[User] “—It’s just the past year or so now, but people have started to see a bird flying around over the dunes.” As they put back on their robes and prepared to go out into the sandstorm, there was a voice from behind them. Turning around, the owner had his back to them and was polishing the glasses and talking as if to himself. “From the folks who saw it, they said it looked like the bird was flying toward the tower. So if you ever get lost in the dunes, look for a bird. If you’re lucky, maybe it will guide you to the tower.”

[Assistant] “Old man…”

[User] “Hmph.”


[User] "If you’re out there and have nothing better to rely on, your luck is already the worst it can be.” Subaru and Emilia lowered their heads and went back outside.

[Assistant] Emilia lowers her head.

[User] Subaru lowers his head.

[Assistant] The sandstorm was dying down, and there was at least a little bit of visibility in the sea of brown clouding their vision. It was about time for them to return to the inn and meet back up with the others.

[User] “The owner back there, it seems he lost a leg.”

[Assistant] “…I didn’t notice…”

[User] “I don’t know how he lost it, but…but I imagine I can guess where.”

[Assistant] Emilia's purple eyes were filled with sorrow.

[User] Subaru nodded.

[Assistant] The owner had been awfully kind trying to plead with a couple of reckless travelers he had never met before about how dangerous the dunes were. If that was a warning from his own personal experience, then that would make them awfully ungrateful.

[User] “—The Pleiades Watchtower.” Her mellifluous voice suddenly spoke the tower’s name.

[Assistant] Looking up, Subaru turned his gaze to the eastern side of the town, to the tower that could be seen from the tavern and from the swirling, sandy streets—the tower that was hanging ominously over everything. It was an enormous tower that had been visible from the road even before they arrived in Mirula. It almost seemed to reach the heavens. No matter how fierce the sandstorm in the desert down below, how could you possibly lose sight of it? But Reinhard and the owner of the bar had both said how difficult it was and how reckless it was to try.

[User] “The shady Sage’s tower, huh…” On the edges of his vision, the tower whose top he couldn’t see seemed to waver in the sand.


[Assistant] They took one day of rest in Mirula, a reprieve from their long journey, but the dawn of departure soon arrived. Everyone was wearing new clothes for traveling through the dunes and gathered at the entrance of the town early in the morning. Subaru gasped in amazement when he saw the state of the carriage waiting there.

[User] “Hah, so this is our secret weapon for clearing the dunes, huh?” Subaru was looking at the unfamiliar land dragon in the harness connected to the carriage. It had a flat head, broad body, yellow scales, and walked on four legs. It was a similar sort of build to Otto’s trusty Fulfew, but it seemed even more heavy-duty, like it would have a lot of stamina.

[Assistant] “It’s a Gilas dragon that’s strong in sandy climes. This dragon species is well suited for sandstorms and dry environments. It’s on the bigger side, but it has a mild temperament and is easy to deal with. It’s the endemic species here.”

[User] “Endemic species! They have stuff like that here, too? And there were the water dragons in Pristella, now that I think about it. This world really is a big place.”

[Assistant] Julius explained the new land dragon while Subaru observed it.


[User] “Still, even if it has a mild temperament, will a new dragon be able to work in tandem that easily?”

[Assistant] “It won’t be a problem. Land dragons have a natural affinity with people. Gilas dragons in particular can be calmed down quickly and easily by rubbing their necks. You should remember that, just to be safe.”

[User] “Sure thing. Though I doubt it’ll work with Patlash.” Subaru shrugged as he glanced at the new dragon harnessed to the carriage and the black land dragon with a queen’s demeanor. Unlike the dragon that would stay waiting in Mirula, Patlash was locked into joining them on this road.

[Assistant] “But will Patlash be okay in a place that requires a desert professional? I don’t want to force a lady of ours to somewhere she shouldn’t be.”

[User] “Have no fear. Your land dragon is a Diana dragon…a descendant of the first dragon said to rule over land, sea, and air. No matter the environment, she will perform well.”

[Assistant] “Whoa there, that’s like the background for a protagonist or something. Almost a little too elite…”

[User] “It would have been nice if we could bring my Shaknar, but there’s not much we could have done about that.” Julius’s gaze drifted to the sky, as if looking off in the distance. Shaknar was his trusty blue land dragon. Unfortunately, Julius had even been erased from Shaknar’s memories. In the end, he had to give up on getting it to obey him and leave it with the Iron Fangs in Pristella. They were on their way to get everything back, but there were so many things that had to be left behind for the sake of their mission. Over the course of the past twenty days, Subaru had started to understand that almost as well as Julius.

[Assistant] “Still, treating your steed as the lady closest to you… I don’t know if I should compliment you for understanding how to properly handle a land dragon or scold you for your treatment of the women around you.”

[User] “I’m sure you’ll come around once you get to know Patlash’s matronly style.” Patlash had refused to have anything to do with Subaru for being left alone in Pristella during the incident. It wasn’t until Otto acted as a go-between that he found out Patlash was ashamed for not being by his side when everything went down. Once he knew that, Subaru wasn’t sure what to say.

[Assistant] “Anyway, I couldn’t think of anything other than hugging her. I love you, Patlas—bgha? !” But the lady of the party wouldn’t accept such a shallow profession of love. She swung her tail around and knocked Subaru flying to the sandy ground.


[User] Sprawling on the ground, he was sandy even before they could reach the dunes. “…No sense of tension even right before the critical moment. I’m jealous of Barusu’s shamelessness.”

[Assistant] A face appeared upside down in his vision. It was Ram wearing a robe to protect against the sand.

[User] Subaru scratched his head at her icy response. “So does that mean you’re nervous? Isn’t that a little out of character for you?”

[Assistant] “I’m not sure what would lead you to believe otherwise. As you can see, I am just a frail and weak maiden. I am in fear of all sorts of dangers at all times. My delicate bird’s heart might burst at any moment.”

[User] “Where did you catch the bird?” Subaru raised his legs and swung himself forward to stand back up. He patted himself down to brush off the sand and then faced her again. “Are you really okay?”

[Assistant] “…How impertinent. You’re awfully attentive despite being Barusu.”

[User] “Your insults don’t have quite the same bite as usual. I should warn you: We still haven’t started yet.”

[Assistant] She didn’t look pale, and it wasn’t as if she was breathing heavily. She didn’t look any different from normal, but she didn’t deny what Subaru suggested, either. She didn’t try to put up a strong front or try to hide it. In that regard, Ram was surprisingly earnest about it. “It’s been one year and fifty days. Are you telling me to stop standing still with my goal in front of me after wasting all that time? How cruel.”

[User] “Don’t say it like that, Ram.” As her eyes flared and her glare chilled, Emilia chided her, having finished packing the big luggage into the carriage. Emilia had her hand on her hip. “Subaru is just worried about you. And I am, too. I’m doing the best I can to treat you every day like Roswaal asked, but…”

[Assistant] “Even with Beako helping, it still isn’t matching Roswaal’s treatments?”

[User] “…I have no intention of using that as an excuse. And I won’t cause any trouble, either.”

[Assistant] “But we are worried about you.” Ram didn’t immediately respond, but she did look unsatisfied at the quiet reply. The usual spirit was missing in her pink eyes. She probably realized it herself. Ram sighed and turned her gaze to the carriage. In the back of it, the wheelchair was locked in, and Rem was sleeping in it—

[User] “—Please don’t say something like you are going to leave me behind.” It was a frank, ardent plea.

[Assistant] Hearing that, Subaru scratched his head and then looked over at Rem, too. “I wouldn’t say that. But we can tell you aren’t at your best, so if something happens, let us know as soon as you notice anything. There’s no point in trying to hide it or fake it. We’ll still just help you anyway.”

[Assistant] “Hee-hee.” For once, Ram actually looked a little bit embarrassed. Emilia giggled softly and looked at Subaru.


[User] "I think that side of you is reeeally nice."

[Assistant] "...Eh?! Does that mean you’ve fallen for me again?"

[User] "Don’t talk about things like that in front of Rem while she’s sleeping. Mortal enemy of all women."

[Assistant] "Not just enemy but mortal enemy?!" Ram snorted.

[User] "...Quit grinning and do your job, Barusu. Your place isn’t in the carriage, it’s outside driving with your beloved land dragon. If you’re too slow, you’ll be left behind."

[Assistant] "Resorting to that already, Big Sis? Didn’t you hear what we’ve been saying—?"

[User] "—I listened to you. That’s enough. Now get a move on already." With those last sharp words, Ram pushed Subaru aside and got into the carriage.

[Assistant] Watching her get on, he scratched his head and glanced at Emilia. "Emilia-tan…"

[User] "Don’t worry. Just leave it to me. You should be careful, too."

[Assistant] "Aye, aye." Nodding, Subaru looked inside one last time and then headed to his own place on the carriage. Pulling up the anti-sand cloth around his neck, he took a deep breath. "All right then, let’s do this. The sea of sand and the tower…!"


[User] Inside the carriage after Subaru left.

[Assistant] "...Lady Emilia, why do you have that look on your face?"

[User] "Mmm, it’s nothing important. I was just thinking that you were cute, Ram."

[Assistant] "That’s an upsetting assessment. It’s rather impertinent for you, Lady Emilia."

[User] "Hmmm."

[Assistant] Ram was sitting in her seat next to the wheelchair as she turned away from Emilia’s gaze. Strangely, she seemed to be regretting her blunder. "Hee-hee. Have you started to let me see the face that you always show Subaru?"

[User] "...I let my guard down. Please forgive my discourtesy."

[Assistant] "I’m not angry. If anything, I’m a little happy. This way, it feels like you trust me more. I was always jealous of Subaru."

[User] Ram was silent for a moment at Emilia’s innocent response. But she soon turned to face Emilia again. "You’ve changed, Lady Emilia. When we first met, you seemed as fragile as a glass doll, even though you didn’t have anything other than a weak facade of a resolve."

[Assistant] "Do I seem a little bit stronger now?"

[User] "Mm-hmm. And sweeter…like the glass has now become hardened sugar."

[Assistant] "That sounds reeeally delicious… So what does that mean?" The half insult went over Emilia’s head, and Ram simply sighed. But once she did, her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.


[User] Patlash was a bit put off at the sudden change in partner at first, but after a couple of hours together, she seemed to find the good points of her new partner and had magnanimously accepted the change.

[Assistant] “If anything, this dragon’s unhappiness has more to do with Betty.” Beatrice was snuggled neatly into Subaru’s arms.

[User] He was controlling Patlash’s reins while hugging her tight as he shook his head. "No way, you’re just imagining things. Patlash isn’t that small-minded a dragon.”

[Assistant] “…You would do well to foster a better understanding of your surroundings…” Beatrice shifted her legs to ride sidesaddle as she held her skirt.

[User] “Well, it’s not like I really know why Patlash likes me in the first place.”

[Assistant] “Indeed. In the first place, it’s not like you are handsome enough to receive that sort of attention without any other reason.”

[User] “So then you have some sort of firm reason for loving me.”

[Assistant] “Of course… Wait, what are you trying to get Betty to say? !” Because they were in close proximity riding the dragon, there was no escaping Beatrice’s red-faced tantrum.

[User] Subaru could only let her weak slaps rain on him as he soothed her ruffled feathers.


[Assistant] “—It is quite pleasant to see your harmonious exchange, but we are about to actually enter the sea of sand now.” Julius’s voice called out to them from the driver’s bench of the carriage being pulled alongside them.

[User] “Right. It’s fine that you two get along so well, but if you can’t control yourselves, I’ll be upset.” Meili gave Subaru a sidelong glance that didn’t really fit her age.

[Assistant] “You know the nice knight sitting next to you is your escort for the day, right? He’s chic, swanky, and way more posh than I am.”

[User] “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And I don’t have any complaints about Mister Knight, but you’re the one who brought me along, mister. Doesn’t that mean you have a responsibility to accompany me?”

[Assistant] “Don’t be unreasonable.


[User] "I’ve already got Beako taking up that slot.”

[Assistant] “Mrgh!” Beatrice started pummeling his chest again in anger, but Subaru just let her have at it as he looked over at Meili.

[User] “I know how much you want to be fawned over, and I’d be happy to do it, but if you’re going to talk about rights or responsibilities, then it will have to wait until you’ve done your job first.”

[Assistant] “Fiiine. Even though you’re already spoiling Beatrice. You big meanie.”

[User] He wasn’t actually being particularly mean about it, but there was no helping that she might take it that way. Beatrice seemed somehow satisfied with herself as Subaru tickled her neck and then raised his hand to Julius. Seeing that, Julius quietly nodded. It was best to have someone who was an expert at dealing with proper young ladies take over. But also—

[Assistant] “Subaru—the sand time seems to be starting.” Beatrice warned him, and Patlash looking straight ahead and whinnying slightly confirmed it. The enormous tower that was impossible to miss even from back in Mirula soared into the sky before them. A yellow sand blew from the tower. The Auguria Dunes’s baptism, a sandstorm swirling with miasma—the sand time had arrived. They had gotten a general grasp of the comings and goings for the sand times from their information gathering in Mirula. Three times a day—morning, midday, and in the middle of the night—a powerful sandstorm would blow through these lands. That was what the locals called sand time. Considering what the owner of the tavern said about the miasma, it was almost like sidling up nice and close to a toxic waste dump site. Particularly during the night sand time, which lasted for several hours, it was difficult if not impossible to move. Because of that, they would be moving during the day and largely trying to avoid the morning and midday sand times. The grains of sand on the ground were fine, and just like they had been warned, the footing was terrible. Their procession was forced to go at an extremely slow pace, and their irritation just increased like sand in an hourglass piling up. But because of that situation, Subaru was also feeling a little let down. Because—

[User] “It’s harder to walk with the wind blowing, but…it’s not nearly as bad as I was imagining.” Turning his head away from the strong winds, he held his hand over his mouth, taking a couple of ginger breaths through the cloth blocking the sand. He could feel a little bit of sand in his mouth, but that was hardly any different from how it had been in town. The world was a yellowish-brown color from all the sand flying, and it was annoying to have sand get into all the crevices of his clothes, but—

[Assistant] That’s all really.


[User] "I was expecting it to be stupidly hot when I heard we were going to the sand dunes.”

[Assistant] "The reason this area is a desert is because the intense miasma kills off all foliage. But it rains here, and it’s not as if the temperature suddenly spikes or anything.”

[User] In Subaru’s mind, a desert was a blazing hot sort of hell. But apparently in this world, desertification was caused by something other than what Subaru imagined, countering the image of burning sands that he had gotten from games and manga. If anything, the real thing was a lot easier to bear than what he had imagined.

[Assistant] “I guess considering how it felt in Mirula, it would be strange if it suddenly started burning up when we crossed into the dunes, too.”

[User] “Indeed. It’s different from the Giral red dunes at the western edge of the world.”

[Assistant] “What are they like then?”

[User] “All the grains of sands making them up are fragments of magic stones. It is a land that is constantly exploding all year round.”

[Assistant] “There’s someplace as crazy as that? !” His opinion of the Auguria Dunes jumped up at learning there was someplace as insane as that in this world. If the Sage had just built the tower there, no one would ever reach it.

[User] “Meanwhile here, all there is to be careful of is the wind and miasma—and also the demon beasts.”

[Assistant] “And also not losing sight of the tower and getting lost.”

[User] “Even if you say be careful not to get lost…” Beatrice leaned against his chest, trying to get him to focus.

[Assistant] Subaru supported her weight while looking at the grand and imposing tower directly in front of them. “Don’t get lost and all, but if you ask me, wouldn’t the harder feat be somehow losing track of that?”

[User] “Betty agrees. But anything might happen. There is no telling what sort of cunning person the Sage is, but there is no denying the fact that there is no evidence of anyone ever reaching it.”

[Assistant] Of course Subaru had no intention of underestimating the dunes. But thinking about it realistically, there was no way anyone should be able to lose track of such a massive marker. But that was surely what every other person who challenged the dunes and failed must have thought. So then Beatrice was probably right. It was a place where anything could happen.


[User] “—Should we really just keep going straight forward, Anastasia?” Guiding Patlash toward the carriage, he checked with Anastasia through the window.

[Assistant] Hearing her response, he winked. “Obviously, right? This whole thing depends on you, so I’ll be counting on you for some detailed navigation.”

[User] “Of course, it’s not just someone else’s business to me, either, so I won’t cut corners. We’re both in the same boat here, so just have a little faith.”

[Assistant] “…Trusting a fox is easier said than done.”

[User] Anastasia’s, or rather Foxidna’s, eyes narrowed at Beatrice’s murmur.


[User] Beatrice was the only other person on the journey whom Subaru had told about Foxidna, and she was incredibly suspicious of her fellow artificial spirit who was hiding her identity. But there wasn’t a thing to be gained from just being suspicious forever, either. Like Anastasia said, the moment they entered the Auguria Dunes, they were in the same boat. All that was left was to trust each other to carry out their respective roles.

[Assistant] “Isn’t that right, Anastasia?”

[User] “That’s right—you don’t need to worry. I keep my promises.” The last bit was soft enough that only Subaru could hear it.

[Assistant] Nodding, Subaru swung Patlash around toward the driver’s bench, where he saw Julius looking completely serious while Meili was rolling around a bit, seemingly enjoying herself. “Oh? Looks like you’re having fun, Meili. Are you still doing your work?”

[User] “Are you really asking me that? We haven’t run into a demon beast once since entering the dunes, have we? That’s proof I’m working, isn’t it?”

[Assistant] “But it doesn’t really look like you’re trying very hard, either? It’s not like I can tell whether us not being attacked is because of you or just that we’re in an area without any?”

[User] “—Hmph. In that case…” Meili’s eyes narrowed, and she raised her arms as Subaru started to get a bad feeling.

[Assistant] “Wait! I’m sorry, that was a stupid thing for me to say! It just slipped out because other than the sandstorms, this hasn’t seemed nearly as bad as everyone kept saying!”

[User] “Mm, I’m not mad. I just want to teach you to show a little gratitude for what I’m doing.” Ignoring Subaru’s excuses, Meili smiled while saying something incredibly disturbing.

[Assistant] Catching his breath, Subaru started to apologize again—but before he could say anything…“Wh—? !” It was about fifty yards to the side from the line they were riding along. There was a faint tremble, and then suddenly the sand exploded up into the air. The massive body that had been hiding beneath the sand appeared aboveground.

[User] It didn’t have any limbs. The long, thick body twisting almost resembled a snake. But between its sandy coloration, the stench it gave off, and the fact that it didn’t have any eyes, Subaru realized what it was. Not a snake—it’s a worm. The almost twenty-yard-long worm burst out from underground, turning its massive mouth toward them. For a split second, Subaru readied himself to die.

[Assistant] “Ooookay! That’s enough. You stink, so run along somewhere else."

[User] As Subaru shuddered in terror, Meili’s disinterested tone brought him back to his senses. The worm’s enormous body shuddered, and it returned back underground again. It heeded the girl’s instructions, and in a few seconds, the monster had disappeared from sight again. The demonstration was so intense that Subaru couldn’t really say anything in response.

[Assistant] “…That was a demon beast called a sandworm.


[User] "They burrow under the sand, but that one was a little bigger than the ones I’ve seen before."

[Assistant] "How much is a little bigger?"

[User] "From what I remember, the biggest they normally become is about the length of a grown man’s arm." A worm that size was already grotesque and menacing enough. But the sandworm that had just appeared was tens of times larger still than the ones Julius knew.

[Assistant] Subaru had heard that the native species of demon beasts in Auguria were supposedly frenzied, but apparently even their size had grown like crazy, too.


[User] "Well? What do you think of me now?"

[Assistant] "Seriously, I can’t begin to thank you enough, Miss Meili!" Unfrozen by Meili’s words, Subaru spared nothing in his heartfelt praise.

[User] "Really? Are you grateful now, mister?"

[Assistant] "Yeah, I got nothing but mad respect. I get now just how dangerous this place would be without you. This place is scary! Really scary!"

[User] "Three cheers for peace. Long live peace. Let’s keep this a super boring trip all the way to the end!"

[Assistant] "Such a glib flip-flopper as always. It is enough to make even Betty feel exasperated."

[User] "Don’t try to act tough. You wet yourself a little there, just like I did, right? I know."

[Assistant] "What did you say?!"

[User] So Julius didn’t try to stop their argument.


[Assistant] "Incidentally, will the demon beasts attack while you’re sleeping, Meili? Will we be okay?"

[User] "...You scare too easily, mister. I’ve got that covered." Meili just sniffed, in a good mood at having put him in his place.

[Assistant] "Upsy-daisy! This should be fine." Ignoring Meili and Subaru’s exchange, Emilia patted the ground where she had been squatting and then stood back up. Beside her, there was a big wall of ice that had just appeared.


[User] She had formed it all around the carriage to provide their camp some cover. She was hoping to shut out the sandstorm during the night with her ice wall.

[Assistant] “I’m ashamed to have to continuously rely on your strength, Lady Emilia…”

[User] “It’s fine. You and Subaru were doing your best the whole time while we were moving after all. And for some reason, I’ve been reeeally feeling good ever since we entered the dunes. It feels like I can do anything!”

[Assistant] Emilia flexed unimpressively as Subaru and Julius exchanged tired glances.

[User] “Really? Amazing. I got too much sand in my mouth and haven’t got enough water.”

[Assistant] There’s a special sort of heaviness to the air because of the miasma. The weird tiredness we’ve been feeling is probably a result of it, and it’s also probably why no one was talking that much while we were moving, especially later in the day. I’d like to get out of these dunes as soon as possible, but…

[User] “We must not get impatient. I do understand painfully well your desire to rush ahead.” Even though Subaru was just looking up at the dark eastern sky, Julius could guess what he was thinking and patted his shoulder.

[Assistant] Subaru snorted and turned around. “All right, time to rest in preparation for tomorrow. The sand time should end around dawn, so…”

[User] “I have to take care of Ram’s treatment first.”

[Assistant] “Ah, right. In that case, I’ll leave that to you and Beako.”

[User] “Mm-hmm, leave it to us.” The two of them went into the carriage where Ram was waiting in her seat—


[Assistant] “—Ngh.” Through the closed door, Subaru could hear the voices from Ram’s treatment. The intense, trembling voice that sounded like it was biting back against the pain was Ram. Emilia and Beatrice were working together to do the job that her lost horn had done. The burden that Ram bore was another of the things that Subaru had only learned about because of this trip.

[User] “It’s ironic. Ram has the tough sort of mentality to be able to survive by herself, but her body can’t handle living on her own.”

[Assistant] “…I don’t know. It’s true that Ms. Ram has a self-reliant strength, but that does not necessarily mean it is something that she wishes for herself. After all, it’s not as if she is ashamed of her current state.”

[User] “…Well, that’s true, too.” No one really cared what some outsider’s unrelated imagination of them was. Ram had her own thoughts, and it was a bit insincere to talk about her on appearances alone.

[Assistant] “Still, you’re really observant of people. It’s not like you’ve even spoken with Ram that much.”

[User] “Something I’ve learned from painful experience. People can’t live alone. Were it not for you still miraculously remembering me, I don’t know what I would have done by now.”

[Assistant] Julius gave a relaxed shrug. He was acting calm, but Subaru also felt like there was a grave honesty in his words.


[User] He wasn’t sure whether Julius realized it, but in the past twenty days, he had told Subaru about himself in all sorts of ways. It’s probably partly the trauma of having been forgotten that’s making him do that.

[Assistant] "—Natsuki, Julius, you two have a moment? We should talk about the path going forward tomorrow.”

[User] "Whoops, that’s a pretty important thing to discuss.” Just when a solemn silence was starting to fall over them, Anastasia broke in. She struggled to walk on the sand as she came over to the two.

[Assistant] “Whew, that’s a pain. I’m amazed both of you can walk around normally.”

[User] “I’ve trained with poor footing. Though I can’t exactly claim it was all for this moment.”

[Assistant] “When the footing is bad, it’s better to step forcefully. That’s the Clind school of thought.” That was part of the fundamentals he had learned for running on poor footing from his parkour instructor.

[User] Anastasia nodded, seemingly a bit impressed, and then she lowered the cloth covering her mouth slightly. “The winds are bad, too, and it’s hard to get enough air. I’d love to get out of here soon so I can take nice and deep breaths again.”

[Assistant] “Same. Also, I want to take a bath. Your face and head end up covered in sand so fast out here.” He had now learned from painful experience why people who live in desert regions wrapped turbans around their heads. It worked against the sand and extreme heat and cold. It made sense logically, but people who lived in extreme environments really did have good reasons for what they did. Subaru had not exactly done nothing, but halfway measures were not enough to protect against the sand.

[User] “Agreed on the bath. But getting out of theses dunes is gonna be troublesome— You both noticed, right?” Her smile disappeared, and her voice dropped a little bit.

[Assistant] Subaru and Julius glanced at each other and nodded. “Yes. We spent half a day today going straight toward the tower, and yet…”

[User] “—It didn’t get any closer at all.” Julius finished Subaru’s line, and then they both sighed. On the first day, they had confirmed that they could deal with the sand time and that Meili’s anti–demon beast effect worked. But put another way, that was all they had achieved.

[Assistant] “Was this trick why Reinhard couldn’t reach the tower…?”

[User] “When we spoke with him before, I had imagined something like this might happen…but it’s quite different to experience it ourselves.”

[Assistant] “Wait, so you noticed it, too?! Say so sooner!”

[User] “I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t want to cause any undue alarm.”

[Assistant] “What’s with you people always doing this…?”

[User] Subaru just glared up at him. “Can you spare me that crap? I won’t be mad if you share your thoughts! If anything, that might be how we find the light at the end of the tunnel here."


[User] "Where do all of you get the idea to just make a mental note and keep things to yourself? You think the situation’s just going to suddenly get better somehow that way? At least in my experience, there hasn’t been one time where I wished I hadn’t said anything!"

[Assistant] "O-okay. Apologies."

[User] "Even if it’s something that seems trivial, just tell someone immediately. ‘If you see something, say something’ is the most fundamental of fundamentals, right? And if you’re hiding anything else, Anastasia, you better spill it now." He reaffirmed for Julius and Anastasia the same thing he had told Ram.

[Assistant] Julius looked like he was remorseful, faltering in a way that was unlike the finest knight.

[User] Anastasia put her hand to her mouth at Subaru’s broadside. "Oh my. I never would have imagined being told off by you when we first met. But you’re right. I’ll have to reflect on my handling of it, too."

[Assistant] "The first step in reflection is confession time. If you come clean now, I promise I won’t get too pissed."

[User] "You’re quite the charmer, Natsuki. This half day walking around the dunes, I firmed up a feeling I had. The reason we aren’t getting any closer to the tower is because the space around us is warped."

[Assistant] "Warped…?" Subaru cocked his head at Anastasia’s revelation.

[User] She pointed toward the direction where the tower was. "Basically, the tower and the dunes are connected, but also not really connected. It’s possible we’ve just been walking around in circles in the same place this whole time."

[Assistant] "And that’s why the Auguria Dunes are so impassable. It makes sense." Anastasia sounded almost indifferent as she explained, and Julius nodded deeply, as if understanding. Of course, that was something that their guide Anastasia/Foxidna should already have known, though—

[User] "I told you, didn’t I? It took me half a day of close observation to be sure of it." Sensing Subaru’s eyes, Anastasia waved both hands, pleading that she had not been deceiving them.

[Assistant] He just let his suspicions go for the moment. "Okay then, this twist in space has sunk countless adventurers before us, so how are we going to deal with it?"

[User] "It’s a difficult question. And breaking through might even be the wrong way of thinking about it. This could just be a natural trap created by the thick miasma. There doesn’t have to be any intention behind it at all."

[Assistant] "This is a trap created by nature?!" Subaru’s eyes widened in shock at that unexpected possibility.


[User] “It’s possible the tower was built here precisely because of this occurrence. That’s a perfectly logical interpretation. It all depends on the intent of the watchtower’s builders and the purpose it was designed to serve in the first place.” Julius’s words managed to pull Subaru back from the unthinking cul-de-sac he was on the verge of getting trapped in.

[Assistant] Subaru had a bitter look on his face.

[User] “—The watchtower was supposedly made in order to keep watch on the shrine, where the Witch of Jealousy…”

[Assistant] “Maybe the reason the Sage never shows their face is because they can’t get out, either?”

[User] “That’s an interesting theory… But don’t go underestimating me.”

[Assistant] “Huh?”

[User] Anastasia smiled fearlessly as Subaru’s eyes widened at her reaction, and there was a look of anticipation in Julius’s gaze. "I’m the one who took the job of guiding us to the Pleiades Watchtower. Once a merchant takes a job, she follows through to the end. And I don’t plan to fail now.”

[Assistant] “Then you are able to see the path to the tower, Lady Anastasia?”

[User] “Not me. But I do have an idea about who might be able to find it.” Anastasia looked off in the distance toward the tower.

[Assistant] Anastasia’s eyes narrowed listening to the sound of the sand. “The sand times when the wind picks up are connected to the effects of space warping and shifting. The sand time is when the twisted space starts to come apart. And beyond those cracks is the real sea of sand that connects to the tower.”

[User] “The real…sea of sand…”

[Assistant] “And when it comes to finding that crack, the most important person here is—” Anastasia’s mouth cracked into a smile as she pointed her hand to a certain point.

[User] Looking there, Subaru and Julius both furrowed their brows.

[Assistant] Anastasia was pointing at the carriage where Emilia and Beatrice were working on taking care of Ram—

[User] “—Ram."


[User] “Ram is our key to getting outta this labyrinth of sand.”

[Assistant] “I understand the situation. You are quite the slave driver.”

[User] “I can’t really say much when you put it that way… Do you really understand, though?”

[Assistant] “Understand what? Your villainous streak, asking me to strain myself to the limit on the same day that you told me not to overdo it? Yes, I understand quite well, you brute.”

[User] “Ugh.” Subaru grimaced a bit and shrank under Ram’s harsh gaze.

[Assistant] “Ram, it’s not like Subaru is asking you to do it because he wants to. He just immediately went back on what he originally said because he thought that was the best choi—”

[User] “Emilia, that isn’t helping. I suppose it’s also just going to make Subaru even more depressed.” Subaru was shriveling away as Beatrice stopped Emilia for him.

[Assistant] Watching the three of them, Ram sighed in exasperation. "So then what do you say? It was my idea, but do you think you can do it?”

[User] “Barusu is correct. I am the only one who can fill the role you are suggesting, Lady Anastasia. And…” Ram looked toward the back of the carriage where Rem was sleeping.

[Assistant] “There’s a good and well-considered reason for it. So I won’t hesitate.” Because of that, she could confidently take on the task set for her.

[User] “But your condition is a concern. Your clairvoyance, was it? That wears you out, right?”

[Assistant] “There’s no other person suited to this task. It is technically a secret art of the Oni tribe, so no one else can use it.”

[User] “Right… It would have been better if I could have taken your place…” Emilia averted her eyes.

[Assistant] Subaru was the only one who noticed Ram’s kind gaze at Emilia.

[User] “So Ram is up for it—that leaves Meili.” Not commenting on Ram’s gaze, Subaru turned his attention to Meili.

[Assistant] "Me?" Meili cocked her head.

[User] “Yeah."


[User] "We’re going to be doing a bit of a variation on a wave tactic, and we’re going to need your help for it, too.”

[Assistant] “You need to find the demon beasts, right? I can’t really say exactly where they are like that, but I can point you to the general place.”

[User] “That’s what I wanted to hear.” Subaru clenched his fist at that answer. —That means the plan itself is at least possible to execute.

[Assistant] Anastasia’s suggestion for finding the opening during the sand time was incredibly simple. "Using Ram’s clairvoyance, we can see what the demon beasts here in the dunes see. With the demon beasts active even during sand time, there should be a few that come across the crack in space wherever it is.”

[User] “For that to work, we need Meili to help find the demon beasts so she can share the location with Ram. It’s a plan that will require quite a number of attempts, but…she won’t hold back.”

[Assistant] Subaru and Julius were holding the reins for their land dragons, waiting for the signal from inside the carriage that one of the attempts had succeeded. Ram’s desperate attempts to challenge the sand time began the next day after they discussed it.


[User] Inside the carriage, Ram was concentrating and using her clairvoyance to peek on the demon beasts’ fields of view. If she could find a trace of the crack in the sand time from one of them, they could pin down that demon beast’s location and rush the carriage there to get through the opening. But naturally, it wasn’t that simple. It was an enormous desert, and there were an absurd number of demon beasts of all types. Ram’s clairvoyance could only connect with targets whose wavelength could be matched—she was going to have to try a lot of times.

[Assistant] “…Meili, skip the reports of demon beasts underground. There’s no point if they can’t see.”

[User] “I can’t differentiate that much. Maybe you shouldn’t give up on ones you find so quickly?”

[Assistant] As the failures piled up, the physical and mental exhaustion continued to build, and it was particularly bad for the two main prongs of this plan. No, Meili is just pointing out the location of the demon beasts. But Ram’s exhaustion from using her ability is getting worse and worse.

[User] “Sand time comes three times a day. So those are the only shots we get at it. But we also can’t let ourselves get impatient, either.”

[Assistant] “We have a limited supply of rations and water. And the miasma here will affect them over time, too. It takes courage to choose to turn back. Remember we always have the option to return to Mirula.” As two days blended into three, it became necessary to pay attention to more than just their progress in getting through the dunes.


[User] "Do your best, Joseph! Everyone’s counting on your horsepower!"

[Assistant] "Sorry, but please do your best!"

[User] Ram shook her head. "...Gh, no good. The connection broke." The past few days, Ram’s exhaustion from all the misses she checked with her clairvoyance had been building to extreme levels. Emilia and Beatrice wiped the sweat from her head and cast healing magic for her. Ram’s condition would improve slightly after her treatment every night.

[Assistant] Standing outside the carriage, Julius and Subaru were looking up at the bright sun.

[User] "...Yeah, you don’t have to tell me that.”

[Assistant] Anastasia emerged from the carriage and joined the two of them. "The idea itself isn’t wrong. It’s just a question of the stars aligning, I guess?"

[User] "Stars aligning, huh?" Subaru scratched his head roughly. “In other words, it’s pure luck… But it’s not like any of us here are particularly lucky to begin with.”

[Assistant] "No luck, bad luck, and tragic luck. That’s the whole reason this trip started in the first place.”

[User] “Like I’m going to let this be swayed by something as vague as luck.” Subaru stretched his hand up to the sky and clenched it tightly.

[Assistant] Julius stared at the blue sky.

[User] Anastasia stared at the blue sky.

[Assistant] “Ah. A bird. I guess it would want to fly around when the sky’s this stunning.” Shading her eyes with her hand, Anastasia looked up.

[User] Looking in the same direction, Subaru saw she was right—there was a bird flying in the sky.


[User] "A bird?" Suddenly, a strange feeling stopped him. Subaru furrowed his brow, trying to find the source of it.

[Assistant] "—Ngh! Ram! Can you use your clairvoyance again?!" On instinct, Subaru opened the door to the carriage and called for Ram.

[User] "...What is it, Barusu? You should warn us before coming in—" Ram was in the middle of treatment, and she glared at Subaru with a slightly reddened face.

[Assistant] "I'm sorry! But save it for later! There's a bird flying in the sky right now! Can you see through its eyes?"

[User] "A bird…? Why should I…?" Put off by Subaru's intensity, Ram's brow furrowed.

[Assistant] "Subaru, a bird…" Emilia gasped and put her hand to her mouth

[User] "Right, the story we heard from the guy at the tavern. That the birds in the dunes fly toward the tower."

[Assistant] "Ram!"

[User] "Stop shouting. You'll break my concentration." Realizing the urgency of the situation from Emilia and Subaru's exchange, Ram had already started moving. Slumping deep into her seat, she took a single deep breath. And then the air about her changed.

[Assistant] Ram activated her clairvoyance, and her vision linked with that of the living beings in her surroundings. With a specific target in mind, she could see what it was seeing. However, there was no guarantee. Whether the bird in the sky's wavelength would match Ram's was impossible to know—

[User] "—Got it."

[Assistant] "—Ngh! Julius! Get the carriage! Beako, come with me!" —It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot, and they all leaped into motion. Subaru held Beatrice as he leaped onto Patlash; Emilia slipped in next to Ram and supported her. Anastasia tumbled back into the carriage, and Meili went up to the driver’s seat.

[User] Julius cracked the reins, giving the land dragon the signal to run—

[Assistant] "Let's go! This time, we're gonna make it through the sand time!" They started running across the sea of sand again, determined to break through.


[User] "The demon beasts are one thing, but there’s no way a normal bird could fly in the sky here.”

[Assistant] “No matter how you look at it, that bird can’t be normal. There has to be some sort of trick to it.”

[User] “Straight ahead. It isn’t letting the tower leave its sight at all. Barusu’s suspicion was correct. For once, his twisted, untrusting personality has paid off.”

[Assistant] “Phrasing!”


[User] While they were chasing after the bird, the sand time had started up again. Beneath a cloak and hood, covering their faces and every bit of skin they could, they pressed forward through the sand and wind. Through the black of night and the sand that filled their eyes, relying on Ram’s clairvoyance for guidance.

[Assistant] Subaru and Beatrice were clinging to each other, braced against the sandstorm as they rode atop Patlash.

[User] In order to reassure himself, Subaru hugged the girl in his arms tighter.

[Assistant] “—Straight ahead. Straight ahead.” Her voice should not have been audible from inside the carriage, but the steadfast advance of the carriage spoke for her.

[User] Grinning at the crazy situation, holding the cloth over his mouth.

[Assistant] “—hn?” He felt a bit of air pass his lips.


[User] The field of view suddenly cleared. The sandstorm that had been bellowing so loudly all around them could no longer be heard. The pelting grains of sand disappeared like an illusion. There had always been more of a wind down when the sand time ended before. The sandy wind gradually weakening until it withdrew like an ebbing tide and the smell of sand started to waft up. But that didn’t happen. It was as if it had cut off all of a sudden. As they had been dragged onto a completely different stage from where the sandstorm was blowing.

[Assistant] "—Julius." Moving his dry lips as he turned.

[User] Seeing Subaru, Julius was looking stunned at having escaped the sandstorm, just like Subaru. However, hearing Subaru, he adjusted his grip on the reins and nodded.

[User] And they both raised their fists, celebrating having broken through the sand time.

[Assistant] "We did it! We did it!"

[User] "Yes! And I wonder why you were yelling so much in Betty’s ears? !" Beatrice’s palm stretched up from beneath him, sending his head back.

[Assistant] Swinging back with the momentum of the hit, Subaru glared down at Beatrice.

[User] "Wha’ w’s ’at all o’ a ’udd’n?! ’U ’ade ’e ’ite ’y ’ong’!"

[Assistant] "You were so annoying muttering to yourself while holding Betty! ‘Downburst’ this and ‘off-road’ that and whatever you were talking about! Always ringing in Betty’s ears!"

[User] Subaru blushed realizing that everything he had mumbled while clinging onto Beatrice for comfort to keep from losing hope had actually been said out loud. He coughed awkwardly.

[Assistant] "Uh, a-anyway. We managed to splendidly break through the sand time. Come on, three cheers! Hip hip hooray!"

[User] "…Hooray…"

[Assistant] Even if Beatrice was sulking, that didn’t change the fact that they had managed to push through a major obstacle. Rubbing Patlash and thanking her for her hard work, Subaru looked at the tower right in front of them, visible in the night sky. Perhaps because the effects of the miasma had lessened after getting through the sand time, the stars were visible in the night sky. And with that light, it was clear to see that the silhouette of the tower had gotten closer. As proof, they could even see the foot of the tower that had not been visible before—

[User] "See, it’s proof that the stage has changed. The desert has become a field of flowers—"

[User] "A field…of flowers…?" Beatrice also froze, her big round eyes opening wide.

[Assistant] As the excitement at making it through settled, Subaru’s cheek tensed. In his arms, Beatrice also froze, her big round eyes opening wide. Having survived the menace of the sand time, the party had finally closed the distance with the Pleiades Watchtower. And surrounding them now was a vibrant, beautiful paradise of flowers. The phrase in full bloom came to mind as Subaru looked around.


[User] If it was just a field of flowers, then he might have felt a moment’s peace at the tranquil scene. But they were in a barren desert riddled with miasma and demon beasts—it was an impossible field of flowers. The vibrant and brilliant colors of the field of flowers covered the ground all around them. It was a paradise filled with so many flowers that there was quite literally nowhere to step without trampling them. Subaru felt an odd sense of déjà vu at such an abnormal and incomprehensible scene. Mysterious and bizarre, a combination of unnatural and irrational. The identity of the doubt he was feeling was—

[Assistant] "—They’re oiran bears." Meili spoke at the same time that Subaru’s instincts reached an answer. Glancing over, he saw that Meili had moved to the driver’s bench of the carriage and was staring at the field around them. She always looked composed and at ease, but the blood drained from her face, and there was a tense urgency in her eyes.

[User] "Oiran bears…?"

[Assistant] "Demon beasts disguising themselves as flowers that attack people. Normally they lie in wait with their mates in forests, though…"

[User] Hearing that, Subaru looked around again. The colorful flower garden extended as far as the eye could see—it depended on how big the demon beasts were, but it sure didn’t look like just one or two. A chill ran down Subaru’s spine as he imagined being attacked by that many demon beasts.

[Assistant] "Subaru, what happened? Ram said her clairvoyance suddenly broke off…" Emilia was peeking out of the small window on the carriage.

[User] "—Stop there, Emilia-tan. Stay calm and stay quiet." Subaru immediately gestured to stop her.

[Assistant] Emilia quickly closed her mouth, guessing from Subaru’s tone of voice and the sudden appearance of a field of flowers that something strange was going on.

[User] "These flowers…"

[Assistant] "If the sand time was the first stage, then the second is the garden of demon beasts… It looks like the Sage’s nastiness is on a whole ’nother level."

[User] A second trap set to catch people when their guard was down after having just cleared the first stage. Meili’s warning and the fact that the demon beasts just happened to be sleeping. Were it not for both of those…

[Assistant] "It’s too soon to breathe easy… I suppose you should save it for after we get out of here."

[User] "I’m not fearless enough to be able to breathe easily in a situation like this— The tower is…over there?" Subaru managed to pry his gaze away from the field of flowers. The silhouette of the tower was much closer than before they pushed through the sand time. It had been correct to rely on Ram’s clairvoyance. However—

[Assistant] "Demon beasts are most violent right after they wake up. So…" She probably wanted to tell everyone to keep quiet, but she stopped partway. The reason was obvious.


[User] "—Ngh." Subaru’s throat clenched as he saw a demon beast stand up a few yards in front of him. Not because of the sudden movement, but because of how repulsive the monster was.

[Assistant] Meili had called it an oiran bear, and it did have a bearlike form. But that only applied to its silhouette. There was a crucial difference. It was almost three yards tall. The legs were short, but its arms were long enough to reach the ground while standing. There were vibrant flowers growing from its back, but its front side was the most impactful. The roots of the flowers extending through its body and out the front were so dense they almost looked like black fur. Between the sunken eye sockets and the dim eyes, it almost seemed like a living corpse, as if the roots were absorbing all the vitality from the body. The flowers and beast were not living in harmony. The flowers were clearly killing it.

[User] "Ugh."

[Assistant] "—Don’t move."

[User] The corpse-like demon beast sniffed, as if confirming their presence. Subaru started to gulp at that.

[Assistant] Meili stopped him. There was a sickly sweet scent in the air. The disconnect between the fragrance of the flowers and the hideousness of the bear made Subaru want to vomit. It even made him miss the violent sandstorm. If only it could just come and blow all this away. But that plea wasn’t to be, and the oiran bear reached its claws out toward—

[User] "Psst." There was a sound that drew the oiran bear’s attention from Subaru. It was Meili, who had kept her head better than everyone else. She put her finger to her lips, indicating for Subaru and everyone else to calm down.

[Assistant] She held her finger out and tried to draw the oiran bear’s attention toward her. "Psst psst psst." She waggled her finger side to side while making noises to get its attention. It was almost like what a person might do to comfort a kitten. It would have been a cute image if it had actually been a kitten she was doing it to, but with a ferocious demon beast, it was like a scene from a horror movie. "Psst psst psst psst." She kept going, wagging her finger as she made noises, and gradually the oiran bear’s attention shifted from her to her finger. "Psst psst psst…pssst." After centering its focus on her finger, she pointed it to the side of the carriage. Drawn by that, the oiran bear followed her finger’s invitation, slowly taking one step in that direction.

[User] "—Ngh." Subaru accidently let out a little sigh of relief when he saw it starting to move away. Emilia and Beatrice were still frozen, but the tension in their eyes was gradually abating. If the one that had already gotten up moved away, then they might be able to discuss how to deal with the rest of the field.


[User] We haven’t even had time to celebrate actually making it through the sand time together ye—

[Assistant] "Graaaaarrr!" A low, thundering growl resounded across the field.

[User] “Shit.” Joseph’s roar broke the silence.


[Assistant] The oiran bear spun in that direction. All of the sleeping oiran bears woke up as well. The field suddenly rose up as one, unleashing a savage howl. The air was filled with the noxiously sweet fragrance of the flowers, and the base killing instinct of the bears permeated the area as the demon beasts charged at the carriage.

[User] “—That’s enough!” Mana rapidly formed into an ice spear before running through one of the demon beasts right in the face.

[Assistant] The head of the spear entered its opened mouth, crushing its head from the inside and freezing it at the same time. The oiran bear collapsed backward without a noise, dead, knocking several of its friends backward with it.

[User] “Ruuuuuun!! !” Subaru shouted.

[Assistant] Julius cracked the reins violently, sending the carriage racing. Patlash started sprinting, too. They blew past the demon beasts standing still in shock and charged through the field of flowers.

[User] one beat later, the mob of demon beasts started running after them.

[Assistant] “They’re coming they’re coming they’re coming they’re coming they’re comiiiiing!”

[User] All around them, the enormous field of flowers peeled backward, releasing a sweet scent as the ferocious demon beasts pressed toward them. They were rising everywhere, from all around. At the end of their long arms, it was like they were wearing nightmarish cactus gloves.

[Assistant] “Ey! Ya! Yeah! Youuuu…hit them!” Emilia had leaped up on the roof of the carriage and was swinging both arms, creating countless ice blades to keep the demon beasts’ savage attacks at bay.

[User] The bluish dance of light visited a beautiful but cruel death upon the demon beasts, creating a little bit of space around the carriage.

[Assistant] “Whoooooa! That’s my Emilia-tan! I’m falling in love all over again!”

[User] “You seem awfully composed, Barusu. If you don’t want to die, then you better run like your life depends on it.”

[Assistant] “Obviously… Wait, Ram? !”

[User] Subaru saw that the driver of the carriage had shifted from Julius to Ram.


[User] Her exhaustion from using clairvoyance was still obvious on her face, but it didn’t affect her handling of the reins.

[Assistant] Leaving the driving to her, Julius had drawn his sword and moved around to the side of the carriage, deftly slashing any demon beasts that dared approach. "I cannot allow Lady Emilia to shoulder this burden alone." Sensing Subaru’s eyes, Julius responded with grace and refinement.

[User] All the while, his knight’s sword flashed adroitly, piercing the arms and faces of several different demon beasts, shaving away at their ability to fight.

[Assistant] Thrusting forcefully at another that charged in, there was a flash as his blade pierced straight into its head, destroying its brain. Minimal motion for maximal effect. The epitome of the finest swordsmanship.

[User] "Damn it. I’m not gonna lose now! You ready to go, Beako? !"

[Assistant] "Naturally! You aren’t going to run out of gas, are you, Suba…ru? !"

[User] Subaru was holding the reins in one hand while lifting Beatrice up with the other, standing her up on Patlash’s back. They held hands, and Subaru felt something fiery welling up in the pit of his stomach—

[Assistant] "Minya!" A purple crystal appeared with her cast, taking aim at a demon beast blocking Patlash’s path.

[User] Lining up the target, accelerating for a brief instant, and then it hit. Hit by the purple arrow, the demon beast recoiled as its head crystallized and then shattered like glass.

[Assistant] "All right, good one, Beako!"

[User] "But I can’t fire recklessly! We have to carefully manage yo— Minya!"

[Assistant] "What happened to careful management? !"

[User] Beatrice’s ability to keep fighting depended on Subaru’s mana supply. And unfortunately, Subaru’s mana was a drop in the bucket compared to the number of demon beasts they were dealing with. Beatrice’s tuning ability was top-notch, but each shot still shaved away at Subaru’s spirit. Emilia, Julius, and Subaru and Beatrice were all fighting the good fight, and set off by that—

[Assistant] "Ugh! Arrrgh! This was my ace in the hole!" Their ultimate weapon who had stayed silent so far finally stood up and stamped on the carriage with a red face.

[User] Looking at the demon beasts that refused to obey her, she held out her palm. "Here’s a punishment for bad children! Come, sandworm!"

[Assistant] It sounded like the words of a sulking child picking a fight, but in response, there was a tremendous force that shook the ground beneath the oiran bears. Sand welled up from the ground as the enormous sandworm reared its head.

[User] "Raaarghhh!"

[Assistant] "No way? !"

[User] There was an awful stench as it rose into the air and swallowed several oiran bears. The sight of it chewing on them and then knocking back a dozen more just by wriggling its body was stunning.

[Assistant] "Gooo, sandworm! Smash ’em all!"

[User] "Wait, really?! Are you serious?! Hey! Really?! Like actually? !"

[Assistant] The sandworm’s giant body slammed down, crushing a dozen oiran bears beneath it as sand, the scent of flowers, and death throes filled the air.


[User] Meili clapped her hands, and there were eruptions of sand one after the other from multiple different spots. Action/Narration

[Assistant] Emilia’s magic, Action/Narration

[User] Beatrice’s magic, Action/Narration

[Assistant] Julius’s sword, Action/Narration

[User] Meili’s power Action/Narration

[Assistant] “Just a little bit more! If we push straight through to the tower like this…”

[User] Believing in that possibility, Subaru called out to his comrades as loud as he could.

[Assistant] Just a little bit more. Just keep it up for a little bit longer.

[User] “—?” Suddenly, Subaru’s pupils narrowed.

[Assistant] “Wh—?” But he never finished his question.

[User] "" A light flashed through the sky, hitting Subaru’s head straight on.


[Assistant] In an instant, Subaru Natsuki was vaporized from the neck up, and his consciousness was erased without even a moment to think.

[User] There was no one able to call out in that one moment of terrible spectacle. Because everyone who saw it, everyone who started to cry out, was vaporized in the same way, too.

[Assistant] Having lost their heads, the land dragons collapsed to the ground, and the carriage tumbled on its side. The dry desert sands eagerly drank the rivers of blood until nothing remained.

[User] And finally, slowly, the grains of sand swallowed everything, pulling it down into the depths of the desert, hiding everything from sight. Not even bloody flowers remained as evidence of their journey. It was all was taken by the sand.

[Assistant] The party was completely wiped out.


[User] I saw a light. That’s all. He could remember looking straight up at the tower in front of him. Then he noticed a light out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes had reacted to it. But that was all he could remember. No pain, no shock, no fear. For Subaru Natsuki, at least one of those was always present when he experienced death. An intense pain that made him want to cry, a bloodcurdling shock, or the terror of losing everything. Instead, there was nothing. In a way, it had been a far kinder death than any other he had experienced. Of course, in the moment, with his head vaporized, Subaru had not been able to perceive the kindness of the death, but also, he didn’t have any time to linger on the memory of it. It was like the blink of an eye. It was no more than a single instant, barely long enough to notice that his vision had gone dark, and then he had returned to life, moving backward to be thrown back into reality.

[Assistant] "—Psst psst psst."

[User] Subaru opened his eyes as there was an almost unbearable heaviness that froze his senses. The sound of blood flowing through his body was distractingly loud in his ears, and a lance of pain shot through him when he tried to stretch and flex his muscles. He was gripping the reins so tightly his fingernails were biting into his palm, and Beatrice’s warm body pressed against his chest.

[Assistant] “…Wha—?" In the dim light, he looked down at Beatrice’s head from up close. The aggressively sweet scent that filled his nose was different from what he usually smelled whenever he hugged her tight. There was a sickly sweetness to it, almost like toxic gas clinging to his nostrils. Subaru had once heard that smell was the sense most strongly connected with memory. But there was no need to resort to memory to experience that scent now. It was all around him. The bigger problem was that his memory associated with that smell cut off only a few seconds ago.

[User] "Psst psst psst psst." As Subaru’s consciousness struggled to catch up, a rhythmic sound rang in his ears. Beatrice, who he was holding tightly to his chest, had gone stiff, and Patlash was watching with bated breath, eyeing the terrifying demon beast standing right in front of the carriage where Emilia and Rem were riding. It was a ferocious, blood-starved demon beast with thin roots all over its body—an oiran bear. That instant, the raw reality of his death finally hit Subaru in a way that a phrase like déjà vu couldn’t even begin to describe, and he started to shudder. There’s no mistaking it. I definitely died and came back. Subaru Natsuki had returned by death.

[Assistant] "—Ngh."


[User] Subaru gnashed his teeth more at the checkpoint he’d been saddled with than the fact that he had died.

[Assistant] Meili was trying to coax the demon beast to peacefully pass by the carriage.

[User] Even knowing that, though, Subaru was unsure how to respond. He couldn’t see Joseph to judge his condition from where he was sitting on Patlash.

[Assistant] "Psst psst psst…pssst!" There was a change in the noises Meili was making, and her finger pointed to the right side of the carriage.

[User] "Juli—”

[Assistant] "Graaaaarrr!" Joseph’s roar drowned out his voice. Just like before, Joseph roared and stamped, waking up all the oiran bears at once with the noise and tremors.

[User] Emilia leaped gracefully up onto the carriage roof as she unleashed her magic and roared valiantly. "That’s enough!"

[Assistant] "R-run run run run run run run!" Subaru immediately pushed Patlash to run and started shouting, and the carriage picked up speed right behind him as well.


[User] "—Ngh." It was the first time Subaru had ever experienced a reset that was such a waste.

[Assistant] "Subaru! We don’t have time to get distracted!" Beatrice slammed her back against his chest.


[User] "Minya! Minya! And another Minya!" The mana in Subaru’s body passed through her hand and transformed into destructive power.

[Assistant] The purple crystals she created pierced the demon beasts and crystallized their hideous bodies.

[User] Runs forward through the beasts.

[Assistant] "My ace-in-the-hole sandworm!"

[User] Saw an explosion of sand out of the corner of his eye. The sandworm rose from the soft ground, swallowing several of the oiran bears in its enormous maw and crushing another dozen with its massive body.

[Assistant] "—Barusu! If you don’t want to die, then ride like your life depends on it!" Scolds him sharply from the driver’s bench, reins in hand, controlling the agitated Joseph.

[User] Is simmering in an aimless anxiety.

[Assistant] "We can’t go toward the tower like this! Ram, change routes!"

[User] "—Ngh. What are you saying? It’s a straight shot to the tower, and every other direction is filled with demon beasts!"

[Assistant] "I know, but if we keep going this way, it won’t work!"

[User] "If you’ve noticed something, then just spit it out, Barusu!"

[Assistant] "If I could, I would! For now, just change routes!"

[User] Shouted angrily at Subaru as he yelled back.

[Assistant] Thinking. "This is a nasty way to seal my reset ability."


[User] "Ram! Do what Subaru said!"

[Assistant] "Subaru wouldn’t say something strange like that without a good reason!" Unleashing a fusillade of ice chunks at the demon beasts, she nodded forcefully.

[User] "Barusu says strange things and shares rash ideas almost every time he opens his mouth!"

[Assistant] "Subaru wouldn’t ever say something strange like that in such a dangerous situation without a good reason!"

[User] "Gee, thanks for that clarification!"

[Assistant] Stuck her front legs into the sand and executed a hairpin turn. She kicked hard, sending a rampaging oiran bear flying before dashing off in the new direction.

[User] "—Ngh! Hold on tight, everyone outside!"


[User] Following Subaru, Ram deftly guided Joseph into the same direction. The top of the carriage was particularly more unstable in such a swerve, so Emilia and Julius were forced to hang on to the ceiling for dear life to avoid being thrown off. There was a violent thud as the carriage sideswiped a demon beast, but it somehow managed to make the turn and hold together in—

[Assistant] There was an earsplitting screech, and a bitter wind filled the air. Turning around reflexively, Subaru saw what had happened.

[User] “The sandworm…gh.”

[Assistant] Behind them was a twenty-yard-long sandworm towering over the sands. Its torso exploded like it had taken a direct hit from an artillery round. And unable to support its massive body anymore, it slowly—

[User] “Get out of the wayyyyy!! !”

[Assistant] The sandworm’s body slumping to the ground was more than heavy enough to completely flatten the carriage. The oiran bears caught underneath it cried out in agony as Subaru and Ram directed their land dragons, forcibly changing course to avoid the falling sandworm.

[User] “Whoaaaaaa? !”

[Assistant] An explosive shock wave rippled out, and a cloud of sand swallowed him. Losing his grip on the reins, Subaru immediately leaped, clutching Beatrice tightly to his chest. He rolled across the sand hard, rolling, rolling, until finally he stopped.

[User] “Th-th-that was dangerous…!”

[Assistant] “Subaru! We messed up!” His face was covered in sand, but he only had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief before Beatrice shouted, brushing away the flower petals in her face and stared at the dense cloud of dust filling the sky. “We’ve gotten separated from the carriage! We’re all alone!”

[User] “What? !”

[Assistant] Frantically looking around, he saw the giant sandworm’s corpse lying on the ground in the rising sand. The oiran bears that got caught under it had all been turned into hideous corpses, and the desert had become a sea of blood. And that sea had cut off Subaru and Beatrice from Emilia and everyone else. In the distance, he could hear the demon beast roars and the earsplitting sounds of combat. They were still fighting hard over there. But they would have to overcome a swarm of demon beasts in order to meet back up again.

[User] “Half the fighting strength! And it feels like twice as many enemies…!”

[Assistant] “I suppose that means it’s four times worse than before!”

[User] Hearing Beatrice’s determination, Subaru bit his lip, strongly regretting his choice.

[Assistant] My mistake, my failure. I didn’t get enough value out of my last loop. I thought I had learned to do more, that I could do more things now, that I was a little better than before. But fate just laughed at Subaru Natsuki’s superficial wit and tricks, crushing them all underfoot. “That bastard Regulus was a lot easier to deal with than a swarm of demon beasts…!”

[User] “We don’t have time for your grumbling! We have to—”

[Assistant] “I know!


[User] "I need to think of—" Standing up, he looked around for Patlash so they could start moving. Without her legs, no plan he could come up with had any chance of working. In that moment, he noticed a white light at the edge of his vision, and every hair on his body stood on end. "Light—" Just as the word left his stunned lips, it closed in on him from across the sands. The white light beaming out from the middle of the watchtower. It tore through sandy ground, shredding the demon beasts in its path as it flew straight toward him. The moment it was about to mercilessly shatter Subaru Natsuki—

[Assistant] "—gh." A black shadow leaped in front of Subaru, and then he went tumbling. Subaru’s body flew across the sand from the impact. His head hurt, and he was woozy. Realizing he was splayed on the ground, he blinked several times. "Wh…at…?" Propping himself up like he was just getting out of bed, he looked around. And then he noticed it. Patlash’s big body had collapsed beside him, completely limp. There was a terrible wound in her side, and the smell of burnt flesh and blood was wafting from it. Recalling what had just happened, Subaru realized that Patlash had covered him.

[User] "—Subaru!" Just as he realized what happened, Beatrice cried out his name. Looking over, he saw her running from a short distance away. She had a pained, sorrowful expression on her face. Following her blue eyes, Subaru saw his own body. Just like Patlash’s wound, there was a clean hole blown through the right side of his stomach.

[Assistant] "Agh…" When he saw the wound, blood welled up in his throat, and his vision tilted to the side. He had collapsed and couldn’t move anymore. All the strength left his body, and his consciousness faded. He sensed someone kneeling next to him.

[User] "Subaru! Subaru! No! You can’t…don’t—don’t die…don’t leave me alone…! Nooo!" His shoulder was being shaken. He could hear a tearful cry. He wanted to reach out his hand, but he couldn’t move. Such a pretty face…but she’s crying… I can’t make her cry… "Don’t leave Betty behind…" She was sobbing as she desperately hugged Subaru. Subaru’s limp body was too much for her little arms to support, but even so, she tried her best. Tears streaked down her cheeks. At the very least, he wanted to wipe those tears for her. He searched everywhere on his body for something that could move, but nothing worked. But if his body couldn’t move, then he just had to draw on something that wasn’t part of his body.


[Assistant] “…Subaru…?" —An invisible hand, something that only he could see, wiped the tears from her cheek. The black finger touched the teardrop, and she was looking at Subaru as if realizing something. He tried to smile to put her at ease, but he didn’t have the strength.

[User] "Suba—" She started to say something.


[User] But the white light that came flying from somewhere far off in the distance interrupted her. Another shock pierced Subaru’s chest. Looking down slowly, he saw it had pierced the back of the girl clinging to him and then kept going until it had gone through his chest and out the back.

[Assistant] “—Ahh.” That rasp was her last. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the girl’s body transformed into particles of light and disappeared. As if she had never existed.

[User] “Agh…” Without her support, Subaru collapsed to the ground, unable to move. Without a reason to move. Pierced by the unfathomable white streak, Subaru’s insides were completely destroyed. And the swarm of demon beasts drew toward him, licking their lips. “” He stopped breathing, and his eyes lost focus. It was hard to say whether his life extinguished before the fangs and claws tore his body to shreds. Before that, his brain failed, and he couldn’t comprehend anything. —But at the very end, it felt like there was another white flash on the horizon.


[Assistant] “—Psst psst psst.” “” He wanted to praise himself for not screaming the moment he regained consciousness. Having returned to the demon beasts’ flower garden after a second death, Subaru frantically covered his mouth as he thought that.

[User] “Psst psst psst psst.” Meili was calling to the oiran bear, and the overpowering scent of flowers filled the air. The oiran bear blocking the carriage’s way was gradually focusing on Meili’s noises and her wagging finger. Everyone was holding their breath and waiting to see how it would unfold. Just a few minutes earlier, Subaru had watched this exact scene play out, unable to do anything. Touching the side of his torso where the killing blow had landed, he confirmed there was no more wound as his thoughts roared into motion. It was shocking, but he had to quickly shift gears. Forgetting about the swarm of monsters that had been chasing them a minute ago, he focused on the most immediate problem at hand. The problem at hand. The problem at hand. What—what is it? What’s going to happen? The smell, the sweetness, annoying, annoying, itchy, painful. Which one is now? His brain, which had been used and abused until he could swear it was boiling, suddenly realized something. He could feel Beatrice twitching ever so slightly against his chest. Seeing her watch the oiran bear’s every move without making so much as a sound breathed life back into Subaru’s brain cells. The death he just experienced came rushing back, as did Beatrice’s sobs and teary face. Right, right, right. Subaru had already died twice. This was his third time experiencing this moment. The first time had been a death he couldn’t understand. The second was— No, save it for later.

[Assistant] “Psst psst psst…pssst.” Right as his mind started running again, Meili caught the oiran bear’s attention. Drawn by her sounds and finger movement, the demon beast’s focus shifted away from the carriage.


[User] But that wouldn’t be enough for the menace to pass and everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. As the oiran bear slowly turned, the land dragon right in front of it breathed raggedly. Dealing with the overwhelming pressure of staring down the demon beast at close range and the scent of the flowers that made it so difficult to focus—the land dragon’s composure was steadily being worn down, and when that last thread frayed and broke, it would lose control. If Subaru couldn’t stop it, then he would be destined to repeat the same death. I have to stop it from panicking. But how? He couldn’t raise his voice. It was difficult to convey the situation to Julius, who was holding the land dragon’s reins. —There’s no time. Without a eureka moment in the next second, he would just have to roll the dice and call out to Julius. The last death had involved a stampede of demon beasts and the light from the watchtower…and Beatrice’s tears—

[Assistant] "—Beako, I love you." Hugging her small body from behind, he whispered in her ear.

[User] "—? !" Beatrice was shocked by that unprompted confession, but his hand was covering her mouth so she couldn’t say anything.

[Assistant] Instead, Subaru reached a hand out to the dragon in front of him—toward Joseph. A hand to gently soothe it, just like how he had wiped a tear from Beatrice’s cheek before he died. —Invisible Providence. He was busy telling Beatrice he loved her, so he just said the ability’s name in his mind. All of a sudden, in the center of his chest—it was a different feeling from when Beatrice was helping him channel mana—the black power was exuberant when he called it forth. An otherworldly invisible hand cheered at the opportunity to accomplish a noble task in slothful Subaru Natsuki’s stead. “” The black limb slowly reached out from Subaru’s chest toward the land dragon. Just like the original, no one was capable of seeing the hand other than Subaru. While feeling relieved at that, he also felt something inside himself being torn away. It was unclear what price had to be paid, but he knew instinctively that he couldn’t take too long. And he had no intention of doing so, either. The slender, outstretched hand gently patted the thick neck of the land dragon that was on the verge of losing control. He had only learned that was the best way for calming down this species of land dragon the morning before they set out into the sands. I never would have expected to use it in a situation like this, but I guess I should pay attention to what people are saying all the time. The land dragon shuddered at someone suddenly touching him, but he instinctively recognized that the hand didn’t harbor any ill will. His ragged breathing gradually calmed, and the tension left his body.


[User] "—Hmm?" Julius noticed the change, and he gently pulled the reins and started to pacify the dragon as well.

[Assistant] Joseph started visibly calming down.

[User] Subaru broke the connection with the invisible hand, and the black hand faded away. "Hah, phew…" That should be the immediate problem handled at least. The cost had been relying on a taboo power, but Subaru Natsuki’s style was to always use any cards he had to play. He didn’t have any qualms with that. But what bothered him was that the effect of having used the invisible hand was so much less intense than last time. The first time in the sanctuary when he used it against Garfiel, it had felt like half of his body had been stolen from him. But this time all that happened was he was breathing a little heavily. "It’s not just that I’m getting used to it…" Subaru felt more uneasy than relieved to have the sense of loss and hatred be so much lighter than before. It is better to have an option than not, but there’s nothing good about more rounds in the chamber when the game is Russian roulette. It’s a powerful ace in the hole, but—

[Assistant] "...Th-that’s enough, Subaru." Beatrice started struggling a bit in response to Subaru holding her up for so long.

[User] Subaru started to apologize when— "What happened, Beako? What’s with that look…?"

[Assistant] "It’s because you’ve been kneading Betty’s hair this whole time! What were you thinking? !"

[User] "Huh? I was?" Beatrice skillfully kept her voice down as she angrily let Subaru have it. Her glorious hair had been interwoven and tied up and had lost all shape. It was a style on the bleeding edge of fashion that was a little too far out for anyone to catch up with her. "The fact that you didn’t even realize you were doing it is annoying… You probably don’t even remember what you whispered to Betty, either."

[Assistant] "No, I remember that. Because I’ll love you forever."

[User] "Gah!" Beatrice’s face turned red immediately, and she covered her head with the cloak she was wearing.

[Assistant] Subaru looked around, spotting an area that wasn’t a part of the flower field. When Julius glanced at him, he gestured to head over there to talk. Fall back for now. It’s time to strategize.


[User] "Just when I was thinking we had cleared the sand time, this happens."

[Assistant] "It definitely feels like a full dose of the Sage’s nastiness.


[User] “There’s no opening and no letting our guard down.” Julius and Subaru both sighed after moving away from the flowers to a place where they could be confident in not provoking the oiran bears. Inside the carriage, Emilia and everyone else were in agreement.

[Assistant] Emilia was patting Meili’s head. “If you weren’t there, Meili, it would have been terrible. Thank you sooo much.”

[User] “I-it would have been dangerous for me surrounded by that many of them. That’s all.” Meili looked away and responded curtly. But there was a faint redness to her cheeks.

[Assistant] Emilia was right. Meili had made a huge contribution.

[User] “How is your body doing, Ram?”

[Assistant] “…Is this the time to be worrying about me? We don’t have the leeway for that.” Ram fired back in a slightly hoarse voice.

[User] The night was dark in the desert, so he couldn’t see her face clearly. But Ram’s already pale skin looked even paler than usual, indicating just how exhausted she had to be. But she didn’t pay any heed to Subaru’s gaze and looked over at Meili. "What about that flower field, Meili? Can you get all of those demon beasts to get out of our way with your ability?”

[Assistant] “Like I said before, it’s difficult. If there were only a hundred, I could do something, but when it gets to be more than that, it’s hard, even for me.”

[User] “A hundred, huh? That is already quite remarkable. Unfortunately…” Julius looked over toward the flower field. Even at a glance, it was clear that there had to be more than a thousand of them there. There might even be more than ten thousand. It wasn’t a number that Meili could handle. As a heavy mood settled around them, Julius held up two fingers. “Our options right now are to continue forward or to go back.”

[Assistant] “Is going back even an option? It won’t solve anything.”

[User] “Can you be sure? It’s entirely possible that when we passed through the sand time that it just happened to connect here. If we pass through a different crack in space, it is possible we might end up at another place even closer to the tower.”

[Assistant] Subaru was skeptical of that possibility, but he had no hard evidence to deny it, either. The fact was that there were three different sand times. They had passed through the sand time during the night, but there was a chance that the morning and midday ones were different—

[User] “…Spare me such naive optimism.” As Subaru was considering that, Ram’s quiet voice rang in his ear. It was none other than the person who had worked the hardest to get through the sand time who glared at Subaru and Julius.


[User] "Would the Sage who has gone so far out of their way to reject outsiders really leave an easy path someplace? There’s no way. Retreating into dreams in the face of a punishing reality is the last resort of cowards who want an easier way."

[Assistant] "You… We’re just talking about the possibility of even a slightly safer path."

[User] "We embarked on this journey well aware that it would be dangerous. The resolution to lose something is necessary to ever be able to gain anything. Or were you planning to win without ever risking anything? How arrogant can you be?"

[Assistant] Faced with Ram’s fierce tongue-lashing, Subaru paused for a moment and then let out a deep breath.

[User] Ram was intentionally phrasing it provocatively to urge them forward. And there was of course a logic to what she was saying, too. But there was also a logic to what Julius had said. All that was left was to decide which one—

[Assistant] "Meili, what about just making the ones on the path we take move out of our way?"

[User] "Try to narrow it down instead of moving all of them? In that case…" Meili focused on the field, examining it closely. "If it’s just that much, then I think I can do it. Move them out of the path, and then make them go back to sleep once they’re far enough away… Yeah, it’s okay. I can do it."

[Assistant] Hearing that, Subaru turned to everyone else. "It might sound like a flip-flop, but I agree with Ram. There’s certainly a possibility of something different if we go through a different sand time, but if it is demon beasts blocking our way, then at least we have Meili with us."

[User] "There’s also the possibility that this is better than what we would find anywhere else." Beatrice nodded as well while fixing the hair that Subaru had messed up. "In the end, we have no choice but to rely on Meili. In the worst case, if the demon beasts do wake up, then it will be up to Emilia-tan and Julius—and me and Beatrice. Sorry."

[User] "Whoops, and Patlash. Thanks. I love you, too." His trusty steed made her presence known, and Subaru reached behind to tickle her neck affectionately.

[Assistant] And then Subaru looked at everyone. The demon beasts’ flower garden was right in front of them. They couldn’t afford to take too long to decide, so he started to put it up to a vote…

[User] "—Mm-hmm. I agree with Subaru and Ram. I don’t want to turn back, even for a second." Emilia smiled reassuringly, backing Subaru’s conviction. There was a powerful determination in her purple eyes, and she was looking at the tower that lay beyond the field of flowers.


[User] "The path is straight, and the tower is right ahead— If anything happens, I’ll be there to help everyone, no matter what.”

[Assistant] "—You are surprisingly muscle-brained when it comes to situations like this, Emilia-tan."

[User] "Muscle-br…eh? What do you mean all of a sudden? Ahh, don’t embarrass me like that." Emilia kept a cool look while saying it, but she started blushing at Subaru’s wry comment.

[Assistant] "Surprisingly for me, muscle-brained wasn’t exactly an unalloyed compliment for Emilia-tan… Yeah, nope, I probably meant it as compliment. I’m head over heels all over again. E M T all the way." He realized again just how important the girl who was looking so resolutely ahead was to him, of how much he loved her.

[User] With Emilia, Ram, and Meili in the keep-moving camp—

[Assistant] "So then all that’s left is what Anastasia and Julius think, but…"

[User] "Not much I can say there. We already have a majority, and I’m not exactly keen on trying to go against it. But I do want to think a little bit more about whether this place is really what it seems." Anastasia put her hand to her cheek.

[Assistant] Hearing her response, Julius turned to her. "Do you have some sort of concern about this garden of demon beasts, Lady Anastasia?"

[User] "Nothing that big. But there was a cranny for slipping through the sand time, right? So I just wondered whether there was something like that for this field, too, is all. What do you think, Beatrice?"

[Assistant] "—Why would you ask Betty?" Beatrice’s cheek tensed when Anastasia, or rather Foxidna, turned to her.

[User] Anastasia’s lips softened at Beatrice’s hostile response. "From what I’ve heard, you’re a specialist in dark magic, right? And when you’re talkin’ ’bout dark magic, then twists in space are sort of dark magic’s bread and butter…so I was just wondering if you might notice something is all."

[Assistant] "…The sand time was a natural disruption, but the way it twisted was similar in structure to Betty’s Passage. That is what Betty felt passing through it." Answering the question calmly, Beatrice looked up at Subaru. "A long while back, Betty cast a similar spell on Subaru."

[User] "On me? When?"

[Assistant] "…The first time we met."

[User] "The first… Ah! When I cleared that infinite-loop-looking hallway on the first try! Sorry for that after all the work you put into setting it up."

[Assistant] "It’s annoying that it feels like you are genuinely apologizing. Just forget about it!"

[User] "You’re the one who brought it up…" Beatrice’s cheeks puffed out in a pout as Subaru shrugged passively.

[Assistant] But he couldn’t ignore what Beatrice and Anastasia were saying. If they actually had some idea other than just passing through the field, then that would be the best. But also, there was one more problem they couldn’t afford to ignore still hanging in the air.

[User] "—One question I had, though.


[User] "Did anyone notice a light shining from the tower?"

[Assistant] "A light from the tower?" Emilia and everyone else looked confused at his question.

[User] The white light emanating from the watchtower. He didn’t understand the details, but it was what caused his death twice now.

[Assistant] "I didn’t notice anything. Did you see a light shining from the watchtower, Subaru?"

[User] "Hmm, ah, yeah. I don’t think I was just seeing things. There was definitely a gleam from the tower, and…"

[Assistant] "Does that mean the Sage in the tower noticed us?"

[User] "They don’t have to notice us to turn on a light at night. Maybe that’s all it was?"

[Assistant] "I see. Assuming for the moment the Sage has noticed us, then perhaps if we indicate we mean no harm, there will be some contact."

[User] "—How did the light look to you, Barusu?" Ram threw him a line, crossing her arms as she turned the topic back to Subaru.

[Assistant] "I…I think it was something dangerous. At the very least, it didn’t seem friendly."

[User] "Any evidence other than gut instinct?"

[Assistant] "...Well, not really."

[User] "I see—that’s a problem."

[Assistant] "Huh? What? I just said it was gut instinct. No one’s going to get suspicious about that?"

[User] "Maybe if it was just instinct, but it’s your instinct, right? In that case, it’s better to take it seriously than suspect it, if you ask me."

[Assistant] "You should not be so self-deprecating."


[User] “You have made it through quite a number of trials and tribulations. There is an instinct that only people who have survived those sorts of situations can develop. Call it a wealth of experience.”

[Assistant] “A field rat knows to change its den before the heavy rains come. Barusu’s instinct isn’t to be made light of.”

[User] “That’s already making pretty light of it…but I get it.”

[Assistant] They all gave their own reasons for trusting what he claimed to be simply intuition. They were all telling him that even if it was just his instinct, they trusted him. He felt a wave of relief at their stance. Even from Julius. Rubbing his nose for a moment at the feeling, Subaru looked away from his comrades. Because of that, he didn’t notice it. The first to notice was Ram.

[User] “Barusu, that’s—” Ram’s voice was dead serious.

[Assistant] “Eh?” Following her gaze, he saw her looking at his chest. Looking down, he saw it, too. There was an unusual red point of light shining on the chest of his cloak.

[User] That instant, a phrase popped into his head. It was one that didn’t fit this world at all, though. —A laser pointer.

[Assistant] “—Ngh!” The next instant, all his comrades moved in a miraculous way. —A beam of light unleashed from the watchtower flew straight at Subaru with terrifying speed and accuracy. It was death incarnate, moving faster than the wind, piercing its prey without a noise. That one attack would vaporize Subaru Natsuki, killing him without giving any time to react—

[User] “—I won’t let that happen!” —if he had been alone when it took aim at him. A shield of ice the size of a hand appeared on Subaru’s chest where the red point of light was shining. It was a magic defense Emilia had immediately created to protect him. The beam of light’s aim was on target, and the ice intercepted it just like she intended—

[Assistant] "No way?!"

[User] It was only a split second. The white light was slowed by the shield of ice for just an instant before vaporizing the barrier and passing through. Not only did the ice not stop the light, it didn’t even delay for a whole second. But that split second was enough.

[Assistant] “Shiii—!” Julius swung his knight’s sword, unleashing a full-strength thrust with his full body weight behind it, hitting the light that was about to skewer Subaru. His face was dead serious as he perfectly tracked the ray of light whose force had weakened ever so slightly from Emilia’s ice wall. The light spun and deflected away, landing in the sand beside them. A white smoke rose from it. For the first time, Subaru had avoided a direct hit from it and could see that it was—

[User] “…A needle?” The unknown object was glowing as it stuck out of the sand. In the dark of night, it was an oppressively brilliant intense white—and it looked like a long, thin needle.


[User] “Barusu! The next one’s coming!”

[Assistant] Subaru had been reaching out to grab the light that was disappearing when Ram’s warning hit.

[User] “Beako, are you ready? !”

[Assistant] “A stupid question!” Beatrice was never going to say she couldn’t do it to Subaru’s question.

[User] Changing gears, Subaru gritted his teeth hearing his reliable partner’s response and made up his mind. “Emilia-tan!”

[Assistant] The next round was going to be coming. Just before it arrived, Subaru called out to Emilia.

[User] They shared a moment’s glance, and Emilia nodded. They couldn’t hash things out in detail, but Subaru had faith in her. He saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. Death was coming on rails at him. “Stoppppp!”

[Assistant] A multilayered wall of ice unfolded between Subaru and inescapable death. If a single layer wasn’t enough, then she would make six.

[User] The light slammed into the ice. It tore through the first easily, and the second and third might as well have not been there, either. But there was some resistance from the fourth, and the fifth even lasted for a tenth of a second. And by the sixth, the speed of the light needle was noticeably slower—and at that point, the knight’s sword pierced it.

[Assistant] “Again, I will not allow it!”

[User] If the first time had been a miracle, the second was a combination of training and technique. Emilia and Julius used their abilities to the limit to protect Subaru from the death that had him in its sights.


[User] "—E! M! T!" Subaru and Beatrice unleashed their mystic art. Flipping up the hood of his cloak, Subaru shouted his praise for Emilia—or rather, a cast.

[Assistant] "I suppose!" Beatrice collected every last bit of mana inside Subaru and formed a complex and mysterious spell, something completely new and unknown.

[User] —What they were weaving was one of three original spells that they had created. When the magic was complete, a faint light expanded with the two of them at its center. It spread as if creating a ball of light enveloping all of them, and then the field was complete.

[Assistant] "This is…" Julius was stunned trying to decipher what it was when at the edge of his vision he saw another beam of light coming for Subaru. Julius immediately tensed, but that was stolen away a moment later by the change that he saw. The force of the light coming toward Subaru dissipated the moment it entered the light field.

[User] "It lost power?" The light had been reduced to the speed of a simple arrow. Swinging his blade, he easily knocked it aside. Of course, even if it had lost speed, it wasn’t something that could be deflected easily. But that was just a testament to Julius’s masterful swordsmanship. He was able to easily defend against the attacks that followed as well.

[Assistant] "E M T. Absolute nullification magic. Inside this field, all magic loses its strength." Since he was still holding hands with Beatrice, Subaru used his free side to point at the tower. That field was one of three trump cards that Subaru and Beatrice had developed. The third was still incomplete, but it was created with the goal of being able to fight with powerful enemies, the pinnacle of dark magic.

[User] "But it won’t last long. Effectively, this all ends once my mana runs out. And right now I’m like a bucket with a giant hole in the bottom of it."

[Assistant] "That is an effect that is beyond the pale. I can see the cost of it is also quite heavy. Do you have a plan?!"

[User] "No clue! They noticed us, so we should pull back for now—" Subaru looked around for a way to retreat as Julius ran over toward him.

[Assistant] "—They’re looking at Barusu?" In such a tense situation, Ram’s quiet voice had almost a translucence to it. Ram was covering her face with her palm.

[User] "The Sage?!" Subaru wondered for a moment what it was, but then he realized she had activated her clairvoyance—realized that Ram had managed to sync with someone in the tower. Not just anyone, either. There’s only one person she could aim for there.

[Assistant] "—Ngh." There was no response from Ram. Instead, there was a trickle of blood from her right eye socket. It looked like tears of blood flowing from her pink eye. It’s…not an attack.


[User] I don’t know, but it looks like recoil from the clairvoyance. "Stop it already, dumbass! Right now—” Subaru tried to stop Ram’s risky spying. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her slender body into his arms.

[Assistant] “Wait, Barusu!”

[User] “Hell no! You’re going in the carriage! Right now, we—” He turned around while holding Ram.


[Assistant] “Ah—?” In that moment, the world around them shattered.

[User] “—Ngh! We messed up!” An impossible change occurred in the desert night as Beatrice’s voice rang out. "The E M T frayed the warped space!”

[Assistant] “What does that—?” Subaru couldn’t finish his question as he felt a floating sensation and his feet left the ground. The world twisted chaotically, fraying and breaking apart like a sheet of paper being torn to pieces. Cracks formed in the ground and sky, swallowing up the carriage, Subaru, and everyone else. “Crap…Emilia? !”

[User] “Subaru—”

[Assistant] Falling into sudden darkness, Subaru shouted as a feeling of weightlessness came over him. He couldn’t tell up from down or right from left or where the carriage was. But he could hear Emilia’s distant, oh so distant response to his shout. “This is—” Before he could finish saying it was bad, Subaru was spat out on the other side of the shattered sky.


[User] Watching from the distance, the shadow slithered in the darkness of the tower. Leaving the window it had been standing at, the shadow stepped on the stone floor and descended the spiral staircase. The shadow’s footsteps were slow, but they gradually picked up speed, getting restless.

[Assistant] “—I found you.” It was a hoarse, ragged murmur, like a voice that had not spoken in years. But there was no one who would mistake the emotion in that voice for joy. “I found you.” —That much was certain.