Chapter 660 — Arc 10, Chapter 9 – “Crybaby”

△▼△▼△▼△

Translated by:

Machine-Translated by:

Proofread by:

Japanese-English Checking by:

Art Sources:

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

――Felix Argyle.

He knew that to be the legal name of the person standing before him.

He had heard it before from the mouths of others, and above all, it was what the man himself had just introduced himself as. Contrary to the man’s cute and dainty appearance, he had thought the name had quite the masculine ring to it.

However, even when the man himself used that name in front of him, Subaru was not able to properly reconcile this fact and phenomenon within himself.

That was the extent to which the man had built his way of life around the image of the nickname “Ferris”.

Subaru: [Dismissed, as her Knight…? That means…]

Ferris: [It means I’ve resigned. Well, it can’t be helped. With the Church of the Divine Dragon, Crusch-sama could be saved… ever since the moment I decided to accept their help, I’d been prepared for things to turn out this way. ――Ah, Emilia-sama, please don’t go feeling responsible or anything.]

Emilia: [Ferris…]

Ferris: [When you came to see us back then, it was truly reassuring. Aside from Crusch-sama’s allies like me and Wil-jii, there were also other people who were happy to see her safe, it made me think that… what I’d done wasn’t wrong.]

With the cat ears on his head flattening, Ferris lowered the corners of eyes into a soft smile as he replied.

In the midst of hastening towards him, Emilia skidded to a halt at those words, and her hands started fluttering about aimlessly, as if she were desperately searching for a response that would not come.

Emilia’s bewilderment and perplexity were only natural. ――However, at the sight of Ferris now donning a tailcoat, reciting his resignation from his post as Knight, Subaru had a different response.

Ferris: [Wait! Subaru-kun, where do you think you’re going?]

Subaru: [――Hk, isn’t it obvious, I’m going to Crusch-san’s place. This sorta thing, it’s going too far!]

With clenched teeth, he was already turning to leave when a voice stopped him from behind, to which Subaru growled with a low, jagged response.

He could imagine what the circumstances had been. The Dragon’s Blood which had ravaged Crusch’s body, to free her of that suffering had required accepting help from the Church of the Divine Dragon, and as a corollary of that, the Crusch Camp’s position in the Royal Selection had been teetering.

And, in place of the delirious Crusch, that had been a decision made by Ferris.

Ferris’s decision had saved her life, however, this had caused their victory in the Royal Selection to become very difficult. For she, who was fiercely motivated to become the Monarch, it was a decision that Crusch likely would never have desired.

Subaru: [But, didn’t you do all of that for the sake of Crusch-san? Despite that, for her to still fire you… that just isn’t right!]

Beatrice: [Subaru!]

Due to his unbearable indignation, Subaru shook Beatrice’s hand off of his, causing her to shout.

But Subaru did not stop. He was determined to keep going and run all the way back to the Karsten residence, and even if he needed to firmly press Crusch for it, he would make her retract her mistreatment of Ferris.

However, before he could even take a single step to enact that, Subaru was blocked by someone with their arms spread out wide―― by Rem, he was halted.

Subaru: [Rem, don’t stop me. I’m about to go off on an excessively emotional outburst, and I don’t want any of you guys to see it.]

Rem: [If you’re aware of how you are getting far too emotional, then please stop there. Besides, before you cause any uproar, how about you properly take a look at the other person’s face?]

Subaru: [Other person’s… face?]

Having silenced Subaru’s impulsive fit, Rem nodded before gesturing with her chin. As Subaru turned to follow her motion, Emilia and Beatrice, who had anxiously been watching over him, entered his field of view, and further beyond them was Ferris, looking down at Subaru from the entrance of the mausoleum.

Ferris, who had been the main driving force behind Subaru’s rage, with a look of exasperation at the sight of his outburst, turned his gaze first towards Rem,

Ferris: [Thank you, Rem-chan… though this is the first time I’ve seen you walking around like this, you’re a much better girl than I could have ever imagined. Maybe your only shortcoming is your taste in boys?]

Rem: […While I was asleep, I heard that Ferris-san also took great care of me. Out of respect to you as my benefactor, I’ll keep my response graceful… but that just now was a terrible misunderstanding.]

Ferris: [I see. If that’s how Rem-chan views it, that’s fine by me. But, I’m glad you’ve woken up.]

Rem and Ferris exchanged words right over Subaru’s head while he was pincered in between them. With that done, Rem pursed her lips in a complicated manner, and Ferris switched gears with a “That said”.

And, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at Subaru,

Ferris: [You know, Subaru-kun, you really are prideful.]

Subaru: [Prid… hk.]

Ferris: [I think it’s a different nuance from just being self-centered, so even if it’s this word, it’s the one I find fits best, okay? Even though you say you’re not doing it for yourself, and that it’s all for the sake of someone else, you just end up frantically going around in circles, and it just ends up being uncalled-for concern.]

Subaru: [You, phrasing it like that…]

Ferris: [――And so I thought, if Subaru-kun is prideful, then maybe I’m prideful too.]

At that moment, seeing his smile, Subaru felt as if he had been doused by cold water.

Subaru: [――――]

Gulping down his breath, he looked at Ferris who, just as he thoroughly criticized Subaru, turned that same vitriol on himself. The atmosphere around Ferris had not changed since they first encountered each other at the mausoleum, seeming to Subaru as if he showed no openings to latch onto, or rather, as if he was almost too composed.

He was a sea of tranquility, so-to-speak. ――However, that could not be the case. Thinking about what had happened to Ferris, contrary to a calm sea, he should be in the right in midst of a ferocious storm.

Subaru stared closely at Ferris’s facial expression, searching for any signs of the storm. But, with Ferris himself seeming to not concern himself with that, he closed one eye, letting out an “Ah”,

Ferris: [That’s right. If it’s fine with you, Emilia-sama, won’t you all come in to pay respects?]

Subaru: [Pay respects… do you mean in the mausoleum behind you? Are we allowed in?]

Ferris: [Yes, the administrator entrusted me with the key, and besides, I’m qualified to act as an intercessor, so I come here pretty often.]

Subaru: [Intercessor…?]

Ferris: [Wow, Subaru-kun really is clueless. If you’re trying to be her one and only Knight while being this ignorant, you’re only going to end up embarrassing Emilia-sama, you know?]

Ferris gave a small laugh and stuck out his tongue, leaving Subaru to hold his own.

Rather than it being because of his ignorance being pointed out, it was that the phrase “one and only Knight” coming out of Ferris’s mouth seemed like it would be a delicate topic right now.

Of course, given the mischievous look in his eyes, Ferris had likely said it on purpose.

Whilst toying with Subaru and the others with his tone, Ferris softly caught the closing door of the mausoleum that he had just left.

Ferris: [Let’s go inside to talk about all the various things that have been piling up. ――I was just thinking that if I were the only one here to pay respects, His Highness might start feeling lonely.]

△▼△▼△▼△

Located within the Royal Cemetery, the presence exuded by that mausoleum clearly set it apart from the rest.

The building was constructed from the finest white marble selected from across the Kingdom, and was decorated throughout with ornamentations of dragons, the very symbol of the Dragon Kingdom, giving it the capacity to overwhelm any visitor who laid eyes upon it. The exterior walls, shining in the sunlight, exuded a divine aura that seemed to ward off evil, and the dragon sculpture carved across each of the closed doors completed it as a single work of art, seemingly continuing to protect the dignity of the deceased Royal Family.

After stepping inside, what laid in various places throughout the white chalk corridor to follow were the grave markers of the sleeping royalty. The orderly arranged sarcophagi were decorated with carvings and ornaments associated with each Royal Family member, and just looking at them seemed to bring to mind the deceased’s life before death.

In particular, the state of the fourth prince’s tombstone, which was their objective, especially inspired this feeling.

Ferris: [This is His Highness’s… Fourier Lugunica-sama’s grave.]

Ferris led Subaru’s group across the well-polished floor, his boots clacking upon the stone, then stopped in his tracks and gestured toward an especially conspicuous grave marker―― the sarcophagus of Fourier Lugunica.

Within the mausoleum, where strict, solemn order was maintained, that principle seemed to waver slightly here.

After all, the fourth prince’s gravestone was too colorful for a resting place of the dead.

Subaru: [Are these, offerings? Letters, knitted things, as well as carved wooden animals…]

Ferris: [None of them feel like offerings to royalty, right? In truth, the people who said they wished to offer such things were children who had no conception of such upper-class etiquette, so it can’t be helped.]

Subaru: [People with no such concept, no way, you mean they’re gifts from the general public? Wouldn’t those sorta things be censored or confiscated when they’re brought in?]

Ferris: [Of course, if it was a prank or something, it wouldn’t be allowed to go through. But, the fact that they are not, was something I verified when I accepted the offerings in my role of intercessor.]

Crouching in front of the sarcophagus, Ferris answered while squinting at the various items placed on the table.

The items offered there must have been prepared by those who adored the fourth prince laid to rest here, regardless of their status, and would have contained each person’s thoughts and feelings.

Intercessors were those who, as a special exception, had the right to bring such offerings with the permission of the cemetery’s administrator, on behalf of those who could not visit this place in person.

Essentially, Ferris had been entrusted with the thoughts and feelings of the people as the intercessor for the fourth prince.

Ferris: [By nature, many members of the Lugunican Royal Family had good personalities, who were gentle and well-liked by others, but His Highness Fourier was an individual of exceptionally cheerful and pleasant personality. So he would frequently sneak out of the Castle, and make merry with the people of the Royal Capital.]

Subaru: […Amazing. It’s like an episode you’d often hear about in manga and such. But, if he actually did that, it probably ended up becoming a huge problem, right?]

Ferris: [Well, it did turn out like that. The Royal Guard was mobilized to search for His Highness in the wake of his disappearance. In the end, His Highness was at a soup kitchen in the Slums, that turned out to be run by the Church of the Divine Dragon, which almost caused friction between the Castle and the Church, and a big fuss ensued.]

Beatrice: [It’s hard to laugh that off as a joke these days, in fact.]

Over the arched back of Ferris, they looked upon the headstone of the much-beloved Fourier.

As Ferris reminisced with a smile, his words were filled with an undeniable affection for the central figure of those tales, Fourier, and even from this fragment of that episode, it was clear that he was a person who was loved by everyone.

Ferris: […Did I ever say anything about His Highness to Subaru-kun before?]

Subaru: […Yeah, I heard that there was someone like that, and that he got along well with you and Crusch-san. Didn’t she say that he and I kind of resemble each other?]

Ferris: [Hah? How are His Highness and Subaru-kun the same? I’ll kill you, you know?]

Subaru: [I’m pretty sure you said the same thing to me back then!!]

Ferris’s voice had taken on a rather serious tone devoid of jokes, so Subaru hastened to defend himself.

In reality, that was about all that Subaru had been told about Fourier. Of course, even Subaru, who was not very perceptive, could tell that this person’s death was not unrelated to the reason why Crusch had aspired to participate in the Royal Selection.

Emilia: [So, Crusch-san joined the Royal Selection for the sake of Prince Fourier?]

Ferris: […As expected of Emilia-sama. You always dive straight in to asking the difficult questions.]

Emilia: [Ah, I’m sorry. But, Ferris invited us to pay respects because he wanted to tell us that story, right? After hearing that, I was just thinking that I should try to decide what I’m going to do next.]

Ferris: [What you’re doing next, huh? And that would be?]

Emilia: [Yes, Subaru stole the show earlier, but I think I’ll also go to tell Crusch-san to reconsider. Subaru and I will go talk to her with our utmost effort. How about it?]

Subaru: [I think that’s a good idea… Ow, ow, ow!]

Rem: [Please don’t speak impulsively. Just where do you think we are?]

As soon as he agreed with Emilia, Subaru writhed in agony as Rem pinched him on the side. Gazing over those antics of Subaru and the others, Ferris strained a smile and stood up,

Ferris: [As I said before, I’d like you to refrain from going over to Crusch-sama and saying all sorts of things. From the beginning, I was prepared for this to happen.]

Emilia: [But…]

Ferris: [I’ve accepted it. I said that I had been dismissed, but it was me who first declared that I no longer had any right to stay by her side. Moreover…]

Holding a finger to his lips, Ferris paused for a beat. Then, pointing that raised finger towards Emilia, and then to Subaru in order,

Ferris: [What would you do, Emilia-sama, if I, or the Council of Wise Men, or whoever, asked you to reconsider your master-servant relationship with Subaru-kun?]

Emilia: [Eh? My relationship with Subaru is something I decided after giving it a lot of thought. So, if someone said something like that to me, I would feel reaaally uneasy and wonder what the heck… ah.]

Ferris: [That’s what I mean. That’s what Emilia-sama is trying to do right now.]

Extraneous and immense meddling from an outsider. With Ferris explaining it so clearly, Emilia’s shoulders visibly slumped. As expected, there was little joy in Emilia’s response, as she did not want anyone to interfere with her relationship with Subaru.

Above all, the current persuasion was effective not only for Emilia, but for Subaru as well.

Ferris, who must have known this, looked past the dejected Emilia, and while shrugging his shoulders at Subaru,

Ferris: [To answer your earlier question, Crusch-sama is not so narrow-minded. Hence, His Highness Fourier is but one of the reasons why she decided to participate in the Royal Selection.]

Subaru: […But, his part of the reason isn’t so small that it can be ignored, right?]

Ferris: [Oh, you’re quite the nitpicker. You’ve completely lost your cuteness, Subaru-kun.]

However, as if that had not even struck a nerve for him, Ferris continued.

Ferris: [I won’t deny it. The passing of His Highness was a truly significant event for Crusch-sama… and for me as well. I was deeply hurt, and cried so much that it felt I had used up my entire lifetime’s supply of tears. Well, I’m a bit of a crybaby, so I cried a lot after that as well.]

Everyone: [――――]

Ferris: [Though she didn’t show it, it also caused Crusch-sama so, so much hurt and suffering. ――But, the thing that hurt Crusch-sama the most was after His Highness had passed away.]

Subaru: [Eh…]

Ferris: [His Highness, and the rest of the Royal Family all passed away one after the other, causing great turmoil for everyone. The Duchess Karsten, Crusch-sama, was attending a meeting at the Castle as one of the upper nobles… and there, she came to a realization. Everyone participating in the meeting was more concerned about the possibility that the Covenant with the Divine Dragon might be severed, than about the loss of His Highness and the other royals.]

He spoke quietly, as carefully as possible to avoid getting carried away with emotion. However, this effort only highlighted the grotesqueness of the facts as told by Ferris.

The personalities of the Lugunican Royal Family, the way they were loved, and how warm their hearts were, all could be seen by taking a look at this mausoleum: at all of the tombstones even beyond Fourier Lugunica’s, there were offerings made to pray for the peace of the deceased without exception.

Even the deaths of those so loved were thought insignificant in the face of the Covenant with the Dragon.

Emilia: [So, that’s why she did it.]

It came out like a sigh, a murmur from Emilia, who had come to the same understanding as Subaru. She placed her hands on her chest, and as her amethyst eyes narrowed with a pained look,

Emilia: [That’s why Crusch-san decided that when she became the Monarch, she would have no choice but to make her country stronger, not one that solely relied upon the Covenant with the Dragon.]

Ferris: [――It’s not only that, but, yes.]

Emilia: [It’s not only that, which would mean…]

Ferris: [Crusch-sama really hated the prospect of it… That if she hadn’t been so close to His Highness Fourier, she was sure that she would have thought the same way as everyone else.]

That sort of alternate reality was not something that could be known unless it had actually happened, and since there was no way for such a thing to actually happen, there was no reason for Crusch to be blaming herself in that way.

No matter how she tried to go against it, Crusch would have met Fourier, and arrived at the same idea. Even if she detested the version of herself who had never met him, a version of herself who did not exist, it would only bring her suffering.

Only, on another line of thinking, Subaru also realized that Crusch’s situation was not simply that of a choice in contradiction to her claims in the Royal Selection.

Crusch, who had declared that she would end the Covenant with the Dragon, was saved by the power of the Sacrament of the Church of the Divine Dragon, a group that worshipped none other than that very Dragon. ――And that was not all.

Subaru: [Crusch-san vowed to restore an environment in which the Lugunican Royal Family… that Prince Fourier could truly be mourned, and even though she was determined to achieve that, she no longer has the ability to do so.]

Ferris: […Moreover, the Church of the Divine Dragon did not save His Highness. Even though they saved Crusch-sama.]

Subaru: [――Hk.]

Ferris’s hoarsely spoken words struck a chord with Subaru and the others in the truest sense.

Just a moment ago, he had been fully intent on going to complain to Crusch about Ferris’s dismissal as her Knight, saying that it was going too far, even when taking her poor physical and mental condition into account.

Now that he knew all about the resolve and determination Crusch had carried, about the ideals and vows she had heralded, and about how they had all been shattered in the worst way possible, what could Subaru possibly say to her?

If only Subaru had offered up an arm or a leg, and taken on Crusch’s curse――,

Ferris: [That’s why, Subaru-kun is prideful.]

Subaru: [Wha…]

Ferris: [Anyone can see it on your face. It’s no wonder Beatrice-chan refuses to let go of your hand. You may have gotten a bit better, but surely you ought to know when there’s nothing you could have done?]

With his head tilted, Ferris spoke as if admonishing a child, rebuking Subaru for the shallowness of his thinking without getting emotional.

Deep down, he understood. Subaru’s current idea existed only in the realm of theory, impossible to act on; as Ferris had said, it was meaningless.

Even if Crusch’s salvation had been carried out by Emilia’s Knight, Natsuki Subaru, instead of the Church of the Divine Dragon, it would not absolve her of the fault of relying on an opposing camp to solve her problems. And, that would be too large of a disadvantage in the Royal Selection, which was now past its midpoint.

Subaru: [If one delegates the solving of all their problems to other parties, is that person really fit to be the Monarch, is that what it’s about…?]

Ferris: [――. How harsh. But, that’s right.]

Subaru: […I’m just parroting what I’ve heard.]

That was something he had heard directly from none other than Crusch herself.

Once, when the Witch Cult had targeted Emilia, Subaru had asked Crusch for help without any bargaining chips, but Crusch had imposingly rejected Subaru’s ugly pleas.

That was a lesson Subaru had needed to learn. Hence, he did not begrudge Crusch for that. It was far too ironic that, even though he had no grudge against her, the situation had reversed as it were.

Emilia: [Hey, Ferris, I’m not sure if this is okay to ask, but…]

In place of Subaru, whose head hung low as he found himself at a loss for words, Emilia spoke to Ferris.

Stepping out next to Ferris, she stood in front of the gravestone of Fourier Lugunica, looked at the offerings placed there, then, clutching the magic crystal on her chest, she closed her eyes.

Behind Emilia, Beatrice and Rem could each be seen offering their own prayers for the dead.

After that, Emilia gazed at the particularly gorgeous bouquet―― the one that Ferris had adjusted the position of while he had been crouched down, that had been brought here by none other than himself, and she asked the following.

Emilia: [Crusch-san and Prince Fourier, were they lovers?]

Ferris: [――――]

At the question, Ferris’s eyes widened slightly, then he gave a small laugh.

And then――,

Ferris: [That’s not something for me to say. ――It would be far too tactless.]

△▼△▼△▼△

The double doors to the mausoleum gave rise to a weighty sound as they closed, and he met eyes with the dragon sculpted across their surfaces as a single image.

He could tell it was likely the same depiction modeled after the Divine Dragon Volcanica that was also engraved onto the face of coins, but now that he had heard about the blighted love surrounding Crusch and Prince Fourier, his feelings towards that Divine Dragon had grown more complicated compared to before.

Subaru: [I got to encounter the real thing on top of the Tower, but with its empty state of mind, even if it’s supposedly the object of worship for the Church of the Divine Dragon, bound by its Covenant to the Kingdom, it’s just not very convincing…]

Beatrice: [Its style might be to just switch on at times when it is necessary, I suppose. At times when it is not, it might be operating on something like an energy-saving mode, or like Otto when he doesn’t have any work to do, in fact.]

Subaru: [Even if it’s Otto when he has no work to do, treating him as empty-headed is going too far… Wait, if the target of comparison is the Divine Dragon, then wouldn’t that actually be an honor for a citizen of the Kingdom?]

Hearing Beatrice’s hypothesis, Subaru also tried to simulate treating the Otto within his brain as the Divine Dragon, but when Otto did not have any work to do, he became an idiot as a result of the sense of freedom he would gain from finishing all his work, so Subaru was unable to get any useful comments out of him. Heavy drinking in moderation, indeed.

Regardless――,

Emilia: [Ferris, what do you plan on doing after this?]

Ferris: [After this, you ask?]

Emilia: [Yes. After all, you can’t return to… it would be difficult for you to return to Crusch-san’s place right now, right? You were always in that same mansion together, so do you have any destination in mind?]

On the way to return the mausoleum key to the cemetery’s administrator, Emilia inquired so, and Ferris scratched his cheek as he hesitated in giving his response with a troubled look upon his eyebrows.

Judging by his reaction, Emilia’s comment had borne a critical impact on Ferris.

There was no doubt that Wilhelm’s decision to inform Subaru’s group of Ferris’s whereabouts must have been an anguished one, founded in worry for the young man’s near future.

Regardless of the circumstances behind it, the master-servant relationship between Crusch and Ferris had been terminated. Under such a situation, Wilhelm, as a follower of Crusch, could not take actions that opposed his master’s will.

Back there, the maximum consideration Wilhelm could offer was to have reliable individuals go to verify Ferris’s thereafter.

Thus, if they were going to respond to that consideration of Wilhelm’s to the fullest――,

Subaru: [What Emilia-tan is trying to say is this: For the time being, won’t you come stay with us for a bit?]

Emilia: [Yes, that’s right! How about it? Of course, I’m not saying you need to stay forever. I just think that you’re probably sad from parting like this, and that you just need some time. For me as well, it took around a hundred years to accept the fact that I froze all the people in my hometown.]

Rem: [I have to say, I think that would be far too long of a wait.]

Beatrice: [By the way, it also took Betty four-hundred years to accept Subaru’s love, I suppose.]

Rem: [I have to say, I think that even for this person, that would be far too miserable.]

Due to those misleading statements from the long lifespan duo, Emilia and Beatrice, Rem began to look at Subaru with a bit of pity in her eyes. He would make sure to properly clear up that misunderstanding later on, but at the very least, their proposition to Ferris just now had been made in earnest.

However, receiving those words, Ferris placed his hand over his forehead with a “Tahah~”,

Ferris: [For some reason, I had the feeling you’d ask me that, but you really went ahead and did it. I’m a talented master of the healing arts, so I get why there’d be a scramble to secure a claim on me.]

Emilia: [Mph, I… wasn’t saying it as a joke…]

Ferris: [Indeed, yes, of course, I’m aware that Emilia-sama is always earnest, no matter the time. I’m also glad that you invited me like that. It’s the truth, you know?]

Emilia: […But, the way you answered…]

Ferris: [――Right. Although you invited me especially, I just can’t agree to it.]

Slowly shaking his head from side to side, Ferris turned down Emilia’s proposal with a wry smile. She very much wanted to be persistent against that attitude of his, but she also understood his feelings of not being able to accept.

After all――,

Ferris: [Even if we’re separated, I will always treasure Crusch-sama. Even if it was my decision that caused the Royal Selection to become hopeless for her, I just won’t break away to support somebody other than Crusch-sama.]

Emilia: [I-it’s even okay if you hate me. Only, if Ferris could just help us to be sure that you won’t wander off somewhere unsteadily, and that you’ll be alright.]

Ferris: [I wouldn’t hate you or anything. ――Ah, that’s a lie. I actually do hate you. Emilia-sama, all the way back from the very beginning, this entire time, I’ve hated you.]

Emilia: [Eh! Really!?]

Having gone so far as to bring out an uncharacteristic bargaining chip, the persistent Emilia was shocked. Nodding “yes” to that Emilia, Ferris gestured to Subaru and the rest with the key to the mausoleum,

Ferris: [It isn’t just Emilia-sama. All of the Royal Candidates other than Crusch-sama, I’ve hated them too, and the same goes for all their Knights. I also hate Beatrice-chan, and although this is pretty much my first time meeting Rem-chan, I hate her too. And I really hate Subaru-kun.]

Subaru: [When you phrase it like that, it sounds like you hate me for real…]

Ferris: [What makes you think I don’t hate you for real?]

Receiving that retort, Subaru was unable to say anything anymore.

Emilia: […You really won’t change your mind?]

Even Emilia, of all people, could discern that Ferris’s “hate” just now was not how he truly felt. In order to refuse Emilia’s proposal, Ferris had given his likes and hates as a reason. And then, no matter what he was told, no matter how he was treated, he declared that his feelings of backing Crusch would never change.

Ferris: [Please don’t worry so much like that. The Royal Guard… I’m not sure if I can continue there or not, so I’ll go discuss it with the Commander, but regardless, I’m sure there’ll be a high demand for me at healing clinics or wherever else.]

Subaru: […You aren’t going to give into despair, are you?]

Ferris: [Despair? You mean, to end my own life in lamentation over the world… or something like that? Me? The person who despises casualties the most in this world?]

Subaru: [――. My bad.]

With zero hints of a joke there, Subaru apologized in the face of Ferris’s clear assertion.

Even if he no longer resided by Crusch’s side, Ferris was still the Blue, and he would do nothing that distorted his way of being as a healer. He would have faith in that.

Subaru: [Ahh, but you know! How frustrating! If I can’t go and say anything to Crusch-san, and Ferris also refused the idea of staying with us for a time, then there’s nothing I can do…!]

Rem: [Did Ferris-san not chide you about how prideful that is?]

Ferris: [Oh, yeah, just as Rem-chan says.]

Subaru: [But, Rem…]

Rem: [――. Whatever the case, there are problems that can only be resolved by the parties directly concerned.]

Although they were observing a passing tragedy, they bore no right to rectify it themselves.

As Subaru complained about how frustrating that felt, Rem cast her eyes down, and exhaled a shallow breath.

Rem: [Just as how an outside party cannot meddle with the master-servant relationship between you and Emilia-san, or with the Contractual relationship between you and Beatrice-chan. Between you and myself…]

Subaru: [Rem?]

Rem: […Between you and myself, what sort of relationship is there exactly? What are you to me?]

Subaru: [Don’t turn it over to me all of a sudden! Me, you, precious!]

Emilia: [The same goes for us! Us, Rem, reaaally, precious!]

Rem: [――. Thank you to Emilia-san.]

Subaru: [What about me!?]

With the entirety of his existence having been completely disregarded, Subaru’s voice cracked as Rem ignored him in a graceful manner.

Behind that exchange between Subaru and the others, Beatrice called out “Wait” to Ferris. Then, as Beatrice lightly pinched the hem of Subaru’s clothes,

Beatrice: [Betty is not as concerned about your near future as Subaru and the others, in fact. However, Betty owes you an enormous debt, I suppose.]

Ferris: [Beatrice-chan-sama, owes me? Did I ever do a favor or something for the Great Spirit?]

Beatrice: [You saved Subaru when he was far too reckless and nearly destroyed his Gate, in fact. Unfortunately, Subaru ignored your warnings and destroyed his Gate, but you served to buy him some time, I suppose. If not for your help, Betty and Subaru would have no Contract, in fact.]

Ferris: [Umm… that gladdens me more than I expected.]

Beatrice: [Enjoying it to the fullest, I suppose. Thus, Betty is of the nature that always repays her debts, in fact. So, if anything ever happens to you, you can count on Betty to come to your aid whenever needed, I suppose.]

Ferris: [Even if Subaru-kun is about to fall off a cliff?]

Beatrice: [After picking Subaru back up first, Betty would come rushing towards you in a great hurry, in fact.]

Hearing Beatrice’s answer as she snorted her nose and placed her hands on her hips, Ferris’s eyes widened slightly, and he placed his hand over his mouth and smiled with an “Aha”.

The impulse behind that smile grew more intense, and eventually, teardrops began to well up in the corners of his eyes.

Ferris: [Ah, how unpleasant. Don’t make me cry, Beatrice-chan-sama.]

Beatrice: [As you have proclaimed yourself, you are quite the crybaby, I suppose.]

Receiving those words from Beatrice, Ferris’s smile broadened ever so slightly.

△▼△▼△▼△

Emilia: [If you change your mind, you can always visit us, okay? I’ll talk to everyone to make sure someone will definitely respond. Can you promise that? Can you keep a promise, Ferris?]

Subaru: [A stray bullet just hit me!]

Rem: [It’s quite justified.]

And so, right up until the very moment of their parting, Emilia and the others did their best to invite him.

It was evident that they showed no signs of malice or artifice, and though he felt more and more guilty over making Emilia’s face cloud over as he rejected her over and over again, there was nothing he could do about it.

Ferris: [It’s not like I feel conflicted about Emilia-sama and the rest, you know?]

Even if he had ceded that qualification of his own volition, Ferris had been Crusch’s Knight.

It was impermissible for him, no matter how temporary, to shelter himself under the umbrella of any Royal Selection Candidate aside from Crusch. He was afraid that it would not look good for Crusch, and above all, he feared what Crusch would think of it.

Ferris: […On that point, Your Highness was incredible. Were you ever scared?]

At the mausoleum, he had intended to repent before the gravestone and sarcophagus, to the extent that time would allow. And yet, after but a mere moment had passed, a lingering desire to ask that once more had already arisen in him.

Whining and whining; even when he switched to dressing as a man, that effeminacy at his core would not be completely wiped away. Truly, he was disgusted by himself.

Such a person as himself seemed to have been able to make only a single correct decision――,

Ferris: [I’m glad that I was the one who suggested it.]

Just as he had told Emilia and the rest, his dismissal as a Knight had been suggested by Ferris.

When the Church of the Divine Dragon had extended their hand to him, and he had decided to borrow the power of Filóre’s Sacrament, he was prepared to lose the qualifications to stand beside Crusch. Merely, Ferris’s soul could not sit there and wait for it to come out of Crusch’s own mouth.

So he brought it up before that, and avoided having Crusch cut off Ferris of her own accord. ――What the hell, even though he had been trying to extol the right decision, it was yet another manifestation of that effeminacy that disgusted him.

Ferris: [I’ve been doing nothing but lying…]

He thought he had made the right decision. It was a lie.

He had enquired as to whether Fourier felt no fear. It was a lie.

He had said that he did not feel conflicted about Emilia and the others. It was a lie.

His dismissal as a Knight had been to protect his own fragile heart, and he knew that even Fourier himself had mustered up all his courage when he had asked Crusch to go out somewhere.

And, there was no way he felt nothing toward the ready advance of Emilia and the others, who had achieved many great deeds despite her overwhelmingly disadvantageous position at the start and had greatly inconvenienced the high-ranking nobility with her lineage as a half-elf―― and above all, toward the efforts of Subaru, who held the same position as a Knight.

As a matter of fact, Ferris had not asked Subaru about the circumstances surrounding his ungloved right hand.

That Subaru had not broached the subject likely meant that it would have been a troublesome method to be utilized as a cure for Crusch. However, imagination was imagination. He had not confirmed it. The reason for that was obvious: he had fled from the possibility that there was any answer other than relying upon the Church of the Divine Dragon.

It seemed as if just about every action he took was done to prioritize escaping his own pain.

Ferris: [Do I truly consider anyone else precious to me…?]

If he had seriously cared for that person, would he have not cherished that person’s unyielding convictions? If he was aware of the prayers Crusch had sworn before Fourier’s grave, should he have not sought out a path that kept that wish alive, even if it continued to inflict unceasing suffering upon her?

Was it not that very anger at facing this difficult to fathom reality that had allowed Crusch to recall Fourier, and made none other than her realize the cruelty of Ferris’s actions?

What if the confusion of Crusch’s Memories that had recalled Fourier Lugunica had been evoked by her wrath at Ferris’s action that trampled upon that oath?

Ferris might be detested by not only Crusch, but also by Fourier.

Ferris: [――Hk, quit it, quit it, there’s no point to this.]

Once again, he realized he was pretending to have a guilty conscience, and was searching for words to console himself.

He did not have time to waste on such trivialities, and so as to not worry Emilia and the rest, as well as Wilhelm, who had been caught between him and Crusch, he needed to determine his position from here on out.

In truth, there was no reason for him to continue as a Knight. Since the title of the Blue was still alive and well, he could turn to the Treatment Center or the Magic Research Institute and receive quite the warm welcome. It would be easy to secure employment, but there was no point in just living his life aimlessly.

Even apart from the certainty that these healing hands would continue to save others, there was hope.

Even if Ferris―― no, Felix Argyle had cast away the qualifications to wish for it.

???: [――Oh, what a relief. I was worried we might miss each other.]

Suddenly, the ears of Ferris, who had been scowling at the pavestones of the Noble District on the way back from the cemetery, shivered in response to the voice that had begun to speak, which had been directed at him.

He stopped walking, and looked ahead. In front of him, in the middle of the street, stood a lone figure. ――The figure there was a familiar one.

It was a man with dull blond hair and deep blue eyes. His tall, slender figure was clad in a well-tailored suit, and his hair and goatee were carefully tidied, giving him a refined air. Given his profession, that was nothing strange.

After all, that person was――,

Ferris: [――Russell Fellow, was it? You’re from the Commerce Guild.]

Russell: [Yes, that is correct. I am greatly honored you remember me. Would it be permissible for me to call you Ferris-sama? Or perhaps, Felix-sama?]

Ferris: […Whichever one you prefer is fine.]

Russell: [Well then, I shall take you up on your kind offer, Felix-sama. Due to my line of work, it is usually less expedient, in a manner of speaking, to call another by a nickname rather than their formal name.]

Ferris: [Hmmm.]

Toward the man who bowed his head in a polite gesture―― toward Russell Fellow, Ferris closed one eye.

The other party was a shrewd man who served as the representative of the Commerce Guild of the Royal Capital, an individual famed for being preeminently brilliant even amongst the battle-hardened merchants of the Royal Capital. In fact, he had been enlisted to aid with the Subjugation of the White Whale through the supply and transportation of goods, so he was not an unfamiliar party to the Crusch Camp.

Ferris: [That being said, currently I can’t go along with any get-rich-quick schemes, you know? It’s a shame, but…]

Russell: [Your Contract with Duchess Karsten as master and servant has been annulled. Indeed, I am quite aware.]

Ferris: […Your ears catch wind so quick, it’s scary.]

Having said that, Ferris regretted that he himself had turned to such a foolish topic.

After all, Russell had clearly been lying in wait for Ferris. If he had never made any such move even once before now, and yet he took such a step on this day in particular, it could only be because a reason to take such action had appeared.

And then, there was one more thing in addition to that, yet another foolish thing that he further realized too late.

Ferris: […It’s still only early in the evening, so why is this road so empty?]

Russell: [――――]

Russell stood in the middle of the road, about ten meters from Ferris. No indication of anyone on the streets of the Noble District drew near to Russell and Ferris’s surroundings.

If this were late at night or early in the morning, it would make more sense, but it was incomprehensible at a time when the sun had yet to set. And when something impossible occurred, there was always a reason.

On this occasion, the reason why this had been brought about was――,

Russell: [Felix-sama, I have something I am greatly interested in discussing with you, and if you do not mind, I would like to offer you an invitation to join me for a meal at my home. If you are still uncertain as to where to go…]

Ferris: [Do you intend to solicit me as soon as I am off my leash? I’m sorry, but such a conversation is――]

Russell: [――No, I am not soliciting you. In truth, this conversation is compulsory.]

As if he was lamenting something, Russell slowly shook his head. ――In that instant, someone appeared right behind Ferris and pressed a cold blade against his slender neck.

Ferris: [――Hk.]

Breath caught within his throat, Ferris’s movements were sealed. It was so sudden, there had been nothing he could have done. What he could discern was that the blade pressed against him was slender with a significant curvature, and that the person standing behind Ferris was considerably taller than him. ――No, there was that as well.

Ferris: […It doesn’t seem like you are an ordinary merchant, huh?]

Russell: [Who knows? I believe it is certainly a possibility.]

As Russell continued to close the distance step-by-step, while the blade remained against his neck and he was unable to act in response, Ferris at least tried to avert his eyes, feeling disgusted at himself yet again.

Why did he assume that someone capable of bearing such cold eyes would be a normal person?

Firmly biting his lip, he resisted letting any whimper or groan escape him. Ferris cautioned himself that such was the maximum extent of what he could do at the moment.

While examining Ferris from up close, still with those cold eyes, Russell informed him.

Russell: [Now that you are no longer the Knight of the Duchess, I shall not hesitate to interrogate you. ――Regarding the Sacrament of the Immortal King passed down through House Argyle.]