Arc 5, Chapter 38 – “The Witch Cult’s Demands”

 

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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:

http://ncode.syosetu.com/N2267BE/

Translated by:

• Nanashi-tan
• Phantaminum

Proofread by:

• Phantaminum
• SSCaide

(Art Source Deleted)

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As Subaru gazed at that thing, eyes wide in shock, he momentarily forgot how to breathe.

Echidna: [Although I had been anticipating this kind of reaction, it is still somewhat overwhelming. Even though I may look like this, I am, by gender, a woman… Well, no, I am a Spirit, so it is difficult to determine whether I have a gender. I am not sure if there is a distinction between male and female Spirits, for starters. Maybe I should just say that I identify as female?]

Snow white hair and sharp black eyes. A neutral voice that cleverly weaved roundabout words. Those characteristics brought to mind that figure consisting of only two colors, black and white―― the Witch in Subaru’s memories.

Subaru: [What a… terrible joke. You’re saying you’re Echidna?]

His first encounter with the Witch of Greed had been before taking the Trial in the Tomb of Sanctuary. She had lured him to one of her Tea Parties. She had enticed her guest with sweet words in an attempt to make him turn into a puppet out of his own will, dancing as she pulled its strings. And, on top of that, she wanted to borrow him to seek all the answers that she herself could not witness. She could be said to be curiosity incarnate.

Subaru did not wish to see her ever again.

Subaru: [You… actually turned into a fox? Stop screwing around. And appearing during this moment of crisis, what are you scheming this time?]

Anastasia: [Wait a moment. Stop jumpin’ to conclusions and listen.]

Subaru had recovered slightly from his initial shock, ready to bring retribution upon the white fox in front of him who was claiming to be Echidna. However, he was cut off by Anastasia, the person wearing the white fox around her neck.

Subaru’s hostility towards the white fox was then directed to Anastasia.

Subaru: [Don’t tell me not to be upset! Don’t bullshit me! What are you doing with her and what… have you been deceived by that? In the first place, she shouldn’t be out of the Sanctuary.]

Anastasia: [I don’t know what you’re going on about, but it’s been over a decade since I first met Echidna… And since then, we’ve barely ever been separated. Ain’t that just a little different from what you’re sayin’?]

Subaru: [Over a decade…?]

Anger bubbled deep within him again, at the thought that she had been doing whatever she wanted, free to interact with greater society all along. Echidna’s own testimony was the only source of information regarding the fact that she could not exit her Citadel of Dreams. So, had she been pulling the wool over his eyes about that as well?

Subaru: [You’re always like this… Do you get a kick out of watching people flail around in the dark while you laugh at their ignorance?]

Echidna: […My, my, it seems that I am detested through and through. Although this is a misunderstanding that seems quite difficult to resolve, it has cleared up some things.]

Anastasia: [Yep, it’s just as Echidna’s said.]

In contrast to Subaru’s fierce anger towards Echidna, Anastasia and the white fox exchanged a calm, understanding glance.

Seeing Subaru frown to that, the arctic fox shook her head in an unexpectedly human manner.

Echidna: [Although I have no clue whatsoever as to where your distrust of this other Echidna stems from, I would say that those issues are completely unrelated to me.]

Subaru: [What do you mean?]

Echidna: [It is a simple affair. I do not know anything about any Echidna outside of myself. I was born knowing nothing outside of the fact that I am an artificially-created Spirit, as well as my own name. Other than that, I have no other clues regarding my origin.]

Subaru: [——Huh?]

He had been expecting some sort of explanation, but the arctic fox spoke words unsuited to what Subaru knew of Echidna. Or, rather, if she really were Echidna, then anything she said could very possibly be misleading words meant to trick Subaru.

Claiming to be an Artificial Spirit and calling herself Echidna, despite the fact she had stated that she possessed no previous recollection of Subaru, he could not just carelessly believe her.

Anastasia: [Well, Natsuki-kun’s expression’s full of nothin’ but suspicion.]

Subaru: [Of course. For me, who knows Echidna’s true nature, this reaction is only natural. You too should… Right, my bad. Echidna’s saying she doesn’t remember anything, right?]

Anastasia: [It seems ya got absolutely zero intention to believe it… Ah, we’re operatin’ on a time limit, so that’s a real headache to have in this situation.]

Contrasting with Subaru’s clear vigilance, Anastasia spoke in her usual casual tone.

Echidna was working with her—— just that alone was enough for Subaru to become wary of Anastasia. And although both Julius and Ricardo were people of trust, the degree of said trust would perhaps need adjustments. Subaru could not allow himself to hope that the master and the subordinate were not unified in their opinions.

Subaru: [Why would you tell me your name, if you don’t have any memories? There should be no reason to do that… unless you’re sure I know Echidna.]

She had given him her name and disclosed her origins. Was that not proof that she was “Echidna of the Tea Party”? Which meant that she was not the “Echidna in the Coffin”, the one Roswaal was seeking. And so, there was no doubt that she was the one Subaru had met. In that case, there were a mountain of questions he had for her.

That said, he understood that this was not the time for those questions. However, facing Subaru’s visible impatience, Anastasia sighed tiredly.

Anastasia: [It seems things only got so rowdy ‘cause Natsuki-kun missed the broadcast.]

Subaru: [The broadcast? How is the Witch Cult’s message related to this?]

Echidna: [——Because one of their requests was “Surrender your Artificial Spirits.”]

The white fox answered the question curtly.

The content of that request left Subaru’s mind blank as he struggled to comprehend the ramifications. The broadcast, the Witch Cult’s demands, the Artificial Spirits. That was to say——

Subaru: [No way…]

Echidna: [Although it is something I would rather not believe, they are demanding Artificial Spirits―― That is, those with the same physiology as me and the girl that accompanies you. Because of this, is it not natural that we should approach you for a chat?]

Subaru: [How do you know that Beatrice is an Artificial Spirit?]

Echidna: [The only thing I can say is that I noticed the moment I gazed upon her, but I am not quite sure how. But I think that she, too, would be able to recognize me on sight. Maybe it is some kind of Spirit detection?]

With a more cautious attitude, the white fox answered Subaru’s questions one-by-one.

At the very least, Beatrice had not mentioned anything about the fox scarf upon first encountering Anastasia at the hotel. However, it was very possible that Beatrice had detected something, but, unsure of how accurate her sense had been, had not voiced her concerns out loud.

Why did she have to carry all those burdens alone? Subaru turned as if to ask her, and immediately felt a sharp pain, as if someone had stabbed him in the heart.

Echidna: [I believe it is unavoidable that the child by your side could not detect me properly. I have many defects as a Spirit. I cannot mimic those so-called Contracts, and I cannot even use magic to defend myself. Although, to compensate for this, I am confident in my ability to hide my presence. This time, though, I am presently starting to doubt that confidence.]

Subaru: [You can’t form a Contract… Then, what is Anastasia…]

Anastasia: [This child and I don’t share the relationship of Spirit and Contractor. Our relationship’s different to the kinda relationship Spirits and Contractors have… If I hafta call it anythin’, I’d say that we’re accomplices.]

Echidna: [I want to witness this child’s future, so that is why I am following her around like this. Having been with her for a few years now, we have become something like conversation partners. From time to time, she even discusses her business matters with me.]

The arctic fox spoke with a fleeting grin, and Anastasia lightly scratched her neck. Their relationship seemed harmonious and friendly, and Subaru presumed that they shared a certain degree of trust.

Subaru: [Why… would you disclose such a thing to me? It’s not like you have the ability to fight, or something like that.]

Echidna: [Is it not natural that we would disclose some of our own affairs if we wish to gain your trust? Furthermore, with the lives of the population of this entire city hanging in the balance… At this critical juncture, it falls to us to take action. Falling into internal strife because a small, relatively insignificant detail is something to be avoided.]

Anastasia: [I also really wanted to stop her, but… This child doesn’t pay attention to others’ advice at all after havin’ made up her mind, so… I’d like for you to at least hear her out, for the time being.]

The white fox was unusually frank and genuine for someone called Echidna, and Anastasia’s words supplemented her accomplice’s words. Belatedly, Subaru realized the reason for Anastasia’s earlier coldness―― she had taken on that demeanor to create an environment for a one-on-one conversation with Subaru.

Along with that, in order to successfully persuade Subaru, she had deliberately ushered Julius and Garfiel from the room.

Anastasia: [Of course, I won’t comply with the Witch Cult’s requests. But if both us and Natsuki-kun don’t mention anythin’, no one’ll know what an Artificial Spirit even is. We need to know what’s goin’ on before convincin’ anyone to reject the demand.]

Subaru: [I have no intention whatsoever to listen to anything that bunch has to say, so I strongly agree… but that doesn’t mean that all my skepticism about that fox calling itself Echidna is gone.]

Anastasia: [Don’t worry much ‘bout the name. Does this Echidna you know really have such a poor character, Natsuki-kun? If so, it’s rather troublesome to see you treat this child in such a way.]

Subaru: [I’ll apologize if it’s someone else entirely, but the timing is awful, and their attitude and speech patterns are almost identical. And…]

Anastasia: [And?]

Subaru wondered if he should tell Anastasia, who tilted her head.

To Subaru, it was unclear just what kind of existence were Artificial Spirits. All he did know however, was that Beatrice and Puck both were Artificial Spirits, and they had been created by the Witch Echidna.

Of course, if the white fox in front of him were truly an Artificial Spirit, it was safe to assume that she had likewise been created by Echidna’s hands.

In her search for eternal life, Echidna had devised a mechanism to create replicas. There was some doubt as to how much of that claim was valid. But if it were assumed to be true, then it was reasonable to reach the conclusion that she had become a Spirit.

Casting away her flesh, freed from the notion of lifespan as a Spirit—— if she could extend her existence in this manner, it would certainly fit with the Witch of Greed who longed for omniscience.

Therefore, there was no question that the white fox was the “Artificial Spirit that Calls Itself Echidna”. However, her claim that she possessed no other memories—— was that true or false?

Anastasia said they had been together for more than a decade. However, that alone was no reason to believe her. It would come as no surprise if she had been plotting something for a decade.

If someone were to say that she had been planning all that for this exact moment, Subaru would not have a hard time believing them.

Anastasia: [Hey, hey, ya look like ya had a terrible experience.]

Echidna: [Such intense hatred makes me actually curious about this other Echidna, but I suppose we should set that topic aside for now… Whether he believes us or not is irrelevant. By the way, Ana, should you not tell him what is going on already?]

The arctic fox spoke with a defeated tone, accepting Subaru’s grudge towards that suspicious Witch, and Anastasia, at her urging, shrugged and clapped her hands together, picking the conversation back up.

Anastasia: [Well, your suspicion’s somethin’ to be discussed later. The most pressin’ matter is the Witch Cult’s demands. The Witch Cult made three other requests.]

Subaru: [Three other… So, a total of four?]

Anastasia: [We’ve taken the City Hall back, so… it’s really the number of control towers still in their hands. Since most of their requests were rather mockin’ in content… try not to be offended.]

Mocking demands―― once again, they had gone too far. Subaru, who believed that his impression of the Witch Cult could not grow any worse, had his notions shattered.

Anastasia caressed the tail of the white fox with her hands, as Subaru silently urged her to speak. Then, licking her lips, she said――

Anastasia: [The first one was to surrender one of our Artificial Spirits. This demand came from Gluttony.]

Subaru: [Gluttony…]

Anastasia: [Although I’ve got much to say on that, I’ll save my comments for later. Next is Wrath—— She wants the Book of Wisdom brought to this city.]

Subaru: [——Hk!?]

At yet another unexpected shock, Subaru involuntarily widened his eyes. And seeing that, Anastasia narrowed her pale-green eyes.

Anastasia: [Judgin’ from that reaction, I’d say that Natsuki-kun knows somethin’ ‘bout it?]

Subaru: […]

Anastasia: [No worries, that’s excellent. It’s been troublin’ me quite a bit. Echidna doesn’t know anythin’, and neither does Julius nor any of the others.]

Subaru: […That fox really said she doesn’t know anything? Even though it’s the Book of Wisdom, huh…]

Anastasia flashed a slight smile. After all, before this breakthrough, she had been puzzling over something without even a clue on how to reach the answer. But now, she had found a glimmer of hope. Of course, that smile carried nary a hint of cuteness either.

And it was also factual that her apprehension was visible after Subaru’s question.

Echidna: [No, I am afraid I do not know anything… Then, if you allow me to speculate… the Echidna you know is connected to this Book of Wisdom, correct?]

Subaru: [Yes, that’s right.]

Anastasia: [In that case, I gotta ask even if I don’t wanna know… What kind of person was this Echidna that Natsuki-kun’s acquainted with? Is she related to the Witch Cult?]

The perception shown by both Anastasia and the white fox was outstanding. At the same time, they were closely related to one of the parties, so Subaru was tempted to think they were feigning ignorance.

Of course, it was inevitable that they would think this way.

If he were to believe what the white fox had said, Echidna was merely her name. Only Subaru knew that the Artificial Spirit’s creator was Echidna. And, most importantly, this proved that among the Witches, only the name of the Witch of Envy had been recorded into history. Not a trace of the others was left.

Only those of the Emilia Camp, who were faintly aware of Echidna’s existence and nature, would get a feeling of crisis because of her name.

Subaru: [——Echidna… is the name of a Witch from a long time ago. In addition to the Witch of Envy, other wicked Witches existed. She was one of those. Although she’s long dead, her soul remained anchored to this world. Having met her before, I’m now very wary of her.]

Anastasia: [Hey, Natsuki-kun, do ya have a fever? You’re speakin’ some rather outrageous words here.]

Subaru: [There’s nothing wrong with my head. Those Witches are incomprehensible, twisted existences. They can even create Artificial Spirits, so just accept this much.]

Echidna: [In that case… then this Echidna could be said to be my parent, huh.]

Subaru’s answer was sprinkled with implications, and the white fox drew meaning from words that surely sounded frustrated. Although he was not really trying to hide anything, Subaru felt a twinge of regret at not being upfront with her from the get-go.

Echidna: [Discovering the secret behind my birth at an unexpected time is one of the many joys of life. If you have the opportunity, I would like to listen to more details.]

Subaru: […Although you’re a Spirit yourself, you’re so obviously clueless about everything. Even our Beatrice seems to know much more than that… No, come to think of it, Beatrice has never mentioned anything about you. Where did you come from, and what were you meant to do?]

Echidna: [Regretfully, whether you are talking about the circumstances of my birth or the purpose I was made to fulfill, both of those are wholly unknown to me. Right now, I am merely following the path of this rather interesting child.]

At Subaru’s accusation, the white fox cast a meaningful sideways glance to Anastasia, who slowly moved her gaze to Subaru.

Anastasia: [I’m also quite curious ‘bout the connection between Echidna and this Witch. And she… cannot be unrelated to the Witch Cult. So, let’s return to the topic of the Book of Wisdom…]

Subaru: [The Book of Wisdom is the prototype of the Witch Cult’s Gospels… That is, it’s the original, complete version. It holds prophecies that describe the future and follows principles similar to the Dragon History Stone.]

Anastasia: [The same as the Dragon History Stone… Then, they’d be highly credible. Is it possible the Witch made the book herself?]

Subaru: [That’s what she implied, but the two existing copies should have been incinerated. If more copies were ever made, then I don’t know of them.]

Echidna had given copies of her Book of Wisdom to both Beatrice and Roswaal. And it had been confirmed that both of their copies had been destroyed by fire during an incident a year ago.

Beatrice’s Book of Wisdom had crumbled to ash along with the Forbidden Library. And Ram had burned Roswaal’s Book of Wisdom, rejecting the future recorded within it. Since both had been destroyed, there should be no Book of Wisdom in existence.

Anastasia: [But that’s just what you’ve heard from the Witch Echidna. Do ya think her words’d be truthful regardin’ that?]

Subaru: [There’s that…]

Although unhappy that Anastasia had simply denied his assertion, Subaru himself also understood that the credibility of that statement was not very high. However, he did not think that Echidna had lied.

Presumably, only Subaru, who had spoken to the Witch face-to-face, would have such a feeling.

Subaru: [————]

Anastasia: [Not trustin’ the person, but trustin’ her words. What a troublesome person for Natsuki-kun.]

Subaru: [I myself think so, too… I obviously didn’t intend to trust her, but I trusted her words concerning this, how contradictory.]

All of Echidna’s actions had been cleverly scripted, meant to coax Subaru into becoming her puppet.

However, that did not mean that everything had been a lie. Did Subaru believe that because he wanted to? Or was he still dancing along to that Witch’s tune unknowingly?

Anastasia: [For the moment, regardless of Natsuki-kun’s personal feelings, there are three possibilities for this Book of Wisdom. First, the Witch was lyin’, and other copies were made.]

Subaru: [And the second is that the Witch Cult doesn’t know that the Book of Wisdom no longer exists, and are causing an uproar for nothing… But the third one is?]

Anastasia: [There’s a possibility that a Book of Wisdom remains, even if her words weren’t lies. One single reason―― that is, one of the copies wasn’t completely destroyed by fire, and unburnt remains still exist.]

Subaru: [——Wha?]

That the Book of Wisdom might have left remains was something that Subaru had not considered at all.

With Subaru dumbfounded, Anastasia shook a finger.

Anastasia: [Although it’s not somethin’ that’s clear-cut, the book was made by a Witch, wasn’t it? Couldn’t we say that it’d probably be difficult to destroy, or that it’s possible to restore it to its original state?]

Subaru: [Indeed, I really can’t say it’s impossible… But the real question is, who would have found and kept a restored one?]

Anastasia: [If you didn’t see the book bein’ burnt with yer own eyes, and it was last seen somewhere easily accessible… Maybe I’m overthinkin’, and the second hypothesis is far more likely, but, in either case, we won’t accept their proposal.]

Anastasia faced Subaru with a dainty hand placed over her mouth, citing various possibilities.

Who could have access to the remains of a Book of Wisdom? The remains of the one in the Forbidden Library were certainly impossible to reach. The mansion itself had burnt down, and the Book was consumed along with the Forbidden Library itself.

But what about Roswaal’s book? Although he had heard that Ram had burned it with magic, after that, Emilia’s magic must have scattered the ashes in that snow-covered Sanctuary.

What if it had survived the fire? And what if the book could really be restored? It would not be surprising if someone had picked it up. It was not totally uncanny.

Subaru: [If anyone could bring it here, it would be someone from my faction, and they all would have told me about picking it up. Therefore, I’m confident that the Book of Wisdom isn’t in this city.]

Anastasia: [In any case, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to concern myself so much with a book I know nothin’ about.]

Confident—— although he had said so, his feelings were perhaps closer to wanting to believe.

However, Anastasia did not dwell on this point, nor did she intend to dig deeper into the details of the Book of Wisdom. Rather,

Anastasia: [Then, the next demands came from Greed and Lust. They’re plain and simple, and there’s absolutely nothin’ worth discussin’ ‘bout their words.]

Subaru: [Those two… No. Gluttony and Wrath are no different. So, what’s going on? What did they request?]

Both Capella of Lust and Regulus of Greed were undoubtedly the worst of the bunch.

And before he had even met Capella, Regulus had injured his right leg and kidnapped Emilia, so Subaru bore a number of negative emotions for him. The fact that he had yet to hear any news about Emilia worried Subaru.

Anastasia: [Here’s to hopin’ you won’t get too angry ‘bout it.]

Subaru: [Depends on what’s the content.]

Subaru’s response to Anastasia’s uneasy opening remark was immediate. With an expression of “if you put it that way”, Anastasia sighed.

Anastasia: [Lust’s proposal is the same as the others, and it’s just mockery… “Send twenty pairs of men and women who love each other to the control tower—— they absolutely won’t be harmed”, somethin’ like that.]

Subaru: [That lying bitch! The hell does she mean, they won’t be harmed!? Did she forget that she’s the one who’s turning people into flies and dragons for fun!?]

As always, Subaru grew furious when confronted with Capella’s evil demands.

Twenty pairs of men and women who love each other—— it was horrifying to even imagine what that terrifying monster who sung about love would to do those men and women.

Anastasia: [From what I could tell, that Sin Archbishop doesn’t consider changin’ someone’s form to be harm. “I won’t hurt anyone~” is more along the lines of her exact words… I almost felt like I could see her speak. Well, next’d be Greed’s demand…]

Subaru: [――――]

Subaru choose to remain silent, angrily waiting for Anastasia’s next sentence.

However, seeing that attitude, Anastasia seemed to find it difficult to continue, hesitating for an exaggerated amount of time. Then――

Echidna: [The request of the man calling himself Greed was, “I want to hold a wedding with my silver-haired bride. So don’t interfere with anything regarding this marriage!”]

Anastasia: [Echidna…]

Echidna: [Ana, you seemed to have a hard time saying it, so I do hope it was alright for me to move things along.]

In Anastasia’s stead, who was far too hesitant, the white fox guarding her neck spoke first. However, the exchange between the two did not reach Subaru’s consciousness.

——Hold a wedding with a silver haired bride.

And who would be the bride of Regulus of Greed? The question did not merit any consideration at all.

Subaru: [——STOP FUCKING AROUND!! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!]

Therefore, Subaru’s volcanic eruption of anger was entirely reasonable. Anastasia could not help but frown, and the white fox’s hair stood up on end. That was how direct and pure Subaru’s rage was.

In his mind, the image of a white-haired man took form. An ignorant villain, holding transcendental power, had captured Emilia, and insisted that her only value lay in her face.

But that powerful man was nothing more than sick in the head. What nonsense was he spouting this time?

Subaru: [Beatrice! And the Book of Wisdom! And Emilia! They say they want them? Hah! The Witch Cult isn’t getting their hands on a single one of them! I’ll show them for messing around with that bullshit proposal!]

Anastasia: […I anticipated that reaction, but hearing ya say it so crisply like that really is reassurin’.]

Seeing Subaru’s passionate appearance, Anastasia smiled along as well.

Not due to a happy mood, but because that same passion was rising in her as well.

Anastasia: [Our Artificial Spirits… Well, I got no intention of turnin’ Echidna over to them. In addition, I refuse to be intimidated by the Witch Cult. I brought both Crusch-san and Emilia into this city, and the Witch Cult has made them suffer, so… I won’t be able to face either of them again if I don’t get us out of this.]

Echidna: [Oh, Ana, you are so militant.]

Anastasia: [That’s precisely ‘cause I know how to level the playin’ field so we can claim victory. We absolutely can’t escape right now. Because we’re sure to crush that Witch Cult and force them to pay reparations.]

Calculating misfortunes, reputation, victories, and losses.

Her clever words glossed over it slightly, but Anastasia’s fighting spirit showed not the slightest intent of retreating from the battle. Unlike Julius, Garfiel, Wilhelm, or even Ferris, she was only able to speak with such recklessness due to her lack of personal experience with the horrors posed by the Sin Archbishops.

However, Subaru did no such thing.

In this case, there was absolutely no need to say anything that would needlessly damage their morale. And even more importantly, her presence, as vengeful as it seemed, was undoubtedly trustworthy.

Anastasia: [Everyone’s got to agree with that sentiment, even slightly. Havin’ said that, they’re still a few steps ahead, but who can accept this ending!? We can make excuses for failure in the next world.]

Subaru: [————]

Anastasia: [As long as we’re still alive, there’s still a chance. And we absolutely can’t throw away our lives, that’d be far too tragic.]

A ferocious smile rose on Anastasia’s usually gentle face.

The pressure emanating from her petite form could have anyone forget that she was no warrior, experienced with the battlefield… No, that was wrong. She was, with her own profession as a battlefield, a warrior with the experience of a hundred battles under her belt.

Having chosen wits as her battlefield, she was a battle-hardened warrior.

Anastasia: [Whether it’s Crusch-san, or the people who have lost their human form, if we can get our hands on Lust, she’d probably be able to heal them up. And Natsuki-kun, your beloved princess was stolen away. This ain’t a pill you can swallow, right?]

Subaru: [Like you need to ask! Emilia will be my wife, damnit! I’ll get rid of that bastard Gluttony, and take Rem’s memories back! I’ll find that long-winded Sirius and knock her teeth out! And I’ll drag Capella here and force her to apologize and change everyone back before beating her senseless!]

Echidna: [My, Ana and this Natsuki boy are both treating the impossible like it is easy. But, truly, that is the thing I find most endearing about you.]

Subaru echoed Anastasia’s forceful declaration, and, seeing their spirited state, the white fox nodded with satisfaction.

The first and second battles had ended in failure.

But the next battle was ahead of them. No one would die, and they would let no one die. In the end, they would survive, victorious. That would be Subaru’s triumph.

Anastasia: [Ricardo is standin’ guard, lookin’ for Joshua and other lost children. He should be back shortly. And then, again, we’ll hold a full-fledged strategy meetin’.]

Subaru: [We also need to reconfirm the situation throughout the shelters and near the control towers.]

Anastasia: [That won’t slip my mind. Hey, it looks like my mind is finally startin’ to work.]

Since they had decided to do what they needed to, their hearts would be steeled with determination. That was the natural way.

While nodding at Anastasia’s words, Subaru turned his gaze to the outside of the City Hall. From beyond the window, only one side of the city could be seen. But, he could see the towers that controlled the watergates standing tall.

There was no way to distinguish which tower was east, west, north, or south. So, each one could hold Emilia, Rem’s memory, a sworn enemy, or a loathsome monster.

——In this city, the battle to save those precious loved ones continued.