114 [A Tale Of The End Of The End]

After his conversation with Frederica came to an end, Subaru went up to the third floor of the Mansion and was now standing in the hallway outside of Roswaal's study.

The heaviness in his head was perhaps due to the accumulated fatigue, or the weight of the troubles ahead, waiting to be solved.

[Subaru: Once again, I'll have to wing it...]

Scratching his neck, Subaru scowled at the pitiful hand he had been dealt.

Even though he had far more information than in the previous loops, it wasn't immediately obvious how any of it related to the problems at hand.

With so many missing pieces, all he could do was fumble around without seeing any semblance of a picture, leaving only the unease of the uncertain future looming inside his chest.

[Frederica: Subaru-sama. What are you doing?]

Seeing Subaru standing frozen in the hallway, Frederica, who was quietly waiting at his side, called out to him.

After concluding their conversation in the lounge, Frederica had opted to accompany him. Hearing her question, Subaru mumbled [Aah, yeah], vaguely nodding in return,

[Subaru: Frederica, after you came back to the Mansion, you haven't seen Beatrice around..…. have you?]

[Frederica: No, I haven't. She very rarely makes appearances in the first place, but I haven't seen her even once since my return, I'm ashamed to say]

[Subaru: I guess she's really doubling down on staying hidden this time. It's understandable that Frederica couldn't find her]

In fact, if she was really serious about finding Beatrice, she would have had to open every door that could be connected to the Forbidden Library. It would be one thing if this was only limited to the doors in the Mansion, but there were doors in Arlam village and the Sanctuary to consider as well,

[Subaru: The range is way too wide, and there's no way to narrow it down. If I were more pessimistic I'd say it's impossible to solve]

[Frederica: Then, what do you plan to do? You have something to say to Beatrice-sama, don't you, Subaru-sama?]

[Subaru: If she really wants to stay hidden, there's no way anyone can find her. That's just a fact]

Hearing Subaru repeat what he had just said, Frederica furrowed her brows. Sensing her doubtful gaze, Subaru gave his neck a crack and held up a single finger,

[Subaru: But here's the thing... No one can find her if she's serious about trying to stay hidden, but if she's not serious about trying to stay hidden, that's a different story]

[Frederica: If she's not serious?]

[Subaru: She's not the kind of girl who hides so that no one will ever find her. Everyone who's played hide and seek secretly hopes that they'll be found in the end. So, deep down, there's always going to be a little demon inside saying "I hope they find me"]

Saying this, Subaru took a few steps to the left and did a quick turn. Standing 90 degrees to the hallway, Subaru stopped right in front of the room next to Roswaal's study―― the archives room. A narrow storage space where all the paper documents have been neatly stockpiled, the result of Otto's frenzied organization-efforts.

Reaching out his hand to the door, Subaru felt the distinct sensation of CORRECT ANSWER through the doorknob.

[Subaru: Incredibly though, every time I open a door... or I mean, every time I think about opening a door, I'd just suddenly get the feeling that it's the one. I still don't really know how it works]

[Frederica: Subaru-sama...]

[Subaru: Aaaand, we're open!]

Frederica stuttered as Subaru flung the door open with a sound effect. Behind it, there was something off about space that should have been the archive room―― it was the unmistakable scent of books stowed away for ages that poured out of the room.

Unlike the scent of documents meant to be processed at the earliest convenience, it was closer to the fragrance of ink buried deep within tightly bound pages.

[Subaru: I don't think I'll be late, but, if it gets too dark, don't forget to bring Petra back to the village]

Keeping his hand on the doorknob, Subaru reminded Frederica, who was still in a state of shock.

Frederica blinked several times, before she bowed holding the hems of her dress,

[Frederica: Then I will await your return. Please take care]

[Subaru: Ooooh. I almost feel like an important person after hearing that]

With the maid's auspicious send-off, Subaru stepped through the door and into the room. As soon as he was inside, the door clamped shut behind him, and, with the sound of a non-existent breeze, the space bent and twisted. The link had been severed, and the Forbidden Library once again stood alone from the world.

Then,

[Beatrice: You finally came, I suppose]

Subaru was met with a paltry, unwelcoming voice. Holding back the wry smile that was encroaching onto his face, Subaru waved hello,

[Subaru: Yo, Beako! Long time no see, you're still as little as ever]

[Beatrice: Your antics are annoying enough for an entire lifetime, you know. Seriously... I should give up already]

Beatrice was seated halfway up a wooden step ladder, holding a book with black binding against her chest.

Seeing her there, Subaru imagined that perhaps she only ever sat there. The Forbidden Library had plenty of proper desks and chairs as well. But she always seemed to greet him from that very same spot. For some reason, the thought of it just gnawed at his heart.

[Beatrice: You're making that spineless face again. It's unsightly, I suppose. You're free to feel as hurt and confused as you want, but it's unpleasant when you do it in front of Betty, so please stop immediately]

[Subaru: Haughty as ever. Sorry, but I have no reason to follow your request. I still have to confirm whether we have that kind of relationship or not]

Subaru was almost trying to hint about what he had learned about her in the previous loops. Beatrice's face darkened at his words, and muttered [Is that how it is, I suppose...] under her breath,

[Beatrice: Fine. It seems we both have cards in our hands now, I suppose]

[Subaru: It's still pretty questionable whether my cards are gonna have any effect. But let's have imagination make up for the rest]

[Beatrice: Do as you like… since either way...]

Suddenly, Beatrice's rigid expression unraveled.

The stubborn, mask-like facade fell away, revealing a glimpse of her calm, gentle smile and the dream-like gleam in her eyes―― inadvertently, Subaru fell silent as his throat froze.

Then,

[Beatrice: The term of this long, long, long contract is coming to an end. ――At the end of the end of the end, this time, Betty will be released from this stagnation, I suppose]

Her voice was almost lonely as she spoke.

[Subaru: At the end of the end of the end...huh. That's quite a poetic expression]

Seeing how Beatrice seemed to be ready for what was to come, Subaru shrugged and tossed in that feint. Briefly looking her over, his gaze landed on the black-bound book in her arms――if what Roswaal said was true, this would be one of the two perfect Gospels in existence.

A book which foretells the future. While there is a prophetic aspect to it, Subaru felt that it was closer to "A book which instructs on the future".

Convinced of the Gospel's significance, Petelgeuse of the Witch Cult had followed its incomplete entries to the point of fanaticism. And it was precisely because the incomplete version failed to record the outcomes that the madman was ultimately slain by Subaru.

[Subaru: That know-it-all expression of yours… is it also thanks to that book?]

[Beatrice: ...I should be asking you. Just how much do you know about this book, I suppose]

[Subaru: Roswaal ran his mouth over all sorts of things, you know. I think I got the basics, more or less. ...It's similar to the ones the Witch Cultists have, but better. The only two left in the world are split between you and Roswaal]

[Beatrice: That blabbermouth Roswaal. I can just imagine him happily yammering away the moment you gave him an excuse, I suppose]

Sensing Beatrice's scorn in those words, Subaru's brows furrowed.

Even though Beatrice was often critical of Roswaal in their day to day life, Subaru had always put it off as a sign of their amicable relationship. But her words just now did not carry even a hint of that affection.

Instead, it was a statement of Beatrice's sincere and genuine disgust towards Roswaal.

[Subaru: I still don't know what kind of relationship you have with Roswaal. But you two share the only two copies of the Gospel between you, and you've sealed a contract with his bloodline forcing you to live inside his Mansion]

[Beatrice: Whatever are you trying to say, just say it]

[Subaru: Then I'll cut right to the chase. The position you're in is way too murky]

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. An intimidating presence quite unbecoming of her adorable appearance emanated from her body, giving Subaru the illusion that he was being swept by a violent wind.

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The moment they cut into the main topic, the atmosphere surrounding Beatrice rapidly changed.

[Subaru: I mean, I can kind of see where Roswaal is at. Being the descendant of a family contracted with the Witch of Greed, he's inherited its obligations along with it. Managing the Sanctuary is just a natural part of that, though I guess his reason for supporting Emilia in the Royal Selection is a bit less clear]

[Beatrice: ...]

[Subaru: On the other hand, I don't see where you'd fit in all this. Roswaal is contracted with the Witch of Greed. In other words, he's an Apostle of Greed]

The fact that Roswaal refused to call her "Witch of Greed" and stubbornly insisted on calling her "Echidona" was just a testament to his extraordinary devotion to the Witch.

His position was clear, and there was no doubt that he was an Apostle of Greed, just like Subaru. Although, whereas Echidona made Subaru an Apostle without asking his permission, Roswaal inherited it along with his position as the head of his family.

[Subaru: I'm not sure if the Gospels... used by the Witch Cultists have the same origins as yours. But I imagine they were made by different creators. And while I have no idea who created the Witch Cultists' Gospels, I think I have an idea who the creator of the two complete Gospels might be]

[Beatrice: ...and who is that, I suppose]

[Subaru: ――It's Echidona, right?]

The moment the name escaped his lips, Subaru could sense Beatrice's breath halting.

To her, the name he had just uttered clearly held no small significance.

Inside Echidona's dream Citadel, Subaru had seen her artifact of near-omniscience, the so-called "Book of Wisdom".

Though the nature of the Book of Wisdom was different from that of the Gospels, they were alike in that they were both magical guidebooks that contained information beyond the reach of human knowledge. And when all the individuals involved were connected to the Sanctuary, it was as if everything was pointing to the answer.

[Subaru: Yours and Roswaal's Gospels were made by Echidona, weren't they. Roswaal's must have been passed down through the generations. But, how did you get your hands on yours?]

[Beatrice: ...]

[Subaru: So now I have a question for you… about your "Door Crossing"]

Raising a single finger, Subaru changed directions and threw out an entirely different topic.

Beatrice blinked at Subaru's rhetorical shift, before righting herself again in preparation for his next words.

Seeing this, Subaru pronounced his question.

[Subaru: ――What is the effective range of your Door Crossing? Or in this case, the range in which you can select destinations?]

[Beatrice: ...I don't see what you could possibly do with this information]

[Subaru: If the answer is what I think it is, then that'll confirm a few of my theories]

Crossing his arms, Subaru puffed up his chest in front of the silent Beatrice.

For a moment, Beatrice hesitated as her lips trembled. Then, as if in resignation, she closed her eyes,

[Beatrice: Betty's Door Crossing can link spaces within the same building. Or nearby places, or places I know. As for distance... it cannot link to places that are too far away]

[Subaru: There's still another condition, isn't there?]

[Beatrice: You think Betty has any reason to tell you?]

[Subaru: Then, how about I guess? ――Even if a place is far away, you can still link to it if it has some deep connection to your existence. Isn't that right?]

[Beatrice: ――――]

Breathless, Beatrice's eyes widened.

Watching her reaction, Subaru was convinced of his assumption.

[Subaru: Say if you need to activate Door Crossing when your concentration is thrown off, what'll decide which door you link to?]

[Beatrice: ...stop]

[Subaru: Under pressure, anyone would resort to the most familiar words and actions. When applied to something like Door Crossing, I wouldn't be surprised if the first place that comes to mind is the one that holds the strongest bonds of memories]

[Beatrice: ...stop it, I suppose]

[Subaru: Putting together the fact that you've received Echidona's Gospel, and that you can link the Library to the Sanctuary with Door Crossing. ――That could only mean…]

[Beatrice: ――I told you to stop!]

The girl stood up from the wobbling step ladder, and looked to Subaru almost as if she was pleading. Beatrice bit into her lips, and her eyes began to tear.

There was no doubt that Subaru had trespassed into a realm she did not wish to be stained.

Gripped by that wretched sensation in his chest, [No], Subaru shook his head,

[Subaru: I won't stop. I know that Door Crossing connects this place to somewhere in the Sanctuary. As for why that is, your desperate denials just now had already given me the answer]

[Beatrice: ...]

[Subaru: Beatrice. You have something to do with the Sanctuary, don't you. What's your relationship to Echidona?]

Despite knowing that he was trampling on a girl's heart, Subaru nonetheless stifled his hesitation and crushed Beatrice with his question.

Through Door Crossing, she had sent him to the site of the immortality-experiment in the Sanctuary.

In her state of distress, that was the place she chose to send him, which could only mean that that place held the strongest memories in her mind.

How was it, that as a spirit, her deepest memories were linked to a facility which produces replicas of Lewes Meyer? And considering that Echidona had given her a Gospel――

[Subaru: Beatrice... who's the person that you're contracted with?]

[Beatrice: ――――hH!]

[Subaru: I once asked Puck about it. How spirit contracts work. I won't go into details here, but apparently the terms of the contract have to be equal between the contractor and the spirit. You said you were bound by the contract to be the Keeper of the Forbidden Library. So, who're you contracted with?]

[Beatrice: ...a]

[Subaru: All this time, I just assumed that your contract was with Roswaal. Seeing how you're living in his house, managing his library, it was only natural to think that... but now, I'm not so sure]

Faced with Subaru's relentless questioning, Beatrice couldn't utter a sound in defense, but merely spilled a feeble sigh from her quivering lips.

Her tiny body seemed to be even tinier, and, as if seeking a harbor, she tightened her arms around the Gospel against her chest. As if she was enduring something unbearable, her figure seemed ephemeral and fragile.

He could see it. But, even though he could see, he chose to say it.

[Subaru: ――You are a spirit contracted with Echidona, aren't you?]

――And so began the end of the end.

――The instant he asked that question, Beatrice collapsed like a puppet that had lost its strings.

[Subaru: Bea――!?]

The girl's knees fell to the floor, and with the sound of scattering paper, the pages of the Gospel in Beatrice's arms scattered across the tiles.

The book she had so often carried with her, opened who knows how many times to run her fingers through it, now exploded from its binding at the impact of the drop as if the repetitive routine had worn away its integrity, spreading out like a white carpet over the surface of the floor.

[Subaru: The Gospel...wh?]

Watching several pages land at his feet, Subaru bent down and picked them up without thinking. Petelgeuse's Gospel flashed across his mind with the image of its pages buried under small, dense scrawlings as if infected by the madness of its owner.

That was his impression before he picked up these pages―― but the moment he examined them before his eyes, that impression evaporated like a mist. Because,

[Subaru: What...th? They're blank...?]

Turning them front and back, there was nothing recorded on the pages in his hands.

Frantically, he picked up the other pages at his feet, but there was nothing written on them either. He began to wonder whether the pages of the empty latter half had just happened to land near him, but,

[Subaru: No, how's that possible…]

Crouching down, Subaru looked over each of the pages scattered around Beatrice, and realized it.

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Of all the pages covering the floor around her, not a single one of them had a word recorded on it.

Of the hundreds upon hundreds of fallen pages, what were the chances of them all landing on their blank side?

[Subaru: It's supposed to be a Gospel... why's there nothing on it?]

Rather than believe in a miracle where only the blank sides landed facing up, it would be far more reasonable to conclude that the pages were simply blank to begin with.

Yet, following from that reasonable conclusion, Subaru was struck by an another, all too unreasonable fact.

[Subaru: This is supposed to be one of only two complete Gospels, why's there no future recorded in here? Is it because only the owner can read it? Maybe it's not like Petelgeuse's?]

Maybe it was a difference between the perfect and imperfect Gospels, but Subaru had only ever had an imperfect version for reference. The texts on that book were visible even to someone who wasn't its owner. It had been in Subaru's keeping ever since it lost its owner, and fortunately, there hadn't been any new entries appearing.

Consequently, Subaru had been under the impression that the Gospel's texts would be visible to anyone, regardless of who the owner was.

[Beatrice: It has been so... so long]

[Subaru: ――huh?]

[Beatrice: How many years it has been… since that Gospel stopped showing Betty the future...]

Collapsed on the floor with her face downcast, Beatrice quietly whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?", Subaru barely managed to control his urge to ask her while anxiously waiting for her next words.

Beatrice hunched forward and pressed her hands into the scattered pages, and clenched them until they crumpled. Her fingers were trembling, and her voice was interspersed with sobs.

[Beatrice: The role given to Betty is to watch over the Library of Knowledge. Until the day comes when we meet again, I will guard this place... I suppose]

[Subaru: Library of Knowledge... is that, here?]

Subaru stood up and looked over the countless bookshelves that filled the room. All the books stored here, a few of which he himself had flipped through, Subaru had always assumed to have belonged to the House of Mathers, but,

[Subaru: All the books here… are Echidona's?]

[Beatrice: She was fond of... gathering knowledge]

[Subaru: To the point where she's calling herself a Witch, I guess]

She went so far as to call herself the "Incarnation of the Thirst for Knowledge". Boasting of her desire for all the knowledge in the world, it was just what one would expect from someone bearing the name of "Greed". The countless volumes collected on these shelves must just have been the result of her efforts.

And Beatrice would be the librarian of Echidona's shelter of knowledge.

[Beatrice: From the sound of it... you've been in the Tomb, I suppose]

[Subaru: Yeah, I have. I got treated badly and had a pretty painful experience... but now I'm glad I went. Having Echidona as a confidant is kind of a double-edged sword, you know]

Even though she was the only person he could mention his Return by Deaths to, when he did, he had invited the wrath of the Witch of Envy. Since doing so again would mean another certain death, he intended to avoid it if he could. Though he would repeat it if he must.

[Subaru: ...Just now, you said the Gospel hasn't shown you the future in years?]

[Beatrice: That is, the truth]

[Subaru: I'm not doubting you. No, I mean, I still am, but. Because, right? Otherwise, when you... if there's nothing written on the Gospel...]

――Then all those times she saved him, she had chosen to help Subaru.

In the loop before last, in the moments before their parting, Subaru had first learned of her Gospel's existence, and it shocked him to no small degree.

He had been made to believe that Beatrice's every action and every thought had been because it was recorded in the Gospel and her own feelings had no say in the matter.

And so, in spite of the distress of the girl before his eyes, somehow, he was more relieved to know that there was something real inside her.

To know that Beatrice's actions were reflections of her own heart―― though he couldn't understand why, he felt relieved nonetheless.

Even without knowing the reason, all along, Subaru had felt it.

Beatrice had been kind to him for no discernable reason at all, and he didn't know what he could have done to make her feel this way.

[Subaru: Why... did you help me? It wasn't written in the Gospel, right? You could have just left me there]

He knew that it was an unfair and roundabout question.

Placing all the burden of answering on Beatrice, Subaru knew that he was only caring about what he wanted. He knew, and he chose this cowardly approach anyway.

Subaru just wanted to ask Beatrice, plain and simple.

――Do you think of me as your friend?

[Beatrice: Betty... helped... you, because...]

[Subaru: Yes. You've helped me so many times. You healed me when I was on the brink of death, you cured me from the Wolgarm's curse, and when I was so ridden with curses that there was no doubt that I was going to die, you told me the truth]

And there were so many, many more occasions beyond that.

In the loops beginning in the Mansion, when Rem was murdered and no one in the Mansion trusted Subaru, only Beatrice and Emilia chose to save him.

In the time he spent being tormented by loneliness and fear, Beatrice alone kept her promise to him. It was a kindness from a lost world that remained only inside Subaru's heart, one he could not allow himself to forget.

And so,

[Subaru: If you didn't do it for your Gospel, then...]

[Beatrice: ――In the end, I was told...]

Tossing all the other questions aside, the only thing Subaru wanted to know was whether Beatrice considered him a friend.

Was she someone he could trust with all that he was―― now that Rem was gone, and Emilia's weaknesses were laid bare before him, could Beatrice take their place?

In a sense, it was an all too selfish request.

And,

[Beatrice: ...that one day, "that person" will visit Betty's library. And I must protect the library until then]

[Subaru: ...that person?]

[Beatrice: So I was told, I suppose. Until "that person" comes, Betty must keep watch over the library. Whether you are "that person" or not, Betty isn't sure]

Subaru's eyes flared with passion as he looked to Beatrice, but her melancholy words soon made them lose their lustre as his brows furrowed with uncertainty.

He couldn't understand what Beatrice was saying. Impossible to understand. It was impossible, and yet――he had a feeling that he must stop her from saying what she was about to say next.

[Beatrice: Betty doesn't know… whether you're "that person" or not... but]

[Subaru: Wait, Beatrice. We're both getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Let's just calm down and...]

[Beatrice: Whether you're "that person", or not... it doesn't matter, I suppose]

Beatrice lifted her downcast face.

Her two drill curls swayed with her movements. As if at a loss, as if hesitating, it was as if her heart was reflected within Subaru's.

An ominous premonition tightened in Subaru's chest, impossible to wipe away,

[Beatrice: Even if you're not "that person", I don't care anymore. So…]

[Subaru: Bea――]

[Beatrice: Please kill Betty, and end this contract once and for all, I suppose. Bring an end to the end of the end. Betty wants to be released]

Tears welled up in Beatrice's eyes, and a feeble smile appeared on her lips,

[Beatrice: You, will become "that person"――]

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