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Translated by:
- Archbishop of Transportation
- Archbishop of Valiance
Proofread by:
- Archbishop of Shipping
- Archbishop of Transportation
Art Sources:
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――Clear skies graced the day since the early morning, as if it were blessing the triumphant future to come.
Subaru: [Or, is it a bit too optimistic of me to be thinking something like that?]
Beatrice: [Betty does not think so, in fact. In all actuality, if Filóre’s Sacrament proves capable of exhibiting the anticipated results, then Subaru’s cheerful mood would be nothing more than an advance celebration, I suppose.]
Subaru: […If it’s just me celebrating in advance all on my own, then I get the feeling that it really was a bit too cheerful.]
Hearing Beatrice’s follow-up as they walked together, hand in hand, Subaru scratched his cheek with his unoccupied fingers.
Given the situation, a part of him did want to stick up for those feelings of unavoidable cheerfulness, but considering how little he himself had actually contributed to that, he could not deny that his spirits were too high.
In reality, for their upcoming itinerary―― making for the Watergate City of Pristella, and using the Sacrament of the Church of the Divine Dragon to provide aid to the victims of the Witch Cult, there would arrive no moment in which Subaru would be of any particular use.
Only, as the Knight of Emilia, who would be performing a distinguished role there, and above all, as an individual who had experienced the fierce battle that raged in the city, he wanted to be present to witness the moment in which the abhorrent scars left behind by that struggle were healed once and for all.
Subaru: [So that’s why, we’ll rely on Reinhard to keep up the hard work for this part, and have him take us along to Pristella as a member of the expedition.]
Beatrice: [Naturally, Betty will be coming with you, in fact. Together with Emilia, who will thaw the residents she had encased in ice, and with Garfiel and Otto, who still have unresolved matters in that town, I suppose.]
Subaru: [Garfiel said something about the father of a family he got along with there being a victim of Lust, and Otto… is going to collect the book he had entrusted to that restorer, huh?]
Beatrice: [Seems like it, in fact… Good grief, what a cunning man, I suppose.]
Puffing out her cheeks, Beatrice grumbled so, and Subaru pondered her complex feelings on the matter.
The book, which Otto had entrusted to the restorer in Pristella, was one of the Tomes of Wisdom considered to have been left behind by the Witch of Greed, Echidna―― however, it was the volume that had been inherited by Roswaal. With the singleminded wish to verify its contents, Otto had retrieved the book after it had been mostly reduced to cinders, and while that persistence of his went without saying, it was also difficult to believe the skill of the restorer who claimed he would be able to reconstruct it.
But, for Beatrice, who had lost her own Tome of Wisdom in a fire, it must have put her in an extremely delicate state of mind.
Beatrice: [Do not worry, in fact, Subaru.]
Subaru: [Beatrice…]
Beatrice: [If it’s the matter of Betty’s guide for the future, Subaru now fills that role, I suppose. It is shocking to witness Otto’s destitute disposition as he attempts to recycle burnt cinders, in fact. But, if he can get the better of Roswaal, it is not a bad feeling, I suppose.]
Subaru: […I see.]
Indifferent to Subaru’s worries, Beatrice powerfully puffed out her chest, and finding her to be incredibly lovely, Subaru caressed the head of his adorable Contracted Spirit to his heart’s content.
As mentioned previously, the ones travelling to Pristella on the Reinhard Express were, strangely enough, the same members who had gone to Pristella the previous time. If it were possible, Subaru would have liked to mobilize all members of the camp, but he could not put too much strain on Ram, who was currently down on account of overworking.
As for the personnel accompanying them from other camps, there would be Reinhard, tasked with the duty of carrying the dragon carriage, and Felt, who seemed to be responsible for supervising him. ――Then, there would be the central figure of this expedition, Filóre, as a key person, and Sakura, serving as her chaperone.
Subaru: [To be honest, given the congestion of things that need to be done now, it’s not like I don’t get the feeling that it might be way too dangerous to bring Felt and Filóre together in the same dragon carriage so suddenly.]
Beatrice: [However, as per what is being said, the two of them have already encountered each other face to face, in fact.]
Subaru: [Yeah, it was the day when Filóre first showed up at the Castle, and when she treated Crusch-san. On that day, the two of them met for the first time… it also seems like it was Felt who gave Filóre an insignia, and verified if she held the qualifications to be a Royal Candidate.]
Beatrice: [That girl is far too reckless, I suppose. Usually, the idea of placing one’s own position into jeopardy, is something one would think twice about, in fact.]
Subaru: [To begin with, she isn’t the type of person who depends on her ancestry. That unwavering part about her really gives off a cool impression.]
Felt’s resolute way of living harbored a charisma capable of attracting many people.
In actuality, those who wished to have Felt take the throne were those who had been enchanted by her words, actions, and way of being, perceiving their ideals upon those small shoulders of hers, and choosing to follow her.
If those were the results brought forth by the radiance of Felt’s soul, bereft of any other factors, then the current situation was tantamount to an unnecessary plot being thrust upon her.
Subaru: [Felt and Filóre, which one is the real princess, and which is the fake, I wonder?]
Beatrice: [It is a strange premise to begin with, I suppose. Regardless of which of the two is the real one, if they intend on leveraging the possibility, they ought to be proclaiming it more assertively or so it doesn’t go to waste, in fact. Get the masses to believe, get the masses to harbor suspicions, that would be the route with the greatest utility, I suppose.]
The more he thought about it, the more unreasonable it seemed to leverage the surviving-princess theory.
As Beatrice said, not only were they failing to capitalize on a rare, powerful advantage, but if it turned out that either Felt or Filóre was indeed the real deal, it could even be said that one of them would incur a negative image as the definite fake.
When it came to that, the first thing that weighed on his mind was――,
Subaru: [――In the end, what in the world was the Church thinking when they decided to keep Filóre’s existence a secret.]
According to Filóre, she was abandoned at the doorstep of the Church fifteen years prior, and from there was taken in and raised as an orphan within the children’s house of the Church of the Divine Dragon. There, she received a considerably sheltered upbringing, without much knowledge about the outside world, forming her as a monster of ignorant initiative.
Regardless of the fact that her initiative was what gave rise to today’s disorder, the Church of the Divine Dragon would have been fully aware of her distinct outward appearance, her age, and her name.
There was absolutely no possibility that they had failed to draw the connection with the Lugunican Royal Family.
Not to mention, if the Sacrament that Filóre wielded had the power to combat the Authorities of the Sin Archbishops of Lust and Gluttony, would it not have been capable of exhibiting its power against the illness that befell the Royal Family?
In that case, why had the Church of the Divine Dragon abandoned the Lugunican Royal Family to perish?
Subaru: [So long as that mystery remains unclear, nobody’s going to be satisfied.]
With the holding of the Royal Selection known far and wide all across the Kingdom, the citizens of the nation were all paying attention to who would take the throne in this epoch. In both a positive and negative sense, the people would not turn a blind eye to any conspicuous deeds of the Royal Candidates, nor would they forget them.
Hence, he wanted to know what the Church of the Divine Dragon was thinking, no matter what.
For that purpose――,
Subaru: [――Miklotov-san’s invitation was really a godsend.]
Beatrice: [In fact.]
Beside the nodding, taciturn Beatrice, Subaru recalled the matter from the previous day―― when they had accompanied Filóre as she went to assent to participation in the Royal Selection, and, together with Emilia, they had held an exchange with Miklotov in one of the conference rooms of the Castle.
Filóre’s bombshell announcement when it came to the selection of her Knight: he had been sent into a great spur of befuddlement when that had been dropped, and the scene had ultimately concluded rather chaotically, but Subaru had also managed to secure a benefit.
An important member of the Council of Wise Men, and likely one of the foremost intellects in the Kingdom of Lugunica, that Miklotov, had agreed to set aside some time to chat with Subaru.
While the clamorous Filóre Theater raged on in the background, given that there was no harm in asking, Subaru had told Miklotov that he wished to speak with him, to which the latter graciously agreed.
Miklotov: [Hrrmmmm. In that case, I shall fit you into my schedule, Natsuki-dono. It just so happens there is a matter about which I would like to speak with you in private as well, Natsuki-dono.]
Subaru: [I’m extremely grateful, but… there’s something you wanna speak to me about?]
Miklotov: [Indeed. There is a matter I wish to ascertain, a matter about which I wish to inform you, and a matter on which I wish to consult you… I beg your pardon, but it would be a blessing if you could join this old man for a long chat.]
With those words, Miklotov flashed a smile that gave the impression of a good-natured old man, informed Subaru of the location of his residence, and scheduled an appointment for their agreed upon private discussion.
That appointment was today, where he was scheduled to depart for Pristella after the passing of Fire Time.
Before that matter of great importance, as Subaru had promised to Miklotov, he was en route to the specified location by himself―― no, having received permission beforehand, he also brought Beatrice along with him, as their two hearts beat together as one.
Subaru: [As per what Miklotov-san said… setting aside whatever he wanted to ask and tell me, it’s kinda scary that he said he wants to consult me on something, though I’ve also got a whole bunch of questions to unload on him. Ideally, I’d like to get him to show us the actual Dragon History Stone, but…]
Beatrice: [The Dragon History Stone is said to be managed as strictly as the Dragon’s Blood, I suppose. However, if Betty were to get a glimpse of it, it should be possible to formulate a hypothesis of what its mechanisms resemble, in fact.]
Subaru: [It’s not like I really think the Dragon History Stone is suspicious in and of itself, but the fact that it completely overlooked the annihilation of the Royal Family, and instead completely described the following Royal Selection is, well…]
It made him begin to suspect that there might have been some sort of malice or contrivance behind that. He did not wish to believe that even the deaths of the Royal Family had been orchestrated.
Subaru: [――――]
In the mausoleum, he had laid eyes upon the sarcophagi belonging to those departed members of the Lugunican Royal Family. ――Considering the impact the deaths of the widely beloved Royal Family had borne, especially that which the death of the fourth prince had borne on Crusch and Ferris with whom Subaru was well-aquanted, if there had been somebody’s will interfering with that, Subaru would never forgive that person, no matter what.
Then, it happened just when Subaru thought so, and firmly clenched the hand opposite to the one holding Beatrice’s.
???: [――Seems like you’re thinking of some awfully unsettling things again, my friend.]
As a witty voice suddenly called out to him from the side, Subaru swiveled his head around in surprise. Upon doing so, his eyes caught sight of a stylish young man waving at him from the vertex of a T-junction in the road.
At that friendly greeting, Subaru broke into a broad grin, and,
Subaru: [My friend? You’re acting pretty over-familiar all of a sudden…]
???: [Oi oi oi, you were the one who called me that first! Don’t leave me out to dry!]
Subaru: [Just kidding. I’m happy to see you again, Tiga.]
A look of shock upon his face, the young man―― Tiga, glared at Subaru’s face with squinting eyes as the latter extended his hand with good graces, and after a shrug of his shoulders, he shook the proffered hand.
With the successful exchange of the handshake, the revalidation of their friendship was completed, though,
Tiga: [It seems that you too are in lovely spirits, Miss Beatrice. It is an honor to meet you again.]
Beatrice: [There are no objections from Betty either, I suppose… However, why are you here, in fact?]
Tiga: [Well then, allow me to return the very same question to the two of you. Albeit it is not as though I was sneaking around, but just in case, this was supposed to be a confidential summons.]
Subaru: [Confidential… no way, don’t tell me you were also invited by Miklotov-san?]
Tiga: [――. So that would mean, you as well?]
Subaru and Tiga’s eyes widened as they pointed fingers at each other, and Beatrice, standing between them, stood up on her tippy toes to reach up and pull both of their arms down.
Seeing her help out with that cute gesture, Tiga exhaled a soft “Ha”, and,
Tiga: [Wow, and I got myself panicked thinking that I was being tailed. No matter how you look at it, you wouldn’t bring a child along with you if you were on someone’s tail, that’s what I thought, but… nevermind, I’ll leave it be.]
Subaru: [What, don’t call it quits midway through. I won’t get mad so spit it out.]
Tiga: [Really? I guess I’ll say it then, but, I thought that if it was the famous Lolimancer, Natsuki Subaru, then it might be a piece of cake for you to bring a child along while actively tailing someone…]
Subaru: [Asshole, who’re you calling a Lolimancer, you bastard!]
Tiga: [I only said it because you said you wouldn’t get mad!]
At the shameful pseudonym that had resurfaced for the first time in a while, the indignant Subaru attempted to lunge at the other party. But, Tiga skillfully evaded both of Subaru’s hands before quickly hiding behind Beatrice.
Watching over that refreshing, futile struggle, Beatrice faced Subaru and shrugged her shoulders,
Beatrice: [This matter will not proceed otherwise, so you must reconcile right here, I suppose. Subaru needs to act as an adult, in fact.]
Subaru: [Tsk, fine. I’m an adult, so I don’t want to be told this and that by you when you’re made to imitate a child. After all, I’m an adult.]
Tiga: [I don’t think an adult would need to make such a huge display about how adult-like they’re being, for Dragon’s sake.]
Springing his crouched body back up, Tiga readjusted his hat as he gestured his chin in the direction of their shared destination, at the intersection where they had come to a halt.
Tiga: [We are headed for the same destination. And likely, the appointed time is also the same. Let’s go together.]
Subaru: [I’m fine either way, but in that case, he shouldn’t have had to make that odd specification about me coming alone. Wouldn’t it’ve been fine if Emilia-tan or Rem came along with me?]
Tiga: [Setting Rem aside, Emilia-sama is your master, correct? Would you truly drag her along for your own errands?]
Subaru: [It wouldn’t be dragging her along, I just don’t want to leave her side for even a moment if I can help it.]
Tiga: [That’s――]
To meet banter with banter. Although Subaru had merely intended to retaliate in the back-and-forth, Tiga’s mouth closed as if he was at a loss for words, and for a moment, he avoided eye contact.
Seeing that reaction, Subaru exchanged glances with Beatrice, and tilted his head in confusion.
Subaru: [What’s wrong? Did I scare you with my big love towards Emilia-tan and the rest?]
Tiga: [It’s not that your big love or whatever you call it was frightening. Merely, that weighty affection of yours, Subaru, it struck a chord in my heart that even I do not fully understand… something like that.]
Subaru: [――. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ve already got lots of people whom I’ve set my heart on, so…]
Tiga: [Pretending to be all devoted, you then go with the declaration of a scumbag!?]
Feeling like their usual rapport had returned, Subaru smiled at Tiga’s sentimental riposte. From the beginning, he had thought him to be a person on similar wavelengths to himself, and sure enough, my friend was not just for show.
Tiga was also taken in by Subaru’s grin, smiling as he cast aside the unease from a moment prior.
Beatrice: [That is enough merrymaking from both of you, I suppose. It has come into view, in fact.]
At some point, Beatrice had started to walk a bit further ahead of Subaru and Tiga, and now standing at the corner bend in the street, she beckoned them with her hand. With long, fast strides, Subaru and Tiga hurried as quickly as they could without breaking into a sprint, and both arrived at Beatrice’s side at roughly the same time.
Then, at the outskirts of the Noble District, finding the designated address and a large mansion with the matching roof color he had been told, he fathomed a guess that this must be Miklotov’s residence.
Subaru: [Tiga, what did you have to discuss with Miklotov-san?]
Tiga: [Consulting him about something I’m searching for, I guess. What about you two, Subaru?]
Subaru: [Beako and I are pursuing a grand quest of history, we wanted to ask about various things regarding the dark aspects of the Kingdom, and we also were going to see if we could maybe get just a single glimpse at the Dragon History Stone.]
Tiga: [I see. So that ties back to those unsettling things you were saying earlier. I offer this warning out of consideration, but it would be best if you did not speak of your plans regarding the Dragon History Stone so casually out on the――]
Roadside; right as he attempted to conclude his sentence, Tiga cut off his words there.
Subaru and Beatrice turned around, wondering what the matter was, and as they were about to proceed through the front gate of Miklotov’s mansion, Tiga halted in his tracks, glaring at the surrounding stone walls.
Then, with a definite vigilance in his graceful side profile, he muttered.
That was――,
Tiga: [――This is bad, the smell of blood is in the air.]
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Beatrice in his left hand, Guiltywhip in his right. ――With those two reliable partners firmly equipped in his hands, Subaru stifled his breath and proceeded into the premises thick with the scent of blood.
???: [――Subaru, don’t stray from me. We’ll cover each other’s blind spots.]
The one addressing him in such a hushed voice was Tiga, keeping guard at the front of their formation.
Keeping low to the ground and erasing the sound of his footsteps as he walked, within Tiga’s hand was a sword he had drawn in one smooth, soundless motion―― a silver crescent that carved deep, sharp arcs: that which he grasped was a shamshir.
From the air of his demeanor, Subaru could presume he was a ready master of that curved blade, and bore an ill-timed thought that Filóre had quite the poor eye for Knights.
Subaru: [――――]
Through their clasped hands, Beatrice and Subaru’s anxieties were transmitted to each other.
Fortunately, thanks to Beatrice, who was far and away more composed than Subaru, they managed to avoid falling down a vicious spiral of their anxieties being reciprocally elevated by the other’s, akin to a self-inflicted Authority of Wrath.
――Miklotov’s mansion had been transformed into such a hideous scene that it made him want to avert his eyes.
Having entered the mansion from the rear, they had already discovered over ten people, but every last one of them had already breathed their last, hideously slaughtered corpses each slain with but a single stroke.
Whether those blows that had not inflicted suffering ought to have been branded mercy, or the utter dominance that did not permit any show of strength ought to have been appraised as ruthless, he could not think of any parting words to adorn those who had perished.
Merely, with the fresh, vibrant breath of death so close at hand, Subaru’s heart pounded as if it was about to burst.
Subaru: [――――]
The situation had already eclipsed Subaru’s capacity. Having reached such a judgment, he was convinced that the best course of action would be to immediately leave the mansion and seek aid and reinforcements elsewhere.
But at the same time, there was certainly a chance they could still save lives by proceeding onward now.
That was because――,
Subaru: [All of them were only just killed.]
Beatrice: […We are in agreement, in fact. If there was even just one person still breathing, I suppose…]
They discovered the mark of a slash carved into the corridor’s wall, and the remains of yet another person collapsed directly underneath. A large, sweeping stroke had been unleashed, and had obliquely sliced through that person together with the wall behind him.
Sliced open by a diagonal slash, the blood of the regrettable dead body had yet to dry, and the bloody stench tinged with heat possessed the characteristic cloying scent of a corpse, peculiar in how the vitality of that which had been alive but moments ago mingled with death.
Subaru: [It pisses me off that my experiences in the Empire are coming into play at a time like this…]
In the life of Natsuki Subaru, there existed one most atrocious, most hellish sight―― though it troubled him greatly, it was the gruesome massacre upon the Gladiator Island, where a mountain of corpses had been erected from the faces he knew well. The calamity wrought by the accursed Todd Fang, had scorched Subaru’s world to ashes across innumerable deaths.
There, he had seen much death. That was why he could recognize it. Approximately how long ago the living had been made into the dead, and approximately how much suffering they had experienced before they passed on.
Subaru: [They… didn’t suffer.]
This now brought the number of corpses they had found within the mansion to thirteen, but not a single one of them had suffered. However, he was unable to make out whether that was the result of mercy or skill.
The fact that they had died without suffering would likely only serve as consolation to the hearts of those who were able to ascertain it, such as himself. Prideful; even at a time like this, that malediction from Ferris flashed through his mind.
Why was that? Perhaps it was because he thought the one who had said he hated death more than anything else in this world would be able to understand Subaru, who currently felt utterly helpless in the face of this tragedy.
Subaru: [Shit.]
While burdened with the sense of nausea and loss that he still could not grow accustomed to, despite having borne witness to an incalculable number of deaths, Subaru closed the eyelids of the dead, and moved onward.
The reason he refused to withdraw was because the possibility remained that someone still survived in the midst of this tragedy that had only just begun.
He did not wish to withdraw and allow that possibility of life to be destroyed.
In addition――,
Subaru: [――Miklotov-san, is someone this country still needs.]
Certainly, Subaru had by no means exchanged many words with Miklotov.
The Council of Wise Men: he did not possess a single good memory of those men who stood at the zenith of those possessing acumen within the Kingdom.
Merely, amidst the few points of contact and recollections smeared with negative thoughts that he would rather forget, there was certainly something Subaru remembered.
Miklotov: [At the very least, he has shown that you are not the sort of half-elf so feared by the world. ――You have a fine attendant.]
When Subaru’s shameful conduct was laid bare before a great many people by his egotistical outburst, and he was driven from the throne room without a single ally remaining, those were the words that had been spoken.
Until now, this moment, this very instant, he had not recalled it. ――However, that day, in that place, there had been someone who had viewed Subaru’s actions through a different perspective to everyone else.
He had failed to realize that. But, why had that been? Whatever the case, Subaru was grateful.
Subaru would repay Miklotov with fortune surpassing this feeling of salvation.
Tiga: [――Subaru, Miss Beatrice.]
Steeling himself with firm resolve and determination, Subaru used that as motivation to keep himself from running away. Calling out to Subaru and Beatrice was Tiga, who had reached a set of enormous doors.
He could not claim to have examined every corner of the mansion, but he had finished checking all of the large chambers. Insofar as the layout of the mansion was concerned, the very room now before his eyes was the one that would serve as a place of refuge in an emergency.
Therefore, this room was the mostly likely location for the master of the mansion to be――,
Subaru: [――Hk!]
With nary a word of warning, immediately following a nod to each other, they plunged in through the opened door with Tiga as the vanguard.
As soon as they entered, the first thing his eyes landed upon was a great and enormous flag of the Kingdom of Lugunica spread out over the white wall within the modest room―― that which depicted a single sword at its center, and two dragons facing each other on either side, had been cleaved in twain diagonally, with one of the halves falling to the floor.
And there, he could see, with the national flag that had slumped down to the floor seeming to wrap around their body, a single individual who seemed to have suffered the same slash, dead with their back against the wall in a pool of their own blood.
Subaru: [――Aah.]
A groan had involuntarily escaped the back of his throat.
A figure was reclined against the wall, their head hung low and their face not clearly visible. And yet, he knew exactly who it was. Even the distinctive white beard that made it impossible to mistake them for another had been soaked in the vast quantity of blood that had gushed forth, staining it a bright crimson.
Subaru: [――――]
It was Miklotov McMahon, never to rise again―― a merciless end that came all too suddenly for the great wise man who had sustained the Kingdom of Lugunica for so long.
However, nevertheless, even that death, even that end, served not as the reason for Subaru’s groan.
The reason Subaru had groaned was not because Miklotov had been the victim. ――It was due to the assailant.
In the center of the room, directly in front of the corpse of the departed Miklotov that was seemingly wrapped in the diagonally bisected banner, stood the figure of the assailant, their back turned.
Upon a slender, well-proportioned back, there swayed beautifully captivating long, dark-green hair. The curves of her body, abundant in femininity, could not be fully concealed by her dark blue attire, painting an aesthetic of fallen virtue upon this terrible scene.
And, not a single drop of gore clung to the long, sharp, straight sword clutched by her hand. ――That was only natural. For the strokes of her sword hewed through her opponents not with steel, but with wind.
Subaru: [――――]
Aghast, Subaru and the others stood motionless as she slowly turned her head toward them. With one eye covered by an eyepatch, the beauty in men’s clothing captured them in her remaining eye of amber hue――,
Woman: [――Ah, Natsuki Subaru, is it? ――Pray tell, are you truly the “real one” I know?]
――At that query from Crusch Karsten, amidst the horrid spectacle of rampant blood and death, what escaped from the throat of Natsuki Subaru, was naught more than a pathetic groan.
Wow
those last words are suspicious. i think she realized capella was replacing people in power
Honestly, Capella’s plan, whatever it is, must be a pretty long plan in the making, that she’s already set all the playing conditions for, and that alone makes it incredibly dangerous. She likely killed the royal family, and likely gave Crusch and others her curse so she could go around and have someone who is likely linked to her or her agent heal it, and she successfully removed from the picture the one person who would always be there Crusch felt she could 100% trust and who could talk to her in regards to things like Fourier. Who knows how many have been replaced at this point.
Crusch, by the way, can determine whether someone is lying or telling the truth using his wind blessing. Perhaps the question was asked of Subaru to determine whether he’s a fake or not.
Is it possible that Crusch was somehow replaced by capella? She was infected with their blood until the sacrament healed her. Lust is known to be able to control her victims to some extent, maybe the sacrament didn’t actually remove her blood, but made her more of a vessel?
She’s about to kick start the first loop of this arc, lets hope Subaru can get back to the Tower and preferably after he BETRAYS and SEALS Al to rescue best archbishop Roy
>best archbishop
Is Petelgeuse
It’s always been Petelgeuse
Only ever gonna be Petelgeuse
Best archbishop is Capella and this arc is going to show us why
Doubt
[――Ah, Natsuki Subaru, is it? ――Pray tell, are you truly the “real one” I know?]
This implies that she encountered a fake one
We have also heard from Sakura about some rumors going around about Subaru. Maybe somebody is impersonating him.
Lust is still out there. Maybe she wants to blame emilia camp for sth to trouble the election
i nut in my meals
For what purpose does commenting this serve for
Fake Subaru, that would be an awesome, just imagine how much damage he can cause. Scinema.
“I’m afraid it’s been… nine years”
Goated Reference
Got spoiled on his death but, damn, they slimed my goat just like that. Well at least people will stop with the fraud allegations, big boss single-handedly brought down the dragon kingdom
Who?
Big boss. Crusch got that eye patch.
Why/What the fuck led up to this? Also, who wants to guess how long until Subaru’s next death?
1 chapter man
Oh no. That’s not good. The authority of Lust is truly broken.
I’m being serious. Capella is pretty much a God of flesh, in addition to being the only Sin archbishop we’ve seen with a functioning brain. How terrifying.
I’d probably go crazier than amnesia-baru if I had to be a part in a conspiracy where she was involved.
Capella…..”A charioteer”…what help is that as a cheat hint? Hand of Orion and “Little king/Lion’s heart” were useful bits of isekai info. Does her authority only work on “subjects”? Is it like an evolution of Olbart’s Shotafication? (change the Od, change the body)
Anyways, Subaru isn’t beating her like Sloth. Only way out is if they somehow find her, and she gets vaporized by the Dragon, that or…..negotiation
From what I get she can’t copy any special abilities from the people she transforms into. So, there’s at least that… but it still a terrifying ability that makes you doubt anyone.
It’d be an utter power move for her to walk in in her (mind numbing) default form and claim to be a random citizen or another known character transfigured to look like her, not the real deal.
Just endless whacky nonsense.
Among us ass play
I think the solution is actually a lot simpler;
The Authority of Sloth is used to straight up yoink her witch genes.
OR
The Authority of Greed is used to “carry over the burden” of Wrath from Sirius, and this ability is used somehow to defeat her
OR
As Arc 5 has hinted, Felix actually is her natural counter, with offensive, high-level water magic being capable of compromising her body and destroying her gate.
There is also Ol Shamak, as cheap of an answer as it is. I’m honestly curious how Tapei is going to keep Authority users encounters from turning into “Find an opening and Ol Shamak” from now on
It’s obvious isn’t it? Can’t have more than one active at a time. Since Al is sealed that’s that.
That would be an elegant solution to avoid it being overused
I mean, it is also a logical one. Pretty sure it would be insanely difficult to keep more than one active at a time, more so if its supposed to be a “permanent” effect
That’s not how the sloth authority works
That’s not how the greed authority works
Last one actually sounds kinda reasonable
So it’s able to initially transfer and manipulate burdens across those in range who consider Subaru an ally. Then it somehow was able to activate an effect similar to magical shroud excitation. Manifesting the flow technique for an army. Which was somehow able to be maintained even with Subaru separated. With even a flow user like Garfiel being able to accept it out of nowhere to get a power up against Mecha-Madelyn
Please Tappei made it ambiguously super strong, skirted around the hows and whys, and now Subaru continues on as normal. You’re telling me that while sitting on a cart w/ friends, Subaru wouldn’t be playing around with Cor Leonis to pinch Petra’s cheeks by pinching his own, and trying to figure out what the ever living hell was going on with it in Vollachia?
It has to be more than just considering him ally, they need to deposit absolute trust and believe completely in Subaru.
The magical shroud exitation will be mantained for as long as Cor Leonis is active on the battalion and Subaru, and Cor Leonis has no range limit once linked.
Besides that, how would he use Cor Leonis to figure out what happened in Vollachia? His connection with people there was cut as soon as he was sealed.
Cor Leonis is not ambiguously strong either, there is a reason why Subaru didn’t want to spam spells while being connected to the battalion (heavy toll).
I mean, in the WN Cor Leonis did have a range limit. As seen in Arc 6. Though that was seemingly retconned due to not being in the LN.
Re: Vollachia, I was referring to the whole “huh, my authority has gone from being able to vaguely monitor allies and transfer burdens, to making an army of super soldiers with seemingly no downsides. Wonder what happened there?” thought someone would have after some downtime.
Like consider Garfiel’s sudden burst of strength on fully accepting Subaru in that weird dream theater during his battle with the Cloud Dragon. It (presumably) taking a strong fighter and making him even stronger feels very ambiguous, as opposed to the general buff each battalion member got.
Hell, even Subaru didn’t know how exactly it worked. “It was quite probable, perhaps even likely, that a massive burden had been suddenly placed upon everyone fighting in the Fortified City at this very moment, but he wanted to believe it would be all right.” regarding his spamming of spells
The the best we got is “It not only enhanced the strength of everyone as a unit, but it also lent a shoulder to anyone who might have been falling behind, pushing them along and distributing the vitality needed to run together.” Which somehow explains the entire army being able to sprint for literal hours? Please man seriously what? How haaa?
Aw, shit, here we go again…
What the fuck her problem man
Thanks for the translation.
So, it’s here, the first loop. The amongus game with Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella.
Guess there will be LOT of deaths.
mindblowing! !! This is going crazy
How can you even defeat capella she can literally change form and all
I believe since it shown and told to us that she basically loves Subaru which would make her prone to Capella shape shifting thing its likely she saw her transform into Subaru and those people she killed were most likely not normal just wait
This is actually the most interesting and correct-sounding theory I’ve seen yet, you cooked
this has gotten…… catastrophic…. i thought we were getting answers like subaru wanted but now i have a gazillion more questions ….again xD
Crusch was manipulated somehow? i mean she can know when someone is lying could cappella be behind this somehow? i doubt she’ walking around shapeshifting to just play a role … she seems more vile than that…hell she seems the worst of all the bishops so far
EVERYTHING REEEEEEEEEEKS!
Whaaaaaat
And also
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHY
We were FINALLY going to have a true discussion between Miklotov and Subaru, and learn a lot about the LORE
…
Nah this is the time where I hate the most that Subaru is having another problem. Like seriously, is that too much to ask just to get INFO on the history… Damn I was so curious about what Miklotov had to say…
I hope that is Subaru RBD, he will be able to save him, because truly that would be unfair otherwise.
Also Crush ? Nah, not to me. With that accent on the forms of her body I’m convinced that she is Capella. I can’t see Crush killing so many people, at least not with a good reason (her being sad is not a good reason)
Insanely interesting chapter, thx WCT
I also thought that Crusch wouldn’t drink water out from potted plants. I was wrong.
That thirst was sus af though. Like it was emphasized so much to an extreme that I kept thinking ‘is there something there? Did, when she was being healed, something else influence her body?’. It was described as inescapable, and to get access to water, she in the moment immediately resorted to blows that would have killed anyone who wasn’t Wilhelm, in a way it reminded of like, gluttony but for thirst. Mark my words, there’s like a 50% possibility it’s just vivid imagery, but I bet there was something sorta up with that thirst.
Dunno for sure, but what came to mind first when reading that section was how in her inexhaustible thirst, Crusch didn’t stop to consider (or just didn’t care) about destroying all those vases, laying waste to the flowers. In the process of quenching her.. lust.. for water, she got all sliced up from the shards of said vases that she quite literally trampled over. It took the people closest to her (Wilhelm+Ferris) to bring her back from that inhumane frenzy.
We’ll prob see a similar pattern play out in upcoming chapters. It’d be some tasty foreshadowing, yup yup. Crusch, frantically trying to parse truth from fiction in fear of some hellish future we’re not yet aware of, callously slices up whoever she deems suspicious.
(curse this character-limit devil!!!)
I’d put money on that paranoia leading to many heartbreaking death-loops for Subaru, or at least that’s what my reading comprehension oracle told me.
Moral of the story: people tend to disregard harming themselves and others in pursuit of that which they most desire (even if that desire is noble/for the ‘greater good’/etc). Maybe that’s less of a moral and more of an observation, but still. That’s my crackpot theory~
Thanks, everyone at WCT!
Er, ‘cracked-vase’ theory.
…I’ll see myself out, heh.
My crazy theory is Filore’s “sacrament” works like lust authority and probably changed Crusch somehow, when she started doubting herself and broke down earlier and with her closest friend Ferris leaving her, it’s possible the “sacrament” amped her emotions like what happened with wrath
I feel like the most reasonable option is the most believable and narratively interesting. Suffering under the curse for that long inflicted permanent mental damage on her + her personal issues with the church. That hits lot harder than “oh no, she’s fine actually. She’s got heroine power and would never mentally break. It was just some authority that did it”
Though that’s the neat thing about this set up; Literally anything can happen between a shapeshifter that can alter anyone, her “children”, a mysterious church, and a memory and reality altering authority still potentially being a factor.
After all, the only way to take a Witch Factor from someone is to kill them (Melancholy doesn’t count).
Interesting; Capella hasn’t exhibited an ability for mind alteration past the effects that are coincidental to it (for example, a loss in your sense of self when you are turned into multiple beings), nor have we seen anyone other than Sirius and Pandora with mind alteration. So it would seem this is a novel threat
So that means;
She has either been gaslit like crazy by a shapeshifting Capella who may have been misusing her delirious state to repeatedly appear to her in a disguise, or the setup that the Dragon Stone is something akin to a gospel is manifesting in the form of the Sacrament essentially turning her Dragon Gem into a gospel, and she’s currently acting under its memetic influence.
If Crusch was acting under a Gospel-like influence, shouldn’t we see Emilia acting differently? The idea sounds super plausible, but I think it’d be weird if only one person’s gem started acting that way (or if it’s only Crusch and “Filore”)
No, we wouldn’t; after all, Roswaal managed to hide his adherence to a Gospel for 400 years.
Subaru is actually laying it out for us; we’ve seen instances of the Dragon Stone’s memetic hazards enforcing compliance with its decrees in the case of Rom; the most competent strategist in Luganica trying to 1v30 the entirety of the kingdoms top fighting power with nothing but some smokebombs and a dream, which conveniently assured Felt’s compliance.
So we know it is capable of affecting minds kingdom-wide just to ensure its decrees are followed.
So, would it perhaps have the property of self-preservation? Is it trying to actively prevent Subaru from finding out more about the world?
But there is a third theory;
She straight up saw Subaru. Just not our Subaru.
Think of it, the reintroduction of the man who has Subaru’s phone and the odd interest the head of intelligence had for it, the story of the thorned emperor, the Sacrament of the immortal king becoming a plotpoint again, Satella being sealed only by means of Subaru’s od through a contract Subaru doesn’t recall making, yet by all accounts her not being a problem for the last 400 years, the endless Subaru ~= Flugel ~= Al indications.
cont.
Because Subaru has existed, in some state or another, for the last 400 years. It is just that this version of Subaru managed to fulfill some key condition of the contract when he died next to Emilia the first time, activating RBD, as Arc 7 hints towards
No, the contract between him and the witch cannot be voided by death, and so, the existence known as “Natsuki Subaru” is made absolute. His od, that binds Satella, cannot disappear.
So whenever Natsuki Subaru dies, his soul is rejected by Od Lagna, his name prevented from passing into history, and his “birth” is reenacted, but exactly as he was originally; the spontaneous manifestation of a 17 year old boy with a tracksuit, a grocery bag and a flip phone. The latter which he would so often use to avoid destitution.
Which brings us to what truly may have happened;
Luganican Intelligence has come to collect quite a few of these phones, in different states of disrepair. It is why Russell was so keen on it; its a mystery that has befuddled intelligence for centuries now; and now one of its owners was there, in the flesh, offering it to them
And aside from just the phone, they’ve gotten their hands on their remains of a few of the previous owners. And to crack the case about the mysterious boy with no background, they forced Felix to resurrect them, having gathered key information on how to fix the flaws of the spell during Arc 5 and 8.
A past iteration of Subaru that died in custody of Luganican intelligence, and had Miklotov present during his interrogation/torture as the sole person his ignorant ass could recognize.
Either way, Felix would’ve assisted in their break out upon recognizing who he revived, and told them to make way for Crusch. Crush and Wilhelm would’ve fought off the pursuers, before having a delirious Subaru inform them about Felix’ whereabouts and who might be responsible for his arrest, leading to them going off in a two-pronged assault on both Russel and Miklotov.
My knee-jerk reaction is that a lot of this sounds really compelling, but parts of it sound outlandish. I need to sit on this and chew on it for a while, this has a lot of moving pieces
Mmmm, that’d be wild if true. Woulda never seen it coming.
Also, what liberal use of the humble semicolon throughout your posts! Respect.
Rather than Crusch being a shapeshifted Capella or Capella having broken Crusch’s mind, my mind immediately goes to the possibility that Capella has replaced a number of people with victims of hers. I don’t know how Capella would replace someone like Miklotov with a random, transfigurated thing/person, but the idea of Capella, also in contention for being the lost royal (assuming her base features are her real ones), planning to overthrow the government by replacing everyone with meat puppets and forcing people like Crusch (or even specifically Crusch) to wipe the fakes out as a way to manipulate the kingdom at a massive scale would be extremely compelling
I’m trying to Occam’s Razor it, right, and I’m just not sure if it takes less assumptions (or less weighty asumptions) to assume Capella duplicated a swath of people, Capella specifically corrupted Crusch (maybe with some fuckery from “Filore.” Like maybe the “Sacrament” was Capella casting a brainwashing spell of some sort? Nah, too many assumptions), or Crusch is a Capella in disguise (Capella could have affinity for wind magic, possibly). The eyepatch makes me think Capella-as-Crusch isn’t crazy likely, alongside “Crusch” making a very reasonable statement at the end. I could also be forgetting/missing one or multiple things, only time will tell
Wait. Capella could be having Gluttony (I forget which fucker was in gay baby hail) steal and re-assign people’s memories to meat puppets. And then something about that is imperfect, leading Crusch to identify the imperfections. Hmmmmmmm, maybe?
Wait wait. “Crusch” here could be Gluttony??? Maybe??? Surely if I throw ALL of my theories into the world and one is right, I get to gloat, right
Yes. I really can’t imagine it being true, but it’s theoretical possible if Roy’s death was indeed faked and he’s back under ‘Mother”s employ. So if it somehow does come true, you have the right to celebrate.
I thought of that too, but with Roy being dead *possibly Al ordered Yae to do it if his plan faiiled* and Louis (or Spica) losing her memories then being disconnected from the stomach of souls then there’s no one able to access the eaten memories but apparently “Filore’s sacrament” can alter authorities so she probably has a way to get them back. It wouldn’t be surprising if she turns out to be Capella but that’s what everyone is expecting so Tappei probably won’t write that
I’m curious about the lingering effects the sacrament had on Crusch. It was strongly implied that something wasn’t right. She tried to play it off, hesitantly stating that everything was 100% back to normal with her body+mind, but even Wilhelm seemed to agree that is not the case. I suspect some corruption, some lingering urge from the physical contamination of Lust remains within her, feeding into whatever unhinged quest she has decided to pursue. Conversely, the complete removal of Lust’s influence might actually become.. problematic? It’d be a rather poetic reversal, at least.
(cont.)
Maybe her soul can’t balance the weight of the sin (lust) like Subaru can.
Maaaybe, Subaru, being a sage candidate or whatever, is uniquely able to balance the selfishness of sin with the virtue of loving others. Seems to check out based on the story so far.
Thing is, he’s cheated his way to that balance. He’s had chance after chance after chance to arrive at the ‘best’ answer thanks to RBD. That’s not a bad thing, but he’s playing a fundamentally different game thanks to his Authority.
Can’t expect Crusch to get it right on the first try, I suppose.
Focusing on the conversation before that crazy ending, I think Tiga’s reaction to Subaru’s love implies that he has lost some memories. It reminds me of how Ram was bothered in Arc 4 by the joke about tossing her. Because of that, I think this suggests that Melty does exist or did exist at some point.
There are a couple of possibilities. Either her memories were eaten, her body reshaped, and her mind altered to become Fiore, although that seems less and less likely to me, or Capella is actually Fiore. Still, I’m not sure why Melty would have been erased in that case.
Just had a thought. What if her Divine Protection got messed with? If she’s okay, then she should know who is real and fake from that, no? Unless there is an issue with it?
Yes and no. If memoirs could have been Altered to remember thing in the reverse order. She could also still have memories from Fourier who managed to exploit and circumvent her protection if I remember so even if somewhere to tell outrageous lies to her face she would believe they can exploit her ability. Please correct me if I am wrong about Fourier it has been about 5 years since I last opened that book.
Going against the grain here but this might be Pandora’s work instead of Caperalla. As she was the one who turned twisted gues’s memories. Likely what every the cleansing ritual was caused this to happen. Now the real question how far does Subaru go back. Will Satella update his check point beyond imprisoning Al. Is Al someone Setella must protect.
Capella and Pandora working together would be the witch cult dream team. Also a nightmare for the rest of the world. I lowkey hope you’re right because that sounds like a hell of a loop to try to get out of.
I mean… If we assume Roy Alphard really did die. Then Capella is the only remaining archbishop Pandora can actually work with.
Kind of shows how the witch cult has been debilitated huh
The only thing we know about Pandora is she could beat the former sword saint and deal mental damage, there has to be more to this,like I’m currently re-reading the Ln so I can check out exactly where it was mentioned she gave Reinhardt’s grandma sleeping beauty syndrome (as Lye gave it to rem so I thought it was caused by total lack of memories and being forgotten by the world) plus I have no idea what the witch factor of vainglory actually does so I’m coming up with some fun theories.
I’d like to talk more about this on discord
user: collector959
Ya I’m super curious about where the next checkpoint will be. On one hand, I reaaally doubt that he’d be sent back to the tower, to before he sealed Al. On the other, slightly less scrupulous, hand, wouldn’t it be rad if everything gets so chaotic that Subaru decides he absolutely needs both the OP ability of Al’s Authority and also whatever knowledge Al seems to have of the future to come??
Pretty far out but geeeez it’d be so fun to see them team up after the conflict in arc 9.
Random but what’s the chance crusch’s “ are you the real subaru I know” statement is related to Capella which is related to the “kingdom being destroyed at the price of destroying the witch cult” In the new IF, like what if Capella is using her “family” and the remaining witch cults with most of the other archbishops gone their goons probably just go under Capella right? Especially if Roy is still alive then it’s just gonna be like a whole murder mystery imposter thing
Haaa esto sin duda es malo.. ,Mire por dónde se mire aquí pasa algo raro y ahí muchas opciones..
1.Le isieron algo a la cabeza de crush durante su recuperación
2.Crush se dió cuenta de la MENTIRA y acabó con los impostores..
3.Es un APRUEBA de parte de el sabio la cual igual que en la atalaya solo Subaru puede solucionar
4.Todas la anteriores.. sumada a el oadresito causando problemas..
With this being capella’s big arc, it’s wild how sirius might be the final archbishop left in the future
I Have a theory about the nature of RBD , so i think the RBD as many have already speculated that might have something to do with time (like rewinding a moment in a movie) but then this theory also crumbles down when question is asked about how then natsuki subaru could remember memories of his previous loops? Now, my theory is also in same direction as of re winding stuff and i just tired to answer the same question. My answer is that RBD works like rewinding time and WoE role in this is just that she decides the update point or respawn point or whatever you want to call it (as it is already evident in arc 7 of his loveless RBD moment).
And in addition to that she also helps in re-writing his conscience or maybe u can call it OD. The Re-writing conscience part answer the question of him remembering his previous loops. The re-writng mechanism works same as in computers like how a file is when permanently deleted, it still remains in computer’s drive until a new file doesn’t rewrite over previous one, so i think same works with RBD too.
Also that its not like this all of this just came out of air, rather as we know the author forshadows events coming in next arcs or chapters in previous arc or chapters. So for supporting this theory i am taking a line from some chapters in arc 6. That Line was like “Memories are like soul of a person” while also this all might just remain a theory of an unemployed person or overthinking and not enjoying the novel.
It wasn’t Memories are soul of people
It was Memories are what shape people
One Rem, two Rem, three Rem, four Rem… I spotted four Rem in this chapter—nine Rem including my comment. Wait, now it’s ten Rem… Rem best girl!
In the end, there are thirteen Rem in total XD