Chapter 80 — Volume 4, 32 [1/4]

Tilting the steaming teacup to his lips and taking a sip, Subaru opened his ears to Frederica’s words.

[Frederica: The Demihuman War―― To begin with, would Subaru-sama know what kind of dispute this was?]

[Subaru: Like I said, I don’t know the details. Just…… I can kinda imagine what might’ve happened just from the name and the historical background]

[Frederica: My, that’s interesting. May I ask what you imagined it to be?]

Hearing this reply from Subaru, Frederica covered the corner of her lips and smiled.

Covering her mouthful of fangs while smiling seemed to be a deeply ingrained habit of her’s, and Subaru often saw her this way.

It would seem that although she loved to smile, she didn’t want others to see it.

Closing his eyes and scratching at his cheeks, with [Right], Subaru began,

[Subaru: I don’t know how long ago that war took place, but I can imagine it couldn’t have had nothing to do with the Witch of Envy. I’ve seen how Emilia was treated like a tumor in the Capital, and I know that Half-Elves are despised by all sorts of people]

Recorded even in picture-books, the Witch of Envy was universally known as the unparalleled symbol of absolute evil. Being a silver-haired Half-Elf, for having only this one point in common with the Witch, Emilia was treated with this unjust prejudice. So, in the wake of the Witch of Envy―― Subaru could imagine the kind of conflict that might have arisen from even the most insignificant details.

[Subaru: A Half-Elf, would be a child between a Human and an Elf, right? Carrying on from their hatred of Half-Elves…… it’s not too far-fetched that some would believe that Half-Bloods born between humans and other races are also heresy deserving of persecution]

[Frederica: ……Please, do go on]

[Subaru: I’m just pulling this from imagination, but since the persecution of Half-Elves led to the persecution of Half-Bloods by association, if we take this to the extreme, the very existence of the Demihumans who begot the Half-Bloods would also be a threat as well…… that’s probably what some of those guys are thinking]

To the extent of Subaru’s knowledge, the humans are by far the most numerous race in this world. He knew of the existence of Elves, and Beastmen like Anastasia’s triplets, but just based on his observations over the days he spent at the Capital, the absolute number of Demihumans were indeed far fewer than the humans.

And so, solely owing to their majority, they came to believe that they had justice on their side.

[Subaru: I doubt absolutely everyone would’ve taken up this way of thinking, but the loud and obnoxious types are probably the same anywhere. So, compared to hatred of Demihumans…… it’s probably closer to fear, isn’t it. And when that frustration eventually boils over…]

[Frederica: The tension between Humans and Demihumans erupted. The smoldering kindling caught fire, and with ever-gathering momentum, its flames engulfed the whole of Lugnica]

Spilling this in a melancholic voice, Frederica continued on from Subaru’s words.

Closing one of his eyes, Subaru gazed at her downcast expression. And Frederica, with a single nod, turned up her face.

[Frederica: There is almost no need to supplement your conjectures, nor are there any grounds for dispute. ……Have you truly never heard any detailed accounts of the war?]

[Subaru: Nah. If that was essentially correct, it’s just thanks to my power of imagination. Or reading experience…… this kind of stuff shows up in light novels a lot, you know, antagonism between races and stuff]

Although, of course, Subaru never actually paid much mind to these problems in reality.

Even in his Original World, so-called racial discrimination existed. But, to Subaru, they might as well have been taking place a world away. Like problems existing in some Parallel World.

He was himself, and the others were others, he had held this coldly apathetic outlook. And while this was true in a way, in reality, he was only averting his eyes.

[Subaru: It’s just, even if I can imagine how things got the way they are, I’d still have no idea how to fix it. But since you’re saying this in the past-tense, at least that means the Demihuman War had already run its course, right?]

[Frederica: In a sense, yes. But the scars of the war run deep, and the sprouts of prejudice against the offsprings between Humans and Demihumans remain deeply rooted even now]

Perhaps because she herself was born as a target of such prejudice, Frederica’s words carried a certain heaviness that could not have been understood by someone merely listening from the outside.

Subaru wanted to ask what happened next, but hesitated before he could throw these words at her. And, sensing this on his mind, Frederica sighed,

[Frederica: My apologies for making you worried. Let us continue the story]

[Subaru: I kinda wanna say “don’t force yourself”, but these things directly tie into what I need to ask so I can’t really say that. So, do force yourself, please]

[Frederica: My my. You certainly are adept at spurring people on, Subaru-sama]

Favorably interpreting Subaru’s rather selfish remark, Frederica lifted her own cup and let a sip roll over her tongue,

[Frederica: The Demihuman War began approximately fifty years ago. From there, it went on for nearly ten years…… and it was recorded to have concluded forty years ago]

[Subaru: Ten years…… that’s a long time. Although, back home, I think we’ve got a Hundred Years’ War and a Thirty Years’ War or something in our history as well]

Subaru wasn’t so well read when it came to historical novels, so his knowledge of these events didn’t go past glancing over their names in textbooks. But, with names like that, he could more or less guess how long those wars lasted at least.

Thirty years, and a hundred years. It’s a frightening thought, how anyone could hate another person enough to carry on a war for so long.

Even Subaru had only spent about two months in the Parallel world.

[Subaru: That’s just way too exhausting, who can keep on playing Bokosuka Wars for more than ten years?]

[Frederica: Regardless, the war first originated from a dispute between the humans and a Demihuman settlement. Originally, it would only have been a local dispute contained within a small area…… but because of the incident that followed, in a single stroke, the heat of war flared up. And the horrific conflict, in which blood upon blood washed over every corner of the land, began]

[Subaru: The incident that followed?]

[Frederica: Not long after conflict first broke out, the King of Lugnica at the time saw the seriousness of the situation and dispatched his close attendant as an envoy for peace. On the Demihuman side, the chiefs of various races gathered to welcome the envoy and to negotiate for a resolution, but……]

Hearing Frederica’s words trail off, Subaru silently tilted his head, prompting her to continue. Seeing his gesture, Frederica closed her eyes,

[Frederica: Those who attended that conference―― the envoys from the Palace and the Demihuman chiefs alike, were all indiscriminately slaughtered on the spot]

[Subaru: Indiscriminately slaughtered……? But by who, and for what?]

[Frederica: The culprit remains unknown even to this day. But, at the time, both the Humans and the Demihumans were convinced that the other was responsible. And consequently, a small ember became a great devouring fire, and would not be put out for all ten years…… as it so happened]

[Subaru: What were they doing? If they just properly talked it through…… but that’s too idealistic, isn’t it]

Given the emotions of the people at the time, this might be too much of a god-like perspective to take.

The envoy dispatched by the Palace was the King’s personal attendant. Considering the prestige of the envoy murdered at the scene of negotiation, to withdraw the matter without bringing the culprit to justice would have been beneath the dignity of a Kingdom. And, from the Demihumans’ perspective, the fact was that their chiefs had been gathered in one place and massacred. Although it’d be demeaning to count lives this way, in purely numerical terms, the Demihuman side lost more.

Adding to that, was the existence of the Witch of Envy that first laid the foundations of the strife between their races.

It would be difficult enough to even begin to mend their relations, and in this standstill, there was no time to deal with the problems that followed―― further and further behind, unable to stem the tide, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine how this invited the tragedy that resulted.

[Frederica: In the end―― the Demihuman War concluded with the surrender of the Demihumans. Even then, the Demihumans refused to take responsibility for the massacre at the conference, and only acknowledged that it would be senseless to continue the war any further]

[Subaru: Personally, stuck in this kind of quagmire, I think the side that stepped back first was actually the smarter one. Also, this was like a civil war, wasn’t it? There’s no benefit to the country at all]

[Frederica: The truth was precisely that. Lugnica’s power greatly declined over the course of the Demihuman War. It was fortunate that at the time, all the neighboring nations were also dealing with turmoil of their own, otherwise, Lugnica may very well have been replaced by some other kingdom]

It must have been fortune in midst of misfortune that the other three nations were also occupied with internal strife, thus narrowly saving Lugnica from a final deathblow.

Yet, a crisis no less perilous than that era was facing this Kingdom even now.

[Subaru: But, well, it’s still pretty amazing that they managed to put an end to a war that lasted so long. It must’ve taken a whole lot of courage, and the resistance from the hardliners couldn’t have been easy to overcome]

[Frederica: ……It was because humanity had one overwhelming presence among them who bent the pro-war faction’s will. For it was to the unrivaled swordsmanship of the then-Current Generation Sword Saint, Thearesia Van Astrea-sama, that all the Demihumans bowed their heads…… is something the matter?]

[Subaru: No, I was just surprised to hear a name that I know… It’s a small world]

Having heard that name before, Subaru remembered that Wilhelm’s wife was named Thearesia.

The Sword Saint of that era, she must have been the Generation before Reinhard. Hearing that a single woman had put an end to a war that had raged on for ten years, Subaru felt a true sense of the unorthodoxy of the existence that was the Sword Saint.

[Subaru: Well, I have a general idea how the Demihuman War went now. And I can more or less imagine the kind of problems might’ve sprung up from it]

[Frederica: The reality was almost exactly as Subaru-sama surmised. It would seem that your mind is sharper than I thought. I’m surprised to find that I’ve misjudged you]

[Subaru: I’ll just… pretend that was a compliment for now. So, moving along, although the Demihuman War has ended, the prejudice against the Demihumans couldn’t have been dispelled so easily. Of course, people wouldn’t blatantly flaunt their hostility under the public eye, but]

Even in the Capital, along the streets lined by fruit-stalls, Humans and Demihumans seemed to be living in normal, peaceful coexistence. But who knows how much pain and struggle had to pass before such a scene could become part of normal life. And, contrary to places like these, there must also have been places where peace had not become normal occurrence, and there will always be places where light does not reach.

[Subaru: Places like closed-off villages with small populations, isolated from the outside world…… if one guy stands out as a problem, I get the feeling the whole place would set on him]

[Frederica: You could say that my little brother and I had lived through precisely this kind of environment]

Furrowing her brows at some painful reminiscences, for the first time in this conversation, Frederica directly referred to her little brother―― Garfiel. Then, turning her eyes somewhere far away,

[Frederica: My brother is my sibling by a different father. Our surnames are different because of this…… I took my father’s surname, while my little brother took the surname of our mother]

[Subaru: Your full name is Frederica…… Baumann, right?]

[Frederica: Yes. And my brother’s last name would be Tinsel. Our mother was a…… clumsy person, and also an unlucky person]

It was as if Frederica tried to find the right word, but failed to find it in the end. Hearing her say this, Subaru showed an expression of non-understanding, when she started again with [It’s embarrassing to say this, but]

[Frederica: It seems, our mother was in the process of being sold off because of her debt, when the slavers were set upon by a group of Demihuman bandits and she was captured…… That’s where she met my father]

[Subaru: Wha!? Wa-wai-wait! I get the feeling I have to prepare my heart before I can hear this!]

[Frederica: But that father died soon after, and my mother carried me as an infant as she wandered without a home, when she was captured by another Demihuman band. That’s where she met Garfiel’s father……]

[Subaru: Waitwaitwait, I was wrong! I never thought it was going to get this heavy!]

[Frederica: And so, I won’t dwell on these things. In any case, Garfiel was born, but once again, we were unable to stay with Garfiel’s father. So our mother, carrying the two of us, wandered once more, and, when we were at the end of our ropes, we were taken in by the House of Mathers]

Briefly laying bare her heavy past, a certain nostalgia emerged in Frederica’s eyes as she sighed. Then, stroking the handle of her chair with a palm,

[Frederica: At the time, still in his early teens, the Master…… Roswaal-sama, had already inherited his title as the head of the House of Mathers. To my brother and I, the Master is our savior in the truest sense of the word. And I consider it to be an honor to be able to serve at his side this way]

[Subaru: So the two of you were brought into the Sanctuary, and lived there, huh…… by the way, it’s a bit hard to bring this up but, what happened to your mother?]

From what he could gather from her story so far, their mother must have been a pure blooded Human. Which meant that she would have been able to enter and exit the Sanctuary at will. But whether it was at the Sanctuary or the Mansion, Subaru had never seen anyone who could have been her.

Yet just as Subaru was imagining the worst, Frederica shook her head,

[Frederica: It seems I’ve made you worried, but please rest assured. After leaving my brother and I with Roswaal-sama, our mother left the Mansion without leaving word of where she was going. Nor have we heard from her since. But she must be safe and still living somewhere, I believe]

[Subaru: ――――]

Listening to Frederica lightly saying this, Subaru couldn’t utter another word and only remained in silence. Although the worst Subaru had prepared for was their being separated by death, the crueler reality was that she had abandoned them.

But hearing this created even more questions,

[Subaru: Even though your mother left like this, Garfiel is still using her surname, while you’re using your father’s. Why is that?]

[Frederica: Because there were no records of her left behind, our memories of our mother were told to us by others…… and in these unreliable circumstances, I took my father’s surname. As for the reason why my little brother took our mother’s surname…… it was because that child didn’t know about our mother. As much as he pretends to be meaner than he is, he is stubbornly sentimental at heart]

[Subaru: Stubbornly sentimental……]

Reviewing his impression of Garfiel in his mind, that description would explain many things.

Although he would be quicker to take action than to think things through, and despite being foul-mouthed and rude, Garfiel was nonetheless sensible and understanding. He considered himself dumb, but he was not entirely unthoughtful, nor would he act completely without reason. Everything about him was reminiscent of a juvenile-delinquent punk from the good old days.

In terms of sensibilities alone, Subaru couldn’t deny that Garfiel was upstanding and noble-minded in his own way.

[Frederica: Subaru-sama. ――Would you happen to know how the Sanctuary’s Barrier distinguishes its targets?]

While Subaru occupied his mind with such thoughts, Frederica threw him this rather abrupt question.

Unable to understand the meaning behind it, Subaru was a little slow to react. He looked back at Frederica without much confidence, and with [Umm],

[Subaru: Honestly, no. While there’s no doubt the Barrier certainly exists, I can’t feel it at all. It’s probably using some kind of magic to check everyone that passes, I guess……]

[Frederica: The Barrier does so by verifying the blood inside the veins of those who passes through. If it can clearly distinguish both Human and Demihuman blood, that person will be repelled. In essence, that is the nature of the Barrier]

[Subaru: ……What are you trying to say?]

Unsure why she was suddenly revealing the Barrier’s conditions to him, Subaru only quietly asked her this in return. Receiving this response, Frederica lightly nodded,

[Frederica: Do you perhaps now understand how I was able to pass through the Barrier and exit the Sanctuary?]

[Subaru: ……I don’t. I feel like I understand even less now after you told me the Barrier’s conditions. On the road back, I saw Lewes-san almost collapse when she came close to the Barrier, so I’m sure the Barrier’s effects are real. And it was the same when we entered the Sanctuary as well]

Right before Garfiel’s dramatic introduction, Emilia had collapsed from passing through the Barrier. Having witnessed its immense power, only a fool would have any doubts about its existence――

[Subaru: ――Huh? How come……]

That moment, a shock flashed across Subaru’s mind.

On the road back home, he was accompanied by Lewes. After saying goodbye to Lewes, as they cleared the forest and passed through the Barrier, he had felt a sense of incongruity.

Now he had the answer to that unease. Subaru had already noticed this when he saw Lewes’ reaction as they came close to the Barrier.

[Subaru: They were the under the same conditions……. but how come when he was that close to the Barrier, that bastard Garfiel was still fine and kicking around?]

Ambushing them as soon as they passed through the Barrier, Garfiel threw Patrasche and the dragon carriage into the air as if they were nothing.

He certainly didn’t use his full strength that time, but compared to Emilia, who fainted as she passed through the Barrier, and Lewes, who almost collapsed just by going near it, Garfiel’s behavior was completely different.

――It was as though his body wasn’t affected by the Barrier at all.

[Frederica: Owing to his special characteristic, Atavism, at first glance, my brother might appear to have more Demihuman lineage, but in fact, that is not the case. ――The same is true with me]

[Subaru: If detection of blood is the Barrier’s criteria for distinguishing humans from Half-Bloods…… to bypass this criteria, one side of the blood would just have to be too thin to detect?]

[Frederica: Although my brother and I have different fathers, neither of them were pure-blooded Demihumans. Both were Half-Blooded, and combined with our Human mother, we were born having inherited only one ? of Demihuman blood, having been twice diluted this way]

[Subaru: One-quarter…… so that’s why you’re not repulsed by the Barrier]

The Barrier that repels Half-Bloods does not repel Quarter-Bloods. It sounded almost farcical, but his existing suspicions told him that it was the truth.

On the subject of why Frederica was able to cross the Barrier, Lewes had only given the ambiguous explanation that she was an exception. But now, Subaru could understand her answer.

But then, this would give rise to next question,

[Subaru: Wait. Then does that mean Garfiel can also freely exit the Sanctuary? If he wants to, that guy can just come out regardless of whether the Trials are completed?]

If that was true, then it would be surprising and welcome news.

If he could bring him out without the Barrier blocking the way, there would now be a possibility of using his strength to repel Elsa when she attacks the Mansion.

Originally, Subaru had already abandoned his hopes of repulsing Elsa in this loop and was preparing to evacuate everyone from the Mansion, but now――

[Subaru: If that guy can come out, then……]

[Frederica: It’s true, that same as myself, my brother can also venture outside the Sanctuary. When it came time for me to leave the Sanctuary, he was supposed to have come with me, and he had come along as far as the edge of the Barrier. But……]

Cutting off her words there, Frederica looked at Subaru, who seemed to have found some glimmer of hope. But her eyes were filled with an emotion so deep and somber that Subaru felt his hopes cool off at once. Seeing him this way, she went on,

[Frederica: My little brother chose to stay behind. And as long as the Sanctuary is not liberated, I don’t think Garfiel will ever set foot outside it. He is a kind and stubbornly sentimental child]

[Subaru: Sentimental…… you don’t mean…]

Seeing Subaru raise his brows as his thoughts arrived at that point, as if confirming his astonishment, Frederica gave a single nod as she covered the corner of her lips with her sleeve,

[Frederica: That child could not leave the residents of the Sanctuary behind while he ventures out alone. He is neither good, nor bad, only a straightforward…… and troublesome little brother]

-=Chapter 32 End=-