Everyone gazed at the girl, whose dress hem fluttered in the wind as she scoffed proudly.

The girl, Beatrice, cast her eyes over the battlefield, observing the scene. In the grand plaza of the Waterway District, Raibatenkaitos, injured and exposed, faced off against Otto and three others.

Looking at Otto and Felt, Beatrice let out a blatant sigh.

“This gathering is so pitifully pathetic, it’s almost sad.”

There was no energy left to refute her blunt opinion; however, Beatrice’s appearance was undeniably a significant turning point for the ever-deteriorating battle situation.

Automatically, a feeling similar to relief welled up in Otto’s chest.

“Bea—”

Just as Otto was about to call her name, he instinctively clamped his mouth shut.

Batenkaitos was a being that devoured “names.” Just earlier, Otto had slyly instructed Felt and the others to conceal their names. He couldn’t just break that secrecy himself.

Batenkaitos’s attitude toward Otto, who was hiding his name, clearly reflected his annoyance at being interrupted during a “meal.” In other words, to consume a name, he needed to know the opponent’s name as well.

Therefore, he couldn’t allow Beatrice’s name to be known either. Suppressing it, and probing.

However, Otto’s consideration proved futile.

Because—

“—Lady Beatrice? Why are you wandering outside?”

Batenkaitos tilted his head, regarding Beatrice as if perplexed.

“You were so adamantly against going outside. Aside from meal times and when you’re with the Great Spirit… Oh, there was that exception, wasn’t there?”

As Beatrice fell silent, Batenkaitos continued speaking.

His tone was not quite friendly, yet it sounded like the words of someone who shared some level of familiarity and distance with her.

“We’re not exactly strangers, but… Beatrice—”

The relationship between Batenkaitos and Beatrice rendered the efforts to keep names secret pointless, causing Otto’s voice to choke mid-call. Now unconsciously, he looked at Beatrice’s profile.

Her lips trembled, and her large, round eyes swirled with intense emotion.

It was rare for this spirit child to display such overt anger. Shocked, Otto watched as Beatrice exhaled deeply and glared at Batenkaitos.

“—I see what tricks you’re playing. Is that what this is about?”

Beatrice muttered in a heavy, low voice.

It wasn’t a threat, but rather the result of her trying to calm her emotions.

Struggling to mask her anger, Beatrice peered into the murky depths of Batenkaitos’s eyes and twisted her lips in disgust at whatever she saw.

And then,

“How many humans are you hiding inside yourself?”

“Maybe? But I think we consume less than Roy compared to him. He’s a glutton, so the amount we consume is different from the quality of what we choose! We believe quality is key in our meals, so that’s where we differ from Roy.”

Batenkaitos described consuming “names” and “memories” as “meals.”

Self-proclaiming to be a gourmet, while labeling close acquaintances as gluttons, he seemed to possess a distinct aesthetic sense, but it was all beyond Otto’s comprehension.

“—”

And now, Otto found the current attitude of Beatrice equally puzzling.

Her disdain for Batenkaitos didn’t seem to simply stem from her evaluation of him. It felt like another deeper, fundamentally different negative sentiment was at play.

Perhaps it was akin to Batenkaitos treating Beatrice as a known entity—at this very moment, Otto realized something.

The possibility that Batenkaitos had an undue understanding of Beatrice.

“…No way.”

Batenkaitos’s combat prowess existed within a realm only attainable by someone who trained in martial arts for a long time. From Dainas’s earlier comments, Otto had formulated a hypothesis.

“I suspected that you can inherit the ‘name’ and ‘memories’ of those you’ve devoured, even bodily experience. Achieving mastery in martial arts or dagger techniques at your age is difficult. Hence…”

If he could utilize the skills of those he’d consumed as his own.

That would explain how Batenkaitos, appearing to be in his mid-teens, had managed to acquire abilities on par with martial arts masters across several fields.

If that hypothesis were correct—and not just correct, but had an even more significant implication—

“But if it extends beyond just bodily experience—”

It signified a maleficence altogether different from the threat posed by combat prowess.

Because Batenkaitos had said,

—He was searching for the one who delivered that speech about the city.

That this person was weak and fragile, someone who would be anxious without support.

Knowing Natsuki Subaru, interacting with his character for long enough might foster such an understanding. That boy had a mysterious quality that made others feel that way about him.

But that feeling was the result of spending time affectionately with him.

Being aware of Subaru’s fragile strength and weak courage was proof that she had been near him.

And if there was someone now from whom “evidence” was stolen by “Gluttony,” it could only be one particular girl—

“—!”

Otto finally caught up to the revulsion Beatrice had reached.

What Batenkaitos saw in Otto’s shifting eye color prompted him to gracefully bow his head to the questioned glare.

“Count Roswaal L. Meiastars’s head servant… or rather, I was wrong.”

Mid-introduction, he shook his head, spreading his arms wide.

His scarred body lovingly caressed one of the white scars, which appeared as if it had been struck by a sharp iron stake.

“Right now, I’m just a single beloved entity. —One day, my beloved will become a hero: the Helper to Natsuki Subaru, Rem… Wasn’t it?”

“—”

“Let me meet my beloved hero! Our hero must have come to judge us even in a place as dreadful as this!”

Batenkaitos stretched out his tongue and licked his wound as he taunted.

Otto couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to his head. His clenched molars creaked with anger; he wanted nothing more than to punch that face.

The attitude of “Gluttony,” his tone, and his smile—all mocked the feelings of one single girl.

They had no idea how desperately she longed for a safe return, and yet they harbored nothing but scorn and contempt for her. That realization ignited a fire in Otto’s heart.

He absolutely could not forgive this “Gluttony”!

“Lady Beatrice…?”

As Otto counted the remaining magical stones in his sleeve, Beatrice floated closer, reaching out as if to command him. Confusion crossed Otto’s brow as he failed to grasp her intention. Then,

“Let me correct my first statement. I’m glad you called for Betty to come here.”

“—”

“This one… I cannot allow this one to meet Subaru. If he meets them, it will hurt him—probably irreparably. Therefore…”

“Let’s take care of this ourselves, here and now.”

As Beatrice finished her sentence, Otto assertively declared.

Beatrice didn’t turn to face him, but her posture conveyed agreement. She was recognized by both herself and others as Subaru’s partner. Otto understood all too well the feelings of discontent at allowing the evil before them to approach him.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait! Hold on!”

At that moment, the dampening of their enthusiasm wasn’t due to Batenkaitos. It was Felt, who had quietly observed their conversation and stood beside Otto. She readjusted her grip on the package while pointing at Beatrice.

“You showed up here with a big shot’s vibe, but what can a little kid like you even do? I’ve heard you’re that guy’s partner.”

“Ah, well, um, that’s a bit of a complicated explanation…”

Faced with Felt’s most valid point, Otto found himself struggling to explain.

It wouldn’t harm to reveal that Beatrice was a spirit and had a contract with Subaru. However, it was a fact that he felt uneasy about Beatrice’s combat ability with Subaru absent—now that was the reality.

“It’s insulting for a kid to call me a little kid. If you’re worried about Betty’s strength, you should probably start worrying about your own feeble physique that shows no sign of future growth.”

“Hey, that’s a harsh thing to say! Just so you know, after I started eating and sleeping properly, I’ve grown taller and developed in other ways too! So, maybe you should worry about that first!”

“Unfortunately, Betty’s appearance is fixed in this design—so…”

They were about to enter a pointless squabble, but Beatrice stammered and interrupted it. Her eyes were fixated on the long package held by Felt.

It was the magical artifact she referred to as their “trump card,” but Beatrice looked surprised at its appearance.

“Is that… possibly ‘Meteor’?”

“Meteor?”

“My mother… long ago, a great magician created that staff to annoy dragons. I was sure it had gone missing, but what are the odds?”

Felt nodded ambiguously as Beatrice reiterated the vital part.

However, from Otto’s perspective, knowing that “mother” referred to the “Witch” that had disappeared from the tales made for a bewildering conversation.

There were many aspects he wanted to investigate further, but considering it was used by a witch to annoy dragons, the credibility of its performance couldn’t be doubted.

“I’ve heard its usage is complicated, but can I expect power from it?”

“It’s a staff with a legend that it made dragons weep. That’s reliable, I assure you.”

Although the scale of her story was so grand it felt intangible, one thing was clear: it was undoubtedly a remarkable weapon.

Otto nodded at Beatrice’s words, but Felt still seemed skeptical.

“Forget the part about what this is. More importantly, this little kid…”

“Your conscience is still fairly normal. But that’s a needless concern because…”

“Huh?”

“I’ve already activated it.”

Beatrice cast an alluring smile that seemed incongruous with her appearance, tilting her head. Raising her right hand, she pointed at Batenkaitos, freezing everyone in place.

—Around Batenkaitos, sparkling purple crystals enveloped him.

“Oh my, Lady Beatrice, how ruthless!”

“The reserves of hesitation and mercy to you have long since been out of stock.”

El-Minia.

Among the few offensive spells of Dark Magic, it had revealed its fangs.

Moments after Batenkaitos complained, the purple brilliance erupted in a whirlwind, raging toward the small figure in its line of fire.

The slender, immobile form was struck by a sharp, hard force—crystals shattered, cobblestones cracked, and smoke rose up. The disastrous scene in the plaza solidified the overwhelming power of the current onslaught.

“So, what does it feel like?”

Displaying her vast magical power, Beatrice turned to Felt with a victorious expression. For a four-hundred-year-old Great Spirit, it was rather immature, but even Felt found herself momentarily speechless.

“Uh, well, you did manage to do something decent this time.”

However, getting out a barely-there consolation showed Felt’s impressive grit.

“Your voice is shaking, Felt dear.”

“You’re no better! Shut up and keep your eyes on the front!”

As Gaston threw out a teasing jab, Felt yelled, attempting to hide her unease. However, not all of her words were mere distractions.

The figure of Batenkaitos, who should’ve been unguarded by the ensuing explosion of Beatrice’s magic, was nowhere to be found.

“Incoming—!”

Dainas’s voice, shadowed with dread, rang out, leading everyone to turn their gazes to where he was pointing. There, the “Gluttony” was on all fours, scrambling like a spider across the ground.

“Gluttony” laughed, baring its fangs and showing bloodshot eyes.

“Ha-ha! Lady Beatrice, you’re amazing! Fantastic, good, awesome, great, please, marvelous!”

Shaking his head vigorously, Batenkaitos bounced off the ground, making a beeline back toward them.

“—Five more shots.”

As Otto prepared himself for Batenkaitos’s approach, he heard Beatrice’s unsettling whisper as she licked her lips.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Upon activating El-Minia and launching a warning strike at Batenkaitos, Beatrice felt one of her magical stones shatter in her grasp.

Now she had six magical stones left—considering her own efficiency, she could only utilize five for attacks and defenses.

—In the current urban offensive and defensive situation, the prior skirmish between the Archbishop of Wrath and Archbishop of Greed at the Chronicle Tower plaza loomed large.

As a result of that battle, Beatrice had expended all her mana healing the injured Subaru and the city residents, excessively draining it to the point of impairing her activities.

The spirit Beatrice was an artificial spirit created by the “Witch” Echidna.

Her power was incredibly strong compared to ordinary spirits, but in exchange, she bore several pesky flaws.

Among them, the greatest flaw was that she had no means to recover the mana she lost, except to receive it from her contractor.

She couldn’t draw mana from the atmosphere or receive mana from other humans—resulting in no choice but to draw mana from Subaru over time to replenish what she had expended.

The reason she could still move now was due to utilizing a sort of forbidden method.

—Beatrice currently held seven large magic stones.

These stones were rare items that had accumulated an immense quantity of colorless mana over long years. One of them had already shattered, leaving six remaining.

These had been entrusted to her by the peculiar—no, rather peculiar person, Kiritaka, who had awakened Beatrice from a deep slumber to seek her aid in this plaza.

“I beg of you, please assist me, great spirit. Lend me your power to protect this city. My loved ones are in this city.”

In a disheveled, half-crying state, the pathetic Kiritaka pleaded, easily breaking apart what would typically be priceless magical stones to wake Beatrice.

To be honest, Beatrice wanted to rush to Subaru’s side.

The situation in the city had changed drastically, and Subaru was in danger just the same. Without her by his side, he would be incredibly worried.

That’s why now that she had awakened, she needed to—

“Am I a fool? No, I am one.”

Beatrice scolded herself, using worry as an excuse to try and lean on someone else.

If Subaru chose to fight and still left her behind, it meant there were strategies available for him without her presence.

Subaru didn’t overestimate her. On the contrary, he tended to underestimate his own strength far too much.

He’d never recklessly confront an unbeatable opponent, and if he needed Beatrice to win, he would have taken any measures necessary to awaken her.

Thus, in this fight of Subaru, she grudgingly acknowledged that she was not needed.

It was imperative that she produce results worthy of being lifted up by Subaru once he returned victorious.

The seven large magical stones were entrusted to Beatrice as reinforcements.

Since Beatrice was incredibly poor at utilizing mana from other sources, all the powered magic stones served as extremely inefficient conduits for usage in her emergency measures.

Inside her dress pocket, seven magical stones, normally capable of almost miraculous feats due to their pure mana, were being extravagantly wasted just to activate basic spells.

Typically, she would only need ten times the power for activation, but she was pouring in a thousand times the effort to unleash magic. On top of that, each use of any magic, no matter how minor, shattered a magical stone.

She had to reserve one for self-sustenance, leaving her with five to use in total.

—Meaning, she had just five moves available to close this out.

“Seems I’ve put off seeing my brother for a while. So for that, you will get to see hell!”

The large magical stones that Kiritaka possessed were originally sought to act as a vessel for Pack. The purpose it had on this trip had ironically transformed into something Beatrice had to shatter for battle.

“I’ve grown tired of hell! Everyone we swallow has the same experience in the end!”

With a shout, Batenkaitos lunged toward their group.

It moved carelessly, yet its piercing gaze was most focused on Beatrice.

It didn’t suspect that Beatrice’s mana would run out, leaving her gasping for air after just five further uses. To make things look that way, Batenkaitos had exchanged one magic stone to initiate a fearsome area attack, thus executing a masterful ploy.

Beatrice raised both hands and directed her palms toward the airborne figure of Batenkaitos.

“Al-Minia!”

“—!”

“It’s a lie.”

For a moment, Batenkaitos braced for the activation of an advanced magic spell. In response, Beatrice stuck her tongue out and jumped back dramatically.

As the shrinking Batenkaitos was about to be tackled by Gaston and Dainas, they let out a battle cry.

“Whoa!”

“Take this!”

The two men charged at Batenkaitos with their dual blades and fists.

A heavy, sharp strike descended upon “Gluttony,” but Batenkaitos evaded it with remarkable agility and countered with a dagger aimed at the two.

The dancing steel aimed for Dainas’s neck.

“Close… Gah!”

“Sorry!”

Gaston jumped in front, taking the blow meant for Dainas, when a loud thud rang out, tempering the dagger’s impact.

But as Gaston staggered back, coughing, red blood spilled from his mouth.

—This was the limit of the “Flow Art” commonly employed in manipulating mana during battle.

Gaston’s combat technique, which relied on rigorous training, was a form known as “Flow Art.” It sought to explore mana usage distinct from magic.

Unlike magic, where talent was a significant factor, this was a field where only the amount of rigorous training mattered, requiring blood, sweat, and tears to master in actual combat.

“But I might have pushed him too hard.”

From Beatrice’s perspective, Gaston’s potential was mediocre; he didn’t even seem to exceed the level of an average person.

The fact that he managed to grapple with the Archbishop of Sin was entirely owing to Batenkaitos’s considerable restraint against him.

“Oooh, come on!”

“Ugh?!”

As Gaston knelt, coughing blood, he received a kick to his chin.

Blood spewed from his nose as the giant collapsed, rendered unable to fight. This meant their fighting force was now reduced by one.

“You really tried hard, Gaston! You get an effort award! —You did your best, but it didn’t work out! Such a fitting evaluation for beings like you!”

“—You bastard!”

In the face of Batenkaitos’s mockery of the fallen Gaston, Felt’s blood boiled, prompting her to strike out with Meteor.

Used correctly, its power could carry the mark of the “Witch.” However, employing it as a mere bludgeon wouldn’t even remotely demonstrate its full capabilities.

“Whoa! Felt, you go, girl!”

“Shut up! Get out of my way, you idiot!”

Struggling with the long object, Felt continued to strike Batenkaitos with her superior agility. Yet, Batenkaitos danced elegantly as it dodged every attack.

Though Meteor nearly grazed “Gluttony’s” hair, it failed to produce any meaningful damage. The overwhelming disparities in skill were glaring. It’s like they were being toyed with.

“Just get away from me, would you? That big guy over there was collected by our merchant!”

“As if I could do something that dexterous!”

The disparity was glaring, and if they were retaliated against, a loss was all but assured.

While Felt confronted Batenkaitos, Otto anxiously attempted to drag Groggy Wasteland away from the battlefield. Dainas also tested his dual blades, searching for gaps to intervene amidst the clash between Felt and Batenkaitos, but the right moment remained far from forthcoming.

Would-be gaps for opportunity sparked Batenkaitos’s focus, waiting for fluctuations in the situation. Even though it seemed numerically disadvantaged, “Gluttony” was effectively dominating the field.

“What in the world?! What is it? Why is it? What could it be? Why is it happening to Felt? How pitiful, shall I not help her?”

“You noisy pest! You should shut up and just take your lumps…”

“Well— it’s about time I grew bored of this.”

“Ugh?!”

As Felt raised Meteor to shout, Batenkaitos charged in. The distance between them disappeared, and “Gluttony’s” hand grazed Felt’s frail chest.

Instantly, a jolt propelled the girl backward, her high-pitched scream echoing as she tumbled across the cobblestones.

The force was so severe she couldn’t even execute a proper roll to protect herself—yet that wasn’t the problem at hand.

“No! I can’t let it touch her—!”

Overwhelmed, Felt clutched her chest and coughed. Otto’s voice shot out in response, realizing her deep-seated concerns.

The preparations for “Gluttony’s” meal had been finalized.

“Felt-chan… —Itadakimasu.”

By some principle, Batenkaitos displayed his left hand as he touched Felt, deliberately licking its palm to flaunt it.

As if there existed something precious belonging to the girl called “Felt” within.

With affection, he placed it on his tongue, lovingly caressing it, scraping off every little bit, tasting it, and then, without mercy, swallowed it whole.

When that act was complete, “Gluttony’s” meal concluded, and the “name” was absorbed into the desecrator.

Thus, the marks of the girl “Felt” vanished from the existence of the world—

“Ugh…”

“Huh? What’s up with you? That’s rude, dude.”

Shaking her head, Felt looked down at Batenkaitos, who was now kneeling and retching.

Naturally, her existence hadn’t been eradicated; Felt merely tilted her head in dismay.

—It was the moment when “Gluttony’s” meal had embarrassingly failed.