“――――”

Garfiel furrowed his brow, halting his steps as he sensed something off.

He dashed across the ground as if kicking it, abruptly coming to a stop. He embedded his right foot into the soft earth like a stake, raising a cloud of dust as he crouched low and looked around.

He was deep within the forest surrounding the “Sanctuary”, sniffing the air, searching for Ryuzu, who was nowhere in sight. He had been racing around inside the barrier, desperately looking for her.

Having already searched every potential spot he could think of, he had walked so much that he could not even remember how many times he had gone back and forth, searching for that familiar tiny figure.

The rapid beating of his heart was fueled by an unsettling premonition.

He felt that an incredibly inconvenient situation was unfolding. Outsiders were dominating the “Sanctuary,” and even Ryuzu was behaving oddly without consulting him, going so far as to make her own decisions.

“Damn it… what the hell’s going on here!?”

Garfiel raked his short blonde hair, tracing a finger over the white scar on his forehead.

It was his habit to touch that scar when he felt confused or lost, a way to stabilize his mind. By tracing it, he could remember the moment he earned it, recalling the foolishness he displayed at that time, which helped him regain his composure.

Many who knew Garfiel would often regard him as simple-minded and brash, a judgment rooted in his usual demeanor, attitude, and appearance, but that was a gross mischaracterization.

Garfiel Tinsel was unexpectedly calm and clever, always pushing himself to keep his mind sharp.

This was because Garfiel understood—deep down—that merely having strength was not enough to reach his goals; he was acutely aware of that harsh truth.

He constantly pondered what he needed to know and what actions to take to make his wishes known. Such contemplation had become second nature to him, and it was through such rigorous thought that his unyielding convictions had been cultivated.

However—

“But still… why the hell is everyone running around on their own…!?”

In frustration and disappointment, Garfiel bared his sharp canine teeth and let out a growl.

Just as he expressed, the current situation continued to deviate from his expectations. His steadfast beliefs often led him to predetermined conclusions, making him exceptionally weak against flexible thinking.

In the “Sanctuary,” his stance always led to a single answer.

Regardless of how many processes branched out to reach that answer, he would never waver from it. Because of this resolve, he had always kept his eye on possible processes.

But included in those possibilities were not Ryuzu’s unilateral actions or the covert maneuvers of outsiders.

Sadly, while he was a man who refused to cease thinking, he was neither exceptionally experienced nor particularly bright compared to others. He simply acted with desperation and fervor. That was all.

“――――ッ”

With a sharp huff, Garfiel narrowed the pupils of his golden eyes.

He had caught a scent, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he bent his knees and jumped—resuming his action. Using the branches of the trees as stepping stones, he utilized their flexibility to fly faster and higher, weaving through the greenery as he pursued the trace he detected.

“What the hell… what do you think you’re up to, huh!?”

Grinding his teeth, he voiced his irritation as a roar echoed from within.

It was a feral growl akin to that of a big cat, fury blazing in Garfiel’s eyes.

The multitude of odors his nose caught was overwhelming—sweaty scents, the smell of trampled grass and earth, the stimulating scent of anxious humans wafting from their bodies… a cacophony of smells.

“――――！！”

It was unmistakably the scent of many humans moving in mass.

The number was not fewer than ten, and more likely nearing fifty. In the current “Sanctuary,” the only time such a crowd would move at this moment was if one particular group were involved.

—The refugees fleeing from the village right beside Roswaal’s mansion.

A group that had come to take refuge from danger. They had forgotten the favor of being taken in and were instigating this kind of action at such a time?

“That bastard… what the hell is he thinking…!?”

A boy with short black hair, whom Garfiel found exceedingly irritating, popped into his mind.

Despite his sharp eyes, he was a person renowned for his flippant and shallow attitude, yet at times, he offered a penetrating gaze that seemed to see right through Garfiel.

It was as if that boy’s eyes looked elsewhere, making Garfiel feel nauseous, as if he were watching an entirely different man.

That same annoying boy was undoubtedly behind all of this.

The sudden actions of the refugees were clearly incited by that boy’s influence. Those swayed by him harbored an unreasonable trust in that child.

A weakling with no special abilities who seemed good with words. For Garfiel, he embodied the most detestable, weak, foolish, and selfish creature in existence.

He couldn’t help but think he should have taken action sooner.

He had had numerous opportunities, yet he had hesitated too long, and despite his fierce resolve towards painful issues, he had remained impotent.

The price of his indecision was evidenced by the current dilemma he faced.

With Ryuzu, his family, lost to him, the peace of the “Sanctuary” was being exploited by those who thought they could act freely. Under no circumstances could he allow the refugees to escape outside the barrier.

A few days ago, that would have been a different issue; the situation had now changed.

“Those bastards know that the old lady isn’t normal.”

Within the experimental grounds that Garfiel referred to, and called “the Grand Ancestor’s Room” by Ryuzu, lay the crystal that held Ryuzu Meier, the girl who was the foundation of Garfiel’s family.

To be honest, Garfiel held little interest in that crystal.

Though the girl sleeping within resembled his family, if she were something entirely different inside, then that would just be a completely different entity. If it was merely an appearance matching Ryuzu’s, then there would easily be over twenty such existences just as Garfiel remembered.

It was impossible for Garfiel to hold the same love and obsession for each of them as he did for Ryuzu, nor did he desire to.

He had the authority to give free commands to the copies of his grandmother’s likeness.

And Garfiel did not shy away from using that authority. Still, he did his best to avoid exerting his command, stemming from his own nature.

He did not favor mingling with others or commanding someone. He would often feel an indescribable irritation towards those who obediently followed his command like puppets.

The only sentiment Garfiel held towards the Crystal Girl was that.

He harbored no greater feelings. In the first place, Garfiel did not think of himself as someone with great depth or generosity.

What could be shared was always limited. Two arms, two legs, just one body.

What he could offer was limited, and he needed to narrow down whom he shared it with.

In that case, Garfiel would only share with those few whom he deemed favorable.

“That’s why… if you think I’d show you any goodwill, well, that’s a complete misinterpretation, a naive misunderstanding, you know!?”

With a strong kick against a tree trunk, he leaped over the height of the forest.

Hugging his knees, Garfiel spun in mid-air, landing with enough force to stir the fallen leaves. The ground caved in under his shoes, and the roar of the Earth Dragon echoed through the gaps in the trees.

As the impact of his landing transferred through the ground, Garfiel slowly straightened his back.

His furrowed brow was due not to reliance on his sense of smell but out of anger. He cracked his neck, grinding his sharp teeth together as his eyes flared up with fury.

Before Garfiel, two dragon carriages stood side by side.

The Earth Dragon pulling the carriages was spooked by Garfiel’s threatening presence, and the driver desperately struggled to calm it down.

That driver was someone Garfiel recognized well—

“Well, well, if it isn’t that skinny brat. Ha! Of course, it’s obvious you’re the first one incited by that guy, huh?”

“About that way of speaking… well, I know perfectly well how I’m being evaluated, thank you very much.”

As Garfiel shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, the man on the driver’s seat—Otto, whose gray hair was imperfectly grown out, wore a wry smile.

With expert precision, he controlled the reins, managing to calm the heavily panting Earth Dragon.

“Heh, you’re quite something, huh? If I were to genuinely threaten you, it wouldn’t be surprising if that scared Earth Dragon took off and everything went haywire, right?”

“I did my best to make sure that doesn’t happen. Besides, I already told them that you would be coming, you know?”

“Ah—?”

Garfiel’s ears perked up at Otto’s words, and he instinctively reached for the scar on his forehead, taking a step closer to interrogate Otto about the true meaning behind his statement.

“Just what do you mean by that? You guys are trying to use the commotion to flee from here, but I caught you and stopped you in a rather pathetic manner. Am I wrong?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s standard practice for merchants like us to capitalize on a sudden trouble to snatch up the maximum benefit. We were promised quite a bounty, and we thought we’d get out safely…”

“…………”

Otto covered his face with his hand, feigning a disappointed expression at his thwarted plans. However, there was a certain hint of composure visible in his words and expressions, leaving Garfiel puzzled.

It hardly seemed like a demeanor of someone whose ace had been destroyed. In fact, his current attitude was identical to Roswaal’s when he was smoothly rolling someone around in his palm.

“That expression and attitude… you look just like the guy I hate most in this world.”

“Well, that’s quite the harsh evaluation… but for reference, may I ask who he is? It would be good to know as I want to build a positive relationship with you in the future.”

“Ha! Me and you? That’s a laugh, you dolt. The guy I hate most is probably in the ‘Sanctuary,’ being pampered to no end in the best room.”

“Oh, I see. It must be pretty tough when the one you care for is so devoted to a romantic rival. I can imagine how you feel.”

“I could easily just seal that unnecessary mouth of yours, you know!”

Garfiel clicked his tongue at Otto’s teasing concerning his feelings for Ram.

In reality, Garfiel could turn this situation upside down with brute force if he wanted to. The mass escape of the refugees was doomed to fail the moment it was revealed to Garfiel.

He wouldn’t let them out. But if they weren’t trying to force their way out, he felt there was no need to harm them.

For now, he needed to settle this situation quickly and return to the “Sanctuary.”

What Garfiel had to prioritize was maintaining the “Sanctuary,” and this was nothing more than an unnecessary issue.

“Anyway, the escape plan failed here. If that guy is here, let him show his face. He should apologize for pulling that lame stunt, and depending on the circumstances, he’ll be in for some pain.”

He had to relieve a bit of the pent-up frustration in his stomach.

Moreover, Garfiel needed to know what that boy—Natsuki Subaru was thinking in pulling such a stunt.

It was just days ago that he boasted about overcoming the “Trial” and liberating the “Sanctuary.”

Even if he were to falter, it was far too soon. To put it plainly, he seemed far too spineless.

He needed to rectify any misunderstandings in that regard—

“Ah, sorry, but it seems I can’t comply with that request.”

“Eh?”

“Don’t you realize? Right now, I’m wearing the exact same face as the person you hate most in this world. So, isn’t it plausible to think that I might very well be doing something he would do?”

“――――”

Garfiel found Otto’s roundabout and indirect words difficult to grasp.

However, he judged it to be the kind of statement he couldn’t disregard. Above all, for Garfiel, to be sharing the same face as the man he despises—Roswaal—was tantamount to plotting something and attempting to manipulate others.

“…What are you scheming, huh?”

“Well, to put it in your terms, it would be a wicked scheme for the two of us to be alone in a place where no one can interfere, wouldn’t it?”

With a tired face, but one that bore a sense of accomplishment, Otto shook his head.

Initially, Garfiel was about to argue in disbelief, but seeing Otto’s expression shifted his thoughts. That expression didn’t look like someone telling lies.

If that were the truth, then those words could be considered real. And in that context of a man and woman, it meant the two in question could only be Natsuki Subaru and Emilia.

“――――”

Intuitively, Garfiel understood he must not allow those two to meet.

The beastman blood flowing inside him instinctively sensed something.

He abruptly lifted his head and looked back towards the direction of the village.

If he allowed Subaru and Emilia to come into contact, it would bring about the worst possible scenario for Garfiel. The “Sanctuary” would be liberated that way—.

“――――”

Reason told him it was impossible.

He had witnessed with his own eyes Emilia, crushed by the harshness of the “Trial.” Furthermore, that girl had lost even more of her mental support since yesterday.

Could a girl, who had been thoroughly worn down and had knelt to nightmares, possibly stand back up in just a day or two?

But instinct demanded that he should run to stop it.

The “Trial’s” revealing of the “past.” Regardless of knowing that the past shown was directly different, the commonality about it was that it forcibly opened the most dreadful memories for challengers.

Garfiel had foolishly stepped into the graveyard, where he was shown his “past.”

Recalling that moment caused the blood to rush from his body while he struggled to stifle the emptiness that had filled his heart.

Since then, he had vowed strongly not to betray those things he had resolved in his heart; that was how deeply and sharply the “Trial” penetrated into the hearts of those who challenged it.

“The situation has changed. Right now, I must return to the ‘Sanctuary’. I need to find the two you mentioned and change their hearts immediately…”

“Do you think I’ll let you just walk away?”

“――――”

As Garfiel turned his feet back toward the village, Otto called out from behind him.

However, Garfiel’s response to that was filled with ridicule.

“—Huh, guh.”

“Shut up and sleep. I’m not in the mood to play with you anymore.”

In a single stride, he closed the gap, his clenched fist driving into Otto’s abdomen.

Avoiding the bones, he struck in such a way that it pierced his insides, and Otto’s body lifted off the ground, spitting drool as he was thrown to the earth.

He had pulled his punches. Though he had put too much strength behind the blow just to knock him unconscious, it was still relatively gentle given the circumstances of executing a clean hit.

Glaring at the fallen Otto, Garfiel rubbed the ground underfoot lightly.

“—Where do you think you’re going, huh?”

“—!?”

As he attempted to flee, his legs halted.

Garfiel turned back in shock. There stood Otto, still.

He placed a hand on his belly, coughed, and spat out saliva, but his awareness had not disappeared.

“What? I might not be trying to kill you, but I don’t recall going easy on you, alright?”

“Is that so…? If that’s the case, it seems my endurance outmatched what you imagined. Ah… daily training really paid off, huh? You see, for a merchant, your body is your capital—it’s only natural to be sturdy, right?”

As Otto smiled painfully, Garfiel felt an uncomfortable premonition and turned to face him again.

He struck again, aiming to knock out Otto.

This time, he disengaged any notion of restraint, intending to hit his head. While the risk of damage would spike, it would definitely ensure his consciousness was snatched away.

“Next time it’s gonna hurt more, so you better brace yourself…”

“Still think you can afford to hold back against me… your arrogance is what will be your downfall!”

In a bent posture, Garfiel prepared to step in as Otto shouted.

With bloodshot eyes, Otto glared at Garfiel and swung his limp hand up with all his strength.

In the next moment, a burst of leaves shielded Garfiel’s vision, creating a fleeting gap.

“Wha—!?”

Startled into halting his movements, Garfiel froze.

And then—

“Take this—!!”

Simultaneously with Otto’s piercing shout, something that burst through the swirling leaves glowed brilliantly—

—And a red light engulfed Garfiel’s body.

“`

 

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