Arc 10 Chapter 31: I'm Home, Welcome Back

Arc 10 Chapter 31: I'm Home, Welcome Back

—Looking back, Flugel had always been a figure shrouded in mysteries.

The first time Subaru had heard his name was probably when he learned of Flugel's Great Tree. He had been told that Flugel was a historical figure whose only notable accomplishment, at least according to the surviving records, had been planting that enormous tree. Even so, leaving one's name upon the pages of history was an impressive achievement in itself, and Subaru had thought little more of the matter.

Later, circumstances had led him to arrange for that very tree to be felled in order to defeat the White Whale. Consequently, he regarded Flugel with a mixture of guilt and gratitude—guilt for having destroyed the man's legacy, and gratitude toward the benefactor who had planted the tree that ultimately helped them achieve victory. However, the next time Flugel's name arose, the entire affair acquired a distinctly suspicious character. That had been at the Pleiades Watchtower, when Shaula, the tower's Star Keeper, declared that Flugel was her master.

Originally, Shaula had been celebrated as one of Lugunica's Three Great Heroes and revered as the Sage. Yet Subaru had subsequently learned that the accomplishments attributed to her had actually been Flugel's, and that he had somehow foisted the credit upon her. More bewildering still, Shaula had persistently insisted that Subaru himself was that very master.

—In the end, the truth behind her claims had remained unresolved, leaving Subaru with profoundly complicated feelings toward Flugel.

On one hand, Flugel could be considered the benefactor whose tree had provided the final decisive advantage in the battle against the White Whale. On the other, he was an extraordinarily heartless bastard who had left Shaula confined to the Watchtower for an interminable stretch of time. If Subaru were to indulge in an utterly selfish wish, he would rather claim the title of Shaula's master for himself than leave it in the hands of someone who had treated her that way.

'Man, even I have to admit I'm being pretty pathetic about this… Still, after hearing a name like Kugelschreiber Castle, Flugel starts sounding like another case of somebody being obsessed with German words…'

If Kugelschreiber meant ballpoint pen in German, then Flügel likewise meant wing. There had been a period in Subaru's life when he had been consumed by the search for words that sounded outrageously cool, and that pursuit had eventually led him to German. It was, one might say, a fairly typical adolescent experience.

'Stuff like Staubsauger, which means vacuum cleaner, and Zitronensaft, which means lemon juice. And here's a little secret for you: the Schwartz in Natsumi Schwartz comes from the German word for black.'

'Even if you announce it as though it's something impressive, Betty hasn't the faintest idea what you're talking about, I suppose. …So does that mean the same words are used in both Betty's home and Subaru's homeland, in fact?'

'Pretty much. Well, I've had a hunch for a while that Hoshin of the Wastes came from the same place I did, so it's not all that strange to find words like that scattered around.'

'Even Betty doesn't know how the castle came to be named, I suppose. But Mother was the sort of person who might have known absolutely anyone, no matter who they were, in fact.'

As Beatrice spoke from within his arms, Subaru adjusted his hold on her and released a long, troubled sigh.

'Yeah, that figures…'

If he remembered correctly, Echidna—the younger Dona, that was—had mentioned something similar during one of the tea parties in the Sanctuary. People from all over the world had apparently sought her out, gathering around her in pursuit of knowledge and hoping for an audience. At the time, Subaru had not been particularly interested in asking Echidna anything, so he had simply let the remark pass. Now, however, he was beginning to regret having wasted such an opportunity.

'Then again, who knows how much of what Young Dona said was actually trustworthy? Still, she definitely seemed to take pride in showing off how much she knew. Maybe I should've asked her about the truth of the world or something.'

'What would Subaru even do with the truth of the world, I suppose? Besides, Betty doesn't believe the world is particularly interested in telling lies in the first place.'

'Yeah, fair point.'

He had said it without thinking, but Beatrice was probably right. Even if someone handed him the ultimate truth of the world, Subaru suspected he would have no idea what to do with it. What he wanted at present was considerably more straightforward: confirmation that his companions were safe, a means of contacting them, a way to save the kingdom, and some method of ensuring their enemies could never threaten them again. That was about the extent of it. The ultimate truth of the world hardly seemed likely to play a starring role in any of those concerns.

In any case—

'—Still can't believe they approved the trip to Flugel's Great Tree so easily.'

As Subaru murmured those words, his gaze settled upon something standing alone in the distance.

It was Flugel's Great Tree.

—Or rather, the enormous stump that remained of it.

The trunk, which had been felled during the subjugation of the White Whale, had subsequently been hauled away. Apparently, someone had decided that such a remarkable tree ought not to go to waste, and its timber had been put to use as a valuable resource for the kingdom, endowed with something of the aura of a sacred relic. Presumably, buildings constructed from Flugel's Great Tree were now serving various purposes across the land. The stump left behind had become a valuable tourist attraction in its own right, drawing a respectable number of visitors. Indeed, Subaru and his companions were currently waiting for arrangements to clear the area of people to be completed.

'Back then, nobody gave it a second glance. It was just a really big tree, and that was all. Honestly, people sure know how to change their tune when something becomes famous, don't they?'

The remark came from Ferris, who, like Subaru, presently had little to occupy his time. Leaning against the dragon carriage, Ferris joined Subaru and Beatrice in gazing toward the remains of the great tree. His yellow eyes narrowed as he offered his opinion on the peculiar transformation of the place. Subaru could hardly disagree. Even though evening had already passed and night was advancing from beyond the horizon, the flow of visitors had yet to cease. The stump had become an unexpected business opportunity born of the White Whale's defeat.

'Still, I never imagined I'd end up coming back to Flugel's Great Tree with you again, Subaru.'

'Yeah, I didn't think this place would ever get another turn in the spotlight either. If I'd known it was an old landmark associated with a Witch, I would've suggested a different plan during the White Whale battle.'

'Oh? A different plan? Like what, for example?'

'Obviously, we'd all put our heads together, summon up every last scrap of courage and ingenuity we had, and come up with something just as powerful as chopping down the great tree.'

'Ahaha, amaaazing. Subaru, you're such a geeeenius.'

Ferris sounded as though he believed precisely none of it. Subaru smiled wryly and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. They had been traveling together for two months now, yet Subaru still had not become accustomed to seeing Ferris dressed as a man. Which was rather strange, considering he had spent far more time with Ferris in masculine clothing than he ever had seeing him dressed as a woman. He did not think the reason was simply that Ferris's feminine attire had suited him so well.

—The true cause of that lingering discomfort was something Subaru could not quite put into words.

'Ferris, are you really coming with us too, I suppose?'

'Hmm? Would you rather I didn't, little Beatrice?'

'It's not a question of whether Betty likes it or not, in fact. Your abilities are valuable, I suppose. If something were to happen to you…'

'Aww, you're worried about me? That's sweet. But you don't need to worry.' Ferris reached out and lightly tapped the nose of Beatrice, who was being held in Subaru's arms.

She blinked in surprise. Ferris's eyes softened slightly at the corners.

'When you're going somewhere and nobody knows what might happen, that's exactly when you want someone like me around. If somebody gets their head cut off, I can still save them, provided I get to them within one second.'

'…Betty is a spirit, so ordinary healing magic doesn't work particularly well on her, I suppose.'

'Mm-hmm, I know. That's why I've spent the last two months making sure I've updated my techniques to account for that.'

'—Are you serious, I suppose?'

'Completely serious. —When I'm around, I won't even let somebody die if dying is what they want, okay?'

From Beatrice's reaction, Ferris's claim must have been something truly extraordinary. She swallowed faintly, as though her throat had suddenly gone dry. For Subaru, however, it was simply an immensely reassuring thing to hear. Ever since their struggle against the Beloved Children had begun, they had lived beneath a constant pressure, as though an unseen blade were watching them every hour of the day, poised to strike without warning.

'There's something else, though. I've been meaning to say it for a while…'

'Hmm? What's up? You're sounding awfully serious.'

'————'

'Ferris?'

Subaru tilted his head when Ferris, having introduced the subject himself, suddenly fell silent. For several moments, Ferris repeatedly opened and closed his mouth, as though struggling to decide whether to speak.

Then—

'—You don't have to keep fussing over me and Lady Crusch every time we're together.'

'Urgh. So you noticed.'

'Of course I noticed. You've been ridiculously obvious about it. …And I do feel bad about making you worry.'

'But?'

'Subaru, if somebody who had nothing to do with it kept interfering in your relationship with Lady Emilia, you'd get all worked up about it, wouldn't you? Just think of it that way.' Subaru felt that Ferris was hardly someone who could be described as having nothing to do with his relationship with Emilia.

But he understood that this was not the point Ferris was making, and so he swallowed the objection. Even so, he wanted to say something.

If there was anything he could say—

'…Looks like things are moving over by the stump. I'm gonna go get ready.'

But Ferris, having said what he wanted to say, mercilessly denied Subaru the opportunity to respond. Noticing movement in the direction of the stump, he turned away and hurried back toward the dragon carriage. Subaru soon understood the reason for his sudden departure. Crusch was approaching them from the direction of Flugel's Great Tree.

'Seriously, that guy…'

'—Hm? Our preparations are complete. Has something happened, Gray Star?'

'Nah, it's nothing, Crusch… Ah, crap. Emerald Beauty. Emerald Beauty.'

Realizing that he had carelessly used her name rather than her codename, Subaru hurriedly covered his mouth in belated self-reproach. Crusch, however, allowed a small smile to touch her lips.

'I do not mind. So long as there are no strangers nearby to overhear us, I shall answer to either name. Besides, I have grown rather fond of the sound of Emerald Beauty, the name you chose for me.'

'Well, if you like it, then I'm glad I wasn't being too presumptuous. I'd feel pretty bad if I'd saddled you with something that was basically an insult, like Long Tongue. That'd be completely wrong for the character.'

'Wrong for the character…?'

'It's just another of Subaru's peculiar obsessions, I suppose. He suffers from them occasionally, so there's no need to concern yourself. More importantly, Betty suspects White Sheep deserves the credit for clearing the area again, in fact.'

'Indeed. As always, White Sheep's skill in negotiation is remarkable. I would hesitate to call it the craftiness of someone who manipulates others through clever words, but there is something about her that naturally makes people wish to listen.'

'That's the kind of personal charm reserved for delicate, fragile-looking beauties.' Come to think of it, Subaru was surrounded by a rather extraordinary number of attractive people.

Yet, starting with Emilia, almost none of them seemed particularly suited to the delicate description.

'Actually, now that I think about it, they're all ridiculously energetic good-looking people. Wait a second… Does that mean the most gloomy, fragile-looking person around here is me…?'

'Hmm. I cannot say I understand the cause of your concern, but if anything troubles you, do not hesitate to rely upon me. So long as it lies within my power, I shall gladly wield this sword on your behalf.'

'Another powerful beauty, right on cue…! If I were the heroine here, I'd be in serious danger of falling for you—ow, ow, ow!'

'Honestly. There you go making a fool of yourself again, I suppose.'

Just as Subaru's heart began fluttering at Crusch's reassuring declaration, Beatrice seized his cheek between her fingers and administered a sharp pinch as punishment. Crusch smiled at the exchange. Then she turned toward the stump.

And—

'—To think I would visit Flugel's Great Tree with you again.'

''Ah.''

'—? What is it? Have I said something strange?'

At Subaru and Beatrice's simultaneous exclamations, Crusch looked toward them with an uncertain expression. The two hurriedly shook their heads together.

'No, no, it's just that we were talking about that exact thing a moment ago.'

'Ferris said almost precisely the same thing as you, in fact.'

'He said the same thing I did… I see. Yes, that makes sense.'

Crusch's eyebrows rose for an instant, but she quickly nodded in understanding. Naturally, when Subaru, Crusch, and Ferris found themselves at this place, their thoughts would turn to the same event. The battle against the White Whale.

—Wilhelm, who had played a leading role in that battle, was also among those who had disappeared from the royal capital, his present whereabouts unknown.

'I heard Wilhelm's with some of our people. I'm worried about him, of course, but…'

'No. Wilhelm is a man capable of overcoming considerable hardship. If there is someone whose circumstances truly concern me, it is my father. He has always been inclined to worry, and I fear I must be causing him no small amount of distress.'

'————'

'Nevertheless, before he entrusted the family headship to me, my father was himself a duke. In this time of crisis for the kingdom, I must ask that he endure, in both body and spirit. What remains for us is to bring this situation to an end as swiftly as possible.'

'Betty agrees completely, I suppose. That is precisely why we have come here today, in fact.'

Crusch, whose faith in the strength of her absent retainers and family remained unshaken, acknowledged Beatrice's words with a deep nod. Subaru, too, nodded in return, feeling his resolve strengthen once more.

'Hey, there's nothing to worry about. After all, this place is our lucky spot. We've never once failed an operation carried out at Flugel's Great Tree.'

'That is… heh, quite naturally true.'

At Subaru's lighthearted boast, Crusch smiled, the tension leaving her shoulders. Subaru answered her smile with a playful wink, silently resolving that he would not allow his boast to remain an empty joke. He and his companions were equally concerned for the safety of those from whom they had been separated. If the means of securing their reunion lay in saving the kingdom, then they would drive toward that victory as swiftly as possible.

And to accomplish that—

'—All right! Time to visit Beako's childhood home!'

'When you put it that way, it makes Betty feel strangely embarrassed for reasons she can't quite explain, I suppose!'

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 △▼△▼△▼△

'—From our perspective, the foremost priority is verifying whether the information we obtained is genuine. Establishing contact with Roswaal can be postponed. However…'

'However?'

'If an alternative means of acquiring the knowledge we require presents itself precisely when we need to rely upon him, then I believe there is room to question what value there is in maintaining a friendly relationship with Roswaal in the first place.'

'Well, you know what they say. True friendship doesn't ask for anything in return…' Russell's expression soured unmistakably at Subaru's thoroughly unconvincing attempt to defend the relationship.

Subaru wanted to believe that human relationships were not founded entirely upon calculations of advantages and disadvantages. Yet judging the values of the chief of Six Tongues by ordinary standards of common sense was hardly a simple matter.

'Especially when we're talking about Roswaal… I mean, I can't even begin to understand what standards that guy uses to judge other people. So I guess he doesn't have much room to complain about how anybody else sees him.'

For all his peculiarities, Subaru believed that Roswaal possessed a surprisingly human side, and that this was part of what made him interesting. The problem was that Roswaal could trample over that humanity without the slightest hesitation whenever it conflicted with his unshakable determination to achieve his goals. Setting aside the complicated question of friendship between Roswaal and Russell, Subaru returned his attention to their immediate circumstances.

'Still, are we sure this is okay? We've been trying to keep our heads down and avoid anything conspicuous so the enemy won't find us, but now we've gone and cleared all the visitors away from a tourist attraction.'

'Of course, this is hardly an ideal situation. No matter how thoroughly we take precautions, rumors have a way of seeping through, much like rainwater. Consequently, I believe we have only tonight in which to accomplish our objective.'

'One night, huh…'

Subaru raised his eyes toward the night sky, his fist tightening at the thought of how little time they had been given. At present, Beatrice was circling the enormous stump, searching for the port they required—a spatial opening that connected this location to the castle through the effects of Door Crossing. According to her, however, several centuries had passed since she last departed the castle. The surroundings of the port were therefore likely to have undergone considerable changes.

'Beako's the only one who can find the key, so I know we've got no choice but to leave it all to her, but damn, it's frustrating. Just don't rush yourself, okay? But if you could hurry as much as possible without actually rushing…'

'Oi! What the hell are you standing around for!? She found it!'

'Seriously!?'

Just as Subaru was silently offering up something resembling a prayer, Rachins's triumphant shout rang out. Subaru exchanged a startled glance with Russell before hurrying toward Beatrice, who had been struggling with the remains of the great tree. Even from a distance, the stump resembled a small hill. Seen up close, its dimensions were more astonishing still, making it easy to understand why the site had become a tourist attraction.

'And with little Beako standing beside a stump this huge, the whole thing looks like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.'

'You certainly know what to say, I suppose. Well, it is true that Betty is a mischievous little imp, rather like that Tinker Bell from the fairy tales Subaru told her about, in fact.'

'A little imp? Funny, I've only ever thought of you as a clever, adorable, super-competent Great Spirit. Anyway? Anyway? Anyway?'

'Honestly, you're getting far too excited, I suppose! Now, the rest of you, come closer as well.'

Despite the relief she must have felt at locating what they had been searching for, Beatrice wore an adorably smug expression that betrayed none of her earlier anxiety. At her beckoning, the others hurried over.

'As expected of you.'

'That's amazing!'

'So you weren't all talk and attitude after all.'

'…Pretty impressive, you know.'

The praise came from every direction, and Beatrice's spirits rose visibly.

'Ahem.'

Clearing her throat with considerable self-importance, she began her explanation.

'To be perfectly honest, there was a possibility that the port had been anchored directly to the great tree itself, so Betty thought our chances were no better than fifty-fifty, I suppose. But it has survived intact. It's merely sleeping, in fact.'

'Sleeping, you say. In that case, would it be possible to awaken it?'

'Naturally, I suppose. —Betty is Mother's greatest masterpiece, after all.'

Beatrice smiled brightly and extended her small hand toward Subaru. Accepting the gesture as the most natural thing in the world, Subaru took her hand, lifted her light body into his arms, and stepped with her onto the place where she had been standing.

Then—

'Subaru, Betty needs to borrow your strength to perform Door Crossing, I suppose.'

'Don't be ridiculous. Ever since I brought you out of that library, I've been the one borrowing your strength nonstop!'

'—Here we go, I suppose.'

Through their joined hands and the contact between their bodies, Subaru's mana began flowing into Beatrice.

—Apparently, the sleeping port was a particularly stubborn late riser.

He could feel his accumulated mana being consumed at a tremendous rate. Hopefully, the thing would wake before Subaru himself withered into a completely dried-out husk.

'…If your mana runs out completely, even I won't be able to save you, so please don't die.'

'Don't go saying something that ominous…!'

Ferris, evidently alarmed by the speed at which Subaru's mana was diminishing, had muttered the warning under his breath. Subaru immediately protested.

—And in the very next instant, something happened.

The stump suddenly seemed to pulse.

—No.

The reaction came not from the stump itself, but from the space immediately before it.

'————'

There was no actual sound. Nevertheless, everyone present appeared to sense a tremendous surge of mana, likely transmitted through their Gates. Before long, a slender thread of pale violet light appeared in the reacting space. It slowly traced a path through the air, as though some unseen hand had begun drawing a picture with light itself.

'This is…'

'—I see. A door.'

Crusch voiced the conclusion toward which her astonishment had led her. And she was right.

The violet light that had emerged from Beatrice's outstretched hand continued tracing its way through the air until it formed a single luminous door.

—The port.

There could be no mistaking it. It was the perfect entrance to a hidden dungeon.

'What is its condition?'

'Stable, I suppose. Awakening it was the difficult part, but once awake, it should remain active for some time. Even if Betty removes her hand… As you can see, in fact.'

When Beatrice withdrew her hand, Subaru stepped backward with her. Yet the port suspended before them remained unchanged. It showed no sign of disappearing or collapsing into the ground beneath their feet. Russell observed this and nodded with satisfaction.

'Very good. —Black Dog.'

'Yes, yes, I know perfectly well what you're going to say. Dangerous, hazardous work is best left to the sort of bastard nobody would lose any sleep over if he dropped dead! Wouldn't want anybody's heart breaking over it, now would we?'

'It is simply a matter of assigning the appropriate person to the appropriate task. Your loss would also be a painful one, I assure you.'

'Kuhaha! Oh, how touching! I'm so overcome with joy and sorrow that I could weep!'

Waving a hand dismissively, Black Dog stepped forward, continuing to make sarcastic remarks. He reached toward the port without hesitation, clearly intending to throw it open.

'Black Dog!'

White Sheep called after him in a strained voice.

'P-please be careful.'

'Good grief, every last one of you… This is that little girl's first trip home in what, years? Decades? Centuries? Try not to talk about her childhood home as though it's some terrible place!'

Although Black Dog's answer was another objection, there was something faintly considerate in the words he directed toward White Sheep, quite unlike the barbs he had aimed at Russell. Subaru still did not fully understand the relationship between those two. Yet despite their exchanges, there seemed to be a curious degree of mutual trust between them.

In any event—

'————'

Before everyone's eyes, Black Dog touched the port. His body slipped smoothly into the space beyond, swallowed by something invisible. It was precisely as though an entrance to another space existed in the middle of the air. Rather than passing straight through the port and emerging on the opposite side, Black Dog's body reached somewhere else entirely, a place connected to theirs across the intervening space. Subaru and the others held their breath.

A short while passed. Then, slowly, Black Dog's hand alone emerged back through the opening. His thumb rose in a firm gesture of approval.

'This is…'

'Ah, that's a sign that everything's okay. It's a gesture from my homeland.'

'Gray Star, you've been getting along quite well with Black Dog lately, haven't you?'

'Getting along…? Are we really? Well, I guess it's progress that I've figured out he isn't going to bite me.'

He had not intended it that way, but seeing Black Dog communicate through a hand signal suddenly made Subaru feel as though he really was treating the man like a dog, just as his codename suggested. Then again, a gigantic dog so utterly disinclined to befriend people would be far too dangerous to allow anywhere near Beatrice.

In any case—

'If there are no problems, then we may proceed. —White Sheep, you are next.'

'Y-yes! Um… Here I go!'

At Russell's instruction, White Sheep approached the port with some hesitation. Black Dog's hand was still extended through the opening, and she timidly reached out to take it. The instant their hands met, however, he pulled sharply.

'Uhyah!'

With a startled shriek, White Sheep vanished into the port as well.

'Tch. Why the hell do I have to go poking around some castle connected to a Witch…?'

'Enough complaining, Long Tongue. Your resourcefulness is something we can rely upon. Felt has found herself a fine retainer.'

'Shut the hell up! I ain't anybody's retainer! I'm just someone who wound up tagging along with her! That's all!'

Next came Rachins, who apparently had accompanied Felt all the way into the Royal Selection largely because circumstances had carried him there, followed by Crusch, who showed not the slightest trace of fear as she entered the port. Just before following them, Ferris glanced back toward Subaru. Perhaps he was concerned about the mana Subaru had exhausted earlier.

'I'm fine. Fit as a fiddle. Hell, you look pretty light, so I could probably pick you up and carry you too.'

'No, thank you! …If anything happens, tell me immediately, okay?'

Leaving those words behind, Ferris disappeared through the port. Watching him go, Subaru felt Beatrice shift within his arms.

'He told you, I suppose.'

'Yeah, he sure did. —So, Russell, you're coming too?'

With nearly everyone having already passed through, Subaru turned toward Russell, the last person remaining. As the chief of Six Tongues, Russell occupied a position for which there was no easy replacement. Subaru had therefore assumed that he could hardly afford to venture personally into the field on every occasion. Surprisingly, however, Russell shook his head.

'I would prefer, if possible, to confine myself to directing operations. However, when the objective is to investigate a Witch's research, failing to make use of the value of these eyes would be unwise.'

'Ahh, your Divine Protection of Appraisal.'

'Indeed. Research conducted by a Witch may involve matters beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. We must be prepared for that possibility. However, even when something lies beyond my understanding, these eyes can determine whether it possesses value, and how great that value may be.'

'Right… Now that you mention it, that's definitely an indispensable skill for a dungeon raid.'

In dungeon-crawling games, particularly those focused on collecting equipment and treasure, it was common to bring back unidentified items without knowing whether they possessed any value until they had been examined upon returning to the surface. Russell's Divine Protection, however, allowed him to determine at least the value of an item. Having such an ability meant they could avoid searching blindly and wasting tremendous effort on things that ultimately proved worthless. Subaru was immensely grateful for that.

'Consequently, I shall entrust the security of this location to other personnel and accompany you.'

With those words, Russell snapped his fingers and directed a complicated sequence of hand signals toward the dragon carriage. The gestures appeared to be a code unique to Six Tongues. Subaru had seen members of the organization using it often enough that he had occasionally attempted to memorize the signs himself, but he had made little progress.

'If our signals were easily memorized, that would rather defeat their purpose. Your difficulty is therefore entirely appropriate. Though those who make no effort to learn them whatsoever, like Black Dog, present a different sort of problem.'

'Black Dog seems to have taken quite a liking to Subaru's hand signals, so perhaps the problem lies in how you're teaching him, I suppose. Or perhaps in the person doing the teaching, in fact.'

'Good grief. —Well then, I shall go ahead.'

As though choosing to close his ears to a conversation that had become decidedly inconvenient, Russell stepped through the port and crossed to the other side. And with that, only Subaru and Beatrice remained before the great stump. They could simply follow the others without another moment's hesitation.

However—

'—Four hundred years might be a bit much, but how about I give you three hundred years or so to get your feelings in order?'

'…Honestly, Subaru, you worry far too much, I suppose. Betty is only a tiny bit nervous, in fact.'

The tension that had subtly stiffened Beatrice's small body finally eased. Still resting in Subaru's arms, she gave a soft, almost helpless smile. Then she looked toward the entrance to the home she had not visited in four hundred years.

'—Now, I suppose!'

'You got it!'

With a wholly unnecessary burst of enthusiasm, Subaru leaped into the port with Beatrice held securely in his arms. For an instant, he experienced the faint sensation of passing through a thin curtain of light. The grassy air of the Lifaus Plains receded behind them. And in its place, a cold, dry wind welcomed the pair.

'————'

Beneath Subaru's feet was the unmistakable sensation of a stone floor. Immediately behind him, the port connecting this place to the remains of the great tree stood open, just as it had on the other side. The six companions who had entered before them stood some distance away, cautiously examining their surroundings. It was a dark place, devoid of any natural source of illumination. The only reason Subaru could make out the figures of his companions was that Black Dog and Rachins had kindled flames at their fingertips, using them as makeshift lamps.

Was this truly a castle? There was a peculiar weight to the air. Whether that oppressive quality arose from the fact that this was the dwelling of a Witch, or from the burden of four hundred years of silence, Subaru could not say.

'This is…'

'Kugelschreiber Castle, I suppose.'

Subaru's words emerged in a cautious whisper. When Beatrice tapped his shoulder, he gently lowered her to the floor. Standing upon her own feet, Beatrice began to walk across the castle's stonework. Her footsteps echoed through the interior. The sound traveled into the darkness, passing along walls and pillars half concealed by shadow, carried down the long corridors stretching away to either side. It was almost as though the castle itself were welcoming the return of a resident who had been absent for four centuries.

'————'

Beatrice closed her eyes. With her entire small body, she seemed to be taking in the atmosphere of the place that had once been her home. Subaru was grateful that the others, perhaps recognizing the significance of the moment, refrained from speaking. And so, in place of the silent castle, Subaru rested a hand gently upon Beatrice's head.

Then—

'Welcome home, Beako.'

'—. I'm home, I suppose.'

As though answering that exchange, the walls of the castle abruptly began emitting a faint light. The others instinctively caught their breath, but Subaru raised a hand to stop them from reacting. He looked around, recognizing something familiar in the pale radiance.

—The interior of the tomb in the Sanctuary had glowed in much the same way. Apparently, a castle belonging to the Witch of Greed possessed more than a few things in common with that place.

A castle.

—There could be no doubt that this was indeed a castle.

However—

'Still… this place is in pretty terrible shape.'

As the light drove back the darkness, the interior became visible with a clarity surpassing even that of moonlight.

—And what it revealed was not a place that could, by any stretch of courtesy, be considered fit to receive guests.

The walls had been caved inward, as though an enormous palm had crushed them. Several of the thick stone pillars had been forcibly bent partway along their lengths. Great portions of the ceiling had been gouged away, while shattered blocks of masonry had somehow been compressed together into enormous spheres and left scattered across the floor. One of the corridors leading farther into the castle had collapsed halfway along its length. Doors, windows, even the floors themselves—almost nothing remained in the shape it ought to have possessed.

'This doesn't look like the kind of damage you get from leaving a place abandoned for centuries. Unless somebody was unbelievably bad at cleaning up, I'm guessing this might have something to do with why you and your mother left the castle, Beako?'

'That would be correct, I suppose. Mother certainly wasn't particularly good at tidying things away, but this is something entirely different, in fact. —This was the work of the Warlock of Melancholy, I suppose.'

'The Warlock of… Melancholy? Wait, isn't that…'

Subaru had heard that name before, from Ryuzu Shima, the former administrator of the Sanctuary. He was the existence whose actions had prompted the creation of the barrier surrounding the Sanctuary.

The one who had brought about Beatrice's separation from her first friend.

—A bearer of an additional sin, concealed from the pages of history.

'It seems Ryuzu told Subaru about him as well, I suppose. —Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy, was an enemy who plagued Betty, Mother, and, incidentally, Roswaal for many years. He was obsessed with Mother and pursued her relentlessly, in fact.'

'Pursued her… A stalker obsessed with a Witch? Man, there really are some unbelievable bastards in this world. What, was he just that hopelessly in love with your mother?'

'If you mean that his affection was twisted, then perhaps, I suppose. But it wasn't a matter of romance or infatuation, in fact. After all, Hector was Mother's father.'

'————'

The revelation caught Subaru so completely off guard that he forgot to breathe. His hand instinctively rose toward his chest, and his fingers brushed against the black orb hanging from his neck. Almost without thinking, he closed his hand around it.

—Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy, was the father of Echidna, the Witch of Greed.

'Man, the more I learn about that Hector guy, the more he sounds like a complete bastard. …Ah, but we're talking about your Echidna, Beako, so maybe that makes it okay…? No, damn it, this is getting confusing. Son of a bitch, Echidna…!'

'There's no need to get yourself all tangled up over it, I suppose. You needn't worry. Hector… Mother's father is no longer anywhere to be found, in fact. And neither is her mother.'

'The way you put that makes it sound like there's something suspicious about her mother, too…'

'She was a Witch, I suppose. —Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory. She was Mother's mother, in fact.'

Beatrice delivered this extraordinary piece of information as though it were nothing remarkable and began walking away with her customary little steps. Subaru, meanwhile, was considerably shaken by the revelation.

'Her father was Melancholy, and her mother was Vainglory…'

Both were sins that had belonged to the older classification of humanity's transgressions, before the seven deadly sins assumed their present form. Subaru had heard that there had once been beings who bore those ancient sins. Yet he had never imagined that both would be connected to Echidna.

—That the Witch of Greed herself was the daughter of a Witch and a Warlock.

In a certain sense, it explained a great deal. Thinking back, Echidna had seemed particularly concerned with the nature and significance of being a Witch during their conversations at the tea party. Whether that preoccupation had anything to do with her parentage remained uncertain.

Nevertheless—

'…Guess I really should've spent a little more time talking to you.'

Subaru murmured the words with a twinge of regret for an opportunity that would never come again. While he remained absorbed in those thoughts, Beatrice had walked farther ahead. There, in the direction she was heading, an extraordinarily large hole yawned in the floor. White Sheep was standing beside it, timidly peering down into the darkness.

'White Sheep, be careful, I suppose. If you lean over too far and fall in, it won't be anything to laugh about.'

Coming to stand beside her, Beatrice kicked a small fragment of stone into the opening.

—But although the fragment fell, no sound of it striking the bottom ever reached their ears.

White Sheep's eyes widened. So did those of everyone else. Beatrice, however, merely placed her hands upon her hips and turned to address them.

'This is Kugelschreiber Castle—the Witch's home, suspended in the sky of another dimension, I suppose. If anyone falls from here, they will never, ever be able to return. So every one of you had better watch where you step, in fact.'

And with that, Beatrice delivered her first lesson in navigating the childhood home she had finally returned to after four hundred years.