Roswaal’s proposal—The liberation of refugees from Araham Village.

This proposal passed without much difficulty, just like the last time. Given the almost nonexistent benefits of holding the refugees in the “Sanctuary,” it was only natural. The difference from last time was that accompanying conditions had been trimmed. Last time, it was a requirement for Subaru to undergo the “Trial.”

“This time, the one putting conditions on me is someone I thoroughly dislike…”

“What’s wrong, Subaru?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. More importantly, how are you doing, Emilia? Are you calm? If my presence is a nuisance, I can step outside.”

With a wry smile and a wave of his hand, Subaru turned to the girl beside him—Emilia.

They were in the home of Ryuzu, who had been designated as Emilia’s quarters, spending time sitting next to each other without any particular topic to discuss.

The time was already evening, and nightfall was approaching.

After waking up late in the morning, Emilia had breakfast, and they had concluded a discussion involving Roswaal and Ryuzu regarding the “refugee issue.” The meeting had proceeded smoothly, and they were about to disperse, presuming that the refugees’ liberation would occur tomorrow—

“So, it’s obvious, but… Emilia, you’re going to face the ‘Trial’ tonight, right?”

If it hadn’t been for Garfiel’s pointed statement, they could have easily let it slide.

Stifling the urge to click his tongue at his words, Subaru glanced sidelong at Emilia, whose profile briefly revealed a hint of fear and sorrow. Subaru was half-convinced that Emilia wouldn’t be able to overcome the “Trial” this time either.

Unlike Subaru, who could carry memories over, Emilia’s conditions ultimately remained unchanged. If Emilia could overcome the “Trial,” then Subaru’s actions would need to have dramatically altered her circumstances.

And in this loop, there seemed to be no means to significantly change her environment within such a short timeframe. —Even if she faced it tonight, it was likely only to wear herself down.

“But, not saying she’s going to back down is exactly what makes Emilia, Emilia.”

In response to Garfiel’s provocative questioning, Emilia instantly concealed the fleeting emotions that passed through her eyes and firmly declared, “Of course, I will.”

Seeing her determination, Garfiel narrowed his eyes slightly, and when Roswaal whistled softly, Subaru felt like he was about to burst from rage.

In any case, they could no longer retract their statements; only a few hours remained until the “Trial” began tonight.

After finishing the discussion, they had eaten lunch not too long after breakfast, and it had already been about three hours since they returned to this home. During that time, Subaru had been continuously bringing up topics, but as the time for the “Trial” approached, her words visibly diminished.

Now, she only offered the slightest acknowledgment to Subaru’s words. Nonetheless—

“Um… that’s a little no-good.”

“Ah, got it. No problem. I’ll focus on inhaling the breath that Emilia lets out until you’re calm, so just relax.”

“That sounds really gross… but, stay here.”

Shrugging at the complexity of a maiden’s heart, Subaru maintained his position, following her direction.

While sitting side by side without even the courage to overlap hands—it was a pitiful state, but he was genuinely happy to be needed. Of all people, it was Emilia.

Even if it was an act of substitution for not having a reliable presence.

Since coming to this “Sanctuary”—no, to be more precise, since Pack stopped responding to her calls upon returning to the mansion, Emilia’s attitude towards Subaru had progressively softened.

There was a part of him that rejoiced, reveling in the heart she was starting to open, while another part still held a quiet anxiety.

That other side said: Wasn’t Emilia now in a precarious situation without her support?

“….Huh?”

“It’s nothing! I just thought Emilia has such long, cute eyelashes… and I want to eat them.”

“Subaru, you often say you want to eat hair or eyelashes or lick cheeks… are those, like, your hobbies?”

“In my hometown, that’s the ultimate expression of love!”

Responding half-poutingly to the somewhat taken aback Emilia, Subaru scratched his cheek.

His desire to “prpr” was, in his view, the utmost love confession. Yet if he actually acted on it, he could only imagine how deeply it would frighten her. It was even less likely they could understand his underlying intention in this world. He needed to be more careful with his words. Hi, a little late for that.

So here he was, doing his utmost to distract Emilia with frivolous chatter. He knew the fragments of the past that she faced. Speaking them would surely induce a significant, different change than before, but—

—It was hard to believe it would move in a good direction.

Regardless of the situation, time was always essential.

In facing her past, Emilia needed time to muster the resolve in her heart. Subaru also needed time to present her with the fragments of that past and extract the truth from her lips. Time, time, time. It was all lacking.

“Why do we have to hastily rush through this constricting schedule? Really, have I ever managed to have some peaceful downtime since coming to this world?”

Searching through his memories, if there was any time worth calling peace for Subaru, it would be the mere few weeks after settling the matter with the Juggernaut.

Since then, a series of tumultuous events followed, and if he reflected on it, it was a wonder he didn’t suffer from overwork-related death in his life.

Just as he was thinking about such frivolous matters—

“—Subaru.”

The unexpected call caused him to respond sluggishly. When Subaru turned to look in the direction of the voice—Emilia was gazing at him, her dark purple eyes glistening close by.

Instantly captivated by her glistening gaze, his heart pounded as if it would stop. He held his breath, watching the wavering determination and hesitation in Emilia’s eyes. As if she was about to confide something to Subaru right before the “Trial.”

“What is it?”

So Subaru spoke as gently as he could, being careful not to rush her. If her determination could come to fruition, he wouldn’t ever want to interfere.

However, Emilia lowered her gaze at Subaru’s response and murmured—

“Ah… no, sorry. It’s nothing. I just wanted to call you.”

“—Oh, I see! Just calling me! That sounds so familiar; like something a couple would do right after they started dating!”

“I guess I have to go soon…”

The resolve that faltered in her voice was regrettably lost on Subaru, who was all too eager to feign cheerfulness so as not to let her realize he understood.

Hearing those words, Emilia stood up and gazed at the darkening outside the window, and softly stated—

“—I need to go to the graveyard. You’re only going partway, right?”

“I’d like to bow my head to Garfiel to have him see me off to the entrance, but I’m not sure I can convince him… Emilia, though this might be pointless, I want to say—”

“—I’ll pass. That won’t do, Subaru.”

While trying to stop her from taking risks, it was swiftly defeated by Emilia’s foresighted refusal.

In front of the silent Subaru, Emilia smiled bravely, placing a finger on her lips and stating,

“It might seem hard to believe, considering how I was losing my composure yesterday, but I’ll do my best. I want to try my best. I have to try because I think I have to.”

Clenching her fist before her face, she added, “So, if you want to say something to me, say ‘You can do it’ instead of ‘It’s fine to stop.’ If I think even one person believes in me, I’ll surely find strength in that.”

“I believe in you, Emilia. I might be the only man who has faith in you like I do, second only to your daddy cat—now, go give it your all.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

This was the first genuinely sincere smile Emilia had shown him that day. Feeling relieved at her smile, Subaru stood up and followed her out of the building.

A chilling breeze swept through the night “Sanctuary,” feeling almost like a chill in the air.

Under that flowing wind, Emilia’s silver hair danced and sparkled.

Watching her strong back step forward, Subaru kept taking strong steps while realizing—

—Yet, he also understood that tonight was going to be impossible.

***

The return to Roswaal’s Mansion with the refugees was accomplished two days earlier than last time.

As for the differences in comparison to the last time, aside from the date, there weren’t many significant changes. The refugees each boarded the same dragon carts as when they reached the “Sanctuary,” and the merchants who had been employed were also released outside the “Sanctuary.” Subaru and Otto joined them as well.

The most different aspect from last time was—

“I’m surprised that Ryuzu took it upon herself to guide us. Normally, that’s a duty for the underlings, right?”

“Well, are you unhappy with me? After all, we’ve shared tea and conversations; you’re being quite cold, Subaru, to a grandmother like me.”

The seemingly tearful loli-baba said while pushing her small body snugly into the cramped driver’s seat, proudly sitting next to Subaru. Since it was originally a two-person driver’s seat, having even a child-like figure squeezed in made it rather tight.

“Well, I get that you’re upset. Natsuki’s got no mercy or consideration at all; he probably left all those subtle nuances in his mother’s stomach.”

“Hey, Subaru! There’s a strange face sitting next to you; who’s this?”

“Is my position really that low in your eyes?!”

Subaru attempted to form a victim’s association as he was being pulled down by Otto in the driver’s seat. The position in which he held the reins was a vital spot for the dragon cart, yet his efforts had unsurprisingly gone unacknowledged.

With a shadow cast over his rather handsome face, Otto said,

“Ah… I feel like I’ve been yelling non-stop since arriving here, but did I manage to leave a good impression on Count Meisters?”

“You showed your sincere self today, and you made me laugh so hard that I could have split my wound back open, so as far as impressions go, you’re definitely solid!”

“There’s a good impression and a bad impression in this world, and considering an impression made while my stomach is torn, where would it stand?!”

“To think you’d end up saying this after hurting someone… you’re truly hopeless.”

“If I’m hopeless, then so are you!”

Otto, who had accompanied to the “Sanctuary,” had his face-to-face meeting with Roswaal go smoothly. That part of the flow mirrored the previous time. In fact, regardless of how much laughter was shared, Roswaal likely didn’t harbor a bad opinion of him.

Of course, the feeling that he was genuinely viewed as a merchant didn’t seem overly high.

“Well, let’s just work out the details of that further down the line. Either way, knowing the top secret of the Meisters Territory, there’s no escape for you now.”

“So meeting Natsuki was my misfortune… Nah, more like I’ve sort of attained a level of enlightenment, so I’m okay with whatever.”

As expected, Otto was a person of strong resolve who continued to act as a merchant despite the path of misfortune. He likely wouldn’t ride onto a path of major success, but Subaru wouldn’t let him regret the choices he made.

While feeling a true sense of kinship for Otto, who put up with all of this—

“I’ll be treating you harshly from now on as well! Otto!”

“What are you saying with that cheerful expression?!”

Subaru playfully clapped Otto on the shoulder, and he cried out.

Looking over at Ryuzu, who was dramatically covering her ears, Subaru took one last look before setting off from the driver’s seat—

“—Well then, I’m off, Emilia.”

“Yeah, be careful.”

He exchanged words with the slightly anxious Emilia, who waved a small hand in farewell.

—Last night, Emilia had faced the “Trial” alongside Subaru. The result was known—she had failed. Because Subaru could not accompany her to the graveyard, the “Trial” had not been interrupted midway. In a state of shock, Emilia had crawled out from beyond the graveyard, her eyes shaken, and collapsed into Subaru’s arms, losing consciousness right then.

Having spent the entire night beside the sleeping Emilia, Subaru no longer remembered how many times he wiped tears from her sleeping face.

Leaving her behind, burdened with that much mental fatigue, it would be a complete lie to say he felt no anxiety. If possible, he wanted to stay by her side and support that trembling body for as long as he could.

“I’ll be back within a day or two, so don’t push yourself. You don’t need to rush; without the villagers to worry about, we can take our time to clear this.”

“Is that… so? Yeah, if Subaru says so…”

Unlike the faint smile she showed last night, this new expression was a weak smile that conveyed nothing but a sense of fleetingness. Even so, just her curiosity to see them off now showed she was forcing herself. Perhaps she was trying to distract herself from the core issue by focusing on something else.

“Ram, I’m not trying to drill it in, but—”

“What else would that be, a drill? I doubt Ram would ask about that… rest easy. Though it’s grating, I share Balus’ opinion. It’s fundamentally a long-term issue. Unless ordered by Roswaal, Garf will hold back.”

“I’m grateful… though it sounds scary saying it. I’ll find a way to repay you in something else.”

“Tch. You’re clever for a troublesome one.”

“As I secretly averted my death flag for another issue—”

Even though Ram, who was still paying attention to the situation, couldn’t help but smirk when he caught her cursing, she took a step back, and Subaru finalized his preparations in the driver’s seat—just as he saw a golden-haired youth standing far back, crossing his arms and observing.

In realizing that Subaru had noticed him, they both locked gazes.

He couldn’t fathom what feelings lay behind each other’s glances, but thanks to what happened with Emilia last night, there was no softening of hostility on either side.

“I’ll find a way to get through this… somehow…”

“Natsuki-san? We’re about to set out; is everything ready?”

“Absolutely. Ryuzu-san, please guide us!”

“Leave it to me.”

With a flamboyant gesture, Ryuzu nodded, and Otto signaled Patrasche and Fulfu to move. Slowly, the dragon cart began to roll, marking the start of the mass movement of refugees.

The speed of the dragon cart was far from full throttle, only around a crawl in terms of a vehicle. It was only natural considering children, the elderly, and women filled the seats.

“Still, everyone’s faces look so good, knowing they can go back.”

“Home carries immense strength. No matter how empty or dull a place may be, your heart remains there.”

Following behind and watching as Subaru mused absentmindedly, Ryuzu echoed,

“Is that so, I wonder? For me, it’s a special situation since I don’t know any places other than that one. I sometimes fear thinking of places outside.”

“Fearful?”

“Stepping into unknown territories can be quite frightening, Subaru. Especially for an old man like me who’s only grown older without need.”

With a matured smile, Ryuzu’s eyes seemed distant, but because she looked so young, no matter how serious she attempted to appear, it only resembled a young girl trying hard.

The dragon cart proceeded slowly through the forest, engaging in light banter along the way. It was a long, eight-hour trek one way. Thanks to the protection of the wind, the dragon cart’s comfort was assured, yet that only served to make time feel even slower.

“What a wise Earth Dragon. Even without my guidance, it hardly ever strays from the path.”

“It’s my cherished cutie! I might be a bit wrong for taking pride in it, but the quality around me is pretty high, you know?”

From the inhabitants of Roswaal’s Mansion to everyone he meets since the Royal Selection began, each person was remarkable in their own right. It was truly pitiful to think so little of himself among such noble individuals, yet he was prepared to simply look up at them.

He might be starting late and stuck in a disadvantageous position, but he was absolutely on the move now. Thus, all he had to do was keep running forward—he had already received the strength for that.

“By the way, while it’s great that you’re guiding us partway, what about you on the way back, Ryuzu? The dragon cart will return to Araham Village, and there will be no means of transport.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll simply return on my feet. But let me tell you, this healthy body won’t lose to anyone young yet!”

With a little swagger, Ryuzu tapped her short, slender legs as they swayed with the movement of the dragon cart. To be blunt, it sounded utterly unconvincing, but Subaru was unwilling to break the buoyant spirit of the confident young girl.

“Alright, alright… Hey, Otto. Are you willing to carry a young girl back to the ‘Sanctuary’?”

“I’d like to refuse to reply since I don’t get the intent behind that question, if that’s okay?”

“Did you hear that, Ryuzu? Apparently, he doesn’t even have the guts to carry a young girl through the dark forest. He’s claiming one or two young girls don’t matter to him!”

“How tragic—people have become this callous?”

“Did you two plan this together?!”

Otto’s loud cry sliced through the usual calm of the forest, and as he stared at Ryuzu while exchanging hearty laughter, she suddenly raised her head.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?”

Subaru frowned at Ryuzu’s murmur. Suddenly, she leaned into him. As he caught her light body, Subaru whispered, “Whoa?”

“Otto, stop. Ryuzu’s acting strangely.”

“Are we turning back to the village?”

After her brief words, Otto skillfully maneuvered the reins to halt the dragon cart. He signaled the same to the rest of the line with a hand flag, and the dragon stopped its advances, letting out soft brays of understanding.

Then, within Subaru’s arms, Ryuzu raised a small hand.

“My apologies, there’s no need to turn back. It was just the influence of the barrier coming too close. If we move any further out, my consciousness would likely fade away.”

“The barrier… just like when Emilia entered the ‘Sanctuary.'”

Subaru recalled the memories from nearly a week ago when they visited the “Sanctuary.” At that moment, jostled in the cart, Emilia had suddenly lost consciousness and had been met with a rough welcome from Garfiel.

Ryuzu’s current condition bore a striking resemblance to Emilia’s, and if they had continued with the cart’s momentum, her consciousness would have been abruptly severed.

“But seriously, that barrier seems to have no boundaries. Both I, a sensitive-skinned guy, and Otto, a rough-skinned guy, can’t feel anything at all.”

“What’s a rough-skinned guy? There’s no such thing as sensitive or rough skin.”

“You see, if you neglect skincare, you slowly start getting worried about those spots on your face in your late twenties, regretting the ignorance of your youth.”

“I’m starting to lose track of what you’re saying, but to bring it back to the point, does this mean we’re parting from Ryuzu here?”

Otto, seemingly weary of the banter, ignored Subaru and directed his conversation toward Ryuzu. In response, Ryuzu nodded, her face a mix of discomfort.

“Yes, I’ll part ways here. The things of the ‘Sanctuary’ have a troublesome affinity with this barrier. Though it’s been a while since I came here, I still can’t adapt.”

“Were you partly following us to test that?”

“Surprisingly, I also had some convenient thoughts regarding this. However, as the results show, if I can’t manage, it seems that the ‘Sanctuary’ cannot be released until the ‘Trial’ is concluded. You understand that now, don’t you, Subaru?”

Glancing over at him, Subaru realized that Ryuzu was demonstrating the reality faced by those trapped within the “Sanctuary.” At the same time, it was clear she, too, longed to step out of the “Sanctuary” for the most natural of desires.

“I wonder if Emilia would feel the same way after coming this far.”

“Once you enter, that experience seems unavoidable. Not every resident of the ‘Sanctuary’ was born and raised there, you know. There were times when Roswaal brought individuals from similar circumstances from outside. Upon entering the ‘Sanctuary,’ those children also became possessions of the Witch. Emilia is no exception.”

“Seems there’s again an unavoidable piece of information I almost missed.”

If outsiders are drawn in by Roswaal, those residents being affected by the barrier means they are, in fact, “half-bloods.”

“You’re saying you’re locking them in? What the heck are you thinking?”

“As for the true meaning of that… I suppose it isn’t up to me to explain. Once you return, it would be best for you to ask Roswaal directly.”

Shaking her head weakly, Ryuzu slipped from Subaru’s grasp. Lightly jumping off the driver’s seat, she stroked Patrasche’s neck, who looked toward her.

“Such a good Earth Dragon. Do help your master.”

Patrasche rubbed its nose against Ryuzu, seemingly responding to her words. Above all, Subaru was not boastful, but it was the first time he witnessed Patrasche so attached to someone other than him. Otto often received headbutts despite their ability to converse.

“There are various things I need to do in the “Sanctuary,” and once I ask Frederica what I need to, I’ll come right back.”

“That’d be best. It’s just a hunch, but I feel like things won’t move regarding the ‘Sanctuary’ without you around.”

“That’s quite an overestimation… it’s just a hunch.”

“It’s the intuition of a woman who’s lived over a hundred years, you know?”

“Your long lifespan may lead to different conclusions depending on whether it’s considered positive or negative.”

Responding to Ryuzu like that, Subaru politely bowed from atop the driver’s seat. As she distanced herself from the dragon cart, Otto quietly muttered, “We’re leaving now.”

“Well then, Ryuzu, take care on your way back.”

“Just go straight from here; you’ll pass through the forest. Once you reach the main road, the Earth Dragons will guide you on their own. Be careful.”

Waving small farewell gestures from Ryuzu, Otto waved the hand signal again, and their journey resumed.

While they turned back to look for Ryuzu, she turned her back towards the deeper woods. As Subaru watched her figure vanish between the trees, he hoped for her safe return—yet deep inside his heart, he felt a subtle disquietude.

“….Something felt off.”

A sense of discomfort that arose during their earlier conversation. Unable to articulate exactly what it was, Subaru leaned back against the swaying dragon cart.

Breaking free from the woods, sunlight streamed in, the road widened—crossing the barrier and leaving the “Sanctuary.”

A lengthy journey lay ahead once more.

Things that needed to be done and conversations that needed addressing.

With all those matters piling up, Subaru continued to sway within the dragon cart.