—Red.
That single color filled Subaru's entire field of vision.
"—!"
The man in the jester's mask had appeared without warning. Neither his affiliation nor his motives were known, but he bid them "nice to meet you" and "goodbye" in the form of a massive fireball hurtling their way.
The approaching wave of heat scorched their skin, and the dim sewers blazed bright as midday.
However, that was all it amounted to—an image of despair, showing them with perfect clarity the flames spreading to fill the narrow waterway, leaving no escape.
Subaru was carrying Crusch on his back, and having already burned through both his E.M.T. and E.M.M. for the day, he was running on empty. He had no way to deal with this— "You son of a—!"
A harsh, spat-out curse rang out, followed by the sound of viscous water splashing.
At the edge of his vision, Rachins—the man who had been beside him—was gone. Just like Subaru, he'd been startled by the masked jester's appearance, but he'd reacted faster to the approaching flames. Without a shred of hesitation, he'd dove headfirst into the sewer grate—the only escape route.
"Subaru! Betty and the others too—"
"No—"
Seeing Rachins' split-second decision,
But Subaru dug his heels in and resisted. At his unexpected reaction, Beatrice's voice cracked—"Subaru!?"
"Trust me, Beatrice."
"............"
Eyes wide, Beatrice stared at Subaru's declaration. Their gazes met, and her round pupils—those distinctive, patterned irises—trembled as she held her breath.
And before she could say a thing, the fireball reached them.
That overwhelming wall of flame was about to incinerate Subaru and Beatrice where they stood—Crusch on his back and all.
"—!"
The flames closed in, skin scorched, every drop of moisture in their bodies threatening to evaporate. The heat wave singed Subaru's bangs—then vanished without a trace.
Like a magic trick, as if the sun had been snatched from the sky, the brightness in the sewers dropped to nothing in an instant. All that remained was the lamp in their hands, the feeble glow from a shard of Ragmite ore that had fallen into the passageway, and the lingering heat where the flames had been.
No—that wasn't all.
"...Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why? How? Right here, right at that spot... you didn't move?"
Floating in the dim darkness was the white face of the jester's mask.
The figure tilted his head, tilting the mask with it—a look of confusion. In fact, at some point, he'd swapped the overtly villainous mask he'd first been wearing for a different one, this one with X's over the eyes.
Annoyed by the clowning around but unable to dwell on it, Subaru blew at his singed bangs and said: "You said you had business with Crusch. So why try to burn us alive along with her?"
"—. Ku-ku-ku, ahahaha! Is that all? You held back on just that? You could've dragged your partner's Great Spirit down with you!"
"...But I won the bet."
"My, my, how confident! As expected of the Royal Selection candidate's first knight! That's how you've carved your path all this while—trusting in your own decisiveness and insight! How amazing, how admirable, how frightful! Truly enviable!"
Though his words were high praise, the tone behind them held not a shred of genuine evaluation. The masked man clapped grandly as he spoke, the applause ringing hollowly through the empty sewers. Subaru gritted his teeth, silently enduring the barb hidden behind the flattery.
All of that was to avoid needlessly provoking the man, but— "That was Subaru's cleverness outsmarting your little scheme. To then play the victim and take potshots at his character? How utterly foolish."
In Subaru's place, Beatrice lashed out, eyes sharp with hostility. The jester-masked man received this with a "Taha!" and a hand to his head.
"How admirable, how endearing! A Spirit and her contractor—like a lock and key perfectly fitted. Neither exists without the other. That's precisely why bonds can be poison as much as medicine!"
"He's the kind of person you can't reason with... He's giving me unpleasant Archbishop of Sin vibes."
"Wait wait wait wait—spare me, have mercy! To compare me to an Archbishop of Sin! I don't want to be lumped in with those guys! Besides, you're the one people are suspicious of, not me!"
"Suspicious of me? Of what...?"
"Of being an Archbishop of Sin! It's all anyone's talking about up there,
"Waving his hand lazily, the man taunted as he swapped back to his original mask. Every bit of his manner was irritating, but Subaru had no room to address it.
Being treated as an Archbishop of Sin was a massive psychological burden.
"Me... an Archbishop of Sin..."
"There are limits to ridiculous speculation. If that were true, what would that make everything Subaru has done against the
"Who knooows! I don't know, I don't care! Nobody's interested in the truth—they just want to twist whatever information suits them and spin it to their advantage. People like that are... pretty aggravating, right?"
Even while talking, the masked man swayed his body in exaggerated, restless motions. But that last remark—that sounded like it came from the heart.
Sensing this, Subaru drew a deep breath, let it out, and said: "In the end..."
"Hmm? Hmm? Hmm~?"
"What's your goal? I can see you want to take Crusch. But why, and for whom? I'm not buying the Kingdom soldier act."
Not only were they being chased by Kingdom soldiers, but he was also being branded an Archbishop of Sin—a combination that practically gave Subaru hives—but that would have to wait.
If he focused the problem solely on the man in the jester's mask, the natural questions emerged.
The goal was to secure Crusch. But he wasn't working with the Kingdom soldiers. That led to the obvious conclusion—he was with the people who'd set Subaru and company up.
Honestly, setting Crusch aside, against someone who wielded that level of magic, Subaru and Beatrice in their mana-depleted state stood no chance in a direct confrontation.
He needed to extract information, buy time, and find a breakthrough. Just then— "...? Hey, what's that?"
"Hmm~? What, what's wrong? If you're trying to buy time, that's..."
Frowning at Subaru's observation, the man in the mask looked down at himself and groaned.
What Subaru had spotted was a faintly flickering light, barely visible through the black coat that concealed the figure's frame—coming from somewhere inside.
That blinking light stirred something in Subaru's memory.
"Is that a Dialogue Mirror?"
"Ah! No! Ugh! There's no way—absolutely no way! Let me tell you! Even if my belly's all shiny, that's not gonna change your fate or—"
"It's getting brighter, isn't it? Must be something awfully important."
"Nuu-gu-gu-gu...! You lot! There! Right there! Just you wait!"
Spitting with vehemence, the masked figure turned his back to them on the spot. His posture—so brazenly exposing an opening—left them momentarily stunned.
With his back turned, the man rummaged through his coat and pulled out what was almost certainly a Dialogue Mirror, then began speaking to someone on the other end.
That exposed back was a clear sign they posed no threat to him. It was maddeningly condescending, but— "I can only do it now. Hey, pull back...!"
A low, hushed voice pierced Subaru's ear—someone who'd already decided to act.
He glanced toward the voice. There, in the sewer channel flowing right beside them—Rachins had surfaced, his head poking above the black water.
"Chin! You've been in the sewer this whole time!?"
"I didn't want to draw his attention carelessly! Also, there's a chain sunk in the water down here, and it's tangled around my leg so I can't get up..."
"Drowning to death would've been the worst way to go."
"Shut up! Hurry up and give me a hand!"
From the sewer, Rachins called out. Subaru hesitated for a moment.
Naturally, he wanted to help pull Rachins out, but his hands were full carrying Crusch. That meant relying on Beatrice, but whether she had the weight and arm strength to haul Rachins up was doubtful. There was even a risk of adding another sewer victim to the count.
Then again, he could use Murak to manipulate gravity and simultaneously find a— "Ah, you piece of—damn it all! I'm doing my part! Sure, it was a bit flashy and maybe a bit reckless, but I didn't ignore or deviate from orders or do anything untoward!"
"—!"
The masked man stamped his feet, shouting his defense toward the Dialogue Mirror.
Whatever the person on the other end said next, he responded with a resigned "Fine, fine!"—then: "Hey, catch this! Don't drop it!"
"Huh? Wait—Beako!"
"—It's dangerous!"
Turning around with a sigh, the man suddenly tossed something their way. The instant Subaru recognized it as the Dialogue Mirror, he called out Beatrice's name.
As mentioned, his hands were full carrying Crusch. So it was Beatrice who lunged forward, both hands outstretched, catching the mirror as it traced a gentle arc through the air.
"I-I almost dropped it... What were you thinking...?"
"The person on the other side wants to talk to you! To exchange words!"
"With us?"
The sullen masked man's words prompted Subaru and Beatrice to exchange a glance.
Then, cautiously—keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior from the figure—they peered into the Dialogue Mirror in Beatrice's hands.
Reflected in its surface was the person on the other end— "—Ah, it's coming through! Um, can you see my face?"
"............"
Seeing the person in the mirror, Subaru didn't know how to react.
He'd never imagined that the person whose image would appear in a Dialogue Mirror handed over by the man in the jester's mask would be a young girl.
Not someone he knew. She looked a year or two younger than Subaru.
With long, lustrous dark-blue hair tied high on both sides and large, assertive golden eyes, she was the kind of girl whose well-formed face carried an underlying hint of uncertainty. Framed within the narrow border of the mirror in a white shirt neatly adorned with a thin, elegant tie and a jet-black jacket—a practical, suit-like outfit rather than something flashy—she looked back at them.
The gap between her earnest expression and the situation thoroughly confused Subaru.
"You... no, who are you?"
"Um, I'm called 'White Sheep.' The 'Black Dog' over there—the man in the mask—I'm terribly sorry for all the trouble he must have caused you. I'm so sorry."
"S-Sorry...?"
The girl who'd introduced herself as "White Sheep" suddenly bowed deeply on her side of the mirror. Her momentum carried her head so far forward she disappeared from view, and Subaru's mind scrambled to catch up.
The man in the jester's mask—the man the girl had called "Black Dog"—was an obvious danger. But this girl, who apparently belonged to the same side, had just bowed to them. It was backwards, askew, and felt like deliberate confusion.
"...I'll be honest—I have no idea what to make of you people. On top of my own situation being murky, my head and heart are in total chaos. Give me something to work with."
"Something to work with?"
"If you're enemies, just say so. —I'll fight my way through."
"Same as always, I see."
When Subaru declared that, Beatrice beside him gave a defiant nod.
As they'd already confirmed, both Subaru and Beatrice were completely drained—severely mana-depleted with barely any cards left to play. But there was no need to announce that. Even if you were a pig with no useful cards, the key to surviving in another world was to bluff with confidence.
"............"
Across the mirror, "White Sheep" stared wide-eyed.
She was probably the type whose feelings showed easily on her face. She made visible efforts to control her expressions, but her eye movements and facial muscles clearly weren't cooperating.
And she seemed to be well aware of this—someone who faced a mirror every morning.
"That's... very blunt. ...Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I am. But if the crisis is right in my hands, that's better than having it roll up somewhere I can't reach while I'm floundering."
"...I'm sorry again. Black Dog bothering you—that was our mistake, and it was done for my sake."
"My, my—sounds like someone's saying selfish, self-centered things, doesn't it? Ahahaha!"
As "White Sheep" apologized for her ally's misconduct, "Black Dog" wore a literally blank expression behind his mask.
Ignoring the unsalvageable "Black Dog," the girl's gaze shifted through the mirror—toward what she could see of Crusch on Subaru's back.
As if to confirm this, "White Sheep" looked at the sleeping Crusch and said: "We want to protect... no, secure the person of
"Crusch's power...? Don't tell me it's about her left eye?"
Subaru glanced at the eyepatch covering Crusch's left eye on his back.
A clear anomaly had occurred with her, and it was entirely possible her "Dragon Eye" was what they were after. The fact that "White Sheep" had corrected herself from "protect" to "secure" suggested she'd realized the phrasing of guaranteeing her safety wasn't quite right.
But "White Sheep" surprised him by responding with a puzzled "Left eye?" and saying: "We weren't told anything about her eyes. What we need is the power of Crusch Karsten's divine blessing—the 'Wind Divination.'"
"—A divine blessing?"
"Yes. We need that power. —To fight the 'Beloved Child.'"
She uttered those unfamiliar words with unwavering resolve and determination.
△▼△▼△▼△ —The fight against the "Beloved Child."
"White Sheep" had said she needed Crusch's divine blessing for that fight.
Being told they wanted to secure Crusch's person independent of the "Dragon Eye" in her left eye, Subaru felt a disconnect in the conversation's focus.
He hadn't even considered that a completely unknown enemy would suddenly be dangled before him.
"I'm starting to get confused all over again, but... this 'Beloved Child' is...?"
"She is our enemy. And probably, Natsuki Subaru—for you as well."
"...Does that relate to the crisis we're dealing with right now?"
"—Yes. They're the ones pulling the strings behind the chaos in the
Being told with certainty that this was the core enemy of the situation, Subaru held his breath.
Honestly, "White Sheep's" declaration was the most welcome thing he could have heard. Not knowing who the enemy was or what their goal was—he'd been lost in the thick of chaos. Just having the information laid out so clearly raised his opinion of "White Sheep" considerably.
However— "If you need Crusch to fight this 'Beloved Child,' and that's why you made contact with us, then choosing that masked guy as your negotiator was a pretty terrible personnel decision..."
"N-No, it's just that the Royal Capital has become quite dangerous lately, and you need someone as capable as 'Black Dog' or it's risky to even step outside..."
"And besides, it just so happened that the person I tailed turned out to be a jackpot! It's not like I was chosen as the negotiator! So don't blame 'White Sheep' for that, got it?"
"How can you sound so smug about that? Was that supposed to be a reassurance? If so, you're not lacking in tact—you're lacking in understanding of other people's feelings."
"Ahahaha! You little thing in a sewer-stinking dress. Shall I sew that pretty mouth of yours shut?"
The fireball threat and his behavior had earned "Black Dog" Beatrice's deep enmity. His dismissive retort only confirmed it for Subaru as well—no goodwill for this guy.
Moreover, there was something in "Black Dog's" latest remark that caught Subaru's attention.
"You said you tailed someone just now? That means..."
"Sharp as ever, Sir Knight! That's right, that's right! Searching blindly for a target is a waste of time, energy, and life! So I used a different method—in other words, I tailed someone who looked like they'd know where to find you! Someone who's currently sitting in smelly water."
"Sitting in smelly water..."
"Oi! How long are you gonna keep chatting?! Give me a hand already!"
Drawn by his voice, they looked toward the sewer—and sure enough, the abandoned Rachins was yelling from below.
It was a huge stroke of luck that Rachins, familiar with the back alleys of the Royal Capital, had found them on
"We can't keep him treading water forever. Mind if we pull him out?"
"Pull him out? Into this conversation? The man who's been soaking in filthy water? I'd think the proceedings would be far more hygienic if we left him right where he is."
"...Black Dog, if you've caused anyone trouble—"
"I know, I know! Okay, maybe I bear a tiny bit of responsibility for the idiot jumping in! If it had been just the duke on his back going under while everyone else got roasted, that would've saved us a lot of trouble—I may have thought that, just a teensy bit!"
"Before your charming personality further damages the good impression I've built, how about you get moving?"
The goodwill "White Sheep" had painstakingly earned was being undone by "Black Dog's" extra commentary. The revelation behind the threatening fireball had only increased his danger level.
Keeping that in mind, Subaru and Beatrice stepped back, watching warily as "Black Dog" reached down toward Rachins in the sewer.
With his level of magical ability, simply looking away wasn't enough to relax.
And their wariness proved— "—Huh?"
—not directed at the figure crouching by the waterway, but toward detecting a different anomaly.
Click. Somewhere, a sound like a nail scratching thin ceramic. Subaru's gaze snapped toward it instinctively. In the depths of the sewer, illuminated by the faint glow of the Ragmite shard "Black Dog" had dropped on the ground and left behind, a shadow had risen.
"............"
A woman.
Wearing a cloak of indeterminate black-gray, with wavy dark-green hair tucked into her collar and dark circles under pallid eyes—for a moment, Subaru wondered if she too was with "Black Dog" and "White Sheep."
But before he could question it, the woman moved in his field of vision.
Her right hand hung limp at her side. Her left hand, raised to her chest, held something between its fingers—a white fragment, like a shard. It crumbled at a flick of her fingers.
—Immediately, a crack spread from beneath her feet, snaking across the stone floor of the sewer toward them.
"Whoa?!"
Rachins, who'd been reaching for "Black Dog's" hand, cried out at the shocking development.
The spreading cracks didn't stop at the floor. They raced up the walls, across the ceiling, crawling over the sewer stones one by one, turning the ancient, damp skeleton of the Royal Capital's foundations white and murky.
It was as if everything visible were being replaced with glass.
"—Black Dog!"
Through the mirror, the anomaly was transmitted, and "White Sheep" screamed something close to a shriek.
But sadly, no matter how loudly she raised her voice, she couldn't reach Subaru's side through the mirror. However, her scream served its purpose.
"Don't quiver and cry—I know!"
One command was all it took, and the air of mischief that clung to the man vanished completely.
He whirled around and planted himself before the spreading cracks. Though his eyes were hidden behind the mask, Subaru could feel them boring into the woman in the darkness.
The masked man clicked his tongue with great theatricality.
"This is the absolute worst! You—of all times and places, you show up here?!"
"Do you know her!?"
"Someone I never wanted to know or meet. The 'Splinterer' Clarissa—the 'Beloved Child'!"
At the name "Black Dog" spat, both Subaru and "White Sheep" across the mirror gasped.
The woman called Clarissa didn't respond. She simply reached into the drawstring pouch at her lowered hand and picked up another small shard. It looked like a pebble.
"Wait wait wait wait—you can't use that here—!"
"Black Dog" shouted, trying to stop her, but the stone split faster.
Crack. A sharp sound rang through the sewer—and with that as a signal, the next wave of destruction propagated.
"You've gotta be kidding...!"
Cracks spread through the already-fractured sewer. The wall beside them turned white and then—pieces of ceiling crashed down, threatening to crush them.
"Beatrice!"
"I know!"
Responding to his call, Beatrice spread five fingers toward the collapsing ceiling.
Already depleted of both E.M.T. and E.M.M., incapable of any real combat—this was the state they were in. But making do with whatever cards remained was the essence of Subaru and Beatrice's partnership.
"Murak!"
Her incantation took hold of reality, and the falling ceiling fragments shimmered with a faint light, reducing their lethal weight to that of lightweight stones.
Shielding Crusch on his back from the rain of lightened debris while pulling Beatrice close, Subaru leaped far backward—just as the ceiling collapsed fully, half-burying the sewer passage.
"Not bad, not bad at all, short stuff! That was a decent call on the fly!"
"You benefited from my effort too, so start talking properly! That woman—what is she?!"
"She's a Curse User! Breaks things! Smashes them! A gloomy, unpleasant woman! Gonna kill her right now!"
"Black Dog," who'd survived thanks to Beatrice's response, laughed as he shouted. He conjured a gale that turned the rubble into a storm of shrapnel, hurling it into the depths of the passage.
It flew true—straight toward Clarissa in the distance. But at the sound of another light crack, the mid-air shrapnel shattered, reaching her as nothing but dust.
"Is it... connected to breaking stones?"
Watching Clarissa's movements closely—seeing her left hand scatter the stone powder she'd crushed—Subaru guessed that the mechanism behind that extraordinary destruction was hidden in the act itself.
And that her drawstring pouch still held plenty of those pebbles.
"Hey, use fire! If she's got no physical form, you should be able to break through!"
"A fine idea, but sadly—I've already used up fire! It's not in my hand!"
"Huh?! —Wait, that's bad!"
Baffled by "Black Dog's" dismissal, Subaru watched in alarm as Clarissa smoothly—almost like performing a sacred ritual—picked up the next pebble between her fingers.
Their surroundings—floor and walls alike—were on the verge of collapse. If Clarissa broke that shard, the entire sewer section might shatter all at once.
If this continued— "—Over here! Get over here!"
"—Chin?!"
Just then, a desperate shout rose from the sewer, and they turned.
There, floating in the water, Rachins clung to the sewer wall with one hand and pulled something black with the other. A rusted chain.
Drenched in black muck, he'd hauled it up from the bottom. Rachins roared: "It's the settling basin! Right next to the main channel—packed with sludge!"
"Settling... basin?"
The sudden explanation of the sewer's mechanics sent a jolt of electricity down Subaru's spine.
A settling basin. Accumulated rotting sludge. The worst possible scenario— "You're serious...?!"
"Heh! You're quick on the uptake!"
Rachins, soaking wet with his hair plastered to his forehead, grinning with those wide, gleaming eyes, laughed at Subaru's recognition of the same idea. Then he heaved the chain with all his strength.
Rusted and caked with filth, the chain gave a dull groan—then a heavy, grinding sound rose from the bottom of the water.
In sync with that sound, bubbles broke the surface along the wall. Small at first, they multiplied, boiling the black water into a frenzy. The instant they peaked, the already foul air of the sewers was overwhelmed by a stench like rotten eggs.
Subaru understood Rachins' plan.
There was no time to hesitate.
"Crusch is—"
Conscious of Crusch sleeping on his back, Subaru hesitated over what to do. If he thought about what came next, leaving the unconscious Crusch in danger was...
In the instant Subaru faltered, "Black Dog" moved. —He shoved them.
"You—!"
"Better this than being thrown, launched, and smashed!"
As he said it, "Black Dog" grabbed Subaru, Crusch, and Beatrice as well, and hurled them all into the sewer. Just before hitting the water—his vision was suddenly blotted out by something black, and the expected embrace of filthy water never came.
It was a half-formed sphere of earth that "Black Dog" had conjured from a clod of dirt, about to envelop them completely— "—Please! You have to believe me!"
Through the mirror's surface, "White Sheep" pleaded desperately.
Emboldened by those words, Subaru—in the sinking hemisphere of earth—passed Crusch to Beatrice beside him, then reached a hand outside the closing sphere.
"—Come on, Rachins!"
"Don't order me around!"
Having severed the chain, Rachins kicked clumsily off the wall and flew toward them. Subaru seized the extended arm and hauled his lanky frame into the hemisphere in one motion.
They tumbled together, falling in a heap. The hemisphere sealed shut almost simultaneously with the faint sound of a pebble shattering.
Tremors and thunder rumbled from beyond the thick earthen walls.
But beyond that— "Blow it all away. —Goah."
Rachins, still tangled on top of Subaru, spat those words and snapped his fingers. —A red glow bloomed through the earthen wall, and the sound and shock arrived a beat later.
"—!?"
A blow from the depths of his stomach shook the world, and Subaru screamed.
Underwater, inside a ball of earth—it was scorching hot. Blindingly bright. Explosions boomed against his eardrums like they might burst.
"...ah..."
Wordless screams tore through the inside of Natsuki Subaru's body.
Round and round, the world spun with terrifying force. The earth sphere, submerged in water, was battered by the current, slamming into things over and over, pummeled and beaten until consciousness nearly slipped away.
What had accumulated in the settling basin was flammable gas generated from vast quantities of sludge.
Rachins had opened the basin's lid, ignited the massive outpouring, and blown up Clarissa along with the entire sewer. —No, he wasn't sure what had happened to the sewer. He couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Couldn't comprehend.
All Subaru could do was cling desperately—to the familiar small body he held and to the person he had to protect—as the surging water and tumbling earth battered them.
He clenched his teeth and endured. That was the absolute limit of what Subaru could do.
"............"
He clenched his teeth, endured, endured, endured.
Until consciousness was swallowed by an invisible torrent—he held on, and held on, and held on— △▼△▼△▼△ —When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the smell.
Not the stench of rotten eggs, not the filth of the sewer.
The scent was of alcohol and clean cloth. Warm air—warmed without fire—passed through his nasal cavity. It felt almost jarringly sterile, and he inhaled deeply—then choked.
"Kagh! Cough! Blagh!"
"Oh my, I wonder?"
Beatrice, who'd been lying on top of his chest and stomach, bounced with the same jolt and let out a cute little yelp.
Subaru opened his eyes, blinking several times to clear the blur. There, lying right beside him, was Beatrice wearing a thoroughly displeased expression.
Seeing Beatrice from the shoulders up, wrapped in a blanket, Subaru's lips trembled.
"Beako... you're okay?"
"Somehow or other, I am. It wasn't just close—it was about a hundred times over."
"That expression refers to a single hair's breadth, so multiplying it changes the meaning... But that doesn't matter. The point is, if you and I are safe, then the others—"
"Calm yourself. Before making a fuss, look around."
Subaru lurched forward, and Beatrice's small hand stopped his forehead with a smack. Held in place by her palm, he moved only his eyes—and noticed.
On the cot next to where he lay, Crusch was resting as well.
"Crusch... thank goodness. She's okay... right?"
"From what I can tell, she's fine. But she hasn't opened her eyes even once since then. How long the strain on her eyes will last—even Betty doesn't know."
"I see... Oh, Chin's here too. That's a relief."
Relieved to see Crusch breathing steadily on the cot, Subaru then spotted Rachins on a long sofa in the background, rolled up in a blanket like a cocoon.
He was still asleep, but whether the chair was uncomfortable or not, he'd furrowed his brow even in slumber, mumbling something incoherent. For the man whose quick thinking had saved them all, it seemed rather rough treatment—Subaru managed a wry smile— "...Where am I?"
Relief drained his strength, and leaning on the cot, Subaru finally arrived at that question.
It was clearly somewhere other than the sewers—different not just in smell but in appearance. The stone room had no windows, lit only by a modest lamp. Beside the bed were a water pitcher, bandages, and neatly folded cloth. The word "infirmary" drifted hazily through his mind.
"Or maybe a hidden clinic? Like a back-alley doctor's hideout..."
"—! You're awake, Natsuki Subaru!"
The moment he muttered those idle thoughts, a voice struck from his side without warning.
Turning, Subaru saw a girl standing in the doorway—the same person he'd seen through the mirror. Long dark-blue hair tied on both sides, black suit—"White Sheep."
No longer separated by a mirror, standing face to face, "White Sheep" clasped her hands before her chest—opening them, clasping again, opening again—and repeated this several times before: "I-I'm so glad... I was worried sick wondering if something had happened to everyone..."
"That's... thank you for worrying?"
"Yes! No! Um? Which is it?"
Apology, gratitude, resentment—neither Subaru nor "White Sheep" could figure out which to process in what order, and both short-circuited simultaneously.
Being saved was undeniable. But it was also true that "Black Dog"—"White Sheep's" ally—had threatened them. Which response was the correct one was an endless question.
Just then— "—White Sheep, you must not trouble Natsuki-dono. You are different from Black Dog. If not, we will need to reconsider our approach."
"............"
The voice came from behind "White Sheep" at the doorway.
Hearing that voice and seeing its owner, Subaru gasped and widened his eyes. He'd already absorbed more than enough shocks in this single day, yet another was coming.
Because he recognized the person who'd appeared alongside "White Sheep."
"...Russell? Russell-san?"
In a halting voice, Subaru spoke the name of someone he'd crossed paths with long ago—a merchant he'd met at the start of the Royal Selection, who'd arranged the supply of provisions for the
"............"
In a head full of confusion and chaos, Subaru could only stare blankly at Russell's composed posture. The gentleman in his well-tailored suit smiled and gave a deep nod.
Somehow, that smile made Subaru feel a chill—far too many calculating thoughts behind it for a simple merchant's smile.
And his chill was well-founded.
"It is truly fortunate to meet you here, Natsuki-dono. In this unprecedented crisis facing the Kingdom, I would very much like to borrow both your strength and insight."
"The Kingdom's... unprecedented crisis?"
"Yes."
Despite a situation that warranted no smiles, Russell continued with his smile intact.
It was— "—The enemy's goal is the quiet, thorough conquest of the Kingdom. The Kingdom's core has already fallen into the hands of our long-standing nemesis, and we stand on the brink of annihilation."