"──I'm gonna keep a real close eye on you, y'know~"
The decision on what to do with Louis was to "put it on hold."
Garfiel, who had remained unable to accept this to the very end, directed a threat at the little girl shaking hands with Emilia. His worries and wariness were perfectly natural, so Otto did not intervene.
"A member of the Witch Cult, and a Sin Archbishop at that, could never turn over a new leaf."
That was the conclusion of the realistic thinking Otto sought. Even the moving, historic exchange between Emilia and Louis did not change it.
At the same time, however, though he felt it was unlike him, Otto had this thought:
──Defeating the White Whale and the Great Rabbit, and "Sloth" and "Greed" among the Sin Archbishops, had all been unimaginable feats.
Yet over this past year and more, Natsuki Subaru had accomplished all of them.
The world saw them as the Emilia camp's achievements, but everyone within the camp knew Subaru's contribution had been especially great. What was more, through the Sky Curtain, everyone had already learned the secret of Subaru's Return by Death──or rather, that cruel truth.
And so, a possibility occurred to him.
Had Natsuki Subaru done something extraordinary again? If Subaru could not speak of this painful secret for various reasons, then why exactly had the Sky Curtain appeared? And why was it so intent on showing these experiences of Subaru's deaths?
Surely it could not be like that one Robo show, where someone absorbed the power of positive or negative emotions, making it a catalyst or source of energy for achieving some objective?
He thought and kept thinking, trying to find the one answer amid an ocean of clues. In the end, Otto could only look up and sigh.
Natsuki Subaru had worked so hard, and Otto wanted to shoulder some of his burden. But he had never imagined that what Subaru faced was death after death. Who could possibly help him bear the price of dying?
But just then, while everyone was agonizing over this, they happened to see that thing again──the so-called Sky Curtain lit up once more.
Of course, the Sky Curtain did not seem to like certain scenes of meaningless infighting and slaughter, so──
["──rusu. Barusu. Get a hold of yourself."
His dazed consciousness was seized by the neck and dragged into the light. Upon returning, the first thing he registered was someone's voice calling to him. Not just a voice, but the feeling of gentle pats against his cheek. There was also a sandy, astringent taste dancing on his tongue.
"Barusu, if you don't get up, I'll burn your eyelids."
"──!"
The terrifying threat reached his freshly awakened mind, immediately bringing his consciousness to the surface. Guided by that voice, he rose through a dark ocean, broke through its suffocating surface, and headed outside──
"──Barusu, are you awake?"
Ram's face suddenly appeared before him, her pale red eyes narrowed. All at once, the memories of their meaningless, worthless exchange of insults and mutual slaughter vividly returned.
"Barusu?"
"Urgh, uh... eh."
Ram looked surprised by Subaru's condition, but Subaru had no strength to spare to answer her, dizzy with nausea.
When it came to his own [death], Subaru was a veteran who had experienced it more times than he could count on all ten fingers. Even so, if asked whether Subaru had grown used to [death], the answer was that he absolutely had not. That went without saying for his own death, but it was no different for someone else's──the [death] of any of his companions.
Subaru feared his own death, but the death of anyone on his side also tore his heart apart.
──And Ram's horrific death moments earlier had been the worst blow he had ever experienced.
"...Urgh, eh. Blegh, cough."
Desperately trying not to remember was no different from trying to remember. The harder Subaru tried to forget Ram's gruesome death, the more vividly his trusted Patrasche's violent act, the pink hair caught in the land dragon's teeth, and the remains of her head surfaced in his mind. In the end, unable to suppress the rising nausea, Subaru turned toward the sand and vomited. But his throat and stomach had yet to recover from the shock of [Return by Death] and merely kept spasming, leaving Subaru doing nothing but drooling on the spot.
"...This, right after waking up? How pathetic."
The voice spoke coldly to Subaru as he braced both hands against the sand and desperately gasped for breath. Ram stood beside him, looking down at him, and her cold attitude reminded Subaru of their argument before his [death].
That murderous passion that had surged up without reason, and the quarrel that had sparked their mutual slaughter──the memory of being ruled by impulse sent a stab of pain through Subaru's heart, making him afraid despite himself. What if something that vicious happened again──
"──Don't bite."
"──!" Just then, Ram offered those words as a preface and caught Subaru's chin with her fingers. Subaru froze in surprise. Unconcerned by his reaction, Ram opened his mouth and, with an expression of utter boredom, thrust her pale fingers deep into his throat.
"...!? Oh, eh."
"I already knew you were a blockhead, Barusu, but being this stupid makes you no different from a baby."
Having someone else's fingers invade his throat subjected Subaru's esophagus to rough abuse.
Then his stomach and throat, which had done nothing but spasm before, received a fresh shock, turning the naturally rising nausea into a rush of vomit onto the sand.
Though all he brought up was stomach acid and saliva, even that left him feeling considerably better than before he vomited.
"Blegh, cough... hah, phew... Sorry, I'm... all right now..."
"Is that so? You look satisfied. How nice."
"Look, you..."
Watching Subaru wipe his mouth with his sleeve, Ram shrugged and replied in baby talk. Though Subaru had his thoughts about her attitude, it was also true that he had made a baby-level blunder.
So he had no room to argue, and Ram's palm was still gently rubbing Subaru's back.
It was truly incomprehensible, this barbed care.]
"Judging by Subaru's condition, did he go through Return by Death again?"
Emilia covered her mouth in disbelief.
"It seems Barusu really did choose the other path back then."
Ram, who had been unable to reunite with Rem, grew even more distressed after seeing what was on the Sky Curtain.
"In that case, taking the other path certainly didn't end well, if it made Barusu throw up like that... So all those sudden, inexplicable things Barusu did were because of Return by Death?"
There was a rare tremor in her voice, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened around the edge of her sleeve.
["Your hand, you can stop now. More importantly, where are we...?"
"You still remember the light from the watchtower and the distortion in space breaking open, don't you? This is where we ended up after that rift swallowed us and spat us out."
As Subaru escaped the hand on his back, Ram indicated their surroundings with her chin. Only after hearing her explanation did belated surprise strike Subaru. He had already lost his life three times while attempting to cross the Augria Sand Dunes. But unlike the first two times, on this third occasion, the starting point for [Return by Death] had changed.
It had shifted from their attempt to get through the field of flowers spreading across the ground to the starting point of their attempt to navigate the sand palace after becoming separated from Emilia and the others.
"What a pathetic look."
Ram's finger suddenly touched Subaru's face, which had stiffened at the reality of [Return by Death].
His gaze followed the warmth of her finger, and he saw Ram nod with her expression unchanged.
"Don't rush. Calm down. What's happened has happened. All we can do now is calmly accept the facts. Though that might be asking a little much of you, Barusu."
On the cold sand, Ram's calm voice and the warmth of her finger gradually brought Subaru out of his confusion.
There was actually a subtle difference between the direction of Ram's intentions and the confusion in Subaru's heart. Ram saw their separation from their companions due to the change in location as the shock, while Subaru was grappling with the fact that he had undergone [Return by Death] and that his starting point had changed.
In the end, Subaru mulled over Ram's words and concern, and slowly sighed.
"...Ram."
"What is it?"
"Your fingers are so smooth. They feel really nice... mmph!?"
"Don't get carried away. You Barusu."
"Could you stop using someone's name as an insult!?"
A slap was the price of his foolish remark, and Subaru protested with tears in his eyes.
But Ram, who was hastily wiping her fingers with sand, showed no inclination to listen.
Just when Subaru had thought she was being unusually kind to him, she treated him like this. It really was heartless.
Even so, talking with her as she always was still brought Subaru reassurance from the bottom of his heart.]
"Hah! What kinda crazy twist is this for the boss? How come he and Ram are like..."
Watching the interaction on the Sky Curtain, Garfiel could not help blurting that out, but halfway through, he realized he had said something he should not have, and his voice grew quieter and quieter.
"Shut up!"
Ram and Priscilla spoke almost simultaneously. Their voices collided in the city hall's main hall, instantly quieting the somewhat restless crowd.
At some point, however, Priscilla had already reclined in a comfortable chair, with Al holding a parasol for her while Schult vigorously fanned her.
"The city's repairs and arrangements for the wounded have already been entrusted to reliable people, so now..."
"You foolish commoners, if you haven't made enough of a fuss, go do it elsewhere. Do not obstruct my entertainment. I never miss any fascinating corner of this world or any interesting story. And the story of that knight of yours on the Sky Curtain is giving me more and more to look forward to."
Garfiel sheepishly closed his mouth and continued watching the Sky Curtain.
"In the end, I still couldn't do anythin' to help the boss. If only I'd gone along with him back then..."
He muttered under his breath, a rare note of frustration in his voice, his fingers unconsciously clenching and relaxing.