Subaru’s entire body trembled at the sight of the woman standing at the entrance.

Even for Subaru, who had experienced countless crises since being summoned to this other world and had sometimes lost his life, her presence brought an overwhelming and alien fear.

Draped in a black cloak, her curvaceous figure was wrapped tight in pitch-black attire. Like Subaru, she had long black hair, a rarity in this world, styled in a braid, and a gently smiling face that bore a hint of seduction.

If it weren’t for the blood-dripping blade she casually held in her hand, she could be mistaken for a painting—an utterly beautiful woman—who represented Subaru’s worst disaster. The First Killer. “The Beast of Gutting,” Elsa Granhiert.

“W-what are you doing here!?”

“Oh, I thought I caught a whiff of something familiar. How’s your condition after that? Is your insides being taken care of?”

Subaru was struck speechless by her shocking inquiry. It was as if Elsa raised her eyebrow and tilted her head in curiosity, realizing for the first time just how she had caught his attention.

The answer to her question already failed to form into any conversation—a baffling, nonsensical act of wanting to “take care” of one’s own insides could hardly be conceived by a normal person. In other words, this woman before him, so plainly seeking such a thing, was undoubtedly insane.

Moreover, she was a crazed individual in a completely different league than Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.

Tensing every muscle in his body, Subaru focused all his nerve on Elsa’s every move.

The battle prowess of the deranged individual in front of him was on a level that even Reinhardt, the “Sword Saint,” had failed to slay. No matter how keen Subaru tried to be, he wouldn’t be able to grasp even the slightest precursor to her actions.

“—Who gave you permission to enter here?”

Suddenly, a voice behind Subaru cut through, directing a question at Elsa.

It was Beatrice who spoke, her expression devoid of emotion. The girl stood still, her previous posture facing Subaru, but with only the hint of tears missing from her visage.

As Beatrice interjected, Elsa swiped at her long hair with a light motion and replied, “It seemed the door was unlocked, so I just came in. If you’re in the midst of an important discussion, you should really lock the door next time.”

“That’s not what I meant. This is Betty’s Forbidden Library, and unauthorized entry is… not something anyone aside from that man over there can do.”

“Oh, that’s an easy one.”

With a glance at Subaru, the exception to the door-hopping rule, Elsa nodded as if finally understanding the question posed to her. She gestured toward the door left ajar.

“Your magic that separates spaces… it relies on the doors, right? It’s magic that connects closed rooms through doors.”

“Exactly. Unless Betty permits it, you shouldn’t be able to access the Forbidden Library from any door in the mansion. So how did you…”

“That’s simple. Since it uses a closed door for mediation… if all the doors are left open, your options will diminish on their own, won’t they?”

“――――!”

Elsa suggested a way to easily bypass Beatrice’s restrictions on door-hopping.

Indeed, her reasoning was sound. Beatrice’s door-hopping magic only connected closed doors, meaning it was impossible to link to an open room. If all the doors in the mansion were left wide open, it was obvious that the remaining door would connect to the Forbidden Library. However, doing that would mean…

“I’d have to open every door in the mansion… who’d allow that…”

As he thought this, Subaru genuinely recognized his own foolishness.

Perhaps, he had been unwilling to face the unpleasant reality.

“That knife you have… whose blood is it stained with?”

The kukri knife in Elsa’s hand was smeared with blood. The viscous liquid, dripping from its tip, painted a picture that made all too clear Subaru’s worst imagination, matching the horror that came before him.

Subaru’s lips drained of color as he quivered, while Elsa traced her finger along the belly of the raised knife, licking the blood that soiled her white fingers.

“Who do you think it is?”

“You…!”

“A hint: she was wearing a maid outfit.”

Three maids remained in the mansion. All of them were dressed in maid uniforms. No, Rem, who was nestled in bed, wore a negligee. She was eliminated from the options. That left two.

“A second hint: her hair wasn’t long.”

Petra with her semi-long hair, and Frederica, who had lengthy golden locks.

—Subaru’s throat swallowed in preparation for the roar to come next.

“A third hint—she called your name, Subaru, while she cried and died.”

“Elsa—!!”

With teeth bared and setting his stance low, Subaru charged straight at Elsa.

In response, Elsa gracefully extended her lithe body and synchronized the blade of her knife with Subaru, ready to intercept him—

“—Oh?”

“Who the hell would charge head-on at a monster like you!”

Subaru swept low, avoiding her thrust and swinging his arm from below in a wide arc, catching some scattered pages of a gospel in his wake.

As a handful of white pages temporarily obscured the view between Subaru and Elsa, he inhaled and concentrated his mana in the core of his abdomen, ready to unleash…

“—Shamak!!”

Black smoke erupted, filling the gap between Subaru and Elsa with unfathomable darkness.

While Shamak had little effect against Julius, it had proven somewhat effective against Elsa in previous experiments in the prior world. Unlike the time he had exhausted all his mana previously, the improved handling now only resulted in an overwhelming fatigue coursing through his body.

“Beatrice!”

Whirling around, Subaru grabbed Beatrice’s arm, who had been observing the ongoing exchange from behind. For a brief moment, her stiff arm seemed to resist his grasp but could not escape the vice-like grip of Subaru’s hold.

He yanked her small frame toward him, pulling the girl into his arms, and without a second thought, dived into the Shamak.

–Incomprehension. Nothing visible, nothing heard, only endless darkness surrounded him.

The only sensations he felt were beneath his feet, encapsulating his entire being and the world.

His right foot left the ground, and as the left foot reached the earth, he was completely left behind in the world. The left foot landed. He established contact with the world. The left foot lifted. Isolation. The right foot landed. Contact. Isolation. Contact. Isolation. In his arms, he felt something stir. No letting go. No isolating. Contact. Contact. Contact.

“—Buah!”

In the next moment, the darkness cleared as abruptly as if surfacing from water.

As his vision unfurled, Subaru found himself in the mansion’s corridor, having leaped out from the door leading to the Forbidden Library, stepping onto a carpet dyed in red hues.

He had evaded Elsa standing in the entrance and leapt out unscathed.

“I thought so—!”

As Shamak unfolded in front of him, Subaru had anticipated that a battle-hardened Elsa would seek to dodge the veil of darkness and target those on the other side. He countered this by recklessly diving straight into the darkness, bypassing the entrance she conveniently opened.

“Though I’d love to say I pulled it off perfectly…”

There wasn’t even a moment to relish his victory.

He was unaware of Shamak’s duration, but if Elsa realized Subaru and the others were no longer there, she would immediately shift and chase after them.

Kicking the door shut forcefully, he interrupted the door-hopping. Depending on Beatrice, he wasn’t sure if the connection to the Forbidden Library and the front of the mansion had been severed.

“Beatrice! Connect the current room to another room…!”

“I’ve already done that, whether you asked or not. More importantly, you should be closing the open doors around you to buy time.”

“Damn, you’re right!”

As he responded to Beatrice’s biting remarks, Subaru hurriedly slammed doors to the adjacent rooms shut. Glancing inside before entering each room, he found no prominent traces left behind.

While uncertain how much to trust Elsa’s claims—

“What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do—”

Questions flooded his mind.

Why was Elsa here now? Compared to previous loops, he had returned to the mansion in record speed this time. On the sixth day, the fourth day, and now the second day—regardless of the situation, Elsa always launched her attack on the first day after Subaru returned to the mansion.

This thought had quietly grown suspicion within Subaru for some time, evolving into confidence based on what had happened this time and Elsa’s prior words upon breaking into the Forbidden Library.

Yet that all led to an even greater question—

“Why couldn’t you have just waited one more day… or, a few more hours?!”

By nightfall, he had promised to return Petra to the village.

Elsa’s invasion was a tragedy he half anticipated. The image of Petra, who lost her life in the chaos last time, burned itself into Subaru’s memory and wouldn’t leave. So this time, he had made arrangements to keep her away from danger. But once again, malice approached at a speed that outpaced his preparations, trapping the innocent girl in fate’s grasp.

“Not yet. There’s no reason to give up. It’s possible that she’s spewing nonsense. It must be possible. There’s no way I’m abandoning hope…!”

“That’s not hope; it’s just reluctance…”

“Shut it! Just stay quiet and let me carry you! The psycho over there is out to kill you too. She’s the type to get off on ripping open her prey’s stomach and seeing their insides!”

“Wanting to see the intestines of a spirit, that’s just beyond poor taste.”

It was a sentiment Subaru whispered only in the confines of his mind. At that moment, Beatrice slipped out of his grasp and landed gracefully on the corridor floor. She brushed down her dress’s skirt.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“What to do? The priority is ensuring Petra’s safety and confirming Rem’s whereabouts. After that… I’ll escape the mansion with you. Or are you planning on facing her yourself?”

“If she came to kill Betty, being resistant would likely grant her wish in a roundabout way.”

“I figured that’s what you would say, so I brought you along forcefully. If that notion persists, I’ll drag you along by force. What do you say?”

Looking down at Beatrice, who was shorter than him, he pressed her for a decision. Not that he planned to offer her any choice. If she intended to stay stubborn here, he wouldn’t hesitate to drag her along.

Subaru’s intentions seemed to resonate with her. Beatrice sighed heavily.

“Even if I can’t choose where I die, I’d like to at least choose who kills me, you know?”

“I’ll make sure we talk about that later in a calmer place. Let’s go!”

Calling out to Beatrice, who was now prepared to follow, he took her hand and started running. With Subaru dashing forward, Beatrice matched his pace, her dress swishing as she took careful steps. After some ten meters, Subaru could no longer endure and—

“Ugh, damn it! Hurry up and keep up!”

He pulled her back into his arms once again.

Beatrice felt surprisingly light, but whether it was due to her being a spirit or stunted growth, Subaru couldn’t quite tell.

“…Can you let go of me?”

“If I slow my speed for you, I’ll get caught up with her in no time! It’s faster for me to carry you! Besides—”

In his embrace, despite her protests, Beatrice gripped the front of Subaru’s clothes timidly, causing Subaru to halt and remain silent.

For now, that seemed good enough.

“Anyway, before Elsa shows up… I’ve got to find Petra and Rem!”

“I thought there was still another maid left in the mansion.”

“As for Frederica… we’d better not run into her right now. Probably.”

Subaru trailed off, shaking his head as Frederica’s golden hair flashed across his mind. Beatrice frowned at Subaru’s behavior but remained silent.

Right now, he wanted to avoid meeting Frederica. After confirming both their safety, he could deal with her later, and only then.

He believed that must be how things would transpire.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

—Petra lay atop the dining table, positioned beside the dishes.

The white tablecloth was soaked crimson around the center where Petra lay sprawled out. Having already taken some time, the spilled blood began to darken into a deep black hue, further accentuating the grimness of the scene.

“P-Petra…”

Weaving unsteadily on his feet, Subaru approached the table.

Petra lay on her back, her beautiful face frozen in a grimace of anguish and terror, her eyes widened in despair at whatever her last sight had been. Blood had flowed from the corners of her open mouth, and it was clear what had caused her fatal wound—a deep cut that sliced viciously through her abdomen.

The serving dress that had once fluttered charmingly like a fairy now had been violently parted from below her chest to her lower abdomen, the exposed blood and entrails rendering the young girl’s body even lighter.

“—nnnn…”

Something surged from deep within Subaru’s throat. It was no mere nausea but a sob.

Feeling the searing heat of tears collect in his eyes, he instinctively reached out to cover Petra’s face before the impending flood could emerge. The warped visage, frozen in fear, remained open—if only he could close her eyes—so he draped his removed coat over her form.

How many times had he covered up the surface for Petra, whom he couldn’t save?

Having known this would end like this, how many times would Subaru have to suffer the pain of her death?

Subaru felt guilty for being involved with her, realizing she must suffer again like this because of him.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Petra…”

Even the words of apology felt hollow.

Petra had faced that horrifying killer here, unable to rely on anyone, only to be gruesomely toyed with and killed, calling Subaru’s name in the end.

Sorrow threatened to crush his chest, the seeds of hatred burning all through him.

If hatred could kill, Subaru would gladly slay Elsa a thousand times over.

What she had done was unquestionably a transgression of the highest order. He would make her understand someday—without fail.

“That’s why I can’t let this end like this…”

“This time…?”

“A monologue. I can’t just leave Petra like this… but I can’t do anything right now. First, I need to go see Rem. I can’t use door-hopping?”

“You need to go through the Forbidden Library. Plus, all doors might be wide open right now.”

“—So that’s it.”

The way to trap door-hopping was straightforward, and that alone sufficed.

If every door in the mansion remained wide open, the subjects could simply be narrowed down. Furthermore, by also keeping the door of the Forbidden Library wide open, access from any other doors aside from the connected ones would be blocked.

If they propped a door open, even Beatrice wouldn’t be able to summon the Forbidden Library.

“Do you know which doors are linked to the Forbidden Library right now?”

“Of course. —Currently, it connects to a guest room on the west side, on the third floor.”

The west guest room was quite a distance from the dining hall in the main building. However, the fact that the door was open meant that Elsa had at least exited the Forbidden Library.

With that murderer’s keen sense, it wouldn’t be long before she found Subaru and his companions.

Time was of the essence.

“No dawdling. We need to hurry to Rem’s room…!”

Wiping the tears that began to form again with the back of his hand, Subaru turned his head toward his destination. Rem slept in one of the servant’s personal rooms lined up on the eastern side; given that Elsa appeared to start from the west, he concluded she hadn’t yet reached the other side.

However, that applied only to Elsa, and—

“There’s a high chance Frederica’s there…”

Frederica knew Subaru valued Rem’s safety, so after evading Elsa’s ambush, she’d realize he would head toward Rem’s room. Therefore, it was entirely plausible she might be waiting for him there.

Subaru supported his chin with his hand, deep in thought, as Beatrice squinted her eyes.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. …Are you suspecting that big maid?”

“I… didn’t want to, but…”

Subaru nodded weakly, affirming Beatrice’s doubts.

Elsa’s attack on Roswaal’s Mansion—Subaru was almost convinced that it linked directly to Frederica’s betrayal.

This was the third time Subaru confronted Elsa in Roswaal’s Mansion.

The past encounters took place on the sixth day and the fourth day, both after a bit more time had passed from his return. But this time, having returned not but two days after reaching the “Sanctuary,” the confrontation came swiftly.

Each time, Elsa seemed to anticipate Subaru’s return—as if waiting for his arrival. If there was any sort of trick at play, it led him only to suspect the existence of a mole.

“On the day I returned to the mansion, Elsa was guided in. I thought the plan was to go to the mountain hut instead…”

Initially, Subaru had suspected that Frederica had invited Elsa, who was lurking in the mountain hut. So when he returned this time, he had braced himself for questioning Frederica, asking if she intended to visit the mountain hut.

In that moment, he encountered Frederica’s response, which bore no signs of deception. Subaru had all but calmed his suspicions.

“But it’s not as if the means were limited to that… I can’t see through what’s inside a person’s belly, so why would I get fooled?”

He’d been duped by a convincing front, failing to perceive Frederica’s caution towards him. Instead, it might’ve made her act more cautiously.

This was Subaru’s shortcoming, and inevitably it led to the demise of the fragile young girl.

The suffering of Petra stemmed from Subaru failing to save her when he should have known better.

“She was so fond of you, too…!”

He remembered Petra looking up to Frederica, the senior maid.

Having killed the cherished Petra in the hands of a murderer, would Frederica’s heart feel no pain at all?

What was she thinking, getting involved in something like this?

“On top of that, the method she used to break Beatrice’s door-hopping. Honestly, I’m stunned it could be breached so readily—it felt like child’s play.”

“…Betty never imagined she could be broken in that way. It’s not the kind of thing that would come to mind so easily.”

“If I had the time, I could probably have thought of something too… but the time’s the problem. That’s a method you could only stumble upon if you knew about your very existence and the door-hopping mechanism ahead of time. For Elsa to figure it out on the spot, there’s no way the odds could be that convenient. It means there had to have been a conversation about it behind closed doors.”

“You seem to be well-acquainted with that insane woman. Where did you meet her?”

“I met her in the Royal Capital after having quite a serious chat… oh, she was the one who first treated me when I was brought to Roswaal’s Mansion.”

Looking back, Elsa was indeed intertwined with Subaru’s circumstances when he was accompanied to Roswaal’s Mansion. Beatrice seemed to nod in understanding, confirming her comprehension with an “Aha.”

In any case, even time spent sorting through their thoughts felt too precious right now.

“Anyway, right now, it’s all about Rem. If Frederica is there… are you sure you can handle this?”

“Isn’t it natural for a man to want to protect the woman he loves? The thought of being the first guy to care for me is simply terrifying.”

“If feelings alone could slay a whale, I’d drop the thing right here and now, but this world unfortunately doesn’t have such a soft structure.”

Beatrice’s snark served as a tacit agreement. Subaru realized she had drawn him into their quarrel, perhaps as an attempt to look out for him despite Petra’s death, trying to divert his attention.

Noticing how Beatrice’s grief had remained unnoticed embedded deeply within her, while Subaru continued to search for ways to make it better, he felt her intelligence shone too brightly—leading him to rely on her.

“Let’s go.”

“Mhm, understood.”

Beatrice reached out her hand naturally and took Subaru’s without any protest, moving seamlessly into his embrace. Rising with her light form, they resumed their run just as before.

Though it was pointless, Subaru tried his best to step lightly as they headed towards the eastern wing. There was no sign of Elsa waiting in ambush, and they dashed up the stairs to the second and third floors. Cautiously, he poked his head out into the hallway to check if anyone was around before—

“――――”

He spotted a figure lingering in front of the room and quickly pulled his head back.

Looking up silently, Beatrice gazed at him, and he nodded in return before gesturing to check again—there stood a tall figure leaning against the door.

From a distance, there was no mistaking the long golden hair and maid’s uniform.

It was Frederica. Just as Subaru had suspected, she stood waiting in front of the room where Rem was sleeping, stealthily tracking Subaru.

“What should we do…? Should I act like I haven’t noticed and casually greet her? As long as she hasn’t joined forces with Elsa yet, she wouldn’t notice my distrust beforehand…”

“If your earlier assumptions are correct, then after bringing in the enemy, the maid would have no reason to judge your mood. Plus, when you parted ways with that maid, had you entered the Forbidden Library? Given you’re outside now, there’s no excuse left.”

“Then, it seems we have no option but to charge through.”

Frederica’s arsenal was primarily claws strapped to both hands that resembled deadly claws, though he hadn’t clearly observed her prowess, being Garfiel’s sister certainly raised her strength above Subaru’s.

Could he win by approaching her head-on?

“Maybe I can initiate with Shamak; if it’s successful, there’s a chance Beatrice could strike from a distance…? Even if we don’t take her down to incapacitation, we’d be in a good spot as long as we can force her to retreat…”

“You think of slacking against a traitor? If they have the intention to end you, you better face them with the same resolve or it’s pointless.”

Beatrice’s cold assessment rang true. Even knowing she was right, Subaru hesitated to follow through. They had once shared a level of familiarity. As memories flickered, he found it hard to dismiss them outright.

Even if, in the end, Frederica had deeply implicated herself in Petra’s death.

“Beatrice. While I cover with Shamak, I need you to throw something light at her.”

“—That sweetness will eventually lead you to regret it.”

“I have questions I need answers to. Nothing more, nothing less, so please deal with it.”

After realizing they’d reached the critical juncture, Beatrice looked as if she wanted to protest, but when Subaru lowered his head, she exhaled through her nose in small defeat and said nothing.

Scolding himself for relying too heavily on her, Subaru took a deep breath, reopening his hand. While remnants of fatigue clung to him, he figured he could manage another Shamak—

“Hang in there, body of mine. —Shamak!”

He darted into the corridor, leather shoes scuffing against the stone as black smoke erupted from his outstretched hand before Frederica could turn and look.

It spread seamlessly between Subaru and Frederica, replicating the impasse experienced within the Forbidden Library. Instantaneously, with a flood of excess mana, Subaru felt his head grow heavy and fell to one knee, struggling to maintain balance.

Beatrice stepped beside him, hands poised in front of her. Whispering something under her breath, an air of distortion surrounded them as a pale purple spear emerged from the void.

Swaying in the air, the glittering purple spear aimed straight towards Frederica—yet, sensing its intention toward a lethal strike, Subaru almost cried out.

But Beatrice, ignoring Subaru’s plight, attempted to shoot that spear into the darkness.

“…Something’s off.”

Beatrice murmured softly, tilting her head.

Subaru felt confused at her reaction while Beatrice still held the spear in place, raising her finger on her right hand and swiping sideways.

In an instant, the darkness created by Shamak was swept away from the corridor. As the skilled user of dark magic, Beatrice overshadowed Subaru’s capabilities.

Stunned at having their hard-earned result so easily stripped away, Subaru’s surprise quickly evaporated as the reason for Beatrice’s interruption dawned upon him.

“――――”

Emerging from the once-darkened corridor, Subaru advanced straight toward Frederica.

Straining his body and dragging his limbs loaded with mana, he moved toward her—the execution itself covering him at a glacial pace. Yet there was no need for caution. No response came from her. There was none.

—There would not be any response from her ever again.

“…Why?”

Frederica stood motionless in front of Rem’s bedding.

Her abdomen skewed by a kukri knife, she was grotesquely pinned to the door. Her arms drooped at her sides, and it was clear from the disarray of her clothing that she had faced an assault. The wounds showing clearly indicated a ferocious struggle had taken place.

Frederica’s body lay icy cold, and the expression frozen on her face suggested her soul had vacated long ago. With her cheeks hardened, she bore a face filled with regret and a desperate determination to protect the door.

In other words, Frederica must have been fighting desperately to prevent an intruder from entering this room.

There was no reason for a mole, one that led the enemy inside to act in such a fashion.

“I doubted…a lot, and this is what I find?”

Covering his face with both hands, Subaru begrudgingly faced the undeniably grim reality in front of him.

Frederica, riddled with wounds and having perished. In the presence of her lifeless form, there was no way to assert she had been the traitor.

Was this the result of their infighting? Had things reached such dire consequences that they needed to turn Frederica into the adversary?

That was nothing more than cruel self-justification on his part, wishing to alleviate the guilt of his own suspicions.

He had to accept the truth.

“—I was wrong, wasn’t I?”

Frederica had not betrayed them.

She had fought fiercely to protect Rem and had fallen in battle. Given her now frigid body, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’d passed before Petra in the dining hall.

There was no time to waste guiding Elsa to the Forbidden Library.

“…What about Rem?”

There was a gap in his thoughts, as if an emptiness had settled in his mind.

Desperately trying to establish clarity, Subaru’s first thought gravitated toward the beloved girl sleeping in the room behind Frederica.

Frederica’s body was heavy and stiff with rigor mortis, making it laborious to detach her from the door, which was still pinned by the blade. He had to exercise extreme caution to prevent causing further injury to her body. Still, his anxiety urged him on.

Yet in a dramatic turn, out of nowhere—

“—Finally found you.”

A shadow glided into view from the end of the corridor.

With her braid swaying, Elsa crouched low, placing her hand on the ground while her murderously hungry eyes glistened hungrily toward Subaru.

Paralyzed by her gaze, he found himself ensnared while, seizing the opportunity, Elsa dashed towards him with unimaginable speed.

There was no sound accompanying her advance. It was unmistakably the approach of “death.”

“Don’t think you can do it so easily!”

However, there was something that obstructed Elsa’s way forward.

Beatrice held her hand aloft, setting her previously summoned purple spear as a target for Elsa.

The spear previously sidelined now focused its destructive might on its target, ready to strike.

“You’re quite the violent little girl for someone so small.”

“If you think you can dismiss it as a child’s plaything, then you can try out my magic on your own body.”

As a nefarious magic loomed over her, Elsa smirked, the mirth soon replaced with mockery as Beatrice’s purple spear shot forth.

The spear raced ahead, its velocity exceeding the rapid-fire magic used by Emilia previously. Single-mindedly aimed, the spear identified Elsa’s direct path. Yet, remarkably, Elsa swiftly ducked, coming to rest flat with her stomach against the floor to evade it as it whizzed by.

“Too bad. Your speed and aim were a tad lacking.”

She glanced nonchalantly at the weapon grazing her head, all the while unfazed, then aimed the kukri knife directly at Beatrice’s figure.

With dread light, the weapon loomed, threatening to cleave Beatrice clean in two—

“You’re the one who’s underestimated here, human.”

Just as that seemed imminent, Beatrice clenched her opened hand. Instantly, the purple spear swelled.

The previously anchored projectile shifted off-course, expanding in the process, about to burst behind the motionless form of Elsa, caught obliviously off guard.

“—What is this?!”

The debris of the exploded spear disintegrated into countless smaller projectiles, surrounding Elsa from every direction.

Though referred to as ‘small,’ their size rivaled Subaru’s index finger, as they filled the air around her, all tips aimed at her.

Then—

“This is the punishment for defiling Betty’s Forbidden Library. —Prepare to be torn apart.”

With the order issued, the purple projectiles flew toward her.

 

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