[User] "…Lady Emilia being unable to overcome the Trial is through no fault of her own."

[Assistant] "Ram?"

[User] "There is a reason she stumbles without knowing why herself. Being unaware of this, she merely repeats herself, to no avail." Without touching upon Subaru’s proverbial question mark, Ram said only this before opening the door. Before her petite physique vanished into the building’s interior, Subaru instantly opened his mouth.

[Assistant] "Ram, the situation’s already contradicting what the book says. —Roswaal is free." He didn’t think of it as returning the favor for her words of advice. But he put the words on his lips all the same. The events had already strayed from what was written in the book of knowledge, and the world proceeded apace toward a new future. It was yet to be determined whether this was linked to tragedy, with all laid to ruin, or to breaking through fate itself—"

[User] Ram receded from sight, closing the door behind her.

[Assistant] Subaru let out a sigh. In the end, Ram’s position had not changed, nor had she spoken of things beyond her personal opinion.

[User] "But she gave a lot more advice than I expected. Maybe she likes me, too…"

[Assistant] "—Are you still speaking such things? I believe the person concerned would be quite angry if she overheard you…" As Subaru shot the breeze, Otto, with leaves stuck to his hat, emerged from the shadow of a nearby tree, which he had been hiding behind.

[User] "This Feel-the-Love Campaign is still ongoing. Go ahead and give me more good news to celebrate if you’d like." The sight made it hard for Subaru to deny Ram’s assertion he was engaging in “wicked deeds.”

[Assistant] "Hiding ’cause you’re scared of Ram? She won’t bite. She’s not as scary as she looks."

[User] "I think that would also make her angry if she overheard it…! …At the moment, Ram is cooperating with the Marquis, so that makes us enemies of a sort, yes? It’s only natural to be wary of her."

[Assistant] "Ram, an enemy?" Subaru was fairly surprised when Otto made that assertion with eyes of reproach.

[User] Otto gave him a questioning look, leaving Subaru agape at his own self. Otto’s thinking was certainly correct. Given her position, Ram was on the opposing side.

[Assistant] He should have thought of it in those terms from the beginning. Though he knew she couldn’t be counted on as an ally, he’d still arbitrarily assumed she was a neutral party in this contest of wills.

[User] "Haa… Mr. Natsuki, I understand just how much you have trusted Miss Ram in the past. There are also your feelings for Miss Rem remaining back at the mansion, to be sure."

[Assistant] "Just lay off for a second, all right? I’m still reeling from how naive I’ve been."

[User] "That is fine and well. Self-awareness is important. —But more importantly, what of the Marquis?" Having finished with his opening jabs, Otto cut straight to the point.


[User] Subaru twisted his cheeks as he jutted a thumb straight up. “Negotiations were a success. The bet’s been made.”

[Assistant] “I am relieved to hear it. Well, I certainly thought he would go along, but tripping up here would have made all the plans for what follows come to naught.”

[User] “You’re quite an optimist…it was plenty possible Roswaal wouldn’t go for it, right?”

[Assistant] “Very little, really. —The Marquis appears to lack experience with losing.”

[User] Subaru went “Aha,” accepting his view as Otto sank his shoulders.

[Assistant] Certainly, just as Otto supposed, Roswaal seemed strong in a fight. He was cunning, and he had guts, too. In fact, 80 percent or so of the crises Subaru had been placed in were schemes of Roswaal’s devising.

[User] “A human being who schemes that much will not back down, for if he did, it would be none other than himself who he betrays. There is also the fact that it would seem like weakness…”

[Assistant] “Ohh, somehow, you feel really dependable… You haven’t died by any chance, have you?”

[User] “I am quite alive! Besides, please stop flattering me. When I let compliments go to my head, I am bound to trip up somewhere soon. I speak from vast experience.”

[Assistant] “Not that I’m one to talk, but that’s some sad experience…” Both of them lost often enough that they could not relax, even if the circumstances seemed to be running smoothly.

[User] Either way, Otto had made his own proposals, which had set the stage for the showdown with Roswaal. Of course, in the end, this succeeded only in creating the preliminary conditions, but—

[Assistant] “—At least I avoided having to play this game all by my lonesome.”

[User] “For the moment…however, this is still only the first game board. And we must discuss the next…” No temporary sense of accomplishment arose in Otto as he immediately switched over to the next issue at hand. At this point, Subaru crossed his arms and donned a grim face. The creases of his brow displayed his inner discord.

[Assistant] “…Garfiel, huh?”

[User] Otto led the conversation toward a single answer—namely, the conclusion that Garfiel’s cooperation was necessary and irreplaceable for breaking free of the Sanctuary. To date, Subaru and Garfiel had borne enmity toward each other several times; at times, this descended into killing. Subaru could not forget how his fangs and claws ripped the people dear to him to shreds. Naturally, he had not forgotten his anger, either.

[Assistant] “Certainly, he is a moody opponent, but in the present situation, he is the easiest to bring onto our side. His position is different from that of the Marquis, whose views are absolutely irreconcilable with yours. Surely, you understand this, Mr. Natsuki?” The explanation came from none other than Otto, who had been a murder victim himself once. Subaru nodded solemnly. If Subaru ignored his own reluctance, it wasn’t impossible to fight alongside Garfiel. Indeed, Subaru had cooperated with him twice already.


[User] The first was against the Witch, and the second was to confront Roswaal. Both had resulted in tragedy, but… “So the only problem is how I feel, isn’t it…”

[Assistant] “Well then, please forget about that here and now and let us speak of it no more.”

[User] “Forget and speak of it no more…man, that’s easy for you to say.” Subaru was less angry than taken aback at how bluntly Otto had put it.

[Assistant] "Now see here?” Otto thrusts a reproachful finger forward. “Mr. Natsuki, we have no time for this. There is no time to worry about such sentiment. As we speak, time is steadily passing us by. It is the same as merchandise growing stale. Before irrevocable damage is incurred, we must set aside our personal feelings. They are unproductive, unproductive!”

[User] “I—I get it, I get it… Really, you’re a lifesaver.” To Otto, who was urging him to use all of his head rather than part of it, Subaru let the last part of his sentence trickle out in a small voice.

[Assistant] He needed to cut off his emotions and deal with the top priorities. In terms of cutting things away, Otto’s demand differed little from Roswaal’s. And yet, it felt like a world of difference to him. “Guess whether it’s looking forward, backward, or sideways, the speaker makes a big difference…”

[User] “We have no time for idle banter. That is not your job, Mr. Natsuki.”

[Assistant] “Yeah, I know.” Against Garfiel, the key would be the Witch’s advice that he was afraid of the outside world. He hated relying on Echidna, but in this current situation, he couldn’t let himself get hung up on that. If he wasn’t going to depend on Return by Death, he needed to use anything he could, be it a cat’s paw or the words of a Witch with a foul personality. “I will do as we planned. As for Emilia…”

[User] “That’s the one thing I won’t let you stick your hand into. I suppose I can’t exactly stick mine in, either.”

[Assistant] Subaru was unsure whether he should have nodded his head or shaken it from side to side in response to Otto’s worry. Having lost his qualifications, Subaru could not aid with the Trial. The tomb’s barrier could only be undone by Emilia challenging the Trial. At the very least, if he only could find a clue… Even though he knew that clue was to be found in Emilia’s past, a past she feared, filled with excessive grief— “I still haven’t asked Emilia about it. In the end, I guess I chickened out.” Unable to watch Emilia shed tears after she was crushed by the Trial, he had not confirmed anything beyond that. He’d danced around the issue…it was the price of having a weak, loving, tender heart. “Because I didn’t have the courage to stare straight at her scars, I gave her a pat on the head to console her and pretended to not notice.


[User] “How many times do I have to repeat that before I learn…”

[Assistant] “My goodness. I have to question your love if you can’t even handle this much. Please stop playing innocent all the time. It is quite ridiculous.”

[User] “…Why, you…” Subaru twisted his lips over Otto’s rush of words, making light of the somewhat embarrassing exchange.

[Assistant] Sighing deeply at his reaction, Otto lightly stretched on the spot. “Well then, have you resolved to treat Lady Emilia’s wounds?”

[User] “Resolved to ask if it’s okay for me to, at least. Unlike with Garfiel, I’m not afraid it’s gonna get me killed.”

[Assistant] “I am somewhat torn whether it is all right to laugh about that.”

[User] “So for that, too, it all comes down to my Emilia…huh?”

[Assistant] “She is not yours yet, Mr. Natsuki. I suppose that is me telling you in Lady Emilia’s stead?”

[User] “Oh, shaddap.” Glossing over his worries with a frivolous tongue, Subaru turned a clenched fist in Otto’s way.

[Assistant] Seeing this, Otto scratched his head, then answered in kind, meeting Subaru’s fist with his. “Anyway, we gotta do this. Let’s have one hell of a party when everything’s settled. Don’t screw up, man.”

[User] “Indeed. For the sake of not just yours, but my own sparkling future, I’d certainly like it if everything goes nicely.”

[Assistant] “Don’t talk about stuff like your own sparkling future. You’re worrying me.”

[User] “Just what do you mean by that? !”

[Assistant] After wrapping up their exchange, the two bumped their fists together and turned away from each other. With this in mind, he took the first step toward fulfilling his role and headed for the forest—his feet hastening to the place hidden within.


[User] When he placed the crystal into the white wall, the dazzling light gushing forth filled his vision.

[Assistant] “…Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still a surprise.” Covering his face with an arm, Subaru commented idly as he waited for the blue light to abate. Then he timidly lowered his arm, looked at the brightly lit wall, and was relieved to find what he had sought. “The fact the wall opened up means that even if I’m stripped of the challenger status, I still haven’t been expelled from the Apostles. Is this Echidna’s scheming or a simple oversight…? I’ll bet Otto’s soul that it’s just an oversight.” Speaking such words, Subaru used the crystal as a key to a hidden room—and stepped into the Ryuzu Meyer replication facility, which was hidden deep in the forest of the Sanctuary. Inside, Subaru eyes found a giant crystal and the girl sealed within it.


[User] Arriving to find the sight utterly unchanged from before, this served as proof that Subaru’s status remained similarly unchanged. This was one method for Subaru to confirm his status as an Apostle of Greed. He had paid this place a visit with that exact intent. Besides, coming here meant that—

[Assistant] "I can meet the people involved, too. But the smell here is just awful. Wouldn’t it be better to clean this out?"

[User] "—I am of the same opinion, but it is a measure to prevent insects and small animals from approaching. If you wish to complain, I would prefer you lodged it with its wily designer."

[Assistant] "Nah, I’ll pass. I don’t want to meet her ever again if I can help it." With this, Subaru trained a pained smile toward the figure who had appeared at the entrance to the hidden room.

[User] Walking over, the girl stood beside Subaru, gazing up due to their height difference as she peered into his black eyes. The air felt parched as she squinted at him with her round eyes.

[Assistant] "Now then, from the fact that you are here and the statement just now…it would appear you are already rather well versed concerning us?"

[User] "It’s pretty much what you suspect. I already have a general idea about that…and the purpose of this place."

[Assistant] "I see. I had wondered if that might be the case when you went into the tomb to bring out Lady Emilia last night…there is now no question that you are a qualified Apostle." Ryuzu was surprised by Subaru’s reply but immediately nodded in acceptance. Somehow, she had a tired expression on her face; the look in her eyes was rich in deep sentiment.

[User] "So it is you, Young Su, who Young Ros was waiting for…"

[Assistant] "Ah, sorry. That plotline’s been scrapped. The editors said the readers don’t want to see that."

[User] "—Huh?"

[Assistant] "Also, I want to confirm something about what you said just now. Somethin’ really important." The way he ignored her solemn discovery with a lighthearted demeanor took Ryuzu aback. But while she was still reeling, Subaru placed a hand on her shoulder, earnestly meeting her eye to eye.

[User] "Ryuzu, how much do you know about Roswaal’s thinking?"

[Assistant] "Young Su…?"

[User] "Tell me, Ryuzu. I don’t want to think of you as an enemy." Staying in place, Subaru bowed his head as he pleaded to Ryuzu.

[Assistant] His intensity brought a conflicted look over Ryuzu. Finally, the corners of her eyebrows fell.

[User] "If you wish to ask, you need only exercise your rights as an Apostle and ask away. I am sure that at your age, you must love being able to do with a girl as you please, Young Su."

[Assistant] "I might be a young man, but your outward appearance is outside my suitable age range, Ryuzu. Besides—"

[User] "Besides?"

[Assistant] "I don’t want to rely on command rights to talk to a replica."


[User] "I came to talk to you, Ryuzu."

[Assistant] Ryuzu’s breath catches. Her somewhat long ears tremble in surprise. "…All I know is that Young Ros inherited a book from Her Lady the Witch." Perhaps his sentiments had gotten through, for the surprise in Ryuzu’s eyes faded as she haltingly began to speak. "Surely, one part of what is written within the book is to administer the Sanctuary. This, and all else, is for the sake of greeting the awaited one…yes, it was a previous generation of Roswaals from which I heard this.”

[User] “That’s it, huh?”

[Assistant] “I swear, that is all. Or do you wish to question whether it is true or false as an Apostle?”

[User] “…I’m gonna pass. I trust you, Ryuzu.” Perhaps it was more precise to say he wanted to believe her.

[Assistant] Drawing in her chin, seemingly satisfied by Subaru’s reply, Ryuzu looked at the hand resting on her shoulder. “I must say, though, this is quite passionate of you. It makes even my heart beat a little faster.”

[User] “That’s painting a problematic picture, but still, this is a big help. I mean, Ryuzu, if even you turned out to be a devil, I would’ve been this close to ordering you as an Apostle to go sink into a smelter or something…”

[Assistant] “You are a boy who likes saying very scary things with that childish face of yours, aren’t you…?” When Subaru removed his hand from her shoulder, Ryuzu tut-tutted as she slapped her hip. It felt like an act of consideration to brush the stifling atmosphere aside.

[User] Going along with it, Subaru let his cheeks slacken.

[Assistant] Having finished checking up on the initial scare, Ryuzu inclined her head. “Now, from the look of things, this is no trifling matter. Young Su, are you in some kind of argument with Young Ros?”

[User] “It sounds more impressive to call it a match than an argument. The results will be better for everyone if I win, so I wanted you to cooperate with me, too, Ryuzu…”

[Assistant] “Young men resort to posturing so quickly… So what kind of dispute is it?”

[User] “The easiest way to put it is: What’s the best way to liberate the Sanctuary, I guess?”


[User] Subaru pinned his hopes on Emilia; Roswaal pinned his hopes on Subaru.

[Assistant] “And I know that while you support liberating the Sanctuary on the surface, you’re actually part of the opposition. And that Garfiel holds the same opinion.” Finally, Subaru cut to the heart of the matter, which he hadn’t had a chance to directly confirm to date.

[User] “I understand how you feel. I don’t intend to stand here and say heading outside is the absolute right thing to do. I understand the feeling of not wanting to change your environment. But…”

[Assistant] “But it’ll inevitably bring misfortune, and that’s something I can’t let happen. This once, it’s necessary, by hook or by crook.”

[User] “If it comes down to it, you can make a choice then and there. Whether one stays or goes can be left up to each person. But I won’t let you keep the door locked. On that, I won’t budge.”

[Assistant] “Young Su.”

[User] “I don’t want to resort to it, but I will if I have no choice. So please don’t make me. Let’s settle this by talking to each other.”

[Assistant] “That’s why…er, um, Ryuzu?” Subaru furrowed his brows, perplexed.

[User] Ryuzu audibly cleared her throat, her face still conflicted. "Ahem. I am sorry to interrupt when you are being so heartfelt…but where did you hear that I oppose liberating the Sanctuary?”

[Assistant] “—Somewhere that’s not quite here. You don’t need to hide it.”

[User] “Don’t go spouting something vague like Young Garand give me a serious reply.


[User] "Where did you hear such idle gossip?”

[Assistant] “Idle gossip…er, um, I heard it myself, with my very own ears…” Subaru's voice gradually lost its strength as he faced Ryuzu’s souring demeanor.

[User] Subaru gulped, his eyes faintly avoiding Ryuzu’s gaze. “…Ryuzu, don’t tell me you’re actually not opposed to liberating the Sanctuary?”

[Assistant] "As far as whether to lift the barrier, I have no intention of obstructing its removal. Just as you said, Young Su, whether one stays or goes should be an individual choice…that is what I believe.”

[User] “The hell?! That’s crazy!” Subaru was reeling from the unanticipated comeback.

[Assistant] "Then, that time, why did you…? I was sure I was being imprisoned so that I couldn’t liberate the Sanctuary. If I’m wrong, what was that all about?” Clutching his head in confusion, Subaru desperately tried to make sense of all the inconsistencies.

[User] Ryuzu watched Subaru with narrowed eyes, letting out a delicate sigh. "This is all quite a jumble… But I cannot dismiss your doubts as pure delusion.”

[Assistant] “Ryuzu? Do you have any idea what…?"

[User] “Before that, Young Su, I wish to ask you something.” Ryuzu’s serene eyes seemed sincere as she interrupted the hasty Subaru’s flustered thoughts.

[Assistant] Subaru blinked his eyes in surprise as Ryuzu hesitated ever so slightly, thinking to himself: What is she going to ask me?

[User] “…Young Su, what do you think of Young Gar?”

[Assistant] “Ahh, I see…that figures, huh.” Subaru’s acceptance of what was natural became a sigh that trickled out from his lips.

[User] “To be honest, I don’t have a good impression of him. At this point, he’s my closest potential enemy.” Thinking that hiding it was futile, Subaru offered Ryuzu a crisp answer.

[Assistant] “I see…” Her response was faint as she lowered her eyes.

[User] "But." Subaru continued, seeing her sunken expression. "By closest potential enemy, I mean that he’s the one I’ll clash with first. Once that’s taken care of, I won’t know if we can get along well or not until everything’s said and done.”

[Assistant] “Ah…”

[User] "To figure that out, among other things, I’d want to learn more about him, see…” Scratching his cheek, Subaru resigned himself to coming off as someone spinning a convenient tale.


[User] But these were not words he had chosen because they sounded good; they expressed Subaru’s true views. Just like Roswaal, he didn’t harbor a good impression of Garfiel. But he’d confirmed for himself Garfiel did not have a wicked heart on Roswaal’s level, leaving Subaru with no reason to make an enemy of him.

[Assistant] “…You are good at pulling the wool over your elders, Young Su.”

[User] “Ryuzu, you’re seriously trying my reputation in the neighborhood, aren’t you?”

[Assistant] Ryuzu shook her head with a muted smile. Then, taking a step forward, she placed a hand on the blue crystal before her—the object that touched her very own roots.

[User] “It seems you heard about us from our mistress the Witch…that we are replicas of Ryuzu Meyer…or perhaps, the objective for which the replicas were created.”

[Assistant] “…I know that it was an experiment in immortality, and you and the others are the products of that experiment.”

[User] Strictly speaking, it was not Echidna, but Ryuzu herself from whom he heard the explanation on a previous lap. That briefing included how the Sanctuary containing Echidna’s tomb was a laboratory for her search for immortality, that Ryuzu was an example of its success, and that the replicas’ roles were to serve as vessels in which to pour a soul. Also, that even among the replicas in that place, Ryuzu held a special, individual role.

[Assistant] “I am one of the original four. Even now, I watch over the magic crystal as more replicas continue to be born. I bear the duties of administrator and overseer. The four of us were to bear these duties in sequence.”

[User] “I heard the part about being one of the first four. So besides you, Ryuzu, there’s three other people?”

[Assistant] “Four…people, is it. It is likely inappropriate to count us, born by unnatural means, as people…”

[User] “I don’t want to treat you, who’s currently living a full life as a loli hag, like some doll. Don’t try to convince me otherwise, okay? The other three people…wait.” Breaking off his words there, Subaru licked his dry lips once. Instantly, a sense of déjà vu arose. Something stood out in his memories. Subaru carefully selected his words for the question that needed to be asked.

[Assistant] —On a previous time going through the loop, Ryuzu herself had made a request to him. Her role had been assigned. They sought individuality in all other things: in tastes, in hobbies, and in names. Therefore, what he needed to ask at that point was—

[User] “My name is Subaru Natsuki… Ryuzu, what’s your name?”

[Assistant] “” Ryuzu narrowed her eyes at the question, looking like she was gazing at something that dazzled bright.

[User] “My name…is Ryuzu Arma. I am…one of the first four replicas.”

[Assistant] “—Arma.” As Ryuzu gave her personal name, Subaru repeated it, closing his eyes. He nodded but once.

[User] “The Ryuzu I first met named herself Ryuzu Bilma, I’m pretty sure.


[User] "Meaning you didn’t have any intention of hiding it at the start, did you, Ryuzu?” When he asked for her name, she answered.

[Assistant] Finally, Subaru understood, too. The four Ryuzus, the overseers of the Sanctuary, shared their role with one another. The four had been pretending to be a single person.

[User] "But why go through all that trouble? Couldn’t you have just acted like quadruplets?”

[Assistant] “Our replica bodies are not of flesh and blood, but false Odo shrouded in mana. Mana depletes according to how active the body is. It is insufficient for even a full day’s worth of activity.”

[User] “I see, it’s just like with spirits! So to make sure your job doesn’t go unfilled during the time you can’t materialize, a substitute Ryuzu does the job for you!” Subaru snapped his fingers; it all made sense.

[Assistant] “—That is a matter for the ones in question to take on. To interfere in that would be an act of arrogance, Young Su.”

[User] “…I get that. I won’t say a word if you don’t have a problem with it, Ryuzu. But.”

[Assistant] “But?”

[User] “If you don’t accept it, please tell me. Then I’ll have Roswaal put you four girls…or maybe it should be dozens of sisters…on a family register, even if I have to smack him.”

[Assistant] If the replicas of Ryuzu Meyer, numbering over twenty, who existed in the Sanctuary intended to search for a life beyond that of a replica, Subaru wanted to help.

[User] “Young Su…mm-hmm, you are a good child.”

[Assistant] “…Ahem. Anyway I get it. I get it, so let’s get back to the original discussion.”

[User] “You may blush all you like. That said, it is I who began this discussion… The four originals fulfilling the role of overseer, myself included, shared the same intent. Had we not, we would have been unable to act as if we were a single person. However, this only remained true until ten years ago.”

[Assistant] “Ten years ago?”

[User] “Ryuzu Shima. —She who has strayed from the original four, and the one and only exception to this rule.” She named the person that ought to have shouldered the same role as her.

[Assistant] Subaru remembered hearing her name. The first one he had met was Bilma; the one before his eyes was Arma. And—

[User] “I shall uphold my promise. I shall tell no one.


[User] "—This, I swear upon the name of Ryuzu Shima.”

[Assistant] "On that problematic night, those final words had been the trigger for his imprisonment. The Ryuzu who had been together with Garfiel in that place had named herself Shima. And Subaru had most likely been incarcerated by Garfiel on this Shima’s orders."

[User] "Ryuzu…Shima…"

[Assistant] "Yes. The issue arose roughly ten years ago. She was relieved of her duty as an overseer and has lived in the forest like the other replicas ever since. Accordingly, it is now three people who fulfill the role of overseer.”

[User] "What was the issue that got this Shima stripped of her duty?"

[Assistant] Ryuzu hesitated.

[User] Ryuzu sighed. "—She defied our vow to our creator, the Witch. Accordingly, she was stripped of her duty.”

[Assistant] "By vow, you mean…"

[User] "Ryuzu Shima defied the vow by entering the tomb. She went against the Witch’s command, entering the tomb to bring back Young Gar…Garfiel, who had not returned from the Trial.”

[Assistant] "" Upon receiving that explanation, Subaru felt a jolt run through him.

[User] "Shima put the idea in his head? She was stripped of her duty for rescuing Garfiel from the tomb, and that became her reason for being against liberating the Sanctuary?"

[Assistant] "That, I know not. I have never met Shima since she was stripped of her duty. But it would not be strange for Young Gar to have…met with Shima, for they share memories in a fashion we do not.”

[User] "Memories that you other Ryuzus…don’t have…”

[Assistant] "—What Young Gar saw in the Trial at the tomb was the past.” Ryuzu lowered her eyes.

[User] "Ah." Subaru letting his voice trickle out. And he felt the hazy connection between Garfiel and Ryuzu grow stronger and more distinct.

[Assistant] "Young Su, do you know of Young Gar’s family?"

[User] "Only a bit. I know that Frederica is Garfiel’s sister through a different father, and that’s why their family names are different. Also, how only Frederica, who’s thin-blooded, left the Sanctuary ten years ago…"

[Assistant] After getting that far, the ten years ago time frame made Subaru open his eyes wide. "What if the events of ten years prior made up the barb deeply embedded in Garfiel’s heart…?"


[User] “Don’t tell me—the past that Garfiel saw was the sight of Frederica leaving?”

[Assistant] “No, it is not so. Fuu…Frederica left the Sanctuary after Young Gar took the Trial. Therefore, what he saw was surely…” After correcting Subaru’s mistaken assumption, Ryuzu trailed off at the end.

[User] “—What that child saw was most likely when he parted with his mother.” Ryuzu voiced her thoughts aloud after a pause of several seconds.

[Assistant] With a shudder, Subaru felt like something had torn into his own chest.

[User] Leaving your mother—and in the Trial, at that—hit Subaru close to home.

[Assistant] “If that child of ten years ago had seen something powerful enough to leave scars upon his heart, it must be parting with his mother. I cannot think of anything it could be, save for when Young Gar and Fuu’s mother left them here.”

[User] “Parting with his mother…and being left behind…” When Subaru put the possible past on his lips, to be blunt, he felt a little disappointed.

[Assistant] But he’d imagined a much grander past than that.

[User] But if Ryuzu’s guess was correct, and Garfiel separating with his mother was the barb driven into his heart…

[Assistant] “Him obstructing the Sanctuary’s liberation isn’t caused by negative feelings for the outside world so much as…for the mother who chose it over him…?”

[User] “Perhaps he hates it. There is also Fuu leaving after the fact. The outside world stole his mother and his elder sister from him. Even if he wanted to go after them, there is the barrier blocking the path. He cannot bring us outside with him. Surely, the child anguished over who is more important to him…his family or us.”

[Assistant] “I’m sure he’s still doing it…Hey, does he actually resent or hate his mother?”

[User] Garfiel’s anguish was one that was impossible for Subaru to understand.

[Assistant] It was because he had been so blessed that the notion gave Subaru pause.

[User] “That child came to call himself Garfiel Tinzel. That is the family name of the child’s mother. I believe Garfiel calls himself this so that I do not forget about her.”

[Assistant] “So that you…don’t forget…”

[User] Nodding at Subaru’s words, Ryuzu looked up at the crystal, narrowing her eyes.

[Assistant] She gazed at their core, seemingly thinking of Garfiel as she did so.

[User] “He did this so that the feelings he harbors for his past are not forgotten. —Whether this is out of anger or sadness is something known only to him and Shima.”


[Assistant] He knocked on the room’s door, waiting for several seconds.

[User] But there was no response.

[Assistant] When he turned the knob and easily let himself in, Subaru knit his brows at the carelessness of it.

[User] “This is a security issue.


[User] He grumbled to himself as he peered into the room through the gap made by the opened door. “Have to tell her to properly lock up…” His intent was not to peek out of inquisitiveness, but to confirm whether there was a person inside sleeping defenseless. Fortunately, there was no one present on the bed at the back of the room. He was relieved by this, but also a bit conflicted.

[Assistant] “Dang, I heard she was in her room. Where is sh…”

[User] “…Subaru?”

[Assistant] “Er, ah? Emilia-tan, you’re here?” Subaru was struck by surprise to hear only a voice, with the girl herself nowhere in sight, whereupon a white hand slowly emerged from the other side of the bed. It belonged to an individual sitting on the floor there.

[User] “What’s wrong, Emilia-tan, sitting on the floor like that? You’ll get your butt dirty.”

[Assistant] “Er, I was tossing and turning in my sl…sorry, that’s a lie. Really, I was having a bit of trouble sleeping.”

[User] “That’s an odd thing to lie about. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it…but I see.”

[Assistant] Hugging her knees as she sat on the floor, Emilia greeted Subaru with a guilty look on her face.

[User] Subaru knew, having had plenty of experience sitting alone on a sleepless night.

[Assistant] “Did you sleep a little after meeting me last night?”

[User] “…Mm.” He did not take her frail nod to mean yes, but merely as conveying that she was listening to him.

[Assistant] “…Sorry. Making you see me in a sorry state like this.”

[User] “Emilia?”

[Assistant] “And it was only yesterday I asked you to watch me do my best, Subaru. I can’t have you seeing me weak like this, can I? It’s all right. I’m going to sleep properly until nightfall, so…” Emilia pinched her own cheek as if to show an obviously worried Subaru that she was trying to bolster her spirits.

[User] “Emilia-tan, it’s almost noon. Announcing you’re going to sleep from now until sunset…that’s sloth.”

[Assistant] “Ugh…somehow, the way you worded that makes me feel really weird. Subaru, you meanie.”


[User] He admired Emilia’s determination and resolve. Emilia’s words from the night before had not only smashed Subaru’s conceit but also showed she, too, had courage. It was an important realization. Emilia had said she wanted him to support her. Subaru had come to do just that.

[Assistant] “—Emilia.


[User] "—!" Subaru shattered the gentle, lingering atmosphere, cutting straight to the point, Emilia’s breath caught. Grief spread across her violet eyes. Before she could wipe it away, Subaru pressed the issue further. "I heard from Ryuzu and the others, so I know that you see your past in the Trial. You see your hardest moments from the past…and I know that’s the reason you’re suffering.” The only reason Subaru was passing it off as hearsay was to conceal that he had his own experience challenging the Trial. Having already lost his qualifications, talking about his encounters with Echidna would only court confusion. Besides, in that moment, he wanted to devote all his feelings for Emilia’s benefit. “I was happy when you told me you want me to support you. That’s why I want to help you…properly, and not just try to keep you all to myself. So I want to know what’s worrying you.”

[Assistant] "Subaru…"

[User] “I won’t claim anything like talking will make it easier. But if you talk about it, we can at least worry about it together. I don’t know how dependable I’ll be, but won’t you let me fight the same enemy you are?” He had lost the qualifications to take Emilia’s place, to fight the suffering pouring down onto her in her stead. Therefore, Subaru hoped to come close and give Emilia a shoulder to lean on when she was tired.

[Assistant] Perplexed, Emilia fell silent. The sway of Emilia’s eyes bespoke of her profound gloom. A vortex of various agonies raged within Emilia: bewilderment, hesitation, guilt, self-loathing. But finally, Emilia closed her eyes tight. "Subaru…Subaru, you’ll believe me…” Won’t you…? were the words surely to follow, but Emilia did not voice them. Her nobility would not permit the unfairness of doubting someone who was asserting his sincerity. …The very unfairness that Subaru had once beaten into Emilia, unable to resist trying to monopolize her for himself. “I…I think that the past I see is probably from before I slept.” Opening her closed eyes, Emilia haltingly began to tell her tale. …The tale of the wounds of her past, the memories she had harbored all alone that she’d kept Subaru from touching all this time.

[User] Drawing in his breath at her confession, Subaru took Emilia’s hand into his own. “Thank you for talking to me… This could get long, right? We should sit."

[Assistant] "Mm, yeah.” Nodding, Emilia sat upon the bed, with Subaru sitting down right beside her. When Emilia deepened her brow, seemingly unsure of what to speak of

[User] Subaru glanced at the side of her face as he spoke: “Hey, I don’t want to interrupt, but what do you mean ‘before you slept’?”

[Assistant] "…I haven’t told you about being in the ice all that time, have I, Subaru?”

[User] “Inside the ice…wait, do you mean while frozen?” The unexpected words made Subaru blink.


[User] For a moment, an image from the facility in the forest—the crystal in which Ryuzu Meyer was sealed—came into the back of his mind.

[Assistant] “I was frozen in the forest for a long time. A very, very long time until Puck found me…he said I’d been sleeping within the ice.”

[User] After a pause, Emilia’s confession established that Subaru’s striking mental image…had indeed been true. Touching the crystal at her neck in which Puck was sealed, Emilia closed her eyes.

[Assistant] “—I see, the Eternally Frozen Great Elior Forest! Come to think of it, back at the royal selection meeting…” His memories of the opening speech conducted at the site of the royal selection returned to him.


[User] “Emilia, if you were in ice in the forest all that time…exactly how long were you there?”

[Assistant] "…My memories are really hazy. I was probably…six or seven at the time.”

[User] “Six or seven…do elves count years the same way humans do?” As Subaru counted on his fingers.

[Assistant] Emilia meekly nodded.

[User] “So the memories you see in the tomb are from before you were frozen…and the forest was frozen when…?”

[Assistant] “Apparently, it was about a hundred years ago.”

[User] “I see, a hundred yea…eh, a hundred years?”

[Assistant] Noticing his reaction, Emilia asked “What is it?” as she tilted her head.

[User] “Er, ah, I was imagining a span of ten years, so I wondered if it was off by a digit… I mean, uh, Emilia-tan, you look like you’re the same age as I am, so I figured the time frozen was…”

[Assistant] “I…kept growing physically while I was inside the ice. That’s why, right after I woke up, it was like being in another person’s body, enough to make me trip and slip up all over the place…”

[User] “A-ahh, I see.


[User] “Errr, so putting everything together…”

[Assistant] Emilia was around seven years old when she first slept, and it had been a hundred years or so later when she awoke. In other words, Emilia’s chronological age was a hundred and seven years old at this point in time.

[User] “So Emilia-tan, how many years has it been since Puck woke you?”

[Assistant] “…I think it was probably six or seven years ago…” Emilia’s reply was not very precise, but the response convinced Subaru that his doubts were true. She was a hundred and seven years old after emerging from the ice. From there, she had lived seven years, making her a hundred and fourteen. —Emilia was a hundred and fourteen years old, eighteen years old going by outward appearance, and mentally, fourteen years of age.

[User] “R-real age, apparent age, and mental age…they’re all disconnected.” The elven blood Emilia had inherited made her age a vague concept in ways not normally possible. At the same time, it resolved many doubts Subaru had about Emilia’s behavior. For someone who had lived for over a century, she was fairly ignorant of worldly affairs, often used phrases and gestures that stood out as childish, and from time to time, she liked using words that seemed oddly archaic. All of these things could be attributed to the fact that Emilia had spent most of her life sleeping within the ice.

[Assistant] “Fourteen—that’s no different than Felt…so why…?” Why did this girl have to bear such heavy responsibilities? The competition for the throne, the frozen forest of her homeland, the Sanctuary with four centuries of stopped time—the sufferings pouring down upon her were so numerous, so illogical, that he wanted to yell Why?!

[User] “Subaru?”

[Assistant] “…Sorry, and I said I wasn’t trying to interrupt…” With Emilia growing concerned, Subaru forced himself to smile as he responded. Her sufferings with the royal selection only made his ire for Roswaal grow within his chest. But had it not been for that, Subaru would have never met Emilia…hence, his irritation.

[User] “…Emilia, did you live a normal life before the forest froze?”

[Assistant] “I…probably did…when I lived together…with everyone in the forest…” When Subaru tried to get the conversation back on track, Emilia touched a hand to her forehead as she replied haltingly. It looked suspiciously like she was enduring some kind of pain.

[User] Subaru touched her slender shoulder with a hand. "Emilia? Are you all right? If it’s hard to talk about…”

[Assistant] “I-it’s all right. It’s just, um, my memories…aren’t very clear. Even though I saw my past at the Trial, I…really didn’t understand what I was seeing.”

[User] “You can’t remember the memories you saw? Is that even…?” Whether it was possible was beyond Subaru to judge. Subaru had challenged his past but once, and with that one time, Subaru had overcome the Trial. Accordingly, his memories of both his parents were clear, but he didn’t know what would have happened to those memories if he’d failed.


[User] “How about trying to remember one bit at a time? For example…who did you live in the forest with?”

[Assistant] “…There was…a tiny settlement in the forest. All the elves lived there together.”

[User] “Emilia, what about your family?” He wondered about both her parents and any siblings. It was with that intent that Subaru asked the question, but he instantly realized his error.

[Assistant] Emilia had always spoken of Puck as her only family. That she’d lost her entire birth family was something he should have deduced without thinking.

[User] “Don’t worry about that. My family wasn’t living inside the forest. Everyone was really nice to me, and I liked everyone…but, mm, family.” With Subaru regretting his slip.

[Assistant] Emilia resolutely smiled and shook her head. “There was someone like a mommy to me. She was really gentle, beautiful, amazing…”

[User] “Mommy?”

[Assistant] “She had a look in her eyes like you have, Subaru. Just a tiny bit. That…er?” Still smiling, Emilia was finding something in common between Subaru and her memories of her mother. However, that smile abruptly stiffened, and Emilia blinked her eyes several times. “Uhhh…why Mommy…Mom…my? Why did I…call her that…” Seemingly in disbelief, the shaken Emilia touched a hand to her own lips. Emilia’s gaze began to wander around the room, as if searching for an answer, yet it was unable to find one. But there was no reason a lost fragment of memory would be found fallen on the floor of her temporary abode.

[User] “Emilia, calm down. Take it easy. There’s no need to rush.”

[Assistant] Emilia was on the brink of panic when Subaru wrapped an arm around her head, pulling her close against him. Her long, silver hair flowed down her back as Emilia found, in her surprise, that her forehead touched Subaru’s chest. He let her hear his heartbeat. Just like Emilia had done for Subaru the night before.

[User] “…What happened to everyone when the forest froze?”

[Assistant] "—. Just like me, they were inside the ice…they’re still frozen even now. I was living inside the forest with Puck, waiting for everyone…”

[User] “I see… That’s really kind of you.” The days she had spent together with Puck, living in that frozen forest—that was time truly and literally spent alone with the spirit, among the ice statues who had once been like family. Even just picturing it in his mind, it was a forlorn, lonely scene…

[Assistant] “I waited for everyone to wake up…but that day never came. That’s why… That’s why I…left the forest and participated in the royal selection.”

[User] “—? Why is the forest related to the royal selection?”

[Assistant] “I made a promise with Roswaal.”

[User] His breath caught. That one phrase, *promise with Roswaal*, sent a shudder through him. What kind of promise had Emilia, tormented by loneliness in the forest, made with the devil that was Roswaal?


[User] "He made me hold the crest he had…after he made sure the Dragon Jewel was glowing, he spoke about the royal selection, but, I didn’t understand a single thing about the Kingdom of Lugunica."

[Assistant] Of course she didn’t. There was no way a girl who had lived in the forest since infancy would know about the outside world. So just how had Roswaal lured Emilia out of the forest? That was—

[User] "To me, who understood nothing, Roswaal said this. —If you are able to gain the throne, surely your wish to melt the forest’s ice shall be granted."

[Assistant] Subaru imagined his seething blood blotting his entire vision red. Roswaal had used Emilia’s pure, innocent wish to lead her out of the forest. That Emilia held the qualifications to join the royal selection was probably written in the book of knowledge. Not because he held any hopes for Emilia, but merely so that he might add the strongest card fated to appear under Emilia—a card named Subaru Natsuki—to his own deck. —If he were honest, it made him loath the idea of keeping Roswaal in Emilia’s party once all the issues were taken care of.

[User] "Subaru, do you think less of me?" Her face still buried against Subaru’s chest.

[Assistant] “…Huh? Why would I?” As soot-black anger burned in Subaru’s chest.

[User] "All the other candidates…they’re participating in the royal selection with all kinds of wonderful goals, but my reason is really, really personal—”

[Assistant] "—So that’s what you meant by your own selfish reason, huh?"

[User] After parting ways right after the opening speech, when Subaru was reunited with her and conveyed his feelings for her, he firmly recalled that Emilia, spilling out her words while bewildered by his goodwill, stated that her reason for aiming for the throne was very selfish. Perhaps it really was a wish that did not consider the future of the kingdom, or the welfare of all its citizens. However, it served as no more than the trigger. —Her wish was her starting point, but that was no reason to belittle it.

[Assistant] "There’s nothing wrong with your motive of wanting to save your family and the people precious to you. Saving people isn’t any less legitimate just because it’s the few and not the many. Besides, that’s not the only thing care about, right?"

[User] Whatever the initial reason for leaving the forest might have been, Emilia undoubtedly changed in the days that followed. Had she not, she would never have been able to speak her wish so boldly at the meeting place of the royal selection. She had said she wanted to be seen with fairness, with equality. That was something Emilia had surely gained in the outside world.

[Assistant] “…Yeah. I’m really grateful." Still resting her head against Subaru’s chest, Emilia nodded several times as she spoke. As he felt her squirmy movements, Subaru was pensive as to whether he’d been able to support her as intended, even just a little.


[User] But infusing his hand with his undiminished love, he continued gently stroking Emilia’s head. “…Emilia?”

[Assistant] Just how long had he been doing that? Midway through their wordless embrace, Subaru called out Emilia’s name.

[User] Exhausted, she made no reply; instead, he heard faint sounds of sleep.

[Assistant] Given her mental fatigue, it was only natural Emilia had quickly fallen asleep the moment she found even a tiny measure of peace. Seeing that her face bore the hallmarks not of nightmares, but of sleep to recover from fatigue, Subaru sighed. Thinking back to the night of the Trial, he should have asked her about her past in more detail. However, in the end, Subaru had not. That was not because she had been tormented by nightmares, and though it was partly to let Emilia rest when she had been worn down mentally and physically, it was not just that, either. The biggest reason was something else. —Clearly, something strange was affecting Emilia. Emilia had revealed to Subaru her birthplace and her reason for participating in the royal selection. The decision to do so must have required a fair bit of courage, but her memories related to the actual Trial had lost their vibrancy. It showed on her face that she didn’t want to talk about it—but that wasn’t the only reason. She had gaps in her memories. The Trial had likely shown Emilia happenings from a hundred years prior, before the forest was frozen. And yet, she did not properly carry those memories with her. —She was stumbling, and she did not even know why. Truly, it was just like Ram had told him. Properly speaking, she could not recall the memories that were causing her to stumble. And this was fatal to her efforts. If things proceeded like every time before, Emilia would challenge the Trial in a fresh state each night. It would be as if Subaru didn’t retain his memories after a Return by Death and only knew of the events in the current instance of a loop. He would be able neither to reflect upon nor improve on his prior efforts. It made perfect sense why she kept failing. If this was a trap Echidna had set up, it was the worst kind possible, but—

[User] “—She’s not the type to watch and laugh as you challenge an absolutely insurmountable wall, is she?”

[Assistant] Echidna’s rotten personality was an established fact, but he trusted in the fact that there was a certain aesthetic to her wickedness. That Witch would never establish a Trial that could not be overcome. In that, the malicious Witch no doubt put on airs of godhood. Then again, there she was, resting in a world of dreams even after death. Maybe her power really did rival those of a god.

[User] “Even if you are some deity, I’m not praying to you. If I’m gonna pray, I’ll pray to my own goddesses.”

[Assistant] But at the moment, both of Subaru’s goddesses had their hands full.


[User] “If Emilia has no means to search her own memories, then…” Laying the audibly sleeping Emilia upon the bed, Subaru looked inward in search of an answer.

[Assistant] Had something in the past broken Emilia’s spirit when she took the Trial?

[User] “—Wait.” Having thought it through that far, Subaru’s brain came to a halt.

[Assistant] Subaru had contacted Ryuzu in order to learn of Garfiel’s past. It had resulted in a failure that took a wholly unexpected form, but the idea itself continued to have merit. And since he was facing a similar situation in Emilia’s case, couldn’t he try to adopt the same approach there as well?

[User] “Even if Emilia herself doesn’t remember…if I ask someone who does know…”

[Assistant] “—Puck.” Surely, Puck—Emilia’s contracted spirit, professed as her only family, that little cat who’d been present when Emilia awoke from the ice—would know the circumstances. The problem was that, at present, there was no way to contact the spirit—since several days before traveling to the Sanctuary, Puck had neither shown himself nor answered Emilia’s calls.

[User] “Think, think, thinkthinkthinkthink. Think, damn it…” Covering his face with his palms, Subaru desperately searched for a way.

[Assistant] “—How many times was it that you killed me?” Murmuring to himself alone, he was referring to fact that Puck had been the cause of Return by Death more than once.


[User] Subaru was confirming to himself what had happened, and how deeply their fates were connected. Three times, an angry Puck had taken Subaru’s life. And in each of those cases— “” Subaru’s breath caught, arriving at the possibility as he looked down at Emilia’s sleeping face.

[Assistant] Emilia was peacefully sleeping, too deeply to dream. There was nothing more Subaru could offer her than that tiny measure of peace. —Or so he had thought. “Sorry, Emilia.” With that brief apology to her sleeping face, Subaru drew close to Emilia.

[User] Then he put both hands on her slender neck. Feeling her smooth skin on his fingertips, Subaru felt like he couldn’t breathe. His heartbeats were so noisy. Sensing the fierce flow of blood with his eardrums, Subaru followed where that possibility led. If Subaru’s expectations were correct, this would summon Puck. All he had to do was put strength into his fingers— “—As if I ever could.” Immediately after, Subaru seemed to be enduring pain as he wrung out his voice.

[Assistant] The sensation was real. Feeling the sharp sting of clamping his molars together, Subaru breathed raggedly as he backed off. The palms of both of Subaru’s hands were covered in white frost. His hands burned like they had been immersed in a bucket of hot water; but in reality, the effect was the polar opposite. This was not agony from an excess of heat, but a biting ache from overwhelming cold. And the one who had made it happen was— “You knew what I was aiming for so you didn’t need to go that far, damn it…!”

[User] "—Hmm, I wonder. There’s no guarantee that a certain mix of love and hate wouldn’t result in harm to Lia, is there? And your love runs deep, Subaru."

[Assistant] "Hey, how did you know about my day care teacher’s reply to the love letter I wrote her in kindergarten…"

[User] "Ehhh…it really is scary to leave Lia by your side. Should I erase you, maybe?"

[Assistant] "Don’t casually use the word erase, geez. Besides—” Waving both his aching hands, Subaru trained his gaze directly before him in resentment. His gaze arrived at Emilia’s neck—or rather, at the green crystal hanging from it. The crystal was giving off a faint, pale light. —The voice reaching Subaru was most certainly coming from it. Though, just as before, there was no tangible sight of him, for he had not materialized.

[User] "Emilia-tan’s all sad that the family pet ran away from home."

[Assistant] "Rather than leave, I have been right here the entire time, though. But, mm, yes, I should say this."

[User] "You have done well to call out to me. —I am happy, Subaru." Replying glibly to Subaru’s biting sarcasm, the crystal—or rather, Puck—would have probably been floating there with a big smile if he had taken physical form. In this strange atmosphere, he spoke


[User] The first thing she felt when she awoke with her right hand empty was loneliness. As she woke up, her head feeling blood-deprived, she had a hazy thought. Before she slept, and even while she slept, she felt like someone had been holding her hand. Realizing this was an extremely selfish sentiment to have, she rose.

[Assistant] "…What a terrible girl I am. That’s incredibly selfish of me." Her face reddened from shame and self-derision, Emilia curled up in the center of the bed as she let those words slip.

[User] "" Pursing her lips at the weakness of her own heart, Emilia subconsciously touched the crystal on her neck.

[Assistant] “Maybe it was a dream… I thought I heard Subaru speaking at my bedside like he was talking to Puck…”

[User] “…Why can’t I remember properly?”

[Assistant] "—You mustn’t blame yourself too much, Lia. I am partly responsible for this.” He speaks through the echo of telepathy directly to her mind.

[User] “Eh…?”

[Assistant] “Puck…? !” Emilia practically shot up as she placed the crystal upon her palm.

[User] “Hmm, this is a little smaller than usual? Well, I’m pretty like this anyway, aren’t I?” Speaking in high spirits, a gray-colored cat twirled around on top of Emilia’s palm.

[Assistant] “Puck…ahh, Puck…!”

[User] "Heya, Lia. It’s been a while, huh.


[User] I forced myself out so we could have a little family discussion.

[Assistant] "Family…discussion…" Their reunion after several days spawned joy, surprise, and a little bit of anger in Emilia’s heart. But though she yearned for an explanation, the teary-eyed Emilia immediately realized something was wrong. The Puck on her palm was smaller than his usual size, and moreover, his existence seemed ever so fragile.

[User] “…Tee-hee-hee. Seems I’ll hit my limit faster than I expected. Well, I willingly broke the pact, so it can’t be helped that my perks as a spirit got yanked back.”

[Assistant] "Broke the pact…? Wh-what are you saying? …No, never mind that. More importantly, where have you been until now…and after that…"

[User] "—Then, as now, I’ve always been by your side, Lia. I couldn’t speak because of my own personal circumstances and your own issues, Lia. But from here, I…" Putting his paws on his head, Puck’s blushing smile went away. His innocent, adorable face turned serious, sending a distressing chill down Emilia’s spine. This was a face she had not seen once from Puck in all that—no, she had seen it before. This was the face he had shown when Emilia, frozen in ice, awoke. It was the face he had shown Emilia right before her life came under threat, and when the pair formed their pact. And for Puck to show Emilia that face in that moment—

[Assistant] "Eh…what, eh…? Wait a minute…" Emilia’s voice stiffened out of shock. Beneath Puck’s feet, the crystal upon which Puck’s tail rested had a crack running down it. This crevice was slowly, but inexorably, expanding.

[User] "Oh, oh no! This is terrible, Puck! The stone, the icon…at this rate!"

[Assistant] "I’m sorry, Lia. I really want to properly explain, but I don’t have time. That’s something I truly regret, but I’m entrusting you to…the child who holds you most precious after me."

[User] "What are you talking about…? Such a person…! Such a person doesn’t…!" Even as she shook her head in denial, the crystal’s destruction would not relent. Accordingly, little by little, Puck’s entire form grew indistinct. The way he was vanishing didn’t come off as a prank. Puck really was vanishing, so very suddenly, and his bond with Emilia went with him. She didn’t know what had happened, or what was happening. Nor, with acceptance on Puck’s face, did Emilia understand just how she looked to those black eyes that moment.

[Assistant] "—Lia. The pact between you and I is rescinded. I’m really sorry it’s so one-sided."

[User] Emilia was overcome as a fear she had never even imagined turned into reality. To be separated from Puck, for a day to come when the pact would end, was something Emilia had never thought of. After all, Emilia and Puck had made a promise.

[Assistant] "If I’m gone, the lid covering your memories will come off. I’m sure that will cause you a great deal of sadness, Lia."


[User] “You might cry even more than you are right now.”

[Assistant] She didn’t understand the meaning of Puck’s words.

[User] Puck softly floated up from Emilia’s palm. Swaying his long tail, he hovered at the tip of Emilia’s nose. His little, white paws touched her cheek. It was as if he was gently trying to wipe away one of the teardrops coursing from the corner of her eye. If she was going to lose this much warmth, even the frozen forest of her homeland was—

[Assistant] “—Emilia. I reaaally love you.”

[User] “—No! !” As she tried to stop their bonds from fading away, she thought the unthinkable when a voice echoed in the back of her mind. The voice came from “someone” speaking to Emilia from her indistinct memories. She was being made to choose. That instant, she was being forced to choose between the warmth before her eyes and the cold past sealed within the ice. And the right to choose rested in Emilia’s hand. That moment, if she reached out her hand, Puck would—

[Assistant] “—Yeah. This is for the best, Lia.”


[User] Her arm would not move. Her shaking fingers would not reach Puck, even as he wiped the tear from her cheek. She could not prioritize the warmth of that instant if it meant ignoring the voice that tied her to the past. She had spent time together with Puck in the forest, watching over her neighbors, who had been frozen into ice statues, day after day. In all that time and in all the days that had come since then, he never made Emilia face her memories of the past.

[Assistant] “Lia. —In this whole world, you’re the one I love the most.”

[User] "" They were the words with which, in the past, he had conveyed his affection, and so, too, his love. Instantly, the little cat’s contours became a phosphorescent green, scattering as he seemed to melt into thin air. The crystal on her palm was split into two. —Already, it had completely lost its light. There was no room for doubt. The crystal had split, Puck was gone, and the pact between them had been undone. She felt no connection. The connection that she could always feel was gone, almost as if it were a dream.

[Assistant] “…But it’s not a dream.” Training her fingers upon her own cheek, Emilia pinched herself.

[User] It hurt. She didn’t wake up. She had been left behind in a silent room.

[Assistant] “…i…ar.” She released her cheek, her fingers covering her own face. She raised her head toward the heavens, almost so none might see it. But such concern was unnecessary. There was no one by her side. Only her quivering voice filled the air.

[User] “Puck… Daddy, you liar…!”


[Assistant] “…Tch.” The first thing he felt when he awoke was irritation toward the hollow, empty feeling inside his chest. Clicking his tongue, he sat up, violently clawing at the short, blond hair on his head. He was not the sort to wake up badly. But the nightmare had been bad. This, and everything else, was doubtlessly the fault of those uninvited guests who had disturbed the peace of the Sanctuary.

[User] “Young Gar, are you awake?” Then, as he sat cross-legged on the bedding with a curled back and a foul mood, a familiar voice addressed him. When he turned, she was visible at the back of the small, crude cabin and was wearing a white poncho.

[Assistant] Garfiel, his cheeks twisting at the sight of her, slowly rose from the bed. “Sorry, dozed off there. Nothin’ happened while I was asleep?”

[User] “You worry too much over a few short hours. You’ll lose your hair at an early age at this rate.”

[Assistant] “…I ain’t the type to strain or get too tense or nothin’, but this is rattlin’ even me, old hag.


[User] “I mean, I heard straight from ya that the guy with the stupid smile on his face is drippin’ with miasma.” Garfiel replied to his grandmother’s teasing tone with a dead serious voice.

[Assistant] Lowering the corners of her eyebrows at the sight, Shima said in an apologetic tone, “Sorry.”

[User] —He had first heard that someone tainted with powerful miasma was mixed in with Emilia’s party on the first night of the Trial following their arrival. Ever since, Garfiel’s eyes bore a glint of wariness and enmity toward Subaru and those with him. No matter who it was, he would not forgive anyone who brought calamity to those Sanctuary.

[Assistant] “…However. I have spoken of it already, but that boy…Young Su does not appear to bear any relation to the Witch. Besides, from what I have heard, there are much larger concerns.”

[User] “Much larger concerns…the princess, then? Ya heard somethin’?” Shima’s assertion made Garfiel twist his neck and look outside the window—up into the darkened, nighttime sky.

[Assistant] “—So the spirit mage lost her spirit. No good to us while she’s in a panic, huh?” Garfiel clacked his fangs, sighing deeply at the reason behind why the challenge of the tomb was being put off.

[User] “Do not say that. You should have compassion where someone’s mental foundation is concerned… Young Gar, you would cry like a baby if I were gone, would you not?”

[Assistant] “I would not!! I’m not a little kid. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t, but…” I ran my mouth without thinking, thought Garfiel, lowering his eyes.

[User] “Hah!” he snorted, standing fully.

[Assistant] “Young Gar?”

[User] “Nothing’s gonna happen tonight. Me, I’m gonna go check things out. Get some sleep, you old bag o’ bones. Stay-up-late Rudy came to regret his short legs and all.”

[Assistant] “And yet, it seems to me it is you who should not be up late, Young Gar.” Shima saw Garfiel off with a pained smile as he left the cabin.


[User] He considered the empty replicas to be different beings as well. As an Apostle of Greed, he had the right to issue commands to the replicas. He felt no pangs of guilt from employing that right to make the replicas do as he told them. They looked the same, but they were different. He considered Ryuzu and Shima to be his grandmother while the other replicas were nothing more than dolls. This was a firmly held thought inside Garfiel. He told himself that one’s true nature was on the inside. He told himself that this was the truth.

[Assistant] That was why, when he spotted Ram leisurely loitering in the middle of the night, Garfiel’s heart beat fast.

[User] "Heya, Ram. It’s dangerous goin’ for a nighttime stroll at an hour like this.”

[Assistant] “—I suppose so. There are many dangerous nocturnal beasts roaming about, such as Barusu or Garf.” Ram, enveloped by the moonlight, turned around and narrowed her eyes as Garfiel called out to her.

[User] “What a sharp-tongued girl. That’s good about you, but…”

[Assistant] Normally, there ought to have been no reason for her to be in the area, so of course, it was unnatural for him to run into Ram here.

[User] "Out for a stroll. After all, Barusu should be right at Lady Emilia’s side right about now.”

[Assistant] “…All right to leave her to him…? Isn’t takin’ care of her part of yer job, Ram?”

[User] “A job consisting only of holding her hand on a night of worry is something even Barusu can handle. Besides, he wants to do it, so I pushed the responsibility onto him. Win-win. Is there a problem?” With her facial features composed, Ram boldly shrugged her shoulders.

[Assistant] Unable to summon a retort to her gesture, Garfiel copied her and shrugged his shoulders, too.

[User] Emilia had lost her spirit, the center of her mental support. Staying by her side was the black-haired boy with the Witch’s miasma hovering about him. —It certainly did not give him a good impression of either, but…

[Assistant] “…Looks like this ain’t gonna work out, huh…” Judging from the abandoned Trial and from her state the night before, Garfiel didn’t think Emilia could overcome the Trial. He sympathized with the sight of her breaking into tears, crushed by her past. Of course she had failed. The past was something you regretted, but could not change. There was no way to win against regret.

[User] "Ram, do you have any regrets?” Abruptly, Garfiel put into words something heavy that rested inside him. That hateful Trial was a collection of malice that made you vividly relive the regrets that haunted your heart. But would that even work on someone who had no regrets?

[Assistant] “Why, all of a sudden?”


[User] "Of course, even I have my regrets."

[Assistant] "—! Y-you regret something…? Wh-what do you regret…?"

[User] "I regret having to stand here answering Garf’s trivial questions. In addition, my shoes have become dirty from entering the forest. This, too, I regret." Letting out a sigh, Ram patted her chest as she lamented such things.

[Assistant] Garfiel gawking at her, but he soon accepted a fact—she really didn’t have any meaningful regrets. Her lack of regrets made Ram pretty. This, her typical strength, was what charmed him.

[User] "Something is missing. —I am unsure of just what, but perhaps that would constitute a qualm."

[Assistant] "Ahh?"

[User] "Nothing at all. More importantly, walk me back. Or do you intend to make me travel this path at night alone?" Declining to touch upon what he had heard her murmur, Ram immediately began walking toward the settlement. It was extremely self-centered behavior, but Garfiel walked after her without a single word of complaint. Along the way, for a single moment, his thoughts lingered on Shima, left back at the cabin. But Ram’s unhesitant gait spurred him onward. There was nothing going on that night. He was certain this quiet night over the Sanctuary would continue, unchanged.


[Assistant] Subaru gloomily sitting in a chair at her bedside.

[User] "Emilia…are you really all right? It might be better to let all the hard stuff…"

[Assistant] "Mm-hmm, it’s fine. Really…really, I’m all right." She smiled to try to put him at ease, but her trembling lips failed her.

[User] The sight made Subaru’s face cloud over even more. —It had been half a day since the crystal had cracked and Puck had vanished, his pact vanishing with him. When she touched her neck, her attachment to the cracked crystal remained. Though it had completely lost its warmth, and her fingertips only drove the loss home, she could not part with it even so.

[Assistant] "I’m sorry… I keep apologizing like that, don’t I. But I’m sorry… Even though I really have to take the Trial tonight, too…" She ought to have hardened her resolve, determined to make up for the prior night’s failure at the Trial. Of course, being unable to make up for that, or even challenge it whatsoever, was disheartening to her.

[User] "It’s all right," gently smiling at her. "No big deal! It’s not like any of this is your fault, Emilia. The fault’s with the guy who decided…"

[Assistant] "A-anyway. You need to take it easy on yourself. If there’s anything I can do…my hands aren’t very big, but I’ll lend you anything I can." Hesitant to touch her wounds—that was how Subaru showed his consideration.

[User] Accepting this, Emilia sat on the bed as she lowered her eyes, making a little “Mm-hmm” in her throat.


[User] Emilia had been going over her conversation with Puck before he had vanished. The anguish of remembering the moment of their parting ways throbbed in her chest time and time again. She heard a voice, a gentle voice, a soft voice, a voice full of love was calling Emilia’s name.

[Assistant] Leaning forward, peering into her face. "—Emilia? You really are tired, aren’t you?" Subaru spoke, his voice echoing alongside the voice in her memories.

[User] "Emilia?" His voice was a little surprised. That was because Emilia had suddenly held onto his hand.

[Assistant] Emilia wanted to be sure about herself. "I’m sure…in the morning… I want to think that by morning…I’ll be all right."

[User] "Y-yeah. That’s, mm-hmm, I get it. So…"

[Assistant] "Hold my hand. Would you stay here until morning? If you do that, I’m sure I’ll…" Entwining her fingers with Subaru’s, Emilia infused the sensation with that prayer.

[User] "Please, Subaru. I’m sorry. I’m sorry… Please."

[Assistant] Drawing his chair close to the bed, smiling as he continued holding Emilia’s hand. "If that’s what you want, granting your wish is easy. You don’t need to apologize over and over." With his other hand, he stroked her head, making Emilia close her eyes from the ticklish feeling.

[User] "Morning…if it’s till morning, okay. I believe in you."

[Assistant] Emilia closed her eyes, the sensation on her palm calming her heart.


[User] There was a humid, green forest with smiling people and girls with hair as silver as Emilia’s, and those girls had happy conversations with men unfamiliar to her. Her homeland was daubed white—those were the moments of time within the dream.

[Assistant] “Emilia!” Amid the dream, amid the snow, amid the past clawing at her heart, the young Emilia heard a voice call her name.

[User] A woman with silver hair and violet eyes practically leaped through the air as she raced over. "I’m sorry, Emilia. I’m sorry. I never taught you any of the important things. I hid everything from you… I just wanted our princess to be happy…please forgive us…forgive me…" The woman embraced the young Emilia tightly, pleading to her in an earnest voice. "I love you. I wanted to protect you. I spoke white lies so that no one would hate you.”

[Assistant] The young Emilia of the past shook her head from side to side. She rejected the desperate plea.

[User] “—Emilia. I really love you.”

[Assistant] “Mommy Fortuna, you liar.” Opening her eyes, Emilia spoke those words to the lovely woman seared into her memories.

[User] “Puck, you liar.” Touching the split crystal with her left hand, Emilia spoke those words to the spirit who had rescinded the pact made with Emilia.

[Assistant] “—Subaru, you liar.” Staring at her empty right hand, Emilia spoke toward the boy who had made a promise to her before she slept.

[User] “…Liar.”


[User] It was very early in the morning, but the bedding had already lost its warmth, there was no mistaking that she had left at quite an early hour. Since going out on a stroll at a rather odd hour ran a high risk of strangers spotting her, Garfiel was internally conflicted. He didn’t want to restrict his grandmother’s movements. He didn’t want to, but—

[Assistant] “…Right now, there’s Roswaal and the miasma bastard here…” Touching the white scar on his forehead, Garfiel twisted his cheeks.

[User] Touching his scar when he was thinking about something was akin to a force of habit. He’d borne the scar ever since the moment he entered the tomb in his youth. He behaved like an idiot who did not know fear, but that memory was of the single most foolish thing he’d done. Haunted by the presence of the scar, he touched it to make himself remember to regret and reflect. Hence, it had become a habit.

[Assistant] “A stroll, huh? Days sure get long when ya get old. Maybe I should pour some tea ’n’ wait…” Spotting the teacup placed on the table, Garfiel felt a sense of thirst rising in his throat. Where are those tea leaves, he thought, but something struck him as wrong. —There were two teacups on the table. Garfiel hadn’t had any tea when he’d been there the night before.

[User] “—!” The sense that something was wrong made Garfiel put his nose to work, practically shooting out the cabin as he rushed outside. There were no footprints remaining on the forest floor. There was virtually no trace of Shima’s replica scent, either. If it was nothing, fine. But if it was something— Almost flying as he raced through the forest, Garfiel made a beeline back toward the settlement. There were two potential destinations: the Cathedral, to which the outsiders had been exiled, or perhaps—

[Assistant] “Tch! Like there’s any doubt!” Garfiel clacked his fangs as his feet carried him straight toward the back of the settlement. Then, just as his destination was coming into sight, Garfiel raised his voice in a “Hey!”


[User] “—! Garfiel? !” With a pale face, it was none other than Subaru who turned around.

[Assistant] The trio was standing in front of an empty house—the house currently being used as Emilia’s place to rest.

[User] “The hell are all of ya doin’ out…”

[Assistant] “Hey, do you know where the heck Emilia is? !”

[User] “—The…hell?” Garfiel, all worked up trying to find Shima, was about to ask if they had any idea where she was when Subaru’s words took him by surprise. This instantly left him at a loss.

[Assistant] Garfiel’s reaction brought an irritated look over Subaru’s face. “What gives? Do you know where…you didn’t abduct her, did you?”

[User] “Don’t talk stupid. Why’d I go abductin’ the princess? What’s goin’ on?”

[Assistant] “—Lady Emilia has gone missing."


[User] “It happened this morning, right under our noses.” In place of the uneasy-looking Subaru, it was Ram who laid bare the circumstances.

[Assistant] But the explanation did not induce Garfiel to close his mouth. Emilia was missing. —That made two people missing.

[User] “It seems Mr. Natsuki was holding her hand during the night. When morning came, Mr. Natsuki apparently went to switch with Miss Ram so that she might get a change of clothes…”

[Assistant] “…Well, that’s your mistake, ain’t it?” When Third-Rate added more detail, Garfiel let that comment slip.

[User] Subaru hung his head with a pathetic look on his face.

[Assistant] To be blunt, Garfiel had suspected it might all be some kind of scheme, but he didn’t think Subaru being shaken by Emilia’s absence was a ruse. Who could put on an act with a face that pathetic? If that was so, Shima and Emilia both being missing made this an emergency situation. “” No choice, thought Garfiel as he took the blue crystal in his loincloth into his hand. He didn’t want to employ his rights as an Apostle of Greed, but if there was ever a time to use the replicas’ power, this was it. —He just needed to mentally order them. Order them to search for Shima, and next, Emilia… For one second, he was tempted to order Shima to come to his side, but Garfiel forced the notion back down, throwing that option away. He didn’t use his rights on Ryuzu or Shima. That was the moral code Garfiel had to protect at all costs.

[User] “…So what, you lookin’ for her with other people?”

[Assistant] “We only just found out! We’re gonna ask the people from Earlham Village to…”

[User] “You do whatever ya want. Me, I’ll do it my way. Ram!” If they had their own ideas, he wouldn’t object.

[Assistant] Garfiel called her name, Ram nodded deeply, seemingly guessing what he had in mind. Surely she could make use of everyone in the Sanctuary, native and stranger alike. Garfiel would leave the matter of Emilia in their hands, for he had to search for Shima himself. —He would not divulge Shima’s existence to Ram or the others. It was a secret of the Sanctuary, after all.

[User] “If ya find somethin’ out, lemme know! And don’t do anythin’ stupid, ya hear? !” Driving that one thing home, Garfiel kicked the ground, leaving Ram and the others behind. Activating his explosive leaping strength, he made a full turn, this time racing back to the forest in one go. He’d rendezvous with a number of the replicas, leading them in an organized search. As he resolved upon this—


[Assistant] "This is…" Wiping the sweat on his brow, Garfiel grimaced at the disagreeable scent. Garfiel did not like this place. Better put, he hated it. The pungent scent hovering in its environs was akin to a mortal enemy to his sensitive nose, but the largest reason was the purpose of the facility’s existence. —The Ryuzu Meyer replication facility. That was the white building’s role.

[User] "Why would the old hag come here…? She hates this place as much as I do, damn it." Muttering curses as he entered the building, Garfiel squinted in its dimly lit interior. Garfiel had met with the replicas at Shima’s cabin to receive their reports as Eyes. The replicas lurking in every corner of the forest bore the duty of being Eyes, observing the Sanctuary to find intruders from the outside or anomalies that might occur within. When he made proactive use of his rights as an Apostle of Greed, it was usually for that. Ryuzu and Shima laughed it off, but in actuality, the Eyes had been very useful. On the first day that Subaru and the others had visited the Sanctuary, it was thanks to them that he’d been able to capture the group so quickly after they’d crossed the barrier. Finding out that Shima was at the facility right then was another result of their work. The Eyes had not spotted Shima. But that meant by implication that Shima had gone to a place where no replica was on duty. That strongly pointed to the facility and its surroundings. Of course, he’d made the replicas continue the search, but—

[Assistant] "—It’s open. So this is the place." Having arrived at the spacious room in the back of the facility, Garfiel clicked his tongue in certainty. At the tip of his gaze was where a white wall ought to have been—but the entrance to the hidden room behind it was wide open. Garfiel pretty much dragged himself there only once in several months to a year’s time—to pick up a new replica created from the device within the chamber. And only those with the same status as Garfiel bore could enter that place. —For the conditions to enter were twofold: to bear a crystal and to be an Apostle of Greed. Garfiel knew of only one person beyond himself who could possibly fit those two conditions.

[User] "Old hag! Are ya here?! Can ya hear my voice? !" Shouting loudly, Garfiel advanced to the back of the chamber with ragged-sounding footsteps. He was halfway certain. He was being lured there.


[User] Some kidnapper had brought Shima into the facility, lying in wait as he came searching for her. Knowing that much, he ought to have been cautious, but Garfiel was nothing if not bold and impetuous. If it was a trap, he’d crush it underfoot; if a scheme, he’d clamp his jaws and shatter it. —His conclusion was plain and simple. "Old hag! Old hag—! !"

[Assistant] Surely, there was no reason to inflict harm upon her. He could surmise no reason to do so. At the very least, she’d served the other party tea. Even if the opponent was some strategist with a devilish mind at work— "" Hearing no reply, Garfiel set foot into the chamber, resting his eyes upon the so-called magic crystal. In its blue light, there was a girl hugging her knees sealed within. This was the girl from which all the replicas originated—Ryuzu Meyer. Garfiel felt bad about the presence of the girl, one he took for granted, which he could call neither materials nor a corpse. He felt himself reflected in that presence: already ended, yet continuing to exist. Perhaps it was because her existence jabbed deeply into his chest that he was slow to respond to the footsteps behind him. "Who—? !" Turning around and raising his voice, he immediately scolded himself for the stupid question. There was only one sort of person who would show up at that time and place. In other words, the presence belonged to Subaru Natsuki—

[User] "—I am terribly sorry I cannot live up to your expectations." The whisper in his ear and the pat on his shoulder sent Garfiel into shock. In other words, this was proof he had been approached from the opposite direction of the footsteps he had heard. And the one who had done this was— "The host of the banquet is absent. May I serve you in his place?" Speaking these words, the gentleman with delicate features bowed, touching his hat to his chest. He remembered his face. His face was all he remembered. He did not remember his name. That was why Garfiel called him Third-Rate.

[Assistant] "Why are you…where is that bastard…?" His surprise over the young man’s emergence undiminished, Garfiel searched the room for any sight of Subaru. The young man was unexpected, but he could guess who’d set this up. Of course, the uproar over Emilia’s absence was a pack of lies, too; the shaken look on his face, and all the rest, was purely the product of acting—

[User] "Actually, this circumstance truly was unexpected."

[Assistant] "—Huh?"

[User] "It truly was our blunder to let Lady Emilia slip out while our eyes were turned. To be blunt, I am tempted to wonder if even my fortune is so poor. However…" Cutting off his words at that point, the young man returned the hat in his hand back to his head. After that, he rubbed his own nose with his finger, making what seemed like a blushy smile.


[User] "My friend asked me to, you see. Knowing full well ’tis a minor role, I shall play it to the fullest regardless.”

[Assistant] Dragging her feet, she walked toward the pale glow with darkness hovering all around it. The exhaustion of her willpower robbed her of endurance as well. Even though she was moving but a short distance, her body felt heavy. Even so, the girl—Emilia—was unwilling to halt, forcing herself to move forward. Puck’s prediction had been correct. The lid on her memories had been lifted, and recollections came back to her one after another. She didn’t know what connected the two. She did not know why Puck’s absence was related to her memories.

[User] "—Mommy Fortuna." Instead of that doubt, what she put on her lips was the name of the woman who had been like a mother to her and was strongly carved into her memories. She was not her birth mother. She was sure she’d heard that from the woman herself. Those memories, too, would surely come back to her in short order. Her memories of Fortuna were gentle, warm, and strong—to Emilia, she was the ideal woman. —The mother who should have been turned into a statue of ice was somewhere in the frozen forest that very moment.

[Assistant] "Ugh…hkk…" The memory of the sin she could never undo throbbed. A sob trickled out from Emilia’s lips. Not everything had come back to her yet. And yet, a feeling of guilt welled up from deep inside her chest. Even without her memories, surely her body, her blood, and her soul remembered. It had always been like that. Always. Desperately, earnestly, with all her strength, she didn’t intend to hold back in the slightest, yet Emilia’s hands could not even glance across the surface of that which she truly wished to reach. That was probably why Puck, why Subaru, why Fortuna had slipped through her fingers—

[User] "That’s why I…" Even as she sobbed and cried tiny tears, Emilia pressed on. At the speed of a crawl, she headed for a particular place in the dense sea of green. She did this because in her present state, that was the final stronghold in which Emilia could place her trust.

[Assistant] “…Liar." There was no one to hear the word of blame that fell from her slender lips. Nor was there anyone who clearly understood who the word was for.


[User] "—Ya ain’t got what it takes for this role, Third-Rate." Immediately after recovering from the initial shock, Garfiel seemed to chew on the words before spitting them out. The tone of his voice was intimidating. The young man on the receiving end of it made a pathetic-looking face.

[Assistant] “…Well, I imagined you might say as much. I, too, believe I am behaving rather recklessly in courting this circumstance. Truly, I had intended to settle this with dialogue between us."

[User] "Dialogue, ya say?"

[Assistant] "Yes."


[User] Garfiel glared, "Ryuzu…no, Shima should have been here. At Mr. Natsuki’s initiative, we wished to have Miss Shima in attendance while we were to speak with you… However…”

[Assistant] Scratching his cheek, the young man let a weary sigh trickle out. “The incident with Lady Emilia has completely thrown off my plans. Having said that, I have already engaged in wicked deeds all over, so I must adjust appropriately to changing circumstances…”

[User] "…What of the old hag?”

[Assistant] “As I could not read the situation, I had her distance herself. There is no one here save you and I.”

[User] “That so.” He’d asked what he wanted to. If neither Shima nor Subaru, who had hatched the scheme, were present in this place, he was done here. Coming to this conclusion, Garfiel glared at the young man. However—

[Assistant] “That bastaaard…playin’ his little games…!” Putting his fierce, seething emotions onto his tongue, Garfiel raggedly vented his rage toward Subaru.


[User] —Since the beginning. Yes, from the very beginning, Garfiel couldn’t stand Subaru. With sharp eyes in contrast to the soft look of his face, he always behaved flippantly and frivolously. Yet, in spite of that, from time to time, he had a look in his eyes like someone who’d gone through crises that Garfiel could not even imagine. That gaze of his, as if he was staring off into some place far away, struck Garfiel the same as that of the man he liked least in the entire world. Of course it had annoyed him. If he’d used his own hands to pinch and crush him sooner, none of this would have happened.

[Assistant] “I am inclined to thank you for not being quite that rash.”

[User] “What the hell did you stay behind for? The guy in question ain’t here so there’s no talk to be had.”

[Assistant] “You have a point. And yet, right now…I wish to buy time for a man and a woman to have a moment with each other.” The young man raised a finger to his lips, winking with one eye. The gesture brought a questioning look over Garfiel’s face. But as soon as he understood the meaning of his words, and just which man and which woman he meant, the impact ran through him.

[User] “” That instant, what shot through Garfiel was intuition beyond anything he could explain. Hence, Garfiel, a man who judged things in accordance with his instincts, was certain it was fact. That moment, Subaru was searching for the supposedly missing Emilia so that he might meet with her. Meet her, and do what? What could that man, qualified to be an Apostle of Greed, do—

[Assistant] “Oh my! I cannot let you go as you please. I told you, did I not? However minor, I have a role I must play.”

[Assistant] “I feel obligated to warn you, I may not be much for direct combat, but I have a bounty of tricks up my sleeve."


[User] "For instance, employing water and wind magic to cast the sound of my footsteps into the distance…”

[Assistant] “Yeah? Here’s what I gotta say, Third-Rate.” Garfiel turned, seemingly intent on leaving the hidden chamber, as the young man stood to bar his path.

[User] "Ya ain’t got what it takes for this role.”

[Assistant] “—Guh, ugh!” The blow to his solar plexus elicited a trickling moan from the young man as he proceeded to crumple, spewing the contents of his stomach.

[User] The punch had avoided his vitals. That was Garfiel’s show of mercy and restraint. "That’s payback for the little trick with the footsteps earlier. See ya.” Leaving the fallen young man those words, Garfiel hurried, racing out of the facility.


[Assistant] He had to return to the Sanctuary. —No, it wasn’t the Sanctuary he needed to head for: It was the tomb. He knew intuitively. Garfiel trusted his intuition—that letting Subaru and Emilia meet, and giving them time to exchange words, would bring a bad situation forth. Besides, Garfiel sympathized with Emilia. He pitied her. His memory of Emilia looking heartbroken, the cruelty of the Trial pounded into her, was still fresh. Garfiel had tasted the same fear himself long ago. They were similar. Even setting aside the blood that flowed through their veins, of course he’d harbor empathy for her. That was why Garfiel thought he shouldn’t let Subaru meet Emilia. It had nothing to do with their fondness and attraction for each other. —If you challenged the past, you got hurt. He’d put a stop to that. “The replicas…!” Garfiel thought that, in the time between leaving the temple and returning to the settlement, he ought to give urgent commands for the replicas to search for Subaru and Emilia. Shima weighed on his mind, but at this moment in time, the other two came first. In particular, he needed to mercilessly twist Subaru to the ground by force, even if he needed to use the replicas to do it.

[User] With that thought, he rummaged through his pocket—and it was then that Garfiel realized that the crystal wasn’t there.

[Assistant] The instant he realized it, the blood drained from his face. He kicked a tree to kill the momentum of his sprint. He searched inside his loincloth once more. However, the crystal was not there, either. There was no way he’d have dropped something so precious. After all, to Garfiel, it was part of a memory he could not afford to lose—

[User] “—! That…third-rate bastard!” Garfiel howled as his guess set his thought process ablaze. In the hidden chamber, he’d deliberately thrown the sound of his footsteps with the aim of getting close. The various exaggerated gestures were all distractions—so that Garfiel would not notice Third-Rate pickpocketing his crystal. Garfiel hesitated for a moment. But then he immediately cast it aside, turning back toward the facility.


[User] He returned to the facility with enough force to break through a solid wall. But there was no sign of the man he had punched in the gut, the man who ought to have been lying there. He realized that the swooning had been an act as well. He’d been had. Garfiel had been completely, utterly ensnared and was still being toyed with that very instant…!

[Assistant] He raced out of the facility, whipping his head all around. His nose wasn’t working. It was useless. The foul odor of the place violated his nostrils, rendering them unusable. He squinted, acting like a beast in search of even the slightest change around him. Casting all dignity aside, he went down on all fours and crawled. Footprints. Footprints from leather boots. These he followed. Ferociously breaking through the forest, he trampled all manner of foliage, eyes bloodshot as he pursued traces of leather. Finally—

[User] "I found ya!! Don’t ya dare think about gettin’ away from me! !" He Leaping, Garfiel twisted in midair, throwing up dust as he landed. His eyes were trained upon a gap in the trees standing straight before him. He’d caught sight of the young man in question. From the nimble way he fled, the earlier punch had taken little out of him.

[Assistant] "You con artist…!"

[User] "Calling me a con artist is quite offensive…er, no, perhaps I should puff my chest out in pride at my opponent claiming he was deceived, for such are my long-cherished goals as a merchant…" Spinning worthless words, the young man calmly stood in defiance of the angry Garfiel.

[Assistant] "Give back the stone. That’s my stone. I know that you stole it, you thieving bastard…!"

[User] "Third-rate, and now thief…it is truly difficult to be appraised in line with my own ideals. —I understand how Mr. Natsuki and Lady Emilia feel."

[Assistant] "I ain’t askin’ about that! And I got no intention of playin’ along so ya can buy time! !" When the young man murmured disconcertedly, Garfiel glared at him, unreservedly yelling in anger.


[User] The sharpness of the glint in Garfiel’s eyes increased as he paid conscious attention to the young man’s each and every word and action. In the earlier battle, all his gestures had been a trap. He could not lower his guard, not relenting for even one moment, one second.

[Assistant] "Finally…you are looking at me, Garfiel." Seeing right through his hostility-filled eyes, the young man laughed.

[User] Shudder went Garfiel, feeling a chill run up his spine. Why was this man laughing?

[Assistant] "Third-rate, thief, all that is fine. People like me do not even enter the vision of people like you. You are prejudiced toward opponents such as Mr. Natsuki and I. That is why you never paid me any heed." He had no objection to the rambling words the young man spoke. It was all fact. Garfiel had never considered the young man someone he should pay the slightest heed to, let alone be wary of him as a potential foe. And look where it got him. He’d been led by the nose, extensively toyed with, and reduced to his current state. That was why, that moment, he was being so wary, absolutely not turning his eyes away for a single instant—

[User] "A merchant reads his chances for victory, acting several moves ahead. I am no exception."

[Assistant] "Huh…?"

[User] "Last night, it was Mr. Natsuki who spoke with Miss Shima over tea. I do not know what occurred in the immediate aftermath, nor does Mr. Natsuki know of my actions, I am sure." Shaking his head side to side, Otto backed up bit by bit. Seeing this, Garfiel realized he had once again been slow to decide due to indignation at what he was being told.

[Assistant] He needed to ignore the words. The man before him was his enemy. Whatever the scheme, he simply needed to make his enemy submit. "I’ll deal with ya here and now. And next…"

[User] "Yes. That."

[Assistant] One instant, he made that assertion, stepping forward in pursuit of the young man—the next, he was assaulted by a floating feeling. His right foot plunged through the ground he’d stepped on, causing him to lose his balance. Instantly, he stretched a hand to a nearby tree. Tree trunk and all, Garfiel was swallowed up by a frighteningly large cave-in.

[User] "Uooaaaa—? !" He made an anguished cry as the blow of the fall came immediately. He fixed his posture, glaring immediately upward. The depth of the hole was several yards; going back was trivial. But in that case, why had he made a hole like that? —What was this hole, at a size and depth completely beyond human strength to dig, doing here? As he had the thought, he squinted at the hole. It was then that Garfiel realized that something was off: not with the top, nor the bottom, but with the earthen walls. They contained countless points of light; these were countless winged insects enshrouded by phosphorescent light—

[Assistant] "Since long ago, I have had few human friends.


[User] Garfiel was taken aback by the voice coming down at him from overhead. He could not instantly comprehend the meaning of those words. But his instincts rang an alarm bell warning him of danger.

[Assistant] And once again, even that very instant, Garfiel was listening to his enemy’s words.

[User] "Now, the forest itself is your enemy. —First, have a taste of the Zodda bugs’ warm welcome!"

[Assistant] Garfiel raised an angry yell in response as the sound of wings drowned out his sentence.

[User] Yell and roar. The reverberations echoed.


[Assistant] When it felt like he heard a roar far off in the distance, Subaru’s breath caught.

[User] For an instant, he looked back; the urge to run there and confirm the situation raced through him. But he somehow managed to resist. The die had already been cast.

[Assistant] Garfiel had to have realized by then that Subaru was involved in Shima’s disappearance. It was not difficult to imagine his anger over the number of covert activities and dirty tricks, which must have been driving him mad.

[User] He’d truly have liked to settle things nice and properly at the discussion table beforehand, but that was no longer possible.

[Assistant] "Counting on you, Otto. Just don’t do anything really crazy…”

[User] Fully expecting Garfiel to be in an agitated state, it was Otto who had volunteered to take responsibility for explaining things. At the replication facility, Otto had made arrangements to await Garfiel’s arrival. Surely, Otto would be able to soothe his anger. In contrast to that thought, Subaru was fiercely uneasy as well.

[Assistant] "After all, that Otto bastard is a total idiot with surprising disregard for his own life…”

[User] He was worried about the fact that Otto often risked his life for the sake of others. He’d said if he came into contact with Garfiel, he’d tell him everything and let himself be taken prisoner. But with the plan already thrown well off track, it was crucial for both of them to adjust to the changing circumstances thereafter.

[Assistant] "Don’t make me pay for the incense at your funeral, Otto."

[User] Even if it came to that, Subaru wouldn’t be sending any money. It’d get sent to him and Otto both. He didn’t want it to come to that.

[Assistant] "—Right now, I need to fulfill my role." Subaru stood boldly before his destination, spitting out words of resolve.

[User] The entrance before him was open, dark, and filled with cold air. The instant Subaru stepped inside, his entire body felt languid, and he was seized by the alien sense that his blood was flowing backward.

[Assistant] "Nggh…" Putting a hand to his mouth, Subaru forced himself to ignore the rising sense of nausea within him as he advanced further still.


[Assistant] After passing through a corridor that seemed to stretch for all eternity, Subaru let his shoulders drop in relief. Before his eyes, leaning against a weathered wall, there was a girl clutching her knees in the dry corridor.

[User] When the girl noticed Subaru, she opened her violet eyes in a daze. "Suba…ru…?" Even though it was a faltering voice.

[Assistant] After that, Subaru sat as well, right by the cowering girl’s side. "All right, Emilia-tan. Let’s talk, okay?"