"Subaru is—"
"—a Sin Archbishop?"
It was a question that made absolutely no sense.
Even hearing it repeated aloud to confirm it, the words still didn't parse. They were so utterly meaningless that if this was meant to catch him off guard, it was a spectacular success—he almost laughed.
But the face of the large man before him—Marcos—was far too stern to dismiss that nonsensical suspicion as a joke.
At the very least, there was not a shred of an option for Garfiel, entrusted with the position of lead military officer in their camp, to let his guard down in front of this man.
"——"
With a soft snort through his nose, Garfiel quietly took in the oppressive tension pervading the guest hall. What he sensed was restrained fighting spirit, unease and distrust that swayed one's emotions, and behind all of that, a sharp, pungent undercurrent of fear.
He recognized that particular atmosphere—the same one he'd had many opportunities to smell in the Volachia Empire. It was the air of a fire magic ore warehouse on the verge of explosion.
In other words— "You think you wanna go and pick a fight with us?"
"—Is that to say you're rejecting our request?"
"Huh? You're the ones who flew off the handle first, so don't look at me like I'm the one picking a fight!"
"Wait. Don't snap, Garfiel. Please."
The words from
"I'm sorry about our child here. He was so shocked that he couldn't help but get defensive, so he lashed out on my behalf instead."
"Does that mean you share his anger as well, Lady Emilia?"
"Well… yes, that's right. I'm pretty upset too, wondering why someone would say something so absurd. I feel like I could fly off the handle any moment. But—"
There, Emilia paused and placed a hand on her chest. She toyed with the green magic crystal hanging there, letting its hard surface help her organize her thoughts— "But if I throw a tantrum here, it's not going to improve Subaru's position one bit. That would just be me getting angry because I want to. And I don't think that's acceptable."
"…You're telling me that, looking me straight in the eye."
"I haven't really had a chance to talk with you since our last meeting, Marcos. The me of now is like this—a little stronger than before. And that's thanks to Subaru."
"——"
Marcos narrowed his eyes with an expression suggesting he was weighing something deeply, looking at Emilia who answered without being swept up by emotion yet without being cowed either.
Meanwhile, Garfiel could feel the blood that had rushed to his head slowly draining back down as he listened to Emilia speak. But the tension in his body didn't relent—couldn't relent.
"In the first place, that suspicion of yours seems completely absurd. Natsuki has ties to the
"That's right. Besides, Subaru has solved more problems caused by the Witch Cult than anyone. He defeated Sin Archbishops—actual ones—and saved me and everyone in the village, so please don't say such ridiculous things!"
Otto and Petra jumped in with supporting fire, and Garfiel nodded along. Subaru had led the battles that defeated or captured the Sin Archbishops of Sloth, Greed, and Gluttony, dealing devastating blows to the Witch Cult. On top of that, Subaru had made enormous contributions to subjugating the two Great Mabeasts—the
The idea that Subaru had any connection to the Witch Cult was beyond preposterous.
"Look, nobody here wants to go and have a big falling-out with an ally, right? Even if I had a scrap with Otto bro, I wouldn't go beating him to a pulp. Not that we'd ever fight in the first place."
"The comparison between Garf and Otto is debatable, but I agree with the sentiment. That man doesn't seem like someone who could harbor that kind of malice."
"You're right. He does take on way too many troublesome things without thinking, but I think the biggest reason is that he's an idiot."
There was a sharp jab from
Receiving this, Marcos kept his rock-solid expression unchanged— "I understand that you all place tremendous trust in Knight
"Should I tell the people at the castle what we've said here?"
"In addition to that, I would ask that you answer our questions truthfully. Speaking as one who means well, I believe that cooperating fully to clear up this suspicion is the best way to dispel it."
"——"
"If I may interject for a moment?"
As Marcos repeated the same demand he'd made at the outset, Emilia lowered her violet eyes in contemplation. It was Rem who spoke up.
Like Garfiel, she was keeping a sharp vigil on the surrounding soldiers as she posed her question.
It was— "Isn't the person who matters most—Natsuki Subaru—supposed to be here?"
—In that instant, the atmosphere among the soldiers shifted completely.
"——"
The emotions directed their way sharpened into something pointed, raising every fine hair on Garfiel's body.
It wasn't a physical blade, but the focused scrutiny felt no different from having sword tips leveled at them. A tense stillness took hold of the reception room—an unsettled ripple across what had barely been calm water, trampled and disturbed beyond repair.
It was a hair-trigger standoff, where a single bursting bubble could set off a cascade— "—Silence."
A single word cut through the swelling tide of emotions—or rather, the fierce sword aura that accompanied it swept everything aside in one stroke, forcibly crushing the wave.
"—!"
Garfiel felt the illusion of being struck by a mountainous palm. The instantaneous pressure forced every pore on his body open, and he had to fight with rationality alone to suppress his body's instinct to half-transform.
Just moments before, he'd been bathed in the soldiers' directed hostility. The sword aura emanating from its source was incomparably more colossal—and the sheer, extraordinary power it carried made every instinct in Garfiel's body bristle with primal fear.
"My soldiers were exceedingly rude. Please accept my deepest apologies on their behalf—especially toward your military officer there."
"Huh? Just me?"
"I meant to direct it only at the soldiers, but it seems I've struck home. You appear to be remarkably well-trained."
As Marcos inclined his head in a salute, Garfiel noticed that the other members of their camp were wearing puzzled expressions, clearly having sensed nothing of the sword aura that had just washed over him.
It seemed that Marcos had been right—only Garfiel and the soldiers, the intended targets, had actually felt it. Once again, Garfiel was forced to recognize the truth.
Marcos Guildderk—the name might be overshadowed by the extraordinary shadow of the Sword Saint
"…Your reactions just now were seriously weird. Can you answer Rem's question? What's happening with Subaru and
Emilia asked this while turning a thoughtful squint away from Garfiel, whose emerald eyes blazed with both wariness and alert. Marcos's expression darkened another shade— "—What can you tell me about Knight Natsuki Subaru's movements, Lady Emilia?"
"He went out today saying he had a meeting with Miklotov. Alone—well, Beatrice is with him, so there are two of them, but he had an appointment to talk—"
"—Lord
"…Eh?"
The report, delivered as though cutting off Emilia's words, struck the reception room with far greater impact than any reprimand for rudeness could have.
Garfiel knew the name Miklotov McMahon, naturally. Not just because Subaru and the others had gone to see him, but because he was a heavyweight in the Royal Selection. A central figure in the Council of Wise Men. Being told of his death, there was no way not to be shocked.
But the real blow came in the words that followed.
While Garfiel and the others were still reeling in confusion, Marcos pressed on.
What he said was— "Currently, the kingdom is pursuing Knight Natsuki Subaru and
"Wait! What do you mean? Subaru and Crusch? Involved in Miklotov's death…?"
"The sword wounds on Lord McMahon's recovered body have been matched to a knight's sword bearing the crest of
"You're kidding…"
The cold, methodical violence of the information laid out before him made Garfiel's head spin for an instant. Not only had a key figure like Miklotov been murdered, but the perpetrator was supposedly Crusch—and Subaru had helped her? It sounded like the most absurd accusation imaginable.
"That duchess…"
Setting aside the laughable suspicion against Subaru, the very idea that Crusch was suspected of committing a violent crime was something Garfiel simply could not believe.
His connection to Crusch amounted to a single day and a half at the water-gate city. But in that battle, they had stood shoulder to shoulder, fought alongside each other against the Witch Cult to save the city. He knew she was someone who could genuinely wield her sword for the sake of others. He'd also learned the price she'd paid for that conviction and had felt, from the depths of his heart, a desire to somehow make it right.
He hadn't witnessed it firsthand, but when he'd heard that Crusch's body had been healed by the miracle of the
—That Crusch had committed murder, and Subaru had helped her? What a load of nonsense.
"Let me confirm. When you say you're tracking their movements, it means that Natsuki and Lady Crusch are currently on the run?"
Suddenly, a controlled voice cut through, seeking to pin down the situation with precision. It was, unsurprisingly, Otto—the intellectual pillar of their camp.
Emilia's violet eyes turned to Otto, who was trying to steady himself.
"Otto…"
"This is important. The fact that the Captain of the Knights personally came here isn't just a show of respect for Lady Emilia—it's a precaution."
"A precaution against what? Against us causing a scene?"
"That may be part of it, but the primary concern must be a possible rendezvous. They're guarding against Natsuki joining forces with us and being sheltered here. Isn't that correct?"
"—Explaining the disposition of forces would fall under military confidentiality. I'm afraid I cannot answer."
"I see. Not denying it is good enough for me."
Watching Otto nod in acceptance of Marcos's response, Garfiel felt nothing but admiration—even as rage and confusion churned within him, and he worked to knead them into something harmless.
Times like this, he genuinely thought it was a good thing Otto was there.
The board was tangled with competing agendas, but Otto could sort through it all and feed them the information they needed. That trust allowed Garfiel to focus on his own role as the shield.
Here too, Garfiel resolved not to be swayed by unnecessary emotions. He would hold that line.
"The death of Lord McMahon and the suspicion that he was a member of the Witch Cult… they seem related, but also not. And wanting to question Lady Emilia about it seems like too much of a stretch."
"I've already told you that the best way to dispel these suspicions is to answer questions at the Royal Castle. If you refuse this, then Lady Emilia and her camp will have to be understood as having abandoned their responsibility to explain Knight Natsuki Subaru's suspicions."
"That's not fair! Lady Emilia didn't agree to any of this—it's coercion!"
"It is not coercion. However, if you decline, the suspicion remains, and the kingdom will simply make its decision regarding Knight Natsuki Subaru's status."
"——"
Without inflecting his low voice with any emotion, Marcos continued his unyielding request.
Neither push nor pull could budge the man who sat there like an immovable mountain.
Just as that suffocating tension threatened to spread to both sides— "—Fine. I'll go to the castle. I'll speak for Subaru there."
"A wise decision."
"…Then, please make the arrangements immediately."
Emilia, who abhorred both the stagnation and the breaking point of the situation, had made her call. Marcos nodded. Hiding her resentment toward his attitude in her eyes, Petra moved to prepare for the castle visit.
But Otto stopped her with a "No." His eyes narrowed, he gave a small nod to the wide-eyed Petra, then— "We'll be selective about who accompanies you to the castle. …Correct?"
"Excellent. You're quick on the uptake."
"…What does that mean?"
As their gazes locked, Emilia furrowed her perfectly shaped brows. In response to her confusion, Marcos straightened his tall frame— "As for Lady Emilia's visit to the castle, members of your camp will not be permitted to accompany you. Currently, the suspicions surrounding Knight Natsuki Subaru may extend to Lady Emilia's entire camp. To preserve the independence of testimony, I must ask that your escort be limited to a single attendant who handles your personal care."
"Only one attendant…!?"
"I apologize for the inconvenience, but I must ask for your cooperation."
Marcos's expression did not waver—he had clearly anticipated their surprise.
Garfiel glanced at Otto and read the answer in the slight furrow of the elder's brow: Otto had anticipated this too. The problem was that even having anticipated it, this was still a devastating blow to the camp.
"At least let me—"
"I wouldn't recommend that. Your feelings as a military officer wanting to serve as escort are understandable, but you are more than sufficient combat strength. If Lady Emilia, who is at the center of these suspicions, enters the castle accompanied by military force, it would appear not as a demonstration of innocence, but of intimidation."
"That's a ridiculous—"
"There are those who would interpret it that way."
Marcos pressed forward, shutting down their arguments at every turn. Garfiel wanted to push back somehow, but even Otto hadn't intervened—the other side's logic was sound.
But— "When it comes to choosing an attendant…"
The only candidates, given the camp's current state, were Petra and Rem. If Frederica were here, leaving it to her sister would be the obvious choice, but there was no point wishing for what didn't exist.
Rem still hadn't recovered her memories, making it difficult to entrust Emilia to her. And while Petra was sharp, entrusting her with a situation this fraught was too much to bear.
What was the optimal course of action—?
"—Then it's decided.
"—! Ram!?"
Garfiel's eyes went wide as Ram appeared in the doorway of the reception room.
There she stood in her familiar maid uniform, wearing her usual strong-willed expression. Her appearance stunned not only Garfiel but Emilia and the others as well.
After all, Ram was supposed to be bedridden—nearly incapacitated from the grueling journey to the
Yet here she was, on her feet, standing boldly at Emilia's side. Before their stunned silence, she pinched the hem of her skirt and curtsied.
"My apologies for the delay. I was diligently attending to my bed's comfort and failed to notice our guests' arrival."
"…Is your bed alright now?"
"Let's say it's acceptable."
Ram gave a small shrug as she answered, and there was no trace of fatigue on her face. But that was simply because she was skilled at hiding her condition—her recovery was clearly far from complete.
Her exchange with Emilia just now, substituting "bed's condition" for her own physical state, made it obvious that concern still lingered.
However— "Big Sister…"
"Rem, the rest of your clean-up duty is assigned to you. Every last one of you is so helpless without the aid of the brilliant and capable Ram and Rem sisters. Petra is… slightly less hopeless."
"…Understood."
Rem, who had made a conscious decision to accept her role, swallowed her sisterly worry and anxiety, keeping her pale blue eyes from glistening as she nodded.
Watching this exchange, Garfiel looked to Otto. This was, in some ways, a unilateral move on Ram's part—but Otto's judgment was— "I agree. I think Ram would be well-suited. May we entrust Lady Emilia to her?"
"Goes without saying. As for you, Otto—stand up straight. And Garf, you'd better make good use of yourself."
"…Don't have to tell me twice."
Even as Emilia, Rem, and Otto all deferred to Ram's decision and answered her with appropriate composure, there was a thread of weakness in Garfiel's voice.
Garfiel was ashamed of it, but Ram's crimson eyes softened just slightly— "You fool."
—and she brushed aside his weakness with a sweetness that was its own kind of sternness.
"—Everyone, I'm heading out. I'm going to clear up this misunderstanding about Subaru and make them understand."
With Ram's appointment as attendant unanimously agreed upon by the camp, Emilia declared her resolve to visit the castle and looked at every face around her.
To be blunt, the situation was staggeringly unfair.
When the air was this oppressive, being the ones taking it on the chin was never a good sign. If this were a fistfight and you let your opponent do whatever they wanted, you'd lose in no time.
To avoid losing, you had to read what your opponent wanted, shut it down, and then hit them back with what you wanted.
"Like always, I need all of your strength. Please—I'm counting on you."
Saying this, Emilia bowed deeply, placing her trust in her camp's companions.
She was their leader, a Royal Selection candidate, someone with a genuinely important title—yet she bowed without hesitation, relying on others' power without shame.
That was precisely why Garfiel—and all of their camp—wanted to give everything they had for Emilia and Subaru. That was the reason.
So— "Of course! Don't you worry, Lady Emilia!"
With a specially rallied voice, Garfiel raised his fist—trying at least to scatter the unease that Emilia and Ram must have felt about the path ahead to the castle.
△▼△▼△▼△ And so, having seen off Emilia—who was escorted to the Royal Castle with Ram as her sole attendant—Marcos and his soldiers in tow, the remaining group— "Everyone, pack only the essentials. —We're leaving in five minutes."
Otto addressed those who'd stayed behind at the guest hall with those curt words.
He had already driven off the soldiers left behind as guards, wanting to confer privately among the camp. The remark came immediately after, and Garfiel's eyes went wide.
"Five minutes? We're not gonna wait for Lady Emilia?"
"No. The situation allows not a moment's delay. The charges leveled against Natsuki, their aggressive stance in forcing Lady Emilia to visit the castle… the objective is clear."
"—That means removing someone from the Royal Selection, doesn't it?"
"Precisely."
In response to both Garfiel's question and Petra's statement, Otto's normally gentle face took on a sharp edge. He raised a finger and said, "Listen—"
"The timing is far too perfect. On the very day Lord McMahon issued a summons, Natsuki gets caught up in a violent incident… and the perpetrator is supposedly Duchess Crusch, a Royal Selection candidate. A powerful force is at work."
"They're trying to remove Emilia and another candidate from the board together… That person was used as a pawn for that purpose."
"Based on what we currently know, that's the only conclusion. As for Duchess Crusch, once she borrowed the power of the Divine Dragon Church, continuing in the Royal Selection was already going to be difficult… but still."
"Hold on, I know the conversation's going in circles, but we don't exactly have time to spare, do we? That old hag comes back and we're in trouble."
Meili cut in, putting a stop to the drawn-out discussion while fidgeting with one of her braids and snapping the claws of the small red scorpion perched on her head. "That old hag"—she was probably referring to Marcos.
Indeed, Marcos was currently away at the Royal Castle with Emilia and absent from this location. The guest hall was surrounded by soldiers under orders to stand by, and in practice, the remaining members of Garfiel's group were under a soft house arrest—but— "If we just sit tight, we'll run out of options. We move before Marcos gets back."
"…We're going to find him."
"Natsuki and Duchess Crusch. We need to find out what happened to them and what they saw at Lord McMahon's estate. Without that, nothing else matters."
"Are we sure about that? Relying on him?"
"Even if Natsuki is unreliable, Beatrice is with him. That little one is far more dependable than the main body."
Otto offered a small, reassuring smile to Rem, who gave a slight, grateful nod—not pure relief, perhaps, but an acceptance of the concern.
Watching this flow of everyone working to dispel each other's anxiety, Garfiel slapped both his cheeks with his hands.
"Fine! I'll stomach it! Otto bro, if anything happens to Lady Emilia and Ram while we're gone—"
"There shouldn't be any danger. Skipping procedures or outright harming a Royal Selection candidate isn't permitted—they'll follow those rules. In any case, the moment they demanded her visit to the castle, the only objective was Lady Emilia's detention."
"Tch, got it! Then I'll just go knock out every last guard, and while they're down—"
"—That's off the table."
"Huh?"
Otto shook his head in front of Garfiel, who had cracked his knuckles and was revving up for action.
His momentum deflated, Garfiel stared in bewilderment as Otto looked at him with deadly seriousness.
"The soldiers are only following orders. They're not our enemies. I want to avoid injuring them. Ideally, we shouldn't even let them draw their swords. What we're doing is a breakout to clear our innocence—not a war."
"If we cause casualties, it will only make things worse for Lady Emilia and my sister… for Emilia's position."
"That's exactly right."
Garfiel gritted his back teeth as Otto nodded while adjusting his hat.
He understood. He understood the reasoning. He understood it, but he couldn't see how to move forward from there. Of course, if Marcos returned, any guarantee of a peaceful escape from the guest hall would vanish entirely.
But right now, at least, they could brute-force their way out. If even that was taken away, what could they possibly do— "I can ask my insects and birds to scout out where the guards are thinnest. I could have them create a diversion. It's not foolproof, but…"
"—Then I have an idea."
"Really, Petra?"
As Otto proposed his usual methods using his divine blessing, Petra shot her hand up. Rem asked with wide eyes.
Petra responded with a firm "Yes!" and clenched both small fists— "I'm so angry right now. At Subaru being suspected. At Lady Emilia being targeted. At them forcing Big Sister Ram. So I am absolutely not going to do what they say!"
"That's reassuring and all, but… what are we gonna do?"
"Obviously, my secret weapon. It's one of Otto's specialties."
"My… specialty?"
Pointed out so directly, Otto tilted his head in bewilderment. Meanwhile, Petra's cheeks were flushed with excitement, brimming with confidence in her secret plan.
"What are you planning, Petra?"
"Meili knows it too, and so does Garf. Look—"
As Petra beckoned everyone closer, they all leaned in, and she boldly laid out the contents of her secret weapon.
It was— △▼△▼△▼△ "Fire—!!!"
The panicked shout of a soldier rang out, and panic spread through the guest hall like wildfire.
What they had witnessed was smoke billowing out of the kitchen with overwhelming force. The sheer volume of smoke—accompanied by heat and the acrid stench of burning—prompted many of the brave soldiers into immediate action.
They charged into the kitchen to identify the source of the fire, rushing to pinpoint the cause of the smoke. Depending on the situation, they would extinguish the flames and put an end to both the fire and the panic in short order.
However— "The fire is under the floor, and the smoke is from a blocked chimney… Putting it out won't be easy."
Petra, who had proposed the fire alarm strategy and detailed the method, deepened her smile as she listened to the resulting panic unfold just as she'd planned.
It was a smile that, in general, could have been called cute. But watching it up close, Garfiel couldn't help but feel a bone-deep chill.
Be that as it may— "You know, I'm not thrilled about being treated like 'setting fires' is my specialty!"
Ignoring Otto's protests, the fire alarm operation was a resounding success.
Facing a critical building like the guest hall—and the people detained inside it—in genuine danger, the soldiers were consumed with dealing with the smoke, and their attention drifted away from Garfiel's group.
In the gap that opened— "Sorry about this, but take a little nap for me!"
"I'm sorry. I only hold a grudge equal to… my sister's share."
"—!"
The two soldiers who had maintained their positions near the back entrance—no matter what—were dealt with by Garfiel and Rem respectively, subdued and moved aside to clear the path. They couldn't draw their weapons. Meeting all the conditions Otto had laid out beforehand, Garfiel exchanged a glance with Rem, and they nodded to each other.
After that, they moved outside with Otto, Petra, and Meili.
"If you'd wanted to cause a ruckus, I could have done it easily with my mabeast friends, you know."
"That's the one thing we absolutely can't do. If Meili summoned mabeasts to go wild, it would support the very suspicions against us—Subaru being a Witch Cult Sin Archbishop, Lady Emilia being connected to the
"As for that last suspicion, the previous mansion was the same, but there's testimony that I wasn't alone—Petra was there too!"
"Otto's proclivities aside, I get it."
Meili shrugged, her skirt fluttering as she ran along.
Despite her breezy attitude, Garfiel suspected that her words just now were born of her own frustration—something that gnawed at her.
Meili had power. But it was a double-edged sword: wielding it endangered the very people she wanted to protect. That inability to swing freely was what ate at her.
"Don't worry. Whatever I can't handle, I'll make up for with my own effort."
Running alongside her, Garfiel ruffled Meili's head. She gave him a look of distaste, and he responded with a growl of teeth.
"Otto bro's got the ears, I've got the nose, and we'll track down the boss somehow. Until then, right… cheer us on. Cheer!"
"Cheer… as in, 'do your best'?"
"Yeah. Honestly, having people cheer for you really does make a difference."
Meili looked skeptical, but it was a feeling Garfiel knew firsthand.
After all, back at Priestella, the reason he'd been able to go toe-to-toe—however briefly—with the Eight-Armed
Yes, that was it. He'd won that fight because of the power of encouragement. And that will to cheer had existed because Subaru himself had roused the people.
It was the result of Natsuki Subaru painting over the despair the Witch Cult had prepared with hope.
"Only that boss better not be a damn Sin Archbishop…!"
The very idea was so ridiculous that Garfiel felt as though the back he respected so deeply was being defiled—and it made his blood boil.
Not just Priestella. The
—And among them, the person who believed in Subaru most strongly was Emilia herself.
According to Otto, the request for Emilia to visit the castle had always been about detaining her. Clearing Subaru's name was nothing but a pretext.
But if the other side truly wanted to clear the suspicion against Subaru, then the one person who could pour her entire soul into the words needed for that was Emilia.
"Damn it."
Frustrating. Frustrating. Everything about this was frustrating. The frustration swelled and swelled and would not stop.
Hadn't Subaru been trying? Hadn't he fought with everything he had—wanting to be useful to Emilia, wanting to protect the hearts of everyone around him, simply and desperately giving his all?
Then why wouldn't they listen to the voices of those who knew how hard he'd tried?
If they just gave them that one chance to speak, they would understand.
—That Natsuki Subaru was the coolest, most admirable person—Garfiel's proud big brother—who fought with everything he had to make a seemingly impossible ideal a reality.
"Garf…"
"—It's nothing! Remember how 'Kurgan took down his enemy even after losing his arm'? I'm not gonna sit around moping!"
He'd meant to encourage Meili, but ended up stirring himself up instead. Shaking it off with a bold voice and a snap of his teeth, Garfiel faced forward.
Meili narrowed her eyes just slightly at the sight.
"Really, everyone really is Subaru's and Emilia's kind of person, huh."
She murmured the words—which, to Garfiel, were nothing but a compliment.
"—What do we do from here, Otto?"
Behind Garfiel's exchange with Meili, Rem caught up to Otto, who was running ahead, and posed her question.
Otto guided them through the route, saying "This way," while— "First, I'd like to get us somewhere we won't be tracked. It won't take long before they realize we've escaped. We need to leave the Noble District immediately. That's why I'm enlisting their help."
"—I see."
Otto led the way through back alleys and narrow paths, steering their route after fleeing the guest hall. His gaze was fixed on a familiar sight: insects scurrying about furtively in the shadows.
Hearing him speak of borrowing their power, Rem offered only a word of understanding. Garfiel, too, had painful memories of the insects—mainly the Zoda bugs—Otto used as negotiating partners.
Still, when it came to allies, there was no one more reliable than this man, bugs and all.
"If we hit a checkpoint, it's over. So—Garfiel!"
"Alright! Both of you—hold on tight!"
"C—Kyaa—!"
At Otto's signal, Garfiel grabbed Meili and Petra, one in each arm, and kicked off the wall before them—the fortified barrier connecting the Noble District and the Slums of the Royal Capital—vaulting over to the other side.
That wall was supposed to serve an important role in the capital's security, but in Garfiel's legs, it was nothing.
"Wait here for a sec. I've gotta go back for Otto bro and Rem."
"I get that, but… Garf, you can't just suddenly pick girls up like that. I was really surprised, you know."
"Huh? Don't worry about stupid stuff—stop making that face! Got it!"
Petra's glare was apparently serious enough to genuinely scare Garfiel, and he apologized. Then he took a running start and looked up to vault over the wall again— "—I'm sorry. I was able to cross without Garf."
Looking down, Rem had landed right in front of him. Garfiel's eyes went wide—not just because she'd cleared the wall, but even more because— "You managed to not scream, Otto bro."
"That was a close call… Rem-san, please put me down. Natsuki will kill me."
"Huh? Why is that man's name coming up? I don't understand."
"That way of saying it means you do understand!"
Being glared at from point-blank range while held in Rem's arms, Otto wailed. Garfiel let out a long breath as Otto was finally set down and Petra and the others teased him, suppressing the emotions that had surged moments ago.
The situation was bad. Perhaps worse than when they'd been caught up in the imperial civil unrest.
But Subaru was surely safe with Beatrice. Emilia, with Ram at her side, wouldn't do anything reckless and would do her best. And here, he had Otto, Rem, Petra, and Meili—all dependable. —And he would be the one to support them.
The situation was bad. But he could still laugh. If he could laugh, they weren't cornered yet.
"Otto bro, next one's on me—I'll carry you and jump."
"Yes, I'd appreciate that."
"Alright. So what do we do from here? You talked about hiding for a bit."
"Indeed. First, let me guide you somewhere with no people around—"
Otto, who had been scanning the area with a sweeping gaze, stopped mid-sentence. He blinked, then began looking frantically at the buildings and shadows near the barrier.
Garfiel caught the unmistakable scent of agitation— "Otto bro?"
"They're gone."
"Gone? Gone where—"
"The Zoda bugs. No, not just the Zoda bugs. Every insect I'd relied on for guidance up to this point—they've all disappeared… No way!"
Eyes widening, Otto turned not toward the shadows but to face all of Garfiel's group.
His expression had gone rigid, his voice scorched with panic as he grabbed Garfiel's arm.
And then— "I've made a mistake! Somehow… the bugs deceived me!"
"Bugs deceived you… Otto? That's…"
"It happened! We've been led into a trap! We have no escape route—right now we need to—"
Having naturally trusted the area as a safe zone, only to have it violated—and even Otto himself could barely believe it—the worst possibility was being conveyed to his allies.
Hearing this, Garfiel was nearly struck dumb but forced himself awake, moving to follow Otto's lead— "—Enough."
—It was at precisely that moment that the worst possible pursuer arrived.