[User] Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to wiggle her way out of this, Shaula remorsefully touched the fingers of both hands together. "Hypothetically speaking, if you all tried to secretly leave the tower behind my back, I would have to mercilessly kill all of you.”

[Assistant] “Where’d that come from? !”

[User] “It’s got nothing to do with wanting to do it or not! It’s just a hypothetical! If anything, it’s something that I can’t disobey.”

[Assistant] Subaru’s eyes widened at the sudden declaration of hostility.

[User] Shaula shrank down on herself and shook her head. Sitting on the ground and grabbing her legs, she trapped her voluptuous breasts behind her knees. “There’s no way I can kill Master. I’m the one who would end up getting killed, and that’s the end for me. It’s a massive pain in the ass…”

[Assistant] “If you don’t want to do it that badly, then just refuse… Don’t tell me it’s because of a contract?” Subaru was getting a bad feeling as he asked that.

[User] “Are you a spirit like Beako?”

[Assistant] “Of course not. Don’t lump me in with those fluffy lightweights. Absolutely not… Also, why’d everyone’s eyes get a lot scarier all of a sudden? !”

[User] “Because about eighty percent of the people here have a connection with spirits!”

[Assistant] Shaula wilted under their collective gazes.

[User] “Fine then, what exactly are you? If you aren’t a spirit, you don’t have to be that desperate to keep to your contract.”

[Assistant] “What are you saying, Subaru? Whether or not someone is a spirit or a spirit mage, promises must be kept. That’s super important. Repeat after me.”

[User] “No, I admit I didn’t exactly put that the best way, but it was a figure of speech—”

[Assistant] “Promises are important. Three times.”

[User] “Promises are important. Promises are important. Promises are important.”

[Assistant] Catching a rebuke from Emilia from an unexpected angle, Subaru earned his forgiveness by reciting the line three times. Setting aside their silly back-and-forth, Subaru struggled to accept Shaula’s stubborn stance. It didn’t make sense that she was holding back purely out of a reverent sense of duty.

[User] “Now look, Emilia is mad at me. This is your fault! Damn it!


[User] “Now get to talking already!”

[Assistant] “Wow, how didja figure that, Sherlock? But that’s just like you, Master! I’ll talk!”

[User] Still on her knees, Shaula raised her hands as Subaru vented at her. “Unworthy though I might be, please allow this one to simply and briefly expound upon what she was told. First, any who challenge the Great Pleiades Library may never leave.”

[Assistant] “Well, there’s not much to be done after that.”

[User] “It’s okay! There is a way out! Hooowever, it doesn’t open until people have solved the examinations in their entirety and reached the first floor, Maia. After that, you’re all good.” Shaula gave a hearty thumbs-up at that. “Incidentally, if anyone runs afoul of this condition, I’ll transform into a cold-hearted killing machine. My promise with you would be voided. I would kill whoever broke the rule.”

[Assistant] “It takes precedence over your promise to me? I’m hurt.”

[User] “Ohh, hurting Master is a big success. I’ve leveled up to a new stage of evolution! The culmination of four hundred years!”

[Assistant] “I was being sarcastic!”

[User] “Me too!” After an exchange of sharp jabs, Shaula held up a second finger and wagged it rhythmically. “Well, I’m bored of this, so I’m just gonna slam ’em out now. One, it’s forbidden to leave before the examinations have been completed. Two, it is forbidden to break the rules of the examinations. Three, it is forbidden to show disrespect to the library. Four, it is forbidden to attempt to destroy the tower itself. Five… Ah. Five… Ahh, there isn’t a five.”


[Assistant] Emilia accepted Shaula’s explanations and turned to Subaru, who was furrowing his brow. “So there are four rules… But…” He shared her unease and concern. The rules that Shaula had listed, assuming that it was even possible to make it to the end without breaking them…

[User] “…The one about it being forbidden to break the rules of the examinations bothers me.”

[Assistant] “That would mean there are hidden rules that we do not know about.” Julius seemed to be of the same opinion as Subaru, who put his hand to his chin in thought. At the very least, when they were in the white space with the asterism made of monoliths during the Taygeta examination, there hadn’t been any rules announced to them. At most you could say that touching the wrong monolith was counted as a failure, but…

[User] “…In the trials in the tomb, when you failed, it was impossible to attempt it again until the next day. It sort of resembles the retrying of the examination just now. Maybe…” Emilia hesitated to continue, so Subaru nodded.

[Assistant] “If you’ve thought of something, just come out and say it. We won’t make fun of you, no matter what.”

[User] “Okay, I understand. You and Anastasia both said it, but the person who made this tower is reeeally mean…right?”

[Assistant] “Your choice of words is adorable, but yes. So?”

[User] “It’s important to consider things from other people’s perspectives.


[User] “…We don’t know the rules that we have to follow… That’s reeeally not nice, right?” As everyone’s eyes focused on her, Emilia licked her lips. Then she put her hands together and pointed her fingers toward the ceiling.

[Assistant] “…Meaning…”

[User] “That means we have to advance while imagining what the rules might be and being careful not to break them. Like if it was Echidna, what would she do?”

[Assistant] “…So she’s who you think of when you think of a nasty person, too, Emilia? We really are on the same wavelength.” The supplementary rewording gave it a lot more credibility to Subaru.

[User] “Nasty tastes and a nasty personality… Incidentally, are you the one who judges what breaks the rules?”

[Assistant] “Apparently, I’ll just know if any of those rules I just said are broken. So there is no hiding it. You can’t, and neither can I.” The last part was softer, but there was an unyielding force behind it.


[User] “…It was already dangerous enough. Just means another layer of danger. No biggie.”

[Assistant] “Occasionally, I’m a little jealous of how easily you can say something like that.” Julius’s expression softened, and he shrugged at Subaru’s murmur.

[User] “I suppose it is a mentality that must have been nurtured by always having to face off against opponents of much higher caliber. In which case, that is a gap in experience that will be difficult for me to fill.”

[Assistant] “You should be more scared of what waits below you. You’re going to hit your pinky toe on the corner of a desk before long. See how it feels then.”

[User] “All right already. It’s nice you two can get along with your little squabble, but don’t go forgetting the main topic now.” Interrupting the two of them, Anastasia put her hand on her hip as she looked down at Shaula.

[Assistant] “Is that really the end? Everything else is okay?”

[User] “I swear it. It’s not a lie this time. Also, as long as you don’t break those rules, I stay in control of my body. Ah, wrong, I mean it’s Master’s.”

[Assistant] “I don’t want it.”

[User] “Rejected! But my heart will always be at your side!”

[Assistant] “I don’t want that, either.”


[User] "Still, though, not being able to leave until the examinations are done… This is getting more and more like the trials in the tomb."

[Assistant] "No, in the worst case, if we just beat her when she turns against us, we can leave, right? That’s an improvement."

[User] "You would never do that, Master! You’re kinder and more openhearted than anyone! Uh-oh, I broke out in hives from telling that lie!" As Emilia and Subaru sighed, Shaula was suffering some just deserts for her lie. Still, she probably told the truth, more or less. We’ve gotten enough out of her for now.

[Assistant] "All right, have at her, Meili! Keep a tight grip on her reins for us."

[User] "Leave it to me… Though isn’t that kind of a strange way to put it?" Meili, who had been roped into the job of dealing with Shaula by Subaru, puffed her cheeks out in a pout. But she obediently climbed onto Shaula’s back, so it was just for show. Even so, it was a bit rich coming from Subaru, but…

[Assistant] "You look surprisingly comfortable settled in there. Have you taken that much of a liking to her?"

[User] "It’s sort of like our wavelengths match? It’s kind of relaxing being next to the half naked lady." As she said that, Meili put all her body weight against Shaula’s head. It would hurt Subaru’s neck if she did that to him, but for someone who possessed the monstrous strength needed to carry the carriage, it was probably nothing. And Shaula easily stood up even with Meili on top of her.

[Assistant] "I don’t really mind. I can take care of kiddo number two at least."

[User] "Number two?"

[Assistant] "This one’s number two, that one’s number one." Shaula pointed over to Beatrice to clarify. Beatrice was wandering around the stacks by herself. She must have been incredibly focused not to have heard or reacted to Shaula’s rude nickname.

[User] "It’s rare for Beako to let something like that slip by her." Subaru walked over to her as she looked deep in thought. Standing beside her where she had stopped, he looked at her face. "Beako, we’re all talking right now, so you come, too."

[Assistant] "Beako? Hey, Beatrice. Snap out of it. I’ll kiss your forehead."

[User] "…Do what you want…"

[Assistant] "Muah."

[User] "Ngha? !" It was annoying him a bit, so he decided to make good on that threat. Partway through, Beatrice snapped out it and leaped backward when she felt his lips pressed against her forehead. And then she rolled. Stood up. And fell over again.

[Assistant] "That’s a little over the top."

[User] "Wh-wh-wh-what was that all of a sudden?! It was so illogical!"

[Assistant] "There was a logic to it, and I even got your permission. Are you really okay?" Subaru was a little bit hurt seeing her desperately rubbing her forehead, but he was also worried about her.


[User] Thinking about it, they were in a tower in the middle of a desert with a mysterious past. There was a miasma that he did not really understand filling the air, too, so that might have been the cause. “If you’re not feeling great, just hold my hand. It’ll help calm you down.”

[Assistant] “That’s impossible given what just happened! Give Betty some time to calm down!” Beatrice’s face was red as she shouted.

[User] It was a shock to have her reject even holding his hand, but at least she was back to normal. It bothered him a bit, but he decided to save it for later. “Now then, the next problem is…”

[Assistant] “Is whether we have no choice but to search randomly for the stairs to the second floor.” As Subaru faced the shelves, Julius finished his thought. His expression was a little bit pained. He had been the one who had thought to report their findings back to the kingdom and gather more people to help tackle the tower, but the rules Shaula mentioned completely closed off that route. They had to complete the examinations in order to be allowed to leave. Because of that, they had no choice but to work with the people they had there.

[User] “If I said it feels like looking for a single grain of sand in a desert, would that translate for you?”

[Assistant] “It’s an unusually poetic expression for you, but one I can wholeheartedly agree with.”

[User] Subaru and Julius were for once on the same page as they faced the difficult task ahead of them. For the moment, they settled on looking for the stairs up to the second floor again. But just as Subaru decided to forget about the Taygeta archive…

[Assistant] “Hey, I was just thinking.” As the two steeled themselves to challenge a new stage, Emilia raised her hand a bit. When they turned around, she cocked her head and put her finger to her lips. “If someone who wasn’t honest made a tower…”

[User] “Your word choice is adorable again, but please explain.”

[Assistant] Almost like a rerun from last time, but this time, Emilia elaborated. “The location of the staircase…what if—?”


[User] Standing before a long, tall staircase that led to the second floor, Subaru’s anger exploded as he shouted. “Whoever made this tower is a real piece of work!” The location of the passage to the second floor that Emilia had figured out by imagining the personality of the person who had created the tower. The hiding place was—

[Assistant] “I thought if it wasn’t inside the area on the third floor, then it must be somewhere else…like somewhere on the fourth or fifth floors that we hadn’t checked closely yet.” Emilia’s expression and words were half happy at guessing correctly and half disappointed.


[User] —The stairs to the second floor, Electra, were imposing enough to be called a grand stairway. Compared to the different sets of stairs between the sixth, fifth, and fourth floors, the width and rise of the stairs were both scaled up. They completely filled the room, so the outrageousness of it all was self-explanatory. “There’s no way this was here before…right?”

[Assistant] “It is difficult to imagine we would have missed such a blatant set of stairs. However, I cannot deny that I failed to notice the room itself.”

[User] “In terms of feeling off while searchin’ around, I think I know what you mean.” Anastasia and Julius nodded.

[Assistant] Subaru was confused by how easily they seemed to accept it.

[User] “While you were asleep, Subaru, we gathered on the fourth floor. Rem and Patlash were resting in the green room, and we also tried to solve the third floor’s puzzle. Anyway, we all walked around to figure out where to set our stuff, but…”

[Assistant] “At the time, everyone sort of avoided this room. Thinking back on it now…”

[User] “Almost like there was something that prevented you from perceiving it in order to keep you away?” Emilia and the rest of the group, who had been first up to the fourth floor, all nodded. It was a mental blank spot they all started to notice once the third-floor exam had been cleared. And thinking about it like that, the existence of the grand staircase almost felt natural.

[Assistant] “Well, without that, anyone who happened to be in here when the stone slab puzzle on the third floor was solved might get crushed…”

[User] “Subaru, it’s a monolith. I would like to avoid confusion, so please be consistent with the terminology.”

[Assistant] “Monolith, monolith, monolith! Happy now? Moving on.” Getting a little bit fed up, Subaru fired back perfunctorily before looking at the staircase again. It was long and straight, long enough to skip past the third floor and go straight to the second. Considering the structure, it almost seemed like following it up would lead straight out of the tower—"Is it just operating on the mysterious power principle to somehow work…”

[User] “Maybe it doesn’t actually connect to the second floor, but to someplace else entirely… Or would that be too mean?”

[Assistant] “I worry that the longer we spend in this tower, the more it’s going to corrupt your simple honesty, Emilia. We should clear this place as soon as possible before you become more familiar with the thought processes of cruel people.” It was a great boon having Emilia help solve the layout of the sadistically designed tower, but Subaru could not help worrying whether it would warp her personality. “Either way, though, this is a pretty good pace.


[User] "I cleared the third-floor examination on the first try, and we’re about a third of the way through the tower in just three days.”

[Assistant] "It’s certainly an unreasonable pace considering there hasn’t been any progress in over four hundred years.”

[User] “When you put it like that, it’s kind of crazy… No, but unexpectedly, I’m a man who moves history that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. A man who moves history definitely has a nice ring to it.” Looking back on it, I was part of the group that slayed the White Whale, crushed the Archbishop of Sloth, and slayed the Great Rabbits. I helped to clear the trials in the Witch of Greed’s tomb and also beat the Archbishop of Greed and reached the Pleiades Watchtower, which has never been reached. And even cleared the first examination that no one had ever even faced, and now we’re about to tackle the second examination.

[Assistant] “Listing the achievements while leaving out the process makes it sound kind of crazy…” I died over and over throughout all that, so it’s not like it’s all sunshine and rainbows, but still, there have been a lot of historic moments for this world in this past year. I’m not doing it on purpose, but you better watch out, world—was the mood of it.

[User] “Hmm? What is it, Emilia? Why’d you grab my hand?”

[Assistant] “…Nothing. It’s just, I think it would be better if you appreciated yourself a bit more.”

[User] “That again? You and Beako are already kind enough to me. Anything more than this would be a luxury.” And if Rem wakes up, I’m sure she would be kind, too. Firm, but kind. And Petra and Patlash and Garfiel and Otto, too. There was no room for Subaru to go easier on himself with all of them around.

[Assistant] Emilia’s lips quivered as if she wanted to say something, but she just looked up at him, not finding the words. “…Natsuki’s problem is built into the foundation. It’s not something that’ll fix itself in a day or two.”

[User] "It’s because you’re always saying stuff like that, Anastasia—”

[Assistant] “All right, don’t just stand around all day. Aren’t we gonna go up and see? We might have to rack our brains like on the third floor, or maybe you’ll be able to easily solve it again.”

[User] “If it’s as nasty as the third floor, I honestly don’t have a lot of confidence.” It was just random chance that Subaru managed to solve the third floor’s examination. If Flugel was a wanderer from the same world as Subaru like he suspected, then it was possible the examination for the second floor might also require modern knowledge from their world, but…

[Assistant] “If it’s something I don’t know about, that’s all she wrote… His name is Flugel, so if something from German history comes up, there’s not much I can do.” Flugel is German for wing, if I remember correctly.


[User] “…Not much point getting worried about it now. Not with the next stage literally right in front of us. Can you call yourself a man if you don’t go? Let’s make it nice and smooth.”

[Assistant] “Unfortunately, aside from you and me, everyone here is a woman.”

[User] “I’m just trying to get fired up—don’t rain on the parade! All right, let’s go, Beako!”

[Assistant] “Ngha!”

[User] Before his mood could get dampened, Subaru lifted Beatrice and started running up the stairs, ready to take the whole long staircase in one go. “Dadadadadadada!”

[Assistant] “Ah, wait, Subaru!” Following in the wake of Subaru’s furious dash, Emilia and the rest of the party took to the stairs.

[User] Subaru and Beatrice ran at the head of the line, leading the others.

[Assistant] Beatrice dexterously adjusted herself inside Subaru’s arms, her blue eyes narrowing. "The space here must be warped. Even going up in a straight line this long, there is no indication of leaving the tower.”

[User] “It might just be that we couldn’t tell from the outside that the tower had this sort of shape.”

[Assistant] “An area where this staircase juts out? It would look strange from the outside, which would make hiding this whole stairway pointless.”

[User] “Yeah, I just wanted to put it out there.” Agreeing with Beatrice’s theory, Subaru looked up as he panted a little bit. It’s strange. Even after running up this far, there’s no sign of the next floor. Even running this much, it feels like I’m going up the down escalator.

[Assistant] “Emilia’s idea is starting to feel a lot more like a real possibility…!”

[User] Just as that thought made Subaru shudder, the space over his head opened without warning.

[Assistant] “Whoa? !”

[User] “Hyaa!” The seemingly endless grand staircase suddenly ended in a white light that swallowed up Subaru and Beatrice. The stairs had suddenly ended, and Subaru stumbled as he came to a stop in what had at some point become a new room. It was—

[Assistant] “Another white room…?”

[User] “So it would seem.” Stopping in their tracks, Subaru gently set Beatrice down on the floor. A white space just like where the third floor’s examination had been held unfolded before their eyes. The floor and ceilings looked infinite, creating an incomprehensible space that disrupted all sense of depth perception.

[Assistant] “Wah, this room again?” The only thing that stood out as different in the white world was the staircase they had just climbed. And Emilia and the rest who had followed Subaru began to appear from it one after the other. Anastasia, who was the last to arrive, looked around restlessly.

[User] “Another white room? Don’t tell me we somehow ended up back at the third floor.”

[Assistant] “I don’t think so.


[User] "It was fifty-four steps to go up from the fourth floor to the third floor, but this was four hundred and forty-four steps. That’s almost ten times more steps."

[Assistant] "Y-you counted, Emilia?"

[User] "Heh-heh, actually counting steps in a staircase has been a bit of a hobby lately… Why are you patting my head?"

[Assistant] "A-anyway, that’s a great observation, Emilia. If this really is the second floor like we hope, then…"

[User] "The examination should start. Most likely, that is the signal." Dodging Emilia’s question, Subaru looked at where Beatrice was pointing—the place right in front of where the stairway let out. There was an object there that made its presence felt.

[Assistant] "" On the third floor, Taygeta, there was a thing like that in the center of the room, too. Touching it was the signal of the examination’s start. If the setup was the same, then most likely…"

[User] "It’s not a monolith this time. It’s a sword." His yellow eyes narrowed as he looked at the object sticking out of the ground in the middle of the room.

[Assistant] "So is this supposed to be a sword of selection or something…?"

[User] ""He raised his eyebrows at Subaru’s comment but managed to control himself.

[Assistant] Leaving his shock aside, Subaru looked over to Shaula first. The words “Whatever you ask, I don’t know!” were written all over her face, so he did not bother asking.

[User] "Subaru."

[Assistant] "It’s okay, I think. There’s no way some instant-death trap is going to spring on it or something." Nodding at Emilia, who looked worried, Subaru slowly walked over to the sword. There was no telling what would happen the moment he touched it. So he made sure to give everyone ample warning.

[User] "Be sure to catch Anastasia. The stairs are long, so if she went rolling, she’d tumble to her doom."

[Assistant] "I will bear that in mind. You should stay vigilant for Lady Emilia and Lady Beatrice as well."

[User] "It’ll be fine. I’ll will be sure to protect Subaru."

[Assistant] "Yeah, I’m being protected." Emilia flashed Subaru a thumbs-up, and Julius sighed a bit at how fired up she was.

[User] Seeing that, Subaru stood in front of the sword. It was close enough to touch. At that point, it started to feel real. Unlike the monolith, it didn’t seem to be some sort of mysterious object.


[User] “Still, though, to think the day would come when I faced this sort of orthodox fantasy fare.” Muttering to himself in front of the sword in the ground, Subaru took a breath and then reached out to grab the sword’s hilt. It came right after that.

[Assistant] “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.”

[User] “—Ngh!” The voice that bypassed their ears and echoed directly in their heads announced the explanation of the examination. Expecting the voice this time, Subaru managed to avoid the embarrassment of dropping the sword, but the mysterious communication was still unpleasant.

[Assistant] “It almost feels like getting carsick… Did everyone else hear that…” Is it only me, or did they hear it, too? With the monolith, it had applied to everyone, not just the person who touched the monolith, so he expected the same this time as well. But when he turned around, he noticed.

[User] “” —They were all staring past Subaru. Drawn by their gazes, he turned back around. From the ground in front of where the sword had been standing, a single shadow appeared.

[Assistant] “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.” It was spoken at a quiet murmur, but it resounded loudly in Subaru’s ears. It was the same line as Subaru heard when he pulled the sword from the ground, but spoken in an actual voice by the person in front of him rather than echoing directly in his head.

[User] “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.” His body trembled when he heard it. He could not tell if it was fear, excitement, pleasure, or grief. At an instinctual level, he could sense a panic-inducing difference in power.

[Assistant] At this range, I can tell my life is in the palm of his hand from the sound of his voice alone.

[User] “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.” —It was a man with long, unkempt red hair flowing down his back. He was tall. Around a full head taller than Subaru, and his body was covered in a sturdy mass of muscle that matched his height. He wasn’t wearing armor. Just a crimson kimono casually draped over his body that provided no defense at all. His chest was half bared because he had not even put his right arm through the sleeve dangling at his side, and it was clear he was wearing a white sarashi around his waist. His fiery hair reached the middle of his back, and there was a black eyepatch with an odd design on it over his left eye. His right eye was the sky blue of an unreachable heaven. If he stood calm and still, he possessed a beauty that would draw all eyes, a visage worthy of a painting—but it was shattered by the savage, cruel, and violent air around him. It was a figure too handsome for so ferocious a beast.


[User] The most beautiful wild animal—faced with that, Subaru forgot to breathe. “Eep.”

[Assistant] There was a light thud and then the sound of a little girl crying out.

[User] “Ahhh.”

[Assistant] Subaru could not move his eyes, but just barely at the edge of his peripheral vision, he noticed a black-haired woman collapsed back on the floor—Shaula had slumped down beside Meili, who had no clue what had happened.

[User] “N-nooo…” But Shaula was so badly shaken she looked like she might wet herself.

[Assistant] “—Ngh…” Gulping, he forcibly closed his eyes that had forgotten how to blink and took a second to calm himself. And then, not looking away from the man, Subaru took a single step backward. Holding the sword in his right hand and Beatrice’s hand in his left, he pulled her with him.

[User] “E-Emilia…”

[Assistant] “I…know…” Emilia’s voice was trembling as she nodded.

[User] Unable to keep his knees from wobbling, Subaru slowly moved back in time with her. “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.”

[Assistant] Backing away while keeping every last nerve focused on the man, Subaru made it next to where Shaula had collapsed to the ground. Her face was still twisted in fear, and Meili was holding her arm, unable to move. “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.”

[User] The couplet he was repeating was the prompt for Electra’s examination. There has to be a reason why he’s repeating it. The words I heard when I pulled the sword out and him repeating them, fool, sanction… “Fool who attained the heavenly sword; gain…his…”

[Assistant] “—Huh?” Subaru’s thoughts accelerated as a terrifying conclusion started to take shape. And just then, there was a change in the man’s voice.


[User] —A change forceful enough to shock Subaru and the rest.

[Assistant] “Fool…heavenly sword…gain… Ah, aaaaooo, oooo, aaa.”

[User] “Wh-what? What’s happening?”

[Assistant] “Ahhh, ahh, ahhhhhh!! !”

[User] “EEEK!”

[Assistant] “Wah? !”

[User] The man’s speech started to break down, and then it came out in a rush. Whimpering at that sudden outburst and unable to bear it, Shaula leaped onto Subaru. She clung to him for dear life, and he went tumbling, unable to properly catch her. “That hurts! Shaula, what are you—?”

[Assistant] “Ahhhh! Master! Save me, Master! I don’t wanna! Save me!”

[User] “—Shut up! Squealing hurts my head when I’m hungover! Quit bitching already!”

[Assistant] “Ah…” Before Subaru could calm her down, Shaula reached her mental limit.


[User] She passed out and went totally still, which was a one-eighty from how much she had been struggling before. Her arms were still wrapped tight around Subaru’s waist, but she was out like a light.

[Assistant] "Wait, seriously…"

[User] "Burble, burble…" Conveniently conveying the fact that she was unconscious, Shaula made a complete retreat from the front lines. Her reaction was completely and entirely outside Subaru’s expectations. Her fighting strength at least was the real deal, so for her to be that scared…

[Assistant] A single step rang out as the annoyed man growled. It was the sole of a white shoe hitting the ground as an elegant knight stepped forward—in his hand was the sword that Subaru had dropped when he got bowled over by Shaula. "It seems fair to believe that you are not an average person."

[User] "Wha?"

[Assistant] "Who are you? Actually, where even is this? Is this supposed to be some kinda joke?"

[User] "No, not in the least. We are also quite confused. You suddenly appeared here. I hope you understand that we cannot help but be on our guard."

[Assistant] "The hell? Don’t gimme that complicated shit. And don’t talk like my follower. What are you, my apprentice? You aren’t. And if you aren’t, then don’t pull any confusing shit.”


[User] The man responded with annoyance to Julius’s polite but guarded gaze.

[Assistant] “—A babe, a babe, a sexy babe, rugrat, rugrat, apprentice, and a small fry.”

[User] “Unfortunately, I am not your apprentice.”

[Assistant] “Keh! The way you say that makes you sound more and more like him. Quit copying him.” Hearing Julius’s rebuttal, the man smiled for the first time as if in a good mood—it was like a shark’s smile.

[User] “Hey you. Explain. What is this place. What’d you do to me? Don’t give me any lip neither. Spill it.”

[Assistant] “Suddenly appearing out of nowhere… Acting all high and mighty.” Subaru clutched his chest while forcing an answer to the haughty man standing before them.

[User] The man rumbled in annoyance. “Ahh? The hell d’you think you are. What are you sleepin’ there for? Look at you. Sleeping on a bed of tits with that sexy babe there? Trade places with me.”

[Assistant] “Unfortunately, out of respect for her feelings, I’ll have to decline…” Working his trembling knees to the limit, Subaru somehow managed to stand back up.

[User] “—Ahhh? The hell are you? Huh? You messin’ with me?”

[Assistant] “What…? You staring at my face, huh? Well?”

[User] “Kah!” There was a sharp sound, like teeth being grit as the man grinned ferociously. And then, ignoring Subaru and his confusion, he turned his one eye to look all around the white space.

[Assistant] “Ohh, ohh. Right.” He nodded to himself as if understanding what was going on. "Got it, got it. Well then, shall we start?”

[User] “Start? Wait! You’ve been moving things along at your own pace for too long already!”

[Assistant] “Who asked you? My sleep talk should have explained it more than enough already. You should try listening when people tell you things.”

[User] “Fool who attained the heavenly sword, gain his sanction.”

[Assistant] Emilia murmured the couplet that had been repeated so many times already word for word.

[User] “Kah! That babe is different from you, small fry. If I had my real body, you’d be my partner tonight… Looking closer, you’re pretty crazy, hotness! What’s with that face! Talk about looks that could kill!

[Assistant] “Hotness…?”

[User] “You’re…the examiner here!


[User] "Is that about right?” The man had an almost lustful glint in his eyes as he looked at Emilia.

[Assistant] Subaru cut in between the two of them, pointing at the man.

[User] “—How should I know? Not like I give a flying fuck about titles anyone else gives me. If you wanna actually talk with me, then try to make me move even one step from this spot.” He was calmly standing there while entirely defenseless.

[Assistant] “I am Julius Juukulius, Knight of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica.” Before the battle—or rather, the examination—began, Julius introduced himself as etiquette demanded.

[User] The man’s blue eye lit up. “I don’t have a name worth saying. I’m just the Stick Swinger.”


[Assistant] Examination start.

[User] And so the test began. The location was a white space on the second floor of the tower. The examiner was the red-haired man with a sharklike smile standing calmly in the back of the room.


[User] “Throwin’ me a sword? You got a death wish?”

[Assistant] “Unfortunately, attacking an unarmed opponent would be shameful for a knight!”

[User] “Kah! Don’t make me laugh. I ain’t unarmed. Look closer.” The man grinned, baring his fangs as Julius closed the distance. Then he casually lifted his leg and violently kicked the sword aside.


[Assistant] The sword of selection went flying with a loud crash.

[User] “—Gh!"


[User] "Don’t regret those words!” After his opponent completely ignored his desire for a fair fight, Julius’s face tensed as he drew his knight’s sword. The slender sword flashed in a straight line, becoming an iron hammer to judge the man so unchivalrous as to dishonor a serious duel. The lightning charge…

[Assistant] “Spare me the cute howls, dumbass. You’ve got a pretty face. Careful you don’t get me excited about making you cry.”

[User] “Wh—gh!” There was a thunderclap as the thrust aimed straight at his torso stopped. Of course, Julius had not stayed his hand. He always exerted himself.

[Assistant] “That can’t be."

[User] “Better learn to believe your eyes. Start there. That’s step one.” Stick Swinger was grinning ferociously as he scratched his chest disinterestedly with his right hand. But his left hand had stopped Julius’s sword with terrifying precision. And…

[Assistant] “…Wooden sticks?”

[User] “No, chopsticks. They’re chopsticks. Just right for a little appetizer. That’s why I always carry a set on me.” …he was holding two slender wooden sticks covered in black lacquer.

[Assistant] Those are definitely chopsticks. I only found out they exist in this world, too, when we were in Pristella, but he’s the first one I’ve seen able to really use them perfectly. —No, no matter how perfectly you use them, stopping a sword with them isn’t something a human could do.

[User] “Don’t make me laugh. Ain’t nothing better than chopsticks. You can swing them around best with the best angle and the best speed and the best feel. There ain’t nothing I can’t cut with chopsticks.”

[Assistant] “Gh…” It was an unbelievable sight, but Stick Swinger looked almost like he might yawn. Everyone was at a loss for words, but Julius couldn’t let it end like that. Putting more strength into his arms, he tried to free his sword from the chopsticks’ grip, but he couldn’t move.

[User] “Don’t force it, don’t force it… Smile. People are prettier when they smile. Not that it matters for a guy, though.” Suddenly, he loosened the grip on the sword, and for a brief moment, Julius was staggered by the strength he had put into pulling his sword. But using that one moment, his opponent’s body spun, bringing his long leg right into Julius’s thin waist, which sent him flying.

[Assistant] “Julius!”

[User] Julius’s body went flying like a leaf fluttering in the breeze. And what awaited his body flying through the air was…

[Assistant] “Kah!” Stick Swinger leaped into the air, catching up to Julius like he’d been shot from a gun. Getting above Julius with what seemed like impossible agility, Stick Swinger swung the two chopsticks down with the force of a storm. Sensing the danger of the oncoming attack, Julius moved to deflect it with his sword on instinct.


[User] “Jiwaldo!! !”

[Assistant] In a split second, a hot ray was unleashed straight at the two of them hanging in midair. It carved away at the world in a simple and frighteningly straightforward way, just like light itself. In other words, it roasted everything in its path. It was a blade of heat that burned and severed everything. It was direct, and it might seem easy to avoid, but it raced at light speed, chasing right after its prey. Even Stick Swinger wouldn’t be able to anticipate a beam attack from someone outside the ring—

[User] “—My sword can even cut light.”

[Assistant] Before they even could hear what sounded like mere bravado, the chopstick attack he unleashed tore straight through the heat ray. Everyone’s eyes widened at the unimaginable, unbelievable scene. But the man just grinned tauntingly, as if it was only natural—and he still kept pummeling Julius all the while.

[User] “—Gh! Jiwaldooo!!! !”

[Assistant] Spreading her hands wide, casting the heat ray spell again, a deadly determination coloring her beautiful face. Her fingers were spread, and from their tips, ten separate rays fired, all right at Stick Swinger.


[User] “Kah!” He cut the light rays closing in on him with his chopsticks again, then immediately shot through the air and descended sharply, striking Julius precisely in the solar plexus with the tip of the chopstick and pinning him to the floor while dragging his whole body across the ground. "Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka! Better aim carefully. You couldn’t stop a fly. You’re not gonna get pretty boy back like that. Ka-ka-ka-ka!”

[Assistant] “Jiwaldo! Jiwaldo! Jiwaldooo!” Anastasia unleashed an unending stream of rays as the man sprinted and cackled.

[User] But even if the magic was powerful, it did not mean anything if it couldn’t land a hit. The man’s combat prowess and Anastasia’s—or rather, Echidna’s—lack of experience were plain to see. She was trying to save Julius, but despite her wishes, she was swinging and missing. She didn’t even manage to land a glancing blow. And finally, the end came—

[Assistant] “—Aah. Ngh…”

[User] “Wha—?” Stick Swinger seemed to have been enjoying himself dodging the rays, and he raised an eyebrow when the hail of follow-up attacks dried up.

[Assistant] Anastasia had collapsed where she was standing. Seeing blood running from her nostrils, Subaru remembered. Echidna had said that using her trump card meant heavily straining Anastasia’s body.

[User] “Lady Anastasia!” Seeing his liege collapse, the knight who had been stuck on the defensive leaped into action. Having been dragged across the ground and hammered with a storm of chopstick strikes all over his body, Julius twisted around, undoing his royal guard mantle to deliberately cause a change in the friction. In the momentary opening that created, he escaped his opponent’s merciless attacks.


[User] From there, in a position that was almost lying on the ground, Julius spun his long legs, kicking at the back of his opponent’s head.

[Assistant] The man dodged it with nothing more than craning his neck slightly to the side, but he leaped far away from Julius’s break-dance-style movement. "That was more my style. Gimme more of that good stuff."

[User] "I do not have time for your blather! Out of the way!" It was an overwhelming difference in strength. Even fully knowing that, Julius still roared, charging toward the man. Despite such an intense barrage of attacks, he had not let go of his knight’s sword, and it lashed out like a snake. Even driven by righteous fury and a sense of duty, it was a beautiful and elegant attack. It was possibly the most advanced attack he had learned as a knight.

[Assistant] Subaru could not begin to guess how many weeks and months of hard work, sweat, and blood it had taken to learn. And yet…

[User] “What’s this? Don’t make me laugh. Get serious. Are you really trying? If this was you really trying… Talk about a serious letdown.” The thrust was stopped, the slash was deflected, the series of attacks were all swatted aside, and the finisher was finished. All the swordsmanship that Julius had built up, all that he had trained as a knight—they were all beautifully, terrifyingly, cruelly twisted about by the man who called himself Stick Swinger and his two chopsticks. With just those two sticks, he trampled all over half of the life Julius had lived. "That ain’t it, kid. What are you doin’ fightin’ by yourself? That ain’t your style. That’s why you’re boring."

[Assistant] "I…!"

[User] "If you wanna go to your woman, then have at it. Go cry in her lap, goddamned useless, ugly swordsman." For just a second, an emotion appeared on Julius’s face. Rage, hurt, despair, regret? Whatever it was, though, it wasn’t something someone looking in from the outside could know.

[Assistant] Julius’s sword flashed, tracing a silver path it had repeated tens of thousands of times before. And yet, in a way that was clear for anyone watching to see, it was an attack filled with doubt. The next instant, the flowing chopstick easily cut his steel sword in half—with a light snapping sound, Julius’s knight’s sword broke in two. Julius’s yellow eyes watched in shock as the end of his sword went flying. What broke just now wasn’t only his sword.

[User] "Go to sleep." With that venomous blast, a horrifying iron fist hit Julius directly in the side of the head. It was the most simple, fundamental sort of violence in the world that was nothing but the body—a weapon that had existed since the time before humans knew how to use tools. The merciless attack hit Julius’s face hard enough to dash his handsome visage.


[User] The overwhelming force severed his consciousness in an instant, and he went flying like a ragdoll, rolling and sliding terribly across the ground—landing right next to Anastasia. The pair were both unconscious.

[Assistant] Cracking his neck like he had finished his warm-up, the man looked at Subaru. It might have literally been nothing more than a warm-up for him. In the time it took Julius to rush in, get pummeled in a one-sided fight, then have Anastasia intervene before both of them ended up unconscious…only maybe a minute or two had passed. It had been so fast that Subaru didn’t see a single chance to help. He had only been able to stand there like a post. And not just him, either, Emilia and the others beside him, too…

[User] "Icebrand Arts: Icicle Line." …or not. A pale light danced in the white space.

[Assistant] It was a gleaming dance of pale-blue light, small fragments of ice only barely visible to the eye—Icicle Line, a barrier of ice born of Emilia’s overwhelming magic power.

[User] Deploying a limited field of mana through which she channeled her magic power, Emilia created a type of barrier before calling out to the man in the center who was scratching at the eyepatch covering his left eye. "I just want to check one thing."

[Assistant] "Ahhh? Go ahead and ask, hotness."

[User] "My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. Didn’t we just have to make you move one step? You were reeeally running around just now." After introducing herself, Emilia voiced the obvious question.

[Assistant] "Whoa there, don’t go gettin’ super literal on me now. I just said that in the heat of the moment. That shit happens. Sometimes you just wanna say something cool without any special meaning to it. That’s all it is. You get it, don’t you? Ah, I guess not, since you’re a babe. And a hottie at that. You should stay with me tonight."

[User] "Sorry, I don’t really understand what you are saying. And also, I’m sure I can’t win even if I fight you."

[Assistant] "E-Emilia…?" Subaru struggled to just say her name as he froze on the spot.

[User] She apologized to Subaru before continuing. "You seem reeeally strong. I could tell just by watching. But we still have to get through this examination somehow."


[User] "So could you please give us some way we can win?”

[Assistant] “If I can make you move one step, then that’s a win for us. Let’s have that be the challenge… Is that okay?”

[User] The man fell silent as Emilia made her proposition. Subaru was blown away by the terms. It was too absurd and utterly shameless. Stick Swinger was silent, thinking for a moment about that request…

[Assistant] “Kah!” He laughed, his teeth grinding together. His blue eyes opened wide as he looked at Emilia. “—Nice. I don’t hate that. You got guts sayin’ something like that to me. You’re the biggest idiot I’ve seen since Tricia. I like you.”

[User] “Does that mean we passed the examination?”

[Assistant] “Don’t get carried away! But fine. I can’t help but put on a show for a babe like you. I’ll let you have it your way.”

[User] “So…”

[Assistant] “If you can make me move even one step, then it’s your win!”

[User] Hearing that, Emilia nodded and then turned her gaze to Subaru. “Take care of Anastasia and Julius. Heal them.”

[Assistant] “W-wait! You saw what just happened, right?! If you go in without a plan…”

[User] “It’s okay. He doesn’t seem to be trying to kill us… And I’m going to try going all out, too.” Emilia was fired up, brushing off Subaru’s attempt to stop her. She took a step forward with a determined look on her face as she pointed both of her arms at Stick Swinger. With this much distance between them, she could unleash her magic on him without fear of retaliation.

[Assistant] “Hey, hotness, that ain’t very ladylike.”

[User] “I learned from my knight to do everything I…can!” Stick Swinger crossed his thick arms and grinned broadly as he stood there in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position. Aiming right at his smile, Emilia raised her voice on the last syllable, unleashing a stream of ice weapons in the glimmering field of crystals, accompanied by the crackling sound of the atmosphere freezing. Swords, spears, axes, halberds, arrows, all sorts of weapons. Icebrand Arts: Icicle Line. Using her extreme levels of magic power, she could cause untold destruction in a confined space. It was a powerful move that Subaru had thought up, and she was activating it now.

[Assistant] “Ey! Ya!” It was a silly shout, but in the next moment, the scene that unfolded was anything but. As she shouted, the sharp ice weapons she had pointed at Stick Swinger all hurtled toward him from all directions. Faced with that, he unleashed a barrage of slashes—or rather, chopstick strikes—of overwhelming force.

[User] “Ngh. Emilia…!” While that was happening, Subaru had run over to Julius and Anastasia like Emilia asked. At a glance, Anastasia’s unconsciousness was due to what Echidna had been worried about: straining her body too much. Her nosebleed had already stopped, and there were no obvious external wounds. And even for how one-sidedly Julius had been battered, there were no wounds that were life-threatening.


[User] But the fact that he had been hit so many times was proof that if his opponent had been wielding a sword, he would have been killed more than a hundred times over. "The two of them will be fine, I suppose. But…"

[Assistant] "I know." He cut off Beatrice, who had also come over to check on them. They had confirmed their safety. But the beast who had done that to them was the same man Emilia was currently butting heads with…

[User] "Kah!" He seemed to be enjoying himself as he swung his chopsticks, catching a fragment of ice in his mouth and biting down on it. In that one swing, he tore an ice sword and ice ax that were flying at him in half. The broken ice weapons glowed faintly for a moment before dissipating, creating a light show that only served to illuminate the beautiful savage’s rampage, making the scene look like a fever dream. But even while doing all that…

[Assistant] “…He isn’t moving…”

[User] “Once I get goin’, you can be sure I’m gonna make a show of it all the way to the end. Have some manners. If a man can’t show off while he straddles the line between life and death, then when else is he gonna do it?” Laughing scornfully at Subaru’s words, Stick Swinger was practically humming to himself as he intercepted all the magic. And while his upper body was moving wildly, his lower body was not. Both legs were planted, immovable as mountains. Both Subaru and Emilia came to the conclusion that it would just be a deadlock at that rate.


[Assistant] “—Ugh, hyaah!! !” And so, to break the stalemate, Emilia charged in bravely. Her slender frame danced as she swung her arms up, creating an enormous battle-ax made of ice. Emilia spun as she slammed it home at him from above.

[User] “Ka-ka!” He thrust his chopsticks straight forward in the battle-ax’s swing. The slash fell, and he ever so slightly deflected its path with the chopsticks, making it just barely slip past him and crash into the floor. There was a violent shock and burst of air as the ice battle-ax was shattered by a chopstick. But at the same time, Emilia let go of the ax and swung the halberd that was following close behind her, immediately chaining the next attack.

[Assistant] “Ey! Ya! Torya! Urya! Urya urya! Yaaa!” A blow with the halberd, a twin blade slash, a longsword’s slice, a katana’s draw, a whip’s crack, an ax’s slam—she struck with every possible attack she could think of, but they were all easily defeated. Naturally, it wasn’t because Emilia was lacking in technique. Subaru was the one who had thought to combine Emilia’s vast magic power and her combat abilities in Icebrand Arts, and he could say without reservation that this fighting style fully utilized Emilia’s abilities.


[User] “…Subaru.” Beatrice was holding his hand tightly. There was simply no opening to intervene. That was a testament to the saturation of magic and weapons that Emilia had created. And at the heart of that explosion of violence stood the incomprehensible monster who called himself Stick Swinger, dealing with everything that came at him without taking a single step. If he tried to force his way in without waiting for his chance, Subaru would just end up distracting Emilia. It stung, but he could not move until her stamina started to reach its limit. In that deadlock, an unexpected change suddenly happened.

[Assistant] “Hngh! Ey! Hyah!” Emilia was using twin blades, unleashing a double slash aimed at his neck from both left and right.

[User] He dodged by ducking his head, only to be met by the back swing, hoping to catch him on the rebound.

[Assistant] “Whoa!” Bending his knees, he dodged the twin blades by leaning his back almost all the way to the ground. He was supporting his whole body just on his sturdy ankles while Emilia, who had swung and missed, could not control her momentum and stumbled. It was the first critical opening that Emilia had shown in the battle—and the man’s body bounced upward as he swung his chopsticks up at Emilia. In that instant, he flashed his most sharklike grin yet, leaning forward…

[User] “You’re open.” And using his chopsticks, he raised her breasts upward.

[Assistant] “Wh—?” She had removed the cloak she wore in the desert and was back to her usual white outfit.

[User] The man grinned vulgarly as he used the chopsticks to fondle her breasts obscenely. "Perks of fightin’ a babe. Don’t go getting mad at—”

[Assistant] “Hyah!” Emilia clasped her hands over her head; an ice glove formed around them, which she swung down, hitting Stick Swinger on the crown of his head. It was hard enough that the ice shattered in a single blow with a loud, hard thud. The force of the impact made him shout and cradle his head as he rolled around.

[User] “That huuurts! Th-the hell’s wrong with you?! Usually a woman’s moves will get duller if someone does something like that! You didn’t hesitate at all? !”

[Assistant] “—? What, you just touched my body? You were full of openings.”

[User] “The hell?! Who raised you?! What were your parents thinkin’? !” Rubbing his head, Stick Swinger was sitting cross-legged on the ground as he howled.

[Assistant] “…Did I…say something weird?” Emilia blinked in surprise and touched where the chopsticks had caressed her.

[User] “Hey! Do somethin’ about her! Take her outside once in a while! Lame ass! You’re her chaperone, right?! Get your act together already! That hurt, damn it…!”


[User] "Quit screwing around yourself! The hell do you think you’re doing to Emilia?! Pervert! Shitstain! Archbishop!" Subaru roared back at Stick Swinger for copping a feel. In that moment at least, he was outraged, forgetting all his fear and awe of the wild and outrageously powerful man.

[Assistant] "Subaru, calm down! Betty understands how you feel, but look closer!"

[User] "Ahh?! Look at what…"

[Assistant] "His feet." Beatrice pulled his sleeve, snapping Subaru back to his senses.

[User] And doing like Beatrice said and looking at the man's feet, his eyes widened. "He moved. And not just one step, either."

[Assistant] "Ah! He did! Hooray! I win!" The man fell silent as Emilia put her hands together and leaped in the air. In response to her celebration, her ice magic transformed into flowers, blooming in celebration of her victory. She had cleared the condition he had set of making him move a step. It was clear for anyone to see. So long as the man in question didn't contest it.

[User] "No matter how it happens, a win is a win… So what are you going to do?" Unlike Emilia, Subaru didn't have high expectations for the man's willingness to honor what he said. It was hard to expect much of him given all that had already happened. But despite Subaru's concerns…

[Assistant] "Ah, no helpin’ it. I said what I said. Gettin’ tripped up by wantin’ to perv a bit ain’t funny, but it is what it is."

[User] "Y-you’ll accept it…? !"

[Assistant] "The hell do you think I am? If I disputed that, then what would be the point of showin’ off in the first place? Just make me look bad. There’d be no recoverin’. Not keep my word? How would I get any women?"

[User] "At the moment, I’m not sure how you could look any worse given the way you lost…"

[Assistant] "Piss off, small fry! You heard me! Quit howlin’, small fry. Anyway, hotness there won. I’ll let her through. That’s what I said, so them’s the rules." He violently rubbed his head, but Stick Swinger acknowledged his loss without any arguing over it.

[User] Is he gracious or terrible? Either way, though, Subaru did not intend to push the question. Julius and Anastasia both had been knocked out fighting him, but most likely, it wasn’t anything a trip to the green room wouldn’t fix. There really wasn’t much to the examination for this floor, though…


[Assistant] "—So you next, small fry? Or one of the two rugrats?"

[User] "Eh?" Just as Subaru was thinking about being able to go up to the next floor, his eyes widened when he heard what the man said. —The next instant, it almost smelled like the air itself was burning. This man’s presence couldn’t even be compared to before. Subaru was slow to understand what was going on as his instincts cried out at the dramatic shift, as if everything up until now had only been child’s play.


[User] “There are seven people in the tower. Your girl is the first one to pass.”

[Assistant] “So who’s gonna try to get past me next?” The examination for Electra, the second floor of the Great Pleiades Library. Time: conditionally unlimited. Attempts: conditionally unlimited. Challengers: conditionally unlimited. —Passed: Emilia. —Not yet passed: Subaru, Beatrice, Julius, Anastasia, Meili, Ram. —The examination continues.

[User] Stick Swinger grinned as he announced the continuation of the examination.

[Assistant] “W-wait, wait, wait! Wasn’t the rule as long as one person passes, that’s enough? !”

[User] “Huh? Who said that shit, small fry? One person got through. Why should that mean everyone else does, too? It’s just common sense. Common sense! Small fry to the core, huh?”

[Assistant] “I—I just got a lecture about common sense from the absolute last person in the world I wanted to hear it from…!” Subaru groaned as the man rubbed his two chopsticks together while shredding Subaru’s argument. In truth, Subaru was the one who had jumped to conclusions, assuming the clear condition of the second floor’s examination. On the third floor, the examination had ended when the riddle was solved, so Subaru had just assumed that if one person cleared the second floor, they would get access to another archive. If they all had to individually clear on their own strength, then getting past this challenge was practically hopeless. Especially after seeing how difficult it had been even once Emilia had negotiated an easier passing grade. Put bluntly, Emilia had the highest combat strength of everyone present. With Julius’s contracts with his spirits broken, she was undeniably the strongest of them all. So how are any of us going to KO this guy on our own?

[User] “—Wait just a moment. There is a decisive mistake in what you said.”

[Assistant] “Mistake?” Subaru was shivering as he searched for some path to victory in such a one-sided situation.

[User] Beatrice spoke up as she gripped his hand tightly, like she was willing him to calm down. "What?"

[Assistant] “You’re ten years too early, girlie. Or at least five. Come back when you grow up a bit more, get a little taller, and your tits and ass are more like BAM.”

[User] “…Betty never had much intention of going along with your nonsense, but what little she had is gone now, so let’s get right to it.”

[Assistant] “Straight…? What?”

[User] “It should be obvious. Emilia said that if she makes you move one step then it is ‘our’ victory. So Emilia winning means we all win!”

[Assistant] Subaru caught his breath at that and looked over at Emilia. He was shocked at the secret trick, that she had intended that in her bold proposition from the start.

[User] But Emilia herself put her hand to her mouth and gasped. No, never mind. "Right, I did say that! I said our! So? In that case, wouldn’t that mean we all passed the examination?”

[Assistant] “That is just a phrasing issue. I ain’t lettin’ you slide on that.”

[User] “I see… I understand.


[User] “Sorry, Subaru, Beatrice. It didn’t work…” Emilia withdrew with a delicate look on her face.

[Assistant] “You’re giving up too easily!” Beatrice roared.

[User] Thinking about it calmly, it was a pointless bit of quick wit. Though that just showed how hopeless the wall before them looked.

[Assistant] “Well, not like I don’t get what the rugrat’s saying. Apparently, at the start, it was supposed to be more like ‘come at me however you want to see if you can beat me’; that was the original idea. But just doin’ what someone else says is seriously boring, so I forcibly woke myself up.”

[User] “Like a forced reboot…? Or did a system failure happen? !”

[Assistant] “How the hell should I know? Use words I understand, kid. Quit sayin’ shit like some old gray hair.”

[User] The man’s mood constantly shifted between good and bad, but from what he said, Subaru gradually started to understand what he was and what had happened in the examination system.

[Assistant] “So the examination was just all of us working together to meet the requirement, but because you woke up, we have to pass individually?”

[User] “Kah! But who knows which would have been easier. All of you teamin’ up to kill me, or gettin’ a lucky shot by letting me rub some tit… Whoa!”

[Assistant] “Watch your mouth, you damn molester. I’m still pissed about that.” Subaru immediately let loose with a crack of his whip at that comment. Of course, even a surprise attack didn’t catch him off guard, and he easily intercepted it with his chopsticks.

[User] “Kah! I knew you weren’t the type to swing a stick, but a whip, huh? You got some good taste, kid. Save the whip-crackin’ for your enemies and your girl.”

[Assistant] “You sure look like an enemy to me! And just so you know, I’m planning on having a nice, wholesome relationship with Emilia. And I’m not planning on using a whip once we’re together, either!”

[User] “Subaru. Subaru, calm down. Don’t get baited!”

[Assistant] “That’s right, Subaru! There’s no need to get so mad! He only touched my chest. He didn’t do anything inappropriate.”

[User] “That is inappropriate, Emilia!”

[Assistant] “That’s the sort of thing you’re supposed to get mad at, hotness.”

[User] Emilia tried to calm Subaru down, but Subaru and the man both interjected. Emilia’s eyes widened at their unanimous warning, and Beatrice sighed heavily.

[Assistant] “—Can I say something?” A voice that had stayed silent thus far interrupted their strange conversation.

[User] “…I don’t really want to say this, but we should probably turn back.” Meili held up her small hand. She had Shaula’s head resting on her lap as she slowly shook her head. Her yellow eyes were clearly scared.

[Assistant] “I don’t know how you can just talk normally with him, mister… Mister knight and the scarf lady are both down, and the half naked lady, too.”

[User] “Shaula’s reason is different, but…you’re right, it is strange.” Meili’s timid opinion was a natural conclusion considering the situation.


[User] Thinking about continuing to fight. "Hypothetically speaking, are we allowed to turn back and come in again?"

[Assistant] The strength was on a completely different level of destructive power.

[User] Having finally reached that conclusion, Subaru decided to retreat.

[Assistant] "—I’m out."

[User] "Eh?"

[Assistant] "I’m! Out! I’m out! Done! I don’t care anymore."

[User] Seeing them focus completely on pulling back, the man responded like a child having a tantrum. "Store’s closed. Beat it, all of you. I’m bored. I can’t do this." Sitting down on the spot with one knee up, he sent them back.

[Assistant] "... W-wait just a second! What the hell is that?! Do you just decide whatever you want about this examination on a whim? !"

[User] "Who asked you? I’m the only one left to judge things here. If I say I’m not gonna do it, then I’m not gonna do it."

[Assistant] "Also, when I don’t feel like goin’ at it, I don’t play around. So you sure you wanna do this?"

[User] "...Ah…" A soft groan.

[Assistant] She put her hand to her white throat, and her jewellike eyes widened in shock. Her knees gave out, and she fell to the floor.

[User] Seeing Emilia reminded Subaru to breathe, too. Putting a hand to his throat, he took a knee while desperately trying to bring air into his lungs and oxygen into his blood.

[Assistant] "Rack your brains and try to find a way to win. The hottie’s trick ain’t gonna work again. Not for anyone at least as hot as the sexy babe nappin’ over there. Now beat it—I’m gonna sleep." His voice was low and serious as he gave that final message before lowering his head.


[User] After a brief moment, he went to sleep but was somehow just as obnoxious as he was when he was awake. In a way, he snored exactly the way Subaru expected him to—but no one in the room could muster a laugh.

[Assistant] "Let’s hurry." Meili didn’t resist her instincts. And her words were the impetus the others needed.

[User] Carrying the wounded with them, they were forced to retreat from the examination.

[Assistant] “I see, so that’s why you came crawling back in such low spirits after the second examination.”

[User] “…That’s harsh, Big Sis.”

[Assistant] “Don’t speak like that. It makes that passed-out girl’s theory about you being her master sound all too plausible.”

[User] “That’s bad. I’ll be careful.” Subaru shrugged weakly at that scary warning.

[Assistant] Ram sighed slightly at that response.


[User] They were in a different room on the fourth floor after reuniting with Ram in the green room. In addition to Subaru and Ram, Emilia, Beatrice, and Meili were there. There was also Shaula, who was lying on the ground. Their party withdrew from the second floor, going down the long, long stairs to bring Julius and Anastasia to the green room, entrusting them to the spirit. And then they caught Ram up on what they had learned about the third and second floors.

[Assistant] “He sounds like quite an absurd examiner, but…Lady Emilia cleared the bar, didn’t she? Couldn’t she have taken a look at the next floor’s archive by herself?”

[User] “Ah, that’s right. I might have been able to go ahead on my own… Should I check with Mr. Stick Swinger?”

[Assistant] “…No, don’t do that. We don’t want to provoke him when he’s already in a bad mood. And even if he said you could go up alone, it would be…dangerous.”

[User] “I’ll be reeeally careful, though.”

[Assistant] “Too dangerous.”

[User] “Much too dangerous.”

[Assistant] “Far too dangerous.”

[User] Subaru, Ram, and Beatrice immediately splashed cold water on Emilia’s resolve. That said, they weren’t holding her back out of an overprotective concern.

[Assistant] “With the second floor’s examination being what it is, the odds of something dangerous waiting on the next level went way up. Letting you go alone when there’s no guarantee you can come back down is…”

[User] “Then we’ll just have to work hard until we can all beat Mr. Stick Swinger together?”

[Assistant] “It would certainly be nice to do that, but…”There was an argument to be had whether it was even possible. Their strongest fighter had only just barely cleared the hurdle after lowering the bar almost all the way to the ground. And Julius was currently unconscious…

[User] “It’ll be fine if he doesn’t beat himself up too much about it…”

[Assistant] “Are you worried about Julius?”

[User] “Who knows…? Well, I guess I am a bit worried… But it’s not that simple.”After he lost completely to Stick Swinger in a head-on match, Julius’s expression when his sword was broken stood out to Subaru.


[User] On second thought, he decided he was worried. Julius’s swordsmanship had failed him; he had been toyed with like a child by his opponent and even had his sword broken… “There’s a spare sword in the carriage, but it’s not that sort of a problem, either.”

[Assistant] “A sword can be reforged. Betty doesn’t understand what there is to be so hung up on.”

[User] “You take good care of the stuff I made for you, like that handkerchief or mittens or apron, don’t you, Beako? It’s sort of like if those were destroyed, but on an even bigger scale.”

[Assistant] “…Sorry for saying something so foolish.”

[User] Subaru exhaled and patted Beatrice on the head as she retracted her strong statement. He could not imagine how Julius would react when he finally woke up. Would he be depressed, or would he be able to at least act tough, like his usual self? Either way, Subaru did not know what to say, and it was weighing on him. And in terms of concerns, Julius wasn’t the only one. “What was with Anastasia…with Echidna’s desperation…” A big suspicion that stuck in Subaru’s head was Anastasia/Foxidna’s decision to interfere and directly support Julius in his duel. In the moment, Subaru and everyone else were all looking for the timing to do something to support him. But for Echidna to be the first to act was something he hadn’t imagined. All through the trip, and even after reaching the tower, Echidna had never forgotten about acting like Anastasia, and she had kept her promise of taking care of Anastasia’s body, too, as far as Subaru could tell. So why did she do that? “” When she first revealed herself in Pristella, Echidna had explained her connection with Anastasia and the issue that Anastasia’s body had. Her gate was incomplete, so she couldn’t absorb mana from outside and could only use magic by burning her own Odo, shaving away at her life. “Why was she so desperate to help Julius?” It did not look like some calculated move with an ulterior motive in mind. There was a genuine concern for Julius underneath that desperation.


[Assistant] “—Lady Anastasia was just concerned about Sir Julius. There are more important problems to address first.”

[User] “The examiner, Stick Swinger.”

[Assistant] “Yes. It may seem cold, but to me, the question of what will come of the examination is more important. If it cannot be passed, then we have no way to find out how to bring back Rem.” Interrupting Subaru’s thoughts was Ram with what could be considered a cruel opinion. As she herself acknowledged, it was more than a little inconsiderate. But Subaru couldn’t bring himself to criticize her. “” Ram’s expression looked the same as usual, but there was a trace of impatience lying behind it. It was the irritation and unease of being right on the verge of finding a way to get her little sister back but being just one step short of the answer. “A kimono and an eyepatch.


[User] "Red hair and a blue eye… That sounds like an unpleasantly flamboyant appearance."

[Assistant] "Any thoughts on it? It can be hard to imagine without seeing the person yourself, but bluntly speaking, he was monstrously strong. Maybe Reinhard-class."

[User] "Sounds like a nightmare." Ram did not sound entirely convinced.

[Assistant] "Subaru isn’t lying. I haven’t ever seen Reinhard fight seriously, but…mmm, I think he was probably about that strong."

[User] "Then, trusting your and Barusu’s description, if he is an enemy of a similar quality to Sir Reinhard…if we are talking about someone who can stand on the level of the strongest person in the world, then at present, each country has one."

[Assistant] "Reinhard is the strongest in the kingdom, and each of the other three countries have their own strongest, too?"

[User] "The Volakian Empire’s leading general is Cecils Segmund, the Blue Lightning; the Holy Kingdom Gusteko’s is the Mad Prince; and the Kararagi Federation’s is Admirer Halibel. But none of them fit the physical description."

[Assistant] "No one with long red hair?"

[User] "The Mad Prince’s description isn’t known, so I cannot say there."

[Assistant] "Prince… A prince, huh…? He didn’t really feel like a prince, did he?" The mad part of the title made it hard to say for sure, but while he had certainly been handsome, he did not seem like a royal. His was more a savage sort of beauty, the kind that was allowed because it existed in the wild.

[User] "In which case, could he be some sort of martial artist unknown to the world…?"

[Assistant] "He wore Kararagi clothes, and he was proficient with chopsticks, I suppose."

[User] "That’s too different from how they are intended to be used, so I’m not sure you could really call it proficiency…"

[Assistant] And Subaru couldn’t really imagine him being some great martial artist who was unknown to the rest of the world. With how strong he was and how grandiose he behaved, it was hard to imagine him staying anonymous. And he’s part of this weird tower, so there is the question of whether he is some random strong person or if there’s some deeper connection…

[User] "Hey, mister, got a second?"

[Assistant] "Hmm?"

[User] "The half naked lady seems to be waking up." Meili, who was devotedly lending Shaula her lap to rest on in the corner of the room, raised her hand.


[Assistant] Shaula was still resting her head, but her body was stirring almost seductively as she started groaning. And as everyone turned their gaze to her, her eyelids slowly opened…

[User] "Master… Don’t leave me alone… I don’t want to be by myself anymore…"

[Assistant] "Don’t say something that pulls on the heartstrings right when you’re still half asleep! Are you actually awake?!"

[User] "Tch. I was hoping you’d be moved if I said something touching, but I guess it was no good."


[User] “B-but I love that part of you, too.”

[Assistant] “Making me worry for nothing…” Swinging her long legs up and then back down, Shaula nimbly stood up. Her long hair swayed as she looked around the room, then cocked her head. “Huh? Why are we here? Didn’t we get past the examination, thanks to Master’s dramatic insight, and head up to the next floor…?”

[User] “Yeah, that wasn’t a dream. That happened.”

[Assistant] “Then Master held me and said ‘I’ll never let you go’…”

[User] “That part was a dream! You fainted right at the start of the second examination!” Shouting at Shaula, Subaru tried to get her to remember what happened right before she collapsed.

[Assistant] But Shaula snorted as if laughing at the idea. “Passed out? There’s no way I would do something pathetic like that. I didn’t pass out after meeting you again after hundreds of years, did I? Don’t make me laugh!”

[User] “I can understand being dubious about it, but you really did pass out. Subaru and Meili were both reeeally worried. Please believe us.”

[Assistant] “Eh! Master was worried about me?! Geh-heh-heh, I believe you.”

[User] “So easy…”

[Assistant] “The way I was totally uninvolved just now sort of feels rude…” Subaru and Meili each were of two minds about how easily Shaula changed her mind.

[User] Shaula cocked her head. “Huh? But what could’ve happened that made me pass out? It’s weird for me to get knocked out. If that happened, wouldn’t everyone other than Master get slaughtered…?”

[Assistant] “I can understand your wild expectations of Barusu…or rather, your master, but it is the truth. Please carefully think back… The long, long stairway is right there.”

[User] “Long, long stairway…” Ram’s voice was almost hypnotic, as if trying to get Shaula’s mind to travel back to what happened in her memories. “There was a white room at the end of it, and a steel sword sticking out of the floor. And when it was taken, a strange voice echoed in everyone’s mind…”

[Assistant] “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm…” Shaula and Emilia were both getting drawn into Ram’s evocative, sensuous words.

[User] “Just then, a figure appeared deeper into the room. A man in foreign clothes, with long red hair and a blue eye…”

[Assistant] “Hiyaaaaaa!” Reaching the critical moment, Shaula screamed and leaped backward. She turned to cling onto Subaru, but predicting it would come, Subaru lowered his center of gravity and used his whole body to catch her. This time, he did not get bowled over. Instead, he was smothered by Shaula’s soft skin.

[User] “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! D-do you remember?! You do, right? !”

[Assistant] “Wh-wh-why—why is he here?! You all said he was dead! He’s alive! He really won’t die even if you kill him!”

[User] “Hah?! What are you…?” Subaru’s eyes were watering in pain as he tried to figure out what Shaula was saying, but then it dawned on him. He understood what she was saying.


[Assistant] Thinking of all those consolations, when Subaru entered the green room…

[User] "—That idiot…"

[Assistant] Subaru looks around the room, seeing beds created by the spirit for the wounded. Four of them. Rem was on one, Anastasia on another, Patlash on the one furthest back. Subaru notices the one between Anastasia and Patlash was empty, with a single broken knight’s sword placed atop it.


[User] The man opened his eyes slowly when he heard the footsteps on the stairs and felt an overwhelming presence prickle his skin.

[Assistant] Knowing his life had always been lived on the battlefield, he felt no anger at having his sleep disturbed. Because he had always lived on the line between life and death, no matter what might happen, he could always be calm.


[User] "Whether he would be in the mood to play along was another story, though." He gradually saw a figure come into view as it cleared the stairs. He remembered the battle aura. Likewise, he remembered the sound of the shoes and the gait. It was so recent there was no way he would forget. But, because the opponent was the same, he thought it was strange. I thought he was a bit smarter than that…

[Assistant] “Kah!” But that impression was erased when he saw his opponent. Instead, the impulse that welled up inside him rang out. The man wildly mussed his red hair. And…

[User] “I’m not gonna stop at just playin’ around with you this time.”

[Assistant] He did not think it would matter, but just as a courtesy, he gave him that warning.

[User] Hearing that, his opponent closed his eyes for a moment, but he immediately cast aside all emotions. And then, his hand reached without hesitation, pulling the sword out of the floor and raising it. "Knight of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica…Julius Juukulius.” Saying his name, the knight dashed forward resolutely.

[Assistant] Reid Astrea’s eyes narrowed, and his cheeks twisted cruelly. “As long as you keep doing that lame shit, you’re never gonna be fit to play with me.”


[User] Most likely, no one would believe it.

[Assistant] It almost brings a tear to the eye how well this sword fits my hand. It is enough to make it feel as if I have been chosen by the sword. Not that there is any reason for me to feel so arrogant right now.

[User] "Shing!” It feels ever so slightly thicker than my sword, and the tip is heavier. But if I attack with that in mind, I can compensate to some extent. It’s not always possible to fight with a familiar weapon in hand. I am confident in the training I have put in considering all sorts of situations to be able to fight to the greatest extent possible, even without being able to choose my weapon.

[Assistant] "You’re boring." The man leaped backward with a yawn, easily avoiding the confident, sharp thrust. There was more distance between them now, but he followed with a lunge and confident footwork.

[User] He performed an attack aimed exactly where the man would land. There were perturbations in various directions, but the true goal was a slash straight upward from below.

[Assistant] "Right out of the manual, aren’t you?" It was a deadly arc, but the man easily nudged it to change its path with the sticks in his hand. It was an exchange that lasted not even one second. The man accomplished a feat as delicate as threading a needle, displaying an ability far beyond normal comprehension.


[User] "—Ngh." With a stunned grunt from Julius, the slash passed over the man’s head with great speed. To defend the opening this created, Julius spun his body and focused on summoning a Blade of Wind—except there was no support from spirits. There was simply an unguarded opening.

[Assistant] "Kah!" The outthrust front kick directly struck Julius’s side. The toenails of his bare foot thrust into the gap between organs, sending a piercing pain lancing throughout his body. He went flying. He immediately leaped in the direction of the impact to avoid taking the brunt of the blow. However, he could not stop the penetrating force of the kick. His world spun, and the shock hit his brain with both pain and nausea as he slammed his leg down onto the onrushing floor, raising his head to not lose sight of the enemy. Straining his lungs painfully, he exhaled every last bit of breath still inside him. Completely emptying himself, he forced his burning lungs to remember what calm breathing was like.

[User] He exhaled, letting the breath completely drain out of him. With this, I can still fight. I should still be able to fight. The red-haired man was smiling at him about ten yards away. Leap in again. Chase him down, hit him with my sword. At least wipe that easygoing smile off his face. Then the real fight…

[Assistant] "Don’t get cocky. You think there are fake fights and real fights? You think this is some kid’s story?"

[User] “…Ah…” He was dumbfounded as the space between them vanished in the blink of an eye. More precisely, right after he blinked. The man covered ten yards in one instant, thrusting the sticks right at Julius’s nose. When he carelessly moved to knock them aside, they arced, delivering two attacks that landed at his chest and head. It was a visceral shock. The sharpness of the attack more than the pain itself drew his focus. Gritting his teeth, Julius desperately clung to the consciousness that was threatening to escape him and forcefully stepped down onto the floor.

[Assistant] "Oooo, ahh!" Roaring deeply, he unleashed a semicircular slash at the man.

[User] He gracefully evaded it, almost as if dancing, before slamming an elbow into the side of Julius’s head.

[Assistant] Again, his consciousness wavered. And so he chose the attack that was most ingrained in his body. A simultaneous casting of fire and water, combined with a slash for a three-pronged attack—but it failed. His contract with the spirits was severed. So there was no support from fire or water, leaving only the flash of a sword that had been polished through so much training it had reached the level of art worthy of the title Finest. If the opponent were just a normal fighter, that would still have been enough to finish the job.

[User] "Bah." The pinnacle of knightly swordsmanship was easily deflected by a simple stick swung as a mere amusement.


[User] A knee swung upward, hitting Julius in the solar plexus, drawing a groan and vomit. As his body was on the verge of collapsing, a series of attacks slammed into him from the front, preventing him from falling.

[Assistant] "Ho?" The shock of the attacks almost sent him falling backward, but he immediately reached out with his hand to support himself. And then, taking advantage of the backward momentum, he turned it into a spinning kick, which the man avoided with a bit of a surprised sound. Using that, Julius took some distance. He wiped the blood from his nose with his white sleeve. His uniform was dirtied by an unpleasantly vibrant red color. It doesn’t matter.

[User] Exhaling sharply, he poured all his spirit into the sword in his right hand. This must hit. I must be strong.

[Assistant] "Talk about lame. How long have you held a sword? It’s only been three months since I first picked up a sword. I can cut light, but what can you cut?"

[User] "Right here and now, you…"

[Assistant] "Good joke. You think you can manage that? Not a chance. You won’t swing your sword enough to reach me. You haven’t swung it enough. You can’t swing enough. You aren’t swinging enough. You haven’t done everything you can do yet, so don’t go spoutin’ off about what you want to do."

[User] Julius’s only reply was to unleash a strong, powerful attack. And as if in response, he was hit with a dozen more attacks.

[Assistant] "It’s not enough. You aren’t enough. You shouldn’t have come. You’re out of your league. This isn’t your stage. You weren’t invited."

[User] I have to be strong. I have to prove myself with my sword. I’ve lost my name, my house, my family, my lady, my comrades in arms, my friends, the spirits bound to my soul. This is all I have left. I am all that remains. What I have amassed here is all that remains. This is the only proof that I exist…

[Assistant] "Don’t make me sick. Don’t put that pretty mask on. Are you content just copyin’ someone else? Your sword’s as boring as you."

[User] There was a time I set my sights on the pinnacle of the sword. That was back when I thought I might be able to chase after it. But I quickly gave up on it as a goal that was impossibly high. When I realized with my own eyes the great duty that red-haired boy shouldered.

[Assistant] "No one’s lookin’ at you. No one expects anything of you. Don’t half-ass this thinkin’ I’m just playin’ around. It’s no fun kickin’ you around."

[User] I admired it. Overflowing, brilliant stories. I thought I wasn’t adequate to stand among them. So I grew desperate, struggled, that I might someday reach the dream I gave up on.


[User] The one blue eye, the disheveled hair the color of flames—they overlapped with the boy who had been his reason for giving up on his dream and with the many aspirations he had felt afterward. He believed he had never spared himself any effort out of a wish to someday reach them.

[Assistant] "Not enough. Not nearly enough. Don’t go slackin’ off on life." While being spat at by one of the aspirations he had hoped to reach, he was beaten down by a single set of sticks. The man didn’t even hold a sword. Julius’s sword had failed. All the efforts he had put in were meaningless. He had poured blood, sweat, and tears into the one and only thing that he still believed in, and now it was crumbling around him, trampled underfoot. Something started to bubble up inside him. But it was erased by something even greater.

[User] "Kah! Can’t hold it in? You’re getting more and more boring." Something hits his torso. His lungs froze. Something grabs his hair. He starts swinging around and then slams into the ground. As he rolled away, his face got kicked.

[Assistant] He was sent spinning across the floor, hurtling out into the endless white space. He hit the floor again. Raising his body up, he looked in the direction from which he had been kicked. His face was hit directly by the man’s knee that came flying at him.

[User] The moment it crashed into him, he lowered his head so that the knee hit his forehead, splitting his skin, but also managing to knock back the man. That created an opening. He could fix his stance—or at least he should have been able to. But his body didn’t move. "Hrrgh…" His entire body cried out. His head in particular had been badly hurt. His consciousness wavered, and he could not focus. If he did not hold on, it felt like the inside of his head would pour out.

[Assistant] Sword. Where is…the sword? As if confirming, he slowly tightened the grip of his right hand. He was met by the familiar touch of a sword’s hilt. He felt a slight relief. I can’t let go. Not of this. If I lose even this, what will I have lost? Or am I holding something else that is merely shaped like a sword?

[User] I believed I was not mistaken in my way of life. I believed that I was following his own path as I walked it. That is still how I feel. I never imagined that would ever waver for all my days. So it slipping from my fingers is a problem well apart from right or wrong. …Or was I mistaken? Am I like this now because I failed to follow my way of life, because I was mistaken in the path I chose, because I believed in the wrong thing?


[User] I’ve lost my name, my house, my family, my lady, my comrades in arms, my friends, the spirits bound to my soul. If even this, the one thing I have left, is insufficient… Is a lie not enough to support me…?

[Assistant] —I shall be strong, to support you. The vow he swore to his lady.

[User] —I remember how strong you are. The words of the one friend he had left. Even though that strength was the only thing supporting me in a world where I have lost everything. Even though it was the one and only unerasable certainty while I am so weak and fragile. "Your doubt’s showing in your sword."

[Assistant] How long did I spend lost in thought? Most likely, it has only been a moment. But that small opening is as good as a thousand chances to kill for him—for the Sword Saint.

[User] Opening his eyes, Julius saw the sword clattering across the floor. Even the sword has finally slipped from my hands.

[Assistant] I’ve lost my name, my pride, and even my sword, so who is even standing here?

[User] "You don’t have the right to reach the heavenly sword. You aren’t even fit to be my apprentice." With that cold announcement, the Sword Saint held the chopsticks in an overhand grip, and lowered his waist. It was the first time the Sword Saint assumed a proper stance.

[Assistant] The next moment, the chopstick howled—in what was unmistakably a sword slash—sending Julius flying. It was an attack different from every other violent kick or punch. It wasn’t savage violence. It was the pinnacle of the sword and the embodiment of true strength. Swallowed up by light, Julius’s consciousness was blown away.

[User] Is this death? Something that surpasses death? I don’t know. But in the moment he was blown away, there was a faint voice.

[Assistant] "Julius!! !" It was ragged, almost tragic. As if in desperation, it had raced up the long stairs, only to see the final decisive moment.

[User] Hearing that brought a strange smile. The Finest of Knights. Member of the royal guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica. Eldest son and future head of the Juukulius house. Knight to the royal selection candidate Anastasia Hoshin. Julius Juukulius.

[Assistant] "Hah." Do I really have the right to that name now? With that final question, Julius’s consciousness was swallowed by the light and faded completely.


[User] Subaru sprinted up the long, long stairway, but by the time he reached the top, it was already too late.

[Assistant] "Julius!! !" A hoarse shout came out despite the heavy burden he had subjected his lungs to. But his voice, his words, did not have the strength to change the situation.

[User] —A white light blotted out the already white space. Subaru did not know what the principle behind it was. Was it because it was a slash that he claimed could cut even light, or was it the feat of a swordsman who completely broke the human mold?


[User] The person who was in the path of the slash was swallowed up by light and helplessly blown away. “Yo, if it ain’t the small fry.” As Subaru was left speechless at the scene, the red-haired man lightheartedly called out to him. His face looked as if he had forgotten what had just happened, and he was grinning like a shark, his breathing totally normal. And then he pointed at the collapsed swordsman—at Julius. “You were late. I already finished up with him, and he’s gettin’ in my way, so hurry up and take him back.”

[Assistant] “…Reid Astrea…”

[User] “What? Don’t go investigatin’ people’s names, bastard. It’s cooler not to introduce yourself, so don’t get in the way of me actin’ cool.” Stick Swinger—or rather, Reid—was annoyed at being called by name.

[Assistant] Slowly, without taking his eyes off Reid, he moved toward Julius. "I’m not gonna eat you. You don’t have to stare.”

[User] “Sorry, but in my homeland, it’s common sense not to look away when you’re face-to-face with a bear.”

[Assistant] Still on guard and watching Reid, Subaru crouched down and checked that Julius was still breathing. He was unconscious, but putting his hand just in front of Julius’s mouth, Subaru could feel his breath. "You’re pretty generous for someone who said they wouldn’t show any mercy next time.”

[User] “That’s not it at all. Don’t you think it’s lamer getting beat to shit by chopsticks and having to run away rather than getting killed by chopsticks? I do. I’d rather die than have to show my face again after something that pathetic. So that’s why I beat him down with chopsticks and sent his ass packing.”

[Assistant] “I retract my previous statement. Asshole.”

[User] “Kah! A small fry grumblin’ doesn’t mean nothing. ’Sides, you aren’t plannin’ to try me today. If you wanna rumble, I’ll kick your ass, though. Just like him.” Scratching his stomach with his right hand, he pointed at Subaru and Julius with the chopsticks in his left hand.

[Assistant] “Piece of shit…!”

[User] “Yeah, yeah, that’s it. Shut up and carry him, or gimme a bit of that loser bitching if you want. If that makes you feel better. It’s easier and smarter. Borin’, though.” Sitting himself down, Reid narrowed his blue eyes cruelly.

[Assistant] Listening to his victorious taunts, Subaru somehow managed to lift Julius.

[User] “Bring the babe next time. Or that hottie’ll do, too.” To the very end, Reid waved his hand, refusing to call any of them by name. But Subaru had no response for Reid’s joking attitude. He couldn’t do anything other than run away.


[User] Carrying Julius on his back, Subaru climbed down the long, long stairway, his lungs burning the whole way. "Gotta…get back quick… Emilia and Beako…must be worried."

[Assistant] “…Quite…the bumpy ride…”

[User] "Ngh! You’re awake? !" Subaru stopped.

[Assistant] Julius shifted on his back. “Ah… Where…is…?”

[User] “On the stairs. It might be more helpful to say we’re on a long set of stairs. And even more specifically, on the stairs between the fourth and second floors, retreating back to base with our tails between our legs.”

[Assistant] “Rather roundabout… You’re…carrying me?”

[User] “That’s right. And to let you know, this makes it an even two times in the span of a few hours. Can you imagine how it feels? I was just thinking I didn’t want to have to do this again, and here I am half an hour later.”

[Assistant] “That explains…why it’s so uncomfortable…”

[User] “Do you want me to drop you?”

[Assistant] He could feel a faint exhalation, which he assumed was Julius laughing.

[User] “Do you remember what happened?”

[Assistant] “…A pathetic…story. I was easily defeated by the enemy, and on top of being pitied, I have troubled both Lady Anastasia and you.”

[User] “…I’m not enough of a devil to blame you for getting your ass kicked fighting him.” Subaru sighed and started down the stairs again.

[Assistant] “…Is Lady Anastasia safe? I saw that she had collapsed and that she was being healed in the spirit’s room, but…”

[User] “The current prognosis is that her life isn’t in danger. You were a lot closer to dying.


[User] Against that… Oh yeah, you’ll be shocked to know who that one-eyed asshole is.”

[Assistant] “…Reid Astrea.” Subaru caught his breath and stopped moving for a moment when he heard that confident response. But he quickly started moving again to hide his surprise.

[User] “Good… Good job figuring it out. The rest of us figured it out thanks to Shaula. She apparently met him four hundred years ago, so it makes sense she’d know him, but…apparently, she really did have issues with him. That’s why she fainted when she saw him.”

[Assistant] “There were several clues. Flaming red hair…and blue eye. Such incomparable swordsmanship… Can it even be called swordsmanship? I could not even make him wield a sword. I suppose I should say he is truly a formidable warrior. Also, I have seen the term Stick Swinger used to refer to him in books.”

[User] “Was he called Stick Swinger in the past because he fought using chopsticks or something?”

[Assistant] “More precisely, it was in the sense that he wasn’t particular about his weapons. It occurred to me when he called himself Stick Swinger, but…I was unsure. Apologies…for failing to tell you.”

[User] “Hah. Regardless of the process, to encounter a legendary swordsman reborn from the past… Ordinarily, I would be quite pleased by such a miraculous meeting, but…”

[Assistant] “I can guess what you’re thinking. A legendary hero turning out to be that guy in reality is definitely a letdown. Between that and Shaula, who was supposed to be some Sage, this tower has had more than its share of disappointments.”

[User] “…You can guess…eh?” There was a dry, self-deprecating timbre to Julius’s response. Hearing it from so close to his ears, Subaru gritted his teeth.

[Assistant] “Still, though, the story was that the first Sword Saint is the guy printed on gold coins, but they look pretty different from the real person, too. Shaula being the wrong gender can be chalked up to her and the Sage being different people, but there’s a pretty big gap with Reid, as well.


[User] "The guy on the gold coin looks a lot older…”

[Assistant] “Historically, Reid’s achievements that earned him a place among the three heroes occurred when he was older. So the depiction on the gold coin is likely accurate. The version of him upstairs is simply younger than that point in history.”

[User] “Oh yeah, it seemed like he didn’t recognize Shaula after all…” He had just intended to change the topic, but in an unexpected turn, it had cleared up one question.

[Assistant] Julius explains. "Shaula and Reid supposedly knew each other, but the difference in reaction was pretty extreme. Julius’s explanation would make sense. It could also just be their personalities, too, to some extent."

[User] “If that’s true, then he fought the Witch past his prime? And we have to somehow beat him when he’s at his best.”

[Assistant] “Our odds do not look good. Indeed, it may even be impossible.”

[User] “It will definitely be a pain. But if we build up enough countermeasures, there has to be a way out. For now…” While searching for a clue as to how to deal with Reid, Subaru hesitated at how to continue.

[Assistant] His heart stopped him out of concern for whether this was the time or place to tell Julius. But he was a step too late.

[User] “For now…what?”

[Assistant] “No, it’s just…”

[User] “Subaru.”

[Assistant] Subaru resigned himself to it when Julius said his name. “…After you and Anastasia passed out, Emilia passed the examination.”

[Assistant] “But it was just… It wasn’t like she beat him in a straight-up match. There were a lot of coincidences that added together… And Emilia was…um…special.” It was difficult to just call what happened a simple victory. It could be said that Emilia had forced the proctor of the examination, Reid, to acknowledge her resolve and strength, but it was hard to explain the situation to anyone who hadn’t seen it happen. It wasn’t a method that anyone other than Emilia would be able to replicate.

[User] “Anyway, it was a combination of lots of complex factors, but Emilia cleared the examination. But according to him, only the person who cleared the test is allowed to go through, so for all of us to go up to the next floor, everyone has to win. So it’s the same issue… If anything, it’s even worse.”

[User] “So we still have to come up with some sort of plan. I’m gonna have to get him to acknowledge me and Beatrice fighting as a pair. Meili doesn’t really have much reason to face the examination. Getting him to accept that, too… It’s going to be a pain doing all that.”

[User] “So, um, it’s not like you don’t have any chance at a rematch. Though yeah, not like you did this time. Next time, just go more my style…”

[User] “…Hey, are you listening?"