the people coming at us are using Yorna-nee's power, there's no other option, is there?"
"Well, that's… maybe a little different…"
"Huh?"
When Subaru quietly interjected, Al responded in a rough voice. Seeing Subaru flinch at the volume, Al muttered "Sorry" and touched the scabbard of the Blue Dragon Blade strapped to his back.
"Didn't mean to scare you. …Brother, you think there's another possibility?"
"Beatrice and I have a contract, but we're not connected the whole time. Well, we are connected, but I can't tell what she's doing right now, so…"
"So you could borrow her power and go berserk on the sly?"
At Al's blunt phrasing, Subaru felt a twinge of resistance but nodded.
Even without knowing the exact scope and conditions of the Soul Marriage Art, something like that might be possible. If so, it would become impossible to know whether Yorna was truly a bad person.
"If the enemy turned out to be
"Well, we'd be targeted from across the whole city. I'm with you there, but…"
"If we captured even one of them, the situation would change."
Touching his own cheek through the demon mask, Abel murmured those words softly.
Hearing that, Subaru opened his mouth in an "oh" of realization.
"Th-that's right! If we could just talk to one of the people on their side, we'd have a clear answer! Why didn't I think of that!"
"Oh, that's so true! Abel, you're a genius! That's it, that's it!"
"Right?!"
The answer was like clouds parting to reveal the sun, and Subaru and Medium leaped on it with delight, clapping their raised hands together. Beaming, the two turned back to Abel and the others.
But their joy was cut short by Abel and Al, who kept their faces hidden.
As Subaru and Medium celebrated, Al slumped his shoulders heavily and said — "Sure, if we could do that, this wouldn't be hard. But that's exactly what's difficult, yeah? The opponent is — every single one of them has received Yorna-nee's power."
"Oh, right…"
"Mmm, if only Taritta were here…"
Medium stamped her foot on the spot, bitterly lamenting their own inadequacy.
Subaru felt the same frustration. They were one step short of the information needed to advance this situation, and they had no way to obtain it.
"Is there something… anything…?"
Pressing a hand to his mouth, Subaru racked his brain, trying to recall everything that had happened since they'd arrived.
Since arriving in
Otherwise, even Taritta would be captured by that crowd of enemies and suffer terribly — "…Wait."
"Subie?"
Lost in thought, Subaru caught on something odd and blinked. Medium noticed his expression and leaned in close.
But he didn't have the composure to answer her. Right now, he needed to pull at that thread of suspicion — The thing that had snagged was Taritta. — No, not Taritta herself, but the people facing her — the hundred or so enemies who had targeted Subaru's group.
He'd watched from a distance as those hundred fought against Taritta. That was where the odd snag had been. It was probably — "We don't even know for sure! Whether it's really the Soul Marriage Art, whether the enemy really is Yorna-nee or not, whether the old man Olbart is lying to us or not!"
"————"
Al scraped roughly at the back of his neck and roared those words. Subaru was startled, but Al didn't seem to notice, kicking the wall in frustration.
Something had clearly shaken Al's composure. The easygoing, take-it-all-in-stride attitude — like a willow branch swaying in the wind — was nowhere to be seen.
And clutching that irritation, Al stepped aggressively close to Abel and — "What are you gonna do, Abel? I can't keep up with this. I'm telling you, there are things I care about more than your restoration. So…"
"I have no interest in your desires. But there is a way to verify."
"Verify what?"
"Whether their resilience comes from the Soul Marriage Art or not."
With that declaration, Abel pointed out of the alley toward the street.
Outside the darkness, the faint sounds of people passing — footsteps, fragments of conversation — drifted in from the street. That said, nobody had noticed them or peered in.
Just ordinary foot traffic. That was all that was there.
"What about the street…"
"Choose one passerby at random and inflict harm on them. If the wound heals, they are under the Soul Marriage Art's influence. If it doesn't — if they bleed, or die — then they are outside its effect. In that case, we can rule out the assumption that Yorna Mishigure is the one wielding the Soul Marriage Art."
"————"
"Alternatively, if only those who besieged the inn are under the Soul Marriage Art's effect, that would serve as proof that Yorna Mishigure deliberately targeted us."
Abel continued in a flat tone, his finger still pointing at the street.
The cruelty and absurdity of the proposal left Subaru speechless. His mind had gone numb — he couldn't even think.
Surely no one would take such a preposterous proposal seriously — "I see… but there's also the possibility that we're among those the residents aren't affected, like us. What if we filter that out?"
"By examining their footwear, one can distinguish residents from outsiders. Of course, it's also possible that only those who surrounded the inn are under the Soul Marriage Art's influence. In that case, it would serve as evidence that Yorna Mishigure deliberately struck at us."
Either way, Abel nodded as if to say the information would be obtained regardless, and Al fell silent, unable to find a further objection.
The reasoning was convoluted and hard for Subaru to follow. But even in its complexity, one thing was clear.
If this continued, someone would get hurt.
"That's —"
"If you refuse it, then what? Propose an alternative."
"————"
The retort cut Subaru off before he could bite back on reflex.
His face flushed hot as Abel's words made him feel his own naivety laid bare. But he couldn't stay silent. He couldn't just back down.
"There… there has to be another way that doesn't hurt anyone…"
"If there is, speak. If it's a plan worth considering, I'll listen. — Though, expecting that from you in your current state may be asking too much."
"That's —"
"You are particularly afraid of sacrifice."
A cold voice sliced through Subaru's rising heat.
It felt as though he'd truly been pierced through. Subaru clenched his back teeth and looked down.
Sacrifice — someone getting hurt. Someone dying.
Enemies and allies alike — the fewer casualties, the better. Being told that thinking this way was a sign of Subaru's immaturity, his weakness — "But why is that wrong?"
"I'm not denying it. It's simply a fact. If you wish to see your desires through to the utmost, you need either stratagem or strength. If both are lacking, you must trim the results you desire and compromise. That is the process and outcome of the bloodless surrender you yourself described."
"————"
"If you truly wish to avoid deaths and injuries, you need the power to bring about that result. — If you genuinely desire that from the bottom of your heart, then holding back would be a contradiction."
Being told he was holding back, Subaru's cheeks hardened and his eyes flickered.
He didn't understand what Abel meant. But behind the demon mask, those dark eyes were locked on Subaru, searching through eyes that glowed with a far weaker light for the truth of his heart.
He didn't know. He didn't know. He didn't know.
Truly, he didn't know. What was this 'holding back' of Subaru's? Even as he strained his sluggish brain, no solution surfaced.
With his short limbs and small lungs, he couldn't leap and bound like Taritta. The whip he'd brought along had a thick handle and was far too heavy to use properly.
Still — if he didn't want anyone hurt, then what was needed was — "Then I'll just be the one who gets hurt!"
His mind a complete mess, Subaru shouted at Abel.
He knew. He knew he was lacking in strength. He knew he'd been thoughtless. These were problems that had existed long before his body had shrunk.
A hot pressure surged from behind his tightly shut eyes.
Before it could crystallize into tears, Subaru turned on his heel and ran.
"Brother!?"
"Subie!"
At his sudden movement, Al and Medium screamed something close to a shriek.
But Subaru didn't stop at their calls. He threw himself out of the alley and into the street.
He didn't want anyone hurt. He didn't want anyone to die.
The strength and the stratagem needed to ensure that — Subaru lacked both. And if the price of filling that gap was something, then it should be himself.
He would find out. He would bring back the information that could change this situation, in the instant it became possible.
For that — "Come at me! I'm right here!"
Subaru spread both arms wide on the street and shouted at the top of his lungs.
His high-pitched child's voice cut through the street's noise, and the startled attention of passersby converged on him. Caught in the gaze of all those widened eyes, Subaru felt his heart shrink with pain.
"…Ah."
He realized his mistake a heartbeat after making it.
All around him, people were staring at the stupid child making a fool of himself, and the sudden shame and fear swelled. Subaru held his breath, wondering if he should just retreat back into the alley — "Wait."
As he panicked and stamped a foot to turn, someone grabbed his arm.
Subaru jerked his shoulder and spun around. The figure who'd seized him was short — a curly-haired youth in simple light clothing. No — the hair wasn't short. The curls were so tight that the rounded tips made it look short.
Roughly the same apparent age as the current Subaru, this youth's arrival made Subaru's eyes go wide. He was about to ask why he'd been stopped when — "Sorry."
— in the next instant, the boy with the burning right eye had casually thrown him through the air.
"Wha—"
What had just happened? Subaru's spinning vision swallowed the question whole.
The boy had simply thrown him. With a motion like raising one arm by the wrist, he'd easily, effortlessly tossed Subaru into the sky.
"Ahhh—!?"
He'd thrown himself into the street rather than let anyone else get hurt.
And now, before he could even regret it and retreat, he'd been thrown without even managing to flee, screaming all the while.
Why? How? Questions ricocheted through his skull. His insides clenched.
The people fighting Taritta had the same burning eyes as this boy. If that was the effect of the Soul Marriage Art Abel had described, then they had been given a portion of Yorna's power. And to verify that, Subaru had boldly thrown himself out as a sacrifice.
None of it made sense to him as he fell, spinning, against the blue sky.
His body rotated at an unnatural speed, and it seemed like a miracle that he wasn't hitting the buildings and decorations around him. Whether the boy had aimed to avoid them, he couldn't tell.
All he knew was that the obstacles flashing past at terrifying speed in the corners of his vision were frightening. He prayed desperately not to hit anything as he fell through the blue sky — and then even that stopped.
Slowly, his thrown body reached the apex, and now it was plummeting straight down toward the ground.
"Aaaaah—!"
The voice that had drifted away from the ground now echoed as it drew close.
He didn't know how high he'd been thrown, but he had to brace for impact. The problem was, he couldn't remember how to do a breakfall in the spur of the moment. For that matter, could a breakfall even save you from falling from an insane height? He'd smash into the ground, his body would scatter, his head would be crushed, his neck would snap, and he'd die — —and the sensation that 'death' was closing in again, right on his heels, washed over him.
"Al!"
"On it!"
Right after, through his own scream, Subaru heard a familiar voice straining with effort.
Then came the sound of something taut being sliced, followed by the sound of several slender objects toppling in sequence. Without understanding what any of it was, Subaru's body was about to hit the ground — when something caught him.
"W-wha — gah — urgh!"
Softness received him, but the momentum couldn't be fully stopped, and his body tumbled across that softness with considerable force. When he reached the edge, the thrown body rolled onto the hard ground, and a groan and the taste of sand spread through his mouth.
Everything hurt. But — "I'm… alive?"
Surviving left Subaru stunned into a dazed whisper.
Pushing himself up, he finally understood what had happened. — Al and Medium. The two of them had saved him on instinct.
To catch Subaru falling from the sky, they'd leaped to a vendor's tent on the street, severed its anchoring lines, and pulled it taut to create an improvised cushion.
Thanks to that, Subaru hadn't been slammed into the ground, and his life was saved.
However — "Ow ow ow…"
"Ngh…"
The two who'd worked so hard to save him weren't unscathed either.
"Al! Medium!"
As Subaru righted himself, he saw the two of them lying in the street.
Naturally, Al and Medium, affected by the 'infantilization' like Subaru, couldn't perform as usual. The tent they'd stretched to catch Subaru had sent them flying from the impact.
And the bad news continued — "I was really hoping that would be the end of it…"
The one groaning through a twisted grimace was the boy who'd thrown Subaru.
He looked at Subaru, then at Al and Medium lying nearby, and covered his face with one palm — unable to fully hide the flame still burning in his right eye.
"You…?"
"It's necessary. This city… we can't lose her."
"…?"
Subaru managed to sit up, drawing the boy's attention to himself.
It was a desperate attempt to keep the boy from going after Al and Medium, but the boy's answer was far outside Subaru's understanding.
But beyond the boy's desperation, something else stirred in Subaru's chest.
"You too…"
It was the same thing that had snagged his thoughts back in the alley.
Taritta, fighting to buy them time — and the people facing her, each with one burning eye — their expressions — —they all looked the same as this boy's pained face.
"I'm sorry. I won't say 'forgive me,' though."
Shaking his head, the boy left the confusion lingering in his eyes but cleared it from his expression, then slowly stepped forward toward Subaru.
Subaru tried to scramble backward but couldn't. His legs wouldn't move.
So at the very least, he fixed his gaze on the boy's face without looking away, and noticed it.
Protruding from among the boy's curly hair at his temple — a small horn.
White curls and a horn. He looked, absurdly, like a sheep.
That was the last thing he registered before the boy's burning-eyed hand swung wide — "————"
Scowling, eyes wide open, determined not to miss what the boy would do, Subaru saw — "Guh!"
A golden-haired girl threw herself in front of Subaru. A dull impact. Blood sprayed red. And like an autumn leaf, she was sent spinning through the air.