Chapter 632 — Arc 9, Chapter 44 – “Collusion Beneath the Water’s Surface”

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――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never speak of fond reminiscences.

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???: [――If you’re also a father, then don’t go laying your hands on kids!!]

Compared to the fist plowing straight into the opponent’s mug, those words must have been far more scathing. ――Laying eyes upon that sight, Rom-jii fathomed such a guess regarding the pain Heinkel had received.

With a counterattack strategy that fully relied on his ability to take hits, Heinkel endeavored to strike back against Flam and Grassis, but just before that could take form, he was superbly thwarted by Gaston―― or to be precise, by the intervention of the young girl who had inserted Gaston there via Compression.

Rom: [Geez, really is quite somethin’…]

After verifying the safety of the twin sisters who had been released from the opponent’s grasp, what Rom-jii turned his attentive gaze towards was the young girl riding on his shoulders―― the side profile of Petra.

Petra: [――――]

With her large, round eyes narrowed, and the lovely features of her cheeks strained, Petra diligently cast a serious gaze towards the two battlefronts.

Those being the bouts of combat clashing against Roy Alphard of Gluttony, and the swordsman who had betrayed the Kingdom―― the Backstabber, Heinkel. Originally, present there had also been the principal offender, Aldebaran, alongside his obedient shinobi, and the Divine Dragon which had bowed down before him.

There had been discussions on splitting up that dangerous ensemble, creating theaters of war such that each enemy could be dealt crushing blows individually, but it would have been no exaggeration to say that it was Petra who held the key to that stratagem’s success.

The plan had been constructed around the opinions of Clind, a man intimately familiar with the Authority of Tristitia, and while all personnel were united in their efforts to bring about the success of this stratagem, the one ultimately contributing the most was Petra.

Without her, nary would this battle have even commenced. ――And that had now culminated, in this very moment.

Petra: [――Hk.]

Tightly biting down on her lip, Petra’s nails firmly dug into the shoulders of Rom-jii as she sat on him. He felt no pain from the likes of a young girl’s nails, but the state of her mind as she subconsciously did so was unimaginable.

The Witch Factors that reduced people to Witches and Sin Archbishops; the burden of handling one was something that could only have been understood by those who had actually done so. Furthermore, the duty that Petra now shouldered, was one for which Rom-jii’s own name had also been raised as a candidate.

Albeit lacking in direct combat ability, his quick wits and ability to make decisions made him desirable to have on the field of battle.

That was precisely the role of Rom-jii and Petra, and while the difference in their Camps had ultimately been the deciding factor, Petra’s duty was one that Rom-jii could very well have ended up shouldering.

Hence, while Rom-jii’s ultimate priority in this battle was to take back Felt, he had decided in his heart that his secondary priority was to do everything in his power to support Petra. If it meant that Petra’s burden could become even just a bit lighter, he would devote his entire soul to ensuring that no blunders or oversights occurred in his judgments and instructions regarding the war situation.

Rom: [Queen ta Flowers Three. Noble ta Lightning Two. Hunter ta Flowers Five.]

Overlooking the battlefield, Rom-jii issued commands such that Petra could hear from atop his shoulders. Each time Petra received his instructions, and exercised the Authority, the scratches on his shoulders would deepen, becoming all the more more numerous.

Primarily, it was the battle against Gluttony in which Compression could be utilized. Roy seemed to be aware that Rom-jii and Petra were making contributions to the combat, but the way Ram conducted herself was exceptionally skillful. She continued to dexterously draw the opponent’s attention, ensuring that he could not lay a hand on those in the position of command.

The fact that the combat continued to ebb and flow with a paper thin difference, even when including Compression, stemmed from the abundance of moves and cards in Gluttony’s hand, but this stood in stark contrast to the other front, where the moves and cards in hand were desperately few.

Heinkel: [――Kuh.]

With even his screams getting lost amidst the sounds of pummeling, Heinkel continued to be showered in blow after blow.

Joining the twins Flam and Grassis, Gaston supplemented their speedy flurry with the might of his arm, causing a one-sided beatdown that ought to already have been labeled punishment without fair trial to unfold. But, since the other party had still yet to bend the knee, Flam and the rest could not afford ease off, either.

On both fronts, a nudge would be required for things to progress. ――It happened right after he had reached that thought.

Petra called out “――Rom-ojiisan”, and with Rom-jii her eyes met.

Petra: [――――]

By the mere crossing of their gazes, Rom-jii understood that Petra had arrived at the same conclusion he had. Without even sparing the time to nod in agreement, Rom-jii kept a keen eye out for a golden opportunity.

And then――,

Rom: [Queen ta Yang Five――!]

As Rom-jii let the command fly, Petra exerted strength into the hands on his shoulders, into her round eyes, and activated Compression―― in a manner most magnificent, the fruit of cooperation between Ram and two others vehemently surged towards Roy.

Petra: [――Alright!]

Roy’s petite frame engulfed in wind, he basked in the attacks of the King Pig alongside two Witchbeasts, and was blown away. Spraying blood as he was shot up into the air, Roy had unmistakably been dealt a serious blow.

Just before that decisive blow was made, Roy had attempted to invoke the Authority of Gluttony on Ram, but with that ending in a misfire, he had given birth to a significantly fatal opening. ――Once again, he was deeply impressed by the courage of Ram in laying that trap and having it actually succeed, as well as Petra’s ingenuity for having proposed it.

――Formerly Ram, now Ram Leyte.

Taking advantage of the system, an unnatural proceeding to become adopted children had been performed for all personnel on the front lines whom Gluttony had a chance of targeting; ‘twas an outlandish stratagem that betrayed the expectations of the Sin Archbishop.

Rom: [But with this…]

The situation had shifted. At the certain materialization of the move that had been desired to break the deadlock, Rom-jii tightly clenched his fist.

And then, maintaining that momentum, he shifted his sights in an attempt to progress the other situation――,

Heinkel: […Nobody, fucking move a muscle. If this brat’s… if this personage’s life is valuable to you.]

――With the variation that had been birthed on that front, he was confronted with the worst predicament possible, that of Heinkel pressing his sword against Felt, pinioning her hands behind her back.

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――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never retell my favorite stories.

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Aldebaran: [Sorry for everything up ‘till now. In a lot of ways, I’ve put way too much burden on your shoulders, old man.]

Giving that apology, it was right after Aldebaran had mercilessly beat down Heinkel by sheer force, just when the latter had been about to take an overly hasty action while conversing with Felt.

To be frank, Heinkel was aware that he had been about to carry out a deed that could never be undone, and thus reflected that he had no right to complain about having been beaten down. He had no choice but to accept the apology.

However, the reality that Felt had caught wind of―― that alone, he absolutely could not afford to leave unchecked.

Heinkel’s ever-slumbering wife, Louanna Astrea.

‘Twas the fact that the slumber of the woman Heinkel held most dear was caused by his son, Reinhard.

Aldebaran: [Well, hold on a sec. I ain’t gonna ask about what happened between you and Lil’ Miss Felt, old man. But, didn’t I tell you? Old man, it was my fault for making you shoulder all that burden, yeah?]

Heinkel: […Where are you going with this? What good will apologizing do?]

Aldebaran: [Of course, I won’t say something like “I apologized, so just keep hanging in there.” For now, I’ll deal with the matter of Lil’ Miss Felt.]

Heinkel: [Even if you say you’ll deal with it…]

Aldebaran: [I ain’t gonna do anything dangerous. Though, it might be a little crude.]

As Aldebaran spoke those words with a shrug of his shoulders, Heinkel’s cheeks tensed.

Regarding what he was thinking, he was a man with many inscrutable aspects to him. Even so, what Heinkel did understand was that, driven by the sorrow of having lost Priscilla, he had begun to turn the world against him.

That at the very foundation of Aldebaran, certainly present was a love towards that blazing Sun Princess.

However, Aldebaran had retained just enough good conscience to not go as far as sacrificing everything just for that purpose. ――It felt as if such a thing no longer bound him; that he had broken free from his shackles.

Heinkel: [What… what are you planning to do?]

Aldebaran: [I won’t do anything bad to you, old man. Only, there’s just one thing I’d like to confirm.]

As he unwittingly gulped aloud, Heinkel felt a strong sense of thirst from his throat. It was a certain kind of premonition that only cowards were endowed with, that of wanting to hear what words came next, but with a simultaneous desire to not hear them.

Ignoring those feelings of Heinkel, Aldebaran vocalized his question.

That was――,

Aldebaran: [Fifteen years ago, about the name of the royal who was abducted from the castle――]

For Heinkel―― nay, for anyone in the Kingdom of Lugunica, speaking that name had gained a perception of being something of a taboo.

Fifteen years ago, the daughter of the King’s younger brother was abducted from the Royal Castle of Lugunica, and ever since then, her whereabouts had been unknown.

In the long and storied history of the Kingdom, it was not as though there had been an absence of royals who had led lives of misfortune. However, despite having been blessed by birth, she was the only one whose growth and conclusion were never spoken of.

???: [――Filóre Lugunica.] [1]

The forty-first King of the Kingdom of Lugunica, Randohal Lugunica; the daughter of his younger brother, Ford Lugunica, was the royal whom Heinkel had been suspected of abducting fifteen years prior.

Albeit, the suspicions of abduction were false accusations―― after circulating from one place to the next, Heinkel had, unto the Royal Family to whom he ought to have sworn his fealty, and unto Ford whom he owed a great debt of gratitude, committed a blasphemy which he could never retract.

Far beyond simply betraying the Kingdom, that was a clear breach of faith on his friendship with the Royal Family.

???: [――Let’s eat.]

An abominable ritual of unspeakable sin, effectuated before his eyes.

From Aldebaran’s question, that was something Heinkel had foreseen, and likely even hoped for. Despite being fully aware that the ritual had served as the impetus for many a tragedy, he still had hoped so.

After all, if that was enacted, Heinkel would not end up needing to kill her.

???: [Thank you for the treat-.]

Placing two hands together, Roy announced the completion of the ritual, and with eyes upon that small figure’s back, Heinkel came to his senses. He had been so eager to avert his gaze that, submerged in his thoughts, he had quite literally overlooked the deed taking place before his eyes.

Though he found it absurd that his heart still ached with each new unknightly deed he enacted, Heinkel stepped forth to change places with Roy, the latter cackling in delight.

And then――,

Heinkel: [――Filóre-sama.]

Getting down on one knee, Heinkel called out to the girl in such a manner.

Just what sort of answer had he been expecting? If she replied acknowledging that it referred to herself, then it would signify the failure of the ritual. If she replied that she did not know what that meant, it would still likely end up causing Heinkel anguish.

Sure enough, not even holding the answer within himself, the answer Heinkel received was――,

Filóre: [Who, might that be referring to? No, in the first place…]

Heinkel: [――――]

Filóre: [――Who, am I exactly?]

Ultimately, the reply signifying the ritual’s success wounded Heinkel, causing him anguish.

Filóre: [Filóre, that is my name… something about it does not feel quite right.]

With her Memories devoured, Filóre’s attitude truly felt as though she were a different person entirely.

Her mannerisms, conduct, and way of speaking had all previously given the impression of crudeness and having been poorly raised, but as if that had all been a lie, she now carried herself with a grace and gentleness befitting royalty, greatly surprising Heinkel.

If not for the tragedy fifteen years prior, she would have likely been a member of royalty beloved by all.

Aldebaran: [But in exchange for that, she would’ve probably ended up dying of the same illness as the rest of the Royal Family.]

As Heinkel was stricken with such deep emotions, Aldebaran made a rather tasteless comment.

But, that was likely the truth. The epidemic of unknown origin that seemed to have only targeted royalty; if Filóre had been in the castle, she would have likely not escaped harm. ――Heinkel had been about to realize something about what that signified, but he shut his eyes, refusing to confront it directly.

By this point, Heinkel’s mind and body were already filled to the brim. With the fulfillment of his dearest wish just ahead, his heart could not bear the shocking facts that kept being added on one after another.

Filóre: [Is there perhaps something troubling you?]

As Heinkel subconsciously placed his hands over his face, Filóre inquired so of him.

Even though she had been the one in a far more uncertain situation, being without her Memories, for her to still display concern for others was an act in which Heinkel certainly glimpsed the blood of the Lugunican Royal Family.

At the same time, convinced he was of a cruel reality―― substantiated the moment the Authority of Gluttony was activated, of the fact that she was undoubtedly Filóre Lugunica.

And yet――,

Heinkel: […With this, I guess the Royal Selection’s over.]

Aldebaran: [Why’d you think that, old man?]

Heinkel: [Is there anything at all left? The reason why the Royal Selection is being held is to find a “successor” worthy of the throne. If it has to be said, it’s a backup plan because the Royal Family perished… now that we know that they didn’t die out, it’s a given that everyone will go back on it.]

As irony would have it, it was a truth that had only come to light because following Priscilla’s death, Aldebaran had gone rogue and broken Gluttony out of prison, and because she had gotten to the crux of Heinkel’s heart before losing her Memories.

It almost seemed as if the world itself had exerted its control in order to install Filóre on the throne.

Of course, Heinkel did not suggest anything so insensitive as saying that even Priscilla’s death had been for that purpose, but ultimately, Filóre taking the throne would have been the most desirable outcome.

He would awaken Louanna. So long as that was fulfilled, it was in Heinkel’s best interests for all matters to be settled without any problems.

Hence, the Witch of Envy would withdraw, and Filóre would take the throne. Such did he desire.

Aldebaran: [Alter, this is the most peaceful way to settle things. Got any problems with that?]

???: […Just barely, because I was able to compromise on this, the lil’ miss avoided getting hurt. I think it’s a brilliant solution, Origin. It’s just――]

Aldebaran: [It’s just?]

???: [Did you really think of this plan by yourself, Origin? It doesn’t really seem like something you’d come up with.]

Aldebaran: [――――]

Next to Heinkel as he came to terms with things, Aldebaran and the Divine Dragon debated over the treatment of Filóre in such a manner. Be that as it may, at least the problem Heinkel had been carrying was shelved for now. But then again, there was no doubt that bringing Filóre around without her Memories would only sow the seeds for new problems――,

???: [In that case, it won’t become a problem or anything of the sort~. Right, Al-sama?]

As Yae stealthily peered at his face from right next to him, Heinkel’s breath caught.

As if she had seen straight through Heinkel’s inner apprehensions, she sent a sidelong glance his way as if mocking him, before proceeding to encourage Aldebaran as if presuming upon him.

From Yae’s disparaging attitude, he felt no sense of unease. What did give him a sense of unease, was the demeanor Aldebaran displayed towards her.

Aldebaran: […Yeah. I did promise the old man, after all.]

Heinkel: [Ah? Promise?]

Aldebaran: [That I’ll be the one who deals with the matter of Lil’ Miss Felt… no, Lil’ Miss Filóre.]

Declaring so with an aloof, yet evidently callous attitude, Aldebaran ignored Heinkel’s bewilderment and “dealt with it”.

At that decisive―― nay, that uncompromising attitude, for better or worse, Heinkel was dismayed.

The shift in the relationship between Aldebaran and Yae, the emotions the Divine Dragon harbored towards Filóre, the expansion of the scope of actions permitted to Gluttony, and the truth about Filóre that had come to light. ――By no means were they a group with a unified relationship, but Heinkel could feel the strains and discrepancies gradually growing larger.

Amidst such a group, Heinkel resolved himself to at least remain as one who maintained his sanity.

No matter how suffocating a difficult situation he was placed in, Heinkel would be troubled were this group to fall apart before his goal was fulfilled.

Hence――,

Heinkel: [――Even if it’s just me, I’ll act decently.]

Indeed, receiving the result of Filóre having been “dealt with”―― the black orb around the size of a beanbag in which she had been sealed, thus did Heinkel vow.

Indeed, he had vowed.

Heinkel: [If you don’t want Filóre-sama to get hurt, then stand down…!]

――He had vowed, and yet.

Faced with a predicament, Heinkel had done an about face on that resolve of his; binding the arms of the grown-up Filóre behind her back, he pressed his sword against her slender neck.

???: [Felt… hk!]

Upon witnessing Heinkel’s act of violence, a man of solid physique called out to Filóre by a different name in frustration.

Flam and Grassis, who had been pummeling him without having ceased their movements, faced off against Heinkel, their gazes filled with anger and disdain, likely mixed in with a bit of anxiety and bewilderment.

From their perspective, there would have likely been two strands of surprise.

Similar to how they had been repeatedly appearing and disappearing, Filóre seemed to have appeared in Heinkel’s hands without any forewarning, and furthermore, Heinkel had called her by a different name than the one they knew.

There was no avoiding the perplexity and unease surging up in their eyes.

Heinkel: [I’m deeply sorry, but I do not wish to be rough. Please bear with me.]

As Heinkel pinioned the arms of Filóre and spoke those words to her, he was disgusted at his own chicanery.

He had endeavored. In this battle that had commenced all too suddenly, Heinkel had endeavored to the utmost to avoid getting Filóre involved. But, he had given up. As always, his efforts had borne no fruit.

And so, shattering the black orb with which Aldebaran had entrusted him, he released the sealed Filóre to the outside, and holding her hostage, he threatened the enemies who had appeared.

Heinkel: [Don’t move, you don’t want this personage to get hurt, yeah?]

Even as he stained his hands with such an atrocity, his secret courtesy towards Filóre proved some fragment of conscience still lingered within Heinkel.

Before he had gained conviction that she was Filóre, he had been able to disregard the beautiful golden hair and blazing red eyes that were proof of royalty as being naught more than a mere accidental resemblance. But, now that he had been convinced of her identity as Filóre, Heinkel was unable to interact with her the same way that he had up until that point.

Were he asked if it was a matter of changing his attitude based on the identity of the other party, the answer would have been yes. ――To devote fealty towards those of the Lugunican Royal Family, ‘twas a tenet entrenched in Heinkel by his parents.

Filóre: [――Hk.]

Serving as a belated trump card, Filóre’s throat rumbled as she was made to raise her visage.

Freshly liberated from that black orb, Filóre complied with Heinkel’s will, perhaps because of the lingering disorientation of her consciousness, or perhaps because the sudden change in situation had caused her to lose her bearings.

While that irritated him to no end, the threat had been effective, with the opponents’ movements having dulled. Seizing that opportunity, albeit he was still worried about Aldebaran and the others, Heinkel chose to prioritize rescuing Roy, who had fallen into a trap on the same battlefield――,

???: [――Felt!!]

Unlike that which had been wrung out by the man of solid physique earlier, this was a voice carrying strength.

Across the battlefield thundered a shout woven from joy upon reuniting with a person held dear, faint ire beneath deep affection, together mixed in with a fear for her safety, and the ironclad determination to bring her home no matter what.

Filóre: [――――]

At that voice, Filóre stirred within Heinkel’s arms.

Even if she was in a state lacking Memories, in a position unsure of friend or foe, any strong emotions directed towards herself would likely be conveyed. Slowly, she blinked open those signature red eyes of royalty, and met eyes with the old giant who had called out to her from afar.

Then, opening her lips, she began to spin words. Those were――,

Filóre: [――Rom-jii! Take Gaston and everyone else and fall back! That is coming!]

With all the royal grace up until a moment prior cast aside, a voice laden with a gruff strength―― as if lost Memories had been forcibly reclaimed at the call of someone treasured, ‘twas the roaring cry of the regal and valorous Golden Lion.

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――God, Buddha, Od Lagna. For as long as I live, I hereby vow to never call others by terms of endearment.

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――Of course, the reason why Felt had been able to warn her comrades of the oncoming peril stemmed not from any fairy-tale convenience like the miracle of love that Heinkel had thought it to be.

The ruthlessness of the Authority of Gluttony was extended far past the likes of Felt, evident in the tragedies of the people who had fallen prey to it and those who surrounded them. There existed nothing so absurd like the hotbed of those countless tragedies being resolved merely by the emotions that surrounded Felt.

Hence, the reason why Felt had returned from being “Filóre” to “Felt” here was plain and simple―― to begin with, Roy had never even eaten Felt’s Memories.

Roy: [About after this, Felt-chan, seems we’ve got no choice bu~t to eat your Memories~. ――Felt-chan, how about cooperating with us?]

The words left Roy’s lips soon after Aldebaran had resolved to “deal with” Felt, who had become a liability that threatened to fracture their group’s cohesion after discovering an unnecessary truth.

The unnecessary truth Felt had surmised would be devoured entirely by Roy along with her Memories, and it seemed like this opportunity was also being taken to get rid of Felt’s personality of impertinently prying into things one by one.

The idea was that so long as her life was not taken, it would be fine, but if Felt were to be asked, the moment she lost her Memories and stopped being her current self, it would be tantamount to killing her, so she did not approve of Aldebaran’s methods.

Felt: [But, that doesn’t mean that I’ll suddenly approve of yours. To begin with, by cooperating with the likes of you, what the hell are you trying to get me to do? ]

Roy: [Hahaa~, that attitude is tantalizing you know~. But no need to worry, Felt-chan. After all, drafting scrupulous stratagems or having a perfect plan, that kinda stuff isn’t our creed~. What we want to ask you to do, Felt-chan, is decidedly, for you to pretend your Memories were eaten.]

Felt: […Go on.]

Closing a single eye, Felt detected a possible value in hearing Roy out. Viewing her reaction, Roy chortled “Tha~t’s the spirit~!” in delight from the bottom of his heart.

Roy: [It’s not bad to keep going along with helmet uncle and the others like this~, but if we don’t take any action, the best we can hope for is being used up and tossed aside when the ideal time comes… see, we’re engraved with a curse mark, and it’s quite the unfavorable situation we’re in. That’s why, you see…]

Felt: [That’s why?]

Roy: [While you’re pretending to have lost your Memories, Felt-chan, just keep aiming and watching out for a chance to retaliate like you’ve always been. We’ll take advantage of the opportunity you might create, Felt-chan, and attempt to slip out from our position as captive Sin Archbishop, after all.]

Felt: [――. If I were to tell that to the helmet bastard, causing a falling out between you guys, you’d easily be eliminated; that line of thought also exists, you know?]

Roy: [Yes yes, that’s exactly it! Keep laying those sorts of traps~.]

Roy clapped his hands in great ecstacy, and trying to probe deeper into his true intentions, Felt quickly dismissed it. If he did happen to be concealing his true feelings, she did not think she could see through them, and it seemed to Felt that Roy was speaking sincerely.

And in reality, given Felt’s position, it was also the best proposal she could ask for. ――Felt’s position, at this rate, would be that of being robbed of her Memories, with not a thing she could do about it.

Felt: [However, you’d need to have my name in order to even eat me in the first place. Your sibling didn’t know it, and that caused him to throw up.]

Roy: [Well~, that’s true. But, even you know it somewhere deep in your heart, don’t you, Felt-chan? That your real name might very well be the same as that of the princess renowned from the Kingdom’s tra~gedy?]

Felt: [――――]

Roy: [A~h, or perhaps you would like to confirm? Though if Eclipsing succeeds using that name, we’d end up acquiring your Memories, but we’ll be able to verify. How about it?]

Felt: [Hah, now there’s a cheap provocation. ――Fine, I’m in.]

As Roy languidly hung out his long tongue and peered at her face, Felt scoffed at him.

Just who actually was she? ――Such a worthless question did not matter in the slightest to Felt. She knew that there were those to whom it might have mattered, but it was the same logic as before, that having her Memories stolen would have been the same as being killed.

Felt had already accumulated all her life experience as a person named “Felt”. Sorry, but regardless of how it started, any life in which she was not “Felt” had ended before even starting.

Such things were unnecessary. Hence, she would take advantage of the repulsive Gluttony’s machinations.

Felt: [I’ll be the only one victorious.]

Roy: [Kuku-, ah-hahaa~! We thought you’d say that! We believed it! But, even we will do our utmost by placing insurance to make sure that Felt-chan isn’t the only one who wins, you know?]

Felt: [Insurance, eh? Don’t say such lame things. Wager everything on a single shot.]

Roy: [Such gallantry is cool and whatnot~, but what’s important to us isn’t the likes of such pri~de. ――Eat or be eaten, that’s all.]

With those words, Roy gnashed his teeth as if to celebrate the establishment of the collusion.

And thereafter, as promised, Roy had pretended to eat Felt’s Memories, leaving her as she was. Felt too abided by the collusion with Roy which she had half-doubted, and acted as though she had no Memories―― she performed the role of the royal whom she did not even know, Filóre Lugunica.

Felt: [Sorry, but the only person I could think to mimic was Crusch-neechan.]

In the sense that she was a victim whose Memories had been eaten by Gluttony, the first thing that came to Felt’s mind was Crusch. Having used the sudden changes in her demeanor and manner of speech as a reference, it seemed like Filóre had somehow satisfied Aldebaran and the rest, and above all, Heinkel.

Fortunately, the times she needed to play Filóre were neither long nor many, as Felt had soon ended up being sealed in a peculiar black sphere through Aldebaran’s magic. The sensations within that orb were exceedingly suffocating, and it was nothing nice, but―― there were aspects that had helped her.

By reducing the amount of time she had needed to play Filóre, she had managed to avoid revealing their subterfuge. Had Felt unwittingly revealed it, Roy’s “insurance” would have been invoked. With such she had been threatened.

Supposing Felt did not go along with the proposal, it had been prepared to ensure she had no choice but to go along with it, and to prevent her betrayal after she agreed, proving to serve as “insurance” in quite the literal sense of the word.

That was――,

Felt: [――It’s coming out from my shadow!!]

While Heinkel pinioned her arms, holding his sword fastened against her neck, she shouted.

Deceiving Aldebaran and his henchmen, the face down trap card prepared by the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Roy Alphard, in order to flee from their grasp; listed alongside the White Whale and the Great Rabbit, it was the last of the Three Great Witchbeasts――,

Felt: [――The Black Serpent!!]

――So it was that in response to the breach of the agreed upon collusion, brought forth to this theater of all-out war between the two factions was the Black Serpent, the Witchbeast of Pestilence responsible for having massacred the most living creatures in this world since its birth. [2]

Translation Notes:

[1] – Given that the Japanese base for this name is フィルオーレ (Firuoore), we deem it likely that it is based on the Italian term fiore, meaning flower, and thus have localized it to Filóre due to its similarity and aesthetic sense.

[2] – The term here 病巣 has been rendered here as the singular term “pestilence” for brevity. While SummaryAnon’s original translation used “blight”, we have opted for this to put more emphasis on the disease aspect, and to avoid using the same term that might be associated with Blight Dragons. The original term itself has more of a meaning like lesion or source of infection, but in this context it more so refers to the base meanings of the kanji for “disease” and “nest”. The nuance is to say that the serpent itself is a nest, den, or crucible of sorts in which this plague festers. An apt translation might be “Nest of Infection” or “Nest of Plague”, but when taken in totality with the “Witchbeast of” part of the phrase, these become unwieldy compared to just opting for a singular term like pestilence.