――A patchwork of colorful flower fields amidst the sandy dunes.

　It was night, and curiously, there were no starry lights visible in the sky above the dunes.

　Though there seemed to be no clouds, the reason for the lacking sky visibility was the miasma shrouding this vast sandy ocean, as I had been informed beforehand.

　Was it Beatrice who explained this, or was it Emilia or Julius? Subaru couldn’t quite remember.

　However, what was clear now was the instinctive alarm urging him to focus on the ground, rather than the obscured sky, alongside the ominous unease of the flower petals’ brightness standing out against the night.

　The flowers’ vibrant hues were almost poisonous, an absurd mismatch for the sandy sea.

“Flower field in the dunes…”

　Even saying the words felt awkward, yet there was a sense of familiarity for Subaru.

　What struck him was the tale from the tavern in Milura, where the one-legged owner spoke of the flower fields appearing in the dunes.

　He had warned that if you see flowers in the dunes, you must flee at once.

――For that was the territory of the ferocious and vile Beast, Courtesan Bear.

“But even if I say to run…”

　Subaru mumbled weakly, stepping back as he gazed ahead.

　The information about the flower field being a beast’s territory was useful. It made sense that he should run immediately, given how deadly the beasts were. But there was a problem—the scale of it.

――――

　Subaru’s group fell silent, all breath held.

　Overcoming the wrath of ‘Sandy Time,’ they broke through the spatial distortion, only to face the sandy expanse leading to the watchtower—a flower field sprawling across their entire view.

　It was literally so densely packed that there was no place to step.

　This paradise of flowers had suddenly erupted in the sandy plains. It was incredulously suspicious.

　Without the tavern owner’s warning, they would have avoided it just the same.

　If he could fly, he would have fled without a second thought.

“It’s impossible to avoid this,” Subaru whispered to Meily with a voice almost indistinguishable from a raspy breath.

　Currently, the group was completely reliant on Meily for any countermeasure against the beasts. What decision she made would influence their path, but her complexion was decidedly pale as she stared at the flower field.

　Cold sweat beaded on her face, her normally fair skin drained of color. Without words, it was evident they were in a very precarious situation.

――――

　Slowly, Patrasche moved closer, a massive being doing so quietly in an unbelievable manner. As Beatrice signaled with her eyes, “Get on,” Subaru stepped towards the saddle, trying to remain as silent as possible as he mounted the dragon once more.

　Whether to advance or retreat, Subaru’s feet would be swallowed by the sand and rendered ineffective.

Even if decisions were made with the reins, it was Patrasche’s sure-footedness that he relied on for speed.

“…For now, it seems everyone is asleep.”

“――――”

　How long had passed where everyone waited for Meily’s judgment, holding their breath? It felt like it could have been seconds, or perhaps almost an hour until Meily softly uttered that.

　In response, Subaru relaxed his shoulders and guided Patrasche closer to the dragon carriage.

“That’s the Courtesan Bear’s territory, right?”

“Comparing it to the prior information, I’d say there’s no doubt. However… it’s a bit larger in scale than I imagined.”

“I bet the difference in scale is no mere two or three times more significant.”

　Taking a breath, Subaru and his companions exchanged their thoughts.

　Julius and Beatrice seemed equally struck dumbfounded by the overwhelming size of the flower field. Inside the dragon carriage, Emilia and co. peeked out fearfully from the small window, their joyful cheers for overcoming ‘Sandy Time’ suddenly stopped, wondering what had transpired.

“Subaru, what’s going on? The sound of the sandstorm has disappeared, but…”

“I managed to clear ‘Sandy Time’ perfectly. Just when I thought we had overcome the first obstacle, the second was waiting for us right away. Just look.”

“Look, you say… ah.”

　As Emilia took in the flower field from the small window, her throat seemed to freeze in amazement. She had also heard the tavern owner’s story. Naturally, she recalled the same information.

　As Emilia’s eyes widened, Anastasia and Ram looked over as well. Both gazed at the flower field, grimacing at the trial’s cruel nature between them and the watchtower.

“Even after overcoming the sandstorm and ‘Sandy Time,’ our next hurdle is this flower field. Do you have no information about the Courtesan Bear’s territory, Anastasia?”

“Guiding the way is my responsibility, but anything beyond that isn’t my forte. However, this is indeed a troublesome situation. What do we do?”

　Subaru hoped for Echidna’s input but got only a shoulder shrug from her. Exhaling forcefully, Subaru looked to Meily.

“Meily, with your ability, you can keep the beasts at bay, right? Can’t you make the Courtesan Bears retreat from that flower field?”

“…That’s difficult. If there are about ten or twenty or even a hundred, I can manage fine, but more than that and some won’t listen to my commands.”

“There’s a limit on numbers, huh?”

“There’s a quality limit, too. I can’t ask for too much even from the White Whale or Great Rabbit. The Courtesan Bear, in that respect, isn’t compatible with me. It’s a completely different matter from the Shadow Lion.”

“The Shadow Lion… right, the big one that showed up at the mansion.”

　Putting those thoughts aside for now, Subaru glared again at the flower field, taking into account Meily’s comments.

　A myriad of vast flower-petal paradises—how many beasts lurked within? It was certain there were well over the hundreds that Meily could handle alone.

“With the current situation, options boil down to either ‘advance’ or ‘retreat.’”

　As Subaru fell silent, Julius raised two fingers from the driver’s seat.

　Upon seeing Julius’s fingers, Subaru sighed.

“The ‘retreat’ option was never on the table in the first place. Sure, I’d hate to waste our progress in clearing ‘Sandy Time,’ but that doesn’t solve any problems. There’s no point in putting things off.”

“If we were to slip into a different ‘Sandy Time,’ we might find another route up to the watchtower. Stopping thoughtlessly and blocking our way is somewhat shortsighted, isn’t it?”

Three times daily, ‘Sandy Time’—Julius argued there could be a correct route hidden in any of them. They had slipped out of the midnight ‘Sandy Time.’ In addition, there were also morning and afternoon ‘Sandy Times,’ but could a different ‘Sandy Time’ really lead to a distinct pathway?

“No,” Subaru shook his head.

“Even if we come out on a different path, there’s no way it leads us safely to the watchtower. This is a flower field, but somewhere else might hold a different obstacle. Probably, there’s no easy path waiting for us.”

“…Indeed. That seems to be overly optimistic.”

“Also, with Meily here, this may be the best shot we have at crossing the Courtesan Bear’s territory.”

“Now you’re being too pessimistic. You’re still good at disparaging and then raising expectations.”

“I didn’t plan it that way. So, Meily, what are you thinking?”

　With an eye on Julius, who was looking increasingly grim about the situation, Subaru turned back to Meily.

　Accepting the situation, Meily was staring at the flower field as she slowly nodded and said, “Yeah…”

“There’s quite a number, but if you ask me to, I will try. I don’t have to make every beast listening.”

“Doesn’t have to be everyone…?”

“To pass through the flower field, I just need to make sure the minimum of Courtesan Bears are calm. Clear the path for us; the rest can stay quietly at sleep. As long as we don’t provoke them, we should be able to manage that.”

Perhaps having gained confidence in her own plan as she answered, Meily’s voice regained its strength.

At the very least, it showed she respected Subaru’s choice to ‘advance,’ which was genuinely appreciated. Subaru nodded at Meily and then surveyed everyone’s faces.

“I believe we should move ahead. After all, there’s no reward without diving into a risk. If we keep running away from problems, solutions will never appear.”

“Is it truly you speaking with such lofty words when you are so reliant on others?”

　Ram threw a sharp jab at Subaru’s declaration of advancing.

Pondering that rather typical retort, Subaru smirked and gave a thumbs up.

“Hey, it’s still true that I’m counting on Meily. If we accidentally provoke the beasts, this time it’ll be up to you, Emilia, Julius, and Beatrice. My bad!”

“――――”

“Oh, and you too, Patrasche. Sorry about that.”

　As Subaru scratched the head of his beloved dragon, who seemed to be unimpressed that it wasn’t named in the list, Ram distinctly rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Your self-awareness is mildly reassuring. Just be sure to act as a decoy if it ever comes to that.”

“That’s a nostalgic way to put it. You might not remember it, but—”

“――――”

　In her puzzlement at Subaru’s nostalgic words, Ram only raised an eyebrow.

　Back in the Forest of Magical Beasts, or perhaps on the morning they set out to the Royal Capital for the Royal Selection, Ram uttered very similar words. With Rem’s presence erased from his memories, and thus reconfiguring all related recollections, Subaru pondered where that conversation from that day had vanished to.

“Let’s go retrieve that memory. I don’t want to ever retreat, even for a second.”

“—Yeah, that’s right. I think you’re definitely right, Subaru.”

　With clenched fists, Subaru found his determination echoed in Emilia’s resolute expression.

　She touched the pendant around her neck, a momento of her feelings for the spirit sleeping within the great magical stone. From there, her deep indigo eyes looked straight at the flower field.

“Beyond this flower field lies the key to our precious memories. Let’s not stop. We will be alright. I promise to protect everyone.”

“That’s pretty embarrassing to hear from a girl, don’t you think?”

　In response to Emilia’s bold declaration, Anastasia looked toward Subaru.

　Subaru wanted to retort with a “shut up,” but in reality, considering Emilia’s words might just spell trouble ahead, it felt like an oddly complicated predicament for him.

—

　The distance to the Pleiades Watchtower had shrunk to within a few kilometers by rough estimation.

　Before they crossed ‘Sandy Time,’ as they blindly pushed through the Augria Sand Dunes, the distance to the watchtower—one they had expected to see—remained a constant of over ten kilometers.

Yet when compared, this was an overwhelming reduction in distance, making arrival seem imminent.

“However, it’s all contingent upon getting through this Courtesan Bear’s nest.”

　The flower field—massively sprawled—was boldly seated atop the sea of sand, its otherness striking.

Normal flora would take root in the ground, yet there was obviously no such ecology among these flowers. The slender stems and roots, only somewhat visible, indicated the flowers thrived not in the soil, but were intertwined with the flesh of the abhorrent beast itself.

“――――”

　With that unsettling thought in mind, as they approached the Courtesan Bear’s territory, Meily had issued a straightforward command to Subaru’s group—keep as silent as possible, that was all.

According to her, the Courtesan Bears were currently in a state of dormancy. They wouldn’t awaken easily, but conversely, the brutality of a beast waking up from sleep was nothing to underestimate.

“Awful beasts are usually at their most vicious right when they wake up. A subdued White Whale, for instance, is dangerous and a hassle right after it emerges along with the fog.”

　That had been Meily’s side note on the White Whale.

　Considering her lecture, the moment Subaru and his group faced the White Whale, it had been precisely at that worst possible timing—right after its wake.

Memories of their past struggles recurred, and while it felt repetitive, it came as a proud moment that they had overcome it at all.

Regardless—

“Waking sleeping beings only to make them angry is a no-go, animal or human. So, stay quiet. If you do that, I can handle the rest.”

　Subaru’s group started to march stealthily as they followed Meily’s reassuring directive.

　This arrangement differed from their previous strategy against the sandy dunes, with the dragon carriage leading the way. Sitting at the driver’s seat, Meily conveyed her will to the Courtesan Bears—a direction which Julius would enact by pushing the dragon carriage forward. Subaru piloted Patrasche, staying close behind, mirroring their lead.

“――――”

　Clenching his body up, Subaru carried Beatrice in his arms. He could feel her body temperature, but she too appeared tense and perturbed.

Glancing up at the dragon carriage, a familiar silhouette was perched atop the roof—none other than Emilia.

“――――”

Noticing Subaru’s gaze, Emilia directed her deep indigo eyes toward him and raised a hand.

The reason Emilia chose to hide atop the roof was to be ready for immediate action in the event of any problems. Subaru wanted her to stay quietly inside the carriage, but in the current situation where Julius’s spirit arts were unreliable, Emilia was their only ally capable of delivering high firepower with area attacks. Of course, Beatrice could pull it off, too, but performing an intensive spell would leave Subaru completely out of mana.

Recklessly depending on others—the truth was this was one of Subaru’s nagging inferiority complexes.

And if only he didn’t have it, if he could navigate through this without needing anyone else, perhaps with Rem…

That weakness constantly lingered within him.

“――っ”

“――――”

As he wrestled with those unacknowledged emotions, suddenly, Beatrice nudged her chin upward against the back of Subaru’s head. In surprise, Subaru found her huffing.

It was a silent reminder to maintain focus solely on what lay ahead. Glancing upward again, it became clear that Emilia was also pointing at Subaru, urging him to focus while giving him a similar warning.

“――――”

Unable to voice his understanding or agreement, it transformed into a long drawn-out sigh.

Truthfully, he would have liked to tug his own cheeks to shake off the emotions, but even that sort of gesture could easily be disastrous, thus self-control was essential.

And just as Subaru resolved himself after traversing his usual mental detours, the front of the group reached the edge of the flower field.

“Move aside.”

The dragon carriage, pulled by the Giant, came to a stop, and drowned in the sound of creaking wheels, Meily’s quiet voice fell onto the flower field.

At first, Meily’s call bore no response, and Subaru bit down on his molars.

“Move aside.”

Again, Meily ordered.

Yet still, there was no change within the flower field. As the seconds dragged, Subaru’s stomach began to protest with a soft itch.

And then—

“――――”

　Finally, the flowers “woke up” as if the ground itself began to rupture.

“――――”

　Subaru involuntarily met the gaze of the beast that arose, and felt his throat tighten slightly.

The beast called the Courtesan Bear bore resemblance to a bear indeed. However, it was unmistakably different from any bear Subaru had known before—so different.

　The Courtesan Bear stood between two to three meters tall. Its legs were short, but its arms were abnormally long, nearly dragging on the ground. Covering its arms was a thick coat of black fur, and the sheer number of claw-like talons attached were clearly visible.

What was striking about its body too was that expressions of vibrant flower petals swayed along its back and sides, but upon closer inspection, what caught one’s gaze wasn’t the back, but the front of its body.

Though its hulking form was coated in black fur, it was not fur wrapped around its body, but rather, a mess of thinly tangled roots of the very flowers that enveloped it. The appearance made it look as if its skin was peeling back to reveal blood vessels underneath, as fine roots engulfed the beast entirely.

“――っ”

Despite being covered by the roots, the parts that the roots could not reach were grotesquely dry, and the flesh and skin had withered away. Its face was so parched that even the skull shape was discernible, and its round, bulging eyes burned with an almost hateful contempt toward everything in this world.

It was as if the flowers sucking the life out of its own body.

The Courtesan Bear did not coexist with the flowers—it was plainly being consumed by them.

“――――”

As the utterly repugnant beast, overwhelming disgust washed over Subaru as the Courtesan Bear begrudgingly complied with Meily’s words.

Slowly pulling its body from the earth, before its roots could snag on anything, the sound of roots snapping echoed as it cleared the path.

　To make way for the dragon carriage, it took action, and the number of Courtesan Bears began to rise in tandem with each step forward.

“Fu.”

Softly, a sigh escaped Julius’s lips, and the dragon carriage began rolling forward again.

Even Julius could hardly bear to witness the grim scene unfolding before them. Following behind the dragon carriage, Subaru and the rest ventured into the path opened by the Courtesan Bears.

“…Ugh.”

As soon as they entered the Courtesan Bear’s territory, a violent flowery scent assaulted Subaru’s nostrils.

The fragrant and cloyingly sweet scents intermingled tangentially with the powerful malodorous odor of the sandworms he’d confronted prior, yet the overwhelming clash of distinct and sugary aromas still seemed inherently volatile.

Subaru felt his senses being overwhelmed, as though the gears in his mind began to fry from the sweet scent.

“――――”

The horrid aroma genuinely gave rise to vertigo, almost bringing on a headache.

He would have preferred the vexations brought on by the sandy winds over this nauseating scent wrapping around him like poison. It was a thought he entertained genuinely.

Yet even as Subaru wished belatedly, the group proceeded deeper into the flower field without a gust of wind to carry it away.

“――っ”

All of a sudden, Beatrice tugged at Subaru’s sleeve, alerting him to something. Looking to her, Beatrice was constantly glancing over her shoulder.

Feeling an uneasy premonition from this gesture, when he turned around, he understood the meaning of Beatrice’s anxiousness.

The gap created by Meily’s command had begun to swiftly restore itself, as the flower field shifted back to its original state upon witnessing the passage of the dragon carriage and Patrasche.

With one task fulfilled the moment the dragon carriage passed, they seemed to revert back to their previous positions and drift into a state of dormancy once again, or so it appeared.

Whether they’d intended it or not, it would render stopping midway practically impossible. While indecisive resting in the midst of a beast nest was something he wanted to avoid as a joke, nonetheless…

“――？”

Right after that thought, the dragon carriage came to a halt.

Wondering what had happened, a clearer picture appeared when he looked ahead—the reason the dragon carriage had stopped was simple. A Courtesan Bear had risen up directly in front of them, standing there in a stupor, gazing vacantly at the two sitting at the drivers’ seat.

“――――”

As that one bore a suspicious movement, the other Courtesan Bears around started to change how they moved, their previous meekness vanishing in an instant. The attentiveness they had shown previously in crossing paths with the dragon carriage seemed to vanish, as all eyes fell on the one bear holding its ground before the vehicle.

――This is bad, Subaru realized instinctively.

Looking back, they had already traveled a few hundred meters past the point of entry into the flower field. The path behind them was thoroughly blocked, and it was plain to see they were encircled by Courtesan Bears on every side. The number of bears could easily reach several hundred or perhaps even up to a thousand. An overwhelming numerical disparity.

“――――”

As he thought that far, Subaru’s gaze met with Emilia’s on top of the dragon carriage.

She looked down at the Courtesan Bear before the carriage, perplexed about how to respond. If they were to enter combat here, the best choice would be for Emilia to cut a path with her magic and dash straight through the bear clutches.

Yet, they didn’t want to miscalculate the timing and rush headlong into it.

“Sh—”

　As Subaru and his group hesitated over what to do, the most composed among them was Meily.

She placed a finger against her lips, urging the hesitant Subaru and the others to settle down. Then, extending that same finger forward, she shot a glare at the Courtesan Bear staring at her.

“Chit chit chit.”

With a pointed finger and a sound akin to flicking her tongue, a sound reminiscent of someone coaxing a kitten slipped past Meily’s lips. It would seem like a soothing sight if she were dealing with a true kitten but proved utterly ineffectual facing an estranged, terrifying beast.

However, Meily’s finger wiggled, and in time, the Courtesan Bear’s gaze shifted from the drivers to Meily herself and then to her finger.

“Chit chit chit… chi—”

Convinced the Courtesan Bear’s focus had latched onto her finger, Meily proceeded to sluggishly turn her arm toward the right. As her finger indicated the direction, the bear that had blocked the path began to follow suit, moving its face in that direction, taking a deliberate step away.

“――o.”

A sigh of relief escaped from Subaru’s throat at the sight of the bear starting to move away.

Those who momentarily tensed—Emilia and Beatrice—have also relaxed visibly as a load fell off their shoulders. When the initial bear shifted, the others began mirroring that movement, returning to their previous retreating motions.

They were about to resume traversing the flower field—

“――――!!”

At that very moment, the tension broke on its own, becoming an outcry that one could not possibly put blame on a soul for.

All of a sudden, the scene erupted as those once dormant Courtesan Bears reacted in unison to the thunderous roar of the Giant, stomping the ground in alarm.

“Shit—”

As the Courtesan Bears stirred, the ones in dormant states immediately responded to the breakdown in their silence. The bear aimed at the dragon carriage turned promptly, and its burgeoning reactions began to ripple amongst the surrounding bears—the beasts opened their jaws, baring their fangs, ready to lunge at the dragon carriage.

Right before—

“—El! Human!!”

Charging forth, mana rapidly materialized, forming an icy spear that pierced through the head of the bear.

The sharp point plunged into its maw, pulverizing its insides until it exploded outward from its neck. The creature perished without a sound, crumpling backward, causing several adjacent Courtesan Bears to topple over as well.

“Run!!”

The instant Subaru marked this action—a surprise offensive by Emilia from atop the carriage—he shouted.

In answer to that call, Julius twitched the reins, and the dragon carriage surged ahead. Naturally, Patrasche followed suit, jolting towards the immobilized beasts sideways, breaking into a wild gallop.

“—!!”

“It’s coming, coming, coming, coming, coming—!!”

A delay echoed estranging across the night of the Augria Sand Dunes.

The vast flower field erupted in chaotic comotion, the venomous faces and teeth of the Courtesan Bears rushing toward the quickly approaching dragon carriage.

“Subaru! Hold on tight, or you’ll be thrown off!”

The overwhelming sensation of a fierce wind surpassed that of the surge of countless Curtesan Bears bearing down with murderous pressure.

Sturdy arms, tipped with sharp claws, waved threateningly, delivering unrelenting strikes to the figure of Subaru on top of the dragon. A direct hit could easily shatter a human body, and would surely guarantee a grim fate filled with internal organ destruction.

Yet just as that claw was to strike, a flash of blue-white glimmer intervened, plunging deep into the beast.

“Hey! Gotcha! Ha! Here comes… a whole lot of Humans!!”

Amidst wildly shifting mana and a burst of blue-white light swirling through the dark sky, it morphed into countless icy blades that aimed menacingly downward.

After a brief moment of stillness, propelled forth with sudden force, the ice blades sliced through bear heads, arms, torsos, legs, exploding into torrents of crimson mist.

“Whoa! As expected from Emilia! I’m falling for you again!!”

“That’s not the time to say stuff like that! Just run!”

“Right!!!”

Graced by Emilia’s timely support, Subaru urged Patrasche forward.

In this unexpected burst of battle, Emilia surprisingly remained calm in tackling the chaos. When he recalled it, despite her aversion to fighting, she never hesitated in actual combat. Indeed, the sense of anxiety she felt concerning battle simply evaporated once a brawl commenced.

“Balus, run for dear life if you don’t want to die!”

“Of course—wait, Ram!?”

As Emilia fought fiercely, the blue-white glow swept away the threats before the dragon carriage, freezing the group of bears attempting to surround them.

As the Giant charged through the icy figures, seated at the driver’s seat, there was Ram, who had unexpectedly moved from the carriage. Skillfully piloting the reins, she calmly guided the excited dragon, leaving Subaru dumbfounded, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Where’s Julius!?”

“If he doesn’t have ranged combat options, he’s of no use from the driver’s seat.”

With a swift glance back, Ram caught up with her answer. Following her gaze, Subaru was further shocked.

There, coated in sand, gripping the side of the dragon carriage and swinging his knight’s sword—Julius was wiping out the beasts fast approaching.

“For Emilia’s sake, I can’t let her shoulder all the burden!”

“You’re directly implying that at me!”

“That wasn’t my intention—”

As if cutting off his words, Julius clashed the advancing talons with his sword. The slash pierced through the gaps in the claws, inflicting deep gashes onto the Courtesan Bear’s arm. The remaining scrap of sword danced to finish off the bear, cleaving through its throat in brilliant arcs and ushering death.

The way he executed such feats radiated elegance with minimal destruction.

“Not a single one!”

Without pause, he sent the next beast reeling, delivering swift retribution while finishing his retort towards Subaru, inspiring both relief and a sense of inferiority within him.

For the moment, Emilia would cover long and mid-distance combat, with Julius handling close-range. If that continued, there was relief enough to temporarily set aside worries about the carriage.

However, the immediate threats loomed vast beyond their own concerns.

“Beatrice, can you handle it!?”

“Be careful not to run out of mana yourself, Subaru!”

With a surge, Subaru steadied himself atop Patrasche, one hand gripping the reins while the other lifted Beatrice, allowing her petite figure to rise above sea level.

With tightly clenched hands, Subaru felt something surging deep within his belly, a tumult simmering with heat flowed from him to Beatrice.

“Minya!”

As he began chanting, a purple crystal formed, locking onto the beast obstructing the dragon’s snout. As the targets aligned, the attack sped up—

With a reverberating sound, the magical strike contacted the beast, causing it to jerk backward, the crystal shattering, but not before the beast itself exploded into pieces of flesh.

“Alright! That’s the spirit, Beatrice!”

“However, I can’t unleash over and over again! Conserve your power… Minya!”

“Conserve what!?”

The tier of Beatrice’s strength was contingent upon Subaru’s mana reserve.

Even for Beatrice, who championed conservation to deal with the overwhelming numbers, she couldn’t afford to skimp. Each cast was a soul-churning loss, and Subaru remained buoyant, letting some slip back as comforting jests to lessen her anxiety.

Of course, Beatrice likely saw it through.

“Ah, geez! Why’s this happening! This is a last resort!”

Having remained quiet until now, the final weapon emerged dramatically and stomped her foot in anger.

Sitting beside Ram at the driver’s seat, Meily was holding back tears with a flushed face as she scanned around at the encroaching hoards of Courtesan Bears. Then, she pointed decisively at those unwilling to obey her orders.

“I’ll punish those bad, bad animals! Come on out, sandworms!”

“—No way!?”

Right after Meily playfully spoke in irritation like a sulky child, the sand beneath the erupted flowers shifted dramatically, and a massive figure erupted from below.

The titan’s ascent compelled surrounding Courtesan Bears aloft in the air, many of them thrown skyward. As Courtesan Bears crumpled to the ground from their height, many found themselves devoured whole by the beast’s overwhelming jaws.

Surfacing through the sand, the vile sandworm started ravaging through the flower field.

Reeking of decay, it unleashed a bizarre roar that split the night, charging toward the group of Courtesan Bears congregating about the dragon carriage and smashed them into the earth.

“Go, sandworm! Crush them all!”

“Seriously? Wait—! Are you kidding!?”

The ground shook as the weight of the enormous form writhed, with the zeroes of Courtesan Bears beneath it belting out howls of terror. Although the Courtesan Bear was hardly small-sized, it couldn’t even compare to the sandworm that measured over ten meters in length.

Once the sheer force of mass collided, courtesan bears fell one after another into lifeless corpses.

Awash in a clash of titanic proportions that felt akin to an epic showdown, Subaru found himself bereft of any coherent words.

Emilia and Beatrice worked hard with spells, Julius wielded his sword skillfully, and even Meily’s prowess barely cut through the advancing path as the dragon carriage progressed deeply into the flower field.

“Ah! The sandworm!”

Meily’s shriek echoed amid the chaos.

Before long, a sandworm assaulted by several Courtesan Bears tumbled, seeping copious amounts of viscous fluids as it collapsed into the sandy earth.

The sandworm’s fluid-coated flesh was inherently softer than the tough skin of snakes or insects, resulting in it easily becoming prey to the talons, letting out a death rattle as it slumped.

“Next! Next! Come, come!”

The fall of the massive beast drew an astonished gasp from a pale Meily, whose hands clapped. Instantly, the sand surged again, another sandworm emerging from the depths.

Now a total of six appeared simultaneously, yet all remained much smaller than that first. Once they found themselves surrounded by Courtesan Bears, they’d undoubtedly be hunted down in no time.

“This is going nowhere…”

Pushed back by sheer numbers, Subaru sensed a deepening despair as his eyes desperately scanned surroundings for any way to overcome this. Until realization struck.

The previously perceived distance to the watchtower had all but vanished, shrinking onwards, almost within reach.

“Just a little further! If we can make it to the watchtower—”

While it wouldn’t automatically drop the beasts, this felt like unfathomable hope.

In that instant, he didn’t pursue any grand idea.

He merely felt that reaching the watchtower held the power to shift the circumstance entirely.

A shallow shred of hope—it was a feeling that proved evidently true.

“Let us—”

However, that power was hardly ever convenient.

It would be ironclad judgment passing down upon any wicked soul daring to approach the Pleiades Watchtower.

“――？”

Grasping tight onto Patrasche while supporting Beatrice, Subaru fixed intently ahead at the glimmering watchtower.

Sweat dripped down, and as he squinted slightly, he perceived a fleeting disquiet.

Somewhere at the tower’s center, it appeared as though something had shone.

“What…”

But that thought never extended beyond that first thought.

“――――”

—Light pierced through the air, converging unmistakably on Subaru’s head.

In an instant, Natsuki Subaru’s head exploded in a shockwave, evaporating from consciousness in its entirety.

“――――”

Those witnessing that fleeting tragedy remained silent.

None were left to witness it, nor to call out, for everyone had been wiped out completely.

With a sound that stirred the sands, the dragon fell lifeless.

As the colossal force of the overturned dragon carriage drew near, the headless human met a similar fate, flattening and fragmenting into pieces.

Only a pool of blood rolled upon the sand, the arid earth swallowing the flowing scarlet torrent.

Then slowly, the fine granules of sand dragged everything left to rot and conceal it within their depths.

Only the blood’s blossoms remained vivid, seeming like bright traces of their journey.

Yet even those crimson flowers faded into obscurity amongst the sands.

—

—The group had been utterly annihilated here.