Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

"――――"

　Garfiel wrinkled his nose and stopped in his tracks, feeling uneasy.

　He ran through the earth as if kicking it, his body turning into wind suddenly coming to a halt. His right foot slammed into the soft earth like a stake, kicking up a cloud of dust as Garfiel, now in a crouching position, turned his head.

　Snorting and sniffing the air, he was in the forest surrounding the Sanctuary settlement. He was running around inside the barrier, searching for Ryuzu, who was nowhere to be found in the area.

　He had already looked around all the places he could think of, and had made countless trips in search of the familiar small body.

　The rapid heartbeat is caused by a sense of anxiety triggered by a bad premonition.

　He felt that a very unfavorable situation was developing. Outsiders were exerting themselves in the Sanctuary, and even Lewes was acting differently than usual - and even made a decision without consulting him at all.

「Damn it…what on earth is going on?」

　Ripping his short blond hair, Garfiel traces the white scar on his forehead with his fingers.

　When he was troubled or perplexed, when his mind was about to lose its composure, Garfiel had the habit of touching the wound, and it was like a trigger for stabilizing his mind.

　By tracing the scar with my finger, I can remember what it was like when I received it. This scar will stay with me for the rest of my life, and by remembering when I was at my stupidest, I can regain my composure.

　Many people who know Garfiel tend to think of him as a thoughtless and rude person. This is based on a variety of factors, including his everyday behavior, attitude, and appearance, but in reality this is incorrect.

　Garfiel Tinsel is a surprisingly calm and strong character, always forcing himself to keep his head sharp.

　This was because Garfiel knew and was keenly aware that his beliefs - and the destination they would lead to - would require more than physical strength to see it through.

　What should he know and what should he do to make his dreams come true? He is always thinking about such things, and this is how he has developed his strong convictions.

　but--,

"But still... why are they all moving around on their own..."

　Garfiel growls in frustration and pain, baring his sharp canines.

　Just as he had said, the situation continued to go against his expectations. Garfiel's strong beliefs led him to reach a conclusion first, making him extremely vulnerable to flexible thinking.

　As for his stance in "Sanctuary," his answer is always the same.

　Even if the process to arrive at that answer branches out into countless possibilities, that is the one thing he will never give up. That is why he has paid careful attention to every conceivable process.

　However, this does not include Ryuzu's arbitrary actions or the current secret activities of outsiders.

　Sadly, he was a man who never stopped thinking, but he wasn't particularly experienced or cleverer than others. He was just desperate and trying his best. That's all.

"----!"

　Garfiel snorted loudly and narrowed the pupils of his golden eyes.

　The fur on its back stands on end, convinced that it has detected the bird, and it bends its knees slightly and leaps into action again. Using the branches of the trees as its foothold, it uses their flexibility to fly higher and faster, flying in all directions through the greenery, chasing after the traces it has detected.

"All in a line… what are you planning, huh!?"

　He gritted his teeth and let out a roar of frustration.

　He let out a cry similar to that of a raging feline, and rage lit up Garfiel's eyes.

　His nose picked up the smells of so many living things: the smell of sweat, the smell of trampled grass and earth, the pungent smell of anxious humans, smell, smell, smell.

"----!!"

　It's a smell that definitely indicates humans on the move in droves.

　The smell was overwhelming, no less than 10 in number, approaching 50. There were only one group of that many in the Sanctuary at the moment, and they were likely to be moving at this time.

　--They are refugees who had taken refuge from the village right next to Roswaal's mansion.

　These people had evacuated to get away from danger. What is their intention in forgetting the kindness of those who welcomed them and taking action at this timing?

"That bastard... How dare you mess with me...!"

　The image that came to Garfiel's mind was of a boy with short black hair that he really didn't like.

　He has sharp eyes, but is known for his flippant and frivolous attitude. And yet, he sometimes looks at you with a penetrating gaze, as if he can see right through you.

　His gaze seemed to be looking somewhere else, like he was looking at another man Garfiel disliked, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of revulsion.

　There was no doubt that the man, whom he simply didn't like, was responsible for this.

　It was clear that the sudden behavior of the refugees had been instigated by that man. The refugees, instigated by him, had somehow placed great trust in the boy.

　He was a man with no powers, no apparent special talents, and seemed to be good at talking. To Garfiel, he was the most detestable, weak, foolish, and selfish creature in the world.

　I can't help but think that Garfiel should have taken action himself sooner.

　There were many opportunities to do this, but he was so vulnerable, and yet so formidable in his resolve to deal with painful problems, that I was helpless.

　The price of my hesitation is the situation I find myself in now.

　They have lost sight of their family, Lewes, who should take priority over everything else, and are letting those who threaten the peace of the Sanctuary do as they please. No matter what, they cannot let the refugees leave the barrier.

　That may have been the case a few days ago, but things have changed.

"That bastard knows that old hag isn't normal."

　In the place that Garfiel calls the Experimental Site and Lewes calls the Ancestor's Chamber, there lies the sleeping crystal of a girl named Lewes Meyer, the basis of Garfiel's family, Lewes.

　To be honest, Garfiel wasn't particularly interested in the crystal.

　The girl sleeping within the crystal was an imitation of her family, but if what was inside was different then she was something completely different. If only the exterior was the same but the insides were different, then that meant that as far as Garfiel knew, there were more than twenty people like Lewes.

　It is impossible for Garfiel to feel the same affection and attachment for each of them as he does for Lewes, and he has no desire to do so.

　Garfiel has the authority to freely give orders to the clone that has the same face as his grandmother.

　And Garfiel doesn't shy away from using that authority, but the reason he tries to avoid using it as much as possible is due to his own temperament.

　He doesn't like to hang out with others or give orders to others. He feels an indescribable irritation towards people who simply follow his orders like puppets.

　Such are the only feelings Garfiel has towards the Crystal Girl.

　He has no feelings beyond that. To begin with, Garfiel doesn't think of himself as generous or generous.

　From the start, there is little to share: two arms, two legs, but one body.

　There is a limit to what you can give, and you need to narrow down who you give it to.

　In that case, Garfiel would only share it with a select few whom he deemed favorable.

"That's why... if you thought I would show you mercy, that was a complete misunderstanding, a naive misconception you know?"

　He kicked the tree trunk hard and leapt across the height of the forest.

　Hugging his knees, Garfiel spun around in the air, then landed with a pressure so strong it sent leaves flying up. The ground caved in to the shape of his shoes, and the neighing of an earth dragon spun through the gaps between the trees.

　Letting the impact of his landing wash over the ground, Garfiel slowly straightened his back.

　Its muzzle wrinkles, not in smell but in anger, as it cracks its neck bones, clicks its sharp teeth, and glares straight ahead with the corners of its eyes raised in rage.

　In front of Garfiel, two dragon carriages are lined up vertically.

　The earth dragon pulling the carriage was shocked by the murderous Garfiel's presence and became excited, so the driver tried his best to calm it down.

　The driver was a familiar face to Garfiel,

"I was wondering who it was, and it's that skinny guy. Ha! That's a given, but you're the first one to have been seduced by that bastard."

"That's what you say... well, I'm well aware of how you think of me."

　As Garfiel stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, the man in the driver's seat - Otto, a man with a hard-working face and half-grown grey hair - gave a wry smile.

　He skillfully controlled the reins and successfully calmed the panting earth dragon down, allowing it to catch its breath.

"Wow, that's quite something. If I were to seriously threaten him, it wouldn't be surprising if the terrestrial dragon got scared and ran away, and things got out of hand."

"I tried very hard to persuade him not to do that. And I had warned him beforehand that you would be coming."

"Ahh――?"

　Garfiel's ears twitched as he listened to Otto's remark, which he found hard to ignore.

　Unconsciously reaching for the wound on his forehead, Garfiel took a step forward, intending to question the true meaning of Otto's words.

"Well, what do you mean? You guys were planning to take advantage of the commotion and escape from this place, but you were found by me and humiliatingly stopped you. That's right."

"Yes, that's true. It's a standard tactic for us merchants to take advantage of a sudden trouble and try to make the most of it. I was promised a generous reward, and I thought I would be able to get away with it…"

"..."

　Otto covers his face with his hands as if his plan has been foiled, but there is something about his words and actions that suggests he is relaxed, which perplexes Garfiel.

　It was far from the kind of attitude he had when his best shot was crushed. On the contrary, his attitude was exactly like that of Roswaal when he has his opponents under his control.

"That face and attitude... you look just like the guy I hate the most in the world."

"That's quite an evaluation, but... for reference, may I ask what kind of person you are? I'd like to keep that in mind as I build a good relationship with you in the future."

"Ha! Me and you? That's something to laugh at, you idiot. --The guy I hate the most is probably being diligently taken care of in the most luxurious room in the 『Sanctuary』 right now."

"I see, I see. It must be very difficult when the person you love is so infatuated with your rival. I can imagine how you feel."

"That unnecessary mouth of yours, I don't mind closing it up by force, you know."

　Garfiel clicks his tongue in annoyance at Otto's mocking of his feelings for Ram.

　In fact, Garfiel could use force to turn the situation around. The mass escape of the refugees was doomed to failure the moment Garfiel discovered it.

　I won't let them out, but unless they're going to force it out I don't think there's any need to harm them, at least.

　Right now, the most important thing is to end this situation as quickly as possible and return to the ``Sanctuary.''

　Garfiel's priority must always be the preservation of the Sanctuary, and this is nothing more than an unnecessary issue.

「Anyway, the escape plan has failed. If that bastard is here, let him show his face. Make him apologize for his pointless imitation, and depending on how things go, we'll have to make him suffer the consequences.」

　It wouldn't be worth it unless I could let out some of the frustration that had built up inside me.

　In addition, Garfiel needed to know what that boy - Natsuki Subaru - was thinking when he did something like this.

　It was only the other day that he had made the bold claim that he would overcome the Trials and liberate the Sanctuary.

　Even if he was discouraged, he did it too soon. To put it bluntly, he was too weak-willed.

　Let's clear up that misunderstanding for once.

"Well, unfortunately, it looks like I can't comply with your request."

"Huh?"

"Don't you realize? Right now, I have the same face as the person you hate the most in the world. So you can't imagine that I have the kind of face that would do the kind of thing that person you hate the most."

"――――"

　It was a roundabout and indirect response, and the true meaning of Otto's words was not clear.

　But Garfiel decided that this was the kind of comment that shouldn't be overheard. Above all, the fact that he had the same face as the man Garfiel hated - Roswaal - meant that he was up to something and trying to manipulate others.

"...What on earth are you planning, hey?"

"Well, yes. From the face you and I share, is it a wicked scheme?"

　With a look of something poisoning on his face, Otto rubbed his nose with his fingers. Garfiel narrowed his eyes at the sight, and then, belatedly, realized something was off.

　In front of him were two dragon carriages, two earth dragons, and Otto. --And yet, the driver behind them was not there.

　No, that's not the case.

"Why, even though we scared the earth dragon so much that it shook the dragon carriage, the people inside didn't even show their faces?"

"Well, why is that?"

　Otto shrugged and pretended not to notice, but didn't stop Garfiel, who, his face changing color, approached the dragon carriage. Garfiel nimbly climbed into the carriage and threw open the passenger door.

　Then, when he sees the scene inside, he grits his teeth loudly.

"--There's no one inside, you know?"

"What the heck, you can see it just by looking... What's going on! My nose certainly picked up the scent of many people inside the moving dragon carriage...!"

　Spurting spit, Garfiel stepped into the carriage and stopped mid-sentence.

　At his feet, inside the carriage he had entered, clothes were strewn about. Multiple pieces of clothing. Seeing the men's and women's, adult and child's clothes all thrown together, Garfiel grimaced at the all too simple method of covering up his own nose.

"This is just a childish trick...!"

"By now, other dragon carriages that departed later than these ones should be trying to escape from the Sanctuary. You won't be able to make it in time, even on foot."

"From somewhere else, you say? What are you talking about? There's no way you could escape so easily, using the animal trails in this forest, without using this highway! You'd end up getting lost along the way, and getting caught by my nose. It's not like you don't know that I can escape the barrier."

"Well, I don't really know how much you're capable of. I just..."

　Garfiel and Otto stepped outside the carriage and faced each other in front of the dragon carriage. As Otto stopped speaking, Garfiel, his heart burning with impatience, walked over to him.

"You don't even know me."

"――――"

"You're the type that doesn't pay any attention to people like me. You're the type that hates people like me and Natsuki-san who are all talk the most. That's why you haven't paid any attention to my actions up until now, and you didn't even notice what I did here."

"What are you just saying...?"

"It's not like I've been wandering aimlessly through the forest these past few days and spending the whole night in the stables with the earth dragons until late at night. I've also found and thoroughly trained you in a way to escape that doesn't rely on this road."

　Otto raised both hands with a confident look on his face.

　At his words, Garfiel's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

　Who did he teach? To the drivers of the other dragon carriages? If so, his words just now don't make sense. Are you trying to say that he taught the earth dragon in the stables?

　If that is true,

"So you're that guy's companion after all..."

「Huh?! I'm not entirely convinced by that way of thinking!」

　When Garfiel gave him a sympathetic look, Otto yelled in a boisterous voice. It was a familiar behavior, and it was the same behavior every time he saw Otto in the Sanctuary.

　His usual appearance was, as expected, abnormal in this situation.

"In any case, I need you to go back inside first. I'll find the others and pull them out."

"To prevent that from happening, we've scattered them in all directions. It's impossible to catch them. But if you still try to run off to catch them, we've been told to tell you this. The people taking refuge don't know anything about the truth of the Sanctuary or Lewes-san. So, it won't be to your disadvantage if you let them escape. ...What do you think?"

"Isn't this a good way to do some groundwork?"

　The message was undoubtedly from Subaru.

　It was clear why Garfiel didn't want the people inside to get out. The feeling of being caught up in the other person's plans only irritated Garfiel more, but it was safe to say that there was no longer any reason to chase after the refugees so breathlessly.

"That is, if that's true."

"That is suspicious. Let me say this, Natsuki-san and I don't want to worsen relations with the people of the Sanctuary. Rather, we would prefer to maintain friendly relations while choosing liberation... and I think it is you who are interfering with the friendly relationship between the two parties."

"...It's not like I have the slightest intention of getting in the way of you getting along. If that's something that happens inside, then that is."

"I'm particular about it."

"That's the one thing I absolutely cannot give up."

　Otto gave an exasperated look, and Garfiel sighed heavily.

　However, despite his skeptical stance, Garfiel judges the message to be true. Not only had he gone out of his way to warn him, but Subaru knew the reason why Garfiel didn't want anyone to leave the Sanctuary - and it would be rational for Subaru not to give the refugees any information that could hinder their escape.

"However, if that's the case... I don't understand why they went to all this trouble and trickery to get those guys out of the 'Sanctuary'. If the reason is that they might be harmed if they stay inside, then it's pretty bad to say you can't trust the people you want to be friends with."

"If that's the case, it's surprising that the person who would be the first to be mentioned said it. I had my doubts too, but according to Natsuki, it's a surefire insurance policy. Also, could it be to buy some time?"

"――――"

　Hearing the comment about stalling for time, Garfiel's expression tightened.

　Garfiel moistened his lips with his tongue, wondering what "buying time" meant in this case.

"What, are you up to…"

"It's a repellent to keep men and women alone in a place where they won't be interrupted, I think."

　Otto shook his head, looking tired, but with a sense of accomplishment on his face.

　At first Garfiel was about to argue, "What a joke!", but then he saw her face and changed his mind. Her expression didn't look like one of lying.

　If that was the case, then those words were true. And the only two people it meant, man and woman, were Natsuki Subaru and Emilia.

"――――"

　Intuitively, Garfiel knew that the two must not meet.

　The beastman blood flowing within his body instinctively sensed something.

　Garfiel lifted his head as if bounced, and turned towards the direction of the village.

　If Subaru and Emilia were allowed to continue their contact, it would bring about the worst possible outcome for Garfiel: the liberation of the Sanctuary.

"――――"

　There was no way it was possible, Garfiel's reason told him.

　I had seen with my own eyes how Emilia had been overwhelmed and broken-hearted by the harshness of the Trials. What's more, since yesterday, that girl had lost some of her emotional support and had lost even more strength.

　Could a girl who had been so worn down, who had been so brought to her knees by a nightmare, really be able to get back on her feet in just a day or two?

　But Garfiel's instincts told him he should still try and stop it.

　The "past" that is shown in the "trial." Even though it is known that the pasts shown are directly different, the common thread in the pasts shown is that they pry open the lid on the most horrible memories for the challengers.

　Garfiel unknowingly entered the tomb and was shown his "past" there.

　When I think back to that time, all the blood drains from my body and I can't bear the emptiness that fills my heart.

　Ever since then, I have lived my life with the determination not to betray the decision I had made in my heart. The more I think about this, the deeper and sharper the Trials cut into the hearts of those who take them on.

「The situation has changed. I, the great master, must return to the 『Sanctuary』 immediately. I must find the two you spoke of, and make them change their minds immediately...」

"Do you think I would just let that slide?"

"――――"

　As Garfiel was about to head towards the village, Otto called out to him from behind.

　However, Garfiel's response to this was harsh.

"--Oh, ugh."

"Shut up and go to sleep. This is no time to play with you."

　He closed the distance in one step and sunk his clenched fist into Otto's stomach.

　The fist avoided the bones and struck into his organs, sending Otto's body flying, and his drooling body was hurled to the ground.

　He'd gone easy on her. He'd used too much force just to knock her unconscious, but in return for trapping her so neatly, he'd been gentle enough.

　Clicking his tongue at the collapsed Otto, Garfiel lightly scraped the ground with the soles of his feet,

"--Where are we going, hey?"

"--!?"

　As he tried to run, his feet stopped.

　Garfiel turns around, stunned, to find Otto standing there.

　He put his hands to his stomach and coughed and spat out saliva, but still remained unconscious.

"What? Even if I didn't intend to kill him, I don't recall hitting him lightly enough to knock him unconscious, hey."

"Is that so...? In that case, my endurance surpassed your imagination. Ah... all that quiet training every day was worth it. A peddler's body is his greatest asset, so it's always better to be strong..."

　Otto's painful laugh gave Garfiel a bad feeling and he turned towards him.

　Another hit and he takes away consciousness.

　This time, I'll let go of the feeling of going easy on him and just hit him in the head. There'll be a higher chance of sustaining damage, but I'll be sure to take away his consciousness.

"This time it'll hurt more, so grit your teeth..."

「You still think you can go easy on me… that disrespectful attitude is the reason for your defeat!」

　Otto shouted as Garfiel leaned forward and prepared to step in.

　He glared at Garfiel with bloodshot eyes and raised his limp hand with all his might.

　The next moment, blowing leaves obscure Garfiel's view, creating a momentary gap.

「Whaa――?!」

　Suddenly, Garfiel stiffens and stops moving.

　and--,

"Take that――!!"

　At the same time as Otto let out a loud cry, something was thrown at him, piercing through the curtain of fluttering leaves and emitting light――

　--A red glow engulfed Garfiel's body.