Natsuki Subaru snapped his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was the library's high ceiling.
He froze for a moment, his mind still sluggish, Louis's shrill voice seeming to linger in his ears. Only when he felt a familiar grip on his hand did he slowly turn his head and see Betty sitting to his left, her tiny hand clutching his fingers tightly, her eyes still a little red.
On his other side, Shaula knelt on the floor, almost pressed against his shoulder. She stared at Natsuki Subaru without blinking, as though she would have lunged forward and torn the entire book apart if he had taken any longer to wake.
Natsuki Subaru opened his mouth.
"I... came back?"
"As long as you're back."
Betty's voice was very quiet, but her grip tightened.
Natsuki Subaru tried to push himself upright, but as soon as he moved, he realized that the back of his head was nestled in something soft and warm. He stiffened, then slowly raised his eyes, meeting Emilia's downward gaze.
Emilia still had her hands beside his shoulders. Only when she saw that he had finally awakened did her tense expression ease a little.
"Subaru, don't move around just yet."
Natsuki Subaru blinked.
"...Is this a lap pillow?"
Betty immediately glared at him.
"Only noticing at a time like this. You're hopeless, Subaru."
Shaula nodded along, her tone unusually earnest.
"Master was lying on Emilia's lap the whole time. If Master wants, Shaula can do it too."
"You don't need to learn that just yet."
Natsuki Subaru answered reflexively, then noticed everyone gathered nearby.
Ram stood beside the bookshelf, her hand still resting on Reid's closed Book of the Dead. Julius and Meili were nearby too, while Anastasia stood at Julius's side.
Natsuki Subaru looked at her.
Anastasia looked back and sighed softly.
"Looks like I can't keep hiding it from you all."
At those words, Julius's gaze shifted slightly.
Anastasia did not avoid his eyes. Instead, she raised a hand to her chest, as though checking that something still remained there.
"The reason I wouldn't wake up before, the reason I wanted to hide my identity, wasn't that Dona Fox refused to give my body back, or that I deliberately wanted to deceive everyone."
Her voice was not loud, but everyone in the library fell silent.
Julius's fingers tightened slightly.
Anastasia looked at him, her smile fainter than usual.
"Because once I return to the outside, Gluttony will affect me. Then I'll forget Julius too."
For a moment, the air grew heavy.
Julius lowered his eyes, as though he had already expected this answer, yet hearing it still left him unable to remain entirely calm.
But Anastasia did not let the silence last long.
"Still, after the light screen appeared, I couldn't keep pretending to sleep."
She looked at Julius.
"My knight has been forgotten by everyone, yet he still has to stand there alone. As his lord, it'd be disgraceful if I kept hiding inside even at a time like this."
Julius said quietly:
"Lady Anastasia..."
"I'm the one in control of this body now."
Anastasia gently interrupted him, then softened her voice, as though worried her words had been too harsh.
"Though I can no longer remember anything about you, or how you became my knight, that doesn't mean those things never happened."
She looked at Julius, her gaze earnest.
"The records Dona Fox left, the facts shown on the light screen, and the way you stand before me now-all of those let me judge you anew."
Julius's breath caught slightly.
Anastasia curved her lips into a smile.
"Julius Juukulius."
"I'll remember that name anew now."
"You are my knight."
The instant those words fell, Julius finally bowed his head.
He dropped to one knee, his movements as impeccable as ever. Yet the hand pressed to his chest bore down harder than usual.
"Thank you for acknowledging me once more, Lady Anastasia."
His voice was steady, so steady it seemed he had pressed all his wavering deep into his heart.
"Even if the world forgets me, even if you no longer remember me, I, Julius Juukulius, shall still serve you as a knight."
Anastasia looked at him and said softly:
"Then let's start from zero."
Julius raised his eyes.
Anastasia's smile held a hint of a merchant's shrewdness, yet it was much gentler than usual.
"If we've forgotten, we'll get to know each other again."
"If we don't remember the past, we'll start from now."
"I'll judge you anew, remember you anew, and determine anew whether you're a knight worthy of my trust."
Julius's gaze trembled slightly.
Then he bowed his head and answered solemnly.
"Yes."
"If you have forgotten me, I shall prove myself to you anew."
"If you do not remember the past, then from this moment onward, I shall become your knight once again."
He pressed his hand to his chest, his voice low and clear.
"This body, this sword, this honor-all exist for you."
Anastasia nodded gently.
"Then I'm counting on you, Julius."
"Start from zero this time, and become my knight once again."
Watching this, Natsuki Subaru felt happy for Julius too.
Then he lowered his eyes to the Book of the Dead beneath Ram's hand.
This was not the time to stop yet.
He pushed himself up on his arms. Emilia immediately supported his shoulder, and Betty did not let go either. Shaula shifted a little closer, as though ready at any moment to press him back into a safe position.
Natsuki Subaru slowly exhaled.
"I found something out too."
Everyone immediately turned their eyes to him.
Natsuki Subaru looked at Reid's Book of the Dead, his voice dropping.
"It wasn't Reid inside. That book was just an entrance."
"The place I entered was Od Laguna's cradle, the Hall of Memories. Gluttony was waiting for me there."
Betty's grip suddenly tightened. At that name, Ram's eyes filled with fury.
Natsuki Subaru did not stop.
"Louis Arneb."
He spoke that name.
"There's more than one Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. Besides her, there's Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard. The two Gluttonies outside will come to the tower, and they'll draw the mabeasts here too."
Julius's expression changed.
Anastasia's gaze darkened too.
Natsuki Subaru raised a hand to his still-aching temple and continued:
"Their target is me."
"No, it's Return by Death."
With those words, the atmosphere in the library changed completely.
Shaula's voice lowered.
"Master, is there something bad you want Shaula to send flying?"
Natsuki Subaru glanced at her and nodded.
"Louis split herself in two. One half stayed in the Memory Corridor to wait for me. The other hid inside my body."
Shaula's fingers twitched.
Natsuki Subaru immediately said:
"Don't do anything rash yet. I don't know where she's hiding. Acting recklessly could make things worse."
Shaula stopped.
She looked very reluctant, but slowly lowered her hand anyway.
"Then Shaula will watch."
"Yeah."
Natsuki Subaru nodded gently.
"Please keep watch."
After saying that, he looked at the others again.
"Louis wanted me to reject myself. To make me feel that the person I am now and the past Natsuki Subaru aren't the same person. As long as I split myself apart, she can eat me again."
At that point, Natsuki Subaru paused.
His self from Gluttony IF surfaced in his mind again. The self who kept searching for the real Natsuki Subaru, kept opening Books of the Dead, and ultimately drove everyone to their deaths.
He lowered his eyes.
"The fact that the me on the light screen went that far can't be blamed entirely on him and all of you."
"Gluttony was pushing me in that direction all along."
No one spoke immediately.
After a brief silence, Julius asked:
"What about a way to recover the memories?"
Natsuki Subaru looked at him.
He knew why Julius would ask that.
If there was a way to retrieve memories eaten by Gluttony, then perhaps there would be hope for Julius's name and Rem's name too.
But Natsuki Subaru could not give a false answer.
"Not for ordinary people."
Julius's gaze darkened slightly.
Natsuki Subaru gritted his teeth and continued:
"Louis said ordinary people don't have their own Books of the Dead while they're still alive. No matter how hard they struggle, it's very difficult for ordinary people to get back memories eaten by Gluttony."
Betty's hand trembled slightly.
Natsuki Subaru slowly turned his head and looked into the depths of the library.
"I'm a little different."
His voice lowered.
"I've died."
"More than once."
"Every death might leave behind a Book of the Dead bearing the name 'Natsuki Subaru.'"
Everyone's eyes settled on him.
Natsuki Subaru slowly drew a breath.
"Reid's book doesn't have the answer I need."
"What I need to find is my book."
"The Book of the Dead bearing Natsuki Subaru's name."