"Hey, Ubilk, is this all the work of you, you quack!"
"Yareyare, you just said I'm a mere quack, how could I possess such heaven-reaching power. This one is merely a stargury following the guidance of the stars, nothing more."
The long-haired youth spread his hands.
Natsuki Subaru did not know what kind of profession a Stargazer actually counted as, but it always felt like some sort of prophet, specifically acting as a riddler.
"Before this, we had never met, and I am merely one of the tens of thousands of passersby in your life. But to be honest, I am also curious about the origin of this canopy... Come to think of it, do you not have more pressing matters to attend to? The person you are looking for, I know where they are."
"Where?"
Subaru's voice tightened instantly, his small fists clutched so hard they hurt.
"An abyss with a magnificent view."
Subaru frowned as he digested these words, the dizziness brought on by Louis dragging him along for up-and-down teleportations not yet having faded, and the blue sky swaying into a blur of light spots before his eyes. An abyss with a magnificent view-the highest point, the place closest to the sky. In this demon city of Chaosflame, the only thing that could live up to this description was that castle standing in the center of the city, its glazed tiles shimmering day and night with red and blue light.
Scarlet Lapis Castle. The residence of Yorna, ruler of the demon city, also known as Night Weeping.
Regardless of whether this suddenly appearing canopy intended to strip Natsuki Subaru of his very underpants, the most pressing matter right now was to find Olbart, lift this damned infantilization, and restore his own body.
"Let's go, Mr. Quack. Stop running your scam business, and whether the canopy has anything to do with you or not, you'd better honestly go into hiding."
Watching the backs of Subaru and the little blond girl disappearing into the alley entrance, Ubilk slowly closed one eye and looked up at that Scarlet Lapis Castle gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. The cold light of the canopy and the warm light of the glazed tiles intertwined on the horizon, dyeing the depths of his gaze a complex shade.
"-Even if this is the mission of a Stargazer, what on earth are the stars hoping for?"
He murmured softly, his gaze finally falling back onto that huge curtain of light suspended in the firmament.
Utilizing the authority of Louis's "Teleportation", after several flashes, Subaru finally stepped onto the roof of the keep of Scarlet Lapis Castle. The cool glazed tiles pressed against the soles of his feet, and the high-altitude wind rushed into his face with the distinctive hustle and bustle of the demon city.
"I feel like it's still better to be a bit careful, if we get found out..."
"-If you get found out, what would happen? Little children holding hands, what a cute sight. Even this one can't help but smile upon seeing it."
A lazy and slightly hoarse female voice came from overhead, and Subaru's whole body stiffened as he abruptly looked up.
There he saw Night Weeping leaning against the highest flying eaves, a thin wisp of purplish smoke slowly exhaling from the pipe in her hand. She still wore that gorgeous kimono, her coiled long hair evenly mixed with snow-white and orange-red strands, and her pointy fox ears gently twitching with the breeze. At first glance, she was a breathtaking, peerless beauty, but that intangible oppressive force pressed down on one like a great mountain, making it hard to breathe-not because she was much taller than the shrunken Subaru, but because the sense of all-controlling presence about her was enough to strike awe into the heart of anyone.
"There's no need to be so scared, yo."
Night Weeping jumped down lightly from the eaves, not even disturbing a single tile when she landed.
"The two of you, trespassing into this one's castle without permission, what business do you have?"
Little Natsuki Subaru mustered his courage and stumblingly recounted how Olbart had kidnapped her attendant and dragged them into playing hide-and-seek.
"You're saying that foul-tempered old bastard is actually playing hide-and-seek with you kids who haven't even dried behind the ears?"
Night Weeping raised an eyebrow, her pipe spinning a circle at her fingertips.
"The leader of the ninjas, reduced to this state?"
"I was wondering why that cute little attendant of mine hasn't returned after all this time, and it turns out she was abducted by that old thing?"
Subaru clearly felt the surrounding air grow several degrees colder. The smile on Night Weeping's face remained, but a trace of imperceptible murderous intent flashed through the depths of her eyes.
"This one will help you." She put away her smile, her tone turning cold. "If she can find that old fossil..."
"Um, Miss Night Weeping, there's still one more thing I want to tell you-"
On the roof of the keep of Scarlet Lapis Castle, the red-and-blue interwoven glazed tiles shimmered with a bizarre brilliance in the sunlight. An aged figure sat cross-legged in a corner of the eaves, holding a wine gourd and drinking deeply. The high-altitude breeze swept across his graying beard, carrying the distant hustle and bustle of the demon city.
"Gokogoko... What a beautiful view. But what on earth is that big screen in the sky?"
He overlooked the chaotic yet vibrant city beneath his feet, his raspy laughter blown away by the wind. He loved chaos-buildings of different styles piled together, all kinds of demi-human races coming and going, contradictory ideas colliding and merging. This kind of utterly orderly disorder always put him in a good mood.
"Things only taste good when everything is mixed together in a mess, but that's just an old man's bad habit. However-"
He tilted the gourd, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and casually turned his body. When his gaze swept in a certain direction, he raised his graying eyebrows and revealed a playful smile.
"The faces arriving on this side are truly deeply surprising."
Three figures stepped onto the glazed tiles, walking slowly toward him.
The black-haired boy pointing at him, the blond little girl holding hands with the boy, and the mistress of the demon city standing behind the two of them with an aura of stern presence radiating from her whole body.
The warm breeze gently brushed against Subaru's bangs, bringing a slight itch. He could clearly feel the soft little hand of Louis in his palm, as well as Night Weeping's steady breathing behind him.
This was the very top of Scarlet Lapis Castle, the place "closest to the sky" in the entire demon city. Which was, as Subaru understood it, the location closest to the "abyss with a good view".
"Mr. Olbart, I feel like your personality is extremely foul."
Subaru used his free hand to point at that drinking old freak, his tone filled with accusation.
"-Old Man Olbart, this is this one's castle, yo."
Stared at by Night Weeping's icy blue eyes, Olbart finally stopped laughing.
"Ohh, of course I know. Sitting on top of the castle drinking right under the castle lord's nose is truly awfully pleasant. Doing what you like is the secret to longevity, after all."
"This is truly, while claiming to be a long-lived old man, yet speaking strange words."
Night Weeping slightly covered the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, revealing a gorgeous yet dangerous smile.
"Saying it's the secret to longevity, but actually desperately shortening one's own lifespan, don't you think that's very foolish?"
"Oh~ which words were strange?"
"Bewitching children, abducting this one's retainer, and even running wild on this one's turf."
Night Weeping lowered her sleeve, her tone suddenly turning cold.
"As the mistress of the city, this one must do what ought to be done."
"Sorry, allow me to lodge a complaint."
Subaru chimed in at the right moment.
"According to Mr. Olbart's rules, this doesn't count as a foul, right? After all, your side also instigated people to attack us first."
"Old Man Olbart, this one has two requests."
"A request? Let's hear it."
Olbart shook the empty gourd in his hand with an indifferent expression.
"First, return that running-around child to this one."
"Hey hey, what a speech that can't be apart from a child. A young girl has her own thoughts, right? Otherwise, how could she have planned something behind your back..."
"-Stop talking."
Night Weeping's voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable dignity. Olbart shrugged and said no more.
"Alright, this one has heard the first request. Then what about the second? It can't possibly just be one, that would be too unreasonable."
"Of course."
Night Weeping looked straight into his eyes and said word by word, "Second, immediately terminate your game with these children."
"A game?" Olbart sneered and abruptly crushed the wine gourd in his hand.
"Even though it looks like playing, this is a serious match, you know?"
"This one already stated before His Majesty (false Emperor Chisha, to be mentioned later, too many people for everyone to keep track of) yesterday-no one is allowed to lay a hand on the kingdom's envoys. Even His Majesty must abide by this agreement."
"Oh~ little pipsqueak, you've got quite some backbone." Olbart's laughter became lewd and harsh. "But a game is a game, and we ninjas value rules the most. Although everyone pulled some petty tricks, a draw or something is not something this one will acknowledge, and things left half-done are things this one doesn't want to do either. A so-called old man, you see, is extremely stubborn."
The crisp cracking sound of the gourd shattered the rooftop's tranquility. Fragments splattered everywhere, and the wine spilled onto the glazed tiles, leaving dark traces.
"Oh no!" Subaru held his breath instinctively.
The next second-
"You old hazard who can deal ruthlessly even to children, properly regret your stubbornness."
Night Weeping swept her long leg horizontally, coming down with a momentum capable of destroying heaven and earth. With a deafening loud crash, the keep of Scarlet Lapis Castle was actually forcefully cleaved right down the middle by her!
Following closely were astonishing explosions ringing out one after another, the loud crashes and shockwaves dyeing the demon city's sky red. One of the explosions happened right beside the standing, immobile Subaru and Louis-
"I heard that your companions in this city are all robust... but are they more robust than the companions in our village?"
"-Despicable villain!"
Though small in size, the bomb's potency was unknown.
"Gk-"
The non-standard power and the sound of the explosion violently shook Subaru's brain, causing him to be unable to stand. To actually carry so many such bombs around and walk about, Olbart was simply insane. Because he had just unsparingly scattered them onto the street, getting this kind of evaluation at this point was only fitting.
"Ua-u!"
After a cry, Subaru's shoulders were shaken by a small hand. Looking over, his vision had turned a vivid red at some point, and furthermore, half of it was hazy and unclear. And the person whose expression changed drastically in this unclear world was Louis. Clutching him tightly with tear-filled eyes, just as Subaru was about to reply that he was fine-
"-Ah."
-In the corner of his red vision, he saw Olbart appear behind Night Weeping. In order to deal with the bomb, Night Weeping was in the posture of having swung her pipe all the way through. Behind her, Olbart formed a spear-hand, preparing to pierce her heart. If it were a manga, her chest would have been pierced directly from behind by someone. Moreover, both Night Weeping and Olbart were the types of ridiculously powerful people from mangas, so even if that kind of thing really happened, it wouldn't be strange at all. At this rate Night Weeping would die. Therefore-
"Louis-!"
Seizing the hand Louis had resting on his shoulder, Subaru pointed toward Night Weeping and the other. Executing the signal he had drilled into her countless times before entering the castle, Louis opened her round, saucer-like eyes-the next second, Subaru's vision flickered and his position shifted. Then-
"Ah."
Without a moment to spare, Subaru let out a surprised sound. The reason was simple, because a sudden, warm tactile sensation dyed his entire vision crimson. It was only by sensation that he knew the substance suddenly splashing across his face was some kind of liquid. Just as he wanted to use his hand to wipe away that feeling, he noticed.
"Louis?"
The hand he was holding had become exceedingly light.
"How is this? Weren't you supposed to have weak knees over there."
Said Olbart, who found it unfathomable. Subaru raised his head in a daze. The old freak tilted his head in puzzlement, his figure vaguely materializing in his vision, and he could still see him shaking his hand. In the red vision, he was shaking a hand even redder than this.
"Louis...!"
With a dangerous person present, Subaru called out Louis's name and gripped her hand tightly. He thought to himself that he had to leave the scene immediately. Twice, maybe he had to teleport more times consecutively. He might vomit, but he had to endure it. He had to endure it; right now he had to get out of here first. Therefore-
"Louis! If we don't hurry..."
"Oh my, demanding the impossible is a bit too pitiful. Didn't she have nothing left from the neck up, after all?"
"-Eh?"
Stupidsly listening to these words, yet unable to understand their meaning. Perhaps it was because his brain had also turned childish after shrinking, which was why he couldn't understand. The other party had spoken words he couldn't understand, and his small brain loathed trying to understand them, which was why it turned out like this. Therefore, even when the other party said she had nothing left from the neck up, he still didn't get it.
"Lou,is..."
He pulled on the pitifully quiet hand. In the red vision, Louis's figure could not be seen. Whether it was because something was wrong with his eyes, or because Louis's entire body had turned red, Subaru couldn't tell. But only one thing could be said.
-Louis was dead.
Clearly, they hadn't even decided how to deal with her, or what to do about her. Subaru had gotten her killed first.
"Well then, it's your turn, brat."
Another series of explosions rang out.
A sharp pain swept through his consciousness.
Before plunging completely into darkness, the last things Subaru saw were Night Weeping's figure rushing over in extreme fury, the cold light still flickering upon the canopy, and Olbart's merciless, aged face.