Seeing the smile directed at him, Subaru for the first time thought that Echidna was cute in a genuine way.

There was no hint of calculation or sarcasm in her smile, just pure, favorable feelings towards Subaru.

It’s undeniable that she was an attractive person, and if that person was treating him with such kindness, it would naturally open a man’s heart.

Of course, he wouldn’t let his feelings push aside the two girls who already had a special place in his heart.

“But I’m not gonna lie, it did make my heart race a bit…”

“Did you just say something?”

“I said it would be troublesome if you had a talent for seducing witches. It’s kinda annoying to have someone obsessing over me when I don’t even remember flirting with them… Ah, but it’d be nice if the Six Witches gave me a hand outside, without causing trouble.”

Fidgeting and turning his face away to dodge the matter, Subaru voiced such a convenient wish.

The only ones he had seen showing fragments of that power were Typhon and Minerva, but they would surely show their immense abilities as an attacker and healer, respectively.

Every time he lost an arm or got punched only to be healed, he’d have to rethink.

“Unfortunately, I can’t interfere with reality after my death. The fact that I’m inviting you to the castle here in this dream world is an exception.”

“I get that. I just thought I’d give it a shot. Honestly, just having someone to listen to me is already more than enough relief.”

At the very least, by spilling out the burdens he held inside, he felt a little distance from mental collapse. His doubts concerning the ‘Witch of Jealousy’ were somewhat cleared up.

He decided not to think too hard about the parts that remained a mystery.

More importantly,

“Can I ask another question about ‘Return by Death’?”

“With my limited knowledge, I can only speculate. If that’s alright with you.”

Echidna set the stage with a theatrical tone.

Her mannerisms gave off an air of a big deal. But it seemed that deep down, she was quite eager to respond to his questions, her feet tapping the grass in a rhythm that suggested she could hardly contain her excitement, fingers playing nervously with her own hair.

Despite being the embodiment of curiosity, she sure was easy to read, but he wondered if that was how witches normally were.

“When I ‘Return by Death’, there are times when the area I resurrect in changes. So far… six places, I think? Each resurrecting in a different time. I want to know the conditions for that save point to change.”

“Save point… changing the resurrection location, huh.”

“Basically, once it shifts away, you can’t go back to the original point. If the day before was the save point, and then it shifts to yesterday, you can’t go back to the day before anymore. Do you have any idea how that mechanism works?”

With as much seriousness as the limitations on ‘Return by Death’, Subaru confronted that issue.

The changes to the save point—this was an unclear aspect, even for Subaru who had found a sort of utility in ‘Return by Death’.

“Even though I can come back from death… I don’t plan to just get off easy anytime I die. But if I find myself relying on it… I’ll do so without hesitation. But…”

If he ended up in a situation where he couldn’t get back, what should Subaru do then?

The image that flashed through his mind was of Rem, who was still unconscious, lying in her bed at the mansion.

After parting ways following the battle with the White Whale, she was supposed to regroup with him after the fight with Petelgeuse, but Subaru’s ‘Return by Death’ had prevented that reunion.

He would never forget stabbing his throat in front of her sleeping form.

He couldn’t believe he had so easily lost the will to live, overwhelmed by despair. No, it was precisely because he had lost his spirit that he had taken his own life.

Blood poured from his throat, and amidst the pain and suffocation, Subaru met his demise.

And then, he opened his eyes, having returned mere minutes before stabbing his throat.

Never had he hated the update of the save point as much as back then.

Had it been possible to save Rem’s life, Subaru would have faced the White Whale and the crazed individuals over and over again.

He would have challenged them as many times as it took, regardless of how many times he had to die.

“Could you tell me about the conditions when that save point changed?”

“Ah, right… Let’s start with the very first save point.”

Recalling the content of the question, Subaru quickly explained the timeline of his ‘Return by Death’ experiences, along with the times and places he had been reverted to.

Essentially, it covered most of his otherworldly life so far.

Though he trimmed down a lot of details, it still took him nearly an hour of perceived time to recount the incredibly dense two months he’d experienced.

“So right now, I’m inside the graveyard… fixed at the point just after overcoming the first ‘Trial’. Based on what you just said, it seems to be the same this time.”

“…………”

“Do you understand anything? At one point, I even went so far as to theorize that a certain old man was the save point.”

The fruit vendor in the royal capital, Kadmon, for some reason had been selected twice as the save point for Subaru in this world.

Being in front of Rem added to the count of encounters.

“It doesn’t seem like the changes are affected by people, objects, or time in any way. If it were time, the durations would vary, and when it comes to people or events, I can’t find any common parts. The conditions are completely ambiguous.”

“Indeed, there’s no commonality in the conditions you’ve mentioned from my perspective. Then it seems the necessary thing to do is to change your thinking,” Echidna suggested, adjusting her posture.

“Change my thinking?”

“Rather than returning for some reason… how about considering it as gaining a reason to surpass that point?”

“Gaining a reason to surpass…?”

“That save point can be thought of more as a ‘wall you must overcome’ rather than a ‘return point’. Until you break through it, it pulls you back via ‘death’. Even a hole could suffice.”

Subaru furrowed his brow at Echidna’s words, then began to ponder their meaning.

A wall, or perhaps a hole. Each time ‘Return by Death’ brought Subaru back to the save point, he had altered many circumstances he could not overcome. Without ‘Return by Death’, there had been countless situations he would have ended in disaster.

And every time he altered those circumstances, the save point changed.

This meant,

“‘Return by Death’ shifts whenever I change an unchangeable situation…?”

“In this context, ‘Return by Death’ is merely a means. The motives behind that means are governed by the thoughts of the entity enabling those actions.”

“The entity enabling that means would be…”

At a loss for words, Subaru looked up at Echidna, who nodded and with annoyance curled her lips.

“There’s only the ‘Witch of Jealousy’. The witch that enables you to ‘Return by Death’ wishes to change the situation you can only surmount when you face ‘death’. And as you overcome that situation, she adjusts the save point.”

“But… that doesn’t satisfy me at all, what about Rem? I couldn’t save her at all. If ‘Return by Death’ has the power to alter situations, then why couldn’t I rescue her in a time when…”

By overwriting the save point, he lost the opportunity to save Rem, and that was precisely why Subaru was so fixated on the timing of updating the save points.

To Subaru’s uncertainty, Echidna continued, “I’m sorry to say, but…”

“The person you refer to as Rem is not something the Witch of Jealousy considers.”

“…………”

“What the Witch of Jealousy desires is simply for you to escape from your dead-end fate. ‘Return by Death’ is merely a means; it doesn’t include considerations for anyone who isn’t you. The wish to save someone falls solely on you. The witch is unrelated.”

“Ah…”

“So let me make this clear.”

For Subaru, the shocking blow landed hard, yet Echidna kept speaking.

Looking up at the white witch with painful light in her eyes, Subaru felt her gaze piercing him as she said, “Unless you change the future by overcoming the problem standing before you, your soul will always return to my graveyard. However, if you allow many sacrifices and manage to alter the future…”

“— The chance to reclaim what was sacrificed will not come.”

“…That’s how it will be.”

The Witch of Jealousy only took Subaru himself into consideration.

If he could overcome the fate of ‘death’, all else was trivial to her. No matter how cornered he felt, she believed that Subaru would eventually find a path that allowed him to survive through infinite retries. No, even if he failed, Subaru was not allowed to give up.

All conditions for ‘Return by Death’ lay entirely in the hands of the Witch of Jealousy.

“Alright then… If you’re so intent on favoring only me, I’ve made up my mind.”

“…………”

“The benefit of ‘Return by Death’ you’re giving me… I’ll exploit it to the fullest. In the end, I’ll be sure to reach you without leaving anything behind. Yeah, I’ve decided. I’m going to make this happen. I’m unrivaled when it comes to turning the tables on others’ expectations.”

If ‘Return by Death’ were the witch’s will, then its use was up to Subaru’s intentions.

So he would build up, overcome, and charge full speed ahead.

If the witch’s love only saves Subaru, then Subaru would save everything else.

Only then would Natsuki Subaru take a shot back at the witch.

“The changes in circumstances… In other words, overcoming the problem of this ‘Sanctuary’ and the mansion. If I clear that, no matter how much damage is done, ‘Return by Death’ will change from this point. So if I aim to clear it, the absolute condition would be to carry all of it and overcome it.”

“I might be the one saying this, but that’s quite a tough task, isn’t it? You seem to have readily swallowed that fact.”

“I had a feeling that was the case, and it just got put into words. Instead of feeling crushed, it’s sparking my motivation. This rebellious spirit is flaring up.”

Echidna fell silent, struck speechless by Subaru’s declaration.

Watching the speechless witch with satisfaction, Subaru cracked his neck and said,

“As for ‘Return by Death’, I can’t press any further. For now, that was really helpful, thanks a ton.”

“…I also got to share some valuable insights, so I’m satisfied with my curiosity being fulfilled. On that front, we’re square. It wasn’t about flaunting knowledge, just sharing a theory.”

“So now, I want to properly ask for your knowledge.”

There was a lot of ambiguity regarding ‘Return by Death’, which didn’t fall under her knowledge. But the next question Subaru was going to throw at her was quite different.

This needed to be explained clearly by her.

“This time, when I ‘Return by Death’, do you know how I died?”

“I haven’t been through that part, so I don’t know. Your experience of having multiple deaths is fascinating, but… it seems you’re not in the mood for that right now.”

“I can’t talk about my wounds and the manner of my death unless I’ve had a drink or two. And unfortunately, the only thing here is this tea.”

“That’s unfortunate… Given how your physical state looks, you seem to have experienced quite a painful death both mentally and physically…”

Whether she used the term ‘death’ out of consideration or not was unclear.

Subaru subtly softened his expression at her consideration, then quickly tightened it again, nodding as he said,

“Just thinking about it makes me shiver… This time, I was eaten alive.”

“…………”

“Like a fool, I turned into a tiny rabbit the size that could fit in the palm of my hand. Apparently, it was an herbivore that was hungry. It gobbled me up completely, not leaving a single part untouched.”

Though he was substituting the expression with something gentler, the gruesomeness was beyond words.

Fangs sunk deep into every part of his body, memories of his flesh, bones, blood being ravaged continued to assert themselves deep in Subaru’s psyche.

Trembling, he forced that all down, striving to maintain composure. Echidna placed the back of her hand on her lips.

“…You encountered a Great Rabbit, didn’t you?”

“Great Rabbit?”

“Not ‘big’, but ‘many’. Many rabbits turned into a Great Rabbit. A legacy of the ‘Witch of Gluttony’, Daphne—one of three.”

“The Great Rabbit…?”

Previously, Subaru had heard the names of the renowned beasts: the White Whale, the Black Snake, and the Great Rabbit from both Julius and now Echidna as well.

They were all magical beasts that had threatened the world for four hundred years, and were said to be under the command of the ‘Witch of Gluttony’, Daphne.

“Just when I thought I had taken down the White Whale, now a Great Rabbit? Give me a break…”

“If it’s the Great Rabbit, the opponent is far too formidable.”

Before Subaru, Echidna’s expression clouded as she realized the identity of the threat he had faced. He felt a bad premonition rise within him.

“I had a similar anxiety with the White Whale… but which one do you think is tougher?”

“In terms of sheer combat power, I’d say the White Whale is vastly superior. However, if we’re talking about which one is more difficult to eradicate, it’s undeniably the Great Rabbit.”

“Difficult to eradicate…?”

Subaru, who had been contemplating ways to defeat it, received Echidna’s warning too late as she raised a finger.

“You tend to see that as an adversary that’s just a bit more troublesome than a regular magical beast.”

“No, I understand that they’re not the kind of creatures that can be described lightly…”

“The Great Rabbit is a being that rightly deserves to be called a disaster. It acts in herds, driven solely by insatiable hunger. Every living creature is merely prey to them, and they do nothing but gorge themselves on it. After the Great Rabbit passes, nothing remains. No crops or fruits; it devours only living beings.”

As Echidna illustrated the Great Rabbit’s grim nature, Subaru swallowed hard.

The serious expression on Echidna confirmed to him that her words were not an exaggeration.

A deserted ‘Sanctuary’ and the swarms of little rabbits that had been gnawing at him.

If that truly was the Great Rabbit, then the absence of life in the ‘Sanctuary’ was undoubtedly due to the magical beasts having devoured every last one of its inhabitants.

Emilia, Ram, Ryuzu, Roswaal, and even Garfiel, transformed into a formidable tiger, were all imposed to that fate.

Locust plague—suddenly the term drifted across Subaru’s mind.

The locust plague refers to the phenomenon of locust swarms. To be precise, it’s a horde of grasshoppers that have undergone special mutations, which devastates farmlands, ruining crops and causing famine.

The actions of the Great Rabbit bore a striking resemblance to this idea.

However, unlike locusts, the Great Rabbit’s appetite overrides even the immediate threat to life.

“Is there no way to fend them off?”

“Individually, they’re not particularly strong, but they move in packs, you see. It’s pointless to chase away just a few individuals, and most importantly, once they spot prey, they won’t stop until they’ve either eaten or killed it. They are pure ‘hunger’.”

“Wait, hold on, if they’re acting in herds, then surely there’s a leader? If we take down the leader, won’t that cause the horde to fall apart?”

If we were to apply the rules of the human world, cutting off the head would lead to the collapse of the entire pack. By the rules of the animal kingdom, it might merely lead to the second-in-command taking charge.

Nonetheless, Subaru was not well-versed in magical beast ecology, he could only rely on Echidna. She shook her head.

“You might be mistaken, but while they move in packs, they don’t have the concept of a leader. What they possess is merely the primal instinct of ‘hunger’. They devour other living beings to satisfy their hunger; there’s no other scheme in place. They multiply by splitting into two, and when prey is scarce, they resort to cannibalism to survive. They hold no sense of camaraderie.”

“Cannibalism? Why on earth was such a monstrosity created!?”

“That is something only the creator themselves would know. At the very least, Daphne has never been obsessed with hunger like the Great Rabbit.”

The horrifying ecology sent a shiver down Subaru’s spine.

Indeed, obeying instincts to consume other living beings to sustain life is universally true for all creatures. People, animals, and even magical beasts share that truth.

However, the Great Rabbit lacked even that, as it split to increase its numbers and then resorted to eating its own kind simply to quell hunger—such a thing was completely inhuman.

The Great Rabbit had entirely moved beyond the realm of a living creature; it was nothing short of a monster.

“If… hypothetically, we were to eradicate the Great Rabbit, what do you think would be necessary?”

“Honestly, I would consider it akin to asking how to evaporate every raindrop that falls. That’s how impossible it seems to me.”

That translated to just how absurd a task it was.

Subaru cradled his forehead, feeling dizzy at the impossibly high wall standing between him and the Great Rabbit’s demise.

“If we could kill them all, we could manage to eliminate even the Great Rabbit.”

“But that would be an incredibly reckless endeavor. To my knowledge, only Reid Astraea and Sekhmet could pull that off. Reid would slay them all with overwhelming swordsmanship. Sekhmet… well, with the right match-up, she could probably annihilate them in a second.”

“Those two, when I heard about them previously, they really are monsters…”

Subaru recalled Sekhmet, who had once perched on his knee.

From what he observed, she had left a lingering impression of being gloomy and always hesitating with every action—a perfect fit for being associated with ‘Sloth’.

“Wait a minute…”

A sudden insight sparked in Subaru’s mind as he remembered his previous encounter with Sekhmet.

It was a soft and fleeting light, enough to illuminate the heavy gloom of a dead end, and more importantly, it was something that could not be done without borrowing Echidna’s power.

“Echidna.”

“What’s up, looking so serious? …No, that won’t do. I’m dead, and you’re alive. The intertwining of fate here is just a phantom, a fleeting dream. So no matter how you heat things up, I…”

“No, sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not at all what I meant.”

Seeing Echidna’s demeanor twisted in disappointment, Subaru decisively moved to the main topic.

“Echidna, I want to meet the ‘Witch of Gluttony’—Daphne.”

“…………”

“Before, you introduced me to the witches of ‘Pride’, ‘Wrath’, and ‘Sloth’ during this tea party. You mentioned that you were somehow preserving all five witches.”

“…It’s ‘collection’. Their life traces are indeed within me. If I pour them into my vessel, then yes, it would be possible for them to manifest. But…”

Echidna’s expression clouded as she glanced sideways, then shyly peeked at Subaru.

“I think it’s best if you don’t meet Daphne.”

“Why’s that? I’m well aware of how challenging it can be to deal with witches after the last time. But I’m prepared for whatever might happen, and I won’t bear any grudges.”

“More than holding grudges, I honestly believe that your rapport with Daphne would be horrendously bad. The worst, even. So if you met, it would be hard to engage in any useful conversation…”

“It’s worth a try. ‘Trial and error’, that’s a phrase you like, right?”

Subaru urged action to find answers, and Echidna acknowledged that logic.

Reacting to Subaru’s words, Echidna’s face showed discomfort. Subaru couldn’t help but smirk as he continued, “Besides, you were the one who assured me that I wouldn’t have to worry about losing my life in this place. I’m not being overly optimistic, but if you’re saying I won’t lose my life, I reckon there’s no harm in trying.”

“I’m not discounting the possibility of your mind breaking and you ending up a husk, right?”

“I believe you’ll pull me back before that happens. Please, Echidna. When it comes to relying on others, I shine the brightest.”

Flipping his usual light-hearted banter, Subaru flashed a grin and gave a thumbs up.

Seemingly losing her resistance, Echidna’s eyes slowly softened.

“…Alright, I’ll let you meet Daphne.”

“Awesome, thanks a bunch!”

“But just this: absolutely do not release her restraint. Also, no touching her. If possible, I’d prefer you avoid making eye contact too.”

“If I follow all those rules, I’d end up being the worst person ever!”

To begin with, a number of unavoidable terms had mixed in.

Before Subaru could question them, Echidna had already finished her preparations.

Just like the last time, when Echidna summoned a witch, there were no preliminary gestures, so to speak; all premonitions were absent.

After a blink, another person existed in the space previously occupied by her.

And this time was no different.

However—

“Whoa, whoa… This is way too much…”

In front of him stood the ‘Witch of Gluttony’, Daphne.

—The witch girl, bound tightly in her coffin, her entire body restrained, both her eyes securely covered with a tight black blindfold.