The surrounding white space vanished, revealing a stone room filled with countless bookshelves.

Confirming that the monolith I had been touching had disappeared, Subaru judged that the conclusion he reached through his thoughts was likely the correct answer.

He did judge that, but—

“Yay! Subaru, you’re amazing—”

“Whoever thought this up has a terrible personality!!”

“Whaaat!? That’s your first reaction!?”

Emilia, who had shouted with joy at the release of the three-layered “Taygeta,” widened her eyes in surprise at Subaru’s grand curse echoing throughout the tower.

Turning to face the stunned Emilia and the onlookers, Subaru said, “Ah, sorry,” then continued…

“Figuring it out this way surely feels like a personal achievement. But getting it right is actually a huge problem—no, it’s really unfair.”

“Is that so? Thanks to Subaru being knowledgeable, we could solve the riddle… at least, that’s what I think.”

“It’s more the case that if I hadn’t been the one to solve it, nobody else could have! That’s the real issue here!”

Scratching his head, Subaru looked at Emilia, who was tilting her head in confusion.

How should I explain this? Even detailing it would be a bit of a headache.

As for the “trial” in the three-layered Taygeta, its content, as Subaru narrated while solving it, was a riddle based on the myths of Orion. While I could normally brush it off saying, “Is the person who thought of this a star-loving romantic?” the big problem is that knowledge about “Orion” is unattainable in this world.

Of course, knowing about Orion and that Shaula’s name is a star is all knowledge from Subaru’s original world, all celestial.

There’s still a chance that this world is a far future or a lost past civilization of Subaru’s world, but it’s already been confirmed that the way the stars appear in this world is completely different from the celestial bodies Subaru knows.

“Well, if the night sky has changed enough that you can’t see Orion anymore… then the tales of Orion would’ve disappeared by now. Considering that, the conclusion is obvious.”

The person who thought up this problem is someone who knows the same night sky as Subaru.

In other words, they are a personality disorder who insists on calling this problem a ‘trial’ when only those well-versed in the other world’s sky could solve it.

And given the flow of conversation thus far, it must be “Wise Man” Flugel without a doubt.

“That teacher of yours seems like a pretty terrible person.”

“No, no, no! What are you saying!? It’s not like you should belittle your teacher! Well, I won’t deny they’re terrible, but the fact that you can solve it is definitely merciful! If it were Raid, he’d give you impossible challenges… like leaving behind your own doppelgänger, and if you don’t beat it, you can’t pass!”

“That’s scary too, but which scenario is better…?”

In any case, it seems the heroes who once faced the Witch of Envy had some character flaws.

With this group, it might even be better that they were just testing wisdom from another world.

“Anyway, with that said—”

As Shaula made a defense that wasn’t quite a defense, Subaru sighed, and Anastasia, who had been looking around, interjected. She hurriedly touched her collar while glancing at each of the densely packed bookshelves.

“Thanks to Natsuki-kun’s achievement, we’ve gotten past the ‘trial’… but I wonder what role this library plays? I’m curious about what kinds of books are here.”

“According to Shaula’s explanation, it’s a treasure trove of knowledge where you can learn anything you want—”

Anastasia’s question elicited a nod from Julius, who glanced over at Shaula. However, Shaula was busy playing with Meily, who was unwittingly touching her bare skin, looking as if she had forgotten her previous words.

The expectations had been low from the start, but it seemed nearly impossible to get a concise explanation of this Taygeta library from Shaula.

“Well, from the reactions, it seems like this is the first time Taygeta has opened… I guess we’ll just have to look around and find out.”

“That’s right… Hey, don’t you look a little excited?”

“That could be true.”

Beatrice, who approached Subaru and tugged at his hem, spoke a bit faster than usual.

Her eyes sparkled slightly with interest as she looked around the library—realizing the cause, Subaru found himself unintentionally smiling.

“I thought you’d only have bad memories of the Forbidden Library.”

“…It’s true not all memories are good. But no matter what, that place is where Beatrice spent four hundred years. And…”

“And?”

“That’s where Subaru said ‘choose me’ to seduce me. No matter how much I try to forget, it’s not a place that can be easily dismissed.”

“—”

As Subaru widened his eyes at her unexpected words, Beatrice turned her face away, but the ears peeking from her turned head were blushing bright red, clearly embarrassed.

“What the heck? You say that and then get all shy? What’s wrong with you?”

“Beatrice’s memories of the Forbidden Library are properly sealed with Subaru’s memory, you know… It’s not more than that.”

“You’re cute.”

“Mukyaa!?”

Filled with affection, Subaru ruffled Beatrice’s hair until it was a mess. Meily let out a yowling protest and retreated, and Subaru happily watched her go before turning back to the astonished faces of Anastasia and the others.

“Well then, we should stop the chit-chat and check out the library.”

“Thank you for that. It’s heartwarming to watch, but it’s like a parent-child relationship, isn’t it?”

“Shouldn’t you say sibling at least?”

While Subaru stuck his tongue out in response to Anastasia’s comment, he stretched and looked around again.

They were in the center of a stone cylindrical room. The structure had returned to resemble the original tower, revealing that the massive space which felt like it expanded into infinity was just an illusion.

While the sixth and fifth layers were vast spaces without notable features besides spiral staircases, the fourth layer was divided into several rooms, a multifunctional den, as Shaula might describe it.

On the other hand, the third layer was stuffed with bookshelves in a space of equal size, with the tall shelves tightly packed with countless books. The room contained multiple circular platforms, with the area where Subaru and the others stood being the lowest, and the platforms rising towards the outside.

The number of books was overwhelmingly large. Beatrice had a substantial collection in the Forbidden Library, but in terms of sheer volume, this place likely dwarfed it.

“I’m starting to wish for a search computer to find the book we need.”

“In the Forbidden Library, Beatrice knew exactly where every book was located.”

“Wow, you’re amazing. You’re a genius.”

While Subaru marveled at Beatrice’s hidden pride, he approached a nearby bookshelf.

Looking around, he saw that Emilia and the others were also approaching the bookshelves, yet they lacked the courage to take a book from the shelves.

“Well, it was you who solved the trial, after all? So I thought it would be okay for anyone but Subaru to touch the books.”

“Ah, true, but is it really alright? If it’s in a format where only the correct answer can read them, then isn’t it odd that Emilia and the others could even enter the library?”

“Oh, right. Since we’re in here, it seems we were permitted as well.”

“Yeah, I think so—but Emilia-chan!?”

As Subaru speculated while being cautious, Emilia nodded in understanding. Then, without a care, she casually pulled a book from the front of the bookshelf.

What she said next surprised Subaru as she started flipping through it freely.

“Mmm, just a regular book, I think… What’s wrong, Subaru?”

“Ah, it’s fine, I was just amazed at your guts, Emilia-chan. I said I thought it was safe, but you’re the one doing it?”

“—? Since you said it was fine, it should be okay, right? Did I say something weird?”

Subaru, at a loss for words before Emilia, whose expression was genuinely puzzled, covered his face with his hands as he muttered, “Ugh—”

“Man, that look of trust really stings.”

“That’s simply a demonstration of what you’ve built up over time. And indeed, you solved the riddle of ‘Taygeta’ which no one else could. That achievement is undeniable now.”

“This is just a fluke. It just happened to be me.”

Julius shrugged at Subaru’s confusion, but he turned his gaze away from the knight’s words.

Emilia’s trust, Beatrice’s affection, Julius’s sincerity—all of these were surely what Subaru had wished for, yet he could not shake off the feeling of discomfort at receiving them.

Subaru kept doubting whether he was worth being given such consideration.

“Just like Emilia said, it’s a regular book. Doesn’t seem to have any scary traps like burning your body on contact.”

“The material of the book seems a bit opaque. The age is uncertain. But the contents are…?”

Thanks to Emilia’s proactive approach, others began reaching for books one after another. However, discovering everything there was to know from just a couple of those countless books was no easy feat.

Anastasia and Julius were twisting their heads while checking the contents and bindings.

“Beatrice, what about it?”

“From what I can see, the specifications of the books seem uniform. But the titles are all different. This is ‘Noah Libertis.’ This one is ‘Libre Fuelmi.’… The arrangement seems to be completely chaotic.”

Perhaps the blood of a librarian stirred within her, Beatrice displayed dissatisfaction with the seemingly random arrangement of the books. Though she couldn’t remember much order from her time in the Forbidden Library, there had been some degree of categorization, surely.

Setting aside Beatrice’s indignation, Subaru focused on the spines of the books, noticing something.

“About the titles of these books… could it be that they’re all names of people?”

“Hmm… it seems that way. This is ‘Palma Eule,’ and this one is ‘Coyote.’”

“They all seem to be unfamiliar names. I wouldn’t say I have deep knowledge, but as far as I know, I don’t recognize any of them. Of course, if I searched thoroughly, it might be a different story…”

“If you don’t know them, then probably nobody here does.”

It was unclear whether Julius was serious or just being modest, but he was increasingly coming off as a history nerd. If he didn’t know any of those names, it was probably true that these name titles were random.

Subaru picked a random book and looked inside, but the writings inside were ordinary letters of this world—“I Letters,” “Ro Letters,” and “Ha Letters.”

When it came to gospel, it was written in geometric letters that only the rightful owner could read, but these books bore no such gimmicks.

Maybe it was the fine print or the dullness of the writing, but no matter how much he read, he struggled to absorb the content. This was a common issue with books when one isn’t interested.

“I should check with Anastasia as well… do you recognize any names?”

“—Hmm, no, none.”

Subaru made sure to ask Anastasia only for the sake of thoroughness. It wasn’t so much asking her directly but verifying with the controlling spirit in her, Eridona.

There was a decent chance that Eridona possessed more knowledge than Julius. Unless Eridona had a reason to lie, it was likely she would be honest.

For now, trusting that report, Subaru considered what to do next.

“It’s a bit early to feel hopeless. You know, trees are hidden in forests… If a book filled with crucial information is buried somewhere in this library, that would be something I’d hate to miss.”

“Don’t give up midway! That’s much more forward-looking than a riddle you can’t solve! Let’s push on!”

Faced with a mountain of books, Subaru felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. At that moment, Emilia clenched her small fist and called out to him with determination.

Mimicking Emilia’s victory pose, Subaru turned back to the bookshelves. The names on the spine all felt unfamiliar, but if he could at least run into a name he recognized, he could fulfill his curiosity—just then, while tracing along a spine…

“…?”

While scrolling, Subaru’s finger suddenly stopped at a title that caught his attention.

He placed his finger on the spine of that book and pulled it from the tightly packed shelf. The title bore a name he knew.

Taking it in hand without thinking, Subaru opened the book. As he began to read the contents with a familiar name, it happened right then.

—His consciousness faded to black.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

—There was a girl, a single girl.

One that was so young that thinking of her as a woman felt hesitant.

With a skinny body in ragged clothes and sun-baked brown skin, her hair was green.

Though she was at an age to be called a girl, she was nevertheless dominated by endless woes.

Those woes were an eternal proposition born with her, one that lacked any possible answer.

“—”

The ongoing despair was an absolute proposition, that which governed the existence of the world, white and black—specifically, good and evil.

What is right, what is wrong.

Though there were countless choices to be made, every action would be evaluated on either of the two extremes.

In her childish form, there was a reason for her to wrestle with this reasoning. There was inevitability.

Dividing the world of the girl into white and black, good and evil, good causes and evil causes, was her father.

“—”

Her father was a headsman, slaying criminals and delivering punishments worthy of their offenses as part of his livelihood.

For the criminal who committed a sin, her father’s job, to deliver a fitting punishment and meet the end of their life.

“—The Executioner.”

The actions of the father that were referred to as such, and the nature of the execution sites, the girl had witnessed from her childhood.

The gruesome, horrifying spectacle—the last cries of those doomed to die, a space dominated by blood and death.

—It was her father’s will that showed her “death.”

Sins were punished according to the deeds committed, and ill fates were met with ill fates.

The goodness and evilness that existed in the world and the way her father believed he, the executioner, executed them was what he tried to communicate to the girl.

His will was noble and carried a lofty ideology.

Yet, for the girl’s innocence, it was one-sided and far too early to yearn for ideals.

Seeing many lives lost, savoring the scent of blood, the imprint of those punished for their sins filled her with poignant knowledge.

Consequently, before the girl could learn the value of life or the principles of existence and death, she learned the punishment befitting wickedness.

Noble actions yield noble results, wicked actions call forth wicked results, and the souls of sinners become corrupted according to their offenses.

Understanding her father’s teachings in this manner, the girl desired what constituted a “punishment worthy of sin.” She sought a balance that would determine good versus evil.

“—”

However, the scales to weigh what she sought did not exist within her search.

There were no simple answers to the matters of good and evil—right or wrong, sins and punishments depended on many factors.

“—”

But still young, the girl, unaware of compromise or resignation, continued her pursuit.

She had to find an answer. She needed to harbor a pair of scales in her heart to measure good and evil.

She had to present an answer to continue querying the questions that wouldn’t fade within her heart.

“—”

Days of torment continued, suddenly, an answer was bestowed upon her as if it were a heavenly blessing.

She frightened herself when breaking her father’s wine cup.

Perhaps even prepared to lose her head, she confessed her sin to her father.

“—It was right to confess one’s mistakes and apologize.”

Her father forgave her indiscretion, and with a hint of a smile, spoke to his daughter.

That father’s smile and the feeling of his hand gently stroking her head, the young girl understood.

—The scales to judge committed sins were none other than the heart of the sinner themselves.

Even if no one is watching, the sinner knows their sins.

Good and evil are unclear. They’re complicated. Right and wrong lack definitive guidance; it cannot be found.

Yet, the awareness of sin lies within oneself.

Standards for punishments befitting sins have no set guidelines. However, the awareness of sin deserving a punishment lies within oneself.

The girl understood, was satisfied, and finally possessed the scales.

The young girl elucidated a punishment befitting a sin without knowing the value of life or understanding the principles of existence and death.

“—”

Following her father’s example, the girl set off under the sun to declare the punishments befitting sins.

To pry into the hearts of sinners who deserved to be punished.

“—”

This became a culmination of life’s pursuit, dividing good and evil, right and wrong, substance and falsehood for the girl.

At the young girl’s questioning, some laughed, others were troubled, some were confused.

But the outcome of the ones who answered the girl’s query was universally the same.

—The sins deserving punishment lie within one’s own heart.

She looked around. No one was there. Here, only punished sinners remained.

Stepping over shattered fragments of people and finally crossing her father’s shattered fragment, the girl set out in search of a fitting sin to accomplish the wish bestowed upon her.

—The “Witch of Pride” questions sins, delivers punishment, and continues to judge sinners.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Witnessing the beginning of the familiar “Witch,” Subaru’s consciousness painfully returned.

“Guh—!!”

With a tearing sound, his consciousness was forcibly pulled from the book. He felt as if dried blood had stuck to him, but he didn’t mind the outside peeling away as he pulled with all his might.

The pain wasn’t in his head or body but in his soul.

His soul was dragged by the book, and the pain came with the effort to tear it away.

“Subaru!”

“—Huh!?”

A sharp strike struck his arm as Emilia intervened from the side. Stepping in, she struck Subaru’s wrist with the edge of her hand.

With the impact, Subaru’s grip loosened, and the book he had been holding dropped. It fell open and upside down onto the floor as Subaru staggered and leaned against a bookshelf.

“O-oh?”

“Are you alright? You looked really painful just now…”

“I… somehow managed to avoid being taken… maybe? No, I can’t be sure.”

With a worried expression, Emilia steadied him as Subaru took a breath. Even though he hadn’t been running, his heart was racing and his breathing was still erratic.

Placing a hand over his pounding chest, Subaru repeatedly took deep breaths. His eyes wandered everywhere, finally settling on Emilia for reassurance.

“Are you okay?”

“Looking at Emilia-chan’s face calms me down. Can you keep helping me for a little longer?”

“That’s fine, but what happened?”

Subaru’s moody statement was taken in stride by Emilia, who continued to support him, while Beatrice moved and reached for the fallen book.

“Did you just make a weird face when touching that book…?”

“Wait, Beatrice! Don’t touch it!”

“—?”

Beatrice was about to pick up the book when Subaru rushed to stop her, but before he could, she grabbed the book and held it close without reading it.

Not bothering to check its contents, Beatrice recited the title with a puzzled expression.

“—Typhon. Is that a name you know, Subaru?”

“Ah, ah… do you not know?”

Subaru tried to respond to Beatrice’s question, but as he opened his mouth to ask if she recognized the name, he hesitated, uncertain if she would affirmatively or negatively answer, scrunching his brows.

In the meantime, Beatrice opened the book and started looking inside.

“Fool—!”

“How rude! Calling someone a fool isn’t very nice, you know? It’s not any different from any other book.”

The same shock Subaru experienced pierced Beatrice—only it didn’t seem to affect her, as she just regarded it blandly and thrust the book back towards him with a dissatisfied look.

“But it didn’t look like the same as other books for you, right… that’s what I see.”

“…That’s right. But why only me?”

“Could it be that, like the issue with the room, only Subaru can comprehend this? Or is it that only the solver, Subaru, has the effect…?”

“If that’s the case, that just makes this even worse…”

As Subaru shook his head at Emilia’s words, a bad feeling gripped him. In any case, he became disinclined to open the book that was thrust back at him once again.

—What occupied his mind was the vividly clear sensation of experiencing the memories of the “girl.”

There were smells, flavors in the air, the sensation of earth underfoot, and a heavy burden of life lost.

Having shared such a rich “someone’s” memory, it felt miraculous that he could retreat from it.

If it had gone on, he would have been engulfed in another person’s life.

Such a fear and aversion undoubtedly lingered from that experience.

“Subaru, who is this Typhon person?”

“Hard to explain… or, isn’t this difficult for you, Emilia-chan? I guess you must not know if you haven’t met her, but she was in the graveyard.”

“The graveyard—”

At the sound of the word, both Emilia and Beatrice stopped moving simultaneously.

The “graveyard” was a place linked not just to Subaru but also to Emilia and Beatrice. Given what had unfolded at that graveyard during the “Witch’s Tea Party,” it wouldn’t be strange if both knew Typhon.

However, whether Echidna had straightforwardly invited Emilia wasn’t clear, plus it was highly likely that Beatrice’s understanding of Echidna was vastly different from what Subaru knew.

“Typhon was one of the ‘Witches’ from the past. The ‘Witch of Pride,’ and she looked like a little brown girl, about Beatrice’s height. But she felt like the very embodiment of the term ‘innocent cruelty.’”

Subaru’s description prompted neither Emilia nor Beatrice to recall her, both shaking their heads in unfamiliarity.

So it seemed Echidna’s witch exhibition had been a special arrangement only for Subaru. While it had been for her own purpose, it was remarkably creative of her.

“Innocent cruelty… huh.”

Musing over those words, Subaru recalled the brief moment he’d interacted with Typhon.

Indeed, even in the mental realm, he couldn’t forget having his limbs crushed by her. Although they healed soon after, the shock of losing limbs was something that didn’t easily fade.

However, as he gazed into the inexplicably twisted core of her unique essence, he felt like he had gained some insight into its reasoning through this “reading.” Of course, whether that understanding would connect immediately was a whole different issue.

“Anyway, right now I read that book and relived that Typhon… memory? Life? Roots? Anyway, something along those lines. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.”

“I can tell just by watching your reaction that it was unpleasant… reliving someone’s memories. That sounds even more akin to the ‘trials’ in the graveyard.”

“Unlike that case, mine was head-on battling with my own memories. Well, it was an easy win, though.”

“Y-yeah, it was an easy victory.”

Ignoring the flood of tears and wails that came from him until he nearly fell apart, Subaru and Emilia shared a nod.

While being subjected to their exasperated gazes, Beatrice dusted off the book.

“A book that allows you to relive someone else’s memories… put another way, it’s a means to trace the past. If that’s the case, the idea of a library where you can learn anything seems…”

“Beatrice, did you come up with something—?”

As Subaru was about to inquire about what Beatrice was pondering, another voice interrupted.

“—”

The voice had come from Julius and the others, who were investigating a different bookshelf. Looking over at the sound of a groan, Subaru could see Julius kneeling with a book in hand.

Anastasia, standing beside, looked surprised as she shook Julius’s shoulder, snatching the book away.

“Julius? Julius, hang in there! You can hear my voice, right?”

“…Lady Anastasia.”

“Exactly, good! Now breathe deeply, slow. …Alright, you’re okay, right?”

Just as Subaru had, Julius returned to reality by mimicking those same gestures. The weary sight of him almost seemed to belong in a painting, and Anastasia looked relieved.

Hurrying over to them, Subaru asked, “You good?”

“Did you overextend yourself reading difficult books? I sympathize with that feeling.”

“I’ve indeed been quite distant from reading books lately. It’s shameful for a knight to be lacking proficiency in both combat and literature. I should learn from the depth of understanding you displayed in solving that riddle.”

“Remarkable that you could rattle off so smoothly…”

If he experienced something similar to what Subaru had gone through, the strain on his soul should’ve been considerable. Yet, he could still maintain his elegant facade immediately after, which was infuriating.

While Subaru was feeling an inner turmoil, Emilia took the back of his black-haired head and struck it lightly.

“Hey!”

“Don’t be mean as if it was reflex. Julius, are you really alright?”

“My apologies for worrying you. It’s embarrassing to say I reacted so dramatically. …However, it was indeed a heart-wrenching experience.”

As he concealed his anxiety, Julius gracefully responded to Emilia. However, the shock was evident, with beads of sweat lightly glistening on his forehead. When Anastasia handed him a handkerchief, he bowed his head, appearing quite bashful.

“Pretending to be strong is a boy’s instinct, but you must say when you’re hurting, understand? If you push too hard and collapse, it’ll only inconvenience those around you.”

“Yes, thank you for your consideration.”

“Yeah, exactly. Just like Anastasia said, right, Subaru?”

“I don’t know why you reinforced that with me, but yeah!”

Once both units finished their conversation regarding mutual consideration, their focus shifted back to the book in Anastasia’s arms.

As Julius read the details, it had likely given him an experience akin to what Subaru faced. Eyeing the spine, he read the title.

“—Balroi Temegurif. Do you know him?”

“I have no recollection. Probably for sure.”

Emilia’s response drew a side-eye from Subaru, and he nodded back with confidence.

He was quite confident in his memory. When it came to acquaintances within this world, he could perfectly enumerate everyone from Araham Village to the fruit vendor in the Royal Capital.

Nowhere in this mental roster was there any mention of a person named Balroi. However, during the thought process regarding the name, Anastasia showed a face of recollection.

“I think I remember that name. I’m pretty sure… yes, that’s right. Wasn’t there such a person who was a general of the Volakia Empire?”

“—To be precise, a former general.”

Anastasia, recalling dim memories, voiced her answer, and Julius provided additional context. Just from that exchange, it was apparent that this person was someone connected to Julius.

However, Subaru frowned at the remoteness of that title.

“Volakia is the southern country, right? You’re acquainted with a general from there?”

“For the second correction, he was a former general. It’s not that astonishing, is it? I am still part of the Royal Guard. The Lugnica Kingdom and the Volakia Empire are neighboring nations, so it’s not strange to know of him at least by name.”

“Got it, someone you only know of through hearsay…”

Nodding along with Julius’s explanation, Subaru responded with thoughtful contemplation. Then, letting out a small sigh, he reached out and snatched that “Balroi” book from Anastasia.

“Natsuki-kun?”

“Sorry for surprising you. I have something I need to verify.”

Startled, Anastasia’s eyes widened, and Subaru traced his fingers over the cover. He then opened the book and quickly scanned its contents.

For just a brief moment, he steeled himself for that “reliving” experience to come again. However, he also had the thought that it likely wouldn’t happen again, as he found himself vindicated with the latter conclusion.

“I’ve also become a name I barely recognized from before, so I thought I’d read it, but nothing is happening.”

“…Subaru.”

“Right now, what’s important between us is trust, right? If there’s anything between me and you there… then I thought, am I the only one thinking we do have something there?”

“—That’s a crafty way of putting it.”

Looking up, Subaru met Julius’s gaze as he averted his own.

Touching his bangs, Julius commented, “There’s no one here I should trust more than you all. I’m receiving more spiritual support from Lady Anastasia and you than I even do from Reinhardt.”

“…The way you say that is kind of creepy.”

“I felt my tongue getting itchy as I said it.”

As Subaru scratched his nose, Julius kept his hands on his bangs, and after letting out a sigh, he soon bowed deeply to Anastasia and Emilia.

“I apologize for the rudeness, Lady Anastasia. Lady Emilia. I buried my trivial feelings within the answer. Such conduct was inexcusable here, where we should share the book’s contents.”

“Whether we forgive you depends on our magnanimity, doesn’t it? What do you think?”

“It seems I’ve said what I wanted to say, as Subaru and Lady Anastasia both pointed out. So, I’m just calling it that for now.”

With Anastasia and Emilia quickly accepting the apology, Julius bowed deeply one more time. Subaru could feel exactly what was running through Julius’s mind.

People wagging their tongues, putting their whole heart into an apology, were vulnerable to being easily forgiven. Subaru was also familiar with that feeling, for it was not entirely unrelated to him.

“Balroi Temegurif. A former general of the Volakia Empire… but he’s already a deceased figure. And the one who took his life was none other than me.”

“You killed a general from another country. That’s surprising.”

“Lady Anastasia… no, I see you’ve already forgotten.”

“—”

As Julius delved into his confession, he noted Anastasia squinting her eyes.

Judging by Julius’s current demeanor, it was likely that this information had been shared between Julius before he lost his memory and Anastasia before she was possessed by Eridona.

Still, even though Anastasia was genuinely hearing this for the first time, it didn’t seem to surprise her much; however, the shock on Subaru and Emilia’s faces was substantial.

“Um, if the book I studied was correct, I heard that the Lugnica and Volakia were really at odds…”

“What? How could letting a general from a rival nation die not result in war?”

The honest and naïve questions posed by the two prompted Julius to nod with an expression of relief.

“It’s a complicated issue that arises from various circumstances. It’s related to Reinhardt and Ferris, but to summarize, the former general was plotting a coup within the Empire. I happened to be in the Empire at that time.”

“What about those two? Wasn’t Reinhardt banned from exports?”

“An exception was made. The Emperor of the Empire wanted to meet him. …Even you must think the words ‘exports’ don’t fit with Reinhardt, right?”

“I just couldn’t think of what to say on the spot. What should I have said? Smuggling?”

“Transporting prohibited items isn’t entirely inaccurate. Experiencing Reinhardt’s extraordinary prowess again in Pristella was enough to convince me not to imagine the nightmare of him being a main force in another country.

It’s completely understandable to maintain boundaries at the international treaty level.”

“In any case, that former general’s name is Balroi Temegurif. I apologize. Generally, I am prohibited from revealing this information and it’s a bitter memory for myself as well.”

“So it’s not something that can be widely shared, huh? Understood. I’ll zip my mouth.”

“Agreed, is it? Should I also zip my mouth?”

With the details surrounding Julius clarified, Subaru and Emilia reached a consensus to keep it a secret.

Now having learned about the figure within the book that Julius had “relived,” they began to comprehend more—

“I think I’ve got it. So the books here allow the reader to relive the past of someone they’re familiar with, huh?”

“If I’m the ‘Witch’ and Julius is the former general, that seems likely.”

“Wait, did you just drop something I need to know? Natsuki-kun, are you friends with a witch? I don’t like that friendship at all. That’s straight-up witch cult stuff.”

“I’m also super scared of myself, but thankfully, I’m not quite unique enough to stand out. Not having a distinct character is my recent struggle.”

As Subaru shrugged at Anastasia’s words, Emilia, Beatrice, and eventually even Julius, all made faces as if they’d eaten something sour.

Seeing their unexpected reactions, Subaru frowned as Anastasia sighed, “Well, I got a grasp on the meaning of the library’s books. I understand, but can I tell a scary story?”

“I’d rather not, but what?”

“All the books in this library have names written on them, right?”

Asking the obvious question, Anastasia sought Subaru’s agreement. Nodding after answering, he braced himself for what might follow.

Noting both the books of “Balroi” and the “Typhon” that Beatrice held, Anastasia pointed them out.

“The first is the book of a general from the Empire, and the second is a ‘Witch’ friend of Natsuki-kun.”

“Not a friend, no!”

“Since you’ve gotten your ‘Witch’ friend’s book, that means there should be a book belonging to a deceased person too.”

“―――”

Although it felt off to refer to Typhon’s condition as deceased, with the tea party space from the graveyard now vanished, one should consider them fully dead.

As for Echidna, there were multiple suspicious points surrounding her, involving Eridona, making it hard to feel safe.

Setting aside Subaru’s inner turmoil, Anastasia spread her arms and spun around, indicating the entirety of the library.

“Could it be all these books contain names of people from the world spanning from the past to the present? If that really is the case… how long do you think it could take before we find a book belonging to someone we’re after?”

—Correction. The creator of this library may not just have a bad personality.

—It’s the worst personality.