Arc 5, Chapter 23 – “Disrupted Situation”

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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:

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Beatrice: [So? Tell me what happened, in fact.]

Having left the park, Beatrice waited until they had left Emilia and the others’ sight, and slowed her steps, speaking up. Although she had slowed down to talk, Subaru grabbed her arm and led her forward.

Beatrice: [Subaru?]

Subaru: [Sorry. We have to talk where no one else is around. There are many things that I want to discuss thoroughly, but we don’t have enough time—— In fact, we have less than fifteen minutes.]

Beatrice: […I understand, I suppose. Explain while we walk, in fact.]

Beatrice marched along obediently as Subaru turned his face away, trying to hide his anxiety. The presence of his understanding partner lightened Subaru’s heart, and he carefully sorted through the thoughts swimming in his mind as he tried to relay them to Beatrice.

Subaru: [The Witch Cult will attack the square that we’re heading to, and we have to stop their evil deeds.]

Beatrice: [Witch Cult… hk.]

Beatrice’s breath caught, and she urged Subaru to continue.

What troubled him were the rules and penalties for giving out information learned through Return by Death. Even if he had been able to safely relay tidbits to Larkins, there was no certainty that he could do so with Beatrice―― That was the nature of the devil of shadows whose hand bound Subaru.

The Witch that interfered with Subaru’s disclosure of information acquired via Return by Death would make a decision and pass judgement only after determining not only what Subaru was divulging, but also the person he was talking to.

If that were not the case, then why had Emilia’s heart been crushed after the secret had been revealed? That was the only explanation he could come up with.

So that was why Subaru paid careful attention to what he told Beatrice. If it were just Subaru withstanding the pain, then that would be no problem. It was scary. It was. But it was not something he was unable to endure. However, if that devil’s hand reached Emilia or Beatrice, Subaru would be crippled by guilt.

She might be forgiving to Subaru, but that Witch would be merciless to others.

Beatrice: [As usual, you can’t say anything, I suppose?]

Subaru: […Sorry. I’m so unreasonable.]

Beatrice: [Fine, in fact. Betty will believe it without any basis, I suppose. They’re Subaru’s words, so Betty will believe them, in fact.]

Beatrice took Subaru’s hand with her own, who bit back his own powerlessness. Saved by the warmth transmitted from that palm, Subaru searched for his next words. Sirius, Wrath, emotion sharing, soulwashing—scrutinizing the information that could be conveyed, and he would share awareness of the danger with Beatrice, little by little.

Subaru: [First of all, the member of the Witch Cult that’s going to show up is the Sin Archbishop of Wrath, who is, uh… A freak.] [1]

Beatrice: [If that’s the information that needs to be conveyed then Betty thinks that Subaru is having bad thoughts, I suppose.]

Subaru: [I’m just probing what’s safe and what’s not. Anyway, there’s something very important that we’ll have to deal with. Her abilities… she can control emotions, or is it sharing senses between people?]

Beatrice: [Controlling emotions and sharing senses?]

Beatrice lifted her head.

She was unable to imagine it in concrete terms. Of course, Subaru also could not clearly understand the effect of that Authority.

Subaru: [Explaining is a little difficult… if the Sin Archbishop is overjoyed, then no matter how angry people around her are, they will also feel happy.]

Beatrice: […I don’t really understand how that’s a threat, in fact.]

Subaru: [It’s this big thing where recognizing danger is impossible. No matter how dangerous the situation is, you don’t get that feeling of crisis. You’ll accept it with delight and won’t be able to correctly grasp the situation, understand?]

A crying, pleading child who did not want to die had been cheered for by the masses.

They had found joy in everything in front of them. Horrifying. Subaru was sure that, in that state, he would have been delighted up until the point a knife touched him. Even if it meant his head would be disconnected from his body by that blade.

Beatrice: [I understand the sharing of emotions, I suppose. What about sharing senses, in fact?]

Subaru: [That’s not all. When someone else feels pain, I’ll feel it too. If the Sin Archbishop’s head is cut off, then the heads of everyone watching it will also be cut off.]

As he explained further, his frustration at the hopeless situation began to surface again.

If you decapitate her, your head will also be chopped off―― There were few abilities that would make one more hesitant to kill than that. He had been able to escape through Return by Death, so he could think of measures in advance now. But everyone affected by that Authority before had no way of overriding that at all.

Subaru: [But even if you try to catch her alive, then there’s the possibility you’ll go crazy just by being in the vicinity. If she dies, then we’ll all die too. She’s really the worst kind of enemy, troublesome alive or dead.]

On his second death, Subaru had been swallowed by fear and driven mad. The origin of that fear had been Lusbel, who desperately sought for help. However, on that occasion, Lusbel had continuously felt the horror that led up to that madness. It could be taken as meaning that Subaru had less mental fortitude than the boy.

For Subaru, it was hard to say, “I should have been better”. Because it was hard to imagine that Lusbel, who he had spoken to earlier, would be able to resist such overwhelming terror.

Something other than just being made to share fear must have killed Subaru, in his second death. Something beyond just sharing emotions and senses―― Without the knowledge of what that was, finding a strategy that could defeat Sirius would be difficult.

Subaru: [————]

Subaru did not continue to speak, but he kept a grip on Beatrice’s hand, nonetheless.

Obviously, he had taken Beatrice, but he still had not found a solution. As such, Beatrice would probably be entangled in a battle with no real hope of victory.

What should he do? The easiest thing to do would be to have Reinhard take Sirius alive, considering the possibility of madness being induced. Subaru considered just summoning Reinhard like last time, giving enough explanation, and having him capture Sirius.

Why not call Reinhard before Sirius appeared? Before the sudden attack on the square, he would talk to Larkins again, warning him of life-threatening danger, and Reinhard would be called to deal with the crisis. Reinhard would not attack instantly, without asking for details. Even if Subaru explained why he had made an emergency call, there would be at least a few minutes until Sirius would make a move.

Subaru: [Am I an idiot? No, I am definitely an idiot. If Reinhard’s called, then Sirius is going to react immediately. There won’t be time to explain, and everything will speed up just like last time.]

Subaru needed to inform Reinhard before his battle with Sirius started.

Could he do it? Subaru had no confidence that he would be able to express his thoughts in time. In that previous loop, although he had wished to tell Reinhard to capture her, his mouth had disobeyed him and joined the crowd in yelling “kill her”. This was an undeniable precedent.

Beatrice: [Subaru. There’s still more bad news, in fact.]

Subaru: […Seriously? I don’t want to hear more bad news.]

Beatrice: Betty understands, I suppose. But, I have to tell you… Betty would be useless in a battlefield with Reinhard, in fact. I’d just be a cute little girl, I suppose.]

Subaru: [Huh?]

Beatrice spoke suddenly, her eyes downcast.

Beatrice: [Because of his constitution, Reinhard acts as a beacon for Mana, in fact. It’s like it doesn’t belong in this world[2], I suppose. The surrounding Mana in the atmosphere will follow him blindly, causing damage to the environment, which becomes a shackle to him, in fact. Spirits and magic users will be unable to use Mana, and Betty won’t be able to do anything, I suppose.]

Subaru: [What… the… That there should be such a thing…]

Even as he said so, Subaru realized that it was nothing so unthinkable. On the day Subaru had been summoned to this world, Reinhard and Elsa had fought a battle over the Insignia that qualified Emilia for the Royal Selection, in that final loop.

Subaru recalled that, while treating Old Man Rom, Emilia had mentioned that if Reinhard revealed his true ability, magic would be ineffective.

Beatrice: [If Reinhard can solve the problem, then it wouldn’t matter if Betty can’t do anything, in fact. But, if just Reinhard isn’t enough…]

Subaru: [Beako won’t have the option of being useful.]

That fantasy was also killed.

Just his presence would cause all magic to cease functioning. Calling Reinhard would now be counterproductive.

——Awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, what a disaster.

Subaru could no longer see any light. Had he been right or wrong in calling Reinhard? What about bringing Beatrice? What would be the correct procedure, here?

Should he ignore Sirius and give priority to the task of saving the people in the square? In that case, Sirius would only find another place to do the same thing. There was no point.

As he contemplated, anxiety began to burn through Subaru’s mind. Subaru expended as much effort as he possibly could in desperate search of a solution, but could find none.

Even so, time ticked on mercilessly, leaving Subaru behind.

Beatrice: […Subaru, we’re at the square, in fact.]

Subaru: [——Hk.]

Hearing her, Subaru suddenly looked up and saw the square.

The two had arrived at their destination, which would soon be marked by tragedy. No solution had been found yet. Their time limit had been cut short, little by little.

The white clocktower. The crowded square.

There were less than ten minutes before the tragedy would take place. Subaru’s solution was insufficient. How to solve it correctly? What to do?

Beatrice: [Subaru, I might have come up a solution, in fact.]

As Subaru’s face was taut with tension, Beatrice spoke up. Subaru’s blank mind was startled by her sweet voice.

Subaru: [Came up with a solution!?]

Beatrice: [Betty might be wrong, I suppose. But Subaru’s description of that Sin Archbishop’s abilities sounds familiar… I’m thinking of a higher-level magic, called Nect, that has a similar effect, in fact.]

Subaru: [Nect…!]

Nect—— It was a form of magic that Subaru had experienced in the past. With Nect, magic users could share the awareness and feelings of others. Indeed, it seemed similar to Sirius’s Authority.

While wondering why he had not noticed at first, Subaru thought out loud.

Subaru: [If it’s the same as Nect, is there any counter for it?]

Beatrice: […In the first place, countering Nect is unnecessary, I suppose. It is intended to unite comrades and express feelings, in fact. Using Nect as a weapon seems strange, I suppose.]

Beatrice gave her unhappy reply to an anxious Subaru. Subaru had once reluctantly shared his vision with Julius using Nect, so that the latter could defeat Petelgeuse, countering his Unseen Hands by making them visible.

Nect’s ability was used for cooperation between allies. It was absolutely not the kind of magic that should be used to take hostages.

Beatrice: [Normally, there is a condition for Nect, in fact. Enough trust between the two parties so that a passage of Mana can be established is necessary, I suppose. The Archbishop’s Authority probably has the power to circumvent such a condition, I suppose.]

Subaru: [So her Authority can forcibly achieve it. More than that…]

Beatrice: [How to deal with it, I suppose—— Shamak is the most obvious answer, in fact.]

Subaru: [Shamak-san has arrived! It’s too versatile!]

Subaru perked up at Beatrice’s proposal.

Shamak was an incredibly familiar magic. In painful, hard, dangerous times, in the hopeless of situations, Shamak had always faced adversaries alongside Subaru. Prior to contracting Beatrice, Subaru’s main sources of strength were Rem, Patrasche, and Shamak.

And even after the destruction of his own Gate, through his Contract with Beatrice, Shamak was still helping Subaru.

Subaru: [I see, Shamak, huh… If it’s Shamak then surely everything is somehow…]

Beatrice: [Subaru seems to have an unusual level of trust for Shamak, I suppose. It’s the most basic of Yin Magic and it’s really not that useful, I suppose.]

Subaru: [Even Beako isn’t allowed to badmouth Shamak like that…!]

Beatrice: [What’s made Subaru defend Shamak to this extent, in fact?]

Beatrice listened to the incomprehensible ramblings with a sigh, then glanced around carefully while holding a finger up.

Beatrice: [Shamak interrupts consciousness—— it’s a magic that forcibly disconnects one from their surroundings, I suppose. Subaru uses the magic strangely, in fact, but Betty doesn’t have any problem with it at all.]

Subaru: [In other words…?]

Beatrice: [When that magic is cast on the crowd, everyone’s minds will be blinded with Shamak, and it should be possible to escape the effects of the Authority of the Sin Archbishop, in fact. Though I’m worried about whether I can stop it from affecting Subaru, I suppose.]

Beatrice spoke with confidence and Subaru clenched his hands with excitement at this new glimmer of hope.

Subaru: [Alright, good. I’ll be depending on your magic. Then… what’s next?]

Beatrice: [Aside from Reinhard, who can defeat the Sin Archbishop, in fact?]

Subaru: […]

With Reinhard, Beatrice would not be able to use her Shamak strategy. Therefore, he needed to be excluded from their calculations.

However, on this occasion, Reinhard was perhaps the only one who could defeat Sirius.

Beatrice: [Speaking of which, since Betty needs to use Shamak on people the moment the Archbishop is defeated, Betty won’t be able to fight, in fact.]

Subaru: [That’s right. Then… we’re back at square one.]

Without Beatrice’s backing, Subaru would almost certainly be unable to defeat Wrath. Without his trump card, just his whip alone would not allow him to escape unscathed.

Subaru: [At that time, it seemed like there were other people who could fight in that square…]

Subaru thought of the first time at the square.

Upon detecting a threatening presence in the tower, several people reacted immediately. A beastman, a blindfolded woman, a serious-looking businessman, and Larkins.

Excluding Larkins, how would the remaining three fare? Adding Subaru to their number would total four, and would that mean that victory was in sight?

Subaru: [What a stupid train of thought, asking strangers to trust me. I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t thought of now…]

???: [——That’s where I come in, because I know what I’m capable of?]

Subaru: [——!?]

A sudden voice from behind pierced into his hopeless thoughts.

At that all too familiar voice, Subaru and Beatrice looked back in surprise. Standing behind the two with their hands on their hips——

Subaru: [E-Emilia-tan? Why are you here…]

Emilia: [Subaru seemed to be acting strange, so I was worried that something bad was happening. It looks like I was excluded, that’s one of Subaru’s bad traits.]

Having been criticized, Subaru pressed his mouth shut.

Astonished at Emilia’s sudden appearance, he could not respond. She should not be here. He did not want her to be here. Beatrice took his place and looked up at Emilia.

Beatrice: [You should have stayed in the park, in fact. Why did you come, I suppose?]

Emilia: […I just couldn’t wait. Subaru told me to stay, but Priscilla told me otherwise.]

Subaru: [That woman in red?]

Emilia: [She said that if I didn’t follow you, I’d certainly regret it. When I caught up and saw that nothing had happened, I thought about leaving quietly, but you two seemed to be discussing something serious. So I couldn’t go back.]

Emilia had been influenced, and the face of the villain who had driven her decision came to mind.

Subaru gritted his teeth, mentally cursing Priscilla and her arrogant, disruptive meddling. That malicious whimsy had perfectly arranged the situation Subaru wanted to avoid the most.

Subaru: [Emilia-tan, I’m happy. I’m glad, so, from now on…]

Emilia: [The Witch Cult will appear? I heard you loud and clear… So even if Subaru tells me to go back, I won’t. It’s not just another person’s business to me either.]

Subaru: [Emilia!]

He was not trying to keep Emilia out of danger for no reason.

He spoke sharply, desperate to drive Emilia away.

She must not meet the Witch Cult. Subaru could not quite articulate why, but it was not born of anything like stubborn protectiveness. He instinctively understood that it must not be allowed.

Emilia absolutely could not meet the Witch Cult. To Emilia, that cult was a poison to be avoided. Although that held true for the majority of people born in this world, Emilia was a special case.

Subaru: [We’ll manage something. Emilia doesn’t need to be involved. This has nothing to do with you.]

Emilia: [Even so, what if Subaru is hurt because I’m not there? I’d never let that happen. If Subaru fights, I’ll fight by his side. If Subaru wants to protect something, I’ll do my best to help. And since Subaru will certainly protect me…]

Subaru: [————]

Emilia: [I also want to protect Subaru. I promised I wouldn’t cry like that anymore.]

Emilia spoke with an unyielding heart.

In order to keep her away from danger, Subaru had to summon every drop of his courage, face adversity with a heart of steel.

However, Subaru, right now, was afraid. He was terrified of fighting.

Three times.

Three times Subaru had lost to Sirius, and three times he had lost his life. No matter how experienced he was with death, he had still died so many times in such a short span of time.

Death was horrible, unacceptable, and no matter how much he experienced it, he could never grow used to it.

Having his life taken was completely unreasonable. That denied his self, trampled on his existence, insulted his soul. It was something that stole from him.

Although he tried to cover everything up with frivolity, Subaru could not brush off everything that affected him. Even while stubbornly maintaining that he had people he wished to protect, he could never cast off his weak heart, that was afraid to die.

Natsuki Subaru, no matter what, had not been able to overcome that weakness.

Beatrice: […Subaru. You should give up, in fact.]

Subaru: [Beatrice…]

Beatrice: [Emilia is stubborn, I suppose. She won’t change her mind, in fact. Betty also understands Emilia’s feelings, I suppose. Betty wants to protect Subaru the same way… Betty isn’t able to deny her that, in fact.]

Beatrice was the key to their strategy and also the party who called the shots. If she waved the white flag, then Subaru would not be unable to resist.

Emilia looked to Subaru sincerely, and Beatrice sweetly. Under their gaze, Subaru finally gave in.

Subaru: […The Witch Cultists will target you. If that happens, think of yourself as a priority.]

Emilia: [Mhm, I understand. Even if I’m caught, Subaru will definitely save me. I believe in you and I’ll do my best.]

Subaru: [Don’t jinx it… So, how much of our conversation did you hear?]

Having been accepted by Subaru, Emilia gave a relaxed smile.

She touched her fingers to her lips.

Emilia: [I heard the gist of it. The Witch Cult is going to wreak havoc with a magic like Nect, which Beatrice wants to counteract with Shamak. During that, I have to work hard to beat that villain.]

Subaru: [That’s a child-like way of understanding it, but it works. Emilia-tan, can I depend on you?]

Emilia: [Leave it to me. I’m plenty strong.]

Emilia makes a guts pose with her hands in front of her chest. That lovely action showed a certain lack of tension, but she seemed to have understood the situation.

Subaru felt restless and useless about relying on Emilia. Moreover, the timing of Beatrice’s magic was difficult for him to get a grasp on, which made it another element of anxiety. But,

Subaru: [Emilia-tan and Beako are both here, so I can’t fail…!]

Instead of feeling anxious, the boy used that to fuel his determination.

Subaru: [Besides, it’s almost time.]

Between Beatrice’s proposal, and Emilia’s arrival, more than half of their remaining time had gone by. They would have to try their best responding to Sirius’s appearance. If possible, it would be preferable to knock Sirius down from the tower while keeping Lusbel safe inside.

Subaru: [Emilia-tan. Soon a strange person will appear on the tower. Attack them with a big first shot. Having her fall from the tower would be ideal. Afterward, Beako will prepare her spell, so when we get the signal, we’ll start the fight.]

Emilia: [Mhm, I understand. Although I do not know if things will go that smoothly, but I’ll try.]

Emilia’s expression stiffened and both Subaru and Beatrice nodded at each other. The plan was set.

Subaru: [——She’s here!]

A figure could be seen moving about in the clock tower’s window.

A slender body wrapped in a black coat and a head wrapped in bandages. The ends of her chain, hanging from her hands, struck the ground with rattling sounds, as the monster looked down at the square.

The people there had yet to notice that anomalous presence. Sirius stood on her stage, shaking her body and opening her arms as though admiring the people, who were unprepared for that imminent threat.

And then she clapped and made a sound—— the eyes of the people who heard the sound were drawn to the monster, and her speech would begin.

Subaru: [————]

Swallowing, Subaru witnessed the arrival of the moment with a sigh.

With imposing gestures, Sirius raised her chest to speak fiercely——

Emilia: [Ul Huma!]

A huge icicle appeared in front of the tower, hitting Sirius who stood on the edge.

The thick icicle, which was around the size of five people, struck the wall of the clock tower with a violent crash. An icicle speared through the front of the tower, and the walls split apart. Subaru’s jaw dropped in amazement, seeing the tip of the icicle piercing the tower.

Subaru: [E-Emilia-tan?]

Emilia: [Subaru said we needed to strike first, so I did… Did I mess up?]

Subaru: [No, good job! I just didn’t expect you to attack before her introduction.]

Subaru had not motioned for her to act yet, and was surprised that Emilia had judged Sirius as a threat at a glance.

Now the biggest problem would be her behavior, since Sirius had been equally unprepared. Maybe the blow had even taken her out. Moreover, the panicked crowd seemed to be entirely fine, so perhaps Sirius had indeed been incapacitated before her sense sharing had been activated.

That had been entirely thanks to Emilia’s great contribution.

Subaru: [Beako, what do you think?]

Beatrice: [First of all, think of a way to address the people around us who are misunderstanding, in fact.]

As Beatrice’s surprise turned to pride, Subaru wanted to ask whether they had gotten Sirius.

Emilia surveyed the destruction of the tower while Subaru slowly turned to face the uneasy crowd surrounding them. The beastman and the blindfolded woman were there—— how unfortunate, they were people that Subaru had considered as possible allies in this battle.

Subaru: [Uh, well, what do I do now? Explain that we didn’t mean any harm?]

Emilia: [——Mm. You better do that, Subaru.]

While Subaru scratched his head, pondering the explanation, Emilia suddenly grabbed his shoulders, placing herself in front of Subaru, who fell down on the floor.

In that moment, a crack sounded through the air, and a blue sword of ice appeared in Emilia’s hands. She assumed a battle-ready posture, facing down the crowd, aiming the tip of the sword towards them.

Subaru: [Emilia-tan? You don’t have to go that far…]

Emilia: [It’s not that. Look closely, Subaru. Their eyes look insane.]

Subaru: [——Eh?]

Scared by Emilia’s suddenly firm voice, Subaru surveyed the crowd around them, and could not help but exclaim. Like Emilia had said, their eyes held no trace of sanity.

The people around them were tomato-red from the neck up, the blood vessels in their faces on the verge of bursting, bloodshot eyes glaring at Subaru’s group.

Rather than doubting their sanity, Subaru saw they were indubitably full of mad fury.

Subaru: [Beako! What about Shamak!?]

Beatrice: […It failed, I suppose.]

Subaru: [What?]

Beatrice: [This magic is fundamentally different from Nect… No, it’s evil, in fact. This is nothing like magic, I suppose. A curse… it is Curse Arts, in fact!]

Beatrice raised her voice in anger, and Subaru could only answer with a frown.

He was not sure of the specifics, but Beatrice’s Operation Shamak had not worked. He understood the issue but had no solution. And there were further problems.

Then, the masses had been completely engulfed by madness…

Crowd: [It stinks. It stinks. It stinks. It stinks. It stinks. It stinks. stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks, stinks.]

It was a terrible, viscous, sound, tenaciously cursing everything in the world.

Subaru: [————]

With the sound of a detonation, the wall of the clock tower collapsed.

A crack ran through the icicle that had been embedded into the tower, and it shattered to pieces. Shimmering, the ice crystallized in the sun, accompanied by the faint sound of footsteps.

The footsteps of an abomination.

She was not unhurt. Half of the bandages wrapped around her face were stained with blood, which also dripped from her left arm and her chain. She had a terrifying appearance

Emilia’s premeditated attack had no doubt had an effect.

Only, it had also caused something undesirable.

Sirius: [Disgusting, the stench of that woman, filthy and detestable, the stench of the half-devil who stole my husband from me, the stench of maggots, endless filth. Hate, I hate it so much, burning it to cinders isn’t enough.]

Subaru: […What are you saying?]

Sirius: [And that other woman, she’s obviously not her, but she has such a similar stench, how shameless, the stench of rotting insects, ah, ah, ah ah aaAAAAAAH! How hateful! How rancid! How vile! I hate you!]

The anomalous woman clutched her bleeding head with a harsh cry. Spit flew from her mouth as she ruthlessly stomped her feet. Subaru knew this odd behavior. It was wild as ever, but its direction was obviously different.

Sirius: [My! Are you testing the love for my husband, Spirit?! From me, were you not satisfied with taking my husband from me, YOU HALF-DEVIL WHORE!!?]

Gritting her teeth, she issued a wrathful cry as she leapt forward.

Sirius, who had fallen from the tower, folded her arms overhead, and red flames sparked into life. They sprayed from both arms, and a line of flame formed as she landed in the square.

Exercising her limbs, armed with her flame, the monster raised her head.

Emilia held her sword of ice ready as she stood in front of Subaru and Beatrice, guarding them. Swinging her gaze back and forth, Sirius yelled with a furious voice.

Sirius: [I am! A Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult! Representing Wrath!!]

Red flames gushing forth, she bathed the crowd in heat as she raised her arms to the heavens. In a frenzied crisis completely different from the situation Subaru had expected, the madwoman introduced herself.

Sirius: [——Sirius Romanée-Conti!! Fucking half-devil and Spirit, I’ll scorch your corpses and scatter your ashes at my husband’s tomb!!]

Translation Notes:

[1] – The Kanji used (変態) has the double meaning of “abnormal/deviant”, and “sexual perversion”. Punny.

[2] – Very weird phrase. If it were to be translated literally, it’d be like “That thing is the pinnacle of things foreign to this world” (アレはこの世界の異質の頂点).

34 thoughts on “Arc 5, Chapter 23 – “Disrupted Situation””

  1. Wait i am confused, is witch sin archbishop sloth (that weird guy) HER HUSBAND…….

    1. no, she self-proclaimed to be his wife, which makes her take the name of Romanee-Conti. this is one of the many reasons readers theorize that Sirius is Fortuna since we don’t know what happened to Juice and Fortuna after Emilia’s first trial was over. Sirius has the same hair and eye color as Fortuna.

        1. Yeah she got killed by Betalguise when he was illusioned by Pandora , she then got iced over when enraged Emilia froze over the forest , they mention how there was a lump of snow in front of emilia because fortunas corpse was under it , but when she woke that lump was gone , so something happened.

      1. As Long as no new info/ evidence is found there is no way of proving Fortuna is Sirius so we can only assume she is for now because there are too many similarities between the two

        1. You also have to consider the theory that all of the Witch’s Cult were named by Subaru himself as Flugel, since they are all named after stars, and Subaru has a habit for naming things after stars being named after one himself. He named his and Rem’s Son in the RE: If Timeline (which I consider to be canon, but an alternate universe since that is always possible in fiction) Spigel and his daughter Spica, both names that are apt for Arch Bishops themselves since an Arch Bishop is always named after the brightest star in a constellation that has something to do with what they’re all about. For example, if I were to make up an Arch Bishop of pride in a fanfiction or something, a good name might be Eltanin Draconis, since Eltanin is the brightest star in the Draco constellation, with Draconis being an alternative name for said star. So if Subaru did indeed know the Arch Bishops back before Petelguese joined the Radical Evil Faction, or before that faction existed, then there’s a chance that it’s not Fortuna but somebody else who was enamored by Petelguese.

      2. However it is not impossible that she is Fortuna also. Reminder that Geuse seemed to have forgotten everything after Vanity spoke to him that day, and later he doesn’t even recognize Emilia the slightest so it’s possible that Vanity used her authority to undo Geuse’s actions and then brainwashed Fortuna the same way, however the more I think about it the more it seems like Wrath might also not have anything to do with Fortuna.

  2. man these people are so weird and creepy. this makes my head hurt with pain.

    emilia’s picture at the top is awesome

  3. Man, I love Subaru-Emilia-Beatrice’s interaction. They are awesome. I almost forget about Reinhardt’s drawback and glad to see in come back into play again.

  4. Well, wasn’t it obvious, that it’s not Nect, since magic shouldn’t work around Reinhardt?
    Beako, Emilia, Subaru, all 3 of them heard about Authorities or Witchfactors at some point and I at least expected Beatrice to know it’s different from magic

    1. An answer. Although it didn’t work on Reinhardt, it worked on everybody else in the square. I’m actually surprised Reinhardt managed not to get cut in half as well. Wonder what blessing protected him from that. And although Subaru has fought Petelgeuse, he’s extraordinarily unfamiliar with how exactly authorities work.

      And although Beatrice used to oversee the now burned forbidden archive, authorities and witch factors are out of her area of expertise. Subaru would obviously trust Beatrice who has way more magical experience but it’s implied that witch factors and authorities aren’t heavily researched “. I mean, just being alive forget about researching them after seeing an archbishop
      Is lucky enough.

    2. I mean, Beatrice can’t know that without seeing it for herself. All she had to go on was Subaru’s description, which remains vague, so all she gave was an educated guess: “it seems like Nect, so maybe some of its inner workings are similar, even if it’s not exactly the same thing”. As a working theory with less than 15 minutes to go on, it was worth a shot.

      1. Also, worth pointing out: Beatrice doesn’t know the Authority works around Reinhardt. Only Subaru witnessed that timeline, and given how unfamiliar he is with magic, it’s not a surprise he didn’t immediately point that factor when Beatrice mentioned it.

        1. True, true. If Subaru was able to understand magic on par with someone like Roswaal, for example, he would be the most broken character in the whole story given his other tricks.

    3. Given that they’re thinking under extreme pressure and with limited time such a blunder is kind of excusable, Beatrice in fact figured it out right away, but before Sirius appeared all she had to go with was Subaru’s description.

  5. Shamak didn’t work… What the fuck do we do then? Since the crowd is already effected by the authority of wrath, it’s too late. Subaru will have to return by death once again

  6. i jsust spent 20 mintues writing an over analyzed theory on who sirius was talking about only to find out she was talking to subaru and emilia not emilia and beatrice then I was like “oh. The bitch she’s talking about is Satella.” and now I want to die

  7. Anyone here cause if Holographic’s absolutely masterful cast of voice actors. They doing a great job and deserve every praise they deserve

  8. Barusu should take Liliana with him to the square & plea her to sing for the bystanders there. She will easily steal people’s attention with her music, ‘cuz she is a songstress. Then, ask Larkins to call Reinhardt, who will grab the opportunity to kill off the Sin Archbishop of Wrath while Barusu sets free that lil’ boy from the shackles of that witch cultist.

        1. It will probably be how he solves this crisis, I suppose, in fact. Given this time he returns with only 15 minutes to prepare the key is likely to make use of the people in the park and those possible capable randoms Subaru keeps noticing at the square.

  9. I’m convinced this is Fortuna, same hair colour and eyes, using the same surname as Geus who she clearly liked during Emelia’s trial during Arc 4.

    Geus also appeared to have a slight crush on Fortuna during the trial also, but after going mad from his incompatible Witch Factor his already affection for Satella went from worship to insane amounts of worship.

    So Fortuna claims that the “Half-Elf” Satella/Emelia stole Geus from her?

    IDK, just what I think though.

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