Chapter 659 — Arc 10, Chapter 8 – “The Consequences of a Choice”

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???: [――We cannot thank you enough for your continued concern for our household.]

???: [No, it’s only natural. It’s not something you should be thanking us for.]

Saying so, with feelings of great embarrassment from the hospitality shown by the individual who had served him tea―― in response to these words of Wilhelm’s, Subaru hurriedly shook both of Beatrice’s arms, who sat upon his lap.

As she stared intently at that behavior of Subaru’s, his state of anxiety was probably conveyed to Beatrice through his heartbeat against her back. She sighed as if she had no other choice, continuing to act as Subaru’s puppet.

――Presently, having concluded their meeting with Filóre, who had thrown the Royal Selection into a maelstrom of chaos, upon hearing the news of Crusch’s awakening from the Church of the Divine Dragon, Subaru and company had been unable to contain themselves, and thus headed directly for the Karsten residence in the Noble District.

Of course, if they were to conform to proper etiquette, it would have been necessary to schedule an appointment before visiting. However, despite forgetting even that and their visit not receiving a single mark in regards to high society’s standards, they still were warmly received.

Wilhelm had ushered them into a parlor, and the four of them sat side-by-side on a couch (with Beatrice on Subaru’s lap) as they impatiently waited for the arrival of that moment.

Likely noticing Subaru’s air of restlessness, Wilhelm, bowing deeply,

Wilhelm: [It shall take just a bit more time for Crusch-sama to be ready. My heartfelt apologies.]

Subaru: [No, no, we’re the ones who came here so suddenly. If anything, I’m just grateful we weren’t turned away.]

Wilhelm: [As if we could turn you away. Crusch-sama, too, was most pleased to have you and Emilia-sama come to visit, Subaru-dono.]

Subaru: [No, no, no, when it comes to that it’s the other way around, or perhaps I should say it might be the other way around. I might even cry when I see Crusch-san awake…]

As pathetic as it sounded, there was a very real possibility that such would come to pass, so he hoped that Wilhelm, Emilia, and the rest would be able to prepare themselves in advance for that.

At present, all he could do to endure his restless thoughts was shake Beatrice’s arms back and forth coinciding with each “No” he would give in response to Wilhelm.

Beatrice: [But, no matter how you look at it, you’re swinging Betty’s arms around way too much, in fact! That’s enough, these arms and shoulders are getting sore, I suppose!]

Subaru: [Guh… sorry, my bad, excuse me, I just can’t calm myself down. After all…]

Beatrice, who had been acting as Subaru’s calming doll, finally reached the limits of her patience and barked at him. Poking at Beatrice’s cheek, Subaru paused there for a moment.

Vexing, restless feelings filled his mind. However, it was worth bearing with them.

Subaru: [After all, Crusch-san is…]

Wilhelm: [――Indeed. Regarding that, there is no doubt.]

Filled with a torrent of emotions, Subaru sighed, to which Wilhelm assented with equally profound sentiments. ――No, to call them equal would be far too impudent.

Wilhelm’s relief must have been many times, many dozens of times, greater than Subaru’s. The recovery of the one to whom he had sworn to devote his fealty: that alone would be a colossal occurrence.

Emilia: [I’ve said it many times already, Wilhelm-san, but I’m truly grateful.]

Indeed, it was Emilia, seated next to Subaru, who once again showed her appreciation for the efforts of Wilhelm.

Emilia, who had been present when Filóre had administered the Sacrament of the Church to treat Crusch, had also shown her appreciation for Wilhelm and Ferris that same day. In spite of that, since Crusch’s consciousness had not returned after that, now having the opportunity to speak with the awakened Crusch, Emilia’s amethyst eyes shone with anticipation yet again.

Beatrice: [Good grief, at this point, what careless blunders you two might make are frightening, in fact. Rem, if you and Betty don’t stay on guard here, this may well end up as a disaster, I suppose.]

Rem: [I agree. Leave it to me when things go too far. I’m slowly getting used to the handling and weight of this iron ball, bit by bit.]

Amidst Subaru’s and Emilia’s inability to calm down, Beatrice and Rem kept their composure as visitors of one in recovery; it was exceedingly reassuring to know that the two of them were prepared for when it would matter most, but the slight movements of Rem, combined with the sound of chains, were also frightening and exciting.

It seemed like Subaru would also need to wield considerable resolve when asking Rem for support.

Subaru: [Oh yeah, speaking of supporting, what about Ferris? Is he helping Crusch-san with her change of clothes? There are a number of things I want to talk to him about, too.]

Suddenly realizing that the visage of one who ought to have been present could not be found, Subaru had such suspicions.

Subaru, Wilhelm, and the rest had the unanticipated joy of Crusch’s recovery. However, the one who must have been experiencing that the strongest of all would have been none other than Crusch’s one and only Knight.

Of course, it surely was also a terribly bitter feeling for him, that despite being a healer, Crusch’s salvation came via the Church of the Divine Dragon, but Subaru held no doubt that Ferris was the sort of person who would rejoice in the well-being of Crusch more than wallow in his own reproachful feelings, born of his sense of powerlessness.

However――,

Wilhelm: [――――]

Subaru: [――? Wilhelm-san?]

For but an instant, Wilhelm’s face stiffened, and in response, Subaru raised an eyebrow in confusion. Yet, Wilhelm swiftly rebuffed that tension with a “Pardon me”, saying,

Wilhelm: [Ferris, well… in truth, he is feeling a bit unwell. It would seem that, immediately following that which transpired regarding Crusch-sama’s health, every bit of the anxiety he had been bearing until that point erupted all at once.]

Emilia: [Oh no, did something happen after that…? I’m worried for Ferris. Even though Crusch-san was finally able to wake up, Ferris might blame himself for falling ill.]

Subaru: [Yeah, that’s true. Wilhelm-san, is Ferris in bad shape?]

Wilhelm: […No, things should improve with some rest. Nevertheless, I would ask that you refrain from visiting him for now. I believe that he himself would not wish to interfere with the feelings of everyone who has come to visit Crusch-sama.]

Emilia: [I don’t think it would be interfering, but… yes, I understand. We’ll do it next time.]

If it was not one thing, it was another, but if it was truly as Wilhelm had said, then Emilia would nod in assent with his suggestion, and Subaru would also be in agreement with that.

They also planned to sojourn in the Royal Capital a while longer. Even if they were to miss him today, there would be another opportunity to thank Ferris. For now, his wishes ought to be respected. ――And, it was just as they caught their breath in that moment.

???: [――I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting.]

Witnessing the individual who had opened the parlor door and spoken so, Subaru rose to his feet in spite of himself.

Appearing there, at the entrance to the room, was a beautiful woman clad in a dark nightgown and pink shawl, with a well-proportioned and slender build, and her distinctive green hair―― that person was Crusch Karsten.

Subaru: [――――]

The last time he had seen her, Crusch had been gasping in agony, in a state where it was excruciating to even lift herself out of her bed. He was overflowing with profound emotion and joy beyond all expectations that she was standing on her own two feet, appearing before Subaru and everyone else in this manner.

However, as she looked at Subaru with an ephemeral smile upon her lips, half of her face was still wrapped in a bandage that covered her left eye, and that was what invariably caught his attention initially――,

Crusch: [Please rest assured. This bandage is only here as I still am having a bit of difficulty seeing out of one eye, but the majority of the abnormality… no, the abnormality has been eliminated.]

Subaru: [Ah…]

Crusch: [Thus, please do not look so forlorn.]

Upon being told this, Subaru, the one who ought to have come to visit her, had instead regretted making her worry over him.

He had been taken aback that the bandages covering her face still remained, but even more remarkable than that was the fact that Crusch had come to see Subaru and the others, standing on her own accord.

Crusch’s condition had been so grave, that it had seemed an absurd tribulation.

Subaru: [――――]

Crusch: [――Subaru-sama?]

Suddenly, seeing Subaru sink into silence, Crusch, who had been smiling, narrowed her amber eye. Being stared at by only one of the pair, Subaru chose his words with caution.

After all, if he erred in even a single word or breath, it felt like all of his self-restraint would spill over, as if drops of water, then and there.

Subaru: […Say, Crusch-san. I had a lot of things, truly a lot, that I wanted to say, and most of them were things like “I’m sorry”, or “It was my fault”, just those sorts of words of apology alone.]

Crusch: [――. Yes.]

Subaru: [But, seeing you in person like this, Crusch-san, all that will come up is stuff like “Thank goodness”, or “I’m so relieved”, just those sorts of things. I’m so, so relieved…]

As a visitor to a sickbed, he should have prepared the perfect things to say in advance.

While on the way to visit the mansion in this situation, and during the period of time in which he had waited, he had been frantically simulating the best words of sympathy he could think of in his mind, and he had thought he had narrowed it down to the best option.

And yet, all of that had vanished the moment he had encountered the real Crusch, and what came to him was naught but a sense of relief, like that of a child, infantile and incoherent.

Crusch: [――――]

In response to the words of Subaru’s pathetic self-admission being wrung out, Crusch’s eye widened for a split second, before she immediately regained the gentle smile upon her lips once more.

Crusch: [I am also relieved to hear you say so. I have shown my unsightly side to you so often, Subaru-sama, that I wondered whether I might soon exhaust all fondness you may have for me.]

Subaru: [Of course not! Never, never, there is no way that ever would happen! I mean, I shouldn’t keep someone who’s in recovery standing as we talk. Umm, please take a seat.]

Crusch: [Hehe, then allow me to do so.]

Despite his panicked pace being thrown off, Subaru offered her the chair before her, and giggling with a hand covering her mouth, Crusch followed her escort. Somehow, Subaru had ended up making the arrangements, but since it was the other person’s abode, it was only natural that it made her laugh.

Subaru, whose speech had become hopelessly awkward, while watching as Crusch sat down with Wilhelm’s assistance, gazing reproachfully at Emilia and the others right next to him,

Subaru: [Hey, isn’t it unfair that I’m the only one scurrying around? Why am I being made to do all this, huh?]

Emilia: [That’s because Subaru was the one worried the most about Crusch-san, right? That’s why I thought you might want to be the first to talk.]

Rem: [As for me, I’m not in a position to intrude presently. Besides, there is the matter of what happened to Beatrice-chan as well.]

Subaru: [What happened to Beako… huh? Why is Beako on Rem’s lap? Weren’t you sitting on my lap?]

Beatrice: [That was the case, but getting blown away was the result of Subaru’s force when he stood up, in fact! If Rem hadn’t caught her so adeptly, being sprawled out in the middle of the room right now would be probable, I suppose!]

Subaru: [I-is that so? My bad. You were, quite literally, out of sight…]

Beatrice: [What an awful way of putting it, in fact!]

Puffing out her cheeks, Beatrice obstinately hugged Rem. Leaving it to Rem, who readily accepted that embrace, Subaru also reflected on how he had been too oblivious to his surroundings.

And, hearing that exchange between Subaru and the others, Crusch’s smile further deepened with a “Hehe”. To that reaction of Crusch’s, Emilia, narrowing her amethyst eyes,

Emilia: [I apologize for everyone being so lively when we came here to visit you.]

Crusch: [No, I cannot say I mind such liveliness. Besides, the fact that you came to visit me as soon as you heard the news… it made me happy.]

Emilia: [In that case, it’s no problem… Ah, but, I’ll make sure they don’t frolic too much.]

Concerned about Crusch’s health, Emilia appended a comment very typical of her at the end.

One could perceive the consideration there, and the intent to carefully choose her words. In spite of the setting, Emilia’s clear growth was apparent.

Of course, it would not be a good idea to take Crusch’s words too much at face value, but――,

Subaru: [How is your body feeling?]

Crusch: [Indeed. It is much better. It will likely take a while longer to recover my strength, but I do not foresee any major problems.]

Replying like that, Crusch readjusted the position of the shawl draped upon her shoulders. Her complexion was still a bit pale, as one would expect from someone recovering from illness, but her responses were natural, and her sagacity had not dimmed.

From what he could see, the manner in which she walked and such was normal, and aside from the bandage covering her left eye, there seemed to be no vestiges of that day remaining upon her. For the time being, he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Although――,

Crusch: [I have been informed of what has happened while I was bedridden… Including the news that Priscilla-sama has passed away.]

If that sagacity was still alive and well, then Crusch surely comprehended that this was also not a situation where she could simply unreservedly rejoice in the rehabilitation of her own health.

Subaru & Company: [――――]

Despite knowing it was an unavoidable topic, it had seemed inappropriate to broach it so soon. When none other than Crusch herself brought it up, the faces of Subaru’s group tensed.

On this occasion, he wished to congratulate Crusch on her recovery, and if possible, table the in-depth discussions regarding the Royal Selection for another time―― it appeared she desired no such consolation.

Crusch: [As far as I can recollect, I hardly exchanged a single word with Priscilla-sama. However, that she held her own convictions, and that she participated in the battle for Pristella… and by extension, the Royal Selection, of this there can be no doubt. It is for that very reason, that we must continue the Royal Selection for her, as well.]

Emilia: [――. Yes, I thought the same. For Priscilla’s sake, we can’t stay discouraged forever. That’s what I think.]

Crusch: [That is right. Good. You also think so too, Emilia-sama.]

Breathing a sigh of relief before the nodding Emilia, Crusch took a sip from her cup of black tea. Wetting her lips and tongue with it, she stared at her with the amber radiance of only her right eye, and continuing her words with “In that case”,

Crusch: [I believe you would assent to the fact that, presently, that which should be of most consequence is the stability of the Kingdom. The deeds of the Witch Cult are certainly a matter of great regret with respect to the Royal Selection, but to spare too much time dealing with such countermeasures would be misguided, considering the original notion of the Royal Selection.]

Emilia: [Mmm, I get that too. The Royal Selection is to decide the future of the Kingdom, not to do something about the Witch Cult. That’s what you mean, right?]

Crusch: [Yes, that is correct. Certainly, handling such things is indeed a matter that ought to be dealt with by those who govern, but us putting it foremost is precisely what they desire. We all must remember this. Our duty in the Royal Selection itself.]

Emilia: [In that case, Felt-chan is also in the Royal Capital. It doesn’t seem like Anastasia-san has been able to return yet, but if you would like to discuss it all together, I’d be happy to――]

Interrupting Emilia mid-sentence with “――In addition”, Crusch leaned forward slightly. For an instant, Emilia felt as if the blade of a drawn sword had been trained upon her, and her eyes widened.

Ignoring that reaction from Emilia, as the light in Crusch’s amber eye grew all the more intense,

Crusch: [I have heard. The Tower of the Sage… the path to the Pleiades Watchtower has been cleared. I am impressed with the results you have achieved. If that Tower holds a hidden power as rumored, it will surely serve as a deterrent to the other countries. We, alongside the Council of Wise Men, must carefully discuss how to deal with this.]

Emilia: [Crusch-san…]

Crusch: [The crucial Dragonkindling Ceremony… the deadline for elections to decide the next Monarch is less than a year and a half away. From this point forward, the merits of each camp’s contentions will be questioned even more. Now, more than ever, we must observe the faces of those around us, and lend an ear to their voices.]

Emilia: [Wait a minute, Crusch-san, I want to talk with you. Don’t be in such a hurry. Right now――]

Crusch: [――I!]

Emilia: [――Hk.]

Crusch’s words overflowed incessantly without pause, and the instant Emilia tried to constrain that torrent with her own feelings, a powerful voice tore through the parlor.

The cup of black tea in Crusch’s grasp was violently returned to its saucer, tea spilling alongside a shrill sound. Wilhelm took Crusch’s hand at once, put a handkerchief over the hand of his lord that had been doused in tea, and then immediately cleared away the cup.

Meanwhile, Crusch, who simply allowed that to happen, never took her eye off of Subaru and the others, not even for a single instant.

Without averting her gaze, her thin lips trembling,

Crusch: [I… am I wrong…?]

Emilia: [――――]

Her tone, which had been imbued with a resolute intelligence until just a moment prior, fell into disarray, her question drenched in tears.

In reality, there were no tears welling up in Crusch’s eye. However, her voice was crying. The vastness of that discrepancy between logic and emotion brutally hewed Subaru’s heart to pieces.

She understood. Crusch understood.

She was sagacious, possessed great knowledge, and diligently worked to continually confront numerous duties and challenges, so it hardly mattered whether Subaru or the others chose their words carefully or not.

That the way she had been saved, had not befitted the Monarch she yearned to be; she understood.

Subaru: […That’s… such a stupid thing to say.]

Gritting his molars, Subaru reflected on the conviction that had been born within himself, by himself.

Absurd; he could not help but consider it a truly absurd thing to say. To say that the way she had been saved was wrong, was as if to say that it would have been better for Crusch to continue suffering under the malice of Lust, even now.

What a stupid thing to say. Why would one as admirable as Crusch relinquish their dreams and ambitions on account of the actions of a gang of clowns such as the Witch Cult?

It had been irrational suffering. It had been an absurdity for which there was no reason to experience.

Just what should be said if one were to be rescued from such a place by the warmth of another? Thank you for saving me. I will remember this gratitude and will endeavor to the utmost from here on. ――Was that not enough?

Subaru: [――There’s nothing wrong with it.]

Emotions, alongside a futile fury, boiled up within his heart.

As if given a push by this, Subaru once again found himself on his feet, firmly gripping Crusch’s hands across the low table.

Those unseemly black mottled patches no longer existed upon Crusch’s pale fingers from which the handkerchief had fallen. This was Crusch’s original hand, which none had the right to defile.

Crusch: [Subaru… sama.]

Subaru: [There is nothing wrong with it. Like hell it’s wrong. Let’s do the Royal Selection properly. Let’s talk properly, let’s think properly, and let’s all compete properly. I’ll do whatever it takes.]

It was a statement he made knowing full well he would be scolded and cursed at for once again making a promise without thinking it through.

They were an opposing camp. Anyone would likely think it to be a massive boon for Emilia if a powerful rival such as Crusch were to just drop out of the Royal Selection like this.

Subaru: [But that’s wrong. It’s not true. We all want to make our own person the Monarch, but that’s not how the Royal Selection we all wanted to hold should be settled.]

Crusch: [――――]

Subaru: [So, Crusch-san, there’s nothing wrong with it.]

As to whether or not he had properly connected those sentences with “so”, he lacked the self-confidence in himself to know for sure.

However, even though Crusch was slightly daunted by the vigor of that uncertain Subaru, she let out a sigh, as if some tension somewhere had loosened.

Emilia: [Geez, Subaru, you just let it all out, so you said pretty much everything I wanted to say before I even could. That’s not fair.]

And, perhaps perceiving a shift in Crusch’s mood, Emilia, still sitting on the sofa, pouted as she chided Subaru’s behavior.

Instantly, just as he had become heated all on his own, Subaru’s ears began to heat up as well.

And then, scolding himself as hopeless, Subaru hurriedly tried to return to his original position――,

Crusch: [――. Subaru-sama, your hand is…]

Subaru: [Huh? My hand?]

With that pointed out, Subaru peered down at his hand which had grasped Crusch’s own a moment ago.

Now that she mentioned it, he wondered if perhaps she was warning him about his staggering audacity, but that was not it. Crusch’s amber eye, paying no heed to that audacity of Subaru’s, was,

Crusch: [Subaru-sama, your hand. It was just like my body… it cannot be, did Subaru-sama’s hand also receive the power of the Church of the Divine Dragon?]

Subaru: [Ah, no, it was more violent, or rather, the result of it going “bam”, but I don’t know the exact details of how it happened, so it’s quite the scary story.]

In truth, Subaru’s hand had now returned to its original skin tone, but the particulars of how that came to be were quite violent, something no one could be allowed to imitate.

To put it plainly, it was burned, blown off, and regenerated. ――Currently, his leg was in the same state, but he did not feel like trying to test burning and blowing it off to regenerate it.

Crusch: [――ir.]

Subaru: [――――]

Reflecting on that radical treatment while opening and closing his hand, Subaru suddenly thought that he heard a faint murmur, and unconsciously caught his breath.

He blinked his eyes, looking at Crusch before him. He possessed a feeling of “Impossible, there’s no way”.

Emilia: [Crusch-san, first take some time to let your body rest. After that, just like Subaru said, I will do whatever I can.]

Crusch: […Thank you very much. You might regret that, you know?]

Emilia: [The me of today, intends to be better than the me of the past at distinguishing between regrets I should have, and those I should not.]

And yet, the unease and misgivings that had poured into Subaru were brushed aside by the conversation typical of fellow Royal Selection Candidates, exchanged between Emilia and Crusch as they brushed him off.

In reality, Subaru and Emilia’s proposal was nothing more than sending salt to the enemy, but even if they were to ignore it and win against Crusch, they could never be sincerely happy about it. [1]

Therefore, this proposal and determination were consistent with the wishes of the Emilia Camp.

Crusch: [――Fuah]

Following that exchange, Crusch let out a sigh oozing with fatigue.

She was recovering from her ailment, her strength had not yet returned, and some moments had become emotional. It could be said that this had been more than enough of a marathon for Crusch’s stamina.

Rem: [It is time for us to take our leave. Emilia-san.]

Emilia: [Right. Thank you for seeing us, even though you’re reaaally tired and you’ve been having a rough time.]

Crusch: [No, for my part, I apologize for not being able to provide further hospitality. Wilhelm, would you please see everyone out?]

At Rem’s urging, Emilia brought the meeting to a close, and in front of her, the smiling Crusch asked that of Wilhelm. Bowing, Wilhelm accepted, and as Subaru and the others prepared to leave, Crusch also rose to see them off.

And then――,

Crusch: [Thank you very much for today. It was a pleasure to be able to meet with you.]

Subaru: [――――]

While apologizing for her rudeness in seeing them off then and there, Crusch addressed Subaru and the rest as such.

For a moment, Subaru hesitated, wondering what words to say――,

Wilhelm: [――Subaru-dono, allow me to see you off.]

As if perceiving that sensation, Wilhelm interrupted it.

Wilhelm: [My deepest apologies for earlier.]

Having left the parlor, en route to the entrance of the mansion, Wilhelm began to speak as he led the way. At those words, Subaru, holding Beatrice’s hand, widening his eyes as he said “I knew it”,

Subaru: [I noticed you stopped me at the end there… But, I didn’t even know what I was going to say there myself.]

Wilhelm: [Even so, I went too far in cutting off the words of a guest. It was wholly out of concern for Crusch-sama, but I apologize for my rudeness.]

Subaru: […So you’ve noticed it too, Wilhelm-san. Crusch-san, that state she’s in…]

Wilhelm: [Certainly, she is far from her normal condition, and she will need to rest for a while longer. However, even if both her body and mind are restored…]

Casting down his eyes, Wilhelm put nothing further into words. However, Subaru could roughly surmise what would have followed, that which he did not utter.

No one dared to clearly state it then. But, it was none other than Crusch who felt it most acutely, and for that reason had such fervent emotions spilled out.

Besides――,

Emilia: [Ferris must be frustrated, too. I’m sure he wants to be by Crusch-san’s side and support her more than anything right now, and yet his body won’t obey him.]

While peering back toward the parlor she had just left, Emilia also let some of her concern spill out. At Emilia’s words, Wilhelm, walking ahead of her, faintly cleared his throat.

Then, without stopping, calling out “Emilia-sama” in a feeble tone,

Wilhelm: [Earlier, I told you a lie.]

Emilia: [Huh? A lie?]

Wilhelm: [Indeed. ――Regarding Ferris.]

Subaru and the others exchanged glances with each other when they heard the name and words conveyed to them.

A lie regarding Ferris, that was what Wilhelm had uttered. He had explained that Ferris had fallen ill, and was in the midst of recovering, but――,

Subaru: [Hold up, that’s odd. In the first place, Ferris’s health can’t deteriorate, can it?]

Rem: [No matter how you put it… this isn’t that Reinhard-san we are talking about.]

Subaru: [Of course, Reinhard is exceptional as well, but Ferris is also someone exceptional in this sense.]

Setting aside Reinhard, the most surprising human in all the land, who could fly through the sky while carrying a dragon carriage, Ferris was a healer―― moreover, he was the holder of the title of the Blue, professing to be at the highest level within the Kingdom.

Subaru had previously witnessed Ferris be engulfed in a suicide attack by a Witch Cultist, and he had calmly returned from that which had reduced a dragon carriage to splinters.

A so-called super healer, like those from manga and anime: that was what Ferris was.

Of course, even now, he could not say unconditionally that occasions such as running out of Mana or pouring everything into Crusch could not apply.

Wilhelm: [As Subaru-dono has realized, Ferris is not resting. Presently, he is not at the mansion.]

Subaru: [He’s not at the mansion? You mean…]

Wilhelm: [――Please, go to the Royal Cemetery.]

Without answering the question that had unexpectedly surfaced, Wilhelm provided that place name in but a few words, and guided Subaru and the others to the entrance of the mansion.

The Royal Cemetery―― from simply hearing that, it seemed to be a place with an evident purpose.

However, just what did Wilhelm intend by informing them of such a place――,

Wilhelm: [No matter how shameful I must be, right now, I am one who serves Crusch-sama. I must not take action that defies the will of my master. ――Please, lend an ear to what I have to say.]

With that deep, deep bow, Wilhelm sent them on their way.

For the Sword Demon, there existed a problem that could not be resolved with his blade, but even after such anguish, he still desired resolution: with that tinge of grief carved upon his deeply wrinkled face, such a prayer could be felt there.

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――The Royal Cemetery was situated deep in the heart of the Noble District of the Royal Capital Lugunica.

As could be inferred from its enunciation and subsequent indication, that land was a cemetery―― with arrays of gravestones for mourning those who had passed on, a crib for those whose soul’s rest was prayed for.

Rem: [There was the Subjugation of the White Whale, correct? The graves of those who participated in that battle and lost their lives therein are also here, so I have been told.]

Subaru: [I see. Then, it was way too heartless of me to not have come before. We didn’t bring flowers with us today, so I gotta come well-prepared next time.]

Emilia: [You’re right. We must properly convey our gratitude and appreciation for their toil.]

Crossing the black iron gate devoid of any rust, spread out before them was a stone pathway laid in a geometric design, and columns of gravestones along both of its sides―― none of the rowed gravestones were simple enough to be called mere stone structures.

Some were crowned with sculptures of Knights displaying the triumphs of their lifetimes, whilst some were like small shrines embellished with delicate caricatures that retold the history of their families. The engraved emblems of family crests basked in the breeze, and the varicolored flowers offered by the mourners bestowed solitary hue in the universe of ashen-grey stones.

Subaru: [As expected, nobles are ostentatious, even with their gravestones… If you remove the gaudiness, this seems closer to the impression of cemeteries I got from western films or foreign dramas, I guess.]

Sprawling here was a prudently maintained lawn, and a stone pathway around a moderate hill. The Japanese-style tombstones, grave tablets, or buildings such as shrines or monasteries with which Subaru was familiar were nowhere to be seen in this environ, as a rejuvenating, forlorn zephyr breezed through this space.

Subaru: [Which reminds me, I never thought about it… but are those who have passed on cremated here as well? Or are they given burials?]

Beatrice: [Cremation is the standard, I suppose. Once a living creature loses its life, the soul… the Od from its body falls out. It is unbearable to watch a body, bereft of its Od, slowly crumbling and losing its form, in fact. So it is done before that can happen, signifying to the body, the same as the Od, that it has fulfilled its duty, I suppose.]

Subaru: [I see, so it’s done on account of a being’s structure, not as a countermeasure to the spread of disease or anything like that.]

Thanks to Beatrice’s instantaneous reply to his doubt, he was able to harmonize with this arrangement as well.

That explained why, during the Great Disaster that had transpired in Vollachia, the legions of resurrected zombies were not in incomplete conditions, with rotten bodies and disjoined limbs. In their case, the shapes of their souls utilized to resurrect them were used as the basis, and their bodies were molded into form with clods of earth.

Which was why those zombies had been resurrected in the present age, with their forms intact as they were during their lifetime.

Subaru: [If that’s the case, then the destination of the soul… the cradle of Od Lagna or so, was a significantly valuable place. Like the Sanzu River, the farthest end of time, akin to that.]

Beatrice: [Don’t just grumble such frightening stuff out of nowhere, in fact. The cradle of Od Lagna, don’t even say such a thing as a joke, I suppose. There’s purely a rumor that should one inadvertently witness it eye-to-eye, they would be plundered of their sanity, in fact.]

Subaru: [No, it’s not a joke or anything like that, but truly… though, that was something Louis just said arbitrarily, so I guess its level of credence is doubtable?]

Cautioned by the grimacing Beatrice, Subaru reminisced of that pure white space, wherein he could say he had spent a rich amount of time, for better or worse.

The Hall of Memories, or so, was the name invoked by Louis Arneb, who personated being the gatekeeper of that place, but in reality, even as this bearing held true, it was unknown what that place tangibly was. Now that Louis’s consciousness had vanished to someplace and she had been reincarnated as Spica, there were no means to ascertain it either.

Subaru: [If it really comes down to it, I could find Reid’s Book once again and peek inside, resolving to face something unthinkable…]

Rem: [――Um, I apologize for cutting into the conversation, but could you pay attention to this as well?]

Subaru: [Hm?]

Rem: [We’ve come here looking for somebody, right? Ferris-san, was it?]

With a tug of his sleeve, Subaru turned around to Rem’s enquiry.

Her eyes conceived with a deep hue of doubt, Rem was, of course, unaware of Ferris’s personage. So it was natural that she would be rather bored, even if she had been brought along to the cemetery.

Subaru: [Aah, sorry sorry! Let’s see, the person we’ll be looking for now is someone with cat ears and a cutesy vibe. Also has a tail, and is fairly adorable, so I think you’ll know it the moment you see.]

Rem: […I was hoping for slightly more useful information.]

Subaru: [Well, I thought I gave you plenty of hints… ah, when I say adorable, I don’t mean the Beako kind of adorable, but more like the Petra or Meili kind of adorable. About as tall as me.]

Rem: [I see, there certainly is a difference in adorableness.]

Subaru touted Beatrice’s face ahead as he held her up, to which Rem, intently gazing, nodded, as though assenting to his explanation. The Beatrice in question seemed to harbor an expression of deepening dubiety toward that assent, but her unmindfulness of the particulars of her own adorableness could be called one of her charm points.

In reality, there existed an infinite spectrum of adorableness, like beauty closer to adorableness and adorableness closer to beauty, all kinds. Anyhow, with Ferris’s characteristics now shared amongst themselves――,

Emilia: [That demeanor of Wilhelm-san’s, I wonder what it was all about. It’s worrying.]

Subaru: [――The way he told us to go talk to him, despite also knowing where he was, huh.]

Emilia: [Hm, you’re right. It’s nice to be consulted with and relied upon, but I feel that neither Crusch-san nor Wilhelm-san really show that side of themselves much.]

Subaru could in part agree with Emilia’s sensibility.

He could tell some sort of dilemma had risen within the Crusch Camp, and that Wilhelm could not move by himself toward its resolution.

Naturally, something did come to Subaru’s mind that could have been the impetus for this problem. However, even so, the bonds of the Crusch Camp were strong. Even compared with the other Royal Candidates, they were the two whose bond had been forged for the longest time, the tightest tether.

The depth of those emotions shall not vanish, even should Crusch lose her Memories―― was, at the very least, what Subaru felt and believed.

However――,

Subaru: [――――]

Looking downward upon his right hand, Subaru glared at its vitality. That which crossed his mind was when he had insolently clutched Crusch’s hand, and she had stared back at his own hand.

Upon seeing Subaru’s hand, and learning of its emancipation from those black patches, hearing that it was not owed to the power of the Sacrament which belonged to the Church of the Divine Dragon, she――,

Crusch: [――Unfair.]

Said this in a scant voice, verging onto extinguishment.

Subaru: [It was not just me, mishearing things…]

He wished from the bottom of his heart for that to be the case, but Subaru possessed not such convenient ears or cognizance. Those were the true, dusky sentiments that had undeniably spilled from Crusch’s lips.

In all honesty, it definitely was shocking. But, for him to desire to not forgive or permit Crusch from even uttering so, that would be sheer pride. Above all, Subaru was painfully sympathetic to the reason why Crusch had blurted that out.

Subaru: […I could never, talk to Crusch-san about that.]

Crusch was the vortex of this maelstrom, just as her body recovered, now encumbered with the possibility of bearing an infinite number of wounds on her heart. What he could not inquire from her directly, would he then ask of her Knight, Ferris; that too was something uncertain.

But, he knew even if he simply returned to his comrades in brazen resignation, he would only continue to harbor ceaseless, unanswered worries.

Emilia: [Hmm, can’t see Ferris anywhere.]

Lost in thought, upon having taken notice, Subaru and the others had lapped around the cemetery.

Though this site was by no means small, befitting of a cemetery situated in the Noble District, most of the deceased who slept here seemed to be those who shouldered weighty responsibilities of the Kingdom, and were serviced with treatment more than apt, even after death. Farther into the cemetery, each and every gravestone’s structure and care was extremely meticulous, and synchronously, the faces of the scant few mourners became more easy to distinguish, so it was difficult to imagine that they had missed Ferris.

It would have been a different story if they just knew whom he was visiting in this cemetery.

Rem: [We looked along the whole pathway, but I couldn’t sight any woman with the characteristics mentioned.]

Subaru: [To be precise, not a girl, but… well, it’s got nothing to do with the appearance, so I guess that’s fine.]

Rem: [――? Speaking of any more things that stand out, that building over there I would suppose.]

As Subaru cut short the detailed explanation, Rem remained suspect of him as she gestured towards a chalky white building, sitting atop the hill in the middle of this grand site, with the lined arrays of stone structures in its backdrop―― a mausoleum, as it was called.

Garbed in a solemn and sacred ambiance, making it seem as though the gravestones speckled about its circumference were those who had pledged their allegiance to their lord in servitude, was evidence of it being the resting ground of chosen ones.

This was the Royal Cemetery, and if there was a bed for the deceased who were furnished special treatment, then――,

Subaru: [――The mausoleum where the members of the Royal Family sleep, is what it seems.]

Emilia: [Then, the royals who have passed away are in there…]

The impetus for the Royal Selection’s beginning, the royals who had accomplished an inordinately ephemeral demise, and a gargantuan duty, continuing their lineage of proper pedigree into the modern day in the enduring lifespan of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

Before the mausoleum of those people entombed within, Subaru reached a delayed comprehension. ――The austere presence in this place, this was in a certain sense, a microcosm of the Royal Capital. If the Royal Castle was a symbol of authority for the living, then the mausoleum was the same for the dead――,

Subaru: […I’m sure we can’t just casually visit the graves of Kings, right?]

Beatrice: [Considering it ordinarily, the mausoleum of royalty would be strictly guarded, I suppose. Those who wish to do evil with the ashes of the powerful are not few, in fact. How wretched, I suppose.]

Emilia: [But, we could just ask if somebody was inside… ah, someone’s right there.]

Although the mausoleum was the only place they had not checked, regardless, it was not a place they could enter with ease.

The chances of Ferris being there became synchronously low, but since they had been entrusted by Wilhelm, they did not wish to return without putting in adequate effort.

With these thoughts, Emilia pointed sharply toward the mausoleum’s entrance. There, just as she had stated, a figure was emerging from the mausoleum.

A character garbed in a slender, navy blue tailcoat. The elegance of their conduct as visible from their back potently transmitted their esteem and labor toward the mausoleum.

Subaru followed the hastening Emilia, thinking that since they were visiting the Royal Family’s mausoleum, they must be the overseer of the cemetery or the mausoleum, or someone in the same vein.

Emilia: [Um, could you excuse me for a second? I wanted to ask if the young person we’re searching for was inside the building you just left.]

Rushing over to that character, Emilia spoke to them with no hint of timidness. Her audaciousness would purchase vigilance from the other person, but there were Knights standing at the entrance of the cemetery, and they did vet the social standing of all who passed through the main gate, so it was safe to assume that there were no suspicious figures within the premises.

Subaru wished for their intent to be transmitted to that person by all means――,

???: [――Emilia-sama?]

Replying with a voice laced with astonishment, the figure in the tailcoat turned around and set their eyes upon Emilia. Observing them from the front, Emilia halted her feet with a confounded “Huh?”.

Subaru, and the others as well, bore witness to the person standing before Emilia as she stood still.

Standing there was――,

???: […Well, you’ve seen me at a weird spot. It was Wil-jii, wasn’t it?]

Vocalizing so, expressing a smile with poignancy not to be reached by such descriptors as astoundedness or self-derision, was Ferris―― as he shrugged his shoulders at Subaru and the others, his slender frame adorned with a sonorously masculine tailcoat.

Subaru: [――――]

Subaru unwittingly found himself at a loss for words at Ferris’s form, his back towards the mausoleum’s entrance.

Until now, there had certainly been times when Ferris would don such a guise―― concisely, when he dressed as a man within the sleeves of the Knight uniform of the Royal Guard. However, that instance had the pretext of being the official uniform of the Knights, and even that had designed aspects, showing his charm as it befitted him.

However, his tailcoat guise before their eyes was bereft of any such design or craftiness.

What that meant, was――,

Subaru: […Ferris… what… happened?]

Ferris: [Quit it with that expression and voice like it’s the end of the world. It’s not anything important for Subaru-kun and the others, I’m telling you. I just――]

Retaining his poignant smile with the edges of his eyebrows brought low, Ferris tilted his head―― and stopped himself. That seemed as though a parting of ways from such gestures.

Without turning traitor to that impression, Ferris continued.

It was――,

Ferris: [――It’s just, I was dismissed from my position as Crusch-sama’s Knight. So, I called it a wrap on Ferri-chan, and returned to Felix Argyle.]

Translation Notes:

[1] – “To send salt to the enemy” is an idiom in Japanese meaning to help an enemy rather than exploiting their weakness. It originates from a story from the Sengoku Jidai, the Warring States period of Japan. Two of the most famous and influential warlords of the period, Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, were famous for their rivalry with each other. However, when the Hōjō, another clan that Shingen had broken ties with, cut off salt shipments to the Kai province under him, Kenshin decried it as cowardly and sent salt from the province under his command, Echigo, saying he would settle the war between them properly.