Sky Curtain
[The "Master Swordsman" bared his teeth and declared that the trial was still going, prompting a shriek from Subaru.
"W-wait, wait, wait! Wasn't it enough for just one of us to pass!?"
"Huh~? Who agreed to that? Don't go deciding things yourselves. Why would one person passing mean everyone else passed too? Common sense oughta tell you that. Is your brain all boobs too?"
"The least reasonable person in the world just made a perfectly reasonable argument...!"
The man crossed the chopsticks he held, one in each hand, and his words made Subaru groan. In fact, they had indeed decided for themselves that everyone had met the conditions for passing the "trial."
The third-floor "trial" had ended the moment they solved the riddle. That was why they had assumed that clearing the second-floor "trial" with just one person would open another library. But that premise had crumbled. If passing required individual fighting strength, their prospects of overcoming this "trial" were hopeless.
Having witnessed it firsthand, they now knew how difficult Emilia's proposed condition-"make the man take one step"-really was.
Put plainly, Emilia was the strongest fighter among their current members-with Julius's contracts with his quasi-spirits severed, she was unquestionably the strongest.
Without Emilia, who else could catch the "Master Swordsman" off guard?
"-Wait a moment. There is an absolute fallacy in what you said."
"A fallacy~?"
As Subaru trembled, trying to find an opening for victory in their unfavorable situation, Beatrice firmly gripped his hand beside him to calm him down and addressed the man with certainty.
"Who're you? You're ten years too early. Come back in five years at least. Come back when your arms, legs, and height have grown a little, and your tits and ass are bigger."
"...I was going to entertain your nonsense, but I cannot simply let those last remarks pass. So I shall shut your mouth outright."
"Shut my mouth? What's that mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?-What Emilia said earlier was that if you took a single step, 'we' would win. In other words, Emilia's victory was everyone's victory!"
Beatrice's correction made Subaru gasp and glance involuntarily at Emilia. To think her brazen proposal had concealed such an intention-Emilia seemed like a wicked woman now, leaving Subaru astonished.
But Emilia herself covered her mouth and said, "Oh." Apparently not. She had not thought of that.
"That's right. Now that you mention it, I did say that! I said we! Well? In that case, shouldn't all of us have passed your 'trial'?"
"That's just wording. That trick ain't gonna work."
"I see... All right. Subaru, Beatrice, I'm sorry. He says no..."
"Too fast! You gave up far too fast!!"
Beatrice scolded Emilia as she backed down dejectedly. But thinking about it calmly, it was obvious that such clever little tricks would not work.
-Even if that meant despair.
"Hmph, it's not like I don't get what the little runt's saying. At first, it sounded like however many people came, they just had to get past me.-But doing what I was told was too boring, so I forced myself awake."
"Forced yourself awake... You mean that thing at the start broke the system!?"
"Don't get it. Speak so I can understand. Quit talking like that prematurely gray kid."
As the man alternated between good humor and irritation, nodding along here and there, Subaru came to understand the truth about him-what had happened to the "trial's" system.
"So this was actually a 'trial' we could pass by working together to meet the condition, but because you woke up, now each of us has to meet it individually?"
"Kaha! Though who knows which one's easier? All of you teaming up to kill me, or letting me squeeze some tits and punching me once-which one's more fun... Oh!"
"-Quit talking in circles, you sexual harasser. I'm still angry."
The man's rude words prompted Subaru to draw his whip and lash out swiftly. Naturally, such a surprise attack did not work on his opponent, who immediately caught it between his chopsticks.
"Kaha! Thought you'd swing a stick, but you're swinging a whip instead. What's that kink? You're supposed to whip your enemies and your woman."
"You qualify as an enemy, don't you!? Besides, Emilia-tan and I are going to take things step by step, and whips aren't even on the list of future options!"
"Subaru, Subaru, calm down. Don't let him set the pace!"
"That's right, Subaru! You mustn't get so angry! He only touched my breasts. He didn't do anything strange to me."
"That is something strange, Emilia-tan!"
"Most people'd explode over that, gorgeous."
Emilia tried to calm Subaru down, only for Subaru and the man to retort in unison. Their agreement made Emilia's eyes widen, and Beatrice sighed deeply. Then-
"-Can I interrupt?"
During the stupefying exchange with the "Master Swordsman," someone who had remained silent until now seized a chance to speak.
"...I don't really want to say this, but I think someone ought to say something."
The one who spoke and raised a small hand was Meili.
The girl had the unconscious Shaula's head on her lap and shook her head as she spoke. Fear lingered in her yellow-green eyes.
"I don't know why you can talk to this man like normal, mister... He's already knocked out the knight mister and the scarf lady, and even the naked lady."
"Only Shaula went down for a different reason... But you're right, it is strange."
Meili's timid opinion was an entirely reasonable assessment of their current fighting strength. If anything, Subaru was the one failing to keep his cool by wanting to keep challenging him.
He had fallen completely under the sway of the "Master Swordsman's" sword aura. Mostly, the man's sexual harassment of Emilia and the impact of seeing Julius and Anastasia fall had left Subaru unable to assess their situation objectively-
"-Hypothetically speaking. If we withdrew and came back to try again, would you allow it?"
It was no exaggeration to call the "Master Swordsman's" strength devastating.
He had defeated Julius with just two wooden sticks and fought Emilia on equal terms, while clearly still holding plenty in reserve-without exaggeration, his strength was on Reinhard's level.
As things stood, they had no chance of winning whatsoever. Finally reaching that conclusion, Subaru steeled his resolve to retreat. Then-
"-I'm done."
"Huh?"
"I'm-done! Done, done, done, done, done, done, done! I'm beat!"
Seeing Subaru and the others express their desire to retreat with their whole bodies and souls, the man sulked and shouted like a child. Then-
"We're closed. Go home, you lot. I'm bored. Done, done."
He sat down on the spot, propped up one knee, and spoke with abandon.
"-Hey, wait, wait, wait! How much freedom do you get!? You can decide the course and outcome of the 'trial' based on your mood!?"
"Shut up. Judging this place was left to me in the first place. If I say I'm done, I'm done."
His brazen declaration left Subaru speechless in astonishment. Faced with that shock, the man continued.
"Besides-I'm no fun when I'm not in the mood. You wanna try me?"
A chill instantly swept through Subaru's entire body. Having tucked his chopsticks into his clothes and discarded all his weapons, the man curled his lips. It was unmistakably a smile, but utterly different in nature from before.
It was not a fierce grin that still carried a sunny air. It was the smile of a savage beast, dark and bloody, steeped in sinister murderous intent.
"...Ah."
A faint groan reached his ears. Listening closely, it was not Subaru's voice, but Emilia's beside him. She pressed a hand to her neck, her jewel-like eyes wide with shock.
Then her knees hit the floor, and she slumped down. As though only now realizing that she could not stand, as though she had even forgotten to breathe-
"Hah-"
And Subaru, who had "remembered" to breathe because of Emilia's reaction, was no different. Clutching his throat, he dropped to his knees and desperately drew breath, forcing oxygen into his blood.
Without someone beside him to remind him to breathe, his opponent's gaze would have suffocated him to death.
"Use your heads and find yourselves a chance of winning. The same trick the gorgeous girl used won't work again. You've gotta be at least on that sleeping horny woman's level. Get lost. I'm going to sleep."
His low voice was utterly serious, and once he finished speaking, the man's head drooped. After a while, they gradually heard him snoring in his sleep. It was loud enough to fit their impression of him perfectly-but no one there could afford to laugh about it.
"Let's hurry back."
Everyone wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Meili urged them not to resist that instinct. Her words spurred the group to take their injured companions and reluctantly withdraw from the "trial."
"-I see. So that is why you fled the second 'trial' with your tails between your legs."
"...That's pretty harsh, sis."
"Don't talk like that. You'll make that sleeping girl's master theory sound rather convincing."
"That wouldn't be good. I'll be careful."
Subaru responded to the entirely unfrightening warning with a limp shrug, and Ram let out a quiet breath.
They were on the fourth floor, having met up in another room with Ram, who had originally been in the "green room." Emilia, Beatrice, Meili, and Shaula, who had remained unconscious to the end, were in the same room.
-After descending the long staircase and escaping the second floor, the group had first carried Julius and Anastasia into the "green room" to let the spirit heal them.
Then they had filled Ram, who knew nothing of what had happened, in on the events of the third and second floors.
"Just hearing about him, the examiner sounds utterly idiotic... Only Lady Emilia passed, correct? Could she not go to the library alone?"
"Oh, right. Maybe I could go straight up to the first floor by myself... Should we ask Mr. Master Swordsman?"
"...No, not yet. I don't want to provoke him while he's in a bad mood and invite trouble. Even if he says only Emilia can go up, it's too dangerous."
"I'll be ve~ry careful, you know?"
"Dangerous."
"Very dangerous."
"Extremely dangerous."
Subaru, Ram, and Beatrice simultaneously poured cold water on Emilia's determination. But they were not dampening her enthusiasm out of overprotectiveness.
"If the second-floor 'trial' was like that, there's a chance things ahead are even more dangerous. If we send Emilia-tan alone, we won't even know whether she'll come back..."
"Then we really do have to work together and beat Mr. Master Swordsman?"
"I'd certainly like to..."
Whether that was possible remained open to discussion. Even Emilia, their strongest fighter, had only finally succeeded after lowering the difficulty again and again. And now Julius had fallen-
"I hope he doesn't take this too hard..."
"Are you worried about Julius?"
"Hard to say. Worried? I suppose I am... But it's not that simple."
He had faced the "Master Swordsman" head-on and lost completely. Remembering the look on his face the instant his knight's sword shattered, no one could say Subaru's unease was overthinking things.
His swordsmanship had fallen short, he had been toyed with between a pair of chopsticks, and in the end even his knight's sword had been broken-
"There's a spare sword in the dragon carriage, but that's not the issue."
"A sword can be forged again. Betty does not understand what there is to dwell on."
"You treasure the handkerchief, gloves, and scarf I made you, right, Beako? Think of it as an even worse version of having those destroyed."
"...I'm sorry for saying something thoughtless."
Beatrice reflected honestly on her words, and Subaru stroked her head and sighed.
He could not imagine how Julius would react when he woke in the "green room."
Would he be so despondent that he seemed unlike himself, or would he somehow try to act as he usually did?
Either way, Subaru did not know what to say to him, and that weighed heavily on him. And Julius was not his only concern.
"Anastasia... Why was Echidna so desperate...?"
The pressing question stuck in Subaru's mind concerned Anastasia-Scarf Dona's decision to intervene in Julius's duel with the "Master Swordsman" and come to his rescue.
At the time, everyone, Subaru included, had been gauging when to help Julius.
Yet the first to act had been Echidna, shocking them all.
Subaru believed that throughout their journey here and after arriving at the tower, Echidna had never forgotten to act like Anastasia, continuing to honor their promise to take care of her body.
But why had she suddenly acted like that after reaching the second floor?
"-"
When she had first admitted her identity in the Water Gate City, Echidna had explained to Subaru her relationship with Anastasia, as well as this body's congenital defect.
Because Anastasia's Gate had been defective from birth, she could not absorb Mana from outside her body. To use magic, she could only consume her own Od-her life.
"And yet she wanted to save Julius, even if she had to go that far?"
Acting out of calculation to accomplish some objective-it had not looked like that. Behind her desperate actions had been nothing but concern for Julius.
"-Lady Anastasia and Knight Julius are concerning, but there is another issue that deserves more attention."
"The examiner, the 'Master Swordsman.'"
"Yes. Call it heartless, but how the 'trial' will proceed matters more to Ram.-Unless we overcome this, we cannot awaken Rem."
Interrupting Subaru's thoughts, Ram voiced her cold opinion. She knew her words lacked consideration, but Subaru had no intention of blaming her.
"-"
Her expression seemed normal, but he sensed a hint of impatience. They had finally found a possible way to awaken her younger sister, only to fall one step short; that was probably why she was so anxious.
"A casual kimono, one eye, red hair and blue eyes... A rather assertive appearance."
"Does anyone come to mind? It might be hard to picture without meeting him, but to put it bluntly, he's monstrously strong. He might be on Reinhard's level."
"What a nightmare."
"But Subaru isn't lying. I've never seen how strong Reinhard is when he's serious... Yes, but our opponent really is that strong."
Ram's tone carried disbelief, so Emilia added her support.
"If we believe Barusu and Lady Emilia, then our enemy is on the same level as Knight Reinhard... At present, each country has one person hailed as the strongest in the world."
"Reinhard's the strongest in the kingdom, so the other three countries each have their own strongest person too."
"The Vollachian Empire's First General, the 'Blue Lightning,' Cecilus Segmunt, the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko's 'Mad Prince,' and the Kararagi City-States' 'Paean,' Halibel. However, none of their features match his."
"None of them have long red hair?"
"Only the Holy Kingdom's 'Mad Prince' has an unknown appearance, so we cannot be certain whether it is him."
"A prince, huh... That guy doesn't have that kind of bearing, does he?"
The "mad" part alone seemed to fit fairly well, but although the man had handsome features, he could hardly be called royally elegant. His was a wild beauty, a work of art found only in the wilderness.
"Then he's an unknown warrior..."
"His clothes are Kararagi's traditional dress, and he handles chopsticks quite skillfully."
"Considering how far that is from their intended use, can we really call it skillful...?"
Besides, no matter how hard he tried, that man did not fit the image of an "unknown warrior" at all. His strength was plain to see, and with such a distinctive personality, Subaru could not imagine him going unnoticed. Moreover, having been placed within the bizarre mechanisms of this Pleiades Watchtower, the man could not possibly be ordinary-
"Oh, mister, can I interrupt?"
"Hm?"
"The naked lady's about to wake up, you know?"
Meili, who had tucked herself into a corner of the room and patiently lent Shaula her lap, raised a hand. Just as she said, the sleeping Shaula began twisting her body suggestively and groaning, "Ooh-mm-ngh-" Then, under everyone's gaze, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Master... Don't leave me alone... I hate being lonely..."
"Don't start off saying things that make people uncomfortable! You're already awake, aren't you!?"
"Tch. I thought saying something cute would get Master to snuggle up to me. Guess not. But, but, even so, I still love you~"
"What a waste of worry..."
Shaula raised her long legs and swung them down to spring to her feet. Her tied-up long hair swayed as she looked around the room, tilted her head, and asked:
"Oh? How strange. Why am I here? I remember we went upstairs because Master dramatically blitzed through the 'trial'..."
"Yeah, that wasn't a dream. It really happened."
"And then Master held me tight and smiled, saying he'd never leave me again..."
"That part was a dream! You passed out right after the second 'trial' started!"
Subaru shouted at Shaula as she rambled about her dream, trying to make her remember what had happened before she fainted. For some reason, though, she scoffed.
"Passed out? How could I possibly do something as embarrassing as passing out? I didn't even faint when I reunited with Master after hundreds of years, did I? If someone like me passed out, wouldn't that be utterly ridiculous?"
"No. I understand why you're doubtful, but you really did faint. Subaru and Meili were both ve~ry worried about you. Please believe me."
"What! Master was worried about me!? Ehehehe, then I believe you."
"You're so easy..."
"I'm surprised I was just an afterthought."
Shaula's face went slack as she bashfully changed her tune, leaving Subaru and Meili with complicated expressions. Then she tilted her head the other way.
"But that's strange. What happened to make me faint? That's definitely not normal for me. In a situation like that, it wouldn't be strange if I killed everyone except Master..."
"You expect too much of Subaru... of your master, but that's what happened. Try to remember, slowly... There was a very, very long staircase in front of you."
"A very, very long staircase..."
Trying to guide her through her memories, Ram spoke in a calm, almost hypnotic voice.
"You arrived in a white room, with a steel sword standing in the floor. The moment you touched that sword, a strange voice rang out in everyone's minds-"
"How nerve-racking..."
Ram's unusually expressive voice drew both Shaula and Emilia completely into the story.
Shaula was one thing, but for some reason, even Emilia, who ought to have known what had happened, was swept along. Subaru refrained from commenting, afraid of interrupting Ram.
"Then someone appeared inside the room. He had long red hair and blue eyes, and wore foreign clothing..."
"Eyaaaaaah!!"
The moment Ram reached the crucial scene, Shaula screamed and recoiled. She threw herself at Subaru, who had expected this and immediately planted his feet to catch her firmly, so he did not fall this time. Instead, her soft flesh squeezed him with all its strength.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! D-did you remember!? You remembered, right!?"
"Wh-wh-wh-why is that guy here!? Didn't you say he was dead, Master!? He's still alive! He really is impossible to kill!"
"What!? What are you talking about...?"
His eyes watering from the pain, Subaru asked Shaula what she meant-then he realized it. He understood what her words meant. Based on what she had said, only one person they had discussed since arriving at the tower fit. That was-
"'Master Swordsman'! Reid the 'Master Swordsman'! That beast! That demon! He's come back to life to grope my breasts again-!!"
-Reid Astrea. The name of a legendary swordsman. A great swordsman said to have cut down witchbeasts, master swordsmen, dragons, and even witches.
He was the first person granted the title of "Sword Saint," and one of the Three Great Heroes who had saved the world.
The Astrea family, the line of "Sword Saints" that included Reinhard van Astrea, had begun with him. Even now, he remained the highest aspiration of those who lived by the sword.
-It was unbelievable. That name should have belonged to someone who had been dead for four hundred years. If this had not been a tower built hundreds of years ago by someone connected to the Witch, the possibility would surely have been laughed off.
But here stood a living witness who knew what had happened four hundred years ago. And this was a tower built by the "Sage," who had lived four hundred years ago.
Considering the tower builder's nasty personality, wasn't this exactly the sort of person who would make the first "Sword Saint" the strongest guard and demand that challengers surpass him-?
With that discovery in hand, Subaru and the others hurried to the "green room."
Now that they knew their opponent was Reid Astrea, they needed to devise a strategy. Fortunately, there was no shortage of anecdotes about this "Sword Saint" passed down to later generations.
And luckily, their group included someone well versed in the great figures of the past.
Of course, they could imagine that the effects of his defeat still lingered in his heart. But knowing his opponent's identity would allow him to wipe away the disgrace. After all, he had faced the wrong opponent.
His opponent was the "Sword Saint," after all-not just someone with the same surname as Reinhard, but the very founder of that name.
Thinking of it that way, he should have been able to accept his defeat-
"-That idiot."
Returning to the "green room" with words of comfort in mind, Subaru muttered.
Inside the room were grass beds made by the spirit for the injured to lie on-of the four beds, Rem, Anastasia, and, farthest in, Patrasche occupied one each.
But the bed between Anastasia and Patrasche was empty.
Only a broken knight's sword lay on it.
-The sound of soles striking the stairs and the sword aura prickling against his skin made the man slowly open his eyes. It was not anger at having his sleep disturbed.
Life itself was a battlefield.
As long as he considered himself constantly on the brink of death, nothing that happened would rattle him.
Though how much playfulness he brought to it was another matter.
"..."
As the visitor climbed the stairs, his figure gradually came into view. That sword aura was familiar.
Likewise, the footsteps and footwork were familiar. He had encountered them so recently that there was no way he could forget.
But if his opponent was the same person too, that was strange.
He had thought the fellow was smart-
"..."
"Kaha!"
That impression vanished when he saw the eyes of the opponent who had climbed the stairs.
In its place, a rising impulse made his throat rumble. He clicked his tongue loudly and roughly scratched his red hair.
Then-
"This time, playing around won't be enough."
"..."
He doubted saying it would do any good, but kindly warned him anyway. At those words, his opponent closed his eyes, then immediately cast aside all emotion.
Then, without hesitation, he reached out-drawing the sword standing in the floor and taking his stance.
"A member of the Kingdom of Lugunica's Royal Guard-Julius Juukulius."
He announced his name, and as the man narrowed his eyes, the knight abruptly charged.
At the sight, the man-Reid Astrea-smiled coldly.
"You stopped being worth playing with while you were spouting that boring title."
Probably no one would believe it.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru! I work as a manservant at Roswaal's mansion, and I'm the first knight serving this royal candidate-Lady Emilia!"
The boast he had made back then had instantly turned everyone in the royal castle's hall against him.
The one who had made that declaration could not hide his soaring emotions and vigor-and his words had left an indelible impression on one man.
For some reason, the selection sword he had picked up felt so familiar in his hand that he could have cried.
It almost made him believe the sword had chosen him.
Even though, as he was now, he had no such upright justification.
"Hah-!"
Compared with his broken beloved sword, this blade was slightly thicker, and its tip was heavier.
But as long as he adjusted his sword strikes to account for those differences, he could quickly compensate for them.
He would not always have a familiar weapon at hand in battle. He prided himself on having trained for every possible situation, accumulating enough practice to fight with any sword.
"You're boring."
The sharp thrust carrying that pride was easily evaded as the man stretched and hopped backward.
If the distance widened, he would close it with pursuit and footwork. When assessing swordsmanship as a whole in battle, handling the blade was not all that mattered. Footwork and movement were important too.
They allowed him to charge into the enemy's ranks from the most suitable position, at the greatest speed, with the best possible form.
He considered himself fortunate to have had a good teacher.
His current swordsmanship still paled in comparison to his teacher's, but that was an unavoidable matter of age and experience.
However, his teacher excelled at drawing out others' talents beyond his own ability.
He was fond not only of practicing sword techniques, but also of discussing the history of their origins and inheritance.
Naturally, Julius had enjoyed listening, and regarded putting them into practice as an honor.
"..."
He caught up with his leaping opponent and struck at his landing point.
Feints came from above, below, left, and right, while the true attack was an upward slash from directly beneath.
"You're just following the textbook."
The man easily altered that lethal trajectory with his wooden stick.
In an exchange lasting less than a second, the man performed a technique as delicate as threading a needle. What extraordinary swordsmanship.
"-Ngh!"
He groaned in astonishment as his sword strike was forced overhead.
To keep his opponent from exploiting the opening, he twisted his body and deliberately unleashed a blade of wind-no, he had no help from the lesser spirits.
He had simply left an opening.
"Kaha!"
His opponent's front kick struck him squarely in the flank.
Bare toes sank into the gaps between his organs, and his innards screamed in unison.
He was sent flying.
At that instant, he jumped in the direction of the impact of his own accord, preventing inertia from flinging his body away.
But he could not cancel out the kick's force. His vision spun, the impact assaulted his brain, bringing pain and nausea, and he planted his feet hard against the approaching floor, raising his head so he would not lose sight of his enemy.
He forcibly compressed his lungs, expelling every last bit of oxygen inside him. Emptying himself once, he forcefully brought his ragged breathing back under control.
"..."
He exhaled, completely. Now he could still fight.
He should still have been able to fight. About ten meters away, the red-haired man stood smiling.
He charged at him again.
Close in, wield his sword, and at least strip away that composed smile. Only then would the real battle begin-
"Quit putting on airs. There's no lies or truth in a fight. You're not still reading picture books, are you?"
"-Ah."
The distance vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving him stunned. It really had happened in a blink.
The man had closed ten meters in an instant, his wooden stick stopping right at the tip of Julius's nose. Julius tried to knock it aside, but the chopstick strikes traced arcs, hitting his chest and head.
The sharp impact-more than the pain, the sheer sharpness of the blow nearly stole his consciousness.
He gritted his teeth, gathered his nearly scattered consciousness, and planted his feet firmly on the floor.
"Ooh, ah!"
With a low roar, he sent a crescent slash at the man. The man evaded gracefully with dance-like steps, driving an elbow into the side of his face.
His consciousness wavered again.
So his body chose the attack it knew best.
Simultaneously chanting fire and water, he launched a three-pronged attack together with a physical sword strike-and failed.
His contracts with the quasi-spirits had been severed.
Without support from fire and water, all he unleashed was an artistic flash, honed through repeated practice until he had finally been called the "finest."
Had his opponent been an ordinary person, that alone would have been enough to kill him.
"Ptooey."
The pinnacle of a knight's swordsmanship was easily deflected by a casually swung wooden stick.
A raised knee caught him squarely in the pit of his stomach, forcing out a scream and stomach acid. Further blows battered his collapsing body from the front, preventing him from falling even if he wanted to.
"Oh?"
As the impacts bent him backward, he immediately reached out to support himself, using his backward momentum to kick. The man gave a surprised exclamation and dodged it.
That opened some distance. His nose was bleeding. He wiped it with his white sleeve. An unnaturally vivid red pigment stained his uniform. It did not matter.
He exhaled forcefully, focusing all his attention on the sword in his right hand. Make contact.
He had to make contact. Grow stronger. He had to grow stronger.
"You're embarrassing. How long've you been holding a sword? I could cut light after just three months, but you can't cut anything?"
"Here and now, I'll take you-"
"What stupid crap. Can you do it? You can't. You can't keep swinging till you hit. You won't keep swinging till you hit. You can't keep swinging till you can do it. You won't keep swinging till you can do it. You can't do it, but you're just shouting about wanting to."
Instead of arguing, he delivered a powerful sword strike. In response, more than ten times as many blows rained down.
"Not enough, not enough. Not even close. This isn't somewhere you can reach. Different specialty. Different role. Nobody's calling for you."
He had to grow stronger. He had to prove it with his sword.
His name, his place to return to, his family, his lord, his comrades, his friends, even the spirits linked to his soul-he had lost them all.
This was all he had left.
He was all he had left.
Of all the intangible things he had built up throughout his life as himself, this was all that remained.
Because this alone could prove his existence-
"You're disgusting. Is that pretty face just for show? Happy just copying other people? You and your sword are both boring as hell."
Once, his goal had been to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Surely he could set his sights on that place.
He had once thought that. Soon afterward, he had let go of that lofty wish.
The red-haired boy bore a great mission-when he saw the look in his eyes and realized that, he had given up.
"Nobody's watching you. Nobody expects anything from you, either. I'm only humoring you for fun. Even punching and kicking you isn't enjoyable."
He had once admired them.
The stories of the past were so dazzling. For someone like him now, wanting to stand among them was nothing but a fool's dream.
That was why he struggled with everything he had, hoping one day to reach the dream he had already abandoned back then.
"-"
The exposed blue eye and the long, freely grown fiery hair overlapped with the boy who had once prompted him to abandon his dream, and with one of the many aspirations he had embraced afterward.
He hoped to reach that height someday, so he never let up, day after day.
"You're not good enough. Not even close.-You've been slacking off your whole life."
The very ideal he longed to reach treated him like dirt and struck him with a wooden stick.
He could not even make the man draw his sword, and his own sword could not reach him. His daily efforts were scorned as meaningless, his accumulated blood and sweat belittled. As his life abruptly crumbled, even the one thing he could trust was trampled and ravaged.
Something welled up.
Something welled up and canceled all of that out.
"Kaha! Can't hold it in? You're getting more boring by the second."
A blow struck his body, leaving him unable to breathe. His hair was seized, and he was swung from side to side.
Then he was slammed into the ground. As he rolled, a kick sent his face flying, and his whole body spun and slid like a disc across the floor of the endless white world.
He struck the ground, bounced up, and looked toward the direction the kick had come from, only to take the charging man's knee square in the face.
At the instant of the violent impact, he deliberately took the knee with his forehead. The skin split, but he managed to knock the man back, creating an opening.
He would regain his stance-or should have, but his body would not move.
"Hah, guh..."
His entire body screamed, especially his badly injured head. His wavering consciousness would not settle, and he felt that if he let his guard slip, the contents of his skull would spill out the next second.
His sword, where was his sword?
To check, he slowly tightened his right hand.
He could unmistakably feel the hilt. Relief came at once. He had not let go. He could not let go of this alone.
If he let even this go, he would surely let everything go.
-Or perhaps what he held now was something else in the shape of a "sword."
"-"
There was nothing wrong with the way he lived. Believing this was his path, he had followed it all this way. He still believed so now.
Never before had he imagined that conviction would waver within his lifetime.
Therefore, the fact that these things had slipped through his hands and vanished should have had nothing to do with right or wrong.
-Or was that thinking mistaken? Had he damaged the way he lived, chosen the wrong path, and misjudged what he believed in, bringing this upon himself?
His name, his place to return to, his family, his liege, his comrades, his friends, even the spirits bound to his soul-he had lost them all.
Even the sole thing that should have remained was something he was unworthy to take, unworthy to cling to, something that could not even support him.
-He had sworn to his liege that he would become a powerful pillar of support for her.
-His only remaining friend had said he still remembered how strong he was.
In a world where he had lost everything, this "strength" alone supported him.
This "strength" alone should have been the "certainty" that kept his frail, insignificant self from disappearing.
"-Your doubts are showing in your sword."
"-"
How long had he spent questioning himself? Probably less than a single second.
But even a momentary opening was, to this man-to the "Sword Saint"-the same as an opportunity to slaughter his enemy without limit.
A clang rang out. His eyes widened as he saw the sword leave his hand and fall to the floor. Slipping from that hand, even his sword was finally lost.
Without his name or pride, even his sword had left him.
Then what was standing here now?
"You don't deserve to reach the heavenly sword.-You're not even good enough to be a lackey."
The parched voice delivered that cold verdict as the "Sword Saint" lowered his stance, wooden stick in hand.
For the first time, the "Sword Saint" took a stance. Then the stick hummed, and a sword strike-without question, this was a sword strike.
The peerless sword strike sent him flying, ravaged by its shock wave. It was utterly different from the punches, kicks, and other violence before it.
This was not violence. It was a sword strike delivered by true "strength," the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the highest peak of sword technique.
Light swallowed him, and his consciousness began to leave him. Had he seen death? Or something beyond death? He could not even tell.
He knew only that, the instant he flew away, he heard a faint voice.
"Julius-!!"
The cry carried a tragic desperation. Its owner seemed to have desperately climbed the lengthy staircase and arrived just in time to witness the decisive moment. For some reason, that cry instead made him smile.
The "Finest" Knight.
The Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica. The eldest son and next head of House Juukulius.
Chief knight to the royal selection candidate Anastasia Hoshin.
-Julius Juukulius.
"Hah."
Did he, as he was now, deserve to be called by that name?
With that question, his consciousness was finally swallowed by the light and cut off.
-By the time he raced up the unbearably long staircase and reached the room, it was already too late.
"Julius-!!"
Gasping for breath, he forced his overworked lungs to labor harder and shouted himself hoarse.
But his voice and words held no power whatsoever to change the situation.
-White light painted over the white space with an even more intense white.
He did not understand how it worked.
Was it the sword strike the man had boasted could cut even light? Or had the humanity of that swordsman who defied common sense done something? Whatever the case, the slash swept through the entire space with a shock wave.
The figure in the strike's path was swallowed by the light as well and helplessly sent flying.
Then the light vanished in a blink. In the space washed clean by white light, only a red-haired man with one shoulder bared remained-and a purple-haired swordsman lying on the floor like a corpse.
"Yo, if it isn't Groper."
The red-haired man greeted Subaru with unwarranted familiarity as he stood stunned by the sight before him.
His expression suggested he had already forgotten their earlier encounter. Neither flushed nor out of breath, he grinned like a shark. Then he pointed at the fallen swordsman-Julius.
"You're late. I already took care of him. He's annoying, so hurry up and take him back."
"...Reid Astrea."
"What? Went digging up my name? I figured not giving it would look cooler. Quit getting in the way of me looking cool."
The "Master Swordsman"-Reid-was displeased at being called by his full name.
His tone annoyed Subaru too, but Subaru made no obvious move. Keeping his eyes on Reid, he slowly approached the fallen Julius.
"I didn't eat him. No need to glare at me like that."
"Sorry, where I come from, everyone knows you don't look away when you run into a bear."
Still keeping watch over Reid, Subaru bent down to check Julius's breathing.
Though unconscious, he breathed against the palm Subaru held near his mouth.
"...Didn't you say you wouldn't hold back next time? Pretty merciful of you."
"Not at all. Losing to chopsticks and running away is lamer than getting killed by them, right? That's how I see it. Better to die than embarrass yourself. That's why I beat him with chopsticks and let him run home."
"I take back the merciful part, you bastard."
"Kaha! Nothing Groper says can hurt me. And no more challenges today. Come back again and I'll crush you. Just like that guy at your feet."
Scratching his stomach with his right hand, Reid pointed the chopsticks in his left at Subaru and Julius in turn.
"You son of a bitch...!"
"Hey, hey, just do as you're told. Shut up and carry him back. Talk tough all you like. If it makes you feel better, keep flapping your gums. Boring as hell, though."
Sitting down with a thump, Reid spoke with cold eyes. Exposed to the victor's delight, Subaru hoisted the fallen Julius onto his back.
"-Bring a good woman next time. That gorgeous babe'll do too."
To the very end, he called no one by name, merely waving them away. Faced with that foul attitude, Subaru could only retreat with Julius without a word.
"...Hah, hah..."
He made sure of his footing with every step, every stair, before moving down. Carrying the limp Julius on his back, he descended the unbearably long staircase one step at a time, panting.
"Have to hurry and get him back... Otherwise Emilia and Beako will worry."
After discovering Julius was missing from the "green room," the group had split up to search for him. Some headed to the third floor, others hurried to the rooms on the fourth, and Shaula was responsible for going downstairs to check on Joseph and the dragon carriage. Everyone was worried about Julius. Having lost to Reid and left his broken knight's sword behind, he could hardly be feeling good right now. There was no question that all the women were the sort to worry themselves sick. But Subaru alone was different. He had understood immediately. Where Julius would go after leaving his knight's sword behind, and for what purpose. Surely only Subaru knew that-
"-Quite a bumpy ride."
"-! You're awake!"
Hearing the voice behind him, Subaru stopped descending. Julius shifted on his back and answered his call.
"Yes. Where... are we?"
"Vaguely speaking, on the stairs. Specifically, on some unbearably long stairs. More specifically, on the stairs we're taking to escape from the second floor to the fourth."
"What a roundabout explanation... Are you carrying me back?"
"Yeah. Just so we're clear, this is the second time in a very short span. My wish not to carry you a second time got betrayed after thirty minutes. Got it?"
"No wonder... this is such an uncomfortable ride."
"Do you want me to throw you off?"
A faint, breathlike laugh reached him from behind. As he retorted to the sarcasm, Subaru's tension eased a little too. Honestly, he had been unable to predict what Julius's first words would be. It was no exaggeration to say he had been afraid to hear them. Thus, hearing something other than despair in those first words truly relieved him.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"...Utterly disgraceful. My enemy defeated me with ease and even pitied me, and in the end, I caused trouble for Lady Anastasia and you again."
"...Anyone who blames the loser against an opponent like that is a demon."
The answer was thoroughly characteristic of Julius. Subaru sighed and started down the stairs again.
Now that Julius was conscious, carrying him was easier than before. Thanks to no longer having to worry about unsteady footing, he descended the remaining stairs almost in one go.
"...Is Lady Anastasia all right? I saw her fall, and I saw her being treated in the spirits' room."
"The last diagnosis said her life wasn't in danger. Your injuries were way more lethal than hers. Against someone like that... You'd be shocked if you knew who that guy with the eye patch was."
"-Reid Astrea."
The certainty in his words shocked Subaru into forgetting both to breathe and to walk. But he immediately resumed both to brush past his surprise.
"Y-you knew? We only found out because Shaula told us. She met him four hundred years ago, so it makes sense she knew... She's really scared of him, though. That's why she fainted just from seeing his face."
"It was nothing. There were many clues. Fiery red hair, blue eyes. That exceptional swordsmanship... Can I even call it swordsmanship? I could not even make him draw his sword. For now, let me simply call him 'powerful.' 'Master Swordsman' is also an epithet of his found in the literature."
"Wait, has he been called 'Master Swordsman' all this time because he fights with chopsticks?"
"To be precise, it refers to his deliberately choosing not to use his preferred weapon. When he called himself 'Master Swordsman,' the thought occurred to me... but I could not be certain. I am truly sorry I did not tell you immediately."
Subaru could find no answer to Julius's apology. Though Julius said there had been many clues to deduce it from, Subaru thought it was extraordinarily difficult.
Reid Astrea-the man known as the first "Sword Saint"-had died four hundred years ago. Even if his features matched, people would not ordinarily connect the man before them to a famous figure from fairy tales or legends.
Subaru should have been the one to notice the possibility. He was the one with the imagination to make that connection.
After all, he had discussed with Emilia how the "tests" in this watchtower closely resembled the "trials" in Echidna's tomb.
In that case, Subaru should have done everything he could to imagine what "tests" would take place in the tower.
The result of neglecting that was their defeat in "Electra" on the second floor.
"Heh. Whatever the mechanism, to encounter a legendary swordsman from the past... Normally, I should have rejoiced at such a miraculous meeting..."
"I know how you feel. A legendary hero turns out to be a disheartening bastard. Same goes for our assessment of the 'Sage' Shaula. This watchtower has way too many surprises."
"...You know how I feel, do you?"
His voice was hoarse and self-mocking. Hearing Julius's murmur at such close range, Subaru regretted his words. Still, he deliberately avoided addressing it.
"Look, the person on the gold coin is definitely the first 'Sword Saint,' but he looks pretty different from the real thing. With Shaula, even the gender's different, though that couldn't be helped since they got the wrong person. But the personality's a huge departure too. The guy on the coin looks more like an older man..."
"Historically, Reid established the achievements that placed him among the Three Great Heroes when he was older. The portrait on the gold coin is probably accurate. The man upstairs appears younger than his historical self."
"Now that you mention it, Reid didn't seem to recognize Shaula..."
He had meant to change the subject, only to stumble upon an unexpected question.
If Julius's words were correct, the difference between the reactions of the old acquaintances Shaula and Reid was far too extreme. Though, to begin with, how much could either of their personalities be relied upon as evidence?
"If that's true, he fought the Witch after his prime. And we have to get past him while he's young and in his prime."
"It makes our prospects seem bleak, or rather, impossible."
"It'll definitely be tough. But if we come up with a strategy, there has to be an opening. At this point..."
As he searched for clues to defeating Reid, Subaru hesitated over what to say next. Should he really tell Julius now? He hit the brakes internally. But he was already a step too late.
"At this point... what?"
"No, well..."
"Subaru."
Any claim that he had found an opening by observing Reid would be seen through immediately. So, when Julius called his name, Subaru abandoned that explanation at once.
"...After you and Miss Anastasia went down, Emilia passed the 'test.'"
"-"
"But don't get the wrong idea. There's no way to beat that guy in a straight contest of ability. All sorts of coincidences helped... Basically, Emilia was a special case."
Given the outcome, it was difficult to call it a simple victory. As a "test," Emilia had possessed the resolve and ability to gain the examiner Reid's approval, but the actual circumstances were difficult to explain to anyone who had not witnessed them.
Even if they wanted to win the same way, no one but Emilia could do it.
"Anyway, a bunch of complicated factors came together, and Emilia passed the 'test.' But that guy said only the person who cleared it could go through, so if we all want to reach the next floor, everyone has to win... It's seriously nasty."
"-"
"So we need to come up with tactics. I have to go in with Beatrice, so unless I get him to agree to us fighting together first, there's no point even trying. Meili never had a reason to challenge the 'test' in the first place. We'll have to make that clear to him... Just thinking about it is exhausting."
"-"
"So, well, it's not like you have no chance if you challenge him again. It's just, how do I put this? Don't do it like this again. Next time, follow my plan..."
"-"
"...Hey, are you listening? Julius? Hey?"
Getting no response throughout his rapid explanation, Subaru grew suspicious and called to the man behind him. Only after several calls did Julius draw a faint, sharp breath.
"-Ah, yes, I am fine. I was listening... I see. Lady Emilia passed."
"The way she passed was pretty questionable... anyway, she passed. So we know clearing it isn't impossible. Don't lose hope. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
"Push myself?... If Lady Emilia could overcome the 'trial,' then he... the 'Sword Saint,' Reid, is by no means an insurmountable obstacle. Knowing that alone is an enormous gain."
"Oh, uh-huh, exactly. That's right... as long as you understand."
Unexpectedly, Julius readily accepted that Emilia had passed the "trial." Subaru, who had dreaded his reaction and explained it with trepidation, felt his fears had been unfounded.
-No, this was for the best.
Someone else had overcome the obstacle he had stumbled over. Worrying that this would torment Julius had been utterly pointless.
Or perhaps Subaru had expected a negative reaction a little too much. Or was he wrong to measure the knight Julius Juukulius by his own standards?
As Subaru reflected on this, Julius let out a long breath.
Then Julius spoke lightly.
"Now, could you put me down soon? Being carried on your back all this time is making me dizzy. You don't have an earth dragon's 'Divine Protection of Wind Evasion,' after all."
"Put up with the shaking and the wind and be grateful I'm carrying you. Sure, it's tiring, but I don't want to be a heartless jerk who makes an injured man walk on his own. Emilia-tan would scold me."
Shaking his head to reject Julius's suggestion, Subaru shifted and readjusted him on his back. The "Sword Saint," Reid, had beaten Julius twice in one day.
He had fought again without receiving sufficient treatment after his first defeat, so his body had to be nearing its limit.
That remained true no matter how thoroughly Julius's spirit had withstood Reid's attacks.
And so Subaru steeled himself to carry Julius down the remaining half of the staircase, roughly two hundred steps. But-
"-No, I cannot put you through that much trouble. If I were unconscious, that would be another matter, but fortunately, I am awake. It's only going downstairs. I can manage on my own."
"Don't get stubborn over something stupid. Even if you want to insist, it's a little late now. If you're embarrassed about people seeing you being carried, everyone already saw it the first time... except Shaula and Miss Anastasia, who were unconscious."
"Then that is reason enough. They... Lady Anastasia in particular must not see me like this. Put me down."
"Quit putting on airs. In the first place..."
"-I said, put me down!"
-The outburst came suddenly.
"Whoa!?"
After the hoarse shout struck his eardrums, Subaru's shoulder slammed into the stairwell wall. Julius had forcibly twisted his body on his back.
Fortunately, he had lurched toward the wall; otherwise, one wrong move could easily have sent them tumbling down the stairs. But just protecting himself was barely manageable-
"-Ngh."
"You... you bastard! What the hell are you thinking?!"
Turning around against the wall, he saw Julius lying several steps below. Having fallen off Subaru's back, he had slid down several stairs.
"Don't make me nag you! Stay right there, damn it. I'm coming..."
"Don't come over!"
"-"
"...I can stand up on my own. I have no need... of another's hand."
The feet that had been about to rush over stopped despite themselves. Julius braced one hand on the floor and held out the other to stop Subaru from approaching. He let out a breath and laboriously raised himself, his face rigid.
Then he leaned back against the wall, slowly scraping his way up, straightened his knees, and stood with his body pressed against it.
"I told you, didn't I? I can at least stand up... on my own."
His voice sounded reckless with despair, and Subaru could not speak for a while.
Julius turned, leaning his right side against the wall, and began slowly descending at a crawling infant's pace. One step, then another, making sure of his footing before moving down-
"It seems... this will take some time, but you needn't trouble yourself. Besides, I am more concerned about the ladies downstairs. I don't imagine you are the only one looking for me."
One step, then another, and another.
"If possible, could you explain things to them first? Though I say that, I should do the explaining myself. Just tell them you've found me and put their minds at ease."
Slowly, slowly, just one step at a time.
"...I admit it will be a difficult explanation, but it is an unavoidable path. If you could smooth that difficult path a little beforehand, you would be doing me a great favor. Though you may feel you have already done me many."
Without looking at Subaru, Julius continued speaking, intent on making his way down the stairs alone.
His steps were slow, but he was steadily opening a gap between himself and the motionless Subaru.
Walking down would close that gap immediately. To fulfill his wish, Subaru would have to pass him.
-And so Subaru moved his feet.
"I just have to go tell Emilia and the others first, right?"
"...Yes, precisely. If Lady Anastasia has woken up... no, let us leave that for now. In any case, I'm counting on you."
Walking briskly down the stairs, Subaru easily caught up with Julius. The sound of his footsteps drew a relieved breath from Julius, who urged Subaru to go ahead.
-No, not "go ahead." He was urging Subaru to "hurry up and leave."
Subaru could understand a little of what Julius felt when he said that. His reason for understanding differed from Emilia's and the others'.
It was the same reason Subaru had immediately realized Julius had gone back to challenge Reid-surely, it came from the same source as what Subaru had unwittingly come to carry, and something similar to it.
That was why, at that moment, Subaru-
"-Ahh, damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! You bastard! We're both complete idiots!"
After irritably spewing curses, Subaru kicked off the stairs and approached Julius.
Not to pass him, but to grab the left arm of the man leaning against the wall on unsteady feet, sling it roughly over his own shoulders, and support his body.
"Wha... Subaru, what are you doing...?"
"Shut up! What do you mean, you can stand on your own?! You look ready to collapse! Like hell I could leave someone like that behind and run off! Are you trying to make me hate myself before Emilia-tan even gets to scold me?!"
"But I..."
"If I didn't have to help, I absolutely wouldn't. My hands are already full as it is. If you really don't want this, stop walking so pathetically that I can't bear to watch!"
Subaru's spittle-flying tirade silenced Julius. Seizing the moment when Julius lacked the strength to shake him off and was hesitating over whether to resist, Subaru forcibly supported half his body with his shoulder and began walking.
"I can't say something as presumptuous as 'I know what you're thinking.'"
"-"
"But right now, you don't have to walk down this ridiculously long staircase alone. At least let me support you. And I don't think this counts as doing you a favor."
All that talk of owing favors and repaying them was utterly stupid. If he could say such a thing, just how much did Subaru owe Julius?
Their first debt must have begun at the royal castle's training grounds.
-Subaru knew why Julius had challenged Reid despite knowing he could not win.
Because he was the same as Subaru back then. Back then, Subaru had challenged Julius despite knowing he could not win.
No matter how many times he was beaten down, he failed to learn his lesson, got up, and challenged him again.
Because there was no other way to release the fierce feelings surging in his heart.
And there, where everything had ended, where his argument with Emilia had led to their parting, being "all alone" had hurt so much he wanted to cry.
-So how could he leave Julius all alone on these stairs?
His lower belly burned. Just like back then. What differed was that he did not know where to direct those fierce feelings.
"-Subaru."
"What?"
"...I'm sorry."
"Shut up."
Subaru answered, hoping it did not sound as though he was taking his anger out on him.
Together, the two slowly descended the stairs and returned to the fourth floor.
-It was more than ten minutes later that Emilia found them and felt an enormous sense of relief.]
The images in the Sky Curtain continued, but the atmosphere in the hall had grown heavier than before.
That crimson figure stood in the center of the white room. The sequence of Julius's sword being caught between chopsticks, broken, and dropped seemed to have been slowed several times over-every frame registered clearly in everyone's eyes.
But more painful to look at than the broken sword was Julius's expression after it broke.
Was it anger, or frustration? Or was it something deeper, an expression as though something that had supported him for a very long time was crumbling before his eyes?
Vincent had watched that footage all along. When Julius rushed up the stairs a second time to face Reid alone, his gaze shifted slightly.
"Julius Juukulius-a knight of Lugunica, deprived of a place to return to, deprived of the liege to whom he pledged his loyalty, deprived of his contracted spirits, and deprived of the sword that represented him. All he had left was himself. And after losing everything, he still chose to climb those stairs again, alone. That persistence-even if it was destined to bring him further suffering-may have been all he had left to affirm who he was. Even I must admire his chivalry."
Otto said nothing. He was watching Julius rush up the stairs a second time in the Sky Curtain. That figure seemed completely unlike the elegant knight he had met in the Water Gate City, yet before he realized it, it reminded him of someone else.
That person was Subaru-during the "trials" in the Sanctuary, Subaru had similarly chosen to keep charging forward even when he seemingly had nothing left. Fortunately, with Otto's own help as a friend, and Subaru's truly tremendous efforts, they had finally made it through.
I hope Mr. Julius can find himself again soon with Subaru's help, too!
Otto then thought this with eager hope.
Garfiel watched Julius being knocked down by Reid, his clenched fists loosening and tightening again. His silence lasted far longer than he had expected.
The instant Julius was sent flying by Reid's knee, slid across the ground, and gritted his teeth to stand again, Garfiel keenly shared that feeling of "I'm not strong enough, so I'm not worthy."
"...That guy Julius knew damn well he couldn't win. He'd already lost once. He'd seen real clear how strong that redheaded bastard was. But he still charged in. Not because he thought he could win, but because if he didn't-he'd lose the last thing he could still call his own."
"I've done the same thing before. Not 'cause he was so amazing, but 'cause there wasn't any way to prove he was still alive except to keep charging forward. I know that feeling."
"Good thing I met the captain in the Sanctuary!"
Thinking of the blow Subaru had dealt him with Invisible Providence back in the Sanctuary, Garfiel actually felt particularly at ease.
Natsuki Subaru had saved him back then. Now, he believed the captain he had chosen would surely save this lost yet persevering knight as well.
Petra stood near the rear edge of the hall, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the image in the Sky Curtain of Reid striking Julius and his body spinning through the air.
Her breathing grew shallow, as though she were watching footage she knew she could not change, yet still hoped would end differently. Her hands tightly gripped her skirt, and her voice was so soft it seemed she feared disturbing something.
"Mr. Julius... after losing so much, he still stood there. He could have stopped for a little while first, but he didn't. He still went back up those stairs and stood before that man."
Her voice trembled slightly, but when she saw the two supporting each other, the unease in her heart instantly vanished.
"That stubbornness really is admirable... at some point, I started thinking it was precious, too-Lord Subaru has that same wonderful quality, after all!"
Watching Julius being knocked away by Reid and getting back up, then being knocked away and getting back up again in the Sky Curtain, Emilia felt a distress she tried, but failed, to suppress completely.
She knew that feeling of facing things alone, of "standing up there even when you know you'll lose," because Subaru was always like that.
She had stood nearby watching Subaru fall and rise again over and over, wanting to help but unable to find the right way, with no choice but to keep watching him.
She had seen the look in Julius's eyes at that moment before. She had seen it in Subaru's eyes.
"What was Mr. Julius thinking then? He knew he couldn't win. He knew he'd be knocked down again. But he still went back up those stairs..."
"But I'm so glad Julius and Subaru actually get along this well. Subaru originally told me he didn't get along with Mr. Julius because of a duel and some other things. It seems there was nothing to worry about at all. Mr. Julius admires Subaru quite a bit, too... Subaru really is wonderful!"
?! G-gay?!
For some reason, words like these suddenly popped into Al's mind. Although the sight of one companion supporting another was certainly heartwarming, for some reason Al felt something awkward and strange about it. He supposed he was overthinking things.
The two in the Sky Curtain were both knights of outstanding character, so in any case, with such formidable rivals around, he needed to work even harder in Lady Priscilla's service.
Priscilla's folding fan had not moved for a long time. As she watched Subaru and Julius descend together in the Sky Curtain, that long staircase seemed longer than any battle she had ever witnessed.
She spoke softly.
"An overreaching fool he may be, but perseverance is a virtue nonetheless. That fox has certainly found herself a fine helper."
"Still, aside from that exception to the world posing some threat, no one can stop my radiance from shining upon the world!"
Thrusting out her proud, awe-inspiring chest, the beauty with long orange-red hair declared this.
The Sky Curtain continued to shift. Those recorded voices still echoed through the hall, like reverberations that had yet to fade completely.
No one in the hall spoke, but everyone felt the weight of that silence. The man once called the "most perfect knight" was now walking down the stairs supported by someone else. And perhaps this scene was more proof of being alive than any victory.
The Sky Curtain slowly darkened. But within that fading light, the story of Julius Juukulius had already remained in everyone's hearts.