Arc 5, Chapter 27 – “Noise”

 

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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:

• HaruSabin

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A piercing sound.

Abrupt, vibrating, heavy, empty, distant, nearby.

The vibration was in his nearby vicinity. The sound coming from his eardrums shook his skull, travelling through his bones to the tip of his limbs.

The flow of his blood dulled, as if his blood vessels were infected by an inflow of sludge. His organs were sluggish, as if filled with clay. And oxygen did not reach his brain, leaving his thoughts foggy and unreliable.

That heavy echoing sound showed no signs of relenting, making him feel as if his eyeballs were rolling around aimlessly behind his eyelids.

???: [――――]

The sensation in his body was very slow, and he felt tired and unable to move. Accompanied by nausea and sluggishness, Subaru slowly opened his eyes.

The darkness he had become used to faded, giving place to a sudden white light, which his eyes were unable to accept. In that white light, forms and shapes moved about, as if children had cast paint everywhere in a room of white.

Such emotions became distant, as the world he saw gradually settled down.

Everything became distant as he entered a calm world, and, after tens of seconds, his eyes were restored to their original state, as darkened rooms and dirty ceilings opened. He felt the breaths of many bodies moving around and keeping busy in his surroundings. People moving around in order to keep the surroundings busy, and their bodies.

???: [――Hey, bro, you’re awake!]

Ears ringing with tinnitus, Subaru was attacked by a sudden sound with an unnecessary amount of strength. It had sounded with such volume that the people who had been busy in his vicinity stopped moving, their eyes focusing on the source.

???: [Cat-eared young lady, over here! Everyone else, keep working! Sorry, but keep working! We’re fighting against time!]

???: [Really nyow, you’re annoying. People need quiet here, so quickly get back to work.]

With a bow of his head, the large being apologized for his loud voice. An angry young woman―― no, a young man approached the beastman with a dog’s head, who spoke with a Kansai dialect. [1] Wearing a revealing dress fit for a woman, a bloodstained Ferris looked down at Subaru with a sigh of relief.

Ferris: [Now that you’ve woken up, do you understand the situation… Actually, can you speak right now?]

Subaru: […Ah, Ferris?]

Ferris: [Yep, it’s everyone’s favorite Ferri-chan. You’re Natsuki Subaru-kyun, and we’re at a field hospital right nyow since you were heavily injured, got it?]

Ferris quickly explained the situation to a hoarse Subaru. Reluctantly, his brain digested his speech word by word.

Looking around, Subaru identified his surroundings. At last, he noticed that he was lying on a simple bed made of pieces of cloth. And in fact, as Ferris had said, the surroundings looked like a field hospital.

Around him, people lay writhing in pain, awaiting treatment like Subaru’s.

The smell of blood, and miserable, whispered cries. Just healing magic could not keep up, he could see that wounds had been sewn together by needles and threads.

Subaru: [What… What the hell is this?]

Ferris: [Looks like you’re still confused. Slowly, try to remember what happened before you fainted. If you recall that, you’ll find the answer.]

Ferris’s words were not gentle, but that was not because of his mood. Rather, he had no energy to spare for gentleness. His sleeves were rolled up, and his white skin and face were stained with blood.

Imagining just how much work Ferris, a first-rate healer, had done in the face of this tragedy was not difficult. And, the cause of this tragedy was——

Subaru: [The Witch Cult…]

Ferris: [Really, those guys are the worst. My understanding of them was too naïve… I never expected them to pull something like this. Of course, nyo one else was expecting this either.]

Remorsefully biting his lips, Ferris lowered his chin at Subaru.

The regret that made Ferris tremble was painfully clear to Subaru. Although Subaru understood that, there were other uncertainties. There were other things he needed to check.

Subaru: [E-Emilia!? What happened to Emilia? Is she here?]

Ferris: […]

Subaru: [That bastard, Greed… the Sin Archbishop took Emilia. Then, I…]

He spoke those last words with a tremor, because he knew that he had been right to be anxious. In Ferris’s lowered gaze and silence, Subaru found a clear answer. At the very least, Emilia was not here.

Then, if his impression before passing out was correct, she had been taken by Regulus.

Subaru: [And Beatrice?]

Ferris: […Beatrice-chan?]

Subaru: [Yes, the little girl who was with me? She has an arrogant, adorable face, and curly twin-drills as… What about Beatrice?]

Emilia had more than likely been abducted by Regulus.

Judging from Regulus’s attitude, the likelihood that he would hurt Emilia was low―― although that was uncertain. Although he could not be forgiven, that was the case for the time being.

But what had happened to Beatrice? Sirius and Regulus had both been present, and Sirius had held a strong hostility toward Beatrice. Since Subaru had been safely carried into the field hospital, they had escaped from Sirius. So, who had protected Subaru?

Subaru: [Hey, please. Tell me. Beatrice…]

Ferris: [————]

Not finding an answer to his unease, Subaru desperately sought an answer from Ferris, who closed his eyes. Standing next to him, a giant beastman closed his eyes―― Ricardo, the Captain of the Iron Fang, who was looking at his side.

Following his line of sight, Subaru widened his eyes.

Subaru: [Beatrice….]

Lying away from the people receiving treatment was a lone maiden in a dress. Seeing her not moving at all, in a makeshift bed like his own, Subaru lifted the towel covering his stomach and attempted to run towards her.

However, halfway to his feet, severe pain crippled him. On top of that, his right leg stopped obeying him, and his posture broke down completely.

His head was heavy with fatigue, and he could not understand why he was unable to move his right leg. Hurrying to take a look, the horror of his own leg left Subaru speechless.

Subaru: [Oh…]

Ferris: [Subaru-kyun would’ve lost a foot without Beatrice’s healing magic. You’ll have to thank that kid later.]

Subaru’s right leg was missing about half of its flesh, and was quite obviously in a poorer condition compared to his left. The wound was also wrapped in several layers of thick bandages, and a board had been fixed to his heel. All those had caused him to lose his balance.

He could not help but brush it with his fingers, and, in that moment, a bolt of realization struck him.

Subaru: [I remember…!]

The consequences of Regulus’s last blow before his departure.

Before taking Emilia, he spoke nonsense, and kicked the ground up as easily as he could kick sand, and that soil had poured on Subaru’s leg. At that moment, Subaru’s right leg had been wounded as if mauled by a wild animal’s claws. And that had resulted in the present state of Subaru’s right leg.

Ricardo: [When I stumbled upon the scene, your leg looked like it was connected by only a piece of flesh and skin. That cryin’ lil’ miss desperately healed ya before we got a proper healer.]

Ferris: [After that, Subaru was carried here and treated by Ferri-chan. Although Ferri-chan’s treatment cannot guarantee that your leg will be the same as before, nyow the bones and nerves are linked, and the flesh is regenerating, so you have to rest.]

Crossing his arms, Ferris made a cross, prepared to deal with Subaru’s reluctance, however, Subaru obeyed in silence, his attention focused on Beatrice’s bed. As Ferris sighed in relief, a large hand supported Subaru’s shoulder, hooking around it like a worm, and,

Ricardo: [As for gettin’ ya to that lil’ miss, I can handle that.]

Subaru: [Sorry about this… Thank you.]

Ricardo: [No worries.]

Ricardo moved Subaru’s entire bed near Beatrice’s. From there, Subaru leaned forward to take a better look at her. Immobile, the little girl was sleeping so quietly that Subaru could not even hear her breathing.

Even though she was a Spirit, Beatrice slept like a human. Unlike Puck, she could not dematerialize into an Anchor, so this was how she reduced the burden of materialization on her Mana.

For this reason, seeing Beatrice’s sleeping face was hardly uncommon for Subaru. Only, this was the first time he had seen her sleeping quiet to the point it nearly seemed like she was dead.

Subaru: [She’s, just sleeping… right? Still, I’m worried…]

Ferris: [Asleep isn’t the right word. Right now, she’s lost her function as a Spirit… A state of suspended animation might be closer.]

Subaru: [Suspended animation? Why…!?]

Touching Beatrice’s forehead, he was surprised to find how low her temperature was. Brushing her adorable eyelashes and her face yielded no reaction, just as Ferris had reported. In response to the look on Subaru’s face, Ricardo squatted down.

Ricardo: [Accordin’ to the cat-eared lady, this happened because she overused her Mana. That’s all there is to it. I found the square ya were in by complete accident, bro. Everyone there had pretty much the same injury, which the lil’ miss was taking care of on her own.]

Subaru: [————]

Ricardo spoke with a sigh, leaving Subaru silent for a while.

Injured people with the same wound as Subaru—— that was the result of sensory sharing. The injury Subaru had gotten from Regulus was propagated to everyone else, which had been Sirius’s doing. The madwoman seemed to have left the scene, and Beatrice’s fight had begun there.

She had given equally thorough treatment to Subaru and everyone else who was wounded.

Of course, Subaru was a greedy man who asked for too much, and the child who accompanied that Subaru likewise refused to give up anyone. So Beatrice had squeezed out every last drop of her Mana to save all those people, at this heavy price.

Subaru: [Beatrice is fine, right…? She just needs a little rest…]

Ferris: […To be honest, I’m nyot too optimistic. Ferri-chan is a first-rate healer, but doesn’t know much about Spirits. And this child is no ordinary Spirit either, right? So I don’t really knyow any real solutions.]

Subaru: [There… there has to be a way! I have to help Beatrice, I…]

Only a year had passed. He had told her he would free her from the Library, in order to bring her happiness. Beatrice was an existence that could not be allowed to end here.

Happiness, happiness, happiness, no one deserved happiness more than this child. She must be happier than anyone else.

Ricardo: [The problem’s that she’s run out of Mana, right? Can’t she geddit from somewhere else? If bro’s her Contractor, then she should be able to get some from him, right?]

Ferris: […You idiot, Subaru-kyun. His Gate is fractured, so I can’t deliver Mana from somewhere else. The quickest way to do that would be to send Mana through Subaru-kyun.]

Subaru: [Right… Bokko fruits. [2] What if we had bokko fruits? With those, I could restore my own Mana, and then I can give some to Beatrice…!]

Ferris: [You idiot!]

Ferris snapped angrily as he glared at the desperate Subaru, who looked up. He was surprised at that unexpectedly sharp reprimand, and Ferris immediately put on a fiddling, shy demeanor.

Ferris: [How many times have I said this? That’s really dangerous for Subaru-kyun’s body. In fact, it would be like poison. If you did that, we’d just end up with two casualties… So you can’t.]

Subaru: […]

Ferris’s strict words were tinged with sadness. Reading that sincere thought, Subaru closed his mouth and swallowed his reckless judgment.

Ferris was an expert in healing, so he had of course considered a myriad of ways to help Beatrice. Subaru’s sudden thought must have already been considered.

Ferris: [I can understand Subaru’s worry about Beatrice-chan. And although I understand, there’s nyothing we can do for her right nyow. There are many other things that we have to worry about besides just that girl…]

Subaru: [Beatrice… Right, there’s Emilia too…]

Ferris’s words snapped Subaru back to reality.

He turned his attention to the field hospital—— and found that something was off. There were people with wounded right legs, the same injury as Subaru, but there were also plenty of people with different injuries.

Subaru: [How’s the situation…? No, what else has happened? What’s with all the injuries?]

Ricardo: [The Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult are here like you said, bro.]

Subaru: [But it can’t just be them, right? I only saw two Archbishops. This level of damage can’t be enacted by just two people. In other words, they’ve brought the fodder Cultists too.]

Two people with overwhelming power had been the first notice of a threat. So Subaru had simply assumed that the two Archbishops would be the only Cultists present—— but it was only natural that, as Petelgeuse did, they had brought underlings to the city as well.

That was the only possible explanation for such damage.

Subaru: [The two Archbishops and the Cultists under them, are those the ones attacking the city right now?]

Ferris: [On this matter, there are a variety of…]

Ferris’s voice was bitter as he began to answer Subaru’s conclusion.

However, before he could confirm or deny it, from a direction he had never imagined came an unexpected interruption. That was,

???: [Yahoo, yahoo, yahoo!]

The space rang with the sound of a high-pitched voice.

The voice’s relaxed tone contrasted sharply with the somber atmosphere, as if someone had accidentally tuned into a television channel showing an entertainment program, during a serious conversation.

Subaru: [Wh-what…?]

Hearing the sound, Subaru looked around wildly, and, unable to find the owner, he immediately realized its source.

Subaru’s immediate impression of the sudden voice was that it sounded like it had come from a loudspeaker or radio―― a thought that mirrored one he had this morning.

Subaru: [The city’s broadcasting magical device?]

???: [Hello, all you meat creatures! No matter how many times you’ve heard it, doesn’t my beautiful and lovely voice excite you? Gahahahaha!]

As if verifying Subaru’s idea, the voice appeared again, being broadcasted by a magic speaker.

That voice rang with child-like cruelty, like a girl who scorned etiquette and trampled on conventional manners of speech. Her sharp laughter seemed able to pierce right into one’s mind, causing both mental and physical aversion.

Subaru: [What, a stupid voice, this is…]

Ferris: [Hush, Subaru-kyun, quiet.]

Ferris straightened his ear with one finger and put another over his mouth. Ferris was serious, seemingly completely absorbed, and Ricardo wore a vigilant expression. The bedridden injured all clapped their hands over their ears, sobbing.

Apparently, this did not seem to be the first time they had heard it.

???: [Alright, you meat creatures enthralled by a beautiful girl’s enticing voice, I have news for you―― we’re all tired, so we’re going home now. Just kidding! The true tossing and turning of day and night starts now! Gahahahaha!]

A harsh, squeaky voice, like a mirror next to the ear being scratched with sharp claws, filled with sadistic glee.

What, what, what was this voice, what was this woman?

Forehead dripping with cold sweat, Subaru was well-aware of his body’s abnormal condition. As Subaru’s mind struggled to catch up, his body had noticed something unusual.

???: [Setting aside my funny, laugh-inducing joke, let’s continue with the news. As I said just now, the city has been occupied by us. You’re all caged birds… No, you’re all insects in a cage for insects.]

Subaru: [——!?]

???: [Insects are just bugs, and the owner of that cage gets to decide just what to do with you. Wings and head, prepare to have them removed… Kahahaha, how ugly, how awful! What a merciless life. You should be thankful for being left in my tender care. Gahahahaha!]

Repeated, malicious high-pitched laughter. One which belonged to an evil presence which despised others and found vicious delight in trampling upon their existence.

Subaru knew this kind of presence better than anybody.

???: [Wait, wait, wait. You idiots can’t understand the real meaning of my precious words. Poor incompetent fools, only thinking about slabs of meat and mating in their free time. My gentle, loving self will make this easier to understand. I’ll tell you with my spit, which you masochists love.]

Subaru: [————]

???: [Insects in a cage can’t do anything about their owner’s mood. The most you can do to please us is to lie fearfully in your cage. When we’re in a bad mood, you can only tremble in fear as we tear your wings or legs off. When I bring you honey, I’ll be like your mother, gently stroking your heads. That’s why, kahahahahaha!]

In the face of that constant viciousness, Subaru imitated Ferris and the others, and listened silently. A breath, a word, and muddy feelings in his chest accumulated, as Subaru sealed his will with iron.

And then, he noticed. He noticed it.

What was that?

???: [Later, we’ll have more to ask of you scum. You’ll wear desperately ugly expressions, cry that you don’twanttodiedon’twantodiedon’twanttodie and think of ways to emerge from the crowd and give us aggressors what we want. In that case, my continent-renowned kindness might make me consider setting down the cage in my hand. Gah—— Isn’t that really easy to understand! Gahahaha!]

With excitement, the speaker clapped, stomping her feet from her seat.

Her speech, her attitude, her voice—— Subaru found them all unbearably irritating, but that was not the problem at hand.

From the beginning, he could hear that sound. He had thought that it came the same room as that magical device being used in the broadcast. Faintly accompanying that woman’s voice, was a sound that had reached Subaru.

However, he was unsure of what exactly that sound was. What was still worse was that he had almost, but not quite, reached the answer. Unknowing, unaware, unwitting.

He concentrated. He heard his noisy heartbeat, the noisy flow of his blood. Reject and understand, reject and understand.

——A very faint buzzing sound, like the flapping of a myriad insect wings.

He was very close, infinitely near the right solution. Although close, he was not quite there. A plume of flapping feathers, that was the noise that seemed to be mixed into the broadcast. Many magical phenomena were unclear to Subaru, so perhaps it was just his imagination. But Subaru’s common sense felt that something was off. A sense of discomfort rose.

That sense of violation and the sound of those feathers were stuck in Subaru’s mind, and did not leave.

???: [And that’s the end for my precious words. Perverted meat creatures and insects should work their hardest. Like I’ve said earlier… us aggressors have taken control of the four towers that operate the waterways in this city. So I think it’s best that you don’t try anything weird, yeah? I can’t bear to see a drowned human being’s dead face, because it’s unbearably ugly! Gahahahaha——]

That cruel high-pitched laughter was interrupted as the sound faded. The sound of wings was gone as well. Subaru could finally disengage his body, and he immediately flew over to Ferris and Ricardo.

Subaru: [What did you think of the broadcast just now?]

Ferris: [What I think of it… Our limbs were mercilessly taken, and we’ve been reduced to just a head, that’s how Ferri-chan sees this.]

A bitter Ferris bit down on his nails, replying to a Subaru, who frowned. Various places had become stages, for the purpose of being seized by the enemy.

Subaru: [So just now, that was the Witch Cult…]

Ferris: [The first broadcast came while Subaru-kyun was sleeping. This is the second one. During that first broadcast, they called themselves, the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Lust.]

Ferris paused, looking unsure of whether he should continue or not. Subaru, ignorant of the reason for his hesitation, tilted his head.

The common practice among Archbishops of the Witch Cult was to first announce their Sin. Only after that, their name would be conveyed. The Witch Cult’s Sin Archbishop of Lust―― the third archbishop that Subaru had not imagined was present. Her name was,

Ferris: [Although this is disgusting, and Ferri-chan doesn’t believe it in the slightest, this is the name that was given.]

Ferris prefaced it, sharing his opinion that the credibility of the testimony he was about to repeat was very low.

Ferris: [Capella Emerada Lugunica―— Although it couldn’t be true, as it’s the nyame of the Royal Family.]

Translation Notes:

[1] – In the Re:Zero world, Kansai dialect is mostly used by people from Kararagi.

[2] – If you do not remember, Emilia gave a bokko fruit to Subaru in Arc 2, after the latter got drained after using Shamak for the first time. It restores Mana, but it’s not good for the body (Volume 3, Chapter 1, Part 5). We opted for the Light Novel romanization.