Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

"As we discussed beforehand, we will evacuate the villagers and lure Garfiel out. Natsuki said she didn't mind just buying us some time, but I'm thinking of going further than that... would you be so kind as to cooperate?"

　Before parting ways with Subaru and departing with the two decoy dragon carriages, Otto and Ram were sitting opposite each other on the edge of the village, exchanging words.

　Otto's question didn't seem particularly confident, and Ram crossed her arms, leaned her back against the wall, and closed her eyes. Seeing Ram maintain her silence, Otto grew impatient, given the lack of time before the operation began.

"Um, sorry... to be honest, I don't have much time."

"No one likes men who can't stand it. Like I said before, it all depends on the conditions."

　Opening one eye, Ram cut off Otto's pleading gaze.

　The "before" she spoke of was three days before this. The night that Subaru proposed his bet to Roswaal, Otto had approached Ram about their alliance.

　Upon seeing Subaru, Roswaal urged Ram to leave the room, leaving the two alone.

　At that moment, Otto, who was working with Subaru, tried to contact Ram as she was outside the house. His prediction that Roswaal would distance himself from Ram if the matter turned into a serious incident involving the Gospel proved correct, and he was able to capture her while she was free for a certain period of time.

　To put it bluntly, as of three days ago, the connection between Otto and Ram was far too weak.

　The number of times they have exchanged words can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and to begin with, Ram doesn't have the slightest interest in any men other than Roswaal unless something extraordinary happens. The only people she exchanges words with in this Sanctuary, aside from those connected to the Roswaal Mansion, are probably Lewes and Garfiel.

　Therefore, Otto had to start by building a friendly relationship with Ram, who looked at him as if he were a rock on the side of the road when he spoke to her.

"Thank you, well... Ram-san. It's a nice night tonight."

"――――"

"that?"

「--. Ah, I was wondering who it was, it was the man hunched over behind Barusu. Without Barusu he made such a weak impression that I couldn't even tell what kind of creature he was.」

"Less than a human?! That impression really hurts. No, I can understand being treated like an accessory to Natsuki-san, but..."

"A man who is content to be someone else's appendage has no value. Get out."

"Spicy!?"

　Otto, who seeks friendly contact, is already worn down by Ram's unapproachable attitude.

　She showed no interest in Otto and leaned her back against the door with her arms crossed.

"Um, is it okay if I talk to you?"

"Whether you remember or not is a different matter, but if you're going to talk to someone, why don't you introduce yourself first? Whether you remember or not is a different matter."

"I wonder why you made me remember it twice. Ah... my name is Otto Suen. I'm just a traveling merchant. I'd appreciate it if you could at least remember my face and name."

"It all depends on how interesting the story is."

　Otto weakly introduced himself, but Ram refused to give up the initiative.

　He said that he would listen to what was being said, but would immediately end the conversation if it was not of value. Otto was rekindled by the unexpected approach his negotiator made,

"This is related to the subject of the conversation Natsuki-san was having with the Margrave right now… Ram-san. Do you have any plans to cooperate with me and Natsuki-san to free the 'Sanctuary' from the barrier?"

"--That's pointless. Ram's wish is the fulfillment of Lord Roswaal's greatest wish. If we respect Lord Roswaal's will, then liberating Sanctuary in that way would be meaningless."

"But that's only if things go according to Margrave-sama's expectations… right? You're probably aware that things have already fallen out of that direction, Ram-san?"

"――――"

　After discussing it with Subaru, it was Otto who suggested recruiting Ram into their group.

　Subaru had been hesitant until the very last moment, but from what he had said, Otto had determined that it was a gamble with plenty of chances of success.

　Ram opened her closed eyes and gazed at Otto with emotionless, pale crimson eyes.

　She uncrossed her arms and lowered her right hand, and the fingertips of it lightly touched what appeared to be a cane attached under her short skirt.

　Depending on the words you choose, you could touch her nerve and her rage could turn into the blades of wind.

　Taking a deep breath, moistening his lips with his tongue, Otto smiled fearlessly, just as he did when taking on a business venture.

　The stiffness in my body disappears, and my heartbeat slows down to a comfortable pace.

　Now, as always, it's time to "stand by."

Subaru: "The flow is different from what the Margrave had in mind – and for the first time, Ram-san's true wish can come true. I think that Natsuki-san and I can help with that."

　Ram's fingertips, which had been shaking in a confused manner, came off the stick, and Otto concluded that his selling point had not been a lost cause.

　After hearing Otto's proposal and learning the details of the plan, Ram presented several conditions.

　To be honest, revealing the full extent of their plan to Ram was a huge gamble for Otto and the others. If they misjudged Ram's wavering intentions, all of their intentions would be revealed to Roswaal. However, Ram's change of heart was worth the risk.

　Ram set out the conditions for cooperation, and Otto agreed, knowing that it was by no means unreasonable.

　Otto had not told Subaru the details of the conditions for her cooperation. This was because he needed to obtain her cooperation to the maximum extent possible, and to keep any actions he took on that basis in secret from Subaru.

　If you speak up, he will likely stop you. However, if he gives in to emotion and holds you back, it could narrow the outcome of the larger issue.

"What a loser you are. I don't know what your job is, but you're not cut out to be a merchant."

"You definitely remember that I'm a peddler, don't you!?"

　Ram snorted at Otto's secret resolve, but a pained cry echoed through the skies of the Sanctuary.

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　--Otto was amazed that his own body wasn't trembling in the face of the overwhelming intimidation of that beast.

　The strange thing standing before his eyes was a fierce beast with a massive body measuring over four metres in length.

　Sharp, twisted fangs extend from its enormous mouth like swords, and its beastly claws curve in an evil way, like the scythes used by the god of death to harvest life. Each strand of golden fur that covers its entire body is like wire, and it's so thick that it seems like it would entangle any weapon that doesn't have a proper cutting edge.

　Just like his body hair, all that remained was the shine of his golden eyes, which were the same color as his face before the transformation, and the lack of similarities between him and his face before he blinked made it almost impossible to sense reality.

　There, Garfiel had shed his human body and revealed his fierce tiger form.

　The fishy breath escaping from his throat was mixed with growling sounds, and I could feel a chilling sense of pressure spreading throughout the forest.

"――――"

　Otto consciously forced a smile onto his lips and tried to distract the others with a joke.

　However, his throat was frozen solid and not a single sound escaped, and even his cheeks, which should have been smiling anyway, remained frozen in place, ignoring his consciousness.

　And too late, Otto realized why his body wasn't trembling.

　--It wasn't that he didn't feel fear. Faced with the existence of absolute 『Death』, Otto's body had abandoned the functions required for survival.

　The reason the body trembles in fear is because the body is responding with a defense instinct that activates the survival instinct to keep the soul alive.

　This phenomenon occurs when the body is trying to tell the soul not to give up - but if the body is placed in a situation where there is no point in doing so, it is only natural that the body would not tremble.

　I had heard about it, so I could only imagine it.

　I had heard that Garfiel was a hybrid of beastman and human, and had the ability to transform into a beast.

　However, reality surpassed Otto's flimsy imagination, and a being beyond human understanding manifested itself, consuming his mind to the core.

　Faced with this, this existence, had he said something like "It's ok to buy some time, but it wouldn't matter if I defeated him"? Of course it would matter. How could he possibly do something like that?

　And yet,

"Gaaf has transformed into a beast...with this, all the conditions have been met."

　The petite girl standing next to him spoke in a voice that remained unchanged even in front of that overwhelming presence.

　He couldn't even ask back. But still, moving his head mechanically, almost to the point of making a noise, he somehow managed to look at the girl - Ram.

　Ram's mouth slightly relaxed, and for the first time, she showed Otto a smile.

"Gaaf clearly made a mistake in his judgment. Ram and his group won this match."

"――――"

　"Really?" Otto thought to himself, forgetting to use honorific language.

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　—Ram had presented Otto with three broad conditions for his cooperation.

"Roswaal-sama's plan... is to deviate from the descriptions in the Gospels, and still somehow maintain the will to continue living in this world."

　This was made possible by Subaru proposing a bet to Roswaal.

　Roswaal, who had once seemed ready to give everything up, now has his battle makeup applied again, and with eyes full of life, he is ready to take on the world once again.

"Apart from that, Emilia-sama must not lose her will to take on the Trials. If she continues to live in a world that deviates from Roswaal-sama's expectations, then it is inevitable that he will rise up. ...I will prepare a place to test her until the day of her execution."

　This was a condition that was left entirely to Emilia and Subaru, who would be taking care of her, but as he was at least willing to listen, Ram had likely considered it a condition that had been cleared.

　When Otto heard that Emilia had disappeared, he thought that everything was completely over, but Ram didn't seem to think so. He didn't pursue the matter too deeply, though, as he was afraid that if he heard the details she would change her mind.

　and,

Echidna: "If you achieve those two things, Ram will be happy to join you in your plan… Though there will be some more detailed conditions to keep the plan a secret from Barusu."

"If you could tell me, I think I might be able to find a clue to how to beat it."

"If Ram is going to join the fight against Garf, he should increase his chances of victory even a little. First, seal Garf's nose. Inflict some damage on him and take away his composure. I won't intervene until the decisive moment, so you'll have to get there on your own. Since you've gone to the trouble of coming up with this plan, you must have at least one trump card up your sleeve, right?"

"Well... to some extent."

"Yes, of course. With that in mind, here's my final condition."

"yes"

"Transforming Garf into a beast is the final condition for us to win."

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

"Your sense of smell is still crushed."

"..."

"Pathetic."

"Guh!"

　Otto was so petrified he couldn't even respond to the question, and Ram mercilessly drove her elbow into him. Otto cried out in agony as a sharp pain dug into his side, and as he remembered to breathe, he gasped.

"Ah, ahhh... I thought I was going to die... I thought I was going to die just from the pressure right now...!"

"It's better than a thin, soft flesh shield, so brace yourself. Your sense of smell must be muted, right?"

"I'll ignore that unpleasant comment, but yes, I've crushed it. Makoil pollen is an extremely powerful vermin repellent, so even a human would lose consciousness if they smelled it up close."

"Especially for Garf, whose sense of smell is several times stronger. With this, one of the advantages of transforming into a beast is nullified. The rest is time, and the damage sustained before transforming into a beast... both of which are as expected."

　Taking a light breath, Ram lightly lifts her heels and stands on her tiptoes. Then she lowers her heels and repeats this several times, starting a simple leg exercise.

　Otto frowned at her strange behavior and tilted his head in confusion, "Huh?"

"R-Ram-san? What are you doing?"

"It's a warm-up. Before we start, loosen up your body a little. It's annoying, but it's effective just like Barusu said."

"No, that's not it... what's the point of doing that exercise?"

"Easy."

　Glancing at Otto, whose voice still trembled, Ram had finished her up and down movements and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, Ram stepped forward with a light tone, as if she was out for a stroll, and began to close the distance between her and the behemoth.

"Wait?!"

"Shut up."

　Otto was amazed at her bold action, but Ram ignored him and went straight towards the tiger without slowing down.

　The ferocious tiger, crouching and glaring at the prey in front of him, froze for a moment as if taken aback by the tiny being's actions, but quickly came to the conclusion that it was an insult to him.

　With rage in its golden eyes, it swung its front legs, which were now thicker than Ram's body, and unleashed its claws in a sweeping motion. One of its claws was as big as the delicate girl's arm, and with just a single graze, it was powerful enough to instantly turn the girl's limbs into pieces of flesh.

　With a howling wind, the Grim Reaper's claw-shaped scythe forcibly ripped Ram's life away from this world.

　--Just before that,

"That's nice, Garf. --Who do you think you're talking to?"

　Ram bent down and let the tiger pass overhead, speaking to it pityingly.

　The tiger's body swung around, whiffling its powerful attack, and Ram's small body slipped into its embrace. Then, bending her knees, Ram stretched her body and raised her fist――

Subaru: "Have you ever been able to beat Ram in a fistfight?"

「――――!!」

　The fist sunk into the torso, launching the body of a beast weighing no less than several hundred kilograms up from below.

　The force of the blow made the beast's body bend, and a roar of agony escaped from its loosely open mouth. A shockwave ripped through the forest, and Otto heard the sound of air bursting in his eardrums.

"No way."

　The girl, who was probably a head shorter than Ram, punched the beast, which was so large it was hard to look up at it. With her fist still in contact with the tiger's torso, Ram slammed her other hand into its body.

　The alternating blows hit its massive body, causing it to step back while screaming. At that moment, its fangs bared and its powerful jaws aimed at Ram, but she turned around and placed her foot on the tiger's nose, using her strength to stomp the beast's face into the ground.

　The giant beast, its cry crushed as it scraped the ground, twisted its body and tried to crush the girl who was toying with it with its limbs in a flurry, but Ram's body, moving like a leaf dancing in the wind, dodged the beast's movements as if mocking them, and delivered sharp blows one after the other to the places where the girl's fur was thin.

　A heel to the throat. A hand to the side. A fist to the top of the foot, and a kick to the exposed face.

　The sight of wild beasts being defeated with overwhelming close-quarters combat power captured Otto's mind with a surreal quality, like something out of a fairy tale.

　What am I looking at right now?

　Seeing Garfiel abandon his human form had made Otto's body feel so hopeless that it almost wanted to give up on life. And yet, what was this thing before his eyes?

　Every time the girl swung her arm, the beast's body rebounded from the force of the blow, and its massive body, so large that a roar alone could kill a living thing, simply spun around in circles, unable to land a single blow on the girl.

　The raging arms cut down trees indiscriminately, scraping the earth and violently changing the shape of the forest, but Ram paid no attention to the ever-changing condition of her footing.

　We can win if this is the case.

　He felt foolish for doubting Ram's words before taking on the battle.

　Her words about deliberately turning Garfiel into a beast now bore a certain credibility.

　The beast-like presence of Garfiel is overwhelming, but his devastating power is only displayed in a one-on-one battle. Of course, the difference in mass is a weapon in itself, and normally there's no way he would be at a disadvantage, even when facing one at a time.

　However, it's a different story if the individual you're facing has combat abilities beyond the human realm.

　Its thick, fleshy body becomes a giant target, its powerful arms that can cut down large trees leave it vulnerable to attack, and its strength that allows it to trample everything makes it sluggish and unable to focus on either attacking or fleeing.

　If you calmly analyze the situation, you can figure this out.

　However, what seems like an easy strategy to overcome is that the argument is only valid once the premise of an "overwhelming individual" is established.

　Against Garfiel's beast-like transformation, this was the most effective Demon Card ever – and the fact that he had managed to draw this rare card into his own camp was Otto's greatest contribution to this battle.

"Go... we can do it! With this, Garfiel...!"

　Clenching his fist, Otto cheered as victory was in sight.

　As if to confirm that hope, Ram's fist smashed sideways into the tiger's face, sending the beast's body flying across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

　and--,

"--Bu."

　Ram let out an unbearable groan and her body shook violently as blood gushed profusely from her forehead.

※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※

　Feeling her vision turning bright red with blood, Ram managed to keep her body from collapsing with all her might.

　A sharp pain shot through her, slightly above her forehead - in the center of her head. The faint white remnants of a wound were visible at that point, and the agony that began there made Ram click her tongue in disgust.

　I could hear Otto scream in a hoarse voice behind me. Shut up.

　Ram herself knows better than anyone that the situation has taken a sudden turn for the worse. It's not like Garfiel's attack hit him. It's a thoughtless swing with so many openings, it would be hard to land a hit like that. His screams are so loud. I want to hit him.

"--Hmph."

　He let out a short breath and kicked the ground with his wobbly legs.

　Immediately afterwards, the claws of the ferocious tiger dug out the ground beneath Ram's feet as she leapt into the air. Clods of earth flew into the air, and Ram spun around to avoid the mud pellets, dancing as she evaded them, splashing fresh blood everywhere.

　A visible time limit was imposed, but somehow his body still managed to move. He kicked the vulnerable tiger's jaw from below, and his other leg followed up on the tiger's groaning face. The momentum of the kick caused him to rotate backwards, and his body, which was trying to distance itself, lost its balance at the moment of landing.

"--ah"

「――――!!」

　In the nick of time, the claw cut off a strand of Ram's hair, who was late in dodging, and the pink hair scattered through the air.

　That evasion was purely accidental. If he hadn't accidentally slipped, there's no doubt that the head of Ram's neck would have popped like a red fruit.

　Experiencing the sensation of near-death up close and feeling an indescribable sensation run up her spine, Ram let out a soft howl, her red lips parting.

　The exhilaration of fighting. The scar on his forehead throbbed, sending a sensation somewhere between itching and pain throughout his body.

　A broken horn. A sign of a demon. In order for Ram's body to fully utilize its potential, the horns must endlessly gather mana from the surroundings. Without these horns, Ram's body can only utilize a tenth of its original specs.

　He knew that if he pushed his body too hard like this, there would be an immediate backlash.

　Even so, I was determined that if I could create the right conditions and keep it to a short fight, I wouldn't lose.

"--You've gotten stronger, Garf."

　Ram muttered this quietly, her voice overflowing with emotions that she rarely lets others see.

　It was something that not only Otto, but even Subaru rarely saw coming, the same sort of emotion she had shown towards her own blood relatives, who had been erased from her memory.

　With a gentle smile on his face, he mercilessly crushes the tiger's nose with his fist.

　The feeling of hardened skin bouncing off his fist. The impact bounced directly off his fist, which had no longer hardened, and he felt the bones in his fist shatter. It felt good. He was fighting. He was alive. He felt an exhilaration, as if he was either killing or being killed. An overwhelming sense of euphoria took over his whole body. More, more. There was more to come. There were more dimensions he could reach.

　His right fist was shattered, and he couldn't even clench it. The tiger's nose was crushed and it roared. Its breath approached from the front like a storm, and he split the wind with his left hand and dug into the thin skin of the tiger's neck. Blood spurted out, and the flesh he had grasped with his fingertips was torn away, spurting fresh blood. Spots were scattered across his fiercely white cheeks, and his tongue licked it up, bringing with it a feeling of intoxication with the sweet taste of iron.

　Unable to use his broken right hand, he wrapped his arm around the enemy's neck. The neck was so much thicker than his torso that one arm could not possibly wrap around it. He jumped on it, grappled with it, and used his legs to tighten the beast's arteries, dodging the claws that were trying to pull him away. He put all his weight on it and broke one of its fingers. The scream was satisfying, and he felt like he was back home.

"Bu, bu, bu"

　Even though I was enjoying the dance, my head was getting hazy and I was getting angry. The bleeding from my forehead showed no signs of stopping, and eventually blood started flowing from my nose and mouth.

　Her body was beginning to break down as she moved beyond her limits. Ram's nerves controlled her body's potential, and her body, which was not reinforced by mana, was unable to keep up.

　Ram's body continues to move at breakneck speed, dodging Garfiel's claws. Her overwhelming fighting power doesn't even allow a single blow to graze her. However, the demonic hand of destruction is surely eating away at her body, aiming for her end. Before his claws or fangs can reach her, the end will catch up with her.

"--Uh, huh."

　I took a deep breath, and then, right after I exhaled, a huge amount of what was rising up inside me spilled out of my mouth.

　The blood clot fell to the ground with a sound, and Ram's whole body relaxed as if the blood had been expelled from his body.

　Her shoulders slumped, her knees gave way. This time the beast didn't miss that moment. With a battered face from repeated blows, it bared its fangs and slammed its arm into Ram's slender body.

　But then――

"Whoaaaa! Dona!!"

　The chanting rose up in a high-pitched voice, and a wall of earth rose up, protruding from the ground.

　It got in between the tiger's arm and Ram's body as it slammed down, weakening the force of the blow for just a moment before being instantly destroyed and reduced to dust.

　However, in that instant, Ram's body was pulled towards her with a forceful movement, and then thrown backwards with great force.

　--It felt like this was the second time I'd been tossed around like this on the battlefield.

　Ram had this inappropriate feeling as she flew through the air and gazed blankly up at the sky. Then, as her back was slammed into the ground and she held her breath, she quickly looked up and grasped the situation.

　In front, in Ram's place, Otto, who should have been trembling and cowering, stepped in instead. It seemed that something was wrong with Ram, and he had decided that the situation was unfavorable, so he jumped in.

　But that doesn't mean there's anything I can do.

「――――!!」

　The beast was enraged that such a weak being had intervened between itself and Ram in their fight, and let out a roar that shook the forest, threatening the pale young man. If he froze up, he would surely become prey to its fangs. In a situation that required immediate action, Otto, not sure what was going through his mind, clenched his fist and stomped his foot on the ground,

"--!"

　A roar identical to that of a wild beast came from its thin throat.

　It was the power of the "Divine Protection of Spirit of Words" that he had heard about beforehand. The power that had boasted of being able to converse with any intelligent living thing, let alone earth dragons or small animals, or even insects, had even enabled him to communicate with Garfiel, a "beast that had lost its sanity", in his beast form.

　I don't know what Garfiel's roar sounded like to Otto.

　It is unclear what Garfiel felt in Otto's roar-like response.

　However, the clash of roars created a small gap before the claws and fangs were unleashed.

　That time was enough to make Ram realize Otto's true intentions in throwing her away.

「――――!!」

"--! Ah! My throat is at its limit...!"

　Unable to bear the scream that literally made him vomit blood, Otto clutched his throat and began coughing.

　Seeing an end to the argument, the beast raised its arm, aiming for a sweeping blow at Otto. In front of that, Otto held both hands in front of him and shouted in desperation, a determined look on his face.

"Eldonaaa!!"

　A thick wall of earth unfolded in front of Otto, and before he could finish watching it, Otto flew backwards. In pursuit of it, the beast's arms smashed the wall, kicking up dust and closing in on Otto's fleeing torso - it hit him directly, and his thin body was blown away like a dead branch kicked by an adult, and he went nonstop into the thicket of trees.

　Whether he survived or died depended entirely on Otto's endurance.

　Ram decides that not paying any attention to the consequences of Otto's decisions and actions is the best way to reward his actions.

"Gaaf. --After all, it was a mistake to turn into a beast."

　He blew Otto away, and told the beast, which turned towards him, that next he would aim for Ram.

　Leaning against the trees, Ram, released from the excitement of her blood rushing, gradually regained her composure and pointed the tip of the staff she was holding in her still-functioning left hand towards Garfiel.

　The mana changes.

"If Garf had any of his judgement left, he wouldn't have let Ram go."

"――――"

　At Ram's words, the wild beast wrinkled its nose in warning.

　However, the tiger can't take any further action. He doesn't know what's going to happen.

　The eyes of the wild beast, having lost its reason, cannot comprehend the meaning of Ram's appearance "standing in the white light."

　The beast transformed into a beast and, in the process of attacking Ram, caused great destruction to the earth, trees, and forests. To the forest's inhabitants, the beast was treated as a villain who continued to rampage without remorse.

"Ram won't make the same kind of mistake as that guy."

"----!"

　Noticing something, the beast crouched low and charged at Ram.

　slow.

"--Alfura."

　The mana that was the concentrated rage of the forest's inhabitants resided at the tip of Ram's staff, causing an explosion of light.

　--And so, the battle for the Sanctuary forest came to an end.

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　Subaru felt as if he heard the roar of a beast and stopped in his tracks, turning around.

"No, not at all."

　Subaru's simple opinion was that it was far too early.

　It had been roughly twenty minutes since they'd parted ways with Otto, who they'd asked to buy them some time. It was doubtful whether Otto's dragon carriage had even departed yet, so there was no way the situation had progressed that far.

　He concluded that it was anxiety that was causing Subaru to have auditory hallucinations, but that was an even more frightening thought, as it showed just how unconsciously anxious he was about the situation.

"Trust me, trust me. Otto is just trying to buy time. I told him to tell us the truth immediately if he catches Garfiel... and I haven't told the people of Arlam anything unnecessary, so they shouldn't be targets for attack."

　Subaru speculates that the reason Garfiel attacks the villagers, and in turn Subaru, who is trying to escape, is because "he and Garfiel talked about Lewes's duplicates." In other words, Garfiel doesn't want the topic of duplicates to be brought up outside.

　I don't know what the reason for this is, but he won't feel safe unless he eradicates anyone who might know. In the previous loop, when everyone except Subaru was killed, it was likely because Garfiel couldn't determine which of those who accompanied Subaru in their escape had leaked the information.

　It was a gamble as to how much Garfiel would believe his assertion that he hadn't spoken, but there was a mysterious trust that if he appealed sincerely, he might get through to him.

　Since Garfiel doesn't seem to be good at thinking about complicated things, the idea may be to give him information that will help him make decisions without having to think too much.

Subaru: "According to Otto, he managed to secure Ram's cooperation. Unless he's in a desperate situation, he shouldn't raise a hand against Ram…"

　If there was one thing to worry about, it would be if Ram provoked Garfiel more than necessary.

　The two have been together for a long time and share some subtle feelings about Subaru's past that he was not able to fully express. If that were to cause a rift to widen, it could lead to unexpected developments.

　However, the reason Ram joined this discussion was so that Roswaal could pave the way for him to survive in a world that deviates from the descriptions in the gospels. At least, that's how Subaru interpreted it, and in order to achieve this, cooperation with Subaru and the others is essential.

　Even if she was unhappy with Otto's way of organizing things, she would surely follow his orders.

"I believe in you, Sister. No matter how unreliable Otto may be, please listen to me."

　Joining his hands together, Subaru offered up his utmost prayers for the safety of the two.

　Subaru had finished praying for a while, unaware that the two had made a decision that would put them on the brink of death without his knowledge.

"Well then, I guess I'll just do my part."

　Puffing out his cheeks in a spirited manner, Subaru shook his head and stepped forward with confidence.

　The moment he stepped through the gaping entrance in front of him, Subaru felt as if he was falling through the air - an unpleasant sensation that made his entire body feel as if his internal organs were floating up.

"naive..."

　Placing his hand over his mouth, Subaru forced down the rising urge to vomit and stepped forward.

　A floating sensation that would not go away. A sensation that churns your internal organs step by step with each step you take. An overwhelming discomfort, as if your blood is flowing backwards and your eyeballs are being licked by the air.

　Feeling a sense of rejection, as if the world was rejecting Natsuki Subaru with all its soul, Subaru took repeated deep breaths, put his hands on the wall, and dragged his feet forward, his face pale.

"Don't be so cold towards me... It hurts me too..."

　I had anticipated this and emptied my stomach first, but the nausea that was squeezing my insides was still forcing gastric juices to spill out of the corners of my mouth.

　Pushing it aside, Subaru forced his eyes open and crawled desperately through the darkness.

　and--,

"Oh, thank goodness -- I finally found you."

　Having covered a short distance that felt so long it seemed an eternity, Subaru's shoulders slumped in relief.

　In front of Subaru, leaning against a worn wall, sitting on the muddy, dusty walkway with her knees hugged to her chest, was a girl who looked in his direction with a stunned expression.

"Subaru...?"

　Although the voice was halting, I was satisfied that they called my name.

　Subaru then sat down next to the seated girl――,

"Well then――let's talk, Emilia-tan."

　Subaru brought up the same opening he'd brought up in the past, when he'd been unable to admit his mistakes.