Chapter 10-4 — "You're Welcome"

"I'm telling you, there's an urgent need for the development of something like a mana-stone engine — a non-steam-engine engine, if you will."

Natsuki Subaru said that while gripping the reins on the driver's seat, staring straight ahead. Beatrice, who was sitting right on Subaru's lap — plop — scowled at his words.

"...You've started spouting nonsense again. A mana-stone engine? What even is that?"

"It's a technology that doesn't exist in this world yet. The idea is, if you could use the energy of mana stones to build a system similar to a steam engine — wouldn't something like a train work?"

"A train?"

"A dragon-carriage made of iron that runs endlessly for as long as the mana stones last, no earth dragons required. It can only travel where rails are laid, so the freedom is limited, but on the flip side, once you connect rails between two points, you can travel back and forth at quite the pace. What do you think?"

"Well, I'd say it's convenient, at least — if you turn a blind eye to how absurd it sounds."

Beatrice's reply, dripping with undisguised exasperation, made Subaru purse his lips in dissatisfaction.

It was a pretty solid idea, but without knowing what an actual train looked like, it was hard to convey the concept. Then again, Subaru was on roughly equal footing with Beatrice in that neither of them knew much about operating trains. If he had at least a bit more knowledge of how steam engines worked, he could make the pitch more convincing.

"——"

"H-Hey, sorry, sorry! Patrasche, I'm not trying to dismiss you — you're the one who came all the way to the Empire to pick me up! This is purely about the right tool for the right job..."

"——!!"

"Unfortunately, that excuse won't cut it with her. If you upset Patrasche, our return home might get even further away, you know."

"That's a situation I absolutely need to avoid... Please, calm down!"

Even if Subaru couldn't perfectly share the image of a locomotive, Patrasche had apparently grasped the role it would play — and that it clashed with her own. Scratching his head at the protest from his beloved earth dragon, Subaru re-gripped the reins and narrowed his eyes at the monotonous desert scenery stretching before them.

——After sealing off Al at the Pleiades Watchtower, Subaru and his companions had set off toward the Royal Capital. They needed to learn the facts that had come to light in the loop that had been erased, and to understand the circumstances they now had to face.

The shock of Al's betrayal was immense, and in order to process it, the group had departed the tower with forced energy and enthusiasm. But the actual road to the Royal Capital was a long one.

After all, they were traveling nearly the entire width of the Kingdom, from its far eastern edge to its far western tip.

Even borrowing the running power of the energetic and capable Patrasche, it was expected to take considerable days — and the more fired up they were, the more the frustration of that slow pace mounted.

In such a strained state of mind, it was hardly surprising that the idea of searching for a new means of travel — a kind of escape — floated through Subaru's head.

"If a train or a railcar actually became reality, I wonder how much travel time would shrink... You'd be able to move faster than an earth dragon without rest, that's for sure."

He had absolutely no margin for it now, but he figured that once things settled down, he should consult more seriously with Roswaal or Otto. The chained dragon-carriages devised in the Empire had been a similar concept in terms of inspiration, but those still relied on the running power of earth dragons and other riding beasts. A mana-stone engine should be far more convenient.

"If I pull it off, I bet I could blow Abel's mind. Just imagining him grumbling and demanding I tell him how I did it makes me feel like it'd be worth doing."

"If it involves mana stones, Betty might be able to offer some input — but if your goal is just to one-up that ridiculous Abel, I won't cooperate."

"Right, right. Tearing a smug face off Abel is a pretty dumb reason. Let's forget it, forget it."

Subaru waved away the image of Abel's annoyed expression that had been floating in his mind, rested his chin on top of Beatrice's head, and let out a small sigh. Naturally, Beatrice became aware of the sigh above her head — and then the hard sensation against the back of her skull: the black orb hanging from Subaru's neck.

"Subaru, that forbidden spell—"

"You're the one who figured it out. ...Sorry, it's all I can offer as an explanation."

"I'm not blaming you. What concerns Betty is the abnormal precision of that magic's structure and the way it selected its targets... I felt a trace of Mother in it."

"Mother... Echidna, you mean."

"Perhaps."

Beatrice nodded with a small bob of her head, and Subaru thought of the Witch of Greed he had encountered in the Sanctuary.

That hateful expression was the same one he had seen when facing Sphinx during the Great Calamity in the Volakian Empire — the woman who had become Echidna's likeness. Considering how deep and numerous the marks that Witch of Greed had left behind, Subaru had all but lost faith in the credibility of their exchange in the tomb.

Furthermore, the Witch of Greed's existence — compared to the countless traces she had left scattered across this world — had been far too thoroughly concealed.

This wasn't the kind of thing that faded with the passage of time. It was more natural to think it had been deliberately erased from history. —The question was: who had done it?

"Echidna was technically dead, so she couldn't have done it herself. Though if we're talking about how she was getting into people's dreams and causing trouble after death, that casts some doubt on it too."

"Even so, that shouldn't be possible. Freely traveling in and out of dreams even after death — not even a Dreamweaver, a practitioner of dream arts, could manage that."

"Hm? Dreamweaver? Dream arts?"

"It's magic that uses dreams as a medium to interfere with a target's consciousness. It's another forbidden art, and its practitioners were nearly all exterminated, I believe."

"There are definitely survivors of that kind of thing! Consciousness interference? They'd plant convenient memories like 'We got rid of them all' while the real ones slip away..."

"You — you're being far too pessimistic! ...Ahem, in any case. The approach Mother took when she encountered Subaru and Emilia in the tomb appears to have applied the principles of dream arts, but it was something different in strict terms — so she shouldn't have been able to extend a living person's consciousness across dreams."

Wagging a finger as she delivered her cute little lecture, Subaru nodded along. He didn't understand the fine details, but apparently Echidna's dream castle was centered on the tomb — a special locale — and didn't extend beyond it.

If that was the case, then the worry that Echidna had done everything herself would be resolved.

"But in that scenario, someone who inherited Echidna's will would have been diligently covering her tracks this whole time — and the most likely candidate is Roswaal."

"If it turns out to be an inside job, I suppose we'd have no choice but to tearfully hand them over."

"That's exactly why I can't hand him over before the Royal Selection ends, and I'd rather not hand him over even after it does. Besides, the narrative where Betty — who plays the pretty girl in front of me — is secretly working as Echidna's agent behind the scenes is a classic entertainment trope, right?"

"Betty being the final boss? That plot was scrapped ages ago. It has zero credibility or coherence — it's just a contrarian idea with nothing backing it up."

"That's what I think too, but you're being awfully emphatic about it..."

She was rejecting the notion of turning against Subaru even in casual conversation. Subaru let himself feel warmed by that — it was proof of how deeply she cared about him.

All right then. Assuming that whoever erased Echidna's traces was not Roswaal and, of course, not Beatrice either— "The Witch Cult."

Beatrice flinched ever so slightly, her breath catching. Her tense reaction was proof that she had silently agreed with Subaru's murmur.

Not just the Witch of Greed's — no, Echidna's information — but the traces of any Sin-Archbishop-class Witch other than the Witch of Envy were being systematically erased.

And the Sin Archbishops who had appeared simultaneously in the water gate city of Priestella had each imposed their own selfish demands on the city in exchange for the lives of its citizens. Back then, there had been some like Regulus who were simply trying to satisfy their own desires, but mixed in were demands that seemed unlikely to reflect what the individual themselves actually wanted.

"On top of that, I heard something from Otto before. Apparently, no matter where in the world a connection to a 'Witch' is carelessly discovered, the Witch Cult shows up to take it away... or so the story goes."

In fact, the Volakian fortress city of Garkla — which Subaru and the others had also visited — had reportedly fallen into a devastated state after Regulus went on a rampage there. The thought of someone he'd rather forget kept popping up, putting him in a foul mood.

Anyway— "The chaos in Priestella seems to back up the rumors Otto told me about. If that's the case, the Witch Cult's rampages aren't just the terrorism of a cultist group. There's a different agenda — they're trying to hide the 'Witches' from this world."

The Witch Cult was known for worshipping the Witch of Envy, revering her existence as sacred.

Because that surface-level information was accepted as common knowledge, the fact that they were trying to erase the traces of Witches other than the Witch of Envy might have been concealed.

"Rather than hiding a tree in the forest, they're hiding 'Witches' within the episodes of the 'Witch of Envy.' ...But if that's the case, then whoever created the Witch Cult—"

"It couldn't have been Mother."

Beatrice had traced the same line of reasoning and reached the conclusion first — only to deny it herself.

She pursed her lips tightly, facing forward so Subaru couldn't see her expression. But what lay behind those words was less a conviction than a fragile, feeble prayer.

Logically, Subaru's line of reasoning should have been sound. But the fact that Echidna was her creator — someone who had spent precious time with her as family — was something Beatrice would never allow herself to admit.

Subbaru understood that painfully well. At the same time, it stoked his anger toward Echidna.

"You made my precious Betty suffer through all that..."

The Witch who had ordered Beatrice to wait in the Forbidden Library for four hundred years, told her to wait for 'that person.' Subaru knew that the true intention behind Echidna's instruction was a terrifyingly wicked curiosity — she wanted to see who Beatrice would choose as 'that person.' Naturally, he couldn't tell Beatrice that directly. He had no intention of doing so.

Trying to overwrite Beatrice's feelings for Echidna by denying them — that was a vulgar, ugly way of thinking. All that mattered was for Subaru to become a greater presence in her life than Echidna was, while Beatrice's feelings for her mother remained intact.

"Betty, I love you."

"—!? Where did this conversation just go!?"

Overflowing with affection and a sense of mission, Subaru hugged Beatrice tightly from behind. Beatrice's previously solemn face turned bright red. There it was. That was the look.

This didn't mean he was sweeping the whole issue under the rug — but— "For now, we can't find the answer here. Once we get to the Royal Capital... wait, it all comes back to that in the end, doesn't it? Damn it, the development of the mana-stone train can't come soon enough!"

So saying, Subaru gripped the black orb hanging at his chest and muttered in frustration.

The road ahead was still long, and the Royal Capital lay far, far in the distance— And then, Subaru's impatience was resolved through an unexpected means.

It began with— "Well, well. I've been waiting forever. You finally made it back."

They had arrived at the staging town of Milura after crossing the sand sea, and were greeted by a bald giant with arms as thick as logs, folded across his chest — old man Rom.

"——!"

"I'm surprised there are still survivors among the Giant Race. I thought their bloodline was nearly extinct, much like the Oni."

"Unfortunately, I haven't run into any giants other than myself. For all I know, I might be the last one left in this world."

"Seriously? That's beyond just a countdown to extinction."

Beatrice looked up at the giant's towering frame as old man Rom responded. Hearing this, Subaru frowned at the dire circumstances of the Giant Race.

If the only survivor left was the extremely elderly Rom, then there was no hope of descendants. The species could only die out. If the last survivor had happened to be young, there might have been a thread of possibility to cling to — but— "What? It's only natural for a species that has fulfilled its role to go extinct. There's no justification for dragging giants or the Oni into future eras. Let everyone live as they please, and perish as they please... Something like that, yes."

"Fate-of-the-species talk like that... I'm really not a fan of it. I mean, it's too late to say anything anyway."

"My, you're saying something unexpectedly noble. It seems you've picked up a bit of thoughtfulness."

Grinning at the impatient Subaru who was poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue, Rom slapped his large palm against Subaru's shoulder.

In truth, this was the first time Subaru had properly conversed with Rom since the day the Royal Selection was officially declared — when they had hashed things out in preparation for sneaking into the castle.

He had heard that Rom was serving as Felt's strategist, but actually seeing him again after so long and exchanging words drove home the reality of it.

"Looking back, Rom and Felt are people I encountered in this world before Beatrice — it's kind of nostalgic. ...Though if you think deeply, I actually met the old fruit-stand guy before Emilia-tan."

Honestly, if you started talking about speed of first encounters, all sorts of outliers would creep in and break your brain.

Regardless, reuniting with old acquaintances was a joyful thing for Subaru — especially someone he had met on his very first day after being summoned to this world.

So— "You're one of them too, Reinhard."

"Oh good. Your conversation with Lord Rom was going so well, I thought you'd forgotten about me entirely."

"Forgotten? You? Is that even something that's happened to you?"

It was hard to imagine, but Reinhard was the kind of person who left such an overwhelming impression that even having his name eaten by the Authority of Gluttony probably wouldn't make anyone forget him. Or perhaps, as Reinhard, the situation of having his name eaten in the first place simply wouldn't occur.

At Subaru's remark, Reinhard smiled wryly and shrugged.

"Fortunately, such an opportunity hasn't arisen yet. Though I won't pretend that's entirely without its weight. I can't undo what I've done."

As he spoke, Reinhard's gaze flicked past Subaru's shoulder — to where Garfiel stood with imposing, dignified bearing.

After exchanging only the briefest of greetings, Garfiel had been silently directing his sharp emerald eyes at Reinhard. Bathed in that stare, Reinhard lightly narrowed his blue eyes as well.

"You've improved considerably since the last time. In such a short period — that's impressive."

"Tch... Keep runnin' your mouth like it's nothin'. Over here, I've gone through near-death experiences God knows how many times just to level up, and your bottom line keeps gettin' more and more unknowable."

"Will you challenge me again, like you did in Priestella?"

"Right now, there's no winning line. Besides, even if I went and lost on my own, that ranking would end up troubling Lady Emilia."

Garfiel turned his face away and clicked his tongue, forcibly restraining his fighting spirit.

He couldn't exactly be called wrong to think that way. In terms of actual combat ability, Garfiel — as the martial officer of Emilia's camp — was the one who would inevitably be compared to Reinhard. If word got out that Garfiel had lost a head-on fight with Reinhard, even in a publicly understood ranking, it would leave the impression that Emilia's camp was lacking in strength.

That was as far as Garfiel had thought — and held himself back.

"Garfiel, you've really grown up...!"

"G-Gah?! What the hell, Captain! Don't pet my head! I just said some lame stuff about not bein' able to win! There's nothin' to praise here!"

"There is, there is, there's tons! Hey everyone, let's praise Garfiel!"

"G-Gaoh!"

Subaru, Beatrice, Petra, and Meili surrounded the blushing, bashful Garfiel and praised him with pats and kind words.

It was essentially the mirror image of the time Subaru himself had been comforted at the Pleiades Watchtower.

After doting on Garfiel to their hearts' content— "—Then, may I ask what business the two of you in Felt's camp have with us?"

It was Petra — the most level-headed member of the entire group — who properly steered things to the point.

Hands on her hips, brimming with the energy of their camp's chief negotiator, Petra's small back radiating an unexpected sense of reliability that made Subaru's chest warm.

It reminded him, almost, of a fragment of the erased loop — just how desperately she had fought to get Subaru back during his battle with Al.

"W-Why the long face, Subaru?"

"Nah, I've just been kind of emotional lately. Betty, wanna hug me?"

"V-Very well. You are quite the spoiled one."

Though she acted reluctant, Beatrice — who had been holding his hand — switched to clinging tightly to his waist. Subaru then focused on the conversation before him.

This was the reason Reinhard and the others had gone out of their way to wait for Subaru and his group— "Of course, we came to meet you. —Something urgent has come up in the Royal Capital. We thought Lady Emilia would be terribly worried, so Felt gave us orders to come fetch you."

"Sister Emilia is worried? But then, why would Felt—"

"The two of them have become friends. So she said she wanted to lend a hand for her friend's sake."

"Oh my, Felt was won over by big sister Emilia, wasn't she? I understand that feeling. Maybe I'll get to be friends with Felt too!"

At Petra's skeptical question, Meili answered with a mischievous grin. But the way she put it, she was essentially admitting that she herself had been won over by Emilia. Subaru didn't say anything about it.

Still, Subaru was surprised. He hadn't gotten the impression that Emilia and Felt had a bad relationship, but for Felt to move on Emilia's behalf— "Back when the insignia was first stolen, I never could've imagined this..."

"Let me tell you, boy — I'd appreciate it if you didn't go spreading that story around. If you lot start putting out that sort of negative press, I'll have no choice but to pull some strings."

"If you've got nothing to hide, it shouldn't matter — but it'd be bringing trouble on your own head too. ...Well, digging up that whole affair would be inconvenient for more than just your side, so I won't bother."

Subaru shrugged in response to Rom's preemptive warning.

The insignia theft back in the Royal Capital had been entangled with Roswaal's schemes behind the scenes — specifically, his commission to Elsa. And Elsa's involvement connected to Meili, who was standing right there. If people started prying into all that, it would be Emilia's camp whose stomachs would ache the most.

Besides, Subaru couldn't imagine Emilia bringing up the insignia theft against Felt now. If they had become friends, all the more so.

"I'm even suspicious that Emilia-tan might have completely forgotten about the insignia theft... No, that can't be right."

"As I see it, Lady Emilia chose to move past that history and still desired a friendship with Felt. That's what I believe."

"Right. I like that version of Emilia-tan better. But..."

The problem was the fact that this same Emilia had been driven into a state of deep distress.

Wondering what could have happened in the Royal Capital, Subaru suddenly thought of something — that his own situation might be the cause of Emilia's current anguish.

Before departing the Pleiades Watchtower, he had asked Flam to send a 'message' — perhaps the effects of that had— "No, I've heard about Priscilla-sama and the matter with Al as well. Lady Emilia was certainly deeply pained, but she was more worried about Subaru and the others. So the direct cause isn't that."

"Is that so. Well, that's... not exactly good, but at least I understand. But if that's not it either, what happened?"

"—Something that shakes the very foundation of the Royal Selection, I'd say."

Everyone's expression changed at Rom's grave pronouncement.

Something that shook the foundation of the Royal Selection — that alone spelled a crisis of the highest order. The fact that Reinhard didn't deny it was itself proof that there was no doubt in his mind.

Whether this was because Priscilla's death had eliminated her as a Royal Selection candidate, or whether there was another cause — Subaru couldn't tell.

"We'll need to discuss this matter with each of our camps. Since I had been tasked with picking up Lord Rom at his territory, I decided to come fetch Subaru and the others as well."

"But you'd want to hurry back and link up with Felt in the Royal Capital as soon as possible..."

"Rachins and the others are in the capital. Following Felt's orders was the higher priority in this case. I'd have liked to come to the tower itself, but borrowing Meili's power and heading for the Augria Sand Dunes to catch up with you would have risked missing you entirely."

"So you're saying you waited here in this town for us to arrive."

With Rom's closing statement, Subaru's lingering questions finally settled.

So that was how it was — Reinhard and Rom had been waiting in Milura for Subaru and the others to show up. While Subaru was grateful for that, the problem that had prompted such measures from them was a terrifying prospect.

However— "I can't just not ask. Time is precious. Let's talk while we move."

"Agreed. There are quite a few things I'd like to hear from Subaru's own mouth. After we parted ways in Priestella — what happened in the Empire, and so on. Whatever you can share."

"There's nothing I can't tell you. I'll lay it all out. And I've got a bunch of things I want to ask someone carrying a title as big as 'Sword Saint,' too."

"...If it's something I can answer, ask away."

With that, Subaru and Reinhard reached an understanding.

For Subaru, who had been chafing at the slow pace of travel to the point of fantasizing about trains that didn't exist, getting Reinhard's help wasn't just timely — it was like getting the Millennium Falcon.

So, before setting off once more toward the Royal Capital— "Oh yeah, Reinhard."

"Hm? What is it?"

"You might not get it, but hear me out. —Thank you."

At Subaru's words of gratitude, Reinhard — who as Subaru had prefaced, probably hadn't understood the meaning — raised an eyebrow. The fact that he had caught the Sword Saint off guard brought a grin to Subaru's face.

"I don't fully understand the details myself, but I'm certain you've gone through tremendous hardship for my sake. So, thanks."

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to, so I'm not sure how to respond."

"Then just say 'You're Welcome' or something."

"Understood. —You're Welcome."

"That sounds awesome."

Renewing his gratitude toward Reinhard, who always responded like that no matter how unexpected the thanks, Subaru stroked Beatrice's head as she clung to his waist and began preparing to move out.

Reinhard had crossed an impossible distance in what must have been an incredible method of travel to reach them here, so Subaru expected to be subjected to something equally extraordinary. He needed to brace himself.

Unaware that behind him, Reinhard — his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist — was watching him with those piercing blue eyes, studying him intently, Subaru made ready to depart with his companions.