Sin Archbishop

What kind of bizarre question was that... What did she mean, "Who is Rem"?!

"What are you talking about? This isn't the time for jokes, is it?! Rem's in real danger right now!"

Ram was still frowning, her face full of confusion. On that face identical to Rem's was an utterly genuine look of bewilderment. She showed no intention of going back to rescue her.

That was impossible. Ram had clearly been calling Rem's name while she was unconscious, so what was going on now?!

"Rem is your sister! Your twin sister, who grew up with you! Aren't you each other's closest family?! When she stayed behind to hold off the White Whale, she asked me to take care of you!"

"Human, did you get scared witless by what just happened? Since when has Ram had a sister?"

"Huh?!"

Subaru's pupils contracted sharply. She didn't remember? What was going on? Subaru was one hundred percent certain there was nothing wrong with his memory. Every moment he had spent with Rem was perfectly clear.

But Ram's response to the name "Rem" was exactly how she would respond to a stranger who had never existed.

"...No. I have to go back and save her. Antares is protecting her! She'll be fine."

Subaru turned to face the forest, where thick fog roiled. Just as he was about to take a step, a powerful force suddenly yanked him by the back of his collar, pulling him into a backward stumble.

A pair of angry hands seized his collar and dragged him face-to-face with those pink eyes.

"Ram knows humans are weak, but Ram didn't know they were this weak in the head too! In the end, that stinking old man and the others risked their lives to get Ram and you out of there. Don't be so naive!"

"But Rem! And Anta!"

"Then who is Rem?! And who is Anta?! Ram won't let you throw your life away!"

"...Grr?"

A puzzled growl interrupted their argument. The Ground Dragon raised its head. Through its keen perception of the wind, it sensed the airflow suddenly falling into a turbulence it could not understand.

Then its pupils dilated sharply.

"Bang!!!"

The Ground Dragon slammed into Subaru and Ram with all its strength as they argued. Caught completely off guard, the two were sent flying. Subaru's body tumbled several times through the air before he hit the ground hard.

He raised his head, utterly bewildered, just in time to see it happen.

"Rumble--!!!"

An invisible current of air, so immense that words could not describe it, swept through the spot where they had just been standing. The air itself became blades, and dirt and broken stones were swept dozens of meters into the sky.

The Ground Dragon turned into a bloody mist in the current. Not even a single intact bone remained.

"...I didn't even get to give you a name."

A broken sob escaped Subaru. But this time, he was not even allowed a moment to grieve.

"Who's there?!"

A flash of grief crossed Ram's eyes, but she did not let herself be consumed by it.

She quickly stood and moved in front of Subaru, spreading her hands before her as a barrier of wind spread out around her. She stared fixedly in the direction the current had come from.

A figure slowly emerged from the dust and bloody mist that had yet to settle. A man in a long white robe, with a face so ordinary he would disappear in a crowd, approached at an unhurried pace.

"Honestly..."

A rambling voice rang out.

"Since the tasks had already been assigned, then by the rules of the normal world, all they had to do was keep that area sealed off and let me complete this pointless chore in peace. Isn't that the bare minimum even a child could understand? But what did they do? They let two brats and an animal escape. Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused me? Do you think your desire to survive can take precedence over the absolute peace and quiet I am entitled to as an individual who pursues order?"

"I have shown tremendous courtesy and patience all along, trying to understand your chaotic circumstances, yet you escaped alive and even appeared in my field of vision. Don't you realize? This isn't merely your own business. You've forced your panic and disorderly impulse to survive directly upon me. This is clearly a violation of my personal integrity and all my rights. Don't you understand? Since you were destined to be targets for elimination, you should have stayed quietly where you belonged instead of running around for the sake of a pointless desire to survive."

He stopped a little more than ten paces away from them and looked at Ram and Subaru with a confused, impatient gaze.

"Have you finally learned to be quiet? After all, in the normal world, quiet is the most basic unspoken understanding. Ordinary people know that, don't they?"

"Who... are you?" After staring blankly, Subaru finally managed to force out the words.

The man in white gave a calm yet eerie smile, his bearing graceful and affected.

"Witch Cult Sin Archbishop, representing Greed. Regulus Corneas."