Feeling the pressure Roswaal radiated against his skin, Subaru understood that what he'd just said had struck at the very heart of Roswaal's designs.
Roswaal's smile was the same one he'd worn in the snow—right before the
That expression, which was neither resignation nor joy, was more than enough to put Subaru on his guard.
"Ohh, what makes you think that?"
Even now, Roswaal had no intention of letting the conversation proceed smoothly. At his deflection, Subaru clicked his tongue. Then, prefacing his words with "no matter how you look at it," he said: "The way you proposed it was too convenient, that's why. If you stick 'the
"I thought that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. In any case, if we're going to keep cooperating, I need proof. Proof that you—the one who can arrive at the optimal solution—will continue to stand by
"There should be plenty of ways to leave this place without it being specifically about liberation. You could set up chances to prove yourself down the line, couldn't you…?"
"Actually, there's something I'd like to ask in return."
To counter Subaru's insistence, Roswaal raised a single finger. When Subaru fell silent, interrupted mid-thought, Roswaal nodded magnanimously: "You're being awfully timid about the Trial, aren't you? Almost as if you have reasons not to want the Sanctuary liberated that go in that direction."
"Like I wouldn't want it liberated! I want to pry open the barrier, drag the problems we can't solve in here out to the real world, and deal with them there… but—"
"But?"
The words tumbled out before he could stop them, and Subaru realized he was about to get swept along by Roswaal's framing. If he lost his temper here and spoke rashly, the game of deception would go straight to Roswaal.
Keep calm. Choose your words carefully.
"I don't want to see Emilia get hurt trying to face that Trial."
"That's exactly what your Authority is for, isn't it? If Emilia stumbles on the Trial, you can take it on in her place. No problem at all. What matters is the fact that it's been liberated—as you yourself said."
"Nn, ghh…"
Being smoothly cornered by his own words, Subaru bit his lip and searched for his next sentence. But an argument built on force upon force was never going to hold together.
"That the Trial has to be broken by either me or Emilia—I get that too. Raking up past wounds is too much for her. And I should be the one to take her place… but—"
"Surely you're not saying the Trial is painful even for you personally, and you're looking for a shortcut? Nothing that naive?"
Roswaal's gaze sharpened, and his words cut deeper.
As Subaru faltered, Roswaal pressed on with "surely, surely": "If you're going to seek some other way out because you love yourself, because it's too hard on you—then your feelings for Emilia are only worth that much, are they?"
"That's not—!"
"It isn't? Really? How can you say that? Who are you going to convince? If you truly care for Emilia, you should swallow the pain, the hardship, the suffering—all of it. If you love Emilia, that's simply what's expected, isn't it? If Emilia matters above all else, if you'd prioritize Emilia above all else, if you could accept that everything except Emilia exists only to elevate her to greater heights… then there should be no problem whatsoever."
Speaking as though lecturing, Roswaal's words flowed with effortless fluency, and Subaru felt himself being swallowed up by the force of it.
Extreme as Roswaal's words were, they represented a conclusion anyone who understood Subaru's "Return by Death" would naturally reach.
Or rather—if it had been Subaru before
…Yeah. That's right.
Subaru had declared he would never become like Roswaal—the same Roswaal who told him to discard everything except one precious thing.
But if, at that subsequent tea party, he had taken
Abandoning thought, crushing every option, pursuing only results, treating everything else as meaningless.
No matter how much it hurt him—if the future he desired was there on the other side, with Emilia's smile and everyone else's, then that would be enough. That was what he would have told himself.
But would
Or would he be forcing a hollow grin, driven only by obligation—the sense that he had no choice but to smile?
"…What you're saying is right in a sense, Roswaal."
"In a sense?"
Subaru closed one eye, and Roswaal tilted his head at the loaded reply.
Meeting those yellow eyes, Subaru spoke as though pushing the words out: "You're right—if I could throw everything else away and just keep running to protect Emilia alone… I could probably save Emilia. But that's not enough."
"Not enough…"
"I'm going to save Emilia. But just Emilia isn't enough for me.
"———"
"I can't live the way you do, finding fulfillment in just one person. I honestly don't know whether it's you or me who's the greedy one."
Devoting yourself to one person and discarding everything else for their sake—there's a certain beauty to it.
If you call it "living for love," then there's nothing more noble than that.
Roswaal's way of life, as a single man's path, might be a completed, perfected thing.
But playing at that requires a devastating kind of resolve—a way of life that, as if whittling away at your own soul, strips away everything precious. Subaru couldn't do it.
As always, his capacity was small—and Subaru was still just a selfish child.
"…It seems your resolve still hasn't been honed enough."
"…………"
"For a moment—just a moment—I'd allowed myself to hope. I thought perhaps you might be able to see the future I envisioned. But… it seems that's not the case after all."
Saying "what a shame," Roswaal shook his head.
In the exchange just now, it had become clear that Subaru could not bring himself to commit to the resolve Roswaal demanded.
For Roswaal, who wanted Subaru to approach this battle with ruthless determination, the current Subaru was a defective product that fell short of expectations. At the same time, it meant he had seen the end of his own life.
"How many more times… will I end up disappointed by you?"
"If you feel that way, then how about cooperating with me more? If you'd just lend me a hand without holding back, most of these problems would be solved."
Sarcasm dripped from Subaru's words as he addressed the undisguised disappointment on Roswaal's face.
The truth was, Subaru was completely helpless when it came to combat power, and Roswaal's strength was something he desperately wanted—the overwhelming mana that had rained fire on the Forest of Mabeasts, the precision with which he'd cut down the attacking Great Rabbit. To deal with the threat of the Great Rabbit, Roswaal's cooperation was indispensable.
Conversely, if he could bring Roswaal to his side, half the problems on the Sanctuary front would be cleared.
However, Roswaal shook his head at this simple but certain request.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. The benefits of cooperating with you as you are now are far too slim for me. Let's say… yes, let's say you borrowed my power and managed to get through this situation. With your resolve still vague and undefined, you and Emilia would inevitably hit a wall somewhere down the road… and when that happens, you'd come running back to me again? Putting off the resolve that should have been settled here and now, spiraling into an irreversible situation?"
"…………"
"Subaru—when it comes to my goal, I can only lend my strength to someone I can entrust with my trust. A one-sided relationship where I'm merely leaned upon is of no use to me. So I need you, above all else, to convince me—to show me the resolve to move forward."
"Your… goal…"
"It's a shame it didn't work out this time. I'll look forward to the next opportunity. When you've truly learned to accept your own power for what it is."
As if to say the conversation was over, Roswaal relaxed his body and lay back down on the bed.
For Roswaal, the meaning of his "present" existence had just been lost. Presumably he intended to watch Subaru redo his failed attempt and simply expire—a match with nothing left at stake.
If the conversation ended here, Subaru would leave having accomplished nothing of what he came for. While Roswaal's gesture clearly urged him to see himself out, Subaru's mind raced desperately.
"…What would it take for me to show you the kind of resolve that would satisfy you?"
"Hmm… truthfully, I'd prefer you figure that out through our interactions. But redoing everything just for that would be a tremendous waste of effort."
At Subaru's words, Roswaal sat back up, resting his chin in his hand.
"In broad terms, it comes down to the liberation of the Sanctuary. However, reaching that liberation requires your actions—and those actions require the resolve to redo things as many times as it takes. The Sanctuary being liberated is, in itself, the proof that you've committed to that resolve."
"Why does it have to be that? Sure, it's probably the closest answer, but if it's only about crossing the Trial, the idea that I need to be ready to throw everything away doesn't necessarily follow. Emilia might be able to overcome the Trial on her own…"
"That's impossible."
Roswaal's statement struck Subaru as excessively extreme, and he reflexively countered. But the reply was blunt and ice-cold.
At the sharpness of it, Subaru flinched—and Roswaal waved his raised finger.
"Your fragile hope will never bear fruit. Emilia crossing the Trial—nothing like that is going to happen. She's not strong enough in the heart for that."
"…She's not?"
"That's right. The environment she grew up in, the habits it instilled—there are various reasons. But she can't do it. She's a small, weak, fragile child who can't even stand on her own. The way she moves, driven by guilt and self-blame—it's so earnest it almost inspires pity."
Roswaal delivered this assessment of Emilia with a flat, detached tone—something Subaru had never heard before.
Brave, hardworking, kind, and desperate. That was Emilia. Her circumstances were unfortunate, and she hadn't been able to find an answer for the Trial either, but Subaru believed that given time, she would overcome her past and gain the power to lead the Sanctuary to liberation.
The only reason Subaru had been willing to take the Trial in Emilia's place was that he didn't think they had that time—and that he couldn't bear to watch her get hurt.
It was absolutely not because he'd given up on Emilia being able to clear the Trial.
"And yet you say Emilia can't do it… Then why are you even here?!"
"Because you exist. With you at her side, even a powerless half-elf without any abilities can aim for the throne—no, can claim the throne. Naturally. I will eliminate every road that doesn't lead to that, and you will see her wish fulfilled. You possess that power. If Emilia has any value, it's that she acquired you—the strongest card."
"I'm… the strongest… card?"
Subaru was bewildered by the barrage of Roswaal's words and by being called "the strongest" as though it were a matter of fact—an absurd notion.
It was an adjective as far from his powerless self as possible. And moreover, Roswaal's words were deeply insulting to Emilia as a person—and unforgivable.
"Don't screw with me! Do you have any idea how hard Emilia is trying—how much she thinks, how much she suffers, just to take on the Trial?! They dig up the past she doesn't want to see, and even then that girl is… giving it everything she's got! And you—"
"If the results don't come, everything is wasted. And nobody knows that better than you—far better than I ever could, Subaru. If Emilia's efforts had borne fruit, there would be no reason for you to come back here in the first place."
"———!"
Getting louder and more emotional wouldn't work on Roswaal, who never lost his composure. If anything, the cooling splash on his heated thoughts served to silence Subaru instead.
The truth was, Roswaal's argument reflected a part of reality.
As far as Subaru had witnessed, Emilia had never cleared the Trial—not even the first one. She threw herself at it with all she had, but the wall of the past always stood before her, breaking her spirit and wearing her down each time.
Unable to rely on the
Because he knew that future, Subaru could only offer emotional objections to Roswaal's words. But he could never stay silent when Roswaal insulted Emilia.
Mocking Emilia while placing excessive expectations on Subaru's Return by Death—how could he break that arrogance? The moment the thought occurred to him, Subaru was already shouting: "I get what you're saying! But here's the thing—your plans aren't going to work out!"
"Oh? And why would that—"
"You want me to take the Trial in Emilia's place… but Echidna stripped me of the right to receive the Trial! You won't get the result you're hoping for from me anymore! Tough luck—!"
Subaru pressed his hand to his chest and proclaimed it toward Roswaal's smug face.
For Subaru it had been a devastating blow, but it should have been an equally devastating blow to Roswaal's scheme. Surely even Roswaal couldn't maintain his composure after this—and Subaru was about to flash a malicious grin when— "…Stripped of the right?"
The mutter was faint, almost spilled, and the fragility of the voice was so unlike Roswaal that Subaru was slow to realize it had come from the man in front of him.
Before him, Roswaal—who had been reclining on the bed—went rigid at Subaru's words. He slowly opened his mismatched eyes wide and stared at Subaru, his lips trembling slightly.
Gone was his usual composure, his all-knowing air of detached understanding, his effortless cunning—everything had fallen away, as though stripped clean.
"What does that… mean exactly…"
"It means exactly what it sounds like."
Called out in that hoarse voice, Subaru heard his own words come out strained.
Overwhelmed by a voice so unlike the Roswaal he knew, Subaru swallowed to moisten his dry throat, then answered: "Echidna took the right away from me. Right now I can't even enter the tomb without getting dizzy and collapsing, let alone command a copy. …I've been reduced to the same position as you, rejected when you tried to go inside."
"Wh… no—why would that happen? You received the Trial inside the Tomb… Without that, the liberation of this Sanctuary, her wish…?"
Roswaal pressed a hand to his mouth and murmured blankly, as though witnessing something impossible.
The intensity of this unexpected reaction made Subaru realize he'd achieved far more than simple payback—and he lost his words. Roswaal's composure shattering—it wasn't just a rare occurrence, it was the first time Subaru had ever seen it since meeting him. He couldn't understand which part of their exchange had delivered such a shock.
But Subaru pressed on, swallowing: "Does your Gospel say that I'm supposed to clear the Trial?"
"———"
"If the events don't align with what's written, you're prepared to throw everything away—I know that. So if you've been assuming the Sanctuary's breakthrough is supposed to be my role… then it's already not going to happen."
Just as Subaru had inherited the clearing of the first Trial, just as the witches had shared memories that transcended Return by Death—Echidna's Castle of Greed operated outside the rules of this world.
Even after dying and returning, the memories and feelings exchanged in that place never faded. That was why Subaru had felt salvation there, and why he had harbored no small amount of affection and hope toward Echidna. —Which was exactly why he understood now.
Even if he died now and returned to the Tomb, the right would not come back to him.
To reclaim what he'd lost, he would need Echidna's permission. To get Echidna's permission, he would need to enter the Tomb. And to enter the Tomb, he needed the right.
—In other words, Subaru's method of challenging the Trial in the Tomb had been completely and irreversibly lost.
"A way to get the right back…"
"If one exists, you know more about it than I do. If even you don't know, then I don't know."
Subaru responded to Roswaal's weakened voice, though inwardly he had already sensed the likely explanation.
Echidna was probably watching even now—watching Subaru's struggles and anguish from within the Tomb. She had revoked his right as a way of punishing him for rejecting her hand. And now she intended to watch what Satella's choice—the boy who had taken Satella's hand—could actually accomplish.
When Subaru failed again and again, reduced to a corner with nothing left, crying and begging Echidna for help—that was probably when that witch would finally extend her hand.
—But if he took Echidna's hand the next time it was offered, he would be discarding everything: the words he had spoken to Satella, and the feelings he held in his heart at this very moment.
A ending where he sent Emilia to the best possible future and simply expired.
That might still be better than the ending where he shattered midway through.
"…Couldn't you redo things and go back to before your right was revoked?"
"You seem to be mistaken—my ability isn't that convenient. It's not something I can use as freely as that without consequence… Besides, the point I'd return to would already be too late. If I go back, it would be to after the revocation. The fact that I can't enter the Tomb doesn't change."
"Is that… so…"
Roswaal's response came in a faint voice. To Subaru, he seemed to have aged dramatically in an instant.
Until now, Roswaal had always exuded an agelessness more than youth—a mysterious quality that defied any sense of his true years. But now, as his shoulders drooped, even that aura had vanished.
What remained was the face of a man tormented by an obsession cultivated over countless ages, watching something lie forever beyond his reach—a distinctly human expression.
Behind the clown's makeup, that face was finally visible—and for the first time, Subaru felt that Roswaal was, after all, the same kind of human being.
Of course, that probably solved nothing, and Roswaal himself would find it less than flattering.
"I'm just as stuck as you are, Roswaal. I think we need to sit down properly and find a way through this together."
"———"
"Getting the exact result your Gospel demands might be impossible, but I doubt that's where the writing ends. If you could just follow the broad strokes… I know that might not sit well with you, but if there's a compromise—"
"…I was insufficient."
"—Huh?"
Subaru offered a compromise, trying to draw some concession from Roswaal. But Roswaal, his eyes vacant as though he hadn't heard a word, murmured something quiet. Subaru involuntarily opened his mouth and took a step forward.
He had to know whether he'd misheard what Roswaal just said.
And as he stepped closer, Roswaal's muttering reached his ears. It was this: "—My pressure wasn't enough."
"What?"
"I don't know how it happened, but if Echidna changed her conditions, there must have been some exchange between you. In the natural course of things, before such a rift could form between you and her, you should have hardened your resolve and taken the Trial… Yes. I fell short."
"———"
"If I had pushed you harder… If I had shown you more clearly that reaching for everything would cause you to lose what matters most… this wouldn't have…"
"Wait, Roswaal. Wait."
Sensing that Roswaal was about to say something crucial—something final—Subaru found himself hesitating, reluctant to hear the rest.
If he heard what came next, he would surely no longer be able to stand here.
He was certain.
No—he had suspected as much for some time now.
But the reason he hadn't given shape to that nagging doubt was that he'd had no reason to—and because, fragile as it was, he'd still had trust in Roswaal.
And now, those words from Roswaal's mouth were about to sever it definitively.
Before that happened, he had to say something. But when he searched through everything inside himself, the right words were nowhere to be found—and time, indifferent, simply flowed on.
"—Knowing Garfiel's nature, I still lured you and Emilia to the Sanctuary."
"———"
"Knowing the terror of the Trial, I still set Emilia against it and showed you her suffering to rouse you to action…"
"Wait—please, wai—"
And: "—Knowing that something precious would be lost just beyond your reach, and that it would forge you into something complete… all of it—everything—was still not enough."
Roswaal was confessing that he himself had been the one to pull the trigger on the tragedy at the mansion.