While the little blue-haired girl treated Elsa's wounds, Natsuki Subaru finally learned her name.
Meili.
The girl Elsa called her little sister.
She was also a beast tamer who could command demon beasts.
Natsuki Subaru watched her skillfully bandage Elsa's wounds.
A Bowel Hunter.
A beast tamer.
If he could use them, he would have two more cards in his hand.
If he couldn't, he would kill them sooner or later. That was how ruthless he was now.
Once Elsa's condition had stabilized a little, the sisters swiftly left the royal capital before the guards could completely seal off the slums.
He had achieved his goal of obtaining a way to contact Elsa.
Next, he had to confirm whether Satella had retrieved her royal selection insignia.
Natsuki Subaru did not linger. He headed for the slums once again.
When he returned to the vicinity of the loot house, what greeted him was an enormous pillar of ice.
Cold white frost covered the damaged wooden walls and the ground. The people nearby watched from a distance, none daring to approach.
That must have been Satella's attack.
She had survived.
And she had recovered her royal selection insignia.
Only after listening to the people in the slums talking did Natsuki Subaru learn that Felt and Old Man Rom had already been taken away by the guards. They would probably have to spend some time in prison.
He did not dwell on it.
Felt was alive. Old Man Rom was alive.
More importantly, Satella was alive too.
That was enough.
Natsuki Subaru entered the warehouse used to store stolen goods.
A chill still lingered in the warehouse, and traces of water that had frozen and then slowly melted marked the floor. But what concerned him more than any of that were the black-robed figures standing inside.
He had no idea when they had appeared.
Nor did he know how long they had been waiting there.
The black-robed figures stood in an arc, surrounding Natsuki Subaru.
No one drew a blade, and no one questioned him.
They looked at Natsuki Subaru with something close to fanaticism in their eyes.
Those gazes held madness, sorrow, and an almost overflowing ecstasy.
Natsuki Subaru looked at them with interest, no unease showing in his bloodshot black eyes.
He had already died far too many times.
So now, even surrounded by a group of lunatics of unknown origin, his first thought was not of escape.
It was whether these people could be useful.
"Where is Satella?"
Natsuki Subaru asked.
At those words, the air inside the warehouse seemed to freeze for an instant.
The next moment, the look in the black-robed figures' eyes changed completely.
Ecstasy.
Uncontrollable ecstasy.
It was as though they had finally heard some kind of proof, or had finally received a long-delayed oracle.
The black-robed figure at the front abruptly dropped to their knees.
Then came the second, the third, and the fourth.
Every black-robed figure knelt before Natsuki Subaru.
"At last..."
Someone spoke in a trembling voice.
"At last, we have been granted your arrival."
Natsuki Subaru frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
The black-robed figures did not raise their heads.
They pressed their foreheads against the cold floor, their voices filled with irrepressible fervor.
"To call the Witch's name without the slightest fear."
"To be wreathed in such intense love."
"There can be no doubt."
"You are one blessed by the Witch."
Natsuki Subaru said nothing.
He could not understand what these lunatics were talking about.
But there was one thing he did understand.
They feared that name and worshipped it.
And he had just spoken that name.
So they had knelt.
Natsuki Subaru looked down at the black-robed figures kneeling before him, his heart beating slowly.
These people looked dangerous.
But now, they seemed willing to obey him.
That was enough.
"I'll ask you one more time."
Natsuki Subaru lowered his voice.
"Where is Satella?"
The black-robed figure at the front trembled all over.
"We do not know the whereabouts of the Lady Witch."
Natsuki Subaru's gaze turned cold.
But the black-robed figure quickly continued:
"However, we can search for her on your behalf."
"The royal capital, the nobility, the knight order, the slums, the merchant associations."
"Just give the order, and we will uncover everything for you."
Natsuki Subaru looked at them.
After a long while, he suddenly gave a short laugh.
So that was it.
This world really was so vile it made him want to vomit.
The path he had earned through eighty-eight deaths had ultimately delivered a group of lunatics like these to him.
But even lunatics had their uses.
"Then investigate."
Natsuki Subaru said.
"Find out that silver-haired half-elf's real name."
"Investigate the royal selection insignia."
"Investigate the royal selection."
"Investigate everyone who might stand in her way."
The black-robed figures trembled with excitement.
"As you command."
They spoke in unison.
"Lord Apostle."
Natsuki Subaru's gaze shifted slightly.
Apostle?
He did not know what that meant.
Nor did he know where that title would push him in the future.
But he did not correct them.
Because right now, he needed hands that could act, eyes that could see, and teeth that could bite people for him.
And so, standing in the cold loot house, Natsuki Subaru looked at the black-robed figures kneeling before him and slowly spoke:
"Then prove it to me."
"Prove that you're useful."
Two months later.
In a basement somewhere in the royal capital, candlelight flickered gently.
A black-robed figure knelt on the floor, laying one report after another before Natsuki Subaru.
"The silver-haired half-elf's name has been confirmed."
"Emilia."
"The Kingdom of Lugunica's fifth royal selection candidate."
"She currently resides at the mansion of Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers."
Natsuki Subaru sat in the shadows, his fingers resting on that report.
Emilia.
So that was it.
That was her real name.
Satella.
Emilia.
Natsuki Subaru looked at the name on the paper and gave a quiet laugh.
During the first loop, did you deliberately give me an ominous false name like Satella to keep me away from danger?
Though she feared others shunning her, she still put herself in their shoes and thought of them. Emilia's somewhat immature thinking made Natsuki Subaru's heart ache terribly. To cut through the thorns along her arduous path through the royal selection, once again-
Natsuki Subaru made up his mind. I will help you, no matter the cost.
Natsuki Subaru looked at the fanatical black-robed figures before him.
"Understood."
The black-robed figure continued:
"In addition, there are five royal selection candidates in total."
"Apart from Lady Emilia, they are Crusch Karsten, Anastasia Hoshin, Priscilla Barielle, and Felt, who comes from the slums."
Felt.
Natsuki Subaru's gaze lingered on that name for a moment.
So the little girl who had stolen the insignia had become a royal selection candidate too.
Fate really did love its jokes.
The black-robed figure knelt on the floor, not daring to look up.
"Lord Apostle, what should we do next?"
Natsuki Subaru did not answer immediately.
He merely looked at the list of royal selection candidates.
If Emilia wanted to become king, there were four obstacles before her.
Four people she had to overcome.
He had already learned.
If something blocked his path and he could not avoid it, he had to find a way to remove it.
Natsuki Subaru slowly raised his eyes.
"Keep investigating."
"Find their weaknesses."
"Investigate the people around them."
"Find out where they'll appear."
The black-robed figure bowed their head deeply.
"As you command."
Natsuki Subaru leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Emilia.
This time, I will help you, even if you never know, even if you never turn back to look at me.
I will still bring you before the throne.
Because this is my reason to live.