“Well then, I’ll leave the time-wasting as we discussed.”

After successfully completing the search for Ryuzu, Subaru, who had reunited with Otto, said these words.

Otto, having been briefed by Subaru the previous day and the day before that, immediately realized it was a signal to start the preparations they had been planning for two days.

“That’s fine, but do you have any leads on Lady Emilia’s whereabouts? If we waste time and Natsuki-san and Lady Emilia can’t reunite, whatever we do will all be in vain…”

“Ah, that’s hard to say. It’s because we dropped the ball that we’re in this situation now. But well, you don’t need to worry.”

Scratching his head, Subaru initially wore a pitiful expression, but then tightened his face.

When that sharp-eyed, or rather purely poorly-looking guy got serious, he almost seemed to be holding back anger over something.

Otto, who had managed to get to know him in a brief time, wouldn’t misunderstand that expression, though he couldn’t help but think Subaru was a rather unfortunate-looking person. The same kind of thoughts were echoed about Otto as well, but their mutual unawareness of that fact seemed to be a common trait between the two strange friends.

“I have a lead on Emilia’s location. Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I panicked when I heard she was missing… But once I settled down, it turned out to be the only place it could be.”

“I see. By the way, that is… No, never mind, I’ll leave it at that.”

“Oh? You can share it with me; I’d be happy to take on the role of praising your deduction.”

“I’ll pass. I’m not really keen on being Natsuki-san’s cheerleader, and if I end up getting caught by Garfiel at the end of this time-wasting, it would be troublesome if I started spilling everything.”

Shrugging as he pointed out the risk of information leakage, Subaru nodded in understanding.

After all, that was indeed a concerning situation. Otto didn’t consider himself exceptionally tolerant of pain, nor did he have memories of having endured pain beyond his limits.

In a pinch, it was possible Garfiel might inflict harm on him, and he might accidentally let slip something he knew. That was one outcome he absolutely did not want.

“Well, if it were to spill from your mouth, I’d just have to accept that it can’t be helped.”

“———-”

Unburdened, Subaru casually remarked, “Just take it easy, okay?”

He didn’t seem to realize how the person on the receiving end might interpret that.

With this much unguarded trust directed at him, who could betray it?

Since it was unintentional, he truly was an unbelievable friend.

“That said, I’ll do my utmost to make this work. After all, how well Natsuki-san does will greatly influence my future.”

“Right. If I mess up spectacularly, your future hits rock bottom. …If it seems dangerous, just run away. Today, that guy probably won’t get the jokes.”

“…Ah, yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

In response to Subaru’s considerate words, Otto slightly eased his lips into a smile.

During their planning, Otto had instructed that after he set off as bait from Araham Village, the evacuees should begin their escape.

To throw Garfiel off their scent, they packed the two dragon carts with villagers’ clothes and planned to use a straightforward route leading outward as their decoy.

The escape route for the evacuees had been thoroughly researched overnight by Otto, and detailed lessons had been taught to each Earth Dragon.

There shouldn’t have been any oversights.

Now it was purely a matter of Otto’s decoy plan being found out, and if the evacuees could escape outside, everything would be alright.

With Garfiel’s looming threat of the Great Rabbit coming in two days, they’d buy time for Subaru and Emilia to talk. After that, it was clear that Garfiel would return to the village and quickly find Subaru, leading to a bloody showdown—

“——–”

Otto judged that it should not come to that.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

To begin with, Otto Suwen was not physically gifted.

As a merchant, he had indeed mastered some self-defense techniques to avoid dangers on the way, but compared to those who made fighting their livelihood, he was far behind—ten steps back, at least.

When carrying valuable cargo, escorts were indispensable, and there had been times when trying to take shortcuts through mountain paths had led him to be ambushed by bandits, forcing him to abandon his cargo and flee.

It was universally acknowledged that he was not suited for violence or resolving matters head-on.

“Why on earth am I, of all people, doing this against that guy right now…?”

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve, Otto forced a smile on his face, trying to combat the tension that was creeping in. A fundamental principle of being a merchant was to always wear a smile when dealing with others.

Having been raised in a merchant family, Otto had internalized this lesson, albeit with just around half his lifespan’s worth of experience since he was about ten years old.

Still, this habit was not something to be taken lightly.

By showing a smile and persuading his body that “this is just another everyday scenario,” he could gradually accept the body’s tension as something comfortable.

His hands moved. His feet moved. He was still able to run.

Running this much over such rough ground, it was strange he wasn’t out of breath. The lightness of his unshackled spirit allowed Otto’s latent strength to blossom.

“That said, even if I awaken, it’s limited… No need for arrogance, vigilance is vital.”

As he dashed through the gaps among the trees in the forest, Otto reminded himself to be wary of his unfortunate self.

Far behind him, Garfiel was failing to spot him. However, he obviously could not just keep running like this. Keeping Garfiel distracted so he wouldn’t return to the Sanctuary was Otto’s role.

To ensure that Garfiel realized he didn’t need to chase Otto.

Hiding within the forest, Otto unleashed various tricks to continually lure Garfiel. His mind was full of his desperate thoughts.

Indeed, Garfiel did not have to engage with Otto.

To achieve his goal of preventing the Sanctuary’s release, it was essential to subdue Subaru and Emilia, meaning Otto was merely an extra.

Garfiel, who by now was too preoccupied to pay any attention to Otto, must have understood this most clearly.

The swirling fallen leaves and the magical stones. And the horde of insects stuffed in the dragon carts.

With these two glaringly harmless traps, Otto had completely succeeded in getting Garfiel’s blood boiling.

Garfiel had lost his cool, and his focus narrowed down to needing to defeat Otto. Nevertheless, he was under no real compulsion to do so.

“But if I take too much time, he’ll catch on immediately.”

Thus, Otto recognized that it was best to maintain a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and to continue provoking Garfiel.

Since his nose was blocked off, he wouldn’t suffer any crucial damage as long as he wasn’t seen, but should he be caught, the difference in ability would allow Garfiel to close the distance in an instant.

Be aware that it was like walking a tightrope, a tension demanding utmost caution.

“———”

While concealed in the underbrush, Otto observed the scene ahead.

Before him, about twenty meters away, stood Garfiel, glaring around. The effect of the kiss from Kisinis oil spread on the dragon cart wheels masked his sense of smell completely. Struggling to find Otto by sight, he expressed an impatience akin to that of a wounded beast.

To keep Garfiel’s attention diverted, it was precisely like thrusting one’s hand into a blazing fire, a reckless act surely to result in burns.

“Now, I leave it to you!”

“Right-o!”

Otto whispered a thin sound, to which a responding chirp was transformed into meaning through his eardrums.

In accordance with Otto’s signal, the forest stirred slightly.

“Ah…?”

Sensing something odd in the rustle of the branches swaying in the wind, Garfiel lifted his gaze.

A barrage of mud balls, made from dirt and feces, were unleashed from the trees surrounding him, aimed directly at his face.

This was the warning behavior of small creatures known as forest mice that made their homes in tall trees.

Naturally, the mud balls themselves had no lethal capability, but being bombarded from all sides, Garfiel panicked and attempted to dodge. However, he couldn’t avoid them all and took a few hits to his legs, clicking his tongue at the smell and dirt smear.

“Ugh, this is—! Damn it! Why the hell… This is that guy’s trap again…”

He rubbed the filthy remnants off on a nearby tree and began to suspect Otto’s involvement in the latest incident. But as he voiced his suspicion, he noticed something.

—Mud balls from forest mice have no lethal capability. They only dirty clothing and leave a stench.

However, their feces emit a scent that draws certain insects that inhabit the forest.

“——–!”

Something squirming beneath Garfiel’s feet slithered up and leaped around his legs. Garfiel gasped as a black, long-bodied creature, resembling a centipede, crawled around his legs.

The centipede, long enough to rival a human arm, crawled up to Garfiel’s left leg, its grotesque mouth pressing against the marks left by the mud balls, hungry for a taste.

“Ugh! Gross!”

Garfield flailed his limbs, brushing off the centipede’s body. But from the ground, more of the same centipede crawled out, competing for the discarded mud balls, presenting the area as something resembling a hellscape.

These centipedes favored the seeds of tree fruits contained within the feces of forest mice.

In the midst of setting traps throughout the forest, Otto conversed with various creatures and tossed in all kinds of “useful things.”

Though the centipedes looked repulsive, it seemed they were neither carnivorous nor poisonous; however, that many of them gathered around posed enough of a threat.

Garfiel, without a doubt—

“—Ugh! Get off me!!”

Frustrated by the centipedes clinging to him, Garfiel shouted, spitting venom.

He then lifted his right foot high and brought it down to stomp the ground.

In an instant, a square section of the earth around him vibrated like a leap.

“——–”

Seeing the absurd sight, Otto couldn’t help but gasp.

Garfiel unleashed a flurry of claw and foot on the centipede horde, immobilized by the collision. When the disturbed ground crashed back down, every last centipede was exterminated; those left in the area seemed to vanish back into the soil, frightened.

The trees that housed the forest mice also collapsed amidst the upheaval, and the villagers Otto had summoned bolted in fear.

It appeared they had paid a hefty price in exchange for sugar water.

“Well, that’s how business goes… But whether one can turn opportunity into victory depends on the person’s capability, so I hope there won’t be any resentment.”

Faced with Garfiel’s display of raw power, Otto lightly reflected on himself to calm down. Then he stealthily retreated while luring Garfiel toward the next trap.

After all, he hadn’t been running around the forest without sleep for two and a half days for nothing.

—Once this is taken care of, I’ll sleep soundly without even dreaming.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“It’s significant, isn’t it?”

— I know, I definitely know.

“Behind, it’s immense, it’s coming, it’s here now.”

— I told you, I know! It’s all factored in already.

“We’re going to die. This is so bad, poor thing.”

— Can you stop being so pessimistic!?

Otto’s ears, activated by the “Word Spirit’s Protection,” were bombarded by incessant noise.

The voices of insects, small animals, and every living creature inhabiting the forest flowed in, making it exceedingly difficult to filter what was relevant to him.

Having wielded the “Word Spirit’s Protection” for nearly twenty years, and actually managed to control it for about ten of those years, he had never attempted anything quite so reckless.

When he previously utilized his power to clear his name for false charges, the location, while local, was still limited in inhabiting creatures as it was urban.

However, in a vast forest, the sheer number of voices exceeded Otto’s capacity by far.

In the air, on the trees, among the leaves, in the earth, on the stones, voices filled from insects and small animals alike. Listening to all the creatures hiding there was akin to shoving the words of over a hundred people into his brain at once.

It wasn’t just audible.

The “Word Spirit’s Protection” compelled Otto to understand. In other words, his brain was tasked to process all the messages caught by the “Word Spirit’s Protection.”

“Ugh…”

A sharp pain shot through his head, causing Otto to wobble and lean against a tree. As he wiped his face to clear the sweat, his sleeve became stained with dripping blood.

A nosebleed. The blood trickling down his face was evidence of his brain exceeding its limitations. Intermittent surges of discomfort ricocheted around his head without any relief from the ringing in his ears.

“Ah, I had no idea. Continuing to use this will lead to this… My blessing truly is a pain In the neck.”

Wiping his nose roughly and massaging his brow, Otto stumbled forward once more.

The ringing continued, yet he had no intention of halting the blessing. In reality, Otto wouldn’t be able to keep up with this escape without it.

There were voices that fed him slow updates about Garfiel’s movements. Even if Otto couldn’t look back, there were eyes keeping tabs on Garfiel.

Securing cooperation from insects and animals with different forms of consciousness wasn’t easy, though he wasn’t quite sure how others perceived it.

After all, their thought processes were different from those of humans.

What delights them, what repulses them—what’s common sense for him is nonsense to them. When it comes to negotiations, it was clear that he’d not know what leverage to use.

Moreover, even if they were the same type of insect or animal, the more intelligent they were, the more individual differences arose. There could be vastly different likes and dislikes even among the same species living in different regions.

That Otto was currently managing to evade the threat of Garfiel was due to his preparedness—albeit brief—and the result of pouring his time and strength into it.

—Subaru must be finding Emilia now, and having a proper talk.

For Subaru to have that time to converse with Emilia—Otto was placing himself in peril simply to extend that moment.

If for any reason Subaru had been off-course or if they couldn’t make progress with Emilia, then this delicate endeavor would all have been for nothing.

Why was he so invested in Subaru, anyway?

As he pondered this thought distracting himself from the pain, Otto suddenly realized something.

Indeed, the fact remained that he was cooperating as a way to pay back the debt to the one who saved his life.

It was also true that he did it because Subaru recognized him as a friend and sought his strength—it was unavoidable that he lent his cooperation because of that.

However, did that mean he was the kind of man who would exert himself above and beyond what was merely called upon?

“…Ah, I see.”

In that instant, a feeling crossed his mind, and it sparked a realization.

Otto couldn’t help but chuckle at that thought.

Once you recognize it, it’s simple.

The reason Otto trusted Subaru and offered his assistance was hardly complicated.

“I should have given up on being understood. I knew all too well what it was like to see someone pulling their hair in confusion…”

The power of the “Word Spirit’s Protection” allowed him to hear voices others could not.

Otto, who knew things that he shouldn’t—because of the voices of the creatures—found himself increasingly isolated. Friends distanced themselves, and he lost his family. Now, the “Protection of the Word Spirit” was nothing more than an unnecessary tool with no use aside from carving a path through emergencies.

Yet, the experiences borne from having that blessing differed.

Experiencing rejection due to the “Word Spirit’s Protection” taught Otto the suffering of being unrecognized. He had come to know the frustration of being unable to explain to people something he alone understood. He was equipped with despairing regret over the inevitability of being misunderstood.

All those burdens were something he shared with Subaru before he laid his soul bare.

That’s why Otto trusted Subaru, as he saw parts of his past self reflected in him, and took off running.

Not for anyone else.

What Otto wanted to save wasn’t solely Natsuki Subaru; through him, he wanted to save the past version of himself, Otto Suwen.

“I see you…!”

“—Huh!?”

In that moment when he realized his own true feelings, Otto heard voices besides the “Word Spirit’s Protection” and was thrown off balance by a jolting shock to his shoulder, sending him sprawling in the dirt.

He fell over like a ragdoll, rolling against the soft earth.

“Pfft, spit it out! W-what… urgh!”

“Too bad!!”

Otto spat out the leaves that had entered his mouth, but as soon as he sat up, he felt the claws into his side, forcing all the air from his lungs and sending him sprawling once more.

His world spun in a chaotic frenzy, his thoughts slipping away. Oxygen was failing to circulate in his brain, and the pain coursing through his veins felt as if his blood had congealed.

“Even if my nose is useless now, I can still hear. You’ve been blaring about, but it’s really been a damn ruckus with those bugs… Looks like this is the end!”

“Well, depends on that, doesn’t it? …Just because you caught up doesn’t mean the fight is over, huff.”

“Don’t talk back. You did well to get this far, but… I can’t afford to waste any more time.”

Garfiel’s foot pinned Otto down fiercely against the ground.

His ribs creaked under the pressure exceeding what should have been manageable for Garfiel, who was supposed to be on the smaller side, causing Otto to whimper as he thrashed.

“If I make a real effort, you’ll become nothing but dust. You saw me kick that ground in one go, didn’t you? That’s what would happen to you too. Want to find out?”

“—No thanks, I prefer to stay intact.”

Otto shot back a sardonic smile in response to Garfiel’s threatening stare. Garfiel was slightly taken aback by Otto’s attitude but then—

“You’re showing a pretty strong face for someone who seems ready to break. If you had realized this sooner, we wouldn’t have had to go this far.”

“…”

There was an undertone close to admiration in Garfiel’s words.

Listening to him, Otto inhaled quietly, still managing to keep a light breath. He took in Garfiel’s assessment as he widened his eyes.

“Honestly, all of this could’ve been avoided if I had seen it as a threat from the get-go.”

“—”

“The moment you decided to try, the entire forest turned against me. The first falling leaves were caused by all the bugs around throwing themselves into action. The mud balls in the dragon carts, the excrement of forest mice, the centipedes, the snakes slithering from the fallen timber, even the poisonous flowers luring birds; all was likely from the same source.”

Counting the traps set up until this point, Garfiel outlined the various ploys deployed against him.

As he listened to Garfiel’s words, Otto continued on his shaky breathing.

Just as Garfiel had deduced, every single one of those traps had been laid out by Otto, a means devised to diminish Garfiel’s actions and buy time.

Each one served its function, successfully pulling Garfiel towards Otto.

However, the events had spiraled beyond coincidence—nature’s myriad marvels had revealed the extent of Otto’s elaborate scheme, making Garfiel recognize this truth.

“I’m not really good at thinking things through, but I know that not thinking is a way to keep living. So I thought, thought, and came to this conclusion: most of the bizarre things happening in this world have been influenced by the power of protection. –And you’re one of them too, aren’t you?”

“……Huh?”

“Whether it’s the blessing of the forest or the blessing of the earth, either way, it doesn’t matter what happens. I need to dispose of everything—no reservations, no mercy. It’s time to finish this off.”

Throwing his words at the silent Otto, Garfiel maintained his burden on Otto’s trembling body, gazing at him with pity—

“If you keep hovering around with that persistent look, you’re bound to find something.”

“——–”

A space opened up in front of Garfiel, where now, a white light started gathering.

The sunlight peeking through the gaps in the trees—was entirely different from this, forming a spot of concentrated mana visible to the naked eye.

If he carelessly leaped in, it seemed like he could become intoxicated, and Garfiel scowled down at Otto, who remained propped against the earth.

“That’s your trump card, isn’t it? If you wanted to make me stumble, it’d be different from all the pretense until now. There’s something in there that can turn the tides against me… If you’d managed to trap me thoroughly, maybe I would’ve ended up sliding in there too.”

“…Ah, um.”

Crouched, Garfiel seized Otto’s collar and lifted him high.

Blood from Otto’s nose, ruptured by his overactive brain previously, flowed freely, bathing the lower half of his face in crimson. Looking down at this, Garfiel shook his head incredulously.

“You’ve got guts, but it’s not going to cut it. You should know your place and stay quiet.”

“Know my place, eh…?”

“Exactly. There’s no way you can win against me. –Whatever trap you’ve laid, you’ll get to taste its power.”

As if presenting a farewell, Garfiel easily tossed Otto aside.

Otto, sent spinning through the air, experienced a short, weightless moment before crashing into the thick mana accumulation.

Amidst the dense mana, Otto could feel his thoughts muddled and unraveling.

His head spun, his tongue tingled, and the flow of blood gushed from his nose without pause.

A trap. The final trap. Being thrown in, what was going to happen next?

“I’ll have to watch how it unfolds.”

With arms crossed, Garfiel prepared to witness Otto’s end.

Lying on his stomach, Otto caught the faint sight of Garfiel’s anticipation and desperately pieced together where he was and what he needed to do, collecting his fragmented thoughts.

—The final trap had come to fruition.

“…May I ask something?”

“Huh?”

Pushing himself up from the ground, Otto was determinedly lifting himself.

Garfiel, taken by surprise at Otto still being able to move, widened his eyes, revealing his shock, which Otto found delightfully entertaining. So, in this case, Subaru’s words made sense.

It was amusing to execute things thought impossible. It was true. His disposition may be horrible, but such a thrill was simply irresistible.

“How many trees do you think you’ve blown down or how much of the ground have you torn up by the time you reached here, Garfiel-san?”

“I have no idea what the hell you’re getting at.”

“The sheer amount of mana gathering around me right now indicates just how angry the forest has become at you.”

While he spoke, a sense of achievement displaced Otto’s fatigue and pain.

His words became clearer, and, sitting firmly on the ground, he steadied his gaze on Garfiel.

The expression on Garfiel’s face shifted as he uncrossed his arms; he finally accepted that he had walked right into Otto’s plan.

But it was too late.

“—Al, Dona.”

The overflowing mana coursed through Otto, causing reality to morph in response to his chant.

—A torrent of earth erupted with tremendous speed and force, blasting Garfiel and sending him soaring into the forest.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“Ha… ha… ha…!”

With arms raised, trembling, Otto continued to breathe heavily, as if on the verge of passing out.

All the mana drifting around had been entirely expended on the spell.

Though the sensation of magical intoxication eased, he was now awash in overwhelming fatigue striking at every inch of his body.

—The final trap Otto had laid, linked to the previous traps, was simplicity itself.

In short, Otto proposed that it was necessary to punish the enemies trespassing within the forest surrounding their village together with the creatures living there.

It seemed Garfiel, during his days in the “Sanctuary,” had been bustling through the woods with no regard for the local fauna.

He had sharpened his claws, recklessly knocked trees down for training, and likely gathered firewood for survival, all of which, in the long run, was a form of destruction experienced by the forest dwellers.

All these numerous minor transgressions piled up, leading to Garfiel being perceived by the vast majority of the creatures in the forest as a large, strong, bad guy.

Through negotiation, Otto had offered the forest creatures assistance in punishing Garfiel. Before the various traps activated, they too had agreed that should Garfiel continue his nature-destructive antics, they would focus their massive mana output and grant Otto their utmost strength.

The dense mana visible to the naked eye was a palpable manifestation of the “plainly visible thought traps.”

Garfiel, having now been ensnared by so many traps, had become exceptionally sensitive to the detections, and mere moments into the effort to retaliate, he had unwittingly tossed Otto right into the sight of the previously prepared mana trap.

Before Otto’s accumulated mana abilities, Garfiel had inadvertently assisted in granting him the power to cast greater magic than Otto alone would ever have been able.

Consequently, the resulting landslide pummeled Garfiel, delivering far more damage than he had previously sustained in any of their encounters.

He had assumed Otto would be incapable of retaliating, thoroughly easing his wariness.

It all played out just as Otto had intended.

“Now it’s time to…!”

“—Looks like you’ve run out of options too.”

Gazing through the tree line, Garfiel glared back at Otto, expending labored breaths.

His clothes were tattered, and numerous sharp rock-inflicted wounds adorned his exposed skin, but remarkably, critical areas like his head seemed to have been protected, and his footsteps didn’t exude any dramatic fatigue.

The discrepancy in pure physical ability was sprawling beyond Otto’s imagination.

“Honestly, I’m impressed.”

“…Is that so?”

“I never thought you’d be capable of this much. I just assumed you’d given up and underestimated you. —Forgive me. It seems I’ve been rude to you.”

But Otto shook his head at Garfiel’s solemn expression, signaling that he didn’t need any form of apology.

What he craved was simply an admission of defeat. Yet even after Otto poured his everything into his efforts, it was still insufficient to topple Garfiel.

Therefore, Otto’s resistance found its terminus in this instance.

Confirming the sensations in his hands, Garfiel flicked his claws threateningly.

This time, he wouldn’t show any mercy to Otto.

The sharp claws bore down in parallel with the sincerity Garfiel showed, prepared to slice through Otto’s body and terminate his life.

—Had he truly done everything he could?

There was indeed a sense of completeness in having thrown all he had.

With the “Word Spirit’s Protection” and amidst expressions of friendship and debts, he felt he had given everything he had.

However, even after all that, it still fell short. It couldn’t be helped.

What little Otto could do would come to an end here.

So—

“Take care then. —When you wake up, everything should be sorted out.”

“My personal battle ends here…”

“———”

With a whispered sigh, Otto relaxed, closing his eyes.

That attitude didn’t feel quite so smooth as surrender—rather, an unsettling cleanliness emerged from it.

“What the…?!”

Garfiel’s body shivered as the thought that Otto still had a few tricks up his sleeve prompted every hair on his body to stand on end, and he began to scan his surroundings.

There wasn’t a trace of any presence around him. If there was something, that meant—

“—!!!!!!”

With bared fangs, Garfiel poised his claws overhead.

He inhaled deeply, puffing his lungs before taking another mighty breath to prepare for a roar. However, a significant delay hindered him. Eyes wide, Garfiel’s jaw fell open as he gazed at the unfolding scene before him.

What emerged was neither a killing intent nor hostility, but a name.

“Garf—!!”

From above, a shadow leapt down from the treetops toward him.

With a short skirt flaring, the tip of the raised staff aimed directly at Garfiel’s head.

As mana accumulated at the end of the staff, illuminating with light, Garfiel screamed.

“Why the hell are you… Raaaaaaam!!”

In that next moment, a blade of wind erupted, sending a blast of air throughout the Sanctuary’s woods.

 

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