Arc 10 Chapter 34: When the Moment Comes

Chapter 34: When the Moment Comes

—In truth, what they knew about the Beloved Children was frustratingly little.

They were a group directly subordinate to Capella Emerada Lugunica, the Sin Archbishop of Lust. Apparently, the members themselves did not consider themselves part of the Witch Cult, regarding themselves solely as Capella's followers. Their position was also distinct from that of the agents carrying out the Replacement Puppet operations throughout the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica. Even among Capella's subordinates, only a select few were counted among the Beloved Children.

And the condition for being chosen as one of those select few was—

'—Possessing a special power that no one else has. Mama… that woman called those powers her children's ‘talents.’ She said that because she was special, only special children were worthy of her…'

'The more I hear about her, the more revolting her reasoning gets. And the scary part is how perfectly it fits what I'd expect from that piece of garbage. Anyway, White Sheep, what's making you think the Beloved Children are here? And that there are at least two of them?'

'It's an inference based on what's happened to us. The way we lost control of our emotions, and the way sound disappeared… Those are clearly two separate phenomena.'

'Couldn't it be one person with multiple powers? Someone with a whole collection of special abilities?'

'I can't say that's absolutely impossible, but I think it's even less likely that one of the Beloved Children would be acting alone. —They're made to keep watch over one another, so none of them can escape.'

Even the answer to that simple question bore the unmistakable stain of Capella's depravity. It was enough to make Subaru feel sick. Nevertheless, he had already suspected that the possibility of a single enemy possessing multiple abilities was rather low. After all, when Subaru thought of individuals blessed—or cursed—with several extraordinary powers, only Reinhard and the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony readily came to mind.

Both were exceptional existences beyond any ordinary standard, representing extremes of good and evil respectively. It was difficult to imagine people like them appearing with any frequency.

One person, one ability.

Just as Divine Protections and Authorities generally followed that principle, Subaru decided to proceed under the same assumption.

'Of course, if I start thinking too hard about that, the question of what exactly I am comes back to bite me, but whatever. White Sheep, do you have any idea which Beloved Children might be here?'

'I'm sorry. The truth is, even the Beloved Children barely knew one another… The only one I remember is an older woman who used to say that her body was incredibly difficult to kill.'

'Difficult to kill… Well, I guess that counts as a special ability too. But it doesn't really give us anything useful right now… Oh, wait! If you used to be one of the Beloved Children, White Sheep, doesn't that mean you've got some special talent of your own?'

'—!'

Perhaps that talent could provide them with some way to break through their predicament. But before Subaru could pursue the thought, White Sheep caught her breath. Her round eyes trembled, and her cheeks stiffened. Seeing that reaction, Subaru immediately realized he had chosen the wrong subject. She clearly did not regard her own special ability with any fondness. And why would she? That power was the very reason Capella had become obsessed with her, forcing her into circumstances she had never wished for, even now.

'U-um, Gray Star, I…'

'No, sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. —We've still got other options.'

Shaking his head at her strained voice, Subaru looked back toward the corridor that had collapsed in complete silence. Beatrice was supposed to be somewhere beyond that heap of rubble. They had become separated from her and the others, but—

'Deep breath… and concentrate! —Cor Leonis!'

Subaru drew a deep breath, released it slowly, and focused his awareness upon his chest. Then he activated Cor Leonis, the Authority of Greed, which allowed him to locate his companions and perceive their presence. Ideally, he would have liked to extend that perception far enough to reach Emilia and the others, scattered so far away. But such a feat was beyond Subaru's current capabilities. For now, he would graciously settle for identifying the positions of his companions inside Kugelschreiber Castle.

'—Beako and Black Dog are together. Crusch is moving on her own, and Russell and Rachins are together a pretty long way off. And then…'

Through the approximate distances and movements of the lights he perceived, and the particular colors by which he recognized each companion's presence, Subaru could determine where Beatrice and the others were within the castle. More importantly, he could confirm that they were still alive. One by one, he located them, each discovery bringing another measure of relief.

Until—

He found something else.

'—Ferris.'

There, isolated from Subaru's group and every other companion, in a distant location where a single presence stood utterly alone, Subaru unmistakably sensed Ferris. The light was frail and faint, but it existed.

'He's there! I found him! Ferris! He's alive!'

'Eh? That's wonderful news, but how do you know that, Gray Star…?'

'Actually, I've got this sort of sensor ability that lets me detect where my companions are! I was checking everyone's positions, and I found Ferris too. He's okay… No, I can't say he's okay. His presence is seriously weak. But he's alive. And as long as he's alive… we can reach him!'

At that glimmer of hope, Subaru clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palm. At the point where Return by Death had restarted him, Ferris had already been silently abducted from the rear of their party. In the worst possible case, Subaru's new starting point might have come after it was already too late to save him. That possibility always existed.

And Subaru knew he could not bear it.

'But that's not what happened. It isn't… Ferris is… somewhere below us? Damn it! I should've asked Beako to draw me a map of the castle! Anyway, we need to rescue him right—'

'Please, calm down, Gray Star! We can't do this by ourselves!'

Just as Subaru was about to dash toward Ferris's endangered presence, White Sheep stepped into his path with both arms spread wide. She met his gaze directly as he stumbled to a halt.

'I believe you aren't lying. But please, think calmly. Without Black Dog or Emerald Beauty here, if we confront the enemy ourselves, we'll only end up being defeated!'

'That's… Ah, damn it, you're right! You're completely right! I got so worked up I stopped seeing the whole picture again…!'

White Sheep's words were like a splash of cold water upon Subaru's feverish thoughts. His vision cleared. Unfortunately, the enormity of their problem remained unchanged. Only the order in which they needed to confront it had shifted.

'White Sheep, can you fight? I've got a bit of trickery up my sleeve, and I'm decent enough with a whip.'

'I-I know a little staff fighting, and a little magic!'

'Yeah, going into battle with that hand would be pretty reckless… All right, then. Let's meet up with Beako and Black Dog. Neither of them seems to be moving. There's no way we're catching Crusch when she's running at full speed.'

'—Understood. Um, with your ability, you can tell where they are, right?'

'Yeah. Let's go! I don't actually know the route, but they're this way!'

Keeping his concentration intact and Cor Leonis active, Subaru took the lead and began running, guiding White Sheep after him. He was still deeply worried about Ferris, but for now he had to trust that this was their best course of action. They would reunite with Beatrice and Black Dog as quickly as possible, get Black Dog back on his feet, and then move to rescue Ferris. If they could, Subaru also wanted to collect Crusch, Russell, and Rachins before making their move.

Ideally, everyone would face the danger together. Of course, gathering in large numbers might leave them even more vulnerable to the phenomenon that had stripped away their emotional restraint—something Subaru had begun to think of as an emotional overflow. Whether bringing everyone together was truly their best option remained uncertain.

But—

'—?'

As he ran, Subaru frowned at a sudden sense of unease. They were moving through an unfamiliar castle, taking detours around shattered walls and corridors whose floors had collapsed. As far as Subaru understood, he was following the shortest available route toward the lights representing Beatrice and the others. Naturally, he remained vigilant for the possibility of encountering an enemy along the way.

And yet—

'Um, Gray Star… There's something I need to say, though it's a little difficult…'

'…Don't say it. No, actually, go ahead and say it. I need to face reality too.'

Subaru answered White Sheep's hesitant approach with a bitter expression. At his encouragement, she looked around, her body stiffening slightly.

'—We've already passed through here once. We're going around the same places again.'

'Right!? I thought so too! That broken pillar is definitely the same one we saw earlier.'

Turning left at the T-shaped intersection ahead brought them to a corridor blocked by a fallen pillar. There were plenty of similar sights throughout the ruined castle, but Subaru was certain this one was the same.

—Because despite supposedly running directly toward Beatrice, the distance separating them had not diminished in the slightest.

'Don't tell me… Besides the Silence that erases sound and the Overflow that pushes people's emotions out of control, they've got someone who makes people get Lost too? What the hell, are all the Beloved Children here!?'

It was an impulsive exaggeration. Yet Subaru could hardly dismiss the possibility as a joke. After all, there had been that time when the Sin Archbishops had gathered in Priestella. If something similar were happening now, however, the disparity in their available forces was disastrous. At the very least, Subaru would have liked to trade Rachins for Reinhard.

'Hell, I'll swap myself for Garfiel while we're at it. Bring Julius and Roswaal too. Maybe we should call in Sesshi as a special guest and just flip the whole damn table…'

'I-I don't think it's especially likely that all the Beloved Children would be here… But if the enemy intends to settle everything here, then I can't be sure. And because there's that hidden door leading to the laboratory, we can't completely rule out the possibility that some mechanism in the castle itself is making us lose our way…'

'If that's the case, then Beako choosing to tell us old stories instead of explaining the castle's security systems was a seriously questionable choice of what to leave out. Besides, there are two things bothering me, and both involve Crusch.'

Subaru raised two fingers.

'Emerald Beauty?' White Sheep repeated, blinking.

When Subaru thought of corridors that caused people to lose their way, his first memory was the prank Beatrice had once played upon him at Roswaal's mansion, trapping him in a passageway that looped endlessly. That had been a form of illusion. And Subaru suspected that Crusch's Dragon's Eye would have seen through it immediately. But there was something else.

After the discord caused by Overflow had brought Crusch into conflict with Black Dog, she had cut him down and declared that she would search for Ferris. Then she had run onward, following the direction in which the group had originally been traveling.

—That was strange too.

'If you're looking for Ferris, you should turn back. He got taken by Silence because he was walking at the very rear of the group… And from what I can tell, he's actually underground, back in that direction.'

It was difficult to determine the precise arrangement of locations within the castle, but Cor Leonis indicated that Ferris was somewhere underground, closer to the entrance than Subaru and White Sheep, who had been heading deeper into the castle. Surely Crusch would have understood something that obvious. Even with her judgment impaired by Overflow, she should have recognized it.

'But she ran forward instead. And Crusch didn't seem to notice anything wrong with that. So if the same sort of thing is happening to us right now…'

They believed they were advancing toward their destination. Yet they could not get any closer.

—Their perceptions were being manipulated.

Their sense of distance.

Their sense of direction.

It was as though they believed themselves to be running along one railway track while their feet were carrying them down a neighboring one. And because of that interference, Subaru and White Sheep—

No.

Probably none of their companions—

Could reach the places they were trying to go.

'…Oh, come on. This is a lot worse than it looks.'

He had inferred the enemy's abilities from the events they had experienced. Taken individually, none of the powers seemed particularly devastating. And yet, through their timing and combination, the enemy had transformed them into a remarkably cruel and effective means of tormenting their opponents.

They were Capella's children, all right. When it came to doing things that other people would hate, every last one of them seemed exceptionally talented.

'Ah, not you, White Sheep. You're a former member, so you don't count. Black Dog's still under review, though…'

'—Perhaps we should reconsider our assumptions.'

'Eh?'

'If we keep trying to reunite with everyone blindly, I don't think we'll ever reach them. We need to find something we can do to fight back… Gray Star!'

White Sheep, who had been thinking with one hand against her mouth, suddenly raised her head.

'Yeah!?' Subaru answered, startled by her sudden intensity.

She gestured broadly around the castle with both hands.

'You can sense where your allies are, right? Anyone will do. Please point toward one of them.'

'—. All right. Beako's over there. Black Dog too.'

Wondering whether she had devised some solution, Subaru followed her instruction and pointed toward the light he perceived. White Sheep checked the direction of his finger and nodded.

'Understood. Then let's try walking that way. Ready, and… go!'

'Wait, if you spring that on me out of nowhere—huh?'

Hurried along by White Sheep's unexpected command, Subaru instinctively took a step.

—In the exact opposite direction from where he was pointing.

The movement was so unmistakably wrong that Subaru swallowed hard.

'Don't tell me… Is this thing messing with the wiring in my brain? If that's what's happening…'

'—No. This time, please close your eyes. Then try walking toward the place where you can feel Librarian.'

'—? Close my eyes? But I don't see how that's going to…'

Make any difference.

That was what Subaru thought. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and concentrated upon Cor Leonis. Beatrice was still beside Black Dog, her presence shining unmistakably within the darkness behind his eyelids. Subaru took a step toward that light.

And then—

'—Just as I thought.'

At White Sheep's words, Subaru opened his eyes and checked where he was standing. He had moved only a single step. But unlike the previous one, which had carried him in the wrong direction, this step had taken him precisely toward Beatrice's presence.

'Wh-what changed? Could it be some kind of illusion that works through the eyes…?'

'I think Gray Star's ability became stronger than the Lost effect just now. The relative strength of Divine Protections, Mystic Eyes, and special abilities is very strict…'

'Special abilities… I see. Cor Leonis is an Authority, after all.'

If the relative power of two abilities determined which would prevail, then an Authority could potentially override the effect imposed by an opposing power. By closing his eyes and concentrating entirely upon Cor Leonis, Subaru had managed to overcome the interference that prevented him from approaching his destination.

'Amazing work, White Sheep! That's a huge breakthrough! We can do this! All right, follow me!'

'Ah, please wait! I think it'll work, but…'

'No, we've already wasted way too much time! We've gotta make up for it starting now—BWONNGH!'

Convinced that he had finally found a way through, Subaru closed his eyes and boldly attempted to follow Beatrice's light.

His body collided headfirst with a solid wall. He bounced backward and fell spectacularly onto the corridor floor. His forehead and nose had taken the impact directly, and he had failed to break his fall properly.

'Gaaah… Right… Of course… The walls… and pillars… don't disappear…'

'I-I'm sorry! I couldn't warn you in time!'

'N-no, it's not your fault. It's mine. My head's the problem. …Damn it, though. What are we supposed to do?'

Even though they had discovered a way to avoid being deceived by Lost, they were still trapped in Kugelschreiber Castle, a place filled with dead ends, blocked passages, and routes requiring long detours. To avoid repeating the disaster that had just occurred, Subaru would have to proceed with his eyes closed, cautiously feeling his way around walls and checking the ground beneath his feet.

But—

'I could try guiding you from behind, telling you what the path ahead looks like. That might help a little…'

'But we'd still be moving at a crawl, huh? And after all the time we spent wandering around, the distance between us and Beako's group has gotten even bigger. Getting all the way to them…'

'—Isn't realistic at the moment?'

White Sheep reached the same conclusion Subaru had been approaching. He nodded. His reasons for wanting to reunite with Beatrice and the others as quickly as possible had not changed. But even with their newly discovered countermeasure, there was no telling how long reaching them might take.

And meanwhile—

'—Crusch's movements just changed. She's… she's fighting someone!'

Crusch, who had been moving rapidly through the castle, had suddenly stopped advancing and begun making movements other than running. The changes in the light representing her presence, and the intensity Subaru sensed from it, told him that she had entered combat. He could even guess whom she was fighting.

Because—

'She's not that far away, but I can't hear a damn thing.'

Turning toward the place where he sensed Crusch, Subaru perceived an unnatural stillness from that direction. It resembled the carefully cultivated quiet of a Japanese garden, yet carried an unsettling completeness far beyond ordinary silence.

—There could be no doubt that Crusch was fighting Silence.

Almost unconsciously, Subaru placed a hand against his abdomen. He remembered the broad blade that had pierced him from behind, running straight through his body. It was easy enough to imagine that the weapon had belonged to the one wielding Silence.

'————'

Two thoughts collided within Subaru's mind, striking sparks against one another. The first was the obvious, honorable impulse to rush to Crusch's aid now that she was fighting an enemy. The second was the humiliating realization that, if the opponent was Silence, Subaru and White Sheep would likely be nothing more than hindrances.

'—If we're up against Silence, there's no way we can coordinate properly either.'

Things might have been different between companions so accustomed to one another that they could coordinate perfectly without exchanging a word.

Unfortunately, Subaru and Crusch did not possess that degree of familiarity. And more importantly, the difference between their fighting abilities was immense. If Subaru joined her carelessly, the act of trying to help might itself become an advantage handed directly to the enemy.

—That was what made him hesitate to reunite with Crusch at this particular moment. There was, however, one more reason behind his thoughts.

'—From here, Ferris is close.'

Yes.

That was it.

According to Cor Leonis, both Crusch and Ferris were within a realistic distance of Subaru's current location—close enough that he might be able to reach either of them by navigating with his eyes closed. Crusch was engaged in battle with an enemy. Ferris, meanwhile, had either been captured or left injured and unable to move. In either case, both were facing danger, though of very different kinds. But there was one crucial distinction worth considering. At present, Silence was not near Ferris.

And as long as Silence remained occupied with Crusch—

'Besides, if we get Ferris back, everyone's chances of staying alive go way up. Once we reunite with Black Dog, Ferris should be able to get him back into fighting shape almost immediately. So…'

'So you think we should go rescue Blue Snake,' White Sheep said.

Faced with Subaru's carefully constructed argument, she pressed her lips together and considered it. Subaru understood her hesitation. Whatever he might say, he and White Sheep were not frontline fighters. Even if they took an enormous risk and succeeded in rescuing Ferris, they would merely become a group of three people unsuited to direct combat. That was hardly a meaningful increase in fighting strength. And even if Silence was absent, at least Overflow and Lost remained among their enemies. They had yet to discover any convincing means of counteracting those powers. If avoiding risk was their priority, then they ought to spend however long it took to reach Beatrice and the others.

'—But if we choose a path where we never take a single risk, we'll never get our hands on a single thing we really want.'

'Gray Star…'

'I know I'm asking you to do something pretty difficult. I know you've got your own reasons for joining Six Tongues, White Sheep. Something you need to accomplish badly enough that you went that far. And I'm sure it's something you absolutely can't afford to fail at. But… but!'

If they allowed fear of failure to keep them standing still, then when the moment that truly mattered finally arrived, they would find themselves unable to take even that decisive step. Subaru had learned that lesson through failures beyond counting. Each time, he had been crushed beneath regret and frustration so terrible that they seemed to tear his soul apart. And precisely because he had endured those experiences, Subaru could say this with certainty.

—The moment when one had no choice but to act would inevitably come.

'Let's show them what we're made of right here. Let's do something we can be proud of when we face the people who matter most to us.'

'—I…'

Subaru did not know whether this was truly their best option. He could not say with certainty that this was a choice worth dragging another person into the same deadly peril.

But he knew one thing.

If he failed to make this choice now, he would regret it so bitterly that he might as well die. And at his words, White Sheep returned his gaze with an expression of firm resolve.

'I'm going to make my own choice too. —So that when I face that person again, I can hold my head high.'

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　△▼△▼△▼△

—Always.

Always, always, always.

The same thoughts returned to torment him.

Why was he so utterly useless? Why was he so hopelessly inadequate? Why was he such a miserable failure? Only the voice that kept demanding why never disappeared, ceaselessly tormenting him with its accusations.

—And even that was little more than a form of self-indulgence.

'Seriously… Sometimes I can't stand myself…'

The moment he regained consciousness and understood the circumstances in which he found himself, he was seized by an embarrassment so unbearable that he wanted to die. Of course, he could not die merely from shame. In fact, no matter what method one employed, taking his life would be no simple matter. That was the particular talent of Felix Argyle—a talent so wretched that he sometimes wished he could curse it.

'—You know, there's something I find myself thinking about all the time. Would you care to hear it?'

While he was silently cursing himself, a high-pitched voice suddenly reached him from directly ahead. Glancing toward it, Felix saw a long-haired woman standing before him, dressed in a black gown and wearing a black hat. She clasped her hands together before her face and gazed at him with dreamy eyes.

'Don't you think the right hand and the left hand seem like two beings destined for one another, born so they could remain perfectly pressed together like this for their entire lives? The right foot and the left foot are different. After all, they never come together quite like this, do they? That's why feet aren't in love… But the right hand and the left hand!'

'————'

'No, wait a moment! If you look more closely, it isn't just the hands! The fingers themselves fit perfectly together too! The thumbs, the index fingers, the middle fingers! Even the little fingers! And they're still only little fingers!'

Whatever she found so delightful about the subject, the woman had begun squealing and twisting her body in excitement, her cheeks flushed bright red. Her behavior was so profoundly irritating that Felix felt an irresistible urge to spoil her enthusiasm.

'…Some people are born without one of their hands. Other people lose their hands or fingers in accidents.'

'————'

It was an extreme counterargument. But then, the woman herself had been the first to advance an absurd argument taken to its furthest extreme. Perhaps he had touched a nerve and would suffer for it. Part of him was reckless enough not to care. If provoking her was enough to draw her attention, perhaps that would be worth whatever followed.

However—

'…That is wonderful.'

Rather than becoming angry, the woman released a breath of rapturous delight, her gaze upon Felix growing moist with emotion. She raised both hands high above her head and began spinning on the spot.

'Because the greater the obstacle, the more fiercely love burns! Differences in social standing! Differences in species! Age, gender, ethics, morality, the law! Every single one of them is a spark meant to set love ablaze! And do you know what the greatest obstacle of all is…? Hehe, ufufu… Can. You. Guess?'

'————'

Felix regretted interrupting her almost immediately. This was a vein of ore that would yield nothing worthwhile, no matter how deeply he mined it. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he had struck a spring from which nothing but poison could flow.

—In truth, describing it as poison was not far from the mark.

'…You've been doing something to me this entire time, haven't you? What is it?'

'Doing something…? Do you mean your arms? If so, that wasn't me. Reborn did that. He's such a terribly rough person. I think someone like Reborn would be perfect with an older partner who's calm and generous and can take everything in stride! Or perhaps someone younger who's even more troublesome than he is! What do you think!?'

'I'm not talking about my arms. I'm talking about what you've been doing to my head.' 'Oh, that? Hehe, please don't misunderstand. You're not the only person I'm doing that to. I'm doing it to everyone in this castle… Ah! Could it be that you wanted me to treat you as someone special? If that's the case, does that mean you're in love with me? Because I love you too!'

Faced with the woman proclaiming her love through those dreamy eyes, Felix abandoned all hope of having a sensible conversation. Besides, no fool would willingly reveal the workings of their abilities to an enemy. And Felix could already feel that something foreign was interfering with his body, while his own body continued repairing the effects of that interference without pause.

A special magical formula had been woven throughout Felix's body, continuously maintaining a spell that kept his physical condition in an optimal state. Thanks to this, even when an abnormality escaped his conscious attention, the magic could respond to changes in his body and Od, restoring them to their proper condition. Even now, his body was engaged in an unending process of healing whatever strange power the woman had been directing against him. However, that ability possessed a weakness of its own.

—The frailty of Felix's physical body.

'————'

Ignoring the woman as she continued writhing in delight, Felix examined his surroundings. He was undoubtedly still inside Kugelschreiber Castle, but he did not recognize this particular chamber. It resembled the sort of broad landing one might find within a castle or mansion, although the towering walls contained not a single window. Most likely, they were underground. And within that subterranean chamber, Felix was a prisoner.

—His arms had been raised above his head and quite literally impaled, pinning him to the wall.

'…I hate to admit it, but this is a perfect hundred-point way to finish me off…'

As already established, Felix's body was constantly restoring itself to perfect condition. But even his healing magic could not mend a wound while a blade remained embedded in his flesh, unless the blade itself was somehow dealt with. And suspended by his impaled arms, Felix possessed nowhere near the physical strength required to pull the weapons free and liberate himself. Consequently, he could do nothing but remain in this miserable condition, displayed like some grotesque exhibit.

'Don't make that face, Felix. You're ruining such an adorable expression! Besides, besides, you know? I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing for you!'

'Huh? Why not?'

'You see, right now, it's incredibly difficult for anyone to reach this place! Everyone has no choice but to take the Long Way Around, and I'm sure some people will lose heart or even burst into tears along the way! But, but! If someone manages to overcome all those obstacles and reach you here… then that person must be your destined partner! I, Bellaris of the Ring Finger, guarantee it! A blazing love will envelop you!'

Felix had answered reflexively despite having no intention of continuing the conversation. The result was that he had been forced to endure another lengthy torrent of worthless nonsense. The only useful thing he had obtained was the woman's name.

—Bellaris.

And what Bellaris had presented as a source of hope was, for Felix, nothing less than despair.

'…A knight being used as a hostage. This is the worst.'

Even if he possessed none of the martial prowess expected of a knight, even if the title he carried was little more than an ornament, a person entrusted with protecting others should never have been reduced to waiting helplessly for someone else's rescue. It was a nightmare.

And if his predicament ended up burdening the one person he desperately wanted never to hold back, then it was more unbearable still. Yet the thing Felix found most intolerable was—

'—If it were Reinhard coming to rescue me, I wouldn't mind at all…'

He almost wished he could deliver those words in a voice weak enough to suggest he was dying. But his throat and tongue were in perfect condition, so even that was impossible. After all, Felix himself had created the magic that kept them that way. Whether the other person understood that or not, a small, breathy laugh answered him.

'Hah. Glad to see you're looking a hell of a lot livelier than I expected, Ferris.'

Perhaps it was deliberate. Perhaps he simply could not help himself. Or perhaps his spirits were unnaturally elevated. Whatever the reason, the boy entered the landing almost as though he were dancing, his footsteps ringing out with exaggerated loudness. His eyes glittered with a feverish intensity.

From the entrance to the underground chamber, the boy—Natsuki Subaru—fixed his gaze upon Felix, who had been pinned to the farthest wall of the spacious room. Then he glared at Bellaris, standing beneath the place where Felix was suspended. With his sharp eyes blazing, Subaru thrust a finger dramatically toward her.

'HYAHHAA! Finally found you, Beloved Child! I've been waiting and waiting for the day I'd finally get to see one of your damn faces!'

'————'

Felix frowned at Subaru's declaration, delivered with his eyes wide and his voice cracking beneath the force of his enthusiasm. Even by the standards of Subaru's customary attempts to put on a brave face, this was taking things rather too far.

'…Ah. So that's what this is.'

If the thing affecting Subaru now came from the same source as whatever Felix's body had been continuously healing, then he could begin to guess what Bellaris was doing. She was scattering something into the air.

—A poison that drove people mad.

And Bellaris, proving herself a poisonous woman in the most literal sense, reacted to Subaru's declaration by wrapping her arms around herself as though trembling with fear.

'Just as I thought! Exactly as I imagined! Natsuki really is in love with Felix! Otherwise, you never could have overcome Tornel's Long Way Around and made it all the way here! Just as I thought, just as I hoped, just as I wished, just as I dreamed, dreamed, dreamed, dreamed, dreamed—HOW PRECIOUS!!'

Bellaris stamped her feet rapidly upon the floor, writhing in an ecstasy of delight that seemed to exceed the limits of what her body could contain. Subaru, witnessing her behavior for the first time, made no effort to conceal how thoroughly repulsed he was. He raised his whip, apparently preparing himself for a fight against Bellaris.

But—

'…Where's little Beatrice?'

'Beako and I are working separately right now! Not that she's the only one! But don't worry, you're not alone! And neither am I! I've got some reliable companions with me! First of all, there's my whip!'

'A whip! What are you planning to do with it!? Is that love too!? Can I watch from the side? Or should I join in? Would that be love? Because if it's love, I'd be happy to participate!'

'And courage! When things get desperate, that's what you can always count on! And I've got one more secret weapon—'

He had probably intended to say that he had one. Watching Subaru and Bellaris shouting over one another in this nightmarish spectacle, Felix almost began to doubt whether any of it was real.

And perhaps that was why—

—When the next thing happened, his mind could not immediately comprehend it.

'—By your secret weapon, do you mean me? If so, I'm sorry.'

A figure suddenly appeared behind Subaru while he was still shouting. The newcomer threw herself against his back, seemingly wrapping her arms around him.

—No.

That was not right.

It had merely looked like an embrace. In reality, she had driven her entire body into him.

Why?

Because striking with the full weight of her body ensured that the weapon would not come loose.

Because it allowed the blade to sink deep.

—Because the sharp knife she held at her waist with both hands could then be driven precisely into a vital point in Subaru's side, gouging into his flesh.

'White… Sheep…?'

Subaru looked down at the knife buried in his side, then at the person clutching its handle.

He called her by that name.

By that codename.

After all, neither Subaru nor Felix knew her real name.

A wet sound escaped Subaru's mouth as blood spilled over his lips. His knees buckled, and he sank to the floor.

And as Subaru knelt before her, she—White Sheep—looked down upon him with eyes colder than Felix had ever seen.

Then she spoke.

'—I've made my choice. I have, too. For the sake of fulfilling my own wish.'