First and foremost, the feeling that interrupted Subaru’s consciousness was discomfort.

“Ugh! Ugh! Ubege!”

That feeling of something foreign in his mouth was like chewing gravel, and the earthy smell danced upon his tongue mixed with bitterness, causing Subaru to cough it out as he opened his eyes.

His view was engulfed in darkness, a chilling sensation engulfing his entire body. As his awareness shifted towards the hard surface below him and the direction of gravity, he became aware of the fact that he was lying on his side. Slowly sweeping his gaze around, he began to understand that he was within the ancient ruins he had seen several times before.

“Inside the graveyard, huh…?”

Muttering this to confirm, he spit out the gravel from his mouth, the taste still fresh in his memory.

He recalled several times that, upon awakening, he had found this gravel in his mouth. In other words, it was now—

“Is this right after the first ‘Trial’…?! Back here again… no, more importantly…!”

If this was truly a return from the ‘Trial’, meaning a severance from the past, then it couldn’t be just Subaru lying here—

“—Emilia!”

Immediately, he spotted a silver-haired girl collapsed next to him in the darkness.

He walked over and noticed the expression of agony on her face as she lay on her side, causing him to hesitate for just a moment before reaching out to her.

Having accompanied Emilia during the ‘Trial’ several times now, Subaru understood this well. If anyone touches her while she is in this sleeping state, regardless of the condition of the ‘Trial’, she would be interrupted and brought back.

Because of that, the risk of failing due to a third party’s interference right before overcoming the ‘Trial’ was not negligible. Touching Emilia within the graveyard required extreme caution. But,

“I know I shouldn’t do this…”

Shaking his head to kill the hesitation, Subaru gently lifted Emilia’s body while etching her sleeping face into his memory, wrapping her in his arms. Just then, the tortured expression on Emilia’s face began to fade rapidly as she was led towards consciousness—

“S-Subaru…?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s me, Emilia-tan. Are you okay?”

Awakening, Emilia called out sleepily, her consciousness lagging. Subaru smiled reassuringly in response while he waited for her to grasp the situation.

He waited for her to recall the position she was in, accept the outcome of the ‘Trial’, and finally start to sob like a child.

He knew she would break down in tears, aware of his own weakness at being unable to do anything about it.

Yet, witnessing her noble demeanor as she bravely stood up despite everything.

Gently holding her, assuring that she wouldn’t break, Subaru kept his firm embrace around Emilia until she calmed down.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

It was after he had carried the sobbing Emilia to Ryuzu’s house and confirmed that Ram had laid her down that Subaru could calmly begin to sort through the situation.

While those around him—Ram and Otto—were eager to hear the details, he had made sure to tell them, “First, let’s wait for Emilia to wake up,” and requested some time alone.

Leaving their curious gazes behind, Subaru stood outside Ryuzu’s house, gazing at the night sky, the wind brushing against him as a complicated thought process weaved through his mind.

“By the way… here we go again.”

He touched the left side of his abdomen, checking for what should have been an non-existent wound.

A deep gash that would spill guts if he were to see it. It was not an experience one would often get in life, but Subaru’s experience in this regard had long surpassed that of most people around the world.

“Whether that’s a good thing or not is a different story. I don’t have that twisted sensibility to feel hungry or ecstatic seeing my innards… or think that it’s cool.”

He was interrupted by a mental echo.

“—Did I not tell you? We made a promise, didn’t we?”

It was a voice, silky and feminine. It resonated with a sinful luster that could only be described as extraordinarily seductive, reaching an apex as it watched over lost lives.

And Subaru was far too familiar with that voice, that promise, and that abnormality.

To put it bluntly, this was not the first time he had been ripped open like this.

“So the ‘Intestine Hunter’ makes an appearance again, huh… give me a break…”

He placed a hand on his forehead, gazing up at the sky with a sigh.

Floating behind his eyelids was the image of a black-haired beauty with long hair. A ruthless killer brandishing a wicked blade, who had twice taken Subaru’s life.

The threat that had cornered Subaru during the first loop before being chased off by Reinhardt—Elsa Granheilt.

“I couldn’t see her, but it was definitely Elsa. I really don’t want to think that there’s anyone like her out there. Let it be Elsa.”

While it had already been over two months since he last felt the passing of time, it had only been a little over a month since that encounter with her. Even if her wounds from then weren’t shallow, the repercussions hadn’t hindered his murder.

Was the difficulty too low? Or had she healed already?

“It’s safer to assume she has no injuries. Thinking about recovery magic, aside from dying, it seems like everything else could be handled in this world. Hell, I’ve died so many times already… No, I actually have died.”

There were far too many cases where he was on the verge of death to clearly grasp his standing.

Nevertheless, it was concluded in Subaru’s mind that the threat looming over the mansion was indeed Elsa. Once that was settled, questions about why Elsa was at the mansion and what happened with Frederica and the others arose.

When Subaru had arrived at the mansion, the night was still suffused with remnants of life. The lamps in Petra’s room and the lights in the entrance hall spoke of that. While the office was excluded as it was utilized as an escape route, the lights from those two locations suggested—

“At least, nothing had happened up until that night… right?”

He considered whether he was jumping to conclusions.

Perhaps the lamps in Petra’s room, the entrance hall, and the office were left on all day, and Subaru was mistakenly thinking everything was alright up until that night. However, an element denying this assumption stood out: the duration of the lighting.

“Unlike Ragumite ore, crystal lamps need to be charged with the mana in the air during the day. If left on, they won’t last even half a day, something I’d know from experience.”

During a lesson on acquiring written language at the mansion, there had been a time when he had forgotten to extinguish a crystal lamp and it went out suddenly at night. The memory of Subaru panicking, wondering if it was a “horror phenomenon,” being smacked down by Ram, and gently soothed by Rem while Emilia cowered in the corner trembling brought a smile to his face. But now was not the time to reminisce—he needed to extract only the important parts.

“If they were on all day, then having lights still on at night is strange. The mansion must have been empty before that night. In that case, the time limit is… the night of the sixth day. Since we’re now on the night of the second day, that leaves me four days. No, three and a half days.”

That gave Subaru approximately eighty-four hours as his time limit.

Along with that limited time, the role placed upon Subaru this time was—

“Defending the mansion that was attacked by that ‘Intestine Hunter,’ or securing the safety of those in the mansion.”

He had no assurance whether Frederica and the others managed to escape safely from that serpentine, spider-like killer. He had no clue where that escape route led, but if they had fled the mansion, they would likely head towards the ‘Sanctuary’ to reunite with their lord, Roswaal.

Yet, he and Frederica hadn’t crossed paths on the road leading to the ‘Sanctuary.’

“If that escape route were an absurdly long tunnel that led who-knows-where, or…”

He didn’t want to consider the latter possibility—the case where they were unable to escape.

Considering the disparity of their fighting capabilities, Subaru furrowed his brows at the former thought.

However, the reality was that Subaru’s experience with Elsa had shown her capabilities far exceeded expectations. Even after encountering numerous strong individuals in this world and witnessing no small number of their experiences, he still thought that way.

If one were to measure that murderous line purely in terms of raw fighting capability—

“Above Julius, but below Wilhelm… or something like that. There’s no way I can measure up no matter how much I try.”

Subaru’s fundamental abilities were already low, and the comparison was akin to a cat and a tiger—the gap between them vast. The possibility of winning in a one-on-one was almost nonexistent.

Even during the previous conflict, it was heavily reliant on sheer randomness.

“This time, it would be great if Reinhardt happened to pass by, but even if he’s a handsome character with protagonist powers, it’s just wishful thinking for him to show up right now.”

If this were a story, such a development would be breezing through logic excessively enough for Subaru to toss his hands up in frustration. However, facing reality, he would welcome all absurd conveniences that might help him.

As he tried to escape with those thoughts, a sigh slipped from his lips.

“The reason Elsa came to the mansion… is probably still an obstruction to the Royal Selection. In the end, who hired her to interfere with Emilia?”

There was the incident at the royal city where Felt stole Emilia’s crest. The instigator was Elsa, and behind her was a shadowy figure who had hired her. Given the circumstances surrounding the attempt to steal Emilia’s crest, Subaru had assumed it was from another camp.

“After seeing the other candidates… it’s hard to say that now.”

To begin with, considering that an assassin would be involved in hiring someone for a crest theft.

At that point, Crusch could be ruled out as a candidate. Subaru could proudly declare that after witnessing her for himself; she wasn’t the type to engage in such underhanded tactics.

Given the circumstances, Felt could also be safely eliminated. The remaining candidates were Priscilla and Anastasia, but—

“Priscilla… would that arrogant little lady actually partake in such backhanded schemes? Unless I’ve misjudged her, she genuinely believes she’s the center of the universe. I can’t see her actively initiating such measures. That leaves Anastasia, but…”

The merchant woman with purple hair came to mind.

Her soft features hid a glint of keen instincts like a hunter, and she was fully capable of adapting her maneuvers to the situation. Subaru had even benefited from leveraging that nature in their interactions.

She might indeed choose to unseat others rationally. She probably even had a knack for employing outside help with money, a kind of forbidden technique she might engage joyfully in. The only factor that could negate this argument was—

“I can’t believe Julius would overlook that, though. Not that I’m particularly evaluating him, mind you. Just a feeling.”

Though it might be under the shadows of that “Best Knight,” the question remained whether she would risk irreparably damaging her amicable master-servant relationship.

As a result, Anastasia’s involvement became a passive consideration.

“There would be no candidates left among the contenders. However… there’s still ample room for speculation given how Emilia is treated.”

If the royal candidates weren’t clients, it was possible that factions purely intent on excluding Emilia from the Royal Selection existed. Those who despised her half-elf lineage might have opted for blunt measures as means to realize their goals.

This led Subaru to think about how naive he was in this regard. The resentment toward her bloodline was far more entrenched than he had assumed.

“Simply put, it’s essentially impossible to unmask the client’s identity. Unless Elsa lets it slip herself.”

And to compel that would take more than what he currently possessed—a complete deadlock.

In the end, the potential to handle the storm of Elsa’s arrival rested on—

“How weak our side is. I’m totally useless. It’d be a waste to even count Otto out. With Pack around, Emilia could put up a good fight, while Ram faces stamina concerns in a drawn-out battle. Roswaal is injured, leaving him as a stable deadweight. I have no clue how effective Frederica might be, and the notion of Petra having hidden powers as a cheat character seems far-fetched. So, what to do?”

Subaru considered two possible strategies.

One was to return to the mansion, take Frederica, Petra, Rem, and Beatrice, and escape to the ‘Sanctuary’ to avoid Elsa’s attack.

The other was—

“What the hell are you doing here, lazing about like this?”

Garfiel, who had come out to look down at Subaru reclining against the wall, interrupted. It was rare for someone shorter than him to look down at him, and savoring that novelty, Subaru shook his head.

“I was just trying to organize some thoughts. Where’s Emilia?”

“The princess is still snoozing away, I see. I hope it’s not turning into ‘Morolok’s nap lasts a whole day.'”

“I don’t really get it, but Morolok is way too much of a sleeper.”

As he remarked on the customary idiom that never landed, Subaru straightened up and faced Garfiel.

Garfiel stood about a half-head shorter than Subaru, with short blond hair, fierce eyes, a white scar on his forehead, sharp canines, and an overwhelming presence—the trust that only strong individuals possess.

One of the two strategies he’d noted to deal with Elsa was this young man.

If he conquered the ‘Trial’ and liberated the ‘Sanctuary,’ he could take Garfiel out of here. If his abilities spoke the truth, he would be a valuable asset against Elsa. Considering that escaping was merely a diversion, repelling or subjugating her was a preferable outcome.

“Hey, Garfiel.”

“Huh? What do you want?”

“You’re the strongest, right? You’ve got the confidence to beat anyone, right?”

“Huh? Of course, I can crush, smack down, and annihilate anyone who stands in my way and claim victory.”

Though Garfiel responded a bit grumpily to Subaru’s question, his confidence remained unwavering. Feeling strengthened by his response, Subaru nodded.

“Once we’re out of the ‘Sanctuary,’ I think your strength will be needed pretty soon. So when the time comes, I’ll be counting on you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Prove that you’re the strongest. That’ll be the most reassuring thing for me.”

Patting Garfiel’s shoulder, Subaru then stepped back inside Ryuzu’s house. As he opened the door, all three inside—Ram, Ryuzu, and Otto—turned their gazes toward him, but he disregarded their attention and headed toward Emilia’s sleeping quarters.

“Balus, is Emilia still…?”

“Not at all, she should be waking up by now. —Emilia-tan, even if it’s tough to show your face, let’s talk. Everyone is waiting for you.”

He called into the room through the door, and faint breaths met him from the other side.

A slight hesitation. After a few seconds, the door knob turned tentatively, and Emilia appeared, glancing down.

She looked up at Subaru from across the door, trembling lips parting.

“I-I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. Even in the graveyard, and now…”

“The trouble you cause is just what I want, Emilia-tan, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, is anything feeling heavy or painful? If there’s anything odd, I can gently stroke and soothe it for you.”

“Um. I think I might have hurt my back a bit when I fell… it’s a little sore…”

“Got it. Well, let’s focus on that… Ram? Ram? The tip of your staff is poking my liver!?”

While attempting to make a lewd quip, Subaru was poked by Ram, who had quietly approached from behind. Upon being pointed out, she silently pressed the tip in deeper until Subaru jumped back, whining like a puppy.

“Emilia-sama, how are you feeling? Please forget about Balus’ rude remarks and clearly let Ram know how you’re feeling.”

“Wow, you managed to pull off everything in silence until now! Look, I’m actually bleeding slightly. How much force are you using to pierce through this relatively thick fabric?!”

While rubbing his now stimulated waist, Subaru protested, prompting Ram to give a sideways glance as if he were nothing more than a bug, letting out a derisive snort. She then turned back to Emilia.

“So, are you alright? If everything checks out…”

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay. I have to discuss the ‘Trial’ inside too, you know.”

Emilia nodded, hastening her reply before Ram could say more, stepping to the center of the room. Shortly after, Garfiel entered the house, encircling Emilia from the others.

Thus, all eyes fell upon Emilia, who began the awkward explanation of the ‘Trial’ and the results, mirroring the flow from before. The difference this time was—

“So, why was the Natsuki who went inside safe?”

A small hand went up as Otto voiced a representative question.

As that question arose, Subaru decided not to inject his information into the current conversation, seeing it as an opportunity to gauge Emilia’s perception of the ‘Trial.’

“I told you, right? I’m only able to go inside because I’ve got ‘qualifications’. Where I got them from? Probably the graveyard during the day. And then, when I went inside, what happened was… I also took the ‘Trial,’ just like Emilia-tan. Seems I passed, though.”

As Subaru’s words rippled through the room, an air of astonishment cascaded over everyone inside.

Most notably, Emilia, who had also attempted the ‘Trial’ and failed, looked especially shocked. She stared at Subaru in silence, confusion written all over her purple eyes.

While he nodded gently at her, Subaru hurried to say,

“Just to clarify, it’s not that I’m superior, so I easily passed the ‘Trial.’ Facing my past was a bonus stage for me, given I had made my peace with it.”

“I don’t know what that bonus entails, but if Subaru managed to get through his ‘Trial’… well, that’s surprising.”

“Based on what Emilia-sama just mentioned, wouldn’t it be fair to assume there’s more than one ‘Trial’? The word ‘first’ implies a continuation.”

With Ryuzu’s confirmation and Ram’s acknowledgement, Subaru nodded back, glancing cautiously at Emilia. She maintained her silence, waves of complicated emotions swirling within her purple eyes.

Imagining the turmoil within her, Subaru, nonetheless, shook off any softness.

Considering the established time limit and the difficulty of Emilia’s ‘Trial,’ which was stemming from the ‘past’, his options seemed limited. Thus,

“I heard when I overcame my ‘Trial’ that if two challengers enter the ‘Trial’ simultaneously, they won’t progress to the next trial. You have to come back another day.”

“…Hmm, so?”

“If I enter the graveyard with Emilia-tan, the ‘Trial’ for her will begin and I won’t be able to take on the second one.”

“Wait a second, Natsuki-san!”

Interrupting Subaru’s words, an overly eager Otto stepped in, oblivious to Subaru’s critical gaze cast upon him, raking fingers through his grayish hair.

“Based on our earlier conversation, you’re planning to challenge the ‘Trial’ too, right? Originally, this should have been for the accomplishment of Emilia-sama, wasn’t it?”

“Idiot, Otto.”

He swiftly called out Otto’s name to bring it to a halt, but it was too late. With that statement, he reflected on his earlier words, realizing duty had been mixed in and began to hastily cover his mouth. But the contents of their conversation were already heard—by everyone, including Emilia.

Otto’s awkwardness and the disdain reflected in Subaru’s eyes met Emilia’s gaze, who was watching the two from a distance.

“What did that mean, just now?”

“Emilia-tan, hold on. That was just—”

“Don’t dodge it; explain properly. —Please, Subaru.”

Emilia’s eyes gathered urgency, imploring Subaru.

A boy who wouldn’t answer the pleading voice of a pretty girl wasn’t a boy at all, and especially not when that girl was Emilia. It would have been nice to swat away her regard with strong mental fortitude, but Subaru let out a sigh, dropping his shoulders and reluctantly giving in.

“If Emilia-tan clears the ‘Trial,’ the folks in Araham Village will be freed from being hostages, and the folks in the ‘Sanctuary’ will be able to abandon this life bound to this land. If we can maneuver through the ‘Trial,’ I should be able to garner support from both factions… that’s the true aim of this whole deal.”

“…Seriously, is that true? You knew all along?”

“Nope, I didn’t even realize any of that until you mentioned it.”

Subaru brazenly lied in front of a flustered Emilia. The audacity of his bluff drew sharp glances from Otto and Ram, who appeared to chew on something bitter.

Then, refocusing on Emilia, Subaru continued.

“All of this is Roswaal’s scheme. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if even his injury was part of the performance for that purpose.”

“As if Roswaal would go so far… or is he? Considering the current situation, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to do that.”

“It’s annoying to fall into that notion, but that’s not my main reason for even saying this. But rather…”

Faced with a bewildered Emilia, who looked just slightly downcast, Subaru bent forward to gaze from underneath at her well-formed features. He noticed her long eyelashes trembled with surprise.

“What troubles me is I want to support you. I don’t know what you saw in facing the ‘past,’ but if it’s gonna cause that much pain and lead you to tear up, then… I want to reach out a hand.”

“…Subaru.”

“If it’s merely to take on the ‘Trial’ and liberate the ‘Sanctuary,’ I should be able to do that. If you need the credit, then all of mine will go to you. My achievements are yours. Everyone carries their ‘past’ with them, but judging that all of them must find a resolution isn’t right.”

Those thrilling words had been echoed in him before, just as he was on the verge of death in the world before.

Subaru spoke with conviction and encouraged Emilia, who suffered as she faced her ‘past,’ yet still pushed herself to brave the ‘Trial.’

That was a concept as shocking as a bolt from the blue to him.

Emilia widened her eyes in astonishment, biting her lip as she pondered.

He felt he understood her turmoil. Deep down, she must have felt compelled to shy away from the ‘past’ she didn’t want to confront. Her strength and integrity had her pushing toward taking on taller burdens than anyone else, showing how deep her conflict ran.

The remaining ‘Trial’ might not only attack her ‘past’ but could also inflict harm upon Subaru’s heart.

“It’s perfectly fine to hesitate. I know making a decision isn’t something you can do right away. —If that’s the case, then let me borrow at least tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Regardless, with how exhausted Emilia-tan is, dragging you back to the graveyard to say, ‘Alright, face the Trial!’ is something a demon instructor wouldn’t do. If that’s the case, I should be the one going ahead and prepping for the second ‘Trial,’ to make the most out of this breathing space, right? If I manage to conquer it, it’ll be a bonus.”

Thus securing an extra day, making it work for one more day, and if he could tunnel down the nearest route, it may be possible to liberate the ‘Sanctuary’ as soon as the day after tomorrow.

This way, he wouldn’t burden Emilia, achieve his goals, and still be there to rescue the mansion within a timely manner.

He could feel Emilia wavering before his proposal.

He felt a twinge of concern that deceiving her at this moment wasn’t right, but negotiation sometimes relied on making one big demand and then giving a smaller, authentic condition afterward.

If she did reject the first condition, that left the second—the thought process to avoid an answer now was missing in someone who was in a mentally unstable state like she was.

With tomorrow and the day after that, Subaru would shoulder the ‘Trial’ and take it on. Emilia, as herself, would have the chance to stand strong in her own time.

This was not the right moment. Time was tight. If they lingered about, another capricious fate could again—

“While you’ve been rambling on like this, you’re oblivious, aren’t you?”

Just as Subaru’s clandestine intentions were approaching completion, a voice rang out from behind him.

The interloper was golden-haired, emerald-eyed, glaring fiercely, and sharpening his canines as he stepped forward—

“I oppose anyone other than that princess… Emilia-sama from taking the ‘Trial.’ At the very least, there’s absolutely no way in hell I’ll allow it for you.”

“Wha—?!”

Unexpected words, bewildering propositions.

Subaru could hardly grasp what those words implied, struggling to connect the speaker and their sentiment together.

And there, with astonishment shining in his eyes, Garfiel pressed forward, delivering that perplexing reality.

“Listen up; I’ll say it again! I won’t recognize anyone other than Emilia-sama taking the ‘Trial.’ Consider this a condition from me that even the old hag can’t change!”

Garfiel, sporting an unmistakably petulant look, spat those words out loud.