[User] Subaru was falling deep, deep into a rift, unable to reach anything.

[Assistant] The light in the distance grew smaller and smaller. Until it disappeared like sand slipping through fingers, like falling into a deep, deep hole from which there was no return.

[User] "—How long are you going to keep sleeping? Wake up already, Barusu.” Something sharp jabbed into his side, causing him to yelp from the shock.

[Assistant] "Prgaka? !" Subaru sat up, breathing in a lungful of the sand that was in the air in the process and then coughing violently.

[User] “Ugh! Bleh, bleh! Kah! Bleh! What? What happened…whoa? !” Spitting out the sand, he struggled to stand up, but when he stepped down, his foot slipped, and he had to balance himself with his hand, but that hand sunk as well, and his face crashed into a mound of sand.

[Assistant] “Ugh! Gahh! Bleh!”

[User] “…Haven’t had enough sand to eat yet? Your vulgarity knows no bounds.”

[Assistant] “Don’t say it like I’m snacking on sand because I’m feeling a little peckish…” Firing back at the merciless insult, Subaru raised his head while coughing up sand again. This time he was more careful, making sure not to slip into the sand again while standing up.

[User] “This is…”

[Assistant] “This low a temperature without a breeze… It’s likely somewhere belowground.” As he looked around the darkness surrounding them, a lantern glowing with a white light—an emergency lantern with ragmite ore inside it—was suddenly thrust in front of him.

[User] Taking the handle, he could finally clearly see the other person with him. “—Ram?”

[Assistant] “Who else would it be? And don’t say something stupid like Rem.”

[User] “You look alike, but the aura you exude is similar and yet utterly different… How is your body doing? The exhaustion from using clairvoyance, and there was blood seeping out of your eye, too…”

[Assistant] “Hah! How awfully gentlemanly of you. But save your concerns for cute little Ram for later.” Ram pointed with her chin at their surroundings.

[User] Following her lead, Subaru pointed the lantern around them and gulped when he saw the situation. They were in a cave. It was cool inside, and there was a high ceiling overhead. It was like a maze of sand.

[Assistant] “You were saying it was underground before…”

[User] “If Lady Beatrice’s words before we were separated are to be believed, then the cause was the rift in space.”

[Assistant] “So we were sent flying through a warp…and separated? Right, what about everyone else?” Listening to Ram’s calm analysis, Subaru was finally able to catch back up to the situation he was in. Swinging the lantern left and right, he looked for anyone else nearby.

[User] “As I said, we’ve been separated. The effect of your magic nullifying the deception of the dunes. I cannot say whether this is the correct path to the tower or if we have fallen into a timeless interdimensional rift.”

[Assistant] “How can you be so calm?!”


[User] “And why are the two of us together…?”

[Assistant] “You’re asking me that?” Subaru’s face went pale, and he held his breath when he heard her calm voice.

[User] “The two of us were here together…”

[Assistant] “I can’t see Lady Emilia or Lady Beatrice… You really stepped in it this time.”

[User] “This isn’t really the time for that! We need to meet up with everyone… No! Rem!”

[User] “It’s fine if she ended up with someone else, but if she got separated…” Emilia and Julius were already the group’s main fighting power. They wouldn’t have a problem. Beatrice and Meili had their own strengths and should be able to find some way to stay alive. Anastasia/Foxidna probably had some ace up her sleeve like when she had to deal with Lust in Pristella. —But Rem, who could only sleep, was different.

[Assistant] “We have to link up with everyone else, too, but priority one is finding Rem! We can’t just leave her all alone in a place like this. That’s not okay. That’s not okay at all…!”

[User] “…Barusu…”

[Assistant] “Damn it. This is my fault. I just had to bring her along, and because of that, she…Rem…”

[User] “Barusu, calm down. Getting anxious now won’t—”

[Assistant] “Calm down? How the hell do you expect me to calm down?! Are you fine with Rem just being alone in danger? !”

[User] “—Of course not!” As Subaru panicked and imagined the worst-case scenario, Ram grabbed him by the chest and shouted at him, then pushed him forcefully up against a wall until looking him in the eye from right up in his face.

[Assistant] “—” Subaru dropped the lantern in the shuffle, and it was lighting Ram’s white face from the side. There was rage in her pink eye—no, not anger. An anxiety and distress that she couldn’t fully hide. Subaru’s shoulders untensed and Ram let go of his chest.

[User] “…My bad. Sorry. I was being stupid. I’m the worst.”

[Assistant] “…Just like always. If you spent every waking moment apologizing for everything you did wrong, you would never get anything done. Cut the pointless drivel.”

[User] “Yeah…sorry.” Taking that insult as Ram’s way of reconciling, Subaru apologized one last time.

[Assistant] “It’s mere consolation, but I feel a faint connection to Rem. At the very least, she is still alive.”

[User] “A connection… Right, synesthesia!” Hearing that, Subaru remembered a nostalgic word. When the Petelgeuse-led witch cultists were after Emilia and the others, Rem had been able to sense that Ram was in danger at the mansion.

[Assistant] “Any chance you could use that feeling to figure out where Rem is?”

[User] “Like I said, the connection is faint. All I can do is sense that she’s sleeping.


[User] “And the wavelength of my clairvoyance does not overlap with Lady Emilia or the others, so I can’t say whether they are safe, either.”

[Assistant] “I see. A safety check with clairvoyance… So you can’t connect with anyone?”

[User] “Strictly speaking, there is one other I can connect with. Not that there is any point in it, though.”

[Assistant] Subaru couldn’t understand what she meant by there not being a point in confirming the safety of any comrades who had been separated from them. But that question soon answered itself.

[User] “—From the look of things, I guess you’re up now, Natsuki.”

[Assistant] Subaru shrank back when a light shone on him out of the corner of his eye. But its gentle waving wasn’t threatening him, and he quickly realized it was the light of another lantern. Finally, the outline of a person holding it became clear enough for him to make out.

[User] “…Anastasia…and Patlash?” Slowly, the two of them appeared together. Patlash’s black scales made it seem like she emerged from the darkness itself as she approached, and Anastasia was riding on Patlash’s back in her white outfit.

[Assistant] Anastasia smiled down at Subaru. "Sorry for borrowing Patlash without permission. But I’m a little too helpless to be going around exploring on my own.”

[User] “That’s…fine, but…I thought it was just the two of us, Ram?”

[Assistant] “I don’t recall ever saying it was just the two of us.” Subaru stared over at Ram, but she feigned ignorance, just blaming it on Subaru’s own assumptions.

[User] “Lady Anastasia, thank you for going out to check. Was there anything of note around us?”

[Assistant] “Mmm, I checked a little deeper, but I couldn’t find anyone else. It seems like the three of us…and Patlash were the only ones sent here.”

[User] “…I see.” While Subaru had been unconscious, the two of them had apparently split up tasks. It was easy enough to guess how Ram was feeling after hearing Anastasia’s report. There wasn’t a thing for Subaru to do about his worry for Rem, either, but…

[Assistant] “But it’s at least good news that you’re safe, Anastasia. And also my Patlash.”

[User] “Yes, it’s not all bad news. It’s important to recognize the good things, too. Honestly, it was a big help that Patlash was here—and that she’s willing to listen.”

[Assistant] Patlash lowered her head when Subaru walked over, happy to see him again. Patting her neck, Subaru breathed a sigh of relief at safely reuniting with his trusty steed.

[User] “So is this everyone then? Just four people?”

[Assistant] “If you’re counting Patlash as a person, then yeah. There’s no reason for Emilia or the others to be hiding… Well, I guess Meili might.”

[User] “What, you mean try to escape in all the confusion? I mean, I guess I can’t rule it out, but.” As Meili flashed through his head, Subaru thought about her. Thanks to his death resets, he did know that she had the sandworm under her control to fall back on as a last resort.


[User] "I don’t think that’s it.”

[Assistant] “You hope? Or do you fully trust a girl who already tried to kill you once?”

[User] “Just call it a heartfelt prayer. Anyway, what’s going on deeper?” Setting Meili aside, Subaru wanted to hear a bit more detail about what Anastasia found while looking around.

[Assistant] “I’m of the same opinion. It’s clearly colder here than out on the sands at night…and the air is heavy, so it’s hard to imagine we’re somewhere outside of Auguria.”

[User] “So the miasma is still thick in the air? Not exactly a great place to be in any sense then.”

[Assistant] “We’re underneath the sands, right? I don’t want to imagine it, but it’s entirely possible this is a sandworm nest.”

[User] “Ugh. If it is, that would be really bad.” Subaru’s expression twitched as Ram touched the sand wall.

[Assistant] “Also, I can sense some real malice in this party build! There’s not a single person who can fight here!”

[User] “Unabashedly counting yourself among the noncombat members despite being Lady Emilia’s knight… He’s broken, Lady Anastasia.”

[Assistant] “Just call it knowing my limits. My trusty whip isn’t powerful enough for me to start thinking I’m anything special without Beako.”

[User] “Incidentally, what of Lady Beatrice? You’re contracted with her, so can’t you feel a link with her?”

[Assistant] “Unfortunately, while our hearts are strongly bound together, it’s more in the sense of a deep emotional bond.”

[User] “You’re useless.”

[Assistant] “Who asked you? !” Sticking out his tongue at Ram’s sigh, Subaru turned to Anastasia. Seeing her calm expression, he whispered in her ear.

[User] “And what about you? Can you fight?”

[Assistant] “—If push comes to shove. But it means shaving away at Anna’s life. That’s something I want to avoid if at all possible. So I’ve got big hopes for you.”

[User] “You’re only gonna get let down with hopes like that. For better or for worse.”

[Assistant] Subaru snorted. "There is nothing to be gained by just waiting here. We should search for Rem and Lady Emilia."


[User] "Fortunately, we have light thanks to Lady Anastasia, so we can keep going forward.”

[Assistant] “More thanks to the emergency bag Natsuki prepared than me. I grabbed that before the carriage was swallowed up, so we have lights, a knife, and some emergency rations.” Anastasia pointed to the bag hanging from Patlash’s saddle. It was one of the ones that Subaru had prepared in case of an emergency before they left. “There’s nothing better than not needing an emergency kit, but it’s important to have options when things go wrong. That’s why you always make sure to confirm where the emergency exits are in a building you’ve never been in before, too.”

[User] “For once, a great achievement by Barusu. As a reward, I’ll allow you to hold the lantern. Be sure to keep a brisk pace.”

[Assistant] “Sure, sure… You call this a reward?” While Subaru took the lantern, Ram and Anastasia got onto Patlash. No matter how he thought about it, he’d basically been relegated to the position of foot servant.

[User] “Three people riding is just… If Ram and I squeezed in, you could maybe fit?”

[Assistant] “No, if he got that close, Barusu would start breathing raggedly in excitement.”

[User] “Don’t think I’m going to stay quiet forever! If you’re going to be like that, I’ll just imagine something even more amazing! That’s not a threat, either! Don’t underestimate youth!” Unwilling to admit defeat, Subaru snorted at their reactions and started walking. He headed into the cavern, setting out beyond the darkness to meet back up with the rest of his comrades. The lighthearted banter that didn’t fit the situation was merely a front in order for the two of them to avoid dealing with the unease they were feeling. Both Subaru and Ram realized that, but neither commented on it.


[Assistant] “It…sort of feels like a breeze, but sort of not.”

[User] “…No, there is a breeze. But judging by the strength of it, it will be quite a ways farther before this path connects to aboveground.”

[Assistant] Subaru licked his fingertip and held it up to sense the breeze, and Ram’s pink eyes narrowed. Trusting the words of the wind magic user, Subaru felt disheartened at the length of the road ahead of them. —It had already been an hour since they set out, but it was incredibly difficult to walk on the ground in the sand cavern. Walking alongside Patlash, who was used to the sand, Subaru ignored the discomfort of all the sand in his boots. From the experience he had gotten walking on the sand the past few days, he was managing to get by without slowing down too much. But there was no avoiding the sand sapping his endurance, so they were taking breaks at regular intervals, and Ram was searching for the others with her clairvoyance during those breaks.

[User] “—No good. Nothing is in range for me. All I can see is Barusu’s land dragon’s vision.”

[Assistant] “You’re on the same wavelength as Patlash?


[User] "…I guess that makes sense.” Though they were different species, Ram and Patlash were similar in their haughtiness. But it was a little inconvenient that the only one she could connect with was the dragon who was already with them. “Lady Emilia and Julius can communicate with lesser spirits, so they should not get lost. On that point at least, I do have to wonder about the maliciousness of this grouping.”

[Assistant] “Guidance from lesser spirits? Yeah, Emilia-tan tends to use that pretty effectively. In my case, the connection with Beako is too strong, and it scares off the lesser spirits, so I can’t really use it.”

[User] “You are just a half-baked mage born of Lady Beatrice’s pity after all. I didn’t get my hopes up.”

[Assistant] “Grrr…” There was nothing he could say in response to being called useless for gathering information, so he didn’t try. In the end, it just meant that the people who could be counted on to fight could also rely on their abilities in other areas as well.

[User] “She’s hiding it behind a tough front now, but right after we got sent here and before you woke up, Ram was pretty panicky about not being able to find Rem.”

[Assistant] “…That so…?”

[User] “You’re doing fine in terms of keeping Ram calm. You aren’t useless at all.” While Ram was searching with her clairvoyance, Anastasia quietly mentioned what had happened right after they had been separated from everyone else. Considering how Ram felt, what Subaru had said earlier really was the worst. Subaru had seen how devoted Ram was in going to take care of her little sister that she couldn’t remember every day during the past year. Even if someone else doubted her feelings, Subaru at least should not have doubted her.

[Assistant] “Reflect on your mistakes and make the most of them. It’s the same in life as it is in business. And you’re the kind of guy who can do that, aren’t ya?”

[User] “…Don’t change gears on me and start saying nice stuff like that. The witch who made you tried to ensnare me with a similar sort of setup.”

[Assistant] “Ensnare, huh? I’d appreciate it if you could start thinking of me as a different person from that witch. If you’re too stubborn, the girls will never fall for you. Consider that a genuine bit of advice from me.”

[User] “I don’t know any other way to go at things. But I’ll make a mental note of that.” With that advice on social grace from an artificial spirit, their group continued deeper and deeper into the cavern. As they went along, the mental stress of walking through a labyrinth of sand where everything looked exactly the same grew ever more intense. Their unease and anxiety at the lack of progress continued to grow, but also there was something bothering Subaru.


[User] "Even though we were on guard about this possibly being a demon beast nest…we haven’t run into a single one."

[Assistant] "That has been bothering me as well." Subaru kicked the ground as Ram agreed. It wasn’t just that they had not run into any while moving through the cavern. Ram had not caught any with her clairvoyance, either. It was an ominous sort of sign, as if the space they were in really was entirely shut off from the rest of the world.

[User] "There’s no way this is actually some rift in space that’s not connected to anywhere, right?"

[Assistant] "If it is, then where is the wind that we’ve been following coming from? Do you think we’re in the nostril of a giant demon beast and that’s just its breathing?"

[User] "The fact that I can’t actually deny that is scary." He had seen the world shattering around him with his own eyes. After that, whatever might happen wouldn’t be a shock. Wherever the rift they were in connected to should not be that surprising.

[Assistant] "You are free to get scared all you want, coward, but keep your stupid ideas to yourself, please." Ram’s cold, logical voice rejected the wretchedness that Subaru felt when he realized they were trapped in a dead end.

[User] "Eh?"

[Assistant] "Hold up the lamp— The path." Turning around frantically at what Ram said, Subaru held the lantern up and lit the path in front of them. Even if you say that, it’s just the same straight path we’ve been following the whole time. In other words, there wasn’t anything new to be—

[User] "—A fork in the road."


[Assistant] Right in front of them, the straight path they had been walking through the sand divided into two paths. The fork was nice and neat; there was no notable difference between right and left. It looked like there wasn’t anything to base a decision on other than instinct, but—

[User] "It looks like we are being told to figure it out. What shall we do?"

[Assistant] "As best I know, Zhuge Liang said to always go right in situations like this."

[User] "Who’s that?" He could remember that, according to behavioral studies, humans tended to unconsciously go left when they were confused. It was probably something to do with a bunch of complex factors like dominant eye or leg or stuff like that. Subaru had picked up a wealth of pointless facts, but that was a useful one. Or at least he thought so.

[Assistant] "I always want to check the right path first. That’s my justice!"

[User] "You really seem to trust this Zhuge Liang."

[Assistant] "Who’s that?" Ram’s eyes narrowed, and Anastasia cocked her head again. From just their exchange, it might have sounded like they were just screwing around, but all three of them had serious looks on their faces. It was already more than two hours since they had been separated from the others.


[User] They had managed to calm down before, but it was time enough for the anxiety and unease to start making waves again. And just at that moment, there was a fork in the path. Honestly, considering how anxious he was feeling, he wanted to start moving again as soon as possible. "We have no way of deciding. But I don’t really like the idea of relying on Zhuge Liang…"

[Assistant] "For now, let’s just go with what Natsuki wants. The right one, yeah?"

[User] "Oh right, it’s not just us. You’re here, too, Patlash. Sorry, sorry. I haven’t forgotten about you." Patlash’s nose pushed against Subaru’s head. Feeling like his timidity had been blown away, Subaru smiled. "What? You’ll follow me on whatever path I choose, even to the gates of hell?"

[Assistant] "Nonsense, but the fact that you seem to be basically right indicates it’s a serious case. Really, though, which is best." Subaru made up his own translation of Patlash’s intent, and Ram sighed in exasperation.

[User] Anastasia clapped her hands watching the two them. "“All right already. That’s enough discussion. If we’re agreed, then let’s move. Time is money."

[Assistant] "One of Hoshin’s sayings, was it? —Okay then, let’s go. Same formation as before, and let’s be careful."

[User] Ram and Anastasia nodded. Following the great strategist Zhuge Liang’s teaching, the noncombatant party resumed their march. They headed down the right path, believing that their comrades awaited them at the other end.

[Assistant] "Honestly, a fork in the road with no hint at all is mean, but it at least rules out the hell of an infinite loop… I guess this really is one of the Sage’s traps?"

[User] "If so, how much time must have been spent digging a hole like this underground? But it is a shut-in pretending to be a hermit, after all. There would be plenty of time in all those years, I suppose."

[Assistant] "Big Sis, that’s a pretty harsh evaluation of the Sage." But he could understand her hostile stance toward the Sage, too. If the sand time and the garden of demon beasts and this labyrinth were all set up by the Sage, then Sinister was probably a better title. "At this rate, I’m not going to be doing anything other than complaining when we finally do meet this Sage."

[User] "Agreed. After doing all this, if they’re still not willing to help, then I won’t have any choice. Worst case, I’ll have no choice but to string them up and make them talk."

[Assistant] "I’m not sure what to say about your grave-robbing approach to things."

[User] "If there’s something I want, I take the measures needed to get it. This is not some child’s game." Her genuine and unshakable resolve was recognizable in her strong tone.


[User] "In the end, the thing I have to do is the same as always. I’ve never held back before." Subaru clenched his fist and tried to fire himself up.

[Assistant] Patlash stretched her neck and rubbed her nose against Subaru’s shoulder.

[User] "—A door?" Raising the lantern. Subaru saw an imposing piece of iron.

[Assistant] The group pressed forward to right in front of the wall and started examining the mass of metal in detail.

[User] "This thing’s big, and it looks thick… Can we move it?"

[Assistant] “…That’s blocking the whole path, so probably not easily. And Natsuki?"

[User] "Yeah?"

[Assistant] "Why do you think this is a door? It just looks like a metal wall to me."

[User] "Eh?"

[Assistant] "It just looks like a bunch of scrap metal in our way. Even with as bad as your eyes are, Barusu, that is an odd conclusion." Ram nodded.

[User] "I mean, I can’t really explain it, either. It just felt like a door to me, I guess…" Subaru looked at the metal mass—no, the metal door—again. Trying to figure out why, he reached out and touched it—

[Assistant] "—Ah." Just then, when Subaru touched the door, it seemed to glow faintly, and then it disappeared.

[User] "What was that…? Did you do something, Natsuki?"

[Assistant] "I mean, you saw it, right? All I did was touch it. I didn’t do anything else. I have no idea what happened." Looking at his hand and back where the door had been, Subaru was shaken as he answered Anastasia.

[User] "—The important point isn’t what happened, it’s what we do now."

[Assistant] As the other two looked at her, she was looking down the passage beyond where the door had been.

[User] "There was a wall…or rather a door blocking our path. And it opened. The passage continues this way. So do we continue this way or go back to the fork?"

[Assistant] Subaru looked again past where the door had disappeared from.


[User] Even with the door gone, it still looked exactly the same as the path they had been walking before. There wasn’t anything different about it other than the fact that there had been a door there. But—

[Assistant] “That door had to be here for a reason. And it opened for some reason— Isn’t it kind of hard to imagine it being anything other than the direct path to the Sage’s watchtower?”

[User] “That’s a little too optimistic. But I’m not going to suggest we turn back, either.”

[Assistant] Anastasia put her hand to her lips and chuckled a little at Subaru’s positive interpretation, but she wasn’t against what he was saying. “Of course, I intend to advance. Even if we go back now, there’s no guarantee there won’t be a similar door on the other route.”

[User] “So might as well take the invitation of the first one that opened? I can agree with that.”

[Assistant] With Ram’s acknowledgment, they were all in agreement.

[User] “All right then.” Subaru brushed off his knees and started to walk forward, but—

[Assistant] “—Patlash?” Patlash didn’t follow after Subaru. The black land dragon’s yellow eyes narrowed, and it stared down the path in front of them. It was a smart dragon with good instincts. It was possible Patlash was sensing something they couldn’t notice. There was a moment’s hesitation, but…

[User] “I know you have always been trying to protect us. But there is no safe place in a situation like this. Sometimes, you just have to roll the dice, and this is one of those times.” Subaru met Patlash’s gaze. The dragon was quiet for a moment, then she lowered her eyes slightly and made a soft noise. She understands. Or I guess it’s probably closer to say she was willing to concede for my sake.

[Assistant] “Patlash has you whipped.”

[User] “I figure it’s better her than a woman.”

[Assistant] “How lewd.”

[User] “That’s not how I meant it when I said that joke!” Subaru heaved a sigh as Ram poked fun at his bond with Patlash, then started walking again. He reflected on the resolution he had just voiced. —Right now we just have to roll the dice.


[Assistant] At least he worked himself up thinking that, but after proceeding a short distance past the door… “—A second door. And it disappeared again.” Subaru watched as another iron door glowed and disappeared before his eyes. It happened right after Subaru touched it. It was hard to believe he had just awakened to some new ability, so the only other explanation was they were designed to do that, but…

[User] “What’s the point of a door in a dungeon that doesn’t actually block anything?” Subaru was at a loss trying to explain the purpose of having a door like that. It wasn’t dividing up rooms or anything, so there was little reason in having a door that anyone could open.


[User] "It doesn’t feel like it because we haven’t run into any yet, but maybe it’s something to stop demon beasts.”

[Assistant] “Demon beasts… So like the barrier? I guess I could understand that, but…”

[User] “Maybe demon beasts just can’t open it, but if a person touches it, the path opens up… Still, that’d be a little loose on security when it comes to closing the door behind you— If there’s a third one, we should have someone other than you touch it.” Anastasia’s eyes narrowed as she hypothesized about the point of the door.


[Assistant] Ram, who was riding Patlash with Anastasia, had stopped talking.

[User] "My body’s really heavy…” Wiping away the sticky sweat in annoyance, Subaru slowly started walking again, dragging his feet out of the sand.


[Assistant] “This isn’t the time to be whining.” His whole body was pleading with him as he ground down his molars.

[User] “It’s a little difficult to walk, but that’s all. It not so bad. I thought it would be more outrageous than this, but at this rate, maybe the end isn’t even that far aw—”

[Assistant] “Barusu—shut up.”

[User] “Eh, ah. Yeah…” He had tried to put on a brave face, but Ram’s curt jab shut him down. Subaru shrugged as Ram seemed irritated.

[Assistant] “If you ask me, it’s boring to just stay quiet.”

[User] “Do you think we’re doing this for fun? Remember the point of all this.”

[Assistant] “I mean, yeah, but…”

[User] “Just shut up and walk.”


[User] “But—” He thought that if the miasma was bringing their moods down, then maybe it would be a bit easier if they distracted themselves somewhat with conversation.

[Assistant] “Natsuki, just leave it be.”

[User] Subaru was annoyed at her prickly attitude.

[Assistant] Sensing that, Anastasia shifted, blocking Ram from his gaze. “I understand how you’re feeling, but Ram’s exhausted. Nothing good ever comes from trying to talk to someone when your heart’s worn down to the nub, right?”

[Assistant] “Right?”

[User] It pissed him off, but there was some truth to what Anastasia/Foxidna was saying, too. He had gotten so anxious about moving forward and meeting up with everyone else that he had been inconsiderate of Ram and Anastasia. The same was true of them, but what good would come of arguing that?

[Assistant] “…Let’s go…” Noticing that he had stopped, Subaru started moving his legs again, holding the lantern and lighting the labyrinth of sand.

[User] Having failed to raise anyone’s spirits, his legs moved forward just as heavily as before—no, they were even heavier now. Forward. “” Forward—


[Assistant] “—Goddamnit! Why now? !” Subaru screamed as he kicked the metal door right in front of him. There was no give at all, and despite how quiet the underground was, there was no sound from the kick. It didn’t seem like it was made of just plain iron. But that was no consolation. Their path had finally been blocked.

[User] “You let us through the third door just fine, so why the hell are you getting in our way now? !” There was no way the door could answer him, but Subaru still screamed and violently slammed his arms and feet against it. It didn’t budge. All that happened was the impacts reverberated in his bones, making him suffer more.

[Assistant] Subaru threw the lantern down and pushed against the door, desperately trying to force it open. But almost as if it were mocking him, the cold metallic door refused to yield. It felt like the faint, slender thread of hope that had been keeping Subaru going had been mercilessly cut.

[User] “Damn it, damn it…piece of shit!”

[Assistant] “Natsuki, that’s enough… This is just a dead end.”

[User] “Gee, I couldn’t tell!” Subaru brushed off her arm with a furious shout after Anastasia tapped his shoulder.


[User] Kicking the sand wall to vent his irritation, the weak outer layer crumbled, creating a cloud of sand. "…Tch…"

[Assistant] "—Hey." Spinning at that sound, Subaru glared at Ram, who was sitting alone on top of Patlash. Something about how her face looked in the darkness, the way she was looking down at him, pissed him off. "You’ve been at it a while now, but what’s your problem?"

[User] "Nothing."

[Assistant] "Don’t treat me like an idiot! I asked you what your problem is!"

[User] Subaru raised his voice violently as he kicked the lantern across the ground. It slammed into the sand wall, and the glass covering the ragmite ore shattered, scattering fragments across the sand. But Subaru didn’t pay any attention to that. He could only see Ram, who he thought was disrespecting him. "I’m here working my ass off, and you’re sitting up there chirping at me! What are you trying to do?!"

[Assistant] "Nothing at all. It’s a dead end. The path we chose was wrong. There’s nothing for me to say. It is what it is."

[User] "Liar! Do you think I’m stupid? If you don’t want to say it, then keep the whole thing to yourself! What’s the point of making a shit show and then acting like it wasn’t anything? How dumb can you be!" In response to Ram’s cool attitude, Subaru’s fever just grew. We’ve been separated from everyone else, walking for hours, and we hit a dead end. She’s being too unfair. I’ve been doing my best here. She’s got no right to look down on me.

[Assistant] "Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, both of you. There’s no need to—"

[User] "Shut your goddamn mouth! Ram and I are talking right now!" Subaru’s expression was wrath made manifest as he glared at Ram. "If you want to talk shit, then start talking! Go on, I’m all ears!"

[Assistant] "—You’re awfully keen to keep advancing, aren’t you?"

[User] "Damn straight! Why the hell do you think we came here? To meet the Sage! That’s why I’m working so goddamn hard! What of it?!"

[Assistant] "Wrong. We didn’t come here to meet the Sage."

[User] "Huh?"

[Assistant] "The reason we came here is to awaken Rem." Ram was looking Subaru straight in the eye as she asserted that. Even Subaru with his thoughts seething was slightly overwhelmed by the sharpness of her eyes. But doesn’t meeting the Sage equal saving Rem?

[User] "They’re not the same thing. Saving Rem is more important, and seeing the Sage is secondary to that. You’ve got the order of precedence wrong. You’ve got things flipped."

[Assistant] "I came here for Rem, to remember my little sister. So what are we doing now? Rem isn’t here, and we’re just wandering around in a place like this… Don’t screw with me."

[User] "No one’s screwing with you!"


[User] "But there’s no helping the fact it ended up like this!” Ram’s strained words hurt Subaru.

[Assistant] He fired back in an emotional rage.

[User] Hearing that, Ram’s pink eyes slowly filled with grief— “—Why did you grab me and not Rem?”


[User] “I’m sure you just had your hands full with what was going on immediately around you. That’s how you always are. That’s how it always goes, and it’s not like you really cared about Rem. Your head was just filled with thoughts about Lady Emilia and Lady Beatrice. What a man you are. Poor Rem.” She hit him with what happened in the instant the world shattered, when he had reflexively held on to Ram.

[Assistant] “…Shut your mouth…”

[User] “Rem believed in you, didn’t she? Or was that just another of your convenient explanations? Just running your mouth to get by? Just your bad habit of saying whatever it takes to get women to trust you? Poor Lady Emilia and Lady Beatrice, too. Being tricked by a man like you!”

[Assistant] “Shut your goddamn mouth!”

[User] “No, I won’t! Because it’s not like you actually care at all about Rem!”

[Assistant] “—Don’t you dare!” The world turned red, and his head erupted in flames. Look at her, so smug and looking down on me, spouting random shit. I oughtta drag her off her goddamn high horse. “Invisible Providence!”

[User] “Gh, ah? !”

[Assistant] Giving in to the dark feelings taking over his head, Subaru unleashed it. The black hand cheered rapturously as it grabbed the girl spouting her misguided insults from the dragon’s back and dragged her down onto the sand. Looking down on Ram, who couldn’t figure out what was happening, Subaru gnashed his teeth.

[User] “Don’t play with me.” You think I don’t care about Rem? You think this is some sick joke? In a fit of rage, his head was burning as he leaned over her slender body— “—


[User] Caught up in the explosion, too, Ram rolled to the side, coughing as she escaped Subaru’s murderous rage. She had been injured in the explosion, and her blood was dripping onto the sand—

[Assistant] "Magic…! It’s too late to beg for your life now!"

[User] "That’s my line, Barusu! Nothing good will come of allowing Rem to see an emotionless womanizer like you. I’ll cut you to pieces, and you can rot in the sands here."

[Assistant] "Big talk!" Holding his face in pain, Subaru reached to his hip and grabbed his whip while Ram took her wand from her thigh and bristled with determination to fight.

[User] She has the advantage when it comes to matching blow for blow, but my whip won’t lose in terms of speed.

[Assistant] In speed alone, a whip even works against people on the superhuman level in this world


[User] “…Fine, I’ll go along with your smooth talk.”

[Assistant] “That’s good. I knew you were a smart one. That’s a relief.” Anastasia smiled thinly as she made a show of breathing a sigh of relief. Then she stepped awkwardly across the sand toward Subaru, holding out her white hand. “Let’s shake on it. A reconciliation—and to working together going forward.”

[User] Subaru slipped into thought at Anastasia’s seemingly innocent expression.

[Assistant] “…Are you not going to shake on it?” Foxidna cocked her head, wanting to shake hands.

[User] “…No, nothing.” Subaru smiled slightly and then reached his own right hand out toward hers. As they were shaking, Subaru was waiting for the moment when she let her guard down completely.

[Assistant] Now. While she was saying something, before she could raise the knife, he poured strength into the invisible hand. The black palm covered her thin neck and started to twist—

[User] “In that case…” At the same time, a dark smile crossed Subaru’s lips.


[Assistant] “Huh?” Blood splattered all over the white sands, and hot blood and viscera warmed the cool air as a horrific stench filled the cavern.

[User] “—Ah.” Seeing that, Subaru looked at his hands in shock.

[Assistant] Her eyes were opened wide, looking at Subaru in a daze.

[User] “Ah, ahhhhhhhhh? !” Subaru screamed at her grisly state.


[User] He tried to shake her off, but her grip was absurdly strong, and so he ended up swinging her upper body around, splattering more blood and viscera all around for no reason. "L-Leggo! Let go of me!"

[Assistant] "No! I’m not dead yet…!"

[User] "You’re dead already! There’s no way you can be saved!" Hearing her clinging to life so strongly, Subaru screeched in response. Her body had been cut in half, and her blood and internal organs were falling out. It made no sense that she had not died immediately. It made no sense that she was holding on so tightly to his hand. None of it made any sense. "You. Stupid. Piece. Of. Shit! Just die already!"

[Assistant] "Nooo…"

[User] Violently grabbing Anastasia’s face, he forcefully pulled her off him. She was sobbing and screaming something as Subaru finally got her away and threw her down to the ground. Her small upper body fell into a puddle of her own blood.

[Assistant] "Don’t…leave me…" That soft murmur that almost sounded like a drowning voice was her last.

[User] Subaru could no longer hear her voice. It was destined from the moment she was cut, but death had finally caught up to her. Subaru was overwhelmed by a tremendous nausea and started heaving. "Geh! Ugh! Gah-ha! Geh-hoh-hoh! Haaah…" Expelling what little was left in his stomach, he wiped the yellowish vomit from his mouth with his sleeve. It wasn’t the time to just hang his head. The one who had just killed Anastasia was—


[Assistant] "—Barusu."

[User] "Just die already." There was a shadow in the light of the lantern on the ground. It was Ram, her whole upper body stained in blood. The knife had cut deeply through her chest, but she was still alive. Only just barely. She killed Anastasia on tenacity alone, and now she’s after me— "Just die and leave me out of it…" Struggling to breathe, Subaru looked around for his whip. But he couldn’t find it. And while he was searching, Ram approached him with faltering steps. The whip won’t make it. So there’s just one other choice. "Invisible Provide—? !" The trump card he had relied on several times already. Just as he tried to fall back on its power again, he suddenly felt an intense pain in his eye. "Gah?! Ahhh?! Ohhhh? !" A pain like a burning needle piercing his skull made his eyes roll backward in their sockets. The side effect of using his ability scorched his mind, and he grabbed his head and rolled around the sand while tears of blood seeped from his eyes. It felt like a hellish feast was starting inside his head, and all his nerves started boiling. He couldn’t escape the pain. "Ahhh! Ghhhh! Ughhhhh? !" As Subaru writhed in pain, Ram held up her bloody wand while barely clinging to life and pointed it at him. Subaru rolled into Anastasia’s pool of blood, getting her viscera all over himself while still writhing in pain.


[User] Ram’s lips slowly moved as she cast her spell. And, finishing the incantation, just as the blade of wind was about to tear into Subaru—

[Assistant] The sound of something being chewed filled the cold cavern. The earsplitting sound continued as an unpleasant sloshing sound started to be mixed in.

[User] "Ah, haa, aa, aa?" Just as Subaru expected to die, to be cut to pieces, for some reason, death didn’t come. Finally, the intense pain and emptiness that had been tormenting Subaru started to fade. "Wha…?" Covering his face with his left hand, he forced himself up. Even just that much took a stupid amount of time. His face was bright red from the bloody tears as he slowly looked around. The pain and bloody tears were surely the backlash of overusing the Unseen Hand. Ravaged by a pain beyond imagination, he couldn’t even tell how long he spent writhing on the ground. Why did I have that long to writhe in pain?

[Assistant] “…Patlash?” Dumbfounded, Subaru’s black land dragon moved next to him as he slumped over. Noticing his voice, the dragon that was squatting on the ground waved her long tail to indicate she was fine.

[User] “You’re safe? …What happened to Ram?” There’s no way she ran out of steam right before finishing me off, did she? It was a little bit too convenient, but she had suffered a mortal wound. It wasn’t all that strange. “I don’t know if that makes me lucky or unlucky…” Either way, now’s not the time for that. There’s no one getting in my way now, so I should get out of here quickly. I need to get to the watchtower. “Patlash… Sorry, but I need to ride you now.”

[Assistant] "Patlash?" He called to her, but his trusty steed didn’t obey. In fact, she didn’t even turn to look at him. She was just sitting comfortably on the sand, breathing heavily next to Subaru. Seeing that, realizing that he was being ignored, Subaru’s rage started growing. “Hey, Patlash. You listening to me? Hey!” It was a similar sort of annoyance to what he had felt with Ram and Anastasia. His negative emotions were amplifying at a speed far greater than normal, and he erupted at the land dragon that refused to answer him. “Hey, look at me, asshole! Who do you think I am? !”

[User] "Look at you, finally listening—" Subaru threw sand at Patlash, and perhaps finally being willing to listen, Patlash turned to look at him. Subaru was thinking to himself that he had done a praiseworthy job of not scoffing in his annoyance when he noticed it.

[Assistant] —When Patlash turned, her mouth was stained an unnatural red.

[User] That crimson was a color Subaru had become used to in the past few minutes. It was the same crimson clinging to his clothes and face and wetting the dry sands below him.


[User] And its powerful smell was mixing with the stench of human excrement that was wafting in the air, too. But there was something he wished he had not noticed. —That there were clumps of pink hair between Patlash’s fangs. “Eeep!” He realized it with a shudder. Ram, who he had lost track of, was lying collapsed on the other side of Patlash. She wasn’t moving at all. Of course not. Because there wasn’t anything left of her above her shoulders. Ram’s skull had been shattered by violent fangs, and her brain was splattered all around her, just like Anastasia’s insides had been splattered all around her. And the same Patlash who had done that to Ram was looking at Subaru with her yellow eyes. Her yellow reptilian eyes were filled with a sharp, violent—

[Assistant] “Sto—” Patlash’s jaw opening right in front of his face was the last thing he saw. He could hear the sound of his body being chewed until the moment his consciousness was extinguished. Even after his head was shattered and his ears were no more. How was he hearing it? It was strange and didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t laugh at it. He didn’t have a mouth to laugh—or any life left, either. So he didn’t laugh or even do anything. —And so Subaru Natsuki died, eaten by his partner.

[User] —His consciousness continued hearing the sound of things breaking. Bones being chewed, his brain being crushed, his eyes bursting and splattering like overripe grapes. His skull. It was his skull that shattered. And inside, all those important things jumbled together. It all combined as his consciousness and memories turned into the color of flesh and transformed into vomit. It was a head-splitting pain— As he thought that, his consciousness sneered at him. Your head is already split, and everything inside it is already splattered. You lost the part that lets you feel pain a while back already, so what are you talking about? His brain for storing memories was crushed, his organ for thinking destroyed, and all the crucial bits for just maintaining vital functions had burst. What was there other than death? People who ended up like that died. So naturally, Subaru Natsuki had also—

[Assistant] “—rusu. Barusu. Get ahold of yourself.” His untethered consciousness was grabbed by the root and forcibly dragged to a bright place. When he got back, the first thing he sensed was someone else calling his name. It wasn’t just a voice. He could feel a gentle slapping on his cheek. And the gravelly feel of sand in his mouth. “Barusu, wake up already. Don’t make me burn away your eyelids.”

[User] “—Ngh.” Hearing such a frightening threat as the first thing upon waking, his consciousness quickly surfaced. Guided by that voice, his consciousness rose from a sea of darkness, breaking the water’s surface—

[Assistant] “—Are you up, Barusu?” Right in front of him, he saw Ram’s face, her pink eyes narrowing. “” Dangerously close.


[User] Close enough to feel her breath. Close enough their lips might accidentally touch. Of course, Ram had no intention of something like that. It was just that the surroundings were dark, and they couldn’t see each other’s faces without being that close. One breath. As Subaru exhaled, Ram slowly moved away. The darkness coloring the world felt unreal, and Subaru grabbed a handful of sand to double-check that he was really there. And also, he could tell that he had died and reset again. “I…I…” Confirming his heart was beating, he took his time remembering what had happened. The moment of death was always intense, and the perfect memory of it was as unpleasant as ever. Stepping through it, though, he traced the steps he had taken leading up to his death—

[Assistant] “Ugh…” The vivid memory of the insignificant argument that had set him off, that had turned into a shouting match and then a murderous spree suddenly reared its head.

[User] “Barusu?”

[Assistant] “Ugh, eh…gaaah.” Ram looked suspicious of Subaru’s condition, but he didn’t have the mental capacity to answer her. His eyes were spinning in nausea. When it came to his own death, he was a veteran. He had experienced more times than he could count on two hands. But that didn’t mean he was used to death, either. That applied to his own death, too, of course, but it was the same for others as well. For his comrades and friends or anyone else. He was scared of dying himself, but the thought of someone he knew dying was enough to tear at his heart.


[User] “…Ogh, geh, geh-hoh, gah-ha.” He desperately tried not to remember it, but that was no different than trying to remember it. Ram’s gory fate, trusty Patlash’s vicious act. The more he tried to forget them, the more vividly he saw the clumps of pink hair sticking out of the land dragon’s fangs and the remnants of her head lying on the ground. As a result, he couldn’t hold back the nausea welling up inside him, and he vomited into the sand. But his stomach and throat couldn’t recover from the shock of that death. He just hunched over, spasming as drool slipped from his mouth.

[Assistant] “…All that after waking up? How pathetic.” A cold voice fell on Subaru as he bent over on all fours in the sand, desperately gasping. Ram was right beside him, looking down at him. Her cold attitude just reminded him of their argument right before he died. Remembering the rage and murderousness that had swelled in him for no reason, the argument that had turned into a fight to the death…the way he had been overcome by his impulses, his chest ached, and he got scared. What if something like that happened again—?


[User] "Don’t you dare bite down."

[Assistant] "—Ngh."

[User] With that one preface, Ram held his chin with her finger. Subaru froze in surprise, but paying that no heed, Ram opened his mouth, and looking bored, she stuck her white finger down his throat.

[Assistant] “…?! Oh, eough."

[User] "I knew you were a bungler through and through, but if you can’t even do this much, how are you any better than a baby." Subaru’s throat was violently assaulted. But because of that, his stomach and throat that had only been spasming adapted to that new shock and naturally ejected the nausea that was welling up inside him. All that came out was gastric juices and saliva, but it made Subaru feel far better than before he had been able to get anything out.

[Assistant] "Eh-hoh, geh-ha…haah…huu… Sorry… I’m okay now…"

[User] "Oh? Well, I’m gwad you were able to feel bwetter."

[Assistant] "Y-you…" Subaru wiped his mouth on his sleeve as Ram shrugged and responded with baby talk. He had his complaints with that attitude, but it was true that his inability to perform that natural bodily function put him on the same level as a nursing baby. He didn’t have any ground to stand on to argue with Ram’s hand still gently patting his back. It was a hard-to-understand, awkward sort of thoughtfulness. "You can stop with the hand. More importantly, this is…"

[User] "You remember the light from the watchtower and the crack in space shattering, right? We were swallowed up in that fissure and ended up thrown out here." Ram gestured at the surroundings with her chin as Subaru escaped her hand on his back.

[Assistant] "" Hearing that, Subaru was struck by a surprise that was late to register.


[User] Subaru’s face had stiffened as he realized what had happened when Ram’s finger suddenly touched him.

[Assistant] Looking toward that warmth, she saw Ram nodding, her expression unchanged. "Don’t get flustered. Just calm down. What happened, happened. Right now, we have to keep our heads about us and accept the situation we are in. Though that might be asking a bit much of you."

[User] Ram’s soft voice and the warmth of her finger gradually helped him get through the panic that hit him as he kneeled on the cold sand.

[Assistant] “…Ram…”

[User] "What?"

[Assistant] "Your finger feels nice…bgh? !"

[User] "Don’t push your luck, you Barusu."

[Assistant] "Could you please not use my name like it’s some kind of insult? !" Subaru ate a slap as payment for his careless comment and complained with teary eyes.

[User] Ram was hurriedly wiping her finger with sand, ready to shoot that request down immediately.

[Assistant] "—What?" Seeing Subaru looking at her, Ram furrowed her brow dubiously.

[User] Looking into her pink eyes, Subaru took a deep breath. "Ram, the reason I grabbed you when this happened is because I was holding on to you before the world started shattering and because in that moment you were the weakest person and the person closest to me, and um…"

[User] "—Why did you grab me and not Rem?" Hearing his explanation, Ram’s face merged with that of the Ram who had interrogated him earlier.


[User] "I didn’t have the composure to do something like that, and my lackluster ability to act in an extreme situation is al—”

[Assistant] "Idiot." Ram interrupts Subaru.

[User] "Huh?" Subaru looked up at that unexpected response.

[Assistant] Ram’s finger touches Subaru’s nose. Or rather, she had pointed her finger, and he had stuck her finger into his nose by looking up.

[User] "Gaaah!" A sharp pain hit him.

[Assistant] "I’m sick and tired of your driveling excuses— It’s pointless to keep blaming yourself. There’s no meaning in searching for someone else to blame, either. You have things you should be doing instead of wasting time like that." Heaving a sigh, Ram picked up the lantern next to her. She tapped the side of it, and the ragmite ore inside started faintly glowing, breaking the darkness of the labyrinth. "We already wasted enough time with you spilling your stomach all over the sand."

[User] "I know… What about the others?"

[Assistant] "They are separated for the most part. Other than you and me and… Ah, looks like they’re back now."

[User] He wiped his mouth with his sleeve while hating himself for the shamelessness of asking a question he already knew the answer to. Looking up, the light of the lantern Ram was holding ran into another lantern’s light. Anastasia and Patlash had come back after looking around their surroundings.


[Assistant] Subaru’s heart shuddered at the gallant and menacing visage of the land dragon that appeared in the light. "How stupid can I be…" Gripping his own chest strongly, Subaru gritted his teeth, swallowing the weakness that was welling up inside him.

[User] "Right, it was the same with Rem and Ram, too. At first…"

[Assistant] "—Thank goodness. So you’re awake, Natsuki."

[User] "Thank you for going to look around. Did you find anything?"

[Assistant] Ram and Anastasia started talking. They were going to start discussing what to do going forward and how to get through the sand labyrinth.

[User] "I’m past the fact that I died and the effects of what happened leading up to that.


[User] "—Fight, Subaru Natsuki. You don’t have time to be trembling in fear." He swallowed his fear and took a deep breath.

[Assistant] The black land dragon was looking at Subaru with concern in her eyes.


[User] "—Anastasia, watch out, the ceiling is low here."

[Assistant] "Got it. Thanks."

[User] "Ram, the footing here is a bit rough. It should be okay for Patlash, but be careful."

[Assistant] "...Understood…"

[User] "Right, are you getting cold, Ram? You can take my cloak if you need it." Subaru stopped and took off his cloak and held it up to Ram on the dragon, worrying about her body’s condition.

[Assistant] Ram fell silent and stared at him.

[User] "Wh-what? What is it?"

[Assistant] "I could ask you the same question. What is with your weird sense of chivalry? Are you plotting something?"

[User] "I’m not plotting anything. I just want the two of you to be healthy—"

[Assistant] "How lewd."

[User] "It’s not lewd at all?!" He raised his voice a bit at her scornful gaze, but seeing how poorly the suggestion had been received, he put his cloak back on himself. And then he scratched his head and turned away from them.


[Assistant] Subaru was confused by his own actions, too. He was genuinely worried about them. This feeling is probably not unrelated to having just seen them die before my eyes.

[User] "Why are you making such a bitter face? If there’s something you want to say, then say it."

[Assistant] "…No, it’s nothing. Just the sand in my boots feels bad is all."

[User] "If you want to hide it, then do a better job of it. Don’t trouble a woman because of your awkwardness."

[Assistant] Subaru’s mouth turned down at the corners at that retort.

[User] "You are important to me, and I’m worried about you, so please just let me escort you as best I can?"

[Assistant] "...How lewd…"

[User] "I didn’t say anything! Don’t put your own weird interpretation on silence, too, you paranoiac!"

[Assistant] "Putting yourself up on a special pedestal saying that? You are incorrigible."

[User] "If I’m putting myself on a pedestal, then you must be putting yourself all the way up in heaven to be able to look down on me."

[Assistant] "Hah!"

[User] As Subaru struggled to get a handle on how he was feeling, Ram, who had no memories of the last loop, was being utterly merciless.

[Assistant] "You really don’t hold back with Natsuki, do you?" Anastasia let out a wry chuckle at that one-sided tirade. It was an unobtrusive attempt to keep the peace as she put her hand to her cheek.


[User] “Or did something happen while I was gone?”

[Assistant] “If you left Barusu and me alone, nothing would happen. Barusu’s corpse would just be found the next day is all.”

[User] “The hell? Are you the werewolf? Scary.” Subaru continued walking as he kept bantering.

[Assistant] Anastasia cocked her head as she watched him out in front. "Natsuki, jokes aside, pushing yourself too much isn’t good. It’s not like there was anything pointing one way or the other at that fork in the road before.”

[User] “Though you did give Zhuge Liang a hard time up there.” Both Anastasia and Ram had their guesses at the cause of Subaru’s change.

[Assistant] He couldn’t do anything other than scratch his cheek vaguely.


[User] Subaru didn’t imagine he had done a particularly good job of naturally guiding the consensus to the left side. But the both of them had been willing to go along because of how desperate he had been. If we went right, it would have meant being driven mad by the miasma. I don’t want to go through that catastrophe ever again. But there was no guarantee that the left path was safe. Because of that, Subaru was being especially careful and leaving no stone unturned in order to keep everyone out of harm’s way.

[Assistant] “Is this disgusting gentleman act a symptom of hitting your head when we were sent here?”

[User] “What?! Is me being considerate really that abnormal to you? I’m not even doing anything different than Julius usually does! Why’s it okay for him but not for me? !”

[Assistant] “Julius does it naturally, but when you do it, it’s unhealthy…and unnatural.”

[User] “Did you call it unhealthy? !” Subaru’s eyes widened at that hideous description, but neither of them paid it much mind. He was getting depressed at being ignored like that when Patlash prodded his shoulder with her nose, trying to cheer him up.

[Assistant] “…You’re nice. You really are a great partner.”

[User] Subaru was ashamed of himself for the brief moment of hesitation he felt when Patlash comforted him. He tensed up at having gotten Ram and Anastasia suspicious and making Patlash worry about him. Can you really protect them like this? Subaru slapped his cheeks and fired himself up again. For the moment, they needed to clear the sand labyrinth as soon as possible and meet back up with everyone else.


[User] "We need to find them again soon…!" He prayed that nothing bad happened to them. That nothing hurt them while they were somewhere he couldn’t reach them. That was why… "Keep pushing forward, step by step. But carefully, so that nobody gets hurt. If you notice anything, say something. Anything I can do, I will do.”

[Assistant] “…He’s a terminal case.”

[User] Anastasia just flashed a wry smile.

[Assistant] Patlash whinnied a little bit.


[User] “—What? What’s that strange smell?”

[Assistant] "Smell?” Anastasia sniffed the air as Subaru furrowed his brow.

[User] The smell coming from down the passage, beyond where their light reached was— "The smell of something burning.” There was a faint heat in the air coming from down the passage.

[Assistant] It was the smell of something burning.

[User] "Do you suppose it might just be Lady Emilia carelessly starting a campfire and resting?”

[Assistant] "I agree Emilia-tan might just be careless enough to light a fire and set up camp, but given the situation and the timing, that’s a little too…”

[User] “It’s too suspicious. It is possible it’s Emilia, though.”

[Assistant] “—I’m going to go take a look. I’ll turn out the light and be as stealthy as possible, so whatever or whoever it is won’t notice me.” Turning off the lantern in his hand, Subaru volunteered for the scouting job. “If anything happens, we’ll use you as a distraction.


[User] “Don’t hold a grudge.”

[Assistant] “If the worst happens, I’ll be sure to curse you from beyond the grave.” Ram would never say anything so cute as actual encouragement, but Subaru still found it reassuring.

[User] Subaru left them behind and slowly moved forward in the darkness, walking as stealthily as he could. Breathing shallowly, he carefully, quietly stepped on the sand as he made his way to the source of the smell. It would have been great if it really was just Emilia and the others, and they had started a campfire to rest at. And even if it wasn’t them, it would still be a relief to find some trace of other people. Even if it was just the Sage making some barbeque, he wouldn’t mind that. Subaru was praying for some sort of development as he stepped forward a little bit more solidly.


[Assistant] Just then, the ground under his foot crumbled, and his body was swallowed up in a shifting mountain of sand.

[User] “Whaaaaaa—? !” Subaru could do nothing as he was pulled diagonally downward by the sudden collapse of his footing. Rolling a dozen yards, he finally stopped when his head slammed into a mound of sand.

[Assistant] “Ugh! Bleh! Sand again… No, more importantly, why did…?” Tasting some sand again for the first time in a couple of hours, Subaru spat out what he could as he got himself up. And the grumbles that had started to slip from his lips trailed off as his pupils widened. He found himself in a wide space, and a dozen or so yards below where he had been standing before.

[User] There was a faint orange light illuminating the big space. It had a high, domed ceiling that seemed to connect to the surface of the desert. The ceiling was a natural trap hole, and sand from aboveground and any poor prey that got caught up in it fell through. The poor prey in this case were the adventurers who tried to challenge the Auguria Dunes, as well as wandering demon beasts who lived in the dunes.

[Assistant] “Raaaaargh!” There was a thunderous roar as an oiran bear that had been sleeping on the ground in the room woke up. It had probably been on the surface before it got caught in the trap and fallen through the hole. The demon beast that camouflaged itself as a single bed of flowers had heard Subaru’s scream when he fell and had leaped up in a furious mood. Its eyes robbed of life by the flowers in its back focused on Subaru, who was sitting in the darkness. There was only one enemy, but just like a bear, it was impossibly menacing for Subaru to face alone.

[User] “—Ngh.” Gritting his teeth, Subaru frantically tried to stand up as it approached him. There were two choices that flashed through his mind. Fight or flight.


[User] If he climbed the mound of sand he had fallen down, it wouldn’t be impossible to get back to the previous passage. It was a shallow slant, and it was just sand, so he could find a way to get up it. But that would expose the others to danger.

[Assistant] "—Ah.” He didn’t have enough time to grab his whip or to climb the mound of sand. The demon beast charging at him raised its arm as it got close. The oiran bear’s fiendish claws were about to shred Subaru—

[User] “Giiiiiii!”

[Assistant] “Raaargh!” The attack had come hurtling at great speed. The oiran bear howled as a sharp, spear-like object pierced it. It was a howl of rage and pain, but it didn’t last long. Because without any warning, the oiran bear’s whole body burst into flames.

[User] The demon beast was burning so intensely that it made it pointless to wonder where the flames had even started. The pathetic oiran bear didn’t have even a moment to resist as its life was burned to ash in the blink of an eye. As a result, Subaru was still alive, but he wasn’t fool enough to breathe a sigh of relief at that. The thing that had burned the oiran bear was even more menacing. In the back of his head, what little bit of his mind was still thinking clearly recognized that the scent of burning flesh filling his nostrils was the source of the burning smell they had noticed in the passage. And the rest of his mind was entirely overwhelmed by what had appeared before his eyes.

[Assistant] “Giiiiiii!” —The odd-looking demon beast made a noise like countless babies crying as one.

[User] “Giiiiiii!” As he heard the demon beast’s roar echo in his ears, Subaru was struck by a desire to avoid the reality in front of him. Why does every demon beast have to have a cry that grates on the nerves? The piercing, high-pitched cry like a multitude of babies all screaming at once washed over him. And the source of that piercing cry was a being with an all too profane appearance.

[Assistant] Subaru had encountered far too many demon beasts for his liking, but every one of them had had a regular, animal-like sort of form. They were all grotesque in their own way, but there had been a sort of natural morality, a set of rules defining their appearance. Even the white whale and the great rabbits had seemed to follow that simplest and most fundamental of rules. But the being crying in front of him didn’t fit into any of that.

[User] “Giiiiiii!” If Subaru had to find something to compare the crying demon beast to, it was vaguely close to a horse.


[User] It had four legs with sturdy hooves for feet—and a thick torso supported by those legs. It had a long tail extending from its rear, and at least to that extent it resembled a horse. But where a horse’s head would be, it had what looked like the upper body of a human. But there was no head on that body. Instead, there was a twisted, giant horn growing out of the humanoid shoulders. From what Subaru knew, it sort of resembled the mythical half-human, half-horse centaur, but it was a twisted imitation, like whoever had been creating it gave up halfway through. It was twice as tall as an oiran bear, over five yards of grotesque monster. Subaru couldn’t speak as he looked at the profane creature that seemed almost like it had been modeled out of clay by a child.

[Assistant] “Giiiiiii!” The centaur let out an earsplitting screech and crushed the oiran bear’s ashes beneath its hoof. The being didn’t have a head. Its cry was coming from its upper body—the part that looked like a human torso. There was a vertical slit from what would be a person’s chest to the stomach, forming a mouth with sharp fangs on either side. In addition to its grotesque figure, the centaur’s upper body had a brilliant red mane of flames at its back. It burned the sands of the cavern at an unbelievable strength, making its surroundings glow red.

[User] “Eep.” As the illumination of it filled the space, Subaru squawked in shock. He had already realized that the burning smell was the stench of demon beasts being incinerated. But the space he was in served more purpose than that. All around him were far more ashy corpses than he could have imagined, scattered wildly everywhere he looked. The word crematorium flashed in Subaru’s head. A demon beast crematorium. In other words, it was a trap, too— Sand time and the garden of demon beasts, the miasma path, and now this. They’re all grisly traps in order to keep people from reaching the watchtower.


[User] Subaru had no way of guessing what thoughts might be going through the horn that took the place of its head. But it didn’t immediately try to kill him. Not because of any doubt or hesitation. It just wasn’t sure of Subaru’s presence. That was all. —Subaru didn’t know anything about the centaur and had never seen one before. Still, Subaru refused the idea that it was standard practice for him to be hopelessly killed by enemies he encountered for the first time. That he didn’t have any way of fighting other than using the experience of that death in order to figure out how to beat them. That was underestimating Subaru Natsuki far too much. He was a hardened veteran when it came to sudden, unexpected brushes with death. The amount of illogical, incomprehensible deaths he had endured wouldn’t let him fall that easily. He had at least amassed that much experience.

[Assistant] ""Seeing the demon beast incinerated before his eyes, Subaru’s brain immediately started racing, looking for a way out. Why did it go for the oiran bear first? Because it was more dangerous? —No. Why is it leaving me alive? A sadistic streak? —No. Why is it not trying to look at me? To play with me? To torment its prey? —No. —It doesn’t have eyes.""

[User] There’s no head where the head would seemingly be. It’s crying from the mouth it seemingly had pasted onto the upper body’s torso. It probably can’t see or even smell. If the centaur was a demon beast that lived underground, then it might have been like a mole, losing its vision over time in the process of evolutionary adaptation. Either way, though, it was convenient for Subaru.

[Assistant] ""Keeping his mouth shut, Subaru quietly swung his arm with minimal movement and threw the water bottle in his hand. It was an individual-size, empty water bottle. It traced a gentle arc over the centaur’s fiery head and hit the mound of sand behind it with a thud.""

[User] “Giiiiiii!” The centaur’s reaction to hearing that was dramatic. It whipped around and leaped right beside the water bottle. There was even a burst of flames as it landed.

[Assistant] “Giiiiiii!” Sand and ash rose into the air as the crematorium glowed brightly. The centaur stamped its hooves over and over, tenaciously crushing the water bottle. Having done that, the cry of countless babies filled the labyrinth. It was an absolute horror show of a demon beast, and there wasn’t anything at all to like about it.

[User] ""But because of that excessive reaction and attack, Subaru was able to prove his hypothesis. The centaur didn’t have sight or smell. It was relying on its ears in order to attack.""

[Assistant] ""Its shrill whine filled the air as Subaru carefully turned just his head to look up.


[User] Ram and Anastasia were leaning out ever so slightly beyond the slope, looking down at the crematorium, holding their breaths as they watched Subaru’s bold experiment.

[Assistant] Meeting their gazes, Subaru silently pleaded with them to just watch in silence.

[User] Judging from the anger in Ram’s pink eyes, he could guess he had successfully made himself understood.

[Assistant] "Come back at once." He could feel Ram’s powerful gaze burning into the back of his head, but it wasn’t that simple, either.

[User] Subaru’s leg stopped. Cautiously turning his head, he realized what the provocative gaze he felt had been.


[User] The reason the gaze had been able to physically interact with him is because Ram was pointing her wand at him. There was a wind imbued in its tip, and it was prepared to immediately punish him if he tried something reckless. Of course, if that happened, things wouldn’t just end at that for Subaru or for them. Ram was holding herself and Anastasia hostage to make him come back if he didn’t want to risk that.

[Assistant] Subaru recognized she was playing hardball out of concern for him. And Ram was doing it knowing that he would understand her intent. It’s mortifying, but she’s got my number. He was also aware that he had not been keeping his cool, either. We learned something about how the centaur works and that this place exists. Just take that, call it a solid B, and figure out how to get back— That’s the best plan.

[User] Having decided that, it was clear what he needed to do. Pulling a second coin out of the purse, a silver coin this time, he tossed it in the opposite direction from the centaur’s head to distract the demon beast and climb the sand mound. Subaru took a path that wasn’t too steep while keeping his eyes alert for footing that was less likely to collapse.

[Assistant] "—Ngh." Suddenly, a wind pushed his body, and he let out a faint grunt. Looking up, he saw that Ram had unleashed a painless, unnatural wind. I’m doing what you wanted, so why?

[User] It was a ball of flame the size of a soccer ball unleashing a wave of heat in its path as it flew by and then crashed into a wall of sand a few yards in front of him. It exploded with a violent burst. Subaru’s cold body was broiled in the hot swell, and he gulped down the cry that almost escaped his lips. If Ram’s wind had not stopped him, he would definitely have taken a direct hit from that fireball. He didn’t know whether it was strong enough to kill him, but it definitely would have caused serious burns. The exact details were lost on him, but there was supposedly a severity level to burns, and if a third of the body was covered in burns, it could be potentially fatal. And there was no healer in their party at the moment. Gritting his teeth as he realized he had been saved, Subaru also felt a shudder run down his spine. Why was there a fireball?

[Assistant] The centaur should have been focused on the silver coin feint on the other side of the room. But when Subaru looked backed, the demon beast’s giant horn was facing him, and there was a humming sound. It was almost as if it was sure that Subaru was there.


[User] "It can’t be." Subaru shook his head. He cautiously opened the purse again, grabbed a few more coins to throw, getting them comfortable in his hand. He could feel Ram’s and Anastasia’s anxious gazes above him, but he couldn’t pay attention to that at the moment.

[Assistant] The multiple coins traced a gentle arc through the air, falling at a place far away from the centaur. Naturally, the centaur’s focus shifted toward them, and the hideous demon beast leaped at the obvious feint. That same flame erupted again, followed by the cry of babies again.

[User] As that shrill sound reverberated in the space, Subaru relied on that to cover his footsteps, quickly scrambling to the sand mound. One, two steps, as he started to move onto the slope—

[Assistant] "—Ngh!" The next instant, a fireball grazed his body, exploding on the slope. The aftershock of it sent Subaru flying.

[User] "Gah? !" His body tumbled as the wave of hot air seared his skin, and the impact of the explosion felt like his whole body had been pummeled. He wasn’t fast enough to cover his mouth, and it was impossible not to groan after being hit by that.

[Assistant] Gritting his teeth, Subaru looked up as he steadied himself on the sandy floor with his hands.

[User] "—Right before his eyes, the demon beast clad in flames was crackling as it looked down at him. It clearly knew he was there. How does a centaur that can only sense things by sound find me while it’s screech—?"

[Assistant] "It’s cry…!"

[User] "Barusu, echolocation!" Ram shouted in a loud voice from up above.

[Assistant] As they both reached the same answer, the flames on the back of the centaur grew. The inferno swelled explosively, unleashing the true force of the labyrinth’s crematorium.

[User] "Giiiiiii!! !"

[Assistant] "—El Fulla!"

[User] The violent wind slammed into the centaur’s massive body at the exact same moment it swung its flame down. The heat it unleashed caused the sandy ground to explode as the centaur was blown to the side by the wind.

[Assistant] "Guoooo?! Gaah! Damn ittt!" Doused by the sandy explosion at close range, Subaru rolled across the ground, then used the momentum to leap to his feet and start running without looking back.

[User] "—Ngh! Run run run run run ruuuun!! !" Subaru intentionally shouted out loud to draw attention to himself as he ran through the cavern. Kicking the cold sand, the centaur’s hooves rang out as it chased after him furiously.

[Assistant] He had not thought through what he was doing. But he had to protect the others. And he couldn’t afford to die, either.

[User] "Giiiiiii!! !" The ghastly chorus of babies grieving being born into the world engraved the meaning of death into Subaru’s soul. The human upper body raised its arm, and there was a nasty sound of bones creaking.

[Assistant] Glancing back, the humanoid arm was holding a lance made of transformed bone.


[User] "—Damn it!” Howling, Subaru pulled the whip from his hip and hit the centaur’s arm.

[Assistant] It didn’t do any damage, but the end of the whip wound around its limb all the same. Its intense arm strength easily lifted Subaru off his feet. “Ugh, whoaaaa? !” Swinging through the air, Subaru’s cries echoed as he spun in a circle around the centaur.

[User] Unable to see what was happening, the demon beast was confused by the speed of the voice, and ironically it lost track of Subaru.

[Assistant] “Gwhoa? !” Uncoiling the whip from the centaur’s arm, Subaru fell to the sand just in time to be caught up in one of the fireball’s explosions and sent flying. He covered his face with both arms reflexively, but the hot air that erupted still entered his mouth and nose, lightly burning them.

[User] “Gh, gah!” Rolling wildly on the ground as a terrible pain filled his face, Subaru looked up with teary eyes.

[Assistant] The mouth in the center of the humanoid torso opened wide, revealing a toothy hole and unleashing an earsplitting cry that almost sounded like laughter. —No, it’s laughing.

[User] “—Invisible Providence.” As he imagined those thoughts from the centaur, the dark feelings in the corner of his heart took shape. Giving direction to the black power that responded to his murmur, he prepared to hit back at the demon beast that was casually following its prey.

[Assistant] He didn’t know which one had the most important organs. With the head being a horn, it was unclear whether there was a brain inside it. But there had to be some sort of vital organ there.

[User] Targeting that, he reached out his invisible hand toward that horn to crush—

[Assistant] “?! Guh, aah, gah? !” As he thought that, and just as he prepared to pass judgment on the centaur… When Subaru looked at the centaur and reached the invisible hand toward its head, there was an unimaginably intense shock that rocked his head, and yellowish spittle foamed at his mouth as he slumped to his knees.

[User] “Ghaah?! Gh, agha!” Slumped down, he put both of his hands to his head, hitting his temples in order to try to deal with the pain. Rubbing and pressing against his temples didn’t do anything. He needed a sharper shock.


[User] He hit his head, hit it and hit it, but he couldn’t overcome the pain. A hellish bed of thorns had sprouted inside his skull, and he rolled around on the sand, writhing in agony, biting down on the sand inexplicably.

[Assistant] "Owww! Argh! It hurts! It hurtsss!” He screamed until he was almost spitting up blood.

[User] There was a massive amount of sand in his mouth, and he was grinding it between his teeth as he writhed, swallowing it to try to stave off the inexplicable pain. He couldn’t resist it, though. He was losing to it. Naturally, of course, his Invisible Providence disappeared immediately.


[Assistant] And when it dissipated, it couldn’t interact with the centaur in any way. The demon beast seemed put off by Subaru’s sudden change, but it unleashed a fireball to incinerate Subaru on the spot. The massive fireball robbed the cavern of its cold, heating the world around it. Just as it was about to turn Subaru Natsuki into ash—

[User] “Giiiiiii!” A black land dragon charged ferociously, tearing off the centaur’s arm.

[Assistant] The dragon that merged into the shadows had silently sneaked up on the centaur and unleashed a painful strike. The demon beast lost its balance after losing its arm, and it dropped the fireball it had raised over its head. The centaur was caught up in the explosion from the fireball that had fallen at its feet, getting blown back by the close-range blast.

[User] The centaur spun as blood dripped from the wound on its arm. Paying it no heed, though, Patlash sprinted across the sand, biting Subaru’s clothes as he writhed on the ground, and immediately started to retreat.

[Assistant] Subaru swung wildly as he was held up by the waist, still suffering from the splitting headache and struggling to understand what was happening as he looked back.

[User] Behind Patlash, the centaur stood on wobbly feet. He saw the wound where the humanoid left arm had been torn off bubble, and a new arm grew back almost immediately. Its monstrous regenerative ability worked on its other wounds, too. All of the wounds it had taken from the explosion quickly closed, and it was as good as new in just a few seconds. And once that happened, there wasn’t anything left stopping it.

[Assistant] A fireball welled up in its hand, and this time it stretched vertically. Looking closer, Subaru realized it had merged the fireball and the fire lance, creating a fiery weapon.

[User] “Giiiiiii!” Raising the fire lance upward, it swung the point down at Patlash.

[Assistant] Matching the timing of the swing, Patlash ducked—avoiding the attack by crouching low to the ground, just barely slipping beneath it before accelerating. But the moment the centaur saw it escape that attack, it kicked the land dragon in the side with one of its hooves. The force transmitted through Patlash’s sturdy scales, and she whinnied in pain at the internal damage. But even so, she didn’t let Subaru go.


[User] Feeling the heat of Patlash’s breath and the blood she coughed up on his skin, Subaru was on the verge of passing out. If I have to suffer this much pain, then I might as well just d—

[Assistant] "Don’t you die, Barusu! Don’t make Rem cry!”

[User] “—Oh.” Hearing that shout in his ear, those words managed to reach his brain through all the pain. “” Even though you don’t know. Even though no one remembers her. —Don’t talk like you understand us!

[Assistant] “—Invisible Providence!” Unleashing his emotions in a fit of rage, Subaru’s vision was hampered by a wave of tears as he slammed the black hand wildly into the demon beast that passed into his line of sight. A crunching pain erupted in his head—but before he was swallowed up in the wild torrent of that pain, his invisible hand swatted the centaur’s lance from the front, landing one blow.

[User] —But that was the limit of his feeble resistance.

[Assistant] “Giiiiiii!” In exchange for that enraged counterattack, he experienced another painful eruption for his effort. The centaur slammed its front feet into the sand, and using them as a pivot, it forcibly rotated itself before unleashing its hind legs like a catapult. Those hard metallic hooves gained speed and weight, flying straight at Subaru and the rest—Patlash and Ram and Anastasia, who were all probably close by as well. It was an explosive leg strength that blew away a whole segment of the cavern, and everyone caught up in it was sent flying all around. Patlash finally let go of Subaru, and he was sent helplessly sprawling across the sand, slamming into the charred corpse of a demon beast in the aftershock of the impact.

[User] “Agh, uuugh…” The indescribable headache and the centaur’s kick. Between the combination of internal and external pain assaulting him, Subaru could barely stay conscious. But as his consciousness flickered aimlessly, he could sense impending death approaching. Destruction, a party wipe, death piled on pointless death. Those emotionless thoughts swirled in his head, but—

[Assistant] “” With his lungs seemingly having forgotten how to breathe, Subaru saw someone standing in front of him. A small, delicate figure. His consciousness was fuzzy, and he couldn’t make out the silhouette. But it was such a familiar figure that he quickly realized who it was.

[User] She was standing there unsteadily. Her arms raised in order to protect Subaru.

[Assistant] —Dumbass, it’s hopeless. There’s nothing you can do, so stop it. Subaru wanted to tell her to stop, but his throat wasn’t working, and he couldn’t speak. It was like it was filled with sand— No, it actually was filled with sand.


[User] He couldn’t speak now because, like an idiot, he had swallowed mouthfuls of sand to try to stave off the head-splitting pain.

[Assistant] “…W…hy…?” The only voice he managed to force out was weak, barely as strong as a mosquito’s buzz. It was all because of his mistake. He had been impatient. He had been uneasy and unsure, too. And as a result of all that, his judgment had been off, leading to the situation they were in. Ram and the rest had been caught up in it all because of his stupidity. So why are you—?

[User] "—It’ll make Rem cry.” That quiet answer was all Ram said. Ram was standing there for the sake of the little sister she couldn’t remember, to protect the person her little sister who she couldn’t remember loved.

[Assistant] Subaru couldn’t understand what drove her to go that far. But even so, there was something he did know. At this rate, Ram would die. And Subaru would, too. There was no escaping that.

[User] The centaur roared and created two new flame swords in its hands. Or since they didn’t look like swords, maybe they were supposed to be hammers or axes or something. Either way, it was wielding two flame weapons. It would use them to cut through Ram, who was so small in comparison to it, and then it would scorch Subaru, too.

[Assistant] “…C-come on. There has to be something, right?” In the face of impending death, he reached out his hand from the depths of his pain. Rebelling against the pain, he scraped the bottom of his barrel. It was unrealistic to expect any help from someone else. Berating himself for those sorts of fantasies, Subaru looked for some sort of plan within himself. That was also obviously not very realistic, but there was at least some possibility to it. “Come on. C’mon. Get your ass up…” Slipping inside himself, he reached out into his murky body, pushing his way through the writhing, dark thoughts, seeking a way out of the hopeless scenario from inside himself. Not the invisible hand that he had overused, something different, something new to get through the pinch. But his determined resolve was—

[User] "—Ahh." Before his desperate struggle could yield any results, the centaur raised its swords. The flames crossed over its head before flying toward Ram. It was a slash that scorched the very air itself, and it would mercilessly cut into her slender body, sending her flying, igniting her, erasing her feelings, her life, turning everything to ash.  As he saw that scene about to unfold, Subaru cried out at his powerlessness—


[User] The humanoid segment changed shape, and its two arms increased to four while sharper, long fangs projected from the mouth on its torso. The horse lower body gained more legs, too, doubling to eight. In addition, its charred skin gave off a black glow as it hardened. At a glance, it almost looked like it was wearing armor. And in its newly added arms, it was holding a flame sword, lance, hammer, and ax, undergoing an unbelievable evolution in such a short period of time, changing itself so much for the master of that white light.

[Assistant] Raising its four forelegs, the centaur let out a thunderous roar, clacking its front hooves together to create a screeching sound before it charged.

[User] With its transformation and its size, it was like an armored train car. With its weight and speed, anyone it hit would be turned into mincemeat. With its flame to seal the deal, the being that humiliated it would be utterly erased.

[Assistant] "Giiiiiii!” Sand scattered—a white light pierced it—and a wave of heat emanated from its swelling mane—a white light pierced it—as the demon beast furiously charged—a white light pierced it. A white light pierced it—the intensity of the flames was incomparable to before and—a white light pierced it—and the firepower swelled dramatically—a white light pierced it—almost like the very flames of hell—a white light pierced it. With a single glance—a white light pierced it—the centaur’s very presence—a white light pierced it—no being—a white light pierced it—could help but—a white light pierced it—tremble at—a white light pierced it—the monstrous form and visage—a white light pierced it—befitting the lord of the sands—a white light pierced it—a white light pierced it—a white light pierced it—a white light pierced it—a white light pierced it—a white light pierced it—a white light pierced—a white light pierced—a white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light pierced—white light—white light—white light—white light—white light—white light—white light—white light—white light—white light—

[User] And after that tremendous outpouring of energy, there wasn’t a single piece left. The demon beast that had been so deadly and menacing had been completely vaporized by the light. Every last bit of flesh was gone, blown away. All that remained on the sand were all the lights that had been unleashed in order to erase the centaur—the long, narrow, white needles. And those, too, soon disintegrated and crumbled away.


[User] The cavern’s air was cold and quiet as always, and the usual darkness had fallen again. The only faint source of light was the remnants of the fire the centaur had spewed all around. There was a fragment of smoldering flame right next to Subaru, letting him see a little of what was going on around him. And at the edge of his vision, he saw someone’s leg come into view. Raising his head, Subaru looked at the leg’s owner—at what was probably the source of that white light. Even through his blurry vision, he could tell this was a human as he raised his head.

[Assistant] Her thin lips were turned up in an animalistic smile. “—I found you.”

[User] At least we can communicate. But just as Subaru thought that, his brain reached its limit. Feeling the cold sand beneath him, Subaru slipped into unconsciousness without saying anything. All he could do was hold the girl in his arms tightly, so as not to let go of her. That was the limit of the willpower and obstinacy he had left.


[User] In the deep darkness, Subaru didn’t have a body. His consciousness was just drifting along helplessly, but it didn’t make him feel uneasy or scared. But the swelling affection, the love, brought some amount of satisfaction to his heart. However, awareness of that powerful love was—

[Assistant] "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

[User] "This isn’t a joke. Do you think I’ll stand by while you get proud of yourself just because you got a little bit lucky, and then get ahead of yourself immediately after. You know, you should learn to view yourself objectively. If you did, you would realize just how shameless you are."

[Assistant] "This is the result of a terrible, shallow, self-satisfied love! Ahhhhh, what a sinful and corrupt way of life! Worthy of hatred and scorn and nothing more!"

[User] "Not satisfied with merely being below average, you have actually fallen to subhuman levels. Incomplete in every way. Someone like you walking over me of all people? Know your place! You are unfit to stand before me, let alone get in my way or stop me, you subhuman animal!"

[Assistant] In the darkness, two unnatural consciousnesses were berating Subaru Natsuki. Exposed to their raw anger and hatred and sinister emotions, Subaru was simply baffled. At his base consciousness level, he didn’t have the ability to understand their ferocious emotions. If he needed to, he could just make it. It felt like he could do that while he was in this space. —But for some reason, he felt like he didn’t need to understand them. He didn’t feel any need to spend any time on them, to activate his consciousness for their sake. He didn’t feel any desire to do that. In this place, Subaru Natsuki didn’t think to expend his efforts to understand them.

[User] "What arrogance! What contempt! What scorn! Even after pushing me to work so hard, you refuse to even try to understand me! You are incorrigibly slothful!"

[Assistant] "How much must you use others until you are satisfied, you heartless beast…! I was a simple man who wanted nothing more than to simply enjoy his trifling, normal happiness. But you infringed on my rights, your evil calumny stole that away from me. Even if you can only live by trampling other’s happiness, you should have some limits…!"

[User] Sensing that there was no development that was going to happen, he removed them from his consciousness. After trying to do it, surprisingly, it worked perfectly well. It seemed like they were still saying something, but fortunately, he couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t feel anything. It was incredibly calming. And after calming his heart, finally, he was able to genuinely face the place he had come in the realest sense.


[User] Two hands with long, slender fingers that at times froze Subaru Natsuki’s heart and at times caused him to shudder. Slender limbs that seemed somehow soft and a dress the color of darkness made manifest. As always, there was a thick fog covering her from the neck up, but Subaru Natsuki’s soul understood that there was someone there who’s heart bore love for him. Her figure was clearly more distinct and closer at hand than in any of his previous encounters with her. Before, he had only been able to see her hands and the rough outline of her body, but now he could see the decorations of her dress and her white shoulders and neck. The majority of her body had become visible from the shadow. The only part left hidden was her visage shrouded by darkness. It was frustrating. But he was okay with that for now. He could feel her presence more intensely, more profoundly than before. But Subaru Natsuki’s preparations to greet her were insufficient. All he could do was be satisfied at being able to be so close to her presence. Someday, he would be able to touch those unreliable fingertips, to wrap his hands around her slender waist, and speak his love to her.

[Assistant] "—I love you."

[User] I have to prepare lips to be able to answer those words the next time. I’ll prepare a body that lets us touch each other, feel each other. With that final thought, Subaru Natsuki’s being left the garden of shade.


[Assistant] Subaru’s theory was that ease of falling asleep and ease of waking up were inversely related. To him, waking up felt like being underwater and having his head break through the surface. No one would ever forget to breathe once their head was above water. So waking up was just natural to him and not something that felt difficult to do.

[User] "I’m jealous you can wake up so easily like that. It’s always reeeally hard for me." Emilia's response when they had talked about it once before.

[Assistant] That trouble was deeply ingrained for Emilia, and she had pretty intense bouts of low blood pressure. It sort of fit her character, but it usually took an hour or so to actually get out of bed after waking up. But the ease with which she could fall asleep was like a child, the polar opposite of Subaru. No matter how hard he tried, when he lay down and closed his eyes, he would end up thinking about things in the dark. A large number of them were various regrets, “If I had only…” and “If it was just…” and the like. The regrets were about things that had happened that day and things in the past. Whatever his mind happened to drift to. And while he was fighting all those thoughts, Subaru couldn’t manage to fall asleep. That was the root of his trouble sleeping.


[User] As more regrets piled up, Subaru Natsuki’s sleep became worse and shorter.

[Assistant] The moment he woke up, Subaru realized it wasn’t just resetting because of a death.

[User] "—Gh, I’m in the carriage?" He was sleeping in the carriage that he had been separated from when everything was swallowed up in the rift that had opened up in the sky. Realizing that, Subaru scrambled to sit up when he felt something holding his right hand. Looking to the side, he stared in wonder.

[Assistant] What greeted him was Emilia sleeping peacefully as she held his hand.

[User] “Ah-hah… It’s really Emilia…right? Then we…” He touched Emilia’s cheek with his free hand.

[Assistant] "Yeah, there’s no mistaking that’s Emilia… So cute. Soft. Warm."

[User] "—You should not play around too much with her. Emilia didn’t sleep for two nights; she was up worrying about you."

[Assistant] "Whoa? !" Subaru was enjoying Emilia’s sleeping face when the sudden interjection caused him to twitch. Spinning around, he saw a little girl with an exasperated look on her face standing at the entrance of the carriage.

[User] "Bea—"

[Assistant] "Shhh. Betty doesn’t like it when you don’t listen."

[User] Quickly closing his mouth, he checked to see if he had woken Emilia up. She just mumbled softly and seemed to smile ever so slightly.

[Assistant] "Phew, that was close. Anyway, c’mere, Beako, let me hug you."

[User] "What nonsense are you…? F-fine, I suppose."

[Assistant] Beatrice sighed and feigned disinterest as Subaru pulled her close with his left hand and hugged her tightly. "Thank goodness…really, thank goodness. I was seriously worried."

[User] "...That’s Betty’s line. We were terrified when you and the elder sister disappeared… Really…" Beatrice looked away as she responded, rubbing her forehead against his chest.

[Assistant] Stroking her head, the two of them assured themselves that they had safely reunited.

[User] Looking refreshed, Beatrice lifted her head from his chest. "Anyway, I need to let everyone else know that you are awake now."

[Assistant] "...Right, is everyone safe?"


[User] "The ones who were with me and everyone else, too?”

[Assistant] “You can relax. Everyone has reached this place safe and sound.”

[User] “I…see… I see…!” Subaru's anxiety eased a bit at Beatrice’s confirmation. Hearing that everyone was safe was a relief. But the next moment, he felt a terrible sense of déjà vu and looked up. “Wait, Beako. I don’t want to suffer a premature celebration again. Is everyone really okay?”

[Assistant] “How rude. Do you think Betty would lie about something like that? This isn’t a joke.”

[User] “I understand the annoyance, but I’m not doubting you. I know you wouldn’t lie about that. But we just had this same thing happen in Pristella.”

[Assistant] “That is…true.” Realizing why Subaru was on guard, Beatrice’s expression hardened as she nodded.

[User] “Me, Emilia, you. Ram and Rem and Patlash. Anastasia and Meili and Joseph…and Julius. All of them, right?”

[Assistant] “…Then it is fine. There is not anyone that you remember that Betty has forgotten.”

[User] “I see… I see… Then we can relax…” After carefully checking for anything missed, Subaru could finally feel some genuine reassurance. He was just relieved that they had managed to get through it with everyone genuinely safe.

[Assistant] “How grandiose. You are always the one most in danger, so if you are safe, then everyone else will be fine, too.”

[User] “That’s not what I meant. And you were crying in relief when you found out I was okay, too, weren’t you?”

[Assistant] “Betty wasn’t crying. Betty was hiding her face in your chest, so you couldn’t have seen anything. You can’t prove it.” Beatrice puffed out her chest, pretending to be tough, but she had dug her own grave with what she let slip. On top of that, there was evidence of someone other than him having slept on the other half of his seat.

[User] “Then what are these traces of someone sleeping here with me? Aren’t they proof that you were worried about me?”

[Assistant] “Those aren’t Betty’s! Trying to frame Betty. How rude.”

[User] “Who other than you would do something that improper? No need to be shy.”

[Assistant] “You’ve got it wrong! Argh, you’re going to wake Emilia up.” Beatrice forcibly changed the topic as it gradually drifted into their usual banter.

[User] Smiling at her red face, Subaru let out a long, deep breath and slowly got out of the seat. He gently slipped his hand out of Emilia’s so as not to wake her up, carefully laid her on the seat, and put a white blanket over her. “All right, that should be good… Just to check, where are we, Beako?”

[Assistant] “You should be able to guess yourself. This is—” Beatrice started to answer, but before she could finish, the situation changed.