Arc 10, Part 15: "Together Until Hell"

—When the spreading hellfire swallowed Natsuki Subaru, Beatrice doubted her own eyes.

"How...?"

The deployed E·M·T was a forbidden technique that forcibly inserted instructions to cancel and decompose the structure of magical formulas—mana-based interference occurring within the field. In any other era, it would undoubtedly have been designated a forbidden spell, a "cheat" of magic.

Of course, if someone were to see through the mechanism of E·M·T and weave a formula that functioned even after its structure was unraveled, it could potentially be breached. However, to take such a precisely assembled magical construct, replace a single component with something entirely different, and still make it function the same way was a feat of an outlier. It would be impossible for anyone who wasn't Roswaal or the "Witch of Greed"—Beatrice’s mother.

Excluding such irregularities, no one should have been able to invoke magic. And yet—

"Just how did you break through it, I wonder?"

"—It wasn't anything as grand as 'breaking through.' I just used my head and put my body on the line."

"————"

In Beatrice's narrowing vision as she asked the question, the one who responded was Tiga Laureon. He had propped himself up against a wall, his body half-leaning for support. The young man, who should have been sent crashing into the wall by the rampaging "Dragon Eye" girl—Crusch—during their fierce struggle, let out a long, exhausted breath. Tiga gripped his beloved sword in one hand and pressed the other against his side. Seeing that the clothes around his side were scorched and the skin beneath was carbonized, Beatrice felt a shiver of horror.

That was not a wound inflicted by Crusch's pursuit. And that wound was the very reason—

"...What on earth were you thinking, I wonder?"

"I only did what was necessary, Lady Beatrice. The scriptures say: 'While the Dragon circles the sky, man shall till the earth. He who lets his allotted time rot in sleep shall not even tread upon the Dragon's shadow in the coming season of harvest.' ...Or so it goes."

Tiga slowly shook his head, reciting a passage from the scriptures of the "Divine Dragon Church" that brought Filore to mind. However, even if the fact that he had memorized the scriptures well enough to recite them supported his decisiveness, Beatrice could not easily nod in agreement. Tiga’s scorched side—that wound was caused by the same flames that had swallowed Subaru and Crusch. However, those flames had not burned him from the outside; they had scorched him from within.

The effect of E·M·T was to dismantle the composition of magic activated within the field. Tiga had bypassed this condition of being "within the field" through sheer brute force. His method was—

"—Magic generated inside my body isn't affected by the influence of this forbidden technique. ...I wasn't certain, but it seems I was right."

"————"

"I realized it in the middle of the fight. I thought, 'Wait, I can't use magic right now, but the effects of my Flow Method are still active.' And so—"

"Even so, choosing to cut open your own stomach, and using magic with the resolve to let your internal organs be scorched through that wound... neither of those are easy choices, I suppose. ...Only a human whose heart is possessed by something beyond a sense of duty could do such a thing."

"I feel somewhat slighted, as if you're calling me insane. ...Though I suppose it can't be helped."

Despite the weight in his voice caused by exhaustion, Tiga’s reply was detached. Beatrice felt a phantom chill crawl through her non-existent liver.

The Tiga that Beatrice knew was only from the day or two since they had met at the Divine Dragon Church—an extremely brief period. Yet, even in that short time, she had felt a sense of goodwill toward him due to his compatibility with Subaru and his lighthearted manner of speaking. That impression did not overlap well with the Tiga before her now. This mechanical judgment—disregarding his own well-being to complete a necessary task—was the polar opposite of her previous impression.

Just what was driving him to go that far? An obsession beyond duty, an abnormality—Beatrice knew a man who moved based on such resolve. Tiga’s obsession was of the same quality as Roswaal’s. A man who had spent four hundred years twisting countless fates, yet still aimed for the realm of a demon to achieve his goal. Was Tiga trying to reach the same place as Roswaal?

"I'm just doing what is necessary. —To take back my life."

Tiga answered Beatrice’s doubt and silence with a small shrug. Then, he looked toward the back of the room, toward the roaring, blazing flames.

"If you ask me, Lady Beatrice, your reaction is the one that's unexpected—surprising, even. Honestly, I was prepared for you to blast me with magic immediately. After all, I did what I did."

"...You're taking it as a calculated move rather than a mistake made in the heat of the moment, I suppose?"

"Yeah, you're not wrong. —Duchess Crusch Karsten did not respond to our repeated demands for surrender. I gave her a final ultimatum, and she cut it down."

"————"

"She killed Lord Miklotov and turned her sword on us; she wasn't in her right mind. So, as a field judgment, I had the danger thoroughly eliminated. ...Is what I'm saying wrong?"

Tiga, a dapper and handsome man, wore a mask of emotionless indifference on his sweet face as he questioned Beatrice on the morality of his actions. What she saw there was not the face of a martyr regretting his deeds and seeking forgiveness, but that of an executioner, calmly verifying where the responsibility for his blood-stained hands lay. Beatrice could no longer reclaim her first impression of Tiga.

"What you say isn't wrong, I suppose."

Facing Tiga, Beatrice narrowed her round eyes and nodded. In fact, it was true. From the moment Beatrice and the others witnessed the tragedy at the McMahon estate to their encounter with Crusch, the perpetrator, there was nothing incorrect in Tiga’s actions. He had done his utmost to follow Subaru’s intentions and cooperate in subduing Crusch, and it was undeniably Crusch herself who had rejected every one of those judgments. Tiga had the right to make a ruthless decision to protect himself from such a dangerous individual. Even if that decision involved caught Subaru in the crossfire, he could not be morally blamed for it without question. Therefore—

"Betty isn't so unreasonable as to blame you selfishly, I suppose."

"...I see. Then—"

"—However."

Saying this, Beatrice cut off Tiga’s words. For a moment, a cold light, rather than surprise, flashed in Tiga’s yellow eyes. Beatrice pushed her feelings about that to the back of her mind and continued. Tiga’s words and actions were justified, but even so—

"—Betty will side with the one who saved Subaru, I suppose."

—In that instant, the intense flames, so fierce they scorched the eyes, were severed in two from the other side.

"————"

The flames were cut soundlessly, swaying as they parted. Standing calmly in the space opened in the center was the daughter of the "Dragon Eye"—Crusch Karsten, who had unleashed a hand-blade strike to sever the fire with her right hand while cradling an unconscious Subaru in her left.

"Cutting the heat... no, the flow of power. Is this what they call the 'Death Point'?"

Crusch touched the eyelid of her "Dragon Eye" with her right hand, murmuring as if convinced. While surprised by the fact that she had dispelled those hellish flames with a single swing of her arm, Beatrice felt a greater sense of relief upon confirming the safety of Subaru in Crusch's arms.

—The reason Beatrice hadn't panicked immediately after Subaru was swallowed by the flames was that the contract path connecting her to him had reported no grave reaction.

Combined with that fact and what she had seen in the final moment—Crusch pulling Subaru down and leaping in front of the flames herself to protect him—Beatrice’s mind was made up. Beatrice would side with Crusch Karsten.

"At the very least, I'll be on the side that listens to her story. Detailed judgments come after that, I suppose."

"—That isn't a wise decision, Lady Beatrice. Don't let your eyes be clouded just because she saved your contractor, Subaru. The Duchess is dangerous."

"Don't treat Betty like a reckless, thoughtless spirit, I suppose. But then again, if Betty is a rash and indiscriminate spirit, then siding with the girl who saved Subaru is perfectly natural, isn't it?"

"Is this the time for wordplay?! People will be rushing here soon, alerted by this fire. It'll be too late to regret picking the wrong side. What will happen to Subaru!"

"The words of someone who almost burned Subaru along with that girl don't resonate with me, I suppose. But you're right, it seems we don't have much time. Therefore—"

Tiga gasped as Beatrice slowly raised her right hand. It wasn't the preparation for a spell. It was the opposite. As Beatrice prepared to snap her fingers, Tiga narrowed his yellow eyes sharply and pointed his shamshir at her.

"Stop, don't do it. I really won't be able to protect you anymore."

"Long ago, Betty regretted letting a friend go while doing nothing but crying like a child, I suppose. —I won't make the same mistake again."

Even in a situation where chaos surged like a torrential tide, Beatrice would make her own decisions and choose her path as much as she was allowed. She would never again crouch down in front of something precious, losing a friend simply by being swept away. For that purpose—

"—In this moment, I'm siding with you, Crusch Karsten!"

She snapped her fingers, and on that signal, Beatrice deactivated it—the E·M·T. Immediately, anyone with sharp senses would have felt the invisible field enveloping the office vanish. Tiga was no exception, nor was the owner of the "Dragon Eye"—

"—One Hundred Man One Strike."

An explosive wind was unleashed, shaking the mansion with the McMahon estate's office at its center.

"—And then we shook that man off and escaped into the sewers, I suppose. I wanted to run further, but I couldn't be reckless while Subaru was napping."

Listening to Beatrice, who leaned in close to support him, Subaru organized the information in his confused head and managed to mutter, "I see..." Honestly, he felt pathetic for being the only one to drop out of consciousness so early while such a major event was unfolding. But he put those self-deprecating thoughts aside for now.

"First... Beako, it was a great call not to leave Crusch-san's side. If we'd been separated in that situation, I wouldn't have been able to regret it enough."

"It's only natural to give maximum consideration to my partner's feelings, I suppose. Betty was certain that Subaru would do the same."

"It's hard to give a full 'You bet!' since it was a reckless choice from an outsider's perspective, though."

Despite the situation, Subaru let out a wry smile at Beatrice’s smug expression. However, that was the only part of the story that allowed his lips to relax even slightly. —Looking at the burn on his arm that throbbed with pain, Subaru bit his lip.

"Tiga did this..."

"There's no doubt, I suppose. Whether his claim that he couldn't use magic during the fight was a bluff, or... no, it's nothing."

"What is it? Now I'm curious."

"I just thought it wasn't something to consider while we have so many other worries, I suppose. Regardless, that man used magic knowing you'd be caught in it. Betty's opinion of him has hit rock bottom."

"...That's because you love me so much, right?"

Seeing Beatrice’s anger as she knit her brows and puffed out her cheeks, Subaru’s heart was filled with complexity. Of course, he didn't intend to brush off an attack that could have killed him. But it was a path to survival Tiga had found while being overwhelmed by Crusch, on the verge of life or death. He couldn't flatly deny the decision Tiga had made in the heat of battle. At that, Beatrice’s gaze toward Subaru turned stern.

"Subaru? Don't tell me..."

"No, I'm not gonna let it slide. I'm definitely going to demand an apology for the pain of this burn. I won't back down on that. It's only natural, right?"

"————"

"Huh? Why are your eyes even more exasperated? I said I'm gonna make him apologize!?"

Subaru grew more confused at the deadpan look Beatrice gave him after hearing his answer. Both sides had faults, and he intended to hold the other's negligence as slightly larger. To Subaru, this felt like a fairly decisive stance. Besides—

"At the very least, the cause of the friction between us and Tiga is mostly due to misunderstandings. If we can just talk properly somewhere, those misunderstandings will be cleared—"

"—Regrettably, I have no intention of letting you do that."

Subaru tried to persuade Beatrice while choosing his words carefully. However, the one who put a stop to his words wasn't Beatrice with her furrowed brow, but Crusch, who was walking ahead of them. Leading the way through the dim sewer with the light of a lagmite lamp, she showed a clear attitude of dissent toward Subaru and Beatrice’s conversation—specifically, by drawing her short sword and pointing the tip at Subaru.

"...Cr-Crusch-san?"

"I will not permit contact with Tiga Laureon. Not only did we trade blows, but he is one of the men currently leading the pursuit against us. If you go to meet him carelessly, you will only be bound."

"That's, well, in Tiga's position it can't be helped, or rather, given the situation..."

"————"

"————"

Facing Crusch, whose left eye was covered by an eyepatch, Subaru hesitated greatly in his choice of words as he met her single amber eye. The atrocity at the McMahon estate, and the fact that she was pointing a blade at him now. —Talking to the current Crusch required the utmost caution. If he stimulated her carelessly with a thoughtless remark, Subaru would surely be the one to make her hands bloody this time. The standoff continued for a while, but—

"...Surprisingly, the wind of deceit does not blow from you."

Saying this, Crusch was the first to lower her blade. Subaru’s eyes widened at her words, but Crusch returned the short sword to its sheath on her belt.

"The wind of lies does not blow from you. Not from the moment we encountered each other at Miklotov McMahon's estate, until now. Therefore, I have permitted Beatrice to accompany us as well."

"—In the end... in the end, Crusch-san, what do you want to do with us?"

Subaru glanced at Beatrice and asked Crusch directly. The wind of lies—as the possessor of the "Divine Protection of Wind Indication," Crusch could feel the thoughts and intentions of others as wind, allowing her to function as a sort of lie detector. Subaru remembered how, when they first met, she had seen through the deception in his heart, making him painfully aware of his own twisted nature. —Now, that was the basis for Crusch's actions.

Believing Subaru was a result of the "Divine Protection of Wind Indication." Then, was cutting down Miklotov and the thirteen people in the estate also a result of the "Divine Protection of Wind Indication"?

"Tell me, Crusch-san. About us... no, most importantly, about yourself. What is it you want to do by acting like this?"

"—What I want to do... no, what I must do, is save this Kingdom of Lugunica from the hands of traitors. That is the final act I can perform for the Kingdom."

"Traitors... and, you said 'final'..."

"Do you insist otherwise? I succumbed to the malice of the Witch Cult and wasted a long time bedridden. On top of that, do you think there is still a chance of victory for me—the one who rose by the hands of the 'Divine Dragon Church' in a form diametrically opposed to my pledge to abolish the 'Dragon's' rule?"

"That's...!"

"The wind of understanding is blowing. —You are a straightforward man."

Lowering her eyes slightly, Crusch etched a self-deprecating smile on her lips. In the eyes of the weakly smiling Crusch, she must have seen it through her protection: Subaru’s sense of helplessness, unable to deny her words and unable to think of a reliable plan for a breakthrough. Being called "straightforward" for that was hardly something he could be happy about.

"That's enough, I suppose. Betty won't overlook you snapping at Subaru while acting like a tragic heroine any longer."

"Beatrice..."

"Subaru is Subaru, too, I suppose. Why are you getting depressed over things that aren't your responsibility? If you keep that up, you'll start blaming yourself even if a child trips on the street. If that happens, you won't have time to dote on Betty because you'll be too busy. I protest, I suppose!"

Beatrice put her hands on her hips, showing a misplaced anger. Subaru let out a sigh, knowing that this was her way of downplaying the issues between him and Crusch. Crusch also nodded with a solemn face, saying, "You're right."

"As Beatrice says, this is not the time to fixate on minor grievances. The more time we give the opposition, the more disadvantaged we become. Therefore, Natsuki Subaru, I ask for your—no, I ask for your and Beatrice’s cooperation."

"...Cooperation?"

"Yes. Right now, we are in the midst of a national crisis caused by the secret maneuvers of numerous traitors who have infiltrated the very heart of the Kingdom. In this situation, I wish to borrow your strength—the strength of Natsuki Subaru, who cooperated with my house and contributed greatly to the subjugation of the White Whale."

"—!"

As Crusch sheathed her short sword and extended her empty hand, Subaru involuntarily gasped and stared at her intently. What surprised Subaru wasn't just the request Crusch had made. Of course, he was greatly surprised by the request itself, but he was even more shocked by the fact that she spoke of the great battle against the White Whale as something that had certainly happened to her.

In response, Subaru finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his heart ever since he ran into Crusch at the McMahon estate. That was—

"Let me ask one thing. —Your 'memories,' have they returned? Crusch-san."

"—Naturally. Do you feel in the current me any remnants of that detestable, frail Crusch Karsten from when I had no 'memories'? That question is almost insulting."

"————"

Subaru’s face hardened as Crusch explicitly confirmed the restoration of her "memories." The shock he felt was a complex mix of joy and indignation. The fact that Crusch’s memories had returned was something to be celebrated from the bottom of his heart. However, that didn't mean he could accept her speaking so ill of the Crusch from the time she had no memories.

"The wind of dissatisfaction. Don't tell me you supported the me who had no 'memories'?"

"It's not a simple story like that. Whether you have 'memories' or not, both are Crusch-san to me—"

"—No, you are wrong. A Crusch Karsten without 'memories' cannot be Crusch Karsten. That is why!"

"—!"

"...That is why Ferris, too, abandoned Crusch Karsten."

"Tha—!"

As Crusch trembled with her teeth gritted, Subaru tried to clearly declare, "That's the one thing that's wrong!" He had thought the same thing not just now, but before they started moving. Crusch was misunderstanding the meaning of the decision Ferris had made, and the extent of his resolve.

It was true that Ferris had broken Crusch’s vow—the vow for the deceased royalty. Subaru could imagine more than enough how important that was to Crusch, even just from hearing about it. But it was the same for Ferris. Ferris, too, had loved the deceased Fourth Prince. Even so, he had made a choice.

Love for the living over love for the dead. —Subaru didn't want that to be denied. Especially when two people who cared for each other couldn't share that because of a misunderstanding... such a tragedy—

"—It seems the time for delaying a decision has come to an end."

However, before Subaru could pour out that passion, the situation would not allow for a continuation. Crusch’s murmur as she looked back toward the depths of the sewer they had passed through—the meaning of it was revealed by the voices and footsteps heard from far behind. —Pursuers. The pursuers searching for Subaru and Crusch had descended into the sewers in a group.

"If we just talk properly..."

"I told you. You are already seen as having conspired with me. The sword taken by your strange technique was also left at the scene. My involvement will be obvious once they check the wounds on the corpses. On top of that—"

"On top of that? What is it? Is there even worse news?"

"Despite the presence of Tiga Laureon, who knows your intentions, you have also been identified as being involved in the murder of Miklotov McMahon. That man must have reported it as such."

"————"

"The rest is your choice. If you think I am not worth believing, you should seek protection from the pursuers coming from behind. —Farewell."

Saying all she wanted to say and showing no intention of continuing the conversation, Crusch turned her back, threw the lamp into the sewage, and began to run gallantly. As even the faint light from the sinking source failed to reach her back, only the sound of receding footsteps pressed a choice upon Subaru like a countdown.

Reject Crusch’s logic, join the soldiers pursuing them, spill everything, and seek protection? Or follow the back of Crusch, who had vanished into the darkness to fight a great conspiracy alone? One of the two.

"Dammit! I want to believe! I want to believe, but does that conspiracy even exist in the first place...!"

She misunderstood Ferris’s true intentions and didn't hesitate to point a blade even at Subaru. Including the parts where she became emotionally volatile, Crusch was in an unstable state. At worst, everything—including the killing of Miklotov—could be a possibility of a rampage by Crusch, who had fallen into paranoia, with no justification whatsoever. In such a situation, what was the right thing to do—

"Subaru, listen calmly, I suppose. No matter which you choose or whose side you take, Betty is on Subaru’s side and will be by your side forever."

"Beako..."

"I've had enough of being separated like in the Empire, I suppose. If Subaru isn't where I can see him, I can't even breathe from the suspense, I suppose."

Saying this to Subaru, who didn't know the right answer, Beatrice told him that whatever he chose, she would make it the right answer—no, that they would make it the right answer together. With that, his hesitation vanished. That’s right. It was just as Beatrice said. No matter what choice he made, struggling to make it the right one was Natsuki Subaru’s most proficient way of fighting.

"I can't leave Crusch-san alone. You're coming with me to hell, Beatrice!"

"If it's with Subaru, I don't mind being sealed for another four hundred years, I suppose!"

"I mind, so don't say scary things like that!?"

While speaking, Subaru picked up his reliable and beloved partner and began to run fiercely through the dim darkness, chasing the receding footsteps.

Whether it was right or wrong, he couldn't leave Crusch alone. Whether he was going to stop her or help her, he must not leave Crusch’s side.

"Ah, dammit, my arm hurts!"

The pain of his burned arm throbbed as if rebuking Subaru for his foolishness. While carrying that pain, rather than lamenting his situation of being swept away and hunted, Subaru worried about the hearts of Emilia and the others when they heard of this.

Causing trouble was one thing, but the pain of causing them worry was even greater. To Emilia, Rem, Ram, Petra, Meili, Garfiel—to everyone. So, while enduring the physical and mental pain, Subaru strained his eyes in the dim darkness.

"Somehow, handle this well, Otto!"

He ran, throwing the sudden predicament toward his friend who wasn't there.

—At the same time, in the Royal Villa of the Royal Capital, Lugunica.

This day was supposed to be the starting point of an event of great significance for both the Kingdom of Lugunica and the camp of Emilia, a candidate for the Royal Selection. A perfect opportunity to remove the lingering wounds of the Witch Cult’s disaster that had struck the Watergate City of Priestella. Emilia and the others were—scheduled—to witness that moment, which was supposed to be realized with the cooperation of the "Divine Dragon Church," and see their months of helplessness wiped away.

"—And yet, what kind of situation is this, I wonder?"

They had finished their preparations for departure and were only waiting for the return of Subaru and Beatrice, who had left the villa on business. During that time, Otto Suwen asked the sudden visitors as calmly as he could while the camp enjoyed tea time in the drawing room.

The ones who had crowded noisily into the Royal Villa were all soldiers of the Kingdom, wearing equipment that indicated their formal affiliation—feeling a somewhat ominous tension from them, Otto stood in front of the women, including Emilia, to protect them. Of course, the one standing even further in front of Otto was—

"You're be-ing quite rough, aren't ya? No matter how soft an' gentle Emilia-sama is, that don't mean I'm gonna let you bastards be rude."

"Garfiel, don't intimidate them too much. They are guests. —For now."

"Oh, gotcha, Big Bro Otto."

Appeasing Garfiel, who stood at the very front of the camp gnashing his sharp fangs, Otto created a space for the other party to state their reason for visiting. It was a "match-and-pump" tactic, but it was a way of conceding a move to the opponent to create a sense of debt. At the very least, if they could understand that—

"—Everyone, sheath your swords. Do you realize who you are standing before?"

"————"

The moment that low voice was uttered, the Kingdom soldiers positioned around the drawing room all straightened their backs in a disciplined manner. Slipping through the circle of upright soldiers, a man of great stature arrived with loud, heavy footsteps. A man with a face like a crag, covered in steel-colored armor—he was the Captain of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica. In other words, the man at the pinnacle of the Kingdom’s knights, Marcos Gildark.

"Marcos-san..."

"I sincerely apologize for this sudden visit, Lady Emilia."

Emilia blinked her amethyst eyes at the sight of the advancing Marcos. In response to her reaction, Marcos showed a perfect bow, in contrast to his rugged appearance. Then, raising his face, he gazed at Emilia and everyone in her camp, particularly watching Otto and Garfiel, who had stern looks in their eyes.

"The reason I have visited is to request Lady Emilia’s presence at the Royal Castle. There is a doubt that must be confirmed urgently."

"That's quite sudden. A doubt? What on earth..."

"—Regarding the background of the knight, Natsuki Subaru."

"Subaru’s?"

Marcos maintained a posture that followed etiquette and showed respect, yet brooked no refusal. Hearing that the doubt he mentioned was related to Subaru, Emilia reacted with words, and Otto and the others reacted with their expressions and attitudes. Otto regretted that this gave Marcos the opening to say his next words.

Because the doubt regarding Natsuki Subaru that Marcos declared was—

"The knight Natsuki Subaru is suspected of having strong ties to the Witch Cult—that he may be someone akin to a Sin Archbishop."

—It was the watershed moment that would determine whether Natsuki Subaru would be regarded as an enemy of the world.