Arc 5, Chapter 10 – “The Way to the City of Water”

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All rights belong to Tappei Nagatsuki, the original author of the Re:Zero series. This is an English translation of the free web novel which is available at:

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2267be

Translated by:

• Nanashi-tan
• Phantaminum

Proofread by:

• Phantaminum
• SapphireComet
• SSCaide

Art Sources:

• Aoya

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Negotiations between Emilia and Kiritaka Muse had proceeded unexpectedly smoothly.

Kiritaka, as a businessman, had likely been trying not to show favor to a single Royal Selection Candidate. However, Emilia had approached him directly, meaning that this meeting was a rather major event for him.

Of course, Emilia, who had been taking casual sips of the complimentary tea, was not thinking of her actions in such a way. Garfiel, who had steadily grown addicted to the accompanying desserts, was also not considering the political ramifications of their actions.

It could be said that, in the reception room of Muse Company, the only one who could read Kiritaka was Otto.

Kiritaka: [I understand that you have come a long way. Please excuse me for being unable to meet you at your convenience. Although I understand that it is disrespectful, due to my position, it is unwise for me to travel freely… In addition, I have become quite attached to this place.]

Otto: [Not at all, that is a very reasonable way to think. We are the ones who should be sorry for intruding in your busy schedule.]

Kiritaka: [I will treat whatever you need from me with the utmost priority and care.]

While exchanging polite greetings, Otto scrutinized the man facing him. The famed Kiritaka Muse was well-known, even outside of Pristella. His behavior revealed an image both majestic and stylish.

He was still fairly young, probably somewhere between twenty-five and thirty. His tall, thin body was clad in finely made clothes, and his pale golden hair was meticulously combed to the back of his head. His rather uncomfortable-looking ornaments showed sophisticated taste, and his introverted and concise words and gestures revealed that he was probably highly educated.

Otto, as the Emilia Camp’s Minister of Internal Affairs alongside Roswaal, had unknowingly accumulated a rather impressive amount of experience in negotiations. So he had immediately judged Kiritaka’s attitude to be almost unmatchable.

Speaking frankly, Emilia was incredibly fortunate to have Otto with her. If Otto had let Emilia face Kiritaka alone, she would surely be swayed by his skilled rhetoric, and would have ended up overspending on expensive but ultimately useless things.

From the past year, that was the impression Otto had gotten of Emilia.

Kiritaka: [May I inquire as to what you need from me? According to Anastasia-san’s messenger, the products you are procuring are stocked by our company.]

Otto: [It may be too soon to say so. Actually…]

Interrupting Kiritaka, who had begun to address the main topic, Otto looked to Emilia.

Emilia was content to leave the negotiations to Otto. Garfiel, similarly, maintained his usual attitude, eating desserts while fixing a sharp gaze on one corner of the room, staring at a leisurely-looking figure who was dressed from head to toe in white.

In Kiritaka’s words, the man in white was present to protect the staff from excessively assertive visitors. “Recently, the world has not been in a peaceful state, so I hope that he can join us”, he had said.

Otto had a faint idea of the man in white’s identity.

It was said that Pristella’s Muse Company made use of a mercenary force known as the Scales of the White Dragon, a group which was well-known even in Lugunica. This man was probably one of its members.

Rumors claimed that their group operated locally, but, a few years back, they had formed close ties with the Muse Company. If those rumors were true, then Kiritaka had been the one who brought them into the fray.

Otto: [We have a special request. That is, we are looking for a rare type of stone, even by Muse Company’s standards. We are searching for colorless magic ore with outstanding purity. I hope that this is something we can buy from you.]

Keeping in mind his evaluation that Kiritaka was not someone he could afford to be careless around, Otto stated his request plainly. Playing around with vague terms would be meaningless. After all, Kiritaka had very likely seen through the true reason for their visit as soon as it had been prepared.

And Kiritaka also understood that he could not refuse a direct request from Emilia.

Kiritaka: [I see. We do indeed stock magic ore… and we do indeed have some spellstones with a higher grade of quality than those stocked by regular merchants. Emilia-sama, no matter how much colorless ore you want, we are also willing to prepare…]

Otto: [Kiritaka-san. Please be straightforward with us. We have stated our request, that is, a colorless magic crystal of the highest purity. That is all we need.]

Kiritaka: […That is rather discourteous.]

Kiritaka was not simply lacking in straightforwardness. He was merely using a negotiation technique. Despite perfectly understanding Otto’s intentions, he casually dropped the names of other goods that he believed would appeal to Emilia. To him, the goods had been marked as sold long before the negotiation had even started. The only remaining question was the matter of the price.

Otto: [We are indeed requesting something that may be troublesome for you, so as to be flexible about the price, we have prepared something that you will find beneficial. Mining rights to the magic ore in the Great Forest of Elior, part of the territory ruled by Margrave Mathers, who is backing Emilia-sama.] [1]

Kiritaka: [Please do not turn this into the kind of fraud that muddles prices. We are the only formal company that trades raw magical ore, so we cannot consider this proposal. In our line of work, credit is everything to us. I’m sure you would understand, Otto-dono?]

Otto gave a silent sigh. It seemed that Kiritaka knew of his origins.

The Suwen family’s business was nowhere nearly as famous as the Muse family’s, but it was hardly unknown. The main players supporting each of the Royal Candidates were sure to be heavily investigated, along with the candidates themselves.

That said, many questions were left unanswered by these investigations, which were the bane of the Emilia Camp. Garfiel had lived in Sanctuary his whole life, and Emilia had spent a century frozen in the Great Forest of Elior. Both the Lolimancer and his Contracted Spirit were of unknown origin.

Thus, Otto, whose identity had easily been discovered, would certainly have it used against him frequently.

Kiritaka: [Otto-dono? Your complexion seems to have changed. Are you okay?]

Otto: [Of course, please don’t worry about me. I just thought of something disconcerting and it made me a little uncomfortable, that’s all.]

Shaking his head at Kiritaka’s words, Otto decided to save that unproductive line of thought for later. Once again, he urged that Kiritaka provide a straight answer to his question. Kiritaka took on a meditative attitude.

Kiritaka: [Of course, we will not refuse to let go of our commodities no matter how much you plead, and of course we are going to follow Emilia-sama’s request.]

Otto: [Then…]

Kiritaka: [However, the magical ore you are requesting is special. In truth, on the occasion when I was first sent to Muse Company’s branch in Pristella, the president——that is, my father——gave it to me as a gift. Rather than treating it as a commodity, I prefer to think of its sentimental value.]

Otto: [————]

Regardless of whether the story were true or false, Kiritaka had made a cunning move. Hearing Kiritaka’s words, Otto bit his lip.

As Kiritaka had said, the extremely rare magic ore they were requesting was more than a mere trading commodity. Taking into account the magnitude of Muse Company’s transactions, it was too good of an opportunity not to seek extra profit.

So how could even greater value be made even greater? Not with commodities, but with human sentiment. Since the ore being sold had important personal value, that meant it needed to be exchanged for even greater value.

Emilia: [I see… I didn’t realize it was something so important to you.]

Emilia’s expression reflected that Kiritaka’s story seemed to have touched her deeply. Otto could only conclude that Kiritaka wasn’t cut out to be an actor, considering how guilty he looked.

“It took both action and effort to get your desired result”, Otto thought to himself as he cleared his throat.

Otto: [I appreciate your kindness. Even so, we still hope to find what we came here for.]

Kiritaka: [I understand. I am a merchant who sells magical ore, and I know that it is better to have it shine in the hands of someone who needs it than to have it sit as a decoration at my home. I am willing to give it to you. There are only a few conditions.]

Otto: [—―Conditions. Let me hear them.]

Having established that there would be an additional price tag, Kiritaka commenced the real negotiation. After Otto agreed to hear them, Kiritaka held up three fingers.

What unreasonable conditions would there be? Even thinking about them was enough to give Otto some mild aching in his stomach.

Kiritaka: [First of all. The Muse Company has been holding on to this colorless magic crystal that Emilia-sama has been seeking since some time ago. However, in order to keep it out of the hands of malicious people, we have hidden our possession of it. I hope you understand this.]

Otto: […That is only natural. That you have confided in us your circumstance, without attempting to hide anything, removes all of my suspicion.]

At first, Kiritaka had denied any past knowledge of the affairs of Emilia Camp. But in order to bring this deal to a successful conclusion, he gave up this knowledge.

Kiritaka: [Then the second one. As the deal is signed, I want to have the Hoshin Trading Company in presence, leaving it so that the legitimacy of our transaction is confirmed.]

Otto: [I understand… That poses no problem.]

It seemed there had been also a deal between the Muse Company and the Hoshin Trading Company. It seemed to be intended to semi-publicly reveal that Emilia owed Anastasia a debt. Although it was slightly uncomfortable, it was a legitimate request, so Otto could not refuse.

So far, none of the requests would be considered deal-breakers. So, the third request—— as soon as he said it, Kiritaka’s true intentions would become clear.

Otto held back a sigh as Kiritaka waved the third finger in front of him.

Kiritaka: [Third—— Avoid all contact with the Songstress named Liliana, who is currently residing in this city.]

Otto: [——Huh?]

Hearing a name suddenly appear of nowhere, Otto froze.

Of course, Emilia and Garfiel, who were accompanying him, had the same reaction—— No, never mind, those two had remained unchanged ever since the negotiations started. Emilia sipped her tea and Garfiel stared at the figure in white. Although they had left all the negotiations to Otto, seeing their blatant lack of participation irked him.

Otto: [I am sorry, but I think I may have misheard you. Did you just say to avoid contact with the Songstress…?]

Kiritaka: [No, there was no misunderstanding there. These conditions are all we request. If you have any questions, please ask them, and please consider the deal carefully…]

Otto: [If you do not mind, can I ask for the reason? At this point, I can’t recall our deal having anything to do with the Songstress.]

Kiritaka: […It is not something that necessarily needs to be said. Can you agree to that promise?]

His tone sinking, for the first time, Kiritaka exposed his emotional side. Otto, who could not understand the condition, was lost on what to do.

Put simply, the third request passed the horizons of his imagination. Accepting posed no future obstacles to Emilia, and although she would regret not being able to meet the Songstress she had discussed with Anastasia, it was hardly important enough to scrap this deal for.

That they had so effortlessly come to an agreement was surprising.

Otto had not dared to expect that negotiations could have gone so smoothly, although Kiritaka could, at this point, still change his mind. Subaru, who had been lost halfway, would be here soon, and would certainly turn that matter into something troublesome. Otto wished to tie the deal up before he arrived.

Otto: [Emilia-sama, is this alright with you?]

Emilia: [Mhm. I’m a little disappointed, but I guess it can’t be helped.]

Having earned the confirmation from Emilia, Otto agreed to the deal. Kiritaka was satisfied to accept this commitment, and the most stressful part of the negotiation came to an end. Now, they could discuss the actual monetary price, and maybe pick up a few small items.

Kiritaka: [There are a few other quality goods that you may be interested in… would you like to see?]

Kiritaka stood to retrieve a wooden chest from a shelf in the back. The chest, having been placed on the table, emitted a glow as it opened, dazzling Otto and Emilia. Inside were all sorts of magical stones, carefully arranged on cushions, the most radiant of which was the colorless, transparent one, devoid of any elemental trace.

That was the colorless stone that Emilia had been pursuing.

Kiritaka: [Would you like to inspect it by hand?]

At Kiritaka’s words, Emilia raised her head.

She nodded, drawing a small breath, then stretched her nervous fingers towards the stone. But, at that moment,

Garfiel: [Emilia-sama.]

Man in White: [Young Master.]

Simultaneously, the two guards called to their respective master. They turned to look at each other, and then to face their surprised masters.

Garfiel: [There are two loud ’n annoyin’ somethin’s comin’.]

Man in White: [There seems to be the sound of footsteps coming from downstairs. Allow me to go investigate.]

He strode soundlessly toward the door as Garfiel tensed his body. The sound of the disturbances drew closer, until they seemed to be right in front of the door——

???: [You two are so noisy, always arguing like that! Shush! Emilia-tan is doing negotiations inside…]

The voice was an incredibly familiar one. As this thought was shared by three people in the room, the man in white opened the door of the reception room, revealing a familiar scary face. With a petite girl on either side of him, this man, Subaru, was truly worthy of the title of Lolimancer.

Emilia: [——Subaru?]

Hearing Emilia’s call, a pale Subaru finally noticed the presence of everyone else. At that moment, Otto wanted to complain, but he decided to observe everyone else’s reactions first and held back.

And so, Subaru held up his hands and smiled weakly.

Subaru: [A-ah… Emilia-tan. What a coincidence.]

Emilia: [A coincidence? Why were you being so loud…. Uh, Kiritaka-san?]

Hearing Emilia’s surprise, Otto’s own reaction was also delayed.

When he finally caught himself, Kiritaka had reached a hand into the wooden chest of magic stones and glared at Subaru with a gaze bordering on frantic. He clutched a blue pure magical stone, and,

Kiritaka: [Do-, do, do, do, do, DON’T TOUCH MY LILIANA!!]

Accompanying his frantic cry, a magical stone was thrown. Without anyone to stop him, the stone arched towards Subaru and knocked his body away in an explosion of blue.

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Man in White: [My apologies for that embarrassing spectacle. The Young Master is usually calm, but if matters involve Liliana-san, he quickly flies into a rage… I will try to calm him down, but, for today, let’s end negotiations here.]

After the commotion died down, the middle-aged man in white acted as the mediator who had to calm down both sides. He bowed his head with an apology.

Kiritaka’s frantic voice could still be heard from the closed door behind him. That scene was unsuitable for outsiders, so the members of Emilia Camp had been ushered out of the room.

Liliana: [Kiritaka-san is really troublesome, even taking away my chance to speak to Emilia-sama and Subaru-sama! Ugh, I’m so annoyed, ugh!]

Liliana’s anger, on the other hand, was also endless. Speaking in an angry huff, she announced that she’d come up with a new song titled “The Avant-Garde Master of Life and Death”, causing Beatrice to furrow her brow.

Man in White: [Liliana-chan, please forgive the Young Master.]

Liliana: […I understand.]

Although it took a long time to understand, Liliana had finally been talked down. Subaru’s interference had rendered a smooth sailing negotiation utterly fruitless.

Subaru: [In other words, Liliana’s a rabid fangirl, and is obsessed with us. Kiritaka knew and wanted to keep us from stealing her. That was the point of the third condition?]

Otto: [And just as I was about to have the deal tied down, Natsuki-san had to come ruin everything. I finally understand now. Does having you around do any good for anyone!?]

Subaru: [I acknowledge that this was my fault, but who would have thought that after getting seasick things would turn out like this… That’s hardly something I had any control over.]

Otto could not hide his dissatisfaction at the result of the negotiations. Subaru spoke lightly, but he was also hardly satisfied, having taken a blow from Kiritaka’s magical stone, and realizing that negotiations on the following day would be incredibly difficult based on Kiritaka’s angry tone.

Emilia: [Come on now, please don’t be so angry, Otto-kun. Subaru didn’t do this on purpose, these things just happen sometimes.]

Subaru: [That’s right. Keep going, Emilia-tan.]

Emilia: [Subaru, you also have something to apologize for. You shouldn’t have been so loud with Liliana-san. We were the guests there, so we definitely troubled the people working a lot. The receptionist will also be in trouble.]

Subaru: [Yes, I’m sorry.]

Subaru bowed his head in an apology, and Emilia nodded a “very good”. Otto gave a helpless sigh as he watched his master’s hopeless attitude.

Otto: [Anyway, today’s negotiations have ended here, so we should be getting back to the Water Plumage Pavilion… However, I have something to attend to first. So, I’ll meet back with everyone later.]

Subaru: [Something to attend to?]

At his unexpected words, everyone turned to Otto, who gestured in the general direction of Muse Company’s headquarters.

Otto: [We’ve gone out of our way to come to the faraway Pristella, so I’d like to take the time to improve relationships here. Although, as for today, it is only necessary for me to go. There may come a day when Emilia-sama may need to come. If that ever happens, I’ll have to trouble you, Emilia-sama.]

Emilia: [Yeah, I understand. But, why am I not needed today?]

Otto: [If you show up unannounced, they may be unable to sufficiently welcome you. We need to be considerate about where you go.]

Emilia: [Yes. I understand. I’ll keep it in mind.]

After hearing Emilia’s reply, Otto gave a “please go home promptly”, as if speaking to a group of children, then disappeared into the depths of the Second Street. As for Garfiel, although he wanted to accompany Otto, he was rejected with “please prioritize Emilia-sama”.

Emilia: [So, Subaru, what were you talking about with Liliana-san?]

Subaru: [Oh? Is Emilia-tan concerned about me talking to other girls? I wonder. I’m glad to see this subtle change.]

Emilia: [No. Don’t get me wrong, I just want to know what kind of a person the Songstress is.]

Subaru: [So it’s better for me to misunderstand, here!?]

Emilia, as always, naturally and mercilessly cut into Subaru’s heart. But, in any case, she gave Subaru a reason to chat with her, so he began to recount his earlier experience.

Subaru: [At first, when we encountered her in the park, I thought her song was super powerful. It was an astounding performance, even as the Songstress. Right, Beako?]

Beatrice: [Betty won’t deny this point, in fact. She doesn’t deny it, I suppose.]

Emilia: [Beatrice looks so distressed, what happened?]

Subaru: [——Talent in one area comes at the price of competence in others. Liliana perfectly showcased the meaning of that.]

Subaru could fully understand Beatrice’s distress. Liliana had poured her heart and soul into music, and in turn became a rather pitiful girl.

Subaru: [In short, rather than striving to be an extremely talented person in one area, you should strive to be a mildly successful person all around.]

Garfiel: [Ooh, that’s pretty philosophical, Captain. If her singin’ makes people think that, it must’ve been amazin’.]

Subaru: [I won’t deny it. Speaking of which, meeting Liliana was worth coming up with that conclusion.]

Everyone decided to return to the inn by foot. If they were to take the waterways again, then Subaru would become seasick again, which would mean leaving him behind.

Emilia: [Like Otto-kun said, it wasn’t easy for us to come here, so I want to take a walk and appreciate these beautiful streets.]

Rather than having Subaru feel guilty that they were walking for his benefit, Emilia phrased her reasoning as a cute request. Subaru had no complaints, and Garfiel and Beatrice did not object.

Subaru: [If I hadn’t been able to accompany Emilia-tan back to the inn, I would’ve gone mad with worry.]

Beatrice: [You don’t need to worry, in fact. If we get into trouble then Betty would place her left hand on a wall, I suppose.]

Subaru: [I think I’ve already told you about the defects of that method.]

Garfiel: [Ya two don’t need to worry, you’ve got my amazin’ self’s nose. Whether it’s the smell of the inn or the smell of that midget devil, my amazin’ self remembers it.]

Subaru: [——Heh.]

Noticing that Garfiel had used Mimi’s scent as an example, Subaru subconsciously gave a malicious chuckle. The little kitten’s reaction to Garfiel, though surprising and puzzling, was probably nothing other than goodwill. Plus, they were of similar age. Subaru thought they made a rather good match.

Incidentally, Garfiel was still the same, wanting to dedicate himself to Ram. And Ram had no special feelings for him, regarding Garfiel as a little brother, nothing more.

Subaru: [In any case, Garfiel. You’re my little bro, so as a big bro I’m praying for your success in love.]

Garfiel: [Ahh? Whaddaya just say, somethin’ all touchy-feely, Captain? Well, yer makin’ me feel sick.]

Subaru wore an expression of “I understand” as he patted Garfiel on the shoulder. Garfiel cocked his head and laughed, exposing his sharp-toothed grin. Subaru hoped from the bottom of his heart that the kind, well-intentioned Garfiel would find happiness.

Emilia: [This is really a nice city. Everything seems so fresh and the people here look so happy. I can’t help but feel excited.]

Their surroundings seemed to delight Emilia, and, seeing her expression, Subaru felt happy as well. She did have a point, though. The architecture in the city must have taken a great effort to design, and everything functional seemed to simultaneously serve as artwork. The icing on the cake was, of course, Pristella’s beautiful waterways which doubled as transportation.

Subaru: [Although the city was built like this, the origins of the design are unknown.]

Emilia: [Apparently its construction pushed the limits of technology at the time, because it had something to do with keeping dangerous Witchbeasts trapped inside the city. But that doesn’t change its beauty, right?]

Emilia stopped at a bridge overlooking the waterway and smiled. Subaru, overtaken by the mood, nodded as if to declare, “Yeah, that’s right”.

For whatever reason, Subaru had arrived here, at this point. The results that he had earned, and the results he was reaching for, as long as they could be reached, nothing else mattered.

Because the most important part of anything was not the beginning, but the end.

Subaru: [That’s what you always said, Mom.]

Emilia: [Just now, did you say something?]

Subaru: [I just remembered the magic words that the woman I respect most in the world said to me.]

The days of those memories were long gone, but even so, Subaru had gained so much courage from them.

It would be impossible to forget them, because the lesson he’d learned from them was something that could not be forgotten. Natsuki Subaru, today, lived with those memories inside him.

Seeing Subaru and Emilia’s exchanging smiles, Garfiel and Beatrice waited on the side. Those two were occupied in their own world, and no one could interrupt them. Even Beatrice recognized this point.

Beatrice: [He has such a foolish expression on that face of his, in fact.]

Garfiel: [When a man’s sharin’ such a good mood with the woman he likes, of course he’ll act like that. My amazin’ self’s relieved, looks like the Captain’s a man.]

Beatrice: [I wonder what that means, I suppose.]

Garfiel: [No, it’s just that the Captain surrounds himself with girls too small ’n too many men… Supposin’ he weren’t so close with Emilia-sama, a misunderstandin’ might’ve happened.]

Beatrice: [Subaru is a masculine man, in fact! He’s both a man and a pervert, I suppose! He’s always willing to randomly touch Betty and Petra, I suppose!]

Garfiel: [That’s not really a nice way to vouch for him, yeah?]

The two talked at length about Subaru’s preferences, and about his reputation of touching girls younger than him. Subaru and Emilia, satisfied with their view of the City of Water, did not even hear the irrational dialogue taking place behind them.

Emilia: [Well then, it’s about time to go back. Plus, I kinda want to admire the inn again. Its shape was reaaally odd but interesting.]

Subaru: [Wafuu-style architecture. I also want to see it again, although for different, less charitable reasons than Emilia-tan.]

Emilia: [Is that so? Haha, then, we should hurry.]

Emilia withdrew her hand from the railing, and took a few steps backward with an excited smile. Because she was feeling a bit impatient, Emilia had not taken the time to confirm that there was no one behind her.

Emilia: [Ah.]

???: [Whoops.]

She backed right into a man wearing a hood who had passed by them. She stumbled slightly, and the man reached out to steady her.

Emilia: [I-I’m sorry. I… I wasn’t looking behind me…]

Subaru: [Sorry from me too. This girl, she’s so troublesome. I’ll be sure to scold her.]

A flustered Emilia apologized to the man wearing the hood. Subaru joined her side and bowed his head to the man. He took care not to call Emilia’s name, taking the precaution of keeping people from realizing who she was and causing a commotion in the streets. Of course, Emilia was wearing her cognitive disruption cloak.

So, if they made as much as slight contact with someone, it wouldn’t develop into a big deal. This time included.

???: [This time, I was the careless one. After all, I was a little distracted in admiration.]

Subaru: [Hm?]

???: [The miss that I just bumped into has the silver hair of a beautiful girl, doesn’t she? A woman I once wanted to marry had that kind of beautiful hair. Remembering that hair, I didn’t avoid you in time.]

His remark should have seemed urgent, but his voice sounded rather slow and intoxicated.

Judging from his voice, the man, dressed in a long robe, sounded fairly young. Hearing him mention marriage, Subaru froze, and immediately judged him as a man who he did not want near Emilia.

Subaru: [Well, we can consider this a fault from both parties. Since we’ve conveyed our apologies, we can both move on now.]

Emilia: [Wait, Subaru. That was a kind of an insincere and apathetic apology…]

Subaru: [That’s fine, no?]

Emilia: [————]

Subaru pulled her arm, wishing Emilia to leave, Emilia herself seemed lost for words. Seeing their interaction, the man in the hood slowly shook his head.

???: [I don’t mind. I don’t place any anger or blame on you. If you want to leave, feel free to leave. If we are to meet again, fate will provide us with another opportunity.]

Subaru: [Ahh, that’s very true. Well then, maybe fate will guide us to a future meeting.]

Accepting the man’s poetic farewell, Subaru responded similarly and left with Emilia’s hand in his. Subaru stole a quick glance at her. In that moment, for reasons unknown to him, Emilia wore a meaningful expression as she glanced over her shoulder at the man they’d just left.

Subaru: [Sure, my attitude wasn’t great, but I wanted to protect my Emilia-tan and get her away from that strange guy.]

Emilia: [Hmm? Ah, right. I genuinely didn’t think Subaru’s attitude was very nice, since it was my mistake, but that wasn’t what I was thinking about…]

Stopping here, Emilia’s eyes reflected her confusion. However, with a meditative expression and quivering lips, she continued,

Emilia: [That person just now, I feel like I’ve met him before… That’s how I felt, but, since his face was hidden, I couldn’t be sure…]

Subaru: [Someone that Emilia-tan knows? Well, I should probably know them as well.]

Probably because it was still bothering her, Emilia turned around once more. But the figure had disappeared, and she had no idea where he had gone.

Emilia: [Mhm… but, I don’t know. Who was he?]

Garfiel: [Yo, Captain. Why’re ya lookin’ so nervous, clingin’ to Emilia-sama’s hand? Were ya afraid that someone’s gonna steal her?]

Seeing Subaru and Emilia emerging from the bridge, Garfiel approached them, and Subaru stuck his tongue out at him.

Subaru: [Idiot, this is no time for games. If there’s some strange guy hanging around, you have to show up to help. If it’s an opponent that I can’t handle, then Emilia-tan would be in danger.]

Garfiel: [Suppose if that happened, then you’d protect her with yer life. That’s what makes the Captain a man.]

Subaru: [If I acted as a shield then maybe I could take one hit. Then if the enemy kept going, we’d be in trouble. I have no confidence in my endurance, either physically or mentally.]

Hearing Subaru’s humble evaluation of himself, Garfiel laughed. He doubtlessly believed that Subaru was just humble, but, to Subaru, it was indeed a proper evaluation. It was perhaps better to say that Garfiel overestimated Subaru.

Garfiel: [No cause to worry. If my amazin’ self thinks that some bastard’s tryin’ t’attack ya, they’ll be sent flyin’, no doubt about it. Besides, the guy didn’t move like he knew how to fight. Was just some regular guy, one who didn’t know no martial arts.]

Subaru: [You can tell that?]

Garfiel: [Just by lookin’. Can also tell the Captain likes to swing swords ’round. My amazin’ self could tell as soon as ya moved yer wrists.]

Subaru: [Really? That sounds like some kind of magic trick.]

Subaru had never told Garfiel of his high-school experience with kendo. [2] Subaru had already realized that his so-called skill would be of no use in this world. But his exercise bore traces, which the knowledgeable practitioners of this world could apparently see.

Subaru: [Having said that, are you still worried, Emilia-tan?]

Subaru put this thoughts to the side and spoke to Emilia, who was still gazing around, before giving up with a shake of her head.

Emilia: [Mhm, it’s okay. Sorry to trouble you. Let’s go back.]

Subaru: [Well, when we get back, make sure to hug Mimi for a while to make you feel better. Oops, I’ll be hugging you though, Beako, so there’s no need to be worried.]

Beatrice: [Betty hasn’t said anything yet, I suppose!]

Hearing Beatrice’s complaints and Subaru’s proud expression, Emilia laughed. Then, covering her mouth, she replied,

Emilia: [That’s true, holding Mimi does seem to be very comforting. I’ll be sure to do that.]

As Emilia spoke, she checked her surroundings once again, then dropped her uneasy gaze in exchange for a smile.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

???: [——I see. Now I understand the meaning of having come here.]

A man spoke into the cuff of his coat, shaking the hem of the hood. Recalling the girl he had just come in contact with, his mouth curled into a smile, a smile that let off a miserable feeling.

???: [I went out of my way to come here. If it had been for nothing, then I couldn’t let it go as if nothing had happened. Since this is a special reward, this is another matter.]

The words themselves were mild, but the voice which had announced them was feverishly sticky. It was as though the feeling had been cooked in a sticky pot, and then had been left out under the sun and the moon. The feeling held that kind of unpleasantness.

???: [I will never let go of anything I own, and I want what I own to be perfectly suited for me. Since I am perfect, I must be continually satisfied. So, being aware of those missing numbers would, of course, be unsatisfying, and must be filled.]

The man spoke his tongue twisters as he raised his head. At that moment, his hood fell, revealing white hair. With the wind swaying his white hair, the slightly unhappy man announced.

???: [I must make her my seventy-ninth wife, to satisfy that vacancy.]

In the City of Water, the white-haired devil spoke in a voice full of derision.

Translation Notes:

[1] – You may read this and think, “Wait, but didn’t Subaru and Rem sell those to Crusch during the negotiations prior to the White Whale battle?”. Well, yes, they did, in all mediums. Take in mind, however, that the expression used does not seem to carry the nuance that the rights are exclusive to either the Crusch Family/Camp or to the Muse Company. An additional observation would be that this very scene seems to not have been shown in the Light Novel.

[2] – Literally “way of the sword” (剣道), a modern Japanese martial art descended from swordsmanship. For more information, see here.