11.4.4

With the secret talks concluded, Subaru headed for a rendezvous point outside the Sanctuary.

There, the arrangement was for Subaru to meet Otto and Ram, with Patlash in tow, other preparations for his escape already at an end. Sometimes sneakily, sometimes boldly, Subaru hurried along his path.

"Haaa… Shit, my side hurts…"

However, it was a stretch to say Subaru's hurried gait was in good form.

His three-day imprisonment was the cause. Both the environment and the food were poor, leaving his debilitated body more weakened than he had thought. But he'd save his sob stories for later. If he returned to the mansion, a far harsher situation awaited him.

"Even if it's as Roswaal said…"

Even if Beatrice responded to Subaru's call, it was incalculable whether she could truly oppose Elsa and company. Either way, Subaru's duty wouldn't come to an end just by getting back to the mansion. If anything, there he could finally begin to fight.

"_______"

When he looked at his right wrist, there was a handkerchief tightly tied to it. Never having been removed during his confinement, the handkerchief had been blackened, and the fraying and bloodstains really stood out. Even so, his promise to return it remained unblemished. Strength surged within him. Once again, the effect of that promise lent him strength.

"…Just from that."

Even as pacts and vows rubbed his mind the wrong way, Subaru's own promise was a pillar of strength to him.

According to the talk with Roswaal, Beatrice was bound by her own pact. To her, not a human but a spirit, a pact likely held far stronger, weightier meaning than it did to Subaru—

"What the hell are 'pacts' to me anyway…"

The various promises that had reached Subaru's ears to date rose in the back of his mind: the pact between Emilia and Puck, the pact binding Beatrice to the archive of forbidden books, the vow Roswaal had made that very evening, the Covenant between the Kingdom of Lugunica and the Dragon, the promise between Subaru and Petra—

And what Subaru had said to Rem, and what Rem had cast upon Subaru like a curse—

"—Mr. Natsuki!"

The voice hurled at him from the side brought Subaru, running like a madman, to a halt.

When he looked over, out of breath, Otto was waving him over, and Ram was standing beside him. Apparently, he'd gone past the rendezvous point while astray in his own thoughts.

Wiping off his sweat, he headed over to them, and between them was Patlash, too, with luggage on her back. When Subaru saw that preparations were already in order, he let out a long breath.

"What is wrong? When I thought, he's finally here, I was concerned when you ran right past us."

"…S-sorry. A lot on my mind. My bad."

"Barusu not playing mischief upon Otto? It is worse than I feared."

"I would like to object to the basis of that judgment!"

When Subaru linked up with them, the pair greeted him in their usual manner. But with no time to spare, Subaru did not play along, which made both knit their brows in suspicion.

"You were speaking with Master Roswaal, were you not? Why, then, is your face so clouded?"

"Can you quit it with the assumption everyone's happy to talk to Roswaal…?"

"But you are making a rather dissatisfied face. You resolved to meet with the Marquis in spite of the danger. Can you please stop acting as if nothing was gained?"

"There was a lot gained. There was, but…"

Is what I dug up a good thing? he pondered belatedly. But when he thought about it, there had been gains, too.

Of course, one was the possibility of breaking open the stalemate. Now that he had gained a countermeasure plan, Subaru wouldn't have to face giving up without being able to accomplish anything like the last time around.

He might be able to prevent the calamity at the mansion, rescue Rem and Petra, and even fulfill his goal of improving relations with Beatrice. And yet—

"…Why does my chest feel this queasy?"

If he made an ally out of Beatrice and saved Frederica, they could deal with the Sanctuary's issues, too. If she exposed the mastermind behind her actions, all they had to do was beat the Trial to take care of the other problems.

"The logic's sound. So why am I…"

"Sorry to interrupt when you are so troubled, but time is an issue. We cannot wait any longer."

Mercilessly, Otto sliced Subaru's indecision apart. His judgment was heartless, but his words were correct. Subaru hesitating at that juncture wouldn't resolve anything.

Everything else hinged on first slipping out of the Sanctuary and returning to the mansion.

"Bringing the dragon carriage would attract too much attention. This means I shall be riding Patlash with you, Mr. Natsuki. You do not mind?"

"It'll be real bad for you if you stay, so no obje…ah, wait."

When Otto was ready to beckon Patlash by hand to adopt a mounting posture, Subaru made him wait. Then, when Subaru looked behind him, Ram, standing right there, asked "What?" as she narrowed her eyes.

"When we get out of the Sanctuary, we're heading straight for the mansion. We can't leave Frederica as things are. But Otto and I aren't really…"

"You're really lacking in combat capacity— In other words, you want Ram with you?"

"I talked to Roswaal about it. He said you'd come…which is very reassuring."

If he managed to persuade Beatrice, and Frederica lent him her strength, and he added Ram on top of that, Subaru was fairly confident that would be the maximum possible fighting strength he could prepare.

When Subaru made his request, portraying it as the best option, Ram fell into thought briefly, immediately exhaling.

"It cannot be helped."

"You're sure?"

"Master Roswaal did command me to aid Barusu."

Her acceptance, far easier gained than he had expected, bewildered Subaru all the more for it. But Ram folded her arms. "However," she said, continuing, "I am fine with going with you, but how? With Ram, that makes three people for one land dragon."

"…Ah…"

"Even if Barusu and Otto are only half a man in human terms, your physical weight is that of full men. Even for a land dragon, it is difficult to carry three people."

"You called me half a man?!"

Ignoring Otto's lament, Subaru clutched his head, seeing that Ram's view was sound.

He hadn't thought about the physical means. Given Ram's light body weight, adding her probably meant Patlash could still run with ease, but in that case, the way they'd be riding was—

"Considering safety, it'd be a Ram Sandwich between me and Otto…then?"

"Incidentally, there is also the option of one of us running rather than riding."

"In that case, considering fatigue and physical endurance, it'd definitely have to be Otto…"

The choice would make for a particularly tragic scene. Of course, Otto vociferously would protest—Subaru heard no such voice. Finding this quite unnatural, Subaru and Ram gave him a suspicious look.

Receiving the pair's gazes, Otto's cheeks were hard as he glared in the direction of the next day's sun.

At the end of his gaze, there was the bonfire that illuminated the settlement—

"—Ain't you all havin' a nice lil' stroll 'n' chat. Why don't ya include me after I've come all this way?"

An orange-hued figure walked between them and the flickering red flames.

—A figure audibly clenching his sharp fangs, a smile coming over him, as a ferocious, ghastly aura emanated from him.

"_______"

Instantly, Patlash let out a low growl, her anger toward the figure clear. The sight of the proud land dragon preparing for battle deepened the figure's smile, his delight deepening still.

"Ha! Got whipped that much and not even a flinch. Fine woman, that land dragon. It's that whole 'The more she shines, the farther she is from Magrizza' thing."

"Garfiel…"

Subaru wrung out the word as the appearance of the figure—of Garfiel—made his body tremble.

Why was he there? Such a basic question clawed at his trembling heart.

The sight of him, the direct cause of his confinement, made him remember the darkness of those three days. The fear came back again, too. He touched his shoulders; he clenched his teeth; and driving back his terror, he lifted his head.

"…Right now, you're on duty as a representative. Should you really be wasting time in a place like this?"

"Me, I'm the protector o' these people of the Sanctuary. So if there's someone threatenin' 'em, of course I'm doin' my real job. Ya never shook off the eyes of the Sanctuary."

"The Sanctuary's eyes…?"

"I'm sayin' stuff comes right to me. So where the hell d'ya think yer goin', huh?"

Crinkling his nose, Garfiel asked Subaru what he was up to. Subaru hesitated to give the question a straight answer. But—

"—From here, we are getting Barusu out of the Sanctuary. Having him here is as much trouble for you as for us, so is this not more convenient for you, Garf?"

"…Ram."

"I shall say it once: this is your mess, Garf. Enough that I would appreciate hearing thanks for cleaning it up in your place."

Puffing up her chest, Ram provocatively conveyed the plan to Garfiel. For an instant, Subaru felt that was a very dangerous posture, but he held his tongue, judging that she'd probably chosen correctly.

Ram's point of view was correct. Surely, Garfiel, too, understood that Subaru's presence in the Sanctuary could only lead to an explosion. Getting him outside without an explosion was therefore a good plan.

Accordingly, Garfiel plucked at his own head in annoyance and responded.

"So ya see right through me, huh. Not a cute woman. Well, nothin' wrong with that…"

"…Meaning, you're considering letting us go?"

The words spat out along with a sigh made Subaru's eyes widen as he saw a glimmer of hope. The way he took that made Garfiel go "Aa?" with a sullen growl.

"Ya don't just smell o' the Witch, ya smell of trouble. Me, I do get why leavin' ya here ain't convenient. But put another way, I gotta consider 'Hoshin was Banan's setting sun'."

"Is that so? Another mystery phrase that doesn't make sense to me, but what you're getting at is…"

Erasing the fact of his imprisonment aligned with their mutual interests on that single point alone. But when Subaru was relieved, taking Garfiel's words as a statement that he'd let them go—the other two, stepped to the fore, interrupting his thoughts.

"Wh-what's with you two…?"

"I suppose your poor education means you do not understand, Barusu."

"'Hoshin was Banan's setting sun' refers to an anecdote about the legendary trader Hoshin bringing the small nation of Banan to ruin— It refers to giving the opponent two choices: surrender or face all-out attack."

"Surrender or face all-out attack… You don't mean!"

Along with the pair's statements, the vivid guardedness from Ram and Otto brought an abrupt change in Subaru's expression. Seeing this, Garfiel folded his arms, loudly cracking the bones of his neck.

Then, he bared his sharp fangs, militancy gleaming from his jade eyes.

"Garf! What's the meaning of this? Are you too stupid to understand the meaning of Ram's words?"

"Ya better watch how ya say that stuff, Ram. I might be in love with ya, but that don't mean I won't twist yer arm. Look, just get 'im back to where he was before, 'kay?"

"M-man, you really want me in a cell. Maybe this sounds like begging for my life, but I really am a coward. Me being here is nothing but bad news, and letting me go is going for the low, low price of free, so shouldn't we aim for that?"

"'Confusing price for bargain brings ruin.' That was one of Hoshin's sayings, too."

Saying something similar to there is nothing more expensive than something offered for free, Garfiel refuted and rejected his proposal. He couldn't understand the obstinate posture. For what reason was Garfiel so obsessed with Subaru?

"Me, I can't let a shady guy like you outside. Better ya stay inside with me, the strongest guy around."

"That decision might court Master Roswaal's displeasure. After all, to Master Roswaal, Subaru is—"

Cutting off her words there, Ram suggestively glanced sidelong at Subaru. Subaru, ignorant of the gaze's meaning, was perplexed, whereupon Ram looked back at Garfiel and carried on.

"A useless servant… It is best to discard him, yes."

"I'm pretty amazed you can say that in this situation, Big Sis…"

The way Ram was covering for him before abandoning him midway made Subaru forget his situation as it depleted his morale. However, the target of the statement took it in a completely different way.

"Worsen Roswaal's mood…?"

"_______"

That instant, Subaru's entire body went tense, feeling goosebumps all over his flesh. When he looked at them, Ram and Otto's cheeks had hardened as well, eyes looking forward, warily watching as Garfiel stood before them.

"And just how much is that bastard thinkin' of here and of the old women? He ain't. That bastard only thinks of himself! Ram! Even you know that!"

"Garf, Master Roswaal…"

"Shaddap, shaddap, shaddap! The hell do you know about the bastard! Last warning! Hand him over! I'm gonna tie him up, and you two are gonna shut up and wait—"

Flying into a rage, Garfiel had no ears with which to hear as he unleashed an angry shout. His ferocious fighting spirit proceeded to surge upward, and along with it, Subaru sensed Garfiel's very flesh growing all at once.

But that instant, as if on reflex, the situation broke into motion.

"—Miss Ram!"

"Go!!"

"Whaaa?!"

The same time as Subaru heard the hard-pressed voices, an arm wrapped around Subaru's body. It was Otto's. Without asking permission, he hoisted Subaru right up.

"Patlash—?!"

Patlash ferociously broke into a run, practically scooping Subaru and Otto up onto her back.

With Subaru's eyes wide open from the unexpected turn of events, Otto paid no heed to him, gripping the reins—and Patlash, squatting to raise her speed, darted out of the night-shrouded settlement.

"Damn it, ya lil' minion—!!"

"You have no time to be distracted, Garf!"

"—!! Won't let ya get in the way of my vow!!"

The voice, bellowing with anger, was snuffed out by the howling gale.

Subaru sensed the two forces powerfully exploding, bouncing off one another, but his mind couldn't catch up. Right next to him, cheeks hard, Otto kept hold of his torso, nothing more. He raised his voice.

"W-wait, Otto! Why leave Ram in a place like that?!"

"Any longer and you would be in peril! This is my and Miss Ram's decision!"

Shouting back in an angry voice, Subaru gritted his teeth as he squinted behind him. The bonfire had been bowled over, rendering his vision vague. But he could hear angry voices mixed with the sound of ferociously whipping wind.

Considering fighting strengths, it was the best choice for holding off a Garfiel turned hostile. But the logical issue wasn't something his emotions were capable of endorsing.

"—!!!"

His brain was tied into knots from doubts and confusion when a sharp, high-pitched sound slammed into his eardrums.

The source of the sound was very close; in tangible terms, from Otto through his own fingers. The high-pitched sound reverberated throughout the night-shrouded Sanctuary, only to echo twice and then a third time.

"Is that finger-whistling some kind of signal?!"

"…It is a means I had rather hoped not to employ. I would rather have done without."

"Don't say deeply suggestive stuff like that! Ram's still there; any more chaos and…"

Colluding with Patlash, Otto had contrived to escape without Subaru's input. Though he wondered what Otto was still hiding, Subaru, his voice ragged, immediately realized just what it was.

"—Aa"

It was not to the back but the fore that one light after another was lit along the sprinting land dragon's path.

These were not the red lights of torches but the white lights of crystal lanterns. They were guiding lights, showing the way through the Lost Forest.

And the people carrying those guiding lights amid the darkness were—

"The people of Earlham Village…"

"—I told you. We have reassuring sympathizers!"

The blow from the words spoken by Otto made Subaru's chest tighten.

Sympathizers, this was what Otto was calling the people lending a hand to help Subaru. Subaru had thought that Ram was that sympathizer, and that it was Ram alone offering her aid.

"—Master Subaru! Please be safe!"

The instant he passed one of the lights, the man holding the crystal lantern raised his voice. Naturally, it was a familiar face. It was one of the villagers at the Cathedral, who was yearning to be reunited with his family and placing his hope in Emilia breaking through the Trial.

He wasn't the only one cooperating by any means. The settlement, the forest, held as many allies as it held lights.

"You said if they knew, they'd explode…"

"And as a matter of fact, they did! So they had me keep quiet to you about it! With Mr. Natsuki escaping, they did not wish to become shackles!"

"_______"

He couldn't tell what it meant. Otto's shout, the villagers' consideration…he couldn't tell what any of it meant.

Why were they doing such a thing? Shackles, who, on whom? There were countless lights floating amid the darkness.

"_______!"

Patlash made a short neigh, seemingly to display respect for the devoted villagers that had made the path of light.

Even Patlash, who knew the correct path through the Lost Woods, had no guarantee of not being swallowed by the darkness. The white light wiped away that uncertainty, and as she followed it, the land dragon's speed gradually outstripped that of the wind.

"This way! Farther in, Master Subaru!"

"Mr. Otto, take good care of Master Subaru!"

"Please stop trying to die before us elderly folks, Master Subaru…!"

Both bodies and hearts were crouched as many, so many, voices were tossed in Subaru's direction. The voices reverberated as the villagers desperately, earnestly, wholeheartedly called out Subaru's name.

"Why are you all doing something as stupid as…"

"That is not very convincing coming from you, Master Subaru!"

Unable to put the emotions filling him in order, the near-lament Subaru let out brought pained smiles. When he looked up, straight ahead was a large, distinctive tree—with multiple villagers standing at its roots.

"Go straight from here and you'll cut straight through the barrier! Then you can get away!"

"And you all?!"

"We'll slow down the pursuit! Why, giving Master Subaru time to get away is the least we can do…"

The figures numbered five, a group of male youths. The five men were poorly equipped, but even so, they had decided to hold Garfiel off for as many seconds they could with stubbornness and guts.

In staying behind, Ram had probably calculated along the same lines as they—

"_______!!!!!"

A roar bellowed across the forest, and the next instant, Subaru was swallowed up by a ferocious shockwave.