Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

　Seeing the woman standing at the entrance, a chill ran through Subaru's body.

　Even for Subaru, who had experienced many difficult situations and even lost his life since being summoned to this other world, it was an existence that brought about a terrifying fear that was all too foreign.

　She was wearing a black cloak, and her curved body was wrapped in a tight-fitting jet-black outfit. Like Subaru, she had long black hair, rare in this world, that she had braided, and a seductive smile graced her gentle features, with slightly drooping corners of her eyes.

　If it weren't for the blood-dripping blade that she held so casually in her hand, she would have been a beautiful woman, perfect for a painting - the worst disaster for Subaru, the murderer. The First Killer. The Intestine Hunter, Elsa Granhiert.

"Wh-why are you here?!"

"--Oh, I thought I'd smelled that somewhere before, so it's you? I wonder how you're feeling after that. Are you loving the contents of your belly?"

　Subaru expressed shock on his tongue. Elsa raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, as if she had just noticed its existence for the first time.

　The answer to the question was no longer a valid conversation. Petting one's own internal organs was an incomprehensible act, something no normal person could do. In other words, the woman in front of him who was asking for it as if it were natural was undoubtedly a madman.

　He is a madman of a different vector, setting himself apart from Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.

　Subaru's whole body was tense, his nerves glued to Elsa's every move.

　The fighting power of the madman before him was on such a level that even the 『Sword Saint』 Reinhardt failed to kill him. No matter how tense Subaru was, he was not an opponent he would be able to catch even a glimpse of.

"---I wonder whose permission you had to come in here?"

　Suddenly, a voice came from behind Subaru, asking Elsa a question.

　The one who posed the emotionless question was Beatrice. The girl stood there in the same pose she had faced Subaru earlier, all traces of tears gone from her face.

　In response to the girl's question, Elsa lightly brushed her long hair away with her hand.

"The door didn't seem to be locked, so I just opened it and came in. If you're in the middle of an important discussion, next time you should remember to lock the door."

"That's not what I meant. This is Betty's forbidden library, and it's impossible to enter without permission… except for that man over there. How did you do it?"

"Oh, that's easy then."

　Beatrice glances at Subaru, who is an exception to the door-crossing rule, and Elsa nods, finally understanding the meaning of the question. She gestures to the open door,

"The magic that separates your spaces... is it using the door as a medium? A magic that connects closed rooms through the door."

"That's right. Unless Betty gives us permission, we shouldn't be able to reach the Forbidden Library, which is connected to any of the mansion's doors. But how can we do that..."

"So, it's simple. You're using closed doors as a medium… if you leave all the doors open, your options will disappear automatically, right?"

"----!"

　Elsa easily shows Beatrice a way to overcome the restrictions on her ability to cross doors.

　Certainly, what she said was correct. Beatrice's Door Crossing was a spatial transfer spell that only connected closed doors together. That meant that it couldn't connect to open rooms. If we were to limit it to the doors in the mansion, it was self-evident that if all the doors in the mansion were left open, the remaining door would connect to the Forbidden Library. But to do that,

"We need to open all the doors in the mansion... and there's no way anyone would get in our way..."

　As he spoke, Subaru became truly aware of just how stupid he had been.

　Or is it the result of turning a blind eye to a reality that we don't want to see?

"Hey, that knife... whose blood is it wet with?"

　The blade of the kukri knife Elsa was holding was thickly covered in fake blood. Dripping from the tip, it looked as if she had just sliced ​​up some prey, and when combined with his previous imagination, it was enough to make Subaru imagine the worst.

　As Subaru's bloodless lips trembled, Elsa ran her finger over the flat of the knife she had raised, licking the blood that had stained her white fingertips.

"Whose do you think it is?"

"You..."

"Hint: she was wearing a maid's uniform."

　There are three people left in the mansion. All of them are wearing maid uniforms. No, Rem, who is asleep on the bed, is wearing a negligee. She is eliminated as a candidate. Two people remain.

"Second hint: Her hair wasn't long."

　Petra has medium-long hair, while Frederica has long blonde hair.

　--Subaru's throat sucked in air in preparation for the roar that followed.

"Hint number three - Subaru, Subaru, she said that and died crying."

"Elsaaaaahh!!"

　Baring his fangs, Subaru crouched low and plunged headfirst into Erza.

　Elsa, fighting back, slowly stretched out her slender body, and aimed the tip of the knife in her right hand at the approaching Subaru――

"--fault?"

「Who would dare face off against a monster like you?!

　Elsa's voice sounded disappointed.

　In front of him, Subaru crouched down and swung his arm upwards in a wide swing that grazed the ground. The scattered pages of the Gospel were caught in the crossfire and sent flying into the air.

　A dozen or so white pages momentarily blocked the view between Subaru and Elsa. Subaru took a deep breath, concentrated strength in the center of his stomach, and mustered his mana.

"--Shamak!!"

　Black smoke erupted, and incomprehension filled the gap between Subaru and Elsa.

　Although Shamak had little effect on Julius, it had already been tested in the previous world and shown to be effective on Elsa. Unlike before, when all the mana in her body had been expelled, it only brought about an abnormal feeling of fatigue throughout her whole body, and it also improved the operability of her mana.

"Beatrice!"

　Turning around, Subaru grabbed the arm of Beatrice, who had been watching the exchange from behind. For a moment, her stiff arm tried to move as if to reject Subaru's grip, but she was unable to escape Subaru's firm grip.

　Roughly pulling her light body towards him, Subaru took the small girl into his arms, and without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself into Shamak's body.

　--No understanding. I couldn't see, hear, or feel anything, there was only darkness.

　The sensation under his feet was everything to Subaru right now, the whole world.

　From the time my right foot leaves the ground until my left foot reaches it, I am completely left behind by the world. My left foot touches the ground. I make contact with the world. My left foot leaves. Isolation. My right foot reaches it. Contact. Isolation. Contact. Isolation. I feel something moving in my arms. I won't let go. I won't be isolated. Contact. Contact. Contact.

"--Boo!"

　The next moment, the darkness cleared as suddenly as a head emerging from the water.

　With his field of vision now exposed, Subaru found himself standing in the mansion's corridor, carpeted all over with red, because he'd just burst through the door of the Forbidden Library.

　He managed to avoid Elsa, who was standing at the entrance, and jumped right out.

"Yeah, I thought you would--!"

　Subaru figured that if Shamak was deployed in front of him, Elsa, who was used to fighting, would avoid the curtain of darkness and aim for Subaru and the others on the other side. Subaru took the opposite approach and plunged head-on into the darkness, passing right through the entrance that Elsa had made for him.

"I'd love to tell you that I got you, but..."

　There is no time for triumphant bliss.

　It was unknown how long Shamak would last, but if Elsa saw that Subaru and the others were not on the other side, she would immediately turn around and give chase.

　He violently slammed the door with his foot, interrupting the crossing. It was up to Beatrice, but it should be impossible to tell if the Forbidden Archive was now directly connected to what was in front of them.

"Beatrice! Connect this room to another room..."

"I'm sure you would do that even without being told. Rather than that, you'd buy yourself some time by going around closing open doors."

"Fuck, you're right!"

　Responding to the hateful remarks of the girl in his arms, Subaru violently slammed the door to the room next door and the one next door. Before closing the door, he took a quick look inside, but found no visible traces.

　I don't know how much I can believe what Elsa said, but--

"What to do, what to do, what to do, what to do, what to do――"

　The questions are endless.

　Why was Elsa here now? Out of all the loops so far, this was the fastest time that Subaru had returned to the mansion. On the sixth day, the fourth day, and now the second day - every time, Elsa had attacked Subaru on the first day he returned to the mansion.

　Subaru had been harboring doubts about this for some time, but with what had happened this time and what Elsa had said when they'd entered the Forbidden Library, it was turning into certainty.

　But, if that was the case, then why――

"Why didn't you wait just another day... no, just a few hours!"

　The promise was that Petra would be returned to the village at night.

　Elsa's attack was a tragedy that was half-planned. The image of Petra, who had lost her life in the middle of it all last time, was burned into Subaru's mind. So this time he was trying to take measures to keep her away from that tragedy. But evil approached at a speed that exceeded his ability to counter it, and the young girl was not allowed to escape her fate.

「Not yet. Why should I give up? There's a chance that he's just making things up. There's a chance. I'm not going to give up hope...!」

"That's not a hope, it's more like regret..."

"Shut up! Just shut up and let yourself be held! That guy is planning to kill you too. He's a pervert who gets pleasure from cutting open people's stomachs with that knife and seeing what's inside!"

"Wanting to see the intestines of a spirit is a very bad taste."

　"I agree," Subaru muttered to himself. Then he slipped out of Beatrice's arms and stepped out into the corridor. She brushed the skirt of her dress aside,

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"There's no point in doing this. The top priority is to make sure Petra is safe and to find Rem. And then... anyway, I'll take you and escape from the mansion. Or will you fight that guy?"

"...If that thing came to kill Betty, then if she doesn't resist, then her wish will probably come true."

"I had a feeling you'd say that, so I brought you here against my will. If that feeling persists, I'll carry you on my shoulders and take you away. What will you do?"

　Looking down at Beatrice, who was shorter than him, Subaru urged her to make a decision. That said, he had no intention of giving her the choice. If she was adamant that she wouldn't go and wanted to stay, he would drag her away, even by force.

　Subaru's thoughts must have been conveyed to Beatrice, who sighed and said,

"Even if I can't choose where I die, I think I'd like to choose who kills me."

"We'll talk about that again in a different place, and calm down. Let's go!"

　Beatrice showed signs of wanting to follow him, so he called out to her, took her hand and started running, pulling her along. Beatrice followed along as he ran, her steps tiny and her dress making it difficult to walk in. After walking about ten meters, Subaru could no longer bear it,

"Ah, shit! Come on!"

　He pulls his arm back and once again takes the girl snugly into his arms.

　Beatrice's body is lighter than she looks. I don't know if this is because she is a spirit, or if she is simply underdeveloped.

"... Should I let go?"

"If I matched my speed with yours, I'd be able to catch up with you in no time! It would be faster if I carried you and ran! And besides--"

　Beatrice, held in his arms, tried to utter words of refusal, but her hands were unsteadily pinching the chest area of ​​Subaru's clothes, and upon seeing this, Subaru stopped speaking, making no denial or confirmation.

　That's fine, I thought to myself now.

"Anyway, before Erza shows up...we need to find Petra and Rem!"

"I thought there was another maid left in the mansion."

"As for Frederica... it's probably best not to meet her right now."

　Subaru shook his head, vaguely expressing his feelings as he recalled the blonde maid. Beatrice frowned at Subaru's attitude, but said nothing.

　Right now, he wanted to avoid meeting Frederica face to face. After he confirmed the safety of the two of them, that would be fine. He could meet her and hear what she had to say after that.

　If Subaru's imagination was correct, then that was surely what it was――

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　--Petra was lined up on the dining room table along with the other dishes.

　The white tablecloth was stained dark red with Petra lying in the center. Time had passed and the blood had started to turn the table black, changing the color of the tablecloth to a color that made the viewer's impression of the gruesomeness of the scene even stronger.

"Peto, la..."

　Subaru stumbled unsteadily over to the table.

　Petra was lying on her back in the middle of the table. Her adorable expression was frozen in tears of agony and fear, and her eyes were wide open in despair, as if to suggest what she had finally seen. Blood was spilling out of the corners of her open mouth, and it was clear to see that the fatal blow was the deep blade wound that had sliced ​​open her abdomen.

　The waitress' uniform that had been displayed before Subaru, her skirt fluttering prettily like a fairy's - was split vertically from just below the chest to the lower abdomen, the spilling blood and organs making the young girl's body even lighter.

"---uh."

　Something rose up from the back of my throat. It wasn't nausea, but sobbing.

　Feeling a burning heat deep in her eyes, Subaru quickly reached out to touch Petra's face before it could overflow. Her face was distorted and rigid with fear. He made her at least close her eyes, and like before, he pulled his jacket over her body.

　This was the first time he'd had to make superficial repairs to the fact that he'd been unable to save Petra.

　Knowing this would happen, yet still unable to reach it, how many times would Subaru let this child die?

　How many times would this child have to suffer like this just because of her involvement with Subaru?

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Petra..."

　Even the words of apology he speaks ring hollow.

　Petra had no one to rely on, and here she encountered a terrifying murderer who brutally tortured and killed her while calling out Subaru's name.

　My heart feels like it's going to be crushed by sadness. My whole body feels so hot it feels like it's going to burn with hatred.

　If hatred could kill, Subaru would never be satisfied even if he killed Elsa ten thousand times.

　What he did was such a terrible thing. I will make him understand that.

"For that reason too, I can't let this end like this..."

"this time...?"

"I'm just talking to myself. I don't want to leave Petra like this, but... there's nothing I can do right now. I'll go to Rem's place first. I'll take Rem and leave the mansion as is. Can't you use Door Crossing?"

"You need to go through the Forbidden Archives. And the door to it is probably open right now."

"--Is that so?"

　The method for sealing the Door Crossing was simple, but that was all there was to it.

　If he left all the doors in the mansion open, he could narrow down the targets. And if he left the door to the Forbidden Library itself open, he could block access from any doors other than the one currently open.

　If the door was even blocked and left wide open, not even Beatrice would be able to summon the Forbidden Archive.

"Do you know where the Forbidden Archives is connected to now?"

"Of course. --I think it's currently connected to the guest rooms on the third floor on the west side."

　The western guest rooms were some distance away from the dining hall in the central building, but the fact that the door was open there meant that at the very least, Erza had left the Forbidden Archives.

　With that murderer's nose, he'll surely find Subaru and the others before long.

　There's no time.

"We don't have time to hesitate. Anyway, let's hurry and head to Rem's place..."

　Wiping away the tears that were slowly welling up with the back of his hand, Subaru turned his head towards his destination. Rem was sleeping in one of the private rooms for servants on the east side. If Elsa had started on the west side, he could determine that she had not yet arrived.

　However, that only applies to Elsa.

"There's a good chance that Frederica is there..."

　Knowing how important Subaru was to Rem's safety, she would have thought about heading there after avoiding Elsa's attack. In that case, it's entirely possible that she was there first.

　Subaru put his hand to his chin and was lost in thought, so Beatrice narrowed her eyes.

"I was wondering about that for a while now... Are you suspicious of that big maid?"

"...I didn't want to doubt you."

　In response to Beatrice's question, Subaru nodded his head weakly in affirmation.

　Elsa's attack on the Roswaal Mansion - Subaru was half convinced that this was probably Frederica's betrayal.

　This was the third time Subaru had met Elsa at the Roswaal Mansion.

　The previous encounters had occurred on the sixth and fourth days, both of which were slightly longer before. However, this time, they had returned and encountered each other on the second day after arriving at the Sanctuary.

　Every single time, Elsa appears as if she is waiting for Subaru to return. If there is some kind of mechanism behind this, then one can only suspect the presence of an insider.

"The day I returned to the mansion, Elsa was guided in so that she could enter. I thought for sure that we would be going to the mountain hut..."

　Subaru had initially suspected that Frederica had invited Elsa, who was hiding out in a hut in the mountains, in. That was why, upon his return, he had asked Frederica, "Aren't you going to the mountain hut?", knowing full well that she would be wary of him.

　There was nothing suspicious or patchy about Frederica's response or attitude at the time, so at first I tried to convince myself that maybe I was just imagining things.

"It's not like that's the only way… It's not like I can see into someone's heart. I wouldn't know if I was being tricked."

　She managed to keep up a good front, and Subaru was unable to sense her. Conversely, she would have realized that Subaru was wary of her, which would have caused her to act more cautiously.

　It was Subaru's fault, and in the end it had cost the life of a young girl twice.

　Subaru was responsible for Petra's death, knowing what would happen but failing to let her escape. Subaru had killed Petra.

"Petra was really attached to you too...!"

　I remember Petra adoring the senior maid and calling her Big Sister Frederica.

　Did Frederica not feel any pain in her heart, knowing that Petra, whom she had loved so much, would end up at the hands of a murderer like this?

　What on earth was she thinking when she took part in something like this?

Subaru: "The best part is how Beatrice broke the Door Crossing. To be honest, I was surprised that she could break it with such a childish method."

"...Betty never thought it would be broken in such a way. Yes, that's the kind of way you'd think of."

"I think I could have come up with it if we had the time, but...the time is the problem. It's a method that wouldn't have come up if she hadn't known about your existence and the door-crossing gimmick beforehand. There's no way that Elsa could have come up with it on the spot. That's also because the discussion had been conducted privately."

"You seem to know that crazy woman. I wonder where you met her."

"I got into a bit of an argument in the royal capital... Ah, he was the one who attacked me the first time you treated me."

　Thinking back, Elsa was also involved in how Subaru was brought to the Roswaal Mansion. Beatrice nodded in understanding at his words, "Ah."

　Anyway, even the time I spend getting results like this feels precious to me right now.

"Anyway, we're at Rem's place right now. If Frederica is there… can we count on her?"

"Don't you have the nerve to protect the woman you love? Just the thought of being the first thing a man like this makes me shudder."

"If I could shoot down a whale with a little bit of will, I would, but the world just isn't made to be that kind."

　Beatrice's nasty remarks were proof of her partial approval. And Beatrice's reason for bringing up this argument was probably out of consideration for Subaru in her own way. She was trying to distance Subaru's mind from Petra's death, even if just a little.

　Unlike Subaru, who has never noticed the sadness Beatrice is carrying and is still unable to offer a solution, Beatrice is far too clever.

"let's go"

"Hmm, did you understand?"

　He holds out his hand with a natural movement, and Beatrice takes it without protest. He picks up the light girl and starts running again in the same position they used to get here.

　Subaru knew it was pointless, but tried his best to silence his footsteps as he headed towards the eastern wing. There was no sign of Elsa getting there first, so he ran up the stairs and reached the second and third floors. He peeked his head out into the hallway cautiously, trying to make sure there were no people around on the way to his destination room.

"――――"

　Subaru turns his head when he spots a figure in front of the room.

　Beatrice in his arms looked up silently in his direction, to which he nodded in return, then tilted his chin and took another slow look――There was a tall figure leaning against the door.

　Even from a distance, there's no mistaking her long blonde hair and waiter's uniform.

　It was Frederica. Just as Subaru had predicted, she was standing in front of the room where Rem was sleeping, eagerly waiting for Subaru.

"What should I do...? Should I pretend I didn't notice and call out to her as if nothing had happened? If I haven't met up with Elsa yet, or if she hasn't noticed that I'm suspicious yet..."

"If your previous guess was correct, then the moment we invited the enemy in, that maid had no reason to try to please us. Besides, the last time we parted ways, did you enter the Forbidden Library? The fact that you're outside means that there's no excuse."

"In that case, the only option is a frontal assault."

　Frederica's prey - as far as Subaru could see, her weapons were claw-like gauntlets equipped on both hands. From the way she carried herself, to her status as Garfiel's older sister, he hadn't been able to confirm her fighting strength for sure, but there was no doubt that she was far stronger than Subaru. Was there any chance of winning if he challenged her head-on?

"If we send in Shamak at the start of the fight, and if a surprise attack works, maybe we'll have a chance with Beatrice's long-range magic…? Even if we can't incapacitate them, we can force them to retreat…"

"I guess that's just a sweet deal to a traitor. If you're facing someone who intends to put an end to your life, you have to be prepared to deal with them with the same resolve, otherwise there's no point in talking to them."

　Beatrice's cold words. Subaru knew it was true, but he hesitated to say it. Even though he knew that the other person was betraying him, he was still close to her. As long as he remembered those times, Subaru could not simply dismiss it.

　Even if, in the end, Frederica was deeply involved in Petra's death.

"Beatrice. I'll block their vision with Shamak, so please do something light."

"---Maybe you'll get a bad experience from being so soft on your shoulders."

"Because there's something I want to ask you. Please consider that to be nothing more and nothing less."

　Beatrice looked as if she wanted to say, "At this point?", but when Subaru bowed his head, she sighed softly through her nose and said nothing.

　Admonishing himself for relying on her, Subaru took a deep breath and opened and closed his hands. He still felt a slight sense of fatigue, but one more Shamak would be enough.

"Hold on, my body. --Shamak!"

　Subaru tumbled into the passageway, and before Frederica could turn to look in his direction, black smoke erupted from his outstretched palm.

　As planned, it completely covered the space between Subaru and Frederica, creating the same situation as the Forbidden Library. Suddenly, Subaru's head became heavy from the unnecessary discharge of mana, and he fell to his knees, losing his balance.

　Beatrice stepped forward next to him, both hands held out in front of her. As Beatrice muttered something, the air distorted and a hole appeared in the space in front of her, from which a stake lit by pale purple flames appeared.

　The floating amethyst stake, its burning tip flickering through the air. Subaru was about to cry out at the magic, which was clearly aimed at inflicting a fatal blow, but Beatrice, without even a moment's notice, was about to shoot the stake into the darkness.

"...It's strange."

　Beatrice muttered and tilted her head.

　Subaru was confused by her reaction, but with the stake still in the air, Beatrice extended her right hand in front of her and raised the fingers, swiftly waving it from right to left.

　With just that, the darkness of Shamak that Subaru had unleashed was cleared from the passageway. This was the result of the interference of Beatrice, who was a much higher user of shadow magic than Subaru.

　Subaru was dismayed that the results he had given birth to in exchange for the fatigue in his body had been snatched from him so easily. However, his feelings about the situation quickly faded away.

　Subaru now understood the reason why Beatrice had stopped her attack.

"――――"

　As the darkness cleared, he walked straight down the hallway towards Frederica.

　Summoning his mana, Subaru dragged his reluctant body towards her at the speed of a turtle. But there was no need to be cautious. There was no reaction from her. There was none.

　There would be no reaction from her ever again.

"...Why?"

　Frederica was standing in front of Rem's bedroom.

　A kukri knife had pierced her abdomen, and she was skewered and sewn to the door of the room. Her hands were hanging loosely, and she had gauntlets on. Her clothes were in disarray in various places, suggesting that she had been in a fierce battle.

　Frederica's body was already cold, and her face looked as if she had been soulless for a long time. Her cheeks were tense, and her expression was one of regret and anguish, and Subaru could tell that she had been doing her utmost to defend the door with all her might.

　In other words, Frederica had been desperately trying to keep the attackers out of the room.

　There is no reason for someone who helped the attackers get inside to do such a thing.

"I've had so many doubts... is this it?"

　Covering his face with his hands, Subaru accepted the unacceptable reality before him.

　Frederica died with knife wounds all over her body. How could anyone say that she was a traitor and had betrayed us, seeing her like this?

　Had the situation become like this as a result of a rift between the two of them? The reason he had to go to such lengths to portray Frederica as the bad guy was because he was self-centered and wanted to ease his own guilt for having doubted her.

　We have to admit it.

"--Was I wrong?"

　Frederica hadn't betrayed anyone.

　He had fought so hard to protect Rem, and now he was dead. Judging from how cold his body was, it was possible that he had died before Petra returned to the dining hall.

　There was no time to guide Erza to the Forbidden Library.

"...Rem."

　It was as if a huge void had appeared inside my skull and I couldn't think clearly.

　Somehow managing to gather his confused thoughts, the first thing Subaru thought about was the beloved girl asleep in the room, with Frederica standing guard behind him.

　Frederica's body had begun to stiffen and was heavy, and it was hard work to remove her along with the door with the blade piercing her. In order to avoid further damage to her body, he had to be extremely careful. And yet, his fingers and his heart were racing.

　However, as if to betray Subaru's feelings,

"--Finally, I found it."

　A black shadow glided towards the end of the passage.

　Elsa, her braids swinging, was crouching down, her hands on the floor as she turned towards him with eyes wet with greedy murderous intent. Subaru's whole body was entangled in her gaze, and he froze. Seizing the opportunity, Elsa's shadow closed in on the passageway in an instant.

　Silent progress. This is undoubtedly the approach of death.

"It's so easy, if you think you can do it, you're making a big mistake."

　However, there was something blocking Elsa's progress.

　Beatrice lightly raised her hand and aimed the amethyst stake she had summoned earlier, which she had left lying around waiting without disappearing, at Elsa.

　The stake, whose firing had been interrupted earlier, now found a target for the destructive force and let out a cry of joy.

"Even though you're so small, you play with some pretty extreme toys."

"You should try it out on your own body to see if it's good enough for a child's toy."

　Elsa smiles in the face of the evil magic, but her smile is replaced with a sneer as Beatrice fires a dark purple stake from her hand.

　The speed of the fired stakes exceeded that of the rapid-fire icicles of Emilia's magic that she had once seen. Though it was a single shot, the stakes were approaching from the front at the same speed, and were on a trajectory that would have collided head-on with Elsa - but she managed to avoid them by lying face-down so that her chest was on the floor.

"Too bad. Your speed and aim are not good enough to pierce the target."

　Despite feeling the weapon graze the back of her head, Elsa muttered without the slightest bit of fear, and aimed the kukri knife at Beatrice in her reverse grip.

　The dull light approached Beatrice's body, splitting her small body in half.

"It's you who is lacking in thought, human."

　Just as it was about to happen, Beatrice gripped her open palm. Instantly, the amethyst stake expanded. Missing its target, the stake, which was on a trajectory to disappear down the hallway, expanded and popped behind Elsa, who had stopped moving, like a balloon bursting.

"--this is!"

　The pieces of the exploded stake broke into smaller stakes and surrounded Erza in all directions.

　Though they were small, their size was comparable to Subaru's index finger. Countless of them filled the air, their tips pointing towards Elsa.

　and,

"I guess this is punishment for raiding Betty's forbidden library. --I'd like to be torn to pieces and that should be the end."

　With that cold declaration as a trigger, a dark purple stake was fired.