MTLNOVEL Chapter 240: Chapter 76:『≠ Satella』
--And so, this was Subaru's first experience meeting the "Witch" herself.
She had heard the name "Witch of Envy" many times, and had faced the threat that was posed by that witch herself during the loop that had begun with this "Sanctuary".
More than once or twice, she had felt the pain of her heart being crushed for disobeying rules that had been arbitrarily imposed upon her, and it was difficult to have a good impression of the witch who had taken over Emilia's body and destroyed Sanctuary.
This was especially true now that her previous conversation with Echidna had given her a feeling of aversion to the very word "Witch."
"This witch is definitely in a class of her own compared to other witches."
Faced with the pressure emanating from the witch standing before him, Subaru muttered in a husky voice.
She's a slender woman.
Her arms hang limply, and she seems to be looking in the direction of the camera with no pretense. Her body is clad in a jet black dress - a dress that is literally woven from the shadows rising from beneath her feet, and her skin ripples in time with the beating of her heart.
Though the dress had long sleeves, her strangely white fingertips were visible from the wrists down, and it could be predicted that, like the other witches, the ``Jealousy Witch'' also possessed beauty that was more than commensurate with her looks.
However, the most important information to make that judgment is lacking.
"I've seen it a few times, but... what is the principle behind it?"
The witch's head and above is covered in pitch black shadow and cannot be seen.
Unlike the jet black dress she was wearing, her shadow was drifting like mist, concealing the face of the "Witch of Envy" from Subaru.
Subaru asked in shock, but the Witch didn't respond.
Subaru's chest burned with a growing sense of irritation, and with sweat running down his forehead, he glanced around him - at the other four witches, who remained silent.
"――――"
Seeing the change in their expressions, Subaru felt something unexpected.
As far as Subaru knew, the relationship between the Witch of Envy and them was that of murderer and victim. The person who killed you - to come face to face with such a person again - at least, Subaru thought he understood that.
However, the expressions on the witches' faces were completely different to what Subaru had imagined.
One was a soft smile, one was a look of pitying pity, one was a look of pure indifference, and the last one wasーー.
"So you've broken through my boundaries and come all the way here. Invading the castle of my dreams so undignifiedly... you're truly selfish."
Only Echidna, glaring at the ``Witch of Jealousy'', had hostility in her eyes.
Subaru was surprised to see such feelings of hatred coming from none other than Echidna. He had only just spoken of breaking off their relationship, assuming that she had no such feelings. Seeing her now so openly express her feelings made Subaru wonder if he had been mistaken.
However, as a practical matter, the time to raise these issues is already past.
The problem now was how to deal with the witch in front of me, who still hadn't made a move.
"In the first place, what was his intention in being here..."
"Maybe she made him angry because she talked about things she shouldn't have? I don't think it's right for a man to have such a loose tongue. I can understand her resentment."
"I don't care what you say. By the way, are you taking that witch's side? From your point of view and the other witches' point of view, isn't she your enemy?"
"One's enemy, that sounds really stupid... I'm going to find out if what you're saying is true."
Minerva narrowed her eyes at Subaru's words and moved, her wavy blonde hair swaying.
She was staring intently at Subaru, but she stepped between his gaze and that of the Witch of Jealousy, and faced the witch with her ample chest held out. And then,
"Can you hear me? It's me, Minerva. Minerva, the Witch of Wrath. If you remember me, or can hear me correctly, please respond."
「--! No, wait! As far as I know, you can't communicate with that guy! If you provoke him with any strange actions on top of that...」
"You'd better keep quiet, ha."
Minerva spoke what seemed to Subaru to be nothing but reckless words, but when Subaru tried to stop her, he was interrupted by Sekhmet, who was still lying on the ground behind him in the form of a fur ball.
Subaru turned to look at Sekhmet, who was fidgeting with the purple fur ball, changing its size.
"Many times longer than the short time you spent with her, ha. We spent that time together, ha. It's only natural to be anxious, ha. I'll leave it to Minerva a little, ha. Even she sometimes acts without thinking... ha. Well, it's probably not going to be so thoughtless this time, ha."
"I hear you, Sekhmet! If you don't want us all to be consumed by my failure, don't say anything to upset me! I'll fly into a rage!"
"Just seeing someone breathing in front of me is enough for me, huh. And you're the kind of person who finds reasons to get angry and gets angry, huh. I don't know what to do, huh."
Despite her poor reviews, Minerva remains focused on the threat before her.
The "Witch of Jealousy" could have taken any number of actions during that exchange, but she simply stood there doing nothing, continuing to stare at Subaru through the "Witch of Wrath."
Indeed, one could say that this is a departure from the more pragmatic responses of the witches up until now.
However, this only means that they will not immediately take hostile action, and it seems to be a different matter from whether they are in a position to have a conversation.
Minerva was in charge of the conversation, while Sekhmet had given full authority to Minerva. So, what about the remaining two?
"It's not like... I... don't care... as long as Minerva-chan tries her best, okay? If Minerva-chan... well, um... gets hurt... I'll kill her though."
"That's a reassuring statement, but I've said many times that you're not a good match for her. The only one who can stand against her here is Sekhmet. Do you understand that?"
Echidna tried her best to keep her voice calm as she scolded Camilla, who was belligerent despite her halting words. Then the white-haired witch glanced at Sekhmet from the side, and the furball shook as if it was too lazy to even reply,
"Even I can't keep someone from moving continuously, haa. You should know that I'm not suited for that kind of thing, huh."
「I know that. So you can just crush its limbs and twist its neck. If I can physically immobilize it and put an end to its life, then I can completely eliminate it from this dimension with my own hands.」
Echidna's hostility was so strong that it made Carmilla's words seem cute. Though she spoke nonchalantly, it was hard to believe she was joking because her words were tinged with unconcealed disgust.
In fact, it was to the point where she was led to believe, without any reason, that there was no need to doubt the negative thoughts Echidna harbored towards the ``Witch of Envy''.
While the explosive conversation continued behind them, Minerva and the Jealous Witch continued their confrontation. On the contrary, Minerva took a step closer, as if to prevent the Jealous Witch from hearing the other witches' conversation.
"――――"
Subaru held his breath as he watched Minerva advance silently.
Subaru could only see Minerva's actions as reckless, but he couldn't even see what the "Witch of Envy" had in fact done in the first place.
If the circumstances were to match up, the reason the Witch had appeared was because Subaru had broken a taboo. However, when it came to treating Subaru after he had broken that taboo, the Witch had only shown her arms and had only managed to inflict pain on his heart; when she had actually appeared and interfered, she had simply swallowed everything she saw into her shadow.
Let alone friendly contact, the "Witch of Jealousy" has never even properly expressed her will. The witch's intentions are not even clear, not even now, not in the past.
So what action the Witch would take towards Minerva was a complete unknown to Subaru.
--If Minerva were to be swallowed up by the shadow, the three behind her would surely move immediately.
If the expectations placed on Sekhmet were true, then the "Witch of Sloth" would be able to crush the "Witch of Envy" with her authority, and Echidna would be able to drive away a weakened "Witch of Envy."
However, if that's the case――
Subaru couldn't help but wonder why they didn't do it right away.
"――――"
Speaking of strange, the fact that the initial contact with the ``Witch of Jealousy'' was left entirely to Minerva was already strange.
While it was one thing for Carmilla to not hesitate to retaliate if a attack was made, Sekhmet had no desire for active hostility, and even Echidna, despite being filled with hostility, was in no hurry to go against Minerva's wishes and launch a preemptive attack.
So, what on earth were they aiming for?
"You look like you can't understand what the witches are planning and are at their mercy."
"..."
"But, we…oh, it's a disgrace to the witch to think that you can see through us so easily. I don't want you to think so lightly of us."
"Don't act all tomboyish like this. — If you really want to keep the 'Witch of Jealousy' away, I just thought that now, while you're defenseless, would be the best time to target you."
"I see. So that's how you see the current situation. That's very much... yes, I suppose so. Of course, I wholeheartedly agree with what you're saying. Normally, I would like to use all of my authority to destroy that thing, without leaving a single trace behind, but..."
Echidna stopped speaking and narrowed her eyes.
That attitude was unlike her - it was too late now to know how much he knew about her, but sensing something uncharacteristically reluctant about her, Subaru waited for her to speak.
There was a brief silence, and then Echidna spoke.
"It would be counterproductive to do everything we can to eliminate her and then end up being targeted by the other witches. Minerva aside, taking a gamble that would mean making enemies of Sekhmet and Typhon would be a bad idea."
"I don't understand what you're saying. Why would you end up turning them against you if you tried to eliminate the 'Witch of Envy'? If they're your enemy, then that's the same for everyone…"
"Y-yes... right...?"
Subaru's question was interrupted by Carmilla, who had remained silent up until that point. Without looking at Subaru's shocked expression, she continued to stare at the confrontation between Minerva and the "Witch of Envy," and spoke in a calm manner, trailing off.
"For all of you, jealousy is your enemy, huh... yes, that's true, but that and what happened with that girl... are different stories, right?"
"...I don't understand what you're saying. What are you guys doing..."
Subaru: "Since I don't know which one it is, huh. I'm not just reluctant to lay hands on him, it's also the wrong thing to do, haa."
"Which one...?"
Sekhmet took over, but to Subaru, this only added to his confusion. He understood what they were saying from a different angle.
With another step, Minerva closed the distance between herself and the "Witch of Jealousy."
Then she spread her arms wide, prepared to stand without resistance, and said to the ``Witch of Jealousy.''
"--Are you the Witch of Envy? Or Satella? Which one?"
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
Subaru felt that this statement completely overturned his previous understanding.
What Minerva had said was quite different from the truth Subaru knew, but the silent responses of the witches around her who had lived in the same era as her confirmed that it was no delusion or joke.
When Minerva called out to her, for the first time the Jealous Witch's shoulders trembled slightly. The black mist that had been covering her head began to wriggle, and it seemed as if her body was turning towards Minerva.
--It was at this moment that the witch first came into Minerva's consciousness.
"――――"
Subaru hadn't had a chance to question what that had meant. What's more, the tension in his heart made him dry up faster.
Even with the witches' affirmation, it still betrayed Subaru's thoughts from a far greater extent.
Minerva's statement, in other wordsーー,
--Satera, the "Witch of Jealousy." It's possible that the person referred to as that is someone else.
No, that's based too much on the limited conditions we have now.
How many times have you judged something based on superficial information, formed a preconceived notion, and suffered a painful experience? You should always consider the possibility, but you should not stick to it.
Above all, right now, you shouldn't take your attention away from the scene in front of you for even a second.
"If you didn't jump on the first question right away… I guess I still have a chance."
As she spoke, Minerva closed the distance even further.
The distance between the ``Witch of Wrath'' and the witch was now just five steps.
"If she was the 'Witch of Envy', it wouldn't be strange if she suddenly started feeling jealous the moment she stood between them, so I wasn't too worried about that."
Four more steps.
"Even so, I wish you'd at least said something to me first. Even I know it's difficult for us to face each other. I still haven't forgotten the look on your face when you swallowed me up that time."
Three steps.
"I think I'm much better than the other five. Aside from Typhon, I was the best friend you could be. Or so I thought."
Two steps. Look down.
"Yeah, that's what I thought... I thought that's why...!"
With two steps to go, Minerva bent forward, her hind legs gathering strength.
and,
"Do you understand how it feels to be ignored in this situation after such a long time?"
The ground exploded, and everything just two steps away was annihilated in a single step.
Minerva charged forward, kicking up dust, then twisted her body and fired a fist from her shoulder, putting all her energy into it. It pierced the air, broke through the speed barrier, and headed for the witch's head with a thunderous roar. It smashed through her face, shrouded in darkness.
"--See, just as I thought."
Minerva's fist miraculously stopped just before it struck the witch's face.
It wasn't that the witch's shadow stretched out and entangled her arm; Minerva's will had stopped her arm just before it reached its full length.
With her fist still raised, Minerva brought her upper body back and shook her blonde hair.
"Now, look. It is Satella, not the 'Witch of Jealousy', who knows there is no need to dodge my fists. Echidna, there is no need for you to be on guard."
"...I don't know. I honestly admire your determination to prove it with your own body, but that's a different matter. If the threat of your existence was simply underestimated, then of course it wouldn't move. That's why, Sekhmet."
"Don't try and make up some reason to get me to do something, huh. You're just as bad at giving up, Echidna, haha. Admit it, that was Satella, huh."
As Echidna remained silent, Sekhmet could only sigh.
The witches' ultimate weapon remained a fur ball, showing no sign of movement. And as she faced the witch - Satella - close enough to touch hands, Minerva looked back at Subaru.
Staring at her with blue eyes, Subaru could only stand there in shock, unable to properly comprehend the reality that she was a threat right beside him.
Minerva snorted at Subaru's attitude and a look of dissatisfaction appeared on her face,
"What are you doing daydreaming? Come here quickly."
"Come on... well, even if you say so"
"What? That's not boyish of you. I've proven to you that I'm okay, so shouldn't you come over here with confidence too? Isn't that right? Or is it that after all this preparation, it's still not enough? If you can't cross the bridge even after someone has checked it carefully, then how can you cross it?"
「Don't get all excited and heated up! It's not like I'm scared and can't go over there! The reason I can't go over there is because I don't know the reason to!」
Subaru raised his voice in response to Minerva's indignation and protested against being left behind.
Pointing at Satella, who was stomping her feet and seemed no longer to pose an immediate threat, Subaru looked around at the other witches who were starting to drop their fighting stances,
"First of all, what do you mean when you say that the 'Witch of Envy' and Satella are different? You guys talk about it like it's obvious, but my knowledge is already different from that!"
"There's no way around it. If an unsuitable person were to forcibly absorb a witch factor, then such negative effects would result. It's a struggle between the part of their witch personality that was born due to the influence of the factor and their true selves... or should I say. From my perspective, they're the same being, so I don't really understand the point of making a distinction like they do."
"Another personality?! So what? It was just one of those personalities that swallowed you all and committed the evil deeds that are recorded in history, and the other one is harmless..."
"That's not true."
As Subaru was shocked by the information he had heard and was about to respond, Echidna stopped him. She shook her head and corrected Subaru's argument,
"Drinking up half the world, and consuming us six deadly witches, was all the doing of Satella, not the Witch of Envy."
"What?! No, that doesn't make sense! If Satella was the one who swallowed you, and if the one over there is also Satella… then the story…"
"That's how we fit together, haha. We won't forgive the Witch of Envy, haha. But we won't hold a grudge against Satella, haha. That's all there is to it, haha."
"I, I... I mean, Satella, I don't... like it, but... I think it's better than being a witch, so..."
Sekhmet and Carmilla agreed, deepening Subaru's doubts even further.
This seems to be the witches' unanimous view, but Subaru cannot understand it. The one who destroyed them had a split personality, and while they can forgive the personality that destroyed them, they cannot forgive the other personalities--what does that mean?
"I've been saying all this time that there's no point in making that distinction, but... we're at a stalemate. That's why I can't ignore their will and eliminate them. As a weak spirit, I wouldn't be able to stand a chance if they rose up in rebellion after I eliminated them. No matter how good I am, there's no way I can go back once my soul is blown away."
"But… isn't that a big risk for the other five? You are entrusting the souls of the other five to you, right? If you disappear, then the other witches will…"
"They are content with their own death. Therefore, they have no attachment to surviving as souls. --Rather than bending their ways and remaining, it would be far better to die for their beliefs and perish. That's the kind of thinking that makes them witches."
Neither Sekhmet nor Camilla denied Echidna's assertion.
The decision was far too decisive to be called noble, and Subaru was at a loss for words as the witches' way of life was so harsh.
If that were possible, I'm sure everyone would aspire to be like that.
However, no one can say for sure that he will continue to adhere to this ideal even after death.
"Minerva too..."
It's probably the same.
Or perhaps she was the one who would be destroyed before anyone else by the hand of the "Witch of Envy." Nevertheless, Minerva had faith in the witch who had done nothing to help her, and in the end she proved it.
Subaru doesn't understand their relationship.
If they had a bond of mutual trust, why did the Jealous Witch destroy the other six witches? And why do the witches forgive her for it?
Subaru could understand Echidna's way of thinking better.
But still――
"I understand that you guys are like that. It's hard to accept, but I can understand it. However, I still haven't heard what he's doing here."
"――――"
"I understand that she won't attack without question. I understand that. But that doesn't mean she's safe. If what I've seen so far is the 'Witch of Envy,' then what do you want with me, Satella? To me, the 'Witch of Envy' is nothing more than an opponent I detest. If you're suddenly telling me that's not the case, I won't understand."
Moreover, if we take what the witches have said together, there is no doubt that it was Satella, who was right in front of them, who had devoured them. If that's the case, even if it was the Witch of Envy who had consumed the Sanctuary, doesn't that mean that Satella could do something just as well?
Who can blame someone for feeling a sense of crisis, being cautious and keeping their distance?
"What do you want to do, and why did you come here? Unless you understand that...!"
"If you want to know, come here."
Subaru was about to raise his voice, but Minerva interrupted him.
With her hands on her hips, Minerva glared at Subaru, an irritation written clearly on her adorable face.
"I've made enough of these long-winded excuses and defensive measures. I'm standing here next to this girl and nothing's happening. And she came here to see you. If that's all it takes to make me a wimp who can't even get close to her, then I'll just have to admit that we were all wrong."
"What the hell is a miscalculation?! Don't you guys judge me based on your own judgments! Don't force your own ideas on me! What do you guys know about me!"
I don't want to have someone force their own image on me and have to act according to it.
Once, when he had cried out the same thing, a voice had answered him. He remembered those words. Those words had supported him.
--If I can't betray the person who was saved by those words back then,
"Ugh, shit... I'm thinking stupid things..."
It's an irrational, emotional decision driven by momentum.
He has no regrets about how much pain he has suffered because of doing so up until now. He pays more attention to the small details, suppresses his emotions and acts coldly, following the facts rather than the feelings of his heart - he continues to maintain an unwavering, steely heart.
I'm sure I continue to hope and pray that this will be the case.
"You're slow to make decisions."
"The fear of approaching someone you've been through a life-or-death struggle with... damn, you guys understand that, don't you? It's so hard."
"It's not like we don't have our own feelings about it. Sekhmet and Carmilla are just a lot more mature than me. I have my reasons for rooting for them."
Minerva shrugged her shoulders as she stepped closer to Subaru, who clicked his tongue. Without giving him time to find out the reason behind it, Minerva gave way to him.
As the ``Witch of Wrath'' landed next to him, Subaru naturally found himself facing the witch - Satella - at close range.
"――――"
Subaru instinctively swallowed his saliva and was rendered speechless by the bizarreness of the presence before his eyes.
I should have known, having seen it from a distance, and then walking up to it and seeing it even more closely, but I still couldn't shake the pressure it emanated and the sense of unease I felt just from looking at it.
The shadow dress clings to her body, depicting her limbs and curves in an incredibly erotic way, and the fact that we cannot see above her neck even creates a perverse allure.
All these impressions are drowned out by an unrecognizable discord in the head.
"――――"
Looking at it up close, Subaru realized that the perception blockage wasn't physical.
Although it looks as though darkness is covering the face, this is not because a shadow is actually covering that area, blocking the view so that one cannot see.
The reason we cannot see the witch's face is something more fundamental and spiritual.
It's not that there's a physical obstruction preventing them from seeing your face. It's an instinct that "doesn't let you see."
"Everyone wants to turn a blind eye to their own ugliest delusions"
"..."
"If you can't see that expression, then it's a problem with your state of mind."
From behind him, a piece of helpful advice came, backing up Subaru's current reasoning.
Somehow managing to hold back the urge to click his tongue, Subaru ignored Echidna - or rather, he continued facing Satella without even being able to devote his attention to her.
As of yet, there has been no proactive action from Satera.
All Satella had done so far was show up here. The people around her had made a fuss on their own, and were desperate to prevent the damage caused by her actions from spreading.
It is no exaggeration to say that the fact that she is feared so much simply for existing clearly shows how dangerous she is.
And at that moment, Subaru grew impatient at the lack of movement.
"--!"
"――――"
Suddenly, seeing both hands outstretched in front of him, Subaru's throat froze.
Subaru concentrated on Satella's movements, not wasting a moment, not even a blink of an eye. He didn't know what would happen in the next moment - that sense of tension was at the mercy of the movements of both hands that seemed to appear from outside of his consciousness.
He wasn't surprised that he didn't see the movement. Subaru had clearly seen Satella's arms moving. But he was surprised at his own awareness, having silently witnessed the entire situation from the moment her arms were extended to the moment they completed their movement.
"You, seriously... what are you? What do you want with me?"
The fact that he had been unable to take any effective action in response to the outstretched hand. Subaru, half-consciously understanding what this meant, quickly formed words.
Squeeze it out so you don't have to acknowledge that fact, so you don't have to face it.
"If you're giving me the power to start over... then why..."
I don't understand Satella's thoughts.
And as he faced Satella, standing so close that they could almost touch each other, he consciously shouted over and over again that it was dangerous, but he didn't understand why his body wasn't listening.
--The meaning of his body's unconscious reaction to feeling "relieved" in front of her.
"---uh."
"--a?"
Unable to accept that his body was being pushed against his will, Subaru was slow to react to the sound striking his eardrums. This time, without a doubt, it was the correct reaction to an event that came from outside of his intention.
Holding his breath, Subaru waited for the next words.
In front of her, Satella still had her expression fixed on Subaru, and as he held his breath, waiting for her to speak again, she took her time and finally spoke.
"----Masu"
"――――"
"You forever. I will always love you and only you."