The first day of conquering the Augria Sand Dunes was wrapped up as soon as the sun set.

As night approached, the longest of the three daily “Sand Times” would arrive. Pushing through the sand imbued with toxic mist would erode the body and risk losing one’s way.

If one couldn’t even catch sight of the Pleiades Watchtower, it would be wise to spend the night recovering stamina and gathering vigor for tomorrow.

“By the way, just to confirm, do the measures against magical beasts still work while we sleep?”

“Of course! It’d be just too foolish and laughable to have the critters gnawing on our behinds while we snooze!”

Knowing the ferocity of the magical beasts of the Augria Sand Dunes, Subaru was feeling a bit hesitant—well, quite a bit, actually. Meily, seeing Subaru’s cowardice, took great joy in it.

She seemed genuinely happy to prove her usefulness since the sandworm incident; her mood had noticeably brightened since then. Subaru realized that keeping Meily in a good mood could be a life-or-death situation, so he intended to take that seriously going forward.

Anyway, it was night.

For the time being, they began preparations against the sand using their dragon carriage as a base in a well-viewed sandy area. But there wasn’t much need for a grand setup.

One person’s burden aside, the method was deceptively simple.

“Okay, Emilia-chan. I know I’m always asking, but please.”

“Yeah, just step back a bit. —Ha!”

With a cheerful shout akin to sticking an ice tower into the ground, Emilia cast her magic. An ice wall formed on the east side of the stopped dragon carriage, effectively shielding against the sandstorm and completely blocking out the sand.

There was no worry of it melting and it would be useful for protection against minor magical beasts. The problem was it looked and felt cold, but if one could overlook that, it was sufficiently effective.

“I’m not too keen on relying on Lady Emilia’s power continuously…”

“That’s fine. I told you, didn’t I? Subaru and Julius are working hard while we move. And besides, as I said, I’m feeling super good!”

“It’s said that people usually feel nauseous, so that seems pretty risky too…”

Glancing at the ice wall with a sigh, Julius commented while Emilia flexed her arm. Noticing her soft, white upper arms, Subaru thought he should keep an eye on her condition as well.

In reality, the air in the sand dunes, said to be imbued with the toxic mist, had a unique ‘heaviness’ to it.

That heaviness seemed to affect Subaru’s body too, and it looked like Beatrice and Julius were also speaking less because of it. It could be that Anastasia and Ram’s quietness inside the dragon carriage was related to this as well.

Conversely, Emilia and Meily seemed to be in good spirits.

They didn’t seem to share any commonalities, but given how extreme the effects were, it shouldn’t be neglected. Honestly, Subaru wanted to escape the dunes as soon as possible.

“Patience is key. I can understand your eagerness to hurry, but let’s not rush it.”

“—”

Looking up at the Eastern sky blocked by ice, when Subaru fell silent, Julius called out. Subaru felt as though they had seen through his internal feelings, so he snorted and turned away from the ice wall. That was when Patrasche’s nose nudged against Subaru’s shoulder as he approached.

One after another, Subaru couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“So you’re trying to calm me down too, huh?”

“Not at all, that wasn’t my intention. I think you jumped to that conclusion on your own.”

Beatrice, who had been pushing her back against him, turned her face away meaningfully.

Was his impatience that visible? Subaru scratched his head. Looking over, he found Emilia gazing at him gently, and when their eyes met, she waved at him cutely.

Feeling suddenly shy, Subaru clapped his hands.

“Alright, thanks to Emilia-chan, we’ve secured our sleeping arrangements, so let’s prepare for tomorrow. The ‘Sand Time’ will end at dawn, so by then…”

“Before that, we need to treat Ram.”

“Oh, right. Yeah. So, Emilia-chan and Beatrice, I’m counting on you.”

Trying to change the topic quickly, Subaru was stopped by Emilia, who began their routine. She and Beatrice nodded at Subaru’s request, and treatment began while the men were left outside.

By the way, why were Subaru and Julius left outside while the treatment began?

“—Nn.”

Though it was through the door, he could faintly hear the treatment starting.

A voice, trembling with pain as if enduring something, belonged to Ram. A soft glow emerged inside the dragon carriage as mana from the four elements was used for treatment.

The sight of Ram receiving treatment while mana was poured into her wound from the place where her horn had been lost was painful but undeniably also strangely alluring.

Since seeing the treatment scene on the first day, the men had declined to be present during these sessions.

“Honestly, I can’t understand Roswaal’s thinking in wanting you to do that.”

“It’s undeniably an honor of sorts. Lady Ram is lovely and enchanting. However, considering who she’s looking at, it’s hard to genuinely rejoice over it.”

“Roswaal should understand that too, yet here we are. So, why does this continue with Ram?”

“There are certain connections between people that can’t be gauged from the outside. The same goes even more for relationships between men and women. To put it extremely, you and I didn’t have a great first meeting either. At the very least, I never imagined we would shoulder this life-threatening journey together like this.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Hearing the sounds of treatment from behind, Subaru subtly flushed and rubbed his nose.

Julius maintained a composed expression, but the innocent young man was clearly being stirred. Still, they couldn’t afford to wander off and be sniffed out by dangerous magical beasts. Therefore, it was essential.

“Looks like I can see your internal struggles, Natsuki-kun.”

“Whaaaaaaat!?”

As he quietly listened, he felt breath against his ear, causing Subaru to jump. Losing his balance, he rolled onto the sand to see Anastasia making her way around from behind the dragon carriage. Julius, who had been on guard during Subaru’s panicked reaction, broke into a grin at the sight of Anastasia, looking over at Subaru as he tumbled.

“That was quite the surprise, wasn’t it? Almost as if you were thinking something naughty.”

“Huh? I wasn’t thinking anything naughty or anything! Um, I don’t get what you’re saying! Not at all! Not one bit! What’s up, Anastasia-san? I’m all ears!”

“You’re terrible at covering up, you know? Well, that’s fine. While you’re intrigued by what’s happening inside, I still have something important to discuss.”

Brushing off Julius’s disdainful gaze, Subaru gave Anastasia a thumbs up. Anastasia smiled wryly at his reaction, stomping the sand with her boots.

“Wow, this is tough to walk in. Yet, Julius and the others seem to manage just fine.”

“We’ve trained for this kind of situation, at least.”

“When your footing is unstable, the best approach isn’t to test it and tread slowly but to step with enough force, allowing the soles of your shoes to do the work. That’s what I’ve learned from Krlind.”

Anastasia nodded as if impressed by her own words, then dropped the collar of her robe, revealing the hidden lower part of her face. She let out a deep breath.

“I understand the sand, but it feels hard to breathe. I want to get to a place free from the sandstorm so I can take a deep breath.”

“I agree. I also want to take a bath. My head is already covered in sand.”

One could understand why people in the desert wrap turbans around their heads.

Against the unbearable land, the way humans survive is perfectly logical. Subaru also wrapped some cloth around himself, but it was still insufficient.

“I agree on the bath. I wish there was one at the Sage’s home.”

“…You surely can’t expect that much, right?”

“Even if Echidna knows the way, it’s not like I’ve been there myself.”

Anastasia further withdrew the collar of her robe to show the fox fur scarf she always wore. The premise of their journey being led by Echidna was still a significant factor.

It would be pointless to doubt her, but it was something to keep in mind.

“So, when you say ‘something important,’ I can assume that refers to the future, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll respectfully listen.”

Subaru and Julius took up attentive stances as Anastasia puffed out her thin chest. In response, she turned back toward the dragon carriage in a dramatic manner.

“From today on, we’ll be sleeping in the carriage, but… the two boys will have to sleep in the front seats. Since it’s a compact place with girls, you can’t let your guard down.”

“Let’s drop those kinds of talks, okay!?”

“I just wanted to lighten the mood, but… okay then.”

Honestly speaking, it was nothing to make a fuss about at this point. He was all too aware of his own cowardice and the relaxed nature of the others.

That said, leaving Subaru’s internal outcry aside, Anastasia shifted the discussion back to the topic at hand.

“Today, we managed to advance toward the watchtower. How do you feel about it?”

“Well, honestly… there weren’t any major accomplishments.”

Pondering regarding the question, Subaru reflected on the day. Arriving at the Augria Sand Dunes around noon, he and the others had spent practically half the day navigating after waiting through the morning’s ‘Sand Time.’ They had just entered the evening’s ‘Sand Time.’ Up until now, the results were—

“The tower is perfect as a landmark, and I asked Emilia-chan to mark our way back. Also, Meily’s effectiveness was stronger than I expected—that’s about it, right?”

“With our prior preparations and Subaru’s ingenuity, we dealt well with the ‘Sand Time.’ However, the issue remains that we can’t see the route along to the Pleiades Watchtower… perhaps?”

“You can’t see the route?”

Subaru furrowed his brows upon hearing what should have been a continuation from Julius and the contradictory conclusions. Julius sighed as he looked at Subaru.

“Indeed, we’ve advanced thus far without any notable setbacks. If we can maintain this, I agree.”

“Stop beating around the bush and just say it directly!”

“Then let me be straightforward—Subaru, don’t you notice the oddity of the tower?”

“——”

At Julius’s calm question, Subaru held his breath.

He then looked at the watchtower—the colossal structure that distinctly asserted its presence even in the night, standing translucent beyond the ice wall.

Even if Julius pointed out the unusualness, Subaru couldn’t perceive any abnormality about the watchtower. It should have remained unchanged since their arrival at the sand dunes.

—It should remain unchanged.

“—!?”

“It seems you’ve realized. That tower is undeniably neither drawing close nor further away. We’ve been walking toward that tower all this time, but… the distance hasn’t shrunk.”

As pointed out by Julius, Subaru finally understood the abnormality.

The Pleiades Watchtower, visible from afar, still remained unchanged in its impressive size, persistently sitting there without any perception of change.

“No way…”

“Subaru, I understand your feelings of panic. However, steady yourself…”

“So, are you saying all our efforts trudging through sand today for nothing!? This攻略 is too troublesome—!”

“…Huh?”

Kicking at the sand beneath his feet and raising his voice, Subaru caused Julius to falter in his response. Subaru crouched down in front of the bewildered Julius, scooping up sand and pouting.

“Seriously, are you kidding me? Finding that out just drained all my energy! Being told my efforts were in vain is just seriously harsh. Ugh, this is the worst.”

“It seems like the emotional toll isn’t as significant as I thought.”

“Where are you looking?! I’m suffering over here! I’m super discouraged and I’ve had a miserable experience. If you knew about it, you should’ve told me sooner!”

“I decided to keep quiet until I was sure. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“You guys always do that…”

Throwing the sand he picked up back to the ground, Subaru stood while clapping his hands. Once again glaring at the downcast Julius, Subaru expressed his anger.

“Could you stop with this suggestive silence? I won’t get mad if you just spit out your thoughts! Instead, it could help us find a clue! What the hell is this ‘let’s keep this to ourselves’ mentality? Has it ever improved a situation? Because it sure hasn’t for me!”

“A-ah, I’m sorry.”

“Even the smallest things, just speak up right away! This is something I told Ram, who’s supposed to be a攻略 impossible character. Should I have to tell everyone to speak out?”

Totally perplexed by how poorly communication was handled, Subaru sighed, while Julius looked apologetic. After finally gaining the upper hand against the “greatest knight,” he managed to find one silver lining amid the many inconveniences and redirected his gaze to Anastasia.

“So, you were saying you might have a guess about this phenomenon?”

“I regretted not giving you more context… In truth, I was half in doubt until today confirmed it for me. It’s a relief for me that you feel this way.”

“Going off of your half-doubt should be a requirement from now on. So, what’s going on?”

Sticking out his tongue at Anastasia, he urged her to continue. She prefaced her words with, “Please don’t be shocked when I say this.”

“There’s probably a distortion in the space between this sand dune and the watchtower.”

“A distortion in the space…?”

“In other words, it’s not connected like it appears.Nos what we’ll keep walking straight ahead, we likely won’t reach it for quite a while.”

Anastasia bluntly revealed the shocking truth, leaving Subaru with his mouth agape. Given that she had disguised it as something she had heard from Echidna, it was clear she had known the whole time.

“So that’s the reason why Reinhardt and the other challengers couldn’t reach it.”

“Although the tower itself is right there, all that’s left is to close the distance… Having desperately made it through a den of magical beasts, it’s only natural to crave just one more step.”

“——”

It was easy to imagine the regrets of adventurers who fell short of their goal at such a crucial moment.

The obstacle that even Reinhardt gave up on—the distortion in space denying access to the watchtower—and the sands that, in fact, couldn’t be reached— that must be the trick.

“So how can we break through that?”

“…It might be a little off to discuss breaking it. This is a natural trap created by the toxic mist. No human effort can affect it.”

“A natural trap?! This one!?”

Rarely, nature creates traps that almost seem to carry a murderous intent by their mere existence.

Mirages commonly seen in the desert or sneaky narrow paths leading up to cliffs in a snowy area. Given a broad definition, even bottomless pits and the ebb and flow of tides can be life-threatening to humans.

However, this watchtower’s existence was too much—

“Is that really a trap orchestrated by nature? That seems a bit excessive.”

“The Pleiades Watchtower was built in a place where such phenomena naturally occur. From that perspective, it’s not unusual at all; it actually makes sense.”

“Make sense? In what way?”

“Let’s not forget. The sand dunes lead to the watchtower, but that’s not the only thing beyond this dune. After all, what’s the purpose of the watchtower?”

Julius admonished Subaru, urging him to think. The answer popped into Subaru’s mind right away. The purpose of the watchtower was to seal the “Witch’s Shrine.”

And the unsolvable trap of the dunes served as a deterrent for the witch cult aiming for the resurrection of the “Witch of Envy,” likely exerting quite an impact.

To some extent, it couldn’t be faulted.

“…! I get it. Regardless of how the tower was built and why it’s there doesn’t matter right now. The real issue goes back to breaking through that distorted space.”

“You understand it’s impossible to cut off the root, right? This is simply that kind of land.”

“That checks out. I’ve grasped the geography and features of this place. Next, let’s find the weaknesses. Since you volunteered as the guide, there should surely be one—an alternative route.”

“Without an alternative route, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we? However, whether it counts as a route is debatable.”

Anastasia chuckled at Subaru’s insistence while adopting a dramatic pose. She then nodded toward Subaru and Julius, stating,

“During one of those ‘Sand Times,’ there should be a moment when space connecting to the watchtower opens up. We must pass through that to truly enter the sand sea. That’s the condition for breaking through.”

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Starting from the next day, the attack on the sand dunes faced a series of incredibly challenging situations.

The conditions for the route to the watchtower, disclosed by Anastasia, were shared by all. This meant that most of their movements before the ‘Sand Time’ would be in vain, expecting to have time to kill during it.

But such worries were eased by—

“The crucial part is that whether we’ll be able to reach the distortion when ‘Sand Time’ comes is up to chance. So, I think it’s not bad to keep moving instead of staying in one spot.”

“Plus, if we stay in one place for too long, the local animals might start to recognize our scent. I’m fine, but if anything happens and I get separated, they’ll come after me.”

Thanks to Anastasia and Meily’s opinions, they managed to avoid being stagnant.

The former’s opinion was somewhat unreliable, but the latter’s was truly a matter of life and death. It was a situation they didn’t want to consider too deeply but facing the danger was only a sign of cowardice. True courage lies in facing fear head-on and still moving forward.

“That’s right, isn’t it, Emilia-chan?”

“—? Yeah, that’s true.”

“Lady Emilia, please don’t take this too seriously. It’s just an embarrassing moment.”

They regularly exchanged words among the people in the dragon carriage, yet even when told that yesterday’s expedition was in vain, their motivation didn’t sink.

There was still ample food and water prepared in Milura. Thanks to Emilia and Beatrice’s spirit magic, the effects of the toxic mist were being kept at bay, making it seem they had no worries.

“Truthfully, not knowing how many days it’ll take is stressful.”

“Subaru, if you get sand in your mouth, spit it out. Even a small amount could be tainted with toxic mist. If you treat it casually, you’ll regret it later.”

Beatrice warned Subaru, who was completely used to the feel of sand in his mouth, as she pulled out a container of water.

“Here, rinse your mouth out. We might not be able to bathe, but let’s at least clean up inside our mouths.”

“Sure, sure… Speaking of which, you somehow always stay clean without a bath.”

“Beatrice’s body is mostly made of mana. Naturally, I maintain cleanliness at all times. Being cute anywhere, anytime is simply a given for me.”

“Alright, alright, adorable, adorable.”

Despite Subaru’s dismissive response, Beatrice puffed out her cheeks, but he gave her head a gentle rub, playing with her vertically twisted hair. Today it was in braids.

“Oh look, we’ve spotted a group of magical beasts… If they’re keeping their distance like that, they just seem like ordinary animals.”

“If they get too close, brother, they’ll surely jump right in for a bite. It’s strange; all the animals around here keep staring at you.”

Bringing Patrasche closer to the dragon carriage, Subaru observed the group of magical beasts separated from their path. Meily looked at Subaru with an expression of wonder and murmured, “How strange.”

It seemed she didn’t comprehend Subaru’s “lingering scent of the witch.” He had been thinking that it was something of the same nature as the toxic mist, but he really didn’t have a clear answer. At any rate, it didn’t seem that the scent had dissipated from Subaru or that the beasts were less compelled by its presence.

“Hey, could that be a nostalgic magical beast? Ram, take a look!”

“Being described as part of a fond memory is rather unpleasant. The only memories I have of it are the awful experiences Ram and Balus went through.”

The pack of magical hounds peering from a distance were of that breed which had attacked the old Roswaal Mansion. While Subaru’s excitement rose, Ram’s demeanor was sharp and chilly.

“Don’t say that. Those beasts were intermediaries for my connection with you and Rem. Without them, I might not be who I am today. If I think about it that way, my relationship with them isn’t so bad… I mean, no! That’s awful! It sucks!”

“Quit setting yourself ablaze only to put it out yourself. It’s pitiful to watch, miserable to listen to, and just thinking about it makes it embarrassing.”

The pain from a year prior resurfaced at the sight of this pack of magical beasts. Ram sighed at Subaru’s heated outburst, quickly closing the window of the dragon carriage, cutting off the topic.

Regrettable but unavoidable. In Ram’s mind, that incident from a year ago had been reinterpreted as a resolution made in cooperation with Subaru devoid of Rem. It was unclear how they could have conquered the pack of magical beasts without Rem, but somehow the memory alteration didn’t seem to create any dissonance.

If Rem’s memory were to resurface within Ram, the missing piece would fill in, and they would hit it off naturally. At that time, it would be a different story, but he had a feeling he’d still be coldly disregarded.

“Waaah! Sand Time is insane! Sand Time is amazing! The sandstorm is outrageous!”

“While I tried my best to create transparent ice, let me know if it’s not working.”

“Pretty much, this is already really getting bad! My theory about ice being all-powerful is crumbling!”

Then, finally, it was time for the crucial “Sand Time.” Subaru dove headfirst into the sandstorm, trying to charge through to find the distortion that led to the tower, but the onslaught of sand far exceeded anything he’d imagined.

What was particularly unexpected was a total defeat of the ice wall that had supported their adventure with such great performance until now.

“This ice wall is incredibly sticky with sand! I can’t see a thing! It’s way too windy; having such a big ice surface facing the wind is pure suicide!”

“What!? Did Subaru say something!? I can’t hear you at all!”

“It’s too windy; this is way too dangerous!!”

“What!? You want to die?! No way, that’s not okay! Don’t get weak-minded!”

“Why are you even talking about that… urgh! Sand just violently got into my eyes!!”

“What!? What did you say!? Say it one more time! Subaru? Subaru—!”

“Ask me to say it again in this Sparta-like manner… urgh!!”

“Subaru—!?”

The sandstorm had escalated to the point of being near a sand blizzard.

While Subaru and his group were fully focused, their interactions were like a scene from a comedy.

Holding a thin ice sheet purely meant to block the sand was nothing less than tantamount to suicide against the gale head-on. It would be better to fully cover oneself with cloth and shrink down to minimize the amount of wind passing over them along with the Earth Dragon.

However, the drawback to that strategy would be—

“Hang in there! You can do it, Giant! You’re my only hope!”

“———”

The Earth Dragon, faced with the full force of the sandstorm, was thrust into action. The days spent traversing the dunes had grown to several by now, and the bonds formed were increasingly evident in their chosen names.

To put it simply, they named the Gaillard-type Earth Dragon pulling their dragon carriage “Giant.”

And now Giant’s hard work was the key to breaking through the sandstorm. After all, there wasn’t a way to make the carriage smaller against the wind when it was carrying the women.

Thus, the only option was for Giant to pull the dragon carriage with all its might while braving the winds.

“I don’t like putting too much strain on the Earth Dragon, but… right now, I’m counting on you.”

“Come on! You can do it! I don’t want to return to that endless sea of sand!”

Julius, holding the reins, and Meily, sitting next to him, both cheered Giant on.

Because they were the ones who had witnessed Giant’s efforts most closely, they could confidently throw out their words of encouragement.

“———”

Though they couldn’t even open the windows in the wind, Subaru believed Emilia and the others were worriedly praying for them from inside.

At the very least, as a sandstorm measure, he had Emilia modify the dragon carriage with ice a bit. If they plastered an ice sheet on the front, they could protect against sand but couldn’t withstand the intense onslaught of wind.

So, Subaru’s desperate move was to craft wings that diverted the wind and form an acute angle—imagining a spear striking fiercely into the wind.

“This is an application of my mini-four-wheel drive modifications. I can’t risk cutting back on weight, but I feel like I did what I could. Now go for it, Gungnir—pierce through!”

“——!”

In response to Subaru’s call, Giant swiftly stepped forward. The dragon carriage, transformed into a spear, broke through the incoming wind, pushing ahead, moving forward.

Eventually, that dragon carriage with the name of the divine spear struck into the wound it had created in the winds, ripping apart the sand’s might, and then broke through—

“———”

The moment they broke through the sandstorm, what greeted Subaru was a terrifyingly sharpened silence.

The wind that had been roaring right by his ear, the sand that had been relentlessly pounding against him, and the toxic mist that had spurred the beasts into action—all vanished as if they had been nothing but illusions.

“———”

The end of the ‘Sand Time’ was indeed abrupt, yet it held more lingering effects.

The wind carrying the sand gradually eased its strength, slowly fading away like retreating waves, leaving behind only the unique scent of sand.

However, for this occasion, there was none of that. This indicated that the conclusion of this ‘Sand Time’ was entirely different from the ones prior.

“———”

Feeling a thirst in his mouth, Subaru turned around.

There stood Julius and the others, equally dazed after breaking through the sandstorm. Naturally, if they were there, so was Giant, along with the carriage.

“—Julius.”

“Yeah.”

In response to Subaru’s calling, Julius, who had been frozen in place, nodded. Then, without prompting, they both raised their hands and tightly clenched their fists, celebrating the breakthrough of ‘Sand Time.’

Meily could be seen brushing off the sand stuck to her body next to Julius, caring for Giant. Giant had indeed earned this journey’s heroic accolade.

They owed every gratitude possible, rewards, and praise— just,

“Right now, let’s celebrate! We made it through! We did it—!”

“Enough! You’ve been a nuisance in my ear for ages—!!”

As Subaru jubiliated, Beatrice’s palm impacted his chin from below.

The stunning blow made his vision spin, sending Subaru tumbling off Patrasche and onto the sand. With his head buried in the sand, and a mouthful of it, he sprang upright to angrily confront Beatrice.

“What the heck was that!? I was about to be all happy and then you suddenly do that! I just swallowed a bunch of sand in surprise!”

“You’re hugging Beatrice and being noisy by yourself! Spouting off about some downdraft, off-road, or whatever, it’s completely nonsense! My ears are ringing the whole time!”

While still on Patrasche, Beatrice launched an intense protest at Subaru.

No matter how many explanations Subaru could offer, it was undeniable that he had gotten a bit too excited and had thrown out various terms at random. What in the world was Gungnir, anyway?

“Ahem… Regardless! The important thing is that we managed to break through ‘Sand Time.’ We should be glad about that. Look! Hooray!”

“…Shouldn’t you be saying that?”

Ignoring Beatrice’s grumpy demeanor, the breakthrough of the sand barrier was undeniably accomplished.

He stroked the neck of Patrasche, offering his gratitude for the bravery of his stalwart dragon who showed no sign of fatigue.

At that moment, he dashed toward the dragon carriage, eager to share in the joy when—

“—Hey, brother.”

“Huh? What’s up? You could be a bit more excited—”

“Shut up.”

Meily’s sharp words stopped Subaru’s hurried pace, compelling him to turn around. There was a clearly evident caution in her stance toward an unmistakable danger.

—Subaru wasn’t so dim-witted as to misunderstand what this meant.

“———”

Silenced, Meily placed a finger over her lips, then slowly pointed with her other hand to indicate the direction ahead.

Subaru, along with Julius and Beatrice, followed her finger’s movement and turned to look forward.

Having overcome the sandstorm of ‘Sand Time,’ the twisted sand sea leading to the watchtower had been cleared.

As such, the silhouette of the watchtower rose more prominently than it had before, clearly much larger and clearer than before.

The specific distance to their goal was set anew; that much was clear.

However—

“…What’s that?”

Spreading before them, filling the sands leading to the watchtower, were vibrant fields of flowers.