——There was a woman, a single woman.

The woman was oppressed. By her family, her clan, and her beloved kin, she was looked down upon and reviled.

Before she was even born, expectations were placed upon the woman. Those hopes were betrayed by her very birth.

What remained were disappointment and despair, and what was bestowed upon her was contempt and mockery. That was the woman’s only possession.

The clan had a cherished wish. The return of the founder, who was called a god, a testament of their former glory and prosperity.

Countless forbidden acts, horrific methods, and transgressions committed, the fruit of which was the woman herself.

However, the woman born betrayed the cherished wish, and the clan turned their back on her in their despair.

“Live and die wherever you go. That is your sin.”

Abandoned by both family and kin, she was cast into the wild as an infant.

Thrown into the wilderness without the means to survive, no child or woman could possibly endure.

However, the woman possessed the strength to live, even if she lacked the means to do so.

Ironically, it was the sins of the forbidden acts and the negative feast born from the clan’s cherished wish.

Without knowledge of words, without wisdom, simply following her instincts, the woman survived in the wild.

She killed beasts, drank their living blood, crawled upon the earth, and licked muddy waters.

Time flowed on, the infant grew into a girl, and the girl into a woman, and living in the wild became increasingly difficult.

Hearing rumors of a woman rampaging like a wild beast, men plotted against her life, and the woman was captured.

The imprisoned woman was stunningly beautiful, and the men, unwilling to take her life, chose to keep her as a pet.

While becoming subservient to the men, gradually her awareness descended from the wild to the human world.

Having no need to struggle to survive, exposed to the desires of men, her days became mere existence.

Before long, the woman found herself receiving things she had never known from the men.

Words, knowledge, ways of living, and emotions.

Eventually, her treatment changed, gifts to adorn her were bestowed, and she was treated like a jewel.

In those days, the woman began to harbor strange sentiments toward the men.

Though at that time, she could not realize it was something resembling gratitude or indebtedness.

With those sentiments in her heart, the woman broke the necks of all the men living in her abode.

Easily, in one breath, without causing suffering, in an instant, she summoned them all together to their graves.

Escaping her dwelling, venturing into the wild, without hesitation, she returned to her homeland.

To her kin, blood relatives who shared the same blood, to those who possessed bodies far larger than hers, the woman felt strange sentiments.

Unbeknownst to her, those were feelings of hatred and a desire for revenge.

Only, the cries and pleas for forgiveness were quite refreshing, and it was the first time the woman laughed wholeheartedly.

“Here, be crushed and die pitifully. —That is your sin.”

To attain that joy, the woman crushed her kin, her relatives, her clan’s cherished wish one by one.

Carefully, meticulously, leaving not a single one behind, taking her time, confirming each execution individually.

Eventually, when all her kin had perished, and everything had come to an end, the woman returned to the dwelling she had shared with the men.

Leaving her kin’s corpses strewn about, but carefully burying the men’s remains.

There, alone in the dwelling, the woman took a long, deep breath.

For the first time, she felt happiness in the realization that this was her rest, that this was her peace.

No one would disturb her anymore; free from the necessity to think or act, she fell into slumber.

——The “Witch of Sloth” continues to gorge herself on endless slumber and insatiable tranquility.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

——The staircase to the second layer “Taygeta” boasted a grandeur that could only be called a grand staircase.

Compared to the long spiral staircase that ascended from the sixth to the fifth and then to the fourth layer, the grand staircase was considerably wider and each step was notably taller.

After all, the entire room had morphed into a staircase chamber, the sense of intimidation it provided was already evident.

A blank room that had been empty, now filled with a grand staircase.

With arms crossed before it, Subaru let out a long sigh. And then——

“Feels like I’ve been stuck here for quite some time…”

“Eh? We just found the staircase, what’s up all of a sudden?”

Emilia, standing beside him, looked at Subaru with wide eyes, surprised at his oddly reflective words.

Subaru shook his head in response, turning to glance behind him. There stood his companions, having discovered the grand staircase and sharing in their mutual exasperation towards the designer of this tower.

Seeing those familiar faces, Subaru felt a strange sense of relief wash over him.

“——? Subaru, why are you squeezing Betty’s hand?”

“I just wanted to feel like you all were here… Ah, no, that’s enough of that. Sorry.”

He smiled apologetically at Beatrice, who looked puzzled as he squeezed the hand they held.

Turning back to the rest of the group, he pointed to the grand staircase behind him.

“So, let’s get back on track… This big staircase, it wasn’t here from the start and we all just overlooked it, right?”

“It’s hard to believe we overlooked such an obvious staircase. —However, when it comes to restricting just this room, I can’t deny that possibility.”

“I see, so what are you suggesting?”

“It’s related to the discomfort we felt while exploring. I completely understand that.”

In response to Subaru’s query, Anastasia and Julius nodded. Though Subaru tilted his head at their agreement, Emilia raised her hand, saying,

“About what happened while Subaru was sleeping… We had gathered on this fourth layer. Lem and Patrasche were resting in the green room, and we also attempted that puzzle on the third layer. So, we were walking around discussing where to put our stuff…”

“At that time, everyone sort of avoided this room. It was unconscious, but looking back now…”

“Do you think perhaps it was due to something like recognition inhibition?”

Beatrice picked up Emilia’s words, and Subaru voiced their conclusion. Emilia and Beatrice nodded, and so did Anastasia and Julius.

Only upon discovering the grand staircase did everyone truly realize—maybe this staircase was always present but camouflaged by some magic.

“Well, otherwise, when we solved the puzzle on the third layer, someone might have accidentally stumbled into this room and landed on a staircase…”

“Subaru, it’s a monolith, not just a slab. I want to avoid confusion. Let’s unify our terminology.”

“Monolith monolith monolith! Are you satisfied? Let’s get on with it!”

Subaru turned a deaf ear to Julius, who looked dissatisfied with that lackadaisical attitude. He directed his gaze to the two who had been quiet thus far—Shaula playing beside the staircase, and Meily clinging to her back.

“Hn? What is it, Master? Oh! Could it be, is this my time to shine? I’ll do anything for you, Master! I’d even be a co-signer!”

“You have no clue what that means, do you? You might agree with that if your parents or friends said it. But just to clarify, do you…”

“Nope, I’ve lived here for hundreds of years and I’ve never seen it before!”

“Meily, you can keep playing. Pull on the scorpion tail.”

“I mean, I was going to play regardless of what you said.”

“Ow, ow, ow!”

Unsurprisingly, Shaula was utterly useless in climbing the tower. Delegating her reprimanding to Meily, Subaru looked back up at the grand staircase.

Unlike the staircase to the fourth layer, this grand staircase wasn’t spiral. It ascended straight up like a regular staircase. However, given the structure of the tower, it seemed almost impossible for such a grand staircase leading straight to the second layer not to protrude outside the tower.

“Maybe some mysterious power is keeping it upright…”

“Or perhaps it’s simply pretending to connect to the second layer while actually branching off to somewhere else… That might be too cruel, wouldn’t it?”

“Living in this tower, I worry Emilia’s naïveté might get tainted, and she could be influenced by increasingly underhanded thoughts. I want to conquer this place soon.”

“——?”

Emilia tilted her head, confused. However, it was ultimately Emilia’s declarations that led them to the discovery of the staircase, making her comments more insightful than frustrating.

The Pleiades Watchtower, or the Great Library of Pleiades, contained numerous devious mechanisms reflecting the designer’s mindset.

Taking them apart one by one, Emilia seemed reliable, but for Subaru, who hoped she wouldn’t be tainted, it was a source of worry.

“Regardless, the pace isn’t bad. Even the ‘Trial’ from the third layer was effectively cleared in one go, so you could say a third of the tower has been conquered in three days.”

“Compared to the over four hundred years of stagnation, that’s phenomenal progress.”

“Now that you mention it, it’s indeed crazy… No, but honestly, I’m the kind of guy who moves history. That phrase, ‘the man who moves history,’ has quite a ring to it.”

Looking back, with his involvement in the “White Whale” hunt, defeating the Archbishop of Sin “Sloth,” and tackling the “Great Rabbit.” He had also contributed to a portion of overcoming the “Trial” at the grave site of the “Witch of Greed,” and by defeating the Archbishop of Sin “Greed,” he arrived at the Pleiades Watchtower, untouched by humanity. Moreover, he had cleared one of the “Trials,” approaching the second “Trial”…

“If I bullet-point my achievements, I seem utterly foolish…”

Considering how many times he had died during that time, his confidence wasn’t soaring, but still, he had moved the history of this world far too much in the last year.

He hadn’t intended to steer things deliberately, but thinking about how he would need to settle things with the Archbishops of Sin “Gluttony” and “Lust” in the future, he felt the world might need to brace itself for another two history-altering events.

“Wait, huh? What’s up, Emilia? Why are you suddenly holding my hand?”

“…No, I just think Subaru should take a little better care of himself.”

“Very few folks are as lenient with themselves as I am, and with people like you and Beatrice being kind to me, I’d say that’s enough luxury.”

Once Rem wakes up, she’d likely add to that too. She was strict but caring.

And if he added Petra, Patrasche, Garfiel, and Otto to the mix as well, he’d undoubtedly have no room to pamper himself.

“——”

In response to Subaru’s rebuttal, Emilia’s lips trembled as if she had something to say, but unable to find the words, she simply gazed at him with upturned eyes.

The pressure of her grip slightly increased, and Subaru tilted his head in confusion.

But then——

“I think this is a fundamental issue for Natsuki-kun. I don’t believe it’s something that can be fixed immediately in just a day or two. Unless Emilia-san uses everything she has to teach him, that might be a different story…”

Interrupting with a clap, Anastasia glowed with determination as she gazed towards Emilia, who wore a serious expression, yet it seemed not to align with Anastasia’s expectations.

“——That seems like a hard wish to fulfill. It’s likely ill-suited as well.”

“——? I’m not sure, but if you just teach me how to do it, I’ll give it a shot!”

“Absolutely not… I can’t handle being kicked by an Earth Dragon.”

“Getting kicked by an Earth Dragon… does that fit into the same expressions as getting kicked by a horse…?”

Aside from Garfiel’s sayings, a new page from the rare instance of otherworldly phrases had been added.

For that matter, there were many disorienting aspects regarding the conversation between Emilia and Anastasia that left Subaru curious. As he and Emilia tilted their heads in confusion, Anastasia sighed tiredly before pointing towards the grand staircase.

“Come on now, let’s stop dawdling and head up, shall we? You might have to think hard like in the third layer, or maybe Natsuki-kun might clear it easily.”

“If it’s on par with the third layer’s deviousness, I can’t say I’m confident, to be honest.”

Frankly speaking, Subaru was able to clear the trial of the third layer “Taygeta” quite fortuitously, as it related to stars and constellations—a topic that perfectly aligned with his knowledge.

Constellations—those were challenging themes requiring knowledge from Subaru’s original world. Because of that, he had deduced that the architect of this tower, Flugel, was also a modern person drawn to this other world.

In that regard, it was likely that the contents of the “Trial” of the second layer would require modern knowledge, so there was a chance Subaru might be able to be of assistance, but——

“If it diverges from the third layer and requires knowledge I’m clueless about… since it is Flugel, saying something like German history would leave me in the dark.”

While he held a vague sense of unease, he couldn’t voice it considering the expectant gazes around him. The earnest eyes of Emilia and Beatrice made him weak.

In search of any scrap of German knowledge to queue up, he felt a desperate desire to contribute.

“Well, whatever. Literally, there’s a staircase leading forward right in front of us. If I don’t step up here, I’m not man enough. I’m going in fast, and I will clear this!”

“Regrettably, aside from me and you, only women are present.”

“What’s that got to do with spirit! Don’t dampen my spirits! Alright, let’s go, Beatrice!”

“Yankya!”

With his fists clenched in determination, Subaru vowed as his enthusiasm was doused. Sticking his tongue out, he tugged at Beatrice as he stepped onto the staircase and began to dash up it all at once.

“Ah, Subaru, wait!”

Chasing after Subaru’s swift ascent, Emilia rushed in a flurry. The two smiled wryly at each other, and Julius and Anastasia followed along as well.

“Are there no naked sisters going up?”

“Quit your yapping about nudity, you little one. I’m not naked, okay? I’m dressed in cute and sexy clothes! Don’t criticize my selection, Master!”

“It’s not criticism, but don’t complain about being left behind. Come on, hurry up!”

“Just riding on my back and acting all superior! I’ll have you trained properly by Master later! I want to be trained too!”

Waving her scorpion tail back and forth, Shaula stubbornly brightened up, stepping onto the staircase. Despite carrying the little girl on her back, she darted ahead, jumping five steps at once to catch up with everyone.

“Da-da-da-da-da-da-da——!”

Ignoring the exchanges behind, Subaru lifted Beatrice while dashing up the stairs. In the process, she skillfully switched to an elegant princess-carry position and clung onto him, her blue eyes narrowing.

“It really does seem like the space is twisted. Given how we’re climbing straight up, there’s no sign of breaking out of the tower.”

“Maybe it’s just that we couldn’t tell by the exterior and the tower might actually be shaped that way.”

“Protruding only from this staircase section? That would make it feel awkward since watching from outside would render the stairs’ concealment pointless.”

“That’s a fair point; I was just throwing it out there.”

Agreeing with Beatrice’s hypothesis, Subaru’s breath quickened as he gazed above.

Strangely enough, despite running up the stairs, he didn’t sense himself nearing the upper floor. No matter how far he ran, it felt like he was trudging up a downhill escalator.

“Could Emilia’s irritating comments begin to seem real…?”

That someone had prepared a staircase but it actually didn’t connect above—such a concerning thought made Subaru shudder just as the overhead space abruptly opened.

“U-oh!?”

“Hyah!”

What had felt like climbing up a dark, stone staircase suddenly bloomed into white light, and both Subaru and Beatrice exclaimed together.

Startled, he stumbled slightly forward and halted, realizing he had unexpectedly entered a new layer.

This space was——

“A white room, again… or rather…”

“Indeed.”

Standing still, he slowly lowered Beatrice from his arms.

The staircase had oddly felt quite lengthy. Despite having improved stamina, he couldn’t help but place his hands on his knees, breathlessly struggling.

As Subaru leaned forward, Beatrice began tapping her toes on the floor while surveying the room. Following her gaze, he swallowed hard.

The space the two had reached, having ascended the stairs, was eerily familiar, reminiscent of the scene where the “Trial” had taken place on the third layer “Taygeta.” The floor and ceiling felt boundless, distorting their perspective, as if everything were completely warped.

Indeed, the only impression of a place firmly established here, much like the third layer, was the gaping staircase leading downstairs.

“Wah, we’re back in this room again?”

From the staircase space, Emilia and the others rapidly emerged in succession. They were met with the same white scenery, collectively raising their shoulders in resignation.

It felt very much like the beginning of another “Trial.”

“Don’t tell me we accidentally climbed back to the third layer?”

“I don’t think so. It takes fifty-four steps to go from the fourth to the third layer, but this one had four hundred forty-four steps. We’ve climbed about ten times more than that, right?”

“Y-you counted, Emilia-chan?”

“Hehe, actually, counting steps has become a quiet hobby of mine recently. …Why’re you petting my head?”

With pride, Emilia confessed her secret hobby, and Subaru along with the others took turns patting her head. Even those who hadn’t joined in—Julius and Meily—sent somewhat pitiful gazes toward Emilia.

“This feels really weird…”

“No, no, Emilia-chan did a fantastic job! Thanks to that, it looks like we’ve climbed ten times further than the third layer. Though it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume we skipped the second layer altogether. For now, if we consider this the second layer…”

“The ‘Trial’ should begin. It’s likely that over there is what triggers it.”

Putting aside Emilia’s doubts, Subaru’s attention was drawn towards where Beatrice pointed—the spot directly in front of them, where an object stood proudly claiming its existence.

In the middle of the three-layer “Taygeta,” there had also been an object just like that sitting centrally. Upon touching it, the “Trial” had commenced. If the same conditions held here, it was likely that thing——

“It’s not a monolith. —It’s a sword.”

Narrowing his yellow eyes, Julius focused on the object protruding in the center of the room.

True to his words, that object existing in the white space was no monolith they had seen on the third layer.

——It was a sword.

A blade drawn from its sheath pierced the white floor, standing tall before them.

With the hilt pointed upwards, the sword stood straight, appearing wildly beautiful to Subaru’s eyes.

There were no extravagant decorations. He couldn’t determine the quality of the material.

Simply, what should have appeared without excessive embellishment, merely the bare minimum of steel, seemed beautiful.

“From its aura, it resembles a ‘Sword of Selection’…”

“——”

“Yes, yes, you held out well. Good job.”

Subaru’s musing upon seeing the image was noticed by Julius, who stifled his laughter. Over to the side, Anastasia complimented him while Subaru turned his gaze back to Shaula, who stood confidently across from her, arms crossed as she showed off her ample chest.

The expression on her face clearly read, “I’m fully prepared to say I don’t know whatever you ask!”

He stepped forward without a moment of inquiry.

“Subaru.”

“I believe it’s okay. Considering the example from the third layer, I don’t think there’s an immediate danger that some instant-death traps will trigger.”

Subaru nodded at Emilia’s worried gaze, slowly making his way closer to the Sword of Selection. Emilia and Beatrice, as if it were natural, accompanied him while the others nearby remained around the staircase, ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

“Be cautious when releasing Anastasia. The staircase is long; if you accidentally kick her off, she’ll roll down to her death.”

“I’ll be careful. You, too, stay vigilant in protecting Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama.”

“I’ll be fine. Subaru, I’ll protect you.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”

As he gave a thumbs-up, he watched as Emilia, full of determination, attracted Julius’s thoughtful sigh. With that sight, Subaru stepped before the Sword of Selection.

At an arm’s length, he could easily reach it. Even now, the sword undeniably existed vividly in front of him. It didn’t even carry the impression of some bizarre object like the monolith.

“Still, this sword has been stuck here since the tower’s inception, meaning its undeteriorated state is an anomaly.”

Muttering in front of the Sword of Selection, Subaru took a quiet breath—then reached out to grasp the hilt.

Gripping tightly, he sensed a slight resistance, building strength as he pulled upward.

For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that it might be true to its name, the “Sword of Selection”—that it just wouldn’t budge for him, but that concern vanished almost as quickly.

“——”

The moment he pulled slightly, the tip easily slipped from the floor.

It unfurled gracefully, like drawing a sword from its sheath—as if it were meant to happen.

At that very moment, it came.

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

“——!”

The voice reverberated past his eardrum, echoing directly into his mind, proclaiming the outlines of the “Trial.”

Given that it had been anticipated, he did not reveal the shame of dropping the sword he grasped, yet he still felt uncomfortable with this strange phenomenon.

Sure enough, this voice resonating in his mind was remarkably similar to his own.

“It’s like that sensation of car sickness… so, this is… everyone heard that too?”

Not just Subaru who drew the sword; everyone around must have heard it. When it was the monolith, the voice echoed for everyone except those who touched it.

Hence, with that determination in mind, now he turned to realize——

“——”

Everyone seemed to be collectively holding their breath, their gazes fixated.

“——”

Attracted by that focus, Subaru followed suit. Their look wasn’t directed at him but at what lay directly ahead of the drawn sword—exactly at the same distance from the sword as they had been standing at the staircase.

There, a single figure had emerged.

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

Only muttering, that voice sounded unnaturally loud to Subaru.

The very same wording heard the moment he drew the sword. However, this time, it was not the familiar echo of his voice resonating in his mind but clearly emanating from the figure standing across.

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

The voice repeated like a one-track record player.

Mechanically speaking, almost instinctively, it repeated itself in an eerie manner.

The discrepancy between the unnerving repetition of the words and the voice carrying them made him shudder. That figure’s voice prodded at him, like a heartbeat whispering to him directly.

“——”

Whether the shudder was due to fear, awe, pleasure, or sorrow, Subaru couldn’t discern. Having his emotions toyed with so freely spoke of an insurmountable difference in their beings.

That much closer, just with a voice, his life was being toyed with.

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

——A man with flowing long red hair.

His height was considerable. He towered over Subaru by at least a head, and his muscular build matched his stature.

Wearing no armor, he donned a red kimono that offered no protective benefit—his right arm was bare, revealing his physique, while a white wrap adorned his torso, visible even from a distance.

His hair, the color of burning flames, cascaded halfway down his back, and an unsightly black eye patch covered his left eye. Contrarily, his right eye, unbound, was a clear blue that reflected the distant sky.

If he stood still, he would be so breathtakingly striking that anyone glancing at him would wish to capture him in a painting—yet this primal, cruel, maniacal smile spoiled it all.

It was a creature so beautiful it seemed like a savage beast.

The most beautiful and fearsome beast of this world——in that moment, Subaru found himself breathless.

“Hi.”

In that seemingly frozen moment, the first sound to break the stillness was a muffled groan.

There was a thud followed immediately by a surprised shout from a girl. Staring, unable to shift his eyes, he barely caught sight of a black-haired girl—Shaula—who had sat down on the floor, while Meily looked wide-eyed beside her.

“Hii… hii…”

Shaula, who typically took down Centaurs with relative ease, was quaking with unease.

Her large eyes widened, and the enchanting girl wore an expression indicating pure horror, palpably revealing the tremendous chaos swirling within her heart.

If possible, she would have surely fled the room instinctively.

However, her trembling legs forbade it.

——The fierce girl who easily eliminated Centaurs now could barely move due to fear?

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

The voice repeated, undeterred by the terrified gaze of Shaula.

Increased anxiety filled the air—at the same time, he felt a realization dawn on him.

Despite the palpable pressure emanating from him, the man did not step back. No, he was not emitting pressure. He merely stood there.

Simply by existing, he imparted a presence to others that could rival the “Witch.”

“—”

Gasping in his breath, as he closed his eyes forcefully, he found brief solace.

Then, Subaru stepped back, never averting his eyes from the man. Clutching tightly to the Sword of Selection in his right hand and Beatrice’s hand in his left, he took a steady grip of the sword and slowly began retreating.

“E-Emilia…”

“I-I know…”

Knowing he couldn’t abandon anyone, Subaru called out Emilia’s name, still petrified. Her voice trembled as she nodded, her knees shaking uncontrollably. He matched his slow retreat alongside her movements.

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

The distance widened. Still, the man remained motionless, endlessly repeating.

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

With all his effort, he moved closer to Shaula, who was still paralyzed with fear, next to Meily, clinging to her arm as she quaked in place.

Could they escape from here? Subaru’s arms remained locked, gripping both the sword and Beatrice’s hand—his fingers frozen solid, unwilling to release them. Shaula and Meily remained locked in fear, their bodies frozen in terror. A vision of lifting them and standing was blocked by the anxiety of uncertainty. Would that man allow them to escape? What was his intention? What was the purpose of the “Trial” and this sword——

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

The repeating words were the proclamation of the second layer “Taygeta” for the “Trial.”

What meaning lay in the man’s continuous repetition of those words? The content of the “Trial” heard the moment he pulled the sword, the iteration from the man, the fool, and the permission——

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, your… your… permission…”

“——Huh?”

While thoughts morphed and a terrible conclusion began to emerge in Subaru’s mind, the man’s voice, which had continuously echoed, finally faltered just as it shifted.

Subaru involuntarily groaned as if making a sound, sensing how Emilia and Beatrice tensed at his sudden response; yet that change had no impact on the alterations.

—More prominently, the man’s transformation was evident.

“Foolish… sword… etc…”

“W-what? What’s happening?”

“Ah, ah, ahhhh——!!”

“Piggy!”

“Wow!?”

It was far beyond mere stuttering.

The man had remained tranquil until that declaration, but something broke after his repeated words, and the next instant was an explosion. The man violently grasped his hair with both hands, screaming at the top of his lungs.

With that sudden behavior, he let out a pig-like shriek, and Shaula, unable to hold herself together any longer, leaped toward Subaru. Naturally, he couldn’t catch her. Caught in her frantic hug, Subaru found himself tumbling to the floor without brace.

“——!”

Stunned by the impact, his vision flared with sparks for a moment. Amidst the confusion, he could still hear the man’s howls and Shaula’s pleas wrapped around his waist as she whimpered and shook her head.

“Ahhhh——!!”

“Hyahhh! Master, Master, Master! Help me! No! Help me!”

“W-what are you doing—”

“Shut up!! You’re ringing in my hungover head! Stop shouting!”

“Ahh…”

Before soothing words even reached him, Shaula hit her mental breaking point.

The erratic behavior she previously exhibited all but vanished as she blankly rolled her eyes, clinging to Subaru and becoming motionless.

She had fainted, losing her grasp on mental stability.

“Seriously, you can’t be…?”

“Bububububub…”

Promptly demonstrating that she had indeed passed out, Shaula left the battlefield entirely. He had low expectations for her assistance in the tower’s conquest as a trialer, but her profound reaction had frankly caught him off guard.

No surprise, her combat prowess was beyond proven—yet she feared so readily against this…

“Clearly not just any individual, am I seeing.”

“Wha?”

A single footstep resounded, as the man became increasingly agitated in the same breath.

It was a graceful knight with white shoes, who, stepping forth with elegance, picked up the sword that Subaru had dropped in surprise as he stumbled backward. The stern Julius hardened his expression as he approached.

Upon seeing Julius, the man’s lips curled up, revealing annoyance.

“What’s this? Who the hell are you? This place—what’s going on? You’re kidding me, right?”

“I’m not kidding; rather, I’m quite perplexed. You appeared here suddenly. —I hope you understand why we must be on guard.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Don’t you dare come at me like that. I’m not your subordinate or anything, got it? Just who do you think I am!? I ain’t your lackey. Don’t act like I am, yeah!?”

Julius, maintaining his decorum, kept clear of displaying his vigilance, while the man laughed in irritation, increasingly annoyed.

Compared to the earlier situation of merely redundantly repeating, it now possessed far more humanity; it still didn’t mean they were effectively conversing.

“—Good woman, good woman, lewd woman, bit, bit, subordinate, trash.”

“Sadly, I’m not your subordinate.”

“Ha! Your way of speaking is more like a subordinate, isn’t it? Don’t mirror me.”

In response to Julius’s counter, it was the first time the man laughed excitedly.

His unnaturally white teeth and extraordinarily beautiful features merged with utter madness, forming a shark-like grin.

“——”

At last, the man revealed glimpses of humanity amidst that grin. In other words, they had finally confirmed he was an intelligent being capable of engaging in conversation.

“Oi, tell me, what’s going on here? What is this place? What do you think you’re doing, huh? Don’t try me—just spill it, clear?”

“Suddenly, you appear… and you’re so damn high and mighty now?”

“Huh?”

With his fingers clawed into his chest, the man scratched at himself messily. Struggling to find his words as he slowly sat up, Subaru pushed his resolve into those words.

Ignoring them, the one-eyed man stared down at Subaru with hostility, asking,

“What’s this? Why are you lying down? Life’s good for you, huh? Surrounded by lewd women, soft mattress, is it? Trade places with me!”

“Regrettably, respecting the individual’s wishes means that request is denied…”

Straining his shaking knees, Subaru managed to push himself upright. While doing so, he forcefully peeled Shaula from his waist. As he let her go, she fell and thumped onto the floor, but Subaru had no spare attention to offer.

Just then——

“Ah, ah? What’s this? What the hell is your issue?”

“Don’t stare at me if you’re not worth my time.”

“Ha!”

The man’s toothy grin echoed like a roar that rattled Subaru deeply, sending shivers down his spine.

Then that man, brushing past the bewildered Subaru, looked around the white room with his single eye, nodding as if he had come to a conclusion.

“Got it. —All right, let’s get started.”

“Get started? Wait! You’re jumping ahead, having been running your mouth this whole time!?”

“Shut up. Didn’t I explain it all in my ramblings? Listen up, right?”

“Running your mouth…?”

“——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.”

The bizarre occurrences had thrown Subaru for a loop, leaving him staring blankly, unable to unpack it all. However, responding instead was Emilia, who dutifully replicated the announced content verbatim.

Around them, the others began to shake free from their petrified stances. With Subaru and Julius taking the lead, Emilia, Beatrice, Anastasia, and Meily were all gaining movement once more.

Shaula, having been left completely unconscious, however——

“Ha! That lesser female is not like the trash. If she was living, I’d have my way with her tonight, eh. …For real, not just any ol’ face would do, huh?”

“Wait…?”

The man eyed Emilia, an unmistakable lust in his gaze. Squeezing into the space between them, Subaru declared, pointing his finger at the man.

“Stop being a creep—you’re that trial supervisor! Is that right?”

With that, the man’s grin widened like a shark eyeing its prey.

“——I don’t know. Don’t care about the titles others slap on me. I’m me. You’re you. Beyond that, what’s there? If you want to talk sense with me, try to step closer. I dare you.”

“——”

Though everything about the man presented a blatant endangerment, that sly declaration echoed against the formidable magic.

——Fool who has reached the heavenly sword, obtain permission from the one.

If this man standing in front of them truly was the “fool who has reached the heavenly sword,” then there was a method to earn that permission.

All that remained now was whether they could execute that or not.

“The Kingdom of Lugnica, member of the royal knight order. Julius Euclius.”

As the fight—and no, the “Trial”—was about to commence, Julius declared his name, following all formalities.

For the sake of equality, bestowing a baseline reverence toward the opponent before aggrandizing combat.

In response, the man narrowed his blue eye, oozing terrifying sword energy, and declared,

“No need for proper introductions. —I’m just a ‘sword-swinger’.”

The Great Library of Pleiades, the second layer “Electra” trial.

Time limit: “Conditional Unlimited.” Attempts: “Conditional Unlimited.” Challengers: “Conditional Unlimited.”

——Trial, begin.