I felt as if I had been left in a dark, cold place.

It was an environment so dark it was like I had closed my eyelids, and so cold it felt as if I had pressed my cheek against neglected iron. Bound by chains of helplessness, I desperately sought salvation.

That was why I kept reaching out instinctively, regardless of what my hands touched.

But in that final moment, the reason for reaching out to the white light in front of me was different.

The light—no, it was a girl with a sorrowful expression that hid a tragic determination. I reached out to her not because I sought salvation but because I felt I needed to save her.

Thus, I distorted the chains that tried to bind my body, extending my hand—my own hand.

“—Small.”

Natsuki Subaru murmured as he gazed at his own hand reflected in his blurred vision.

That hand, facing the ceiling, was the same as his own shoulder’s extension. It moved exactly as he thought, clenching or opening. Undoubtedly, it was his hand.

However, it was a child’s hand, one size smaller than Subaru had expected.

In other words—

“I missed the return…”

This was supposed to be the chance of a lifetime, snatched away after enduring countless hardships and dying repeatedly.

For what I had released from my grasp, how many sacrifices did I pay?

How many sacrifices—

“—Huh!? What am I doing!?”

At that moment, my dazed consciousness snapped back, and I pressed the hand I had been staring at against my face.

The memories flooding back led to the abnormal situation I had encountered in the magic city, and the dangerous game of tag with Roswaal, which was far worse.

Having stacked countless “deaths” to seize victory, I should have succeeded in breaking the crown of “childhood”!

I even remembered Roswaal touching his chest, trying to lift my “childhood.”

In the next instant, a voice whispered sweet words of love into my ear—

“My consciousness suddenly flew away, and then… what happened?”

What occurred? Subaru tried to probe the hazy memories within him. But no matter how hard he pushed or pulled, the door containing those fragmented memories refused to open.

With the door’s hardness and an anxiety that was steadily rising, Subaru clenched his teeth tightly—

“—Well, well, let’s not rush. Fortunately, we have our lives, and there’s no rush to do anything until your companion awakens.”

“—Huh?”

Suddenly, a voice came from right next to me, leaving Subaru dumbfounded. Then, someone leaning on the hard bed beside me met my gaze.

With a broad smile on his face, he was peering into Subaru’s face from close range.

“Whoa!?”

“Oh! That’s a good reaction, but you should tone it down. If you make too much noise, the island’s master might glare at you and put you in a troublesome deathmatch. However—”

“Eh, ah, uhm…”

“I don’t mind that kind of bad taste; in fact, I enjoy it.”

Suddenly, Subaru jumped up, his eyes wide as he confronted the blue-haired figure casually lounging in front of him.

He had long hair tied back and wore attire that evoked a traditional Japanese style, rarely seen. Mediating between surprise at this unfamiliar face, Subaru swallowed hard, choosing his words and questions.

Not only was he facing an unknown person, but he was also in an unfamiliar place, an unfamiliar environment, with an unfamiliar atmosphere—

“…Who are you? Where is this place?”

“—Oh, splendid! That question is fantastic! Just as I expected… no, even better!!”

“Uh?”

As Subaru cautiously tried to gauge the other person’s intentions, he quickly found his hand taken by the gleeful stranger, then vigorously shaken up and down as if his shoulder might come off.

It wasn’t that Subaru was careless, but he found himself unable to react to the suddenness.

Before the astonished Subaru, the stranger released his grip with a flourish and twirled around as if dancing on the spot.

“I shall answer you! You have crossed the black lake, and arrived on this island—Gladiator Island, Gnunhaive! You, with those suspicious expressions swirling in your eyes, are a wonderful omen!”

In a theatrical tone and gestures, the person spoke in a rude manner even for a first meeting. However, the stranger, unaware of Subaru’s inner turmoil, boldly maintained his demeanor, just like a performer expecting thunderous applause.

“—Cecilus Segmunt.”

He stretched his arms wide, introducing himself in a pose reminiscent of a kabuki actor’s dramatic flare.

Of course, there shouldn’t be kabuki in this world, so he must not have imitated the real thing. Even so, that dramatic introduction was so captivating it took Subaru’s breath away.

What truly stole his breath, however, was not just the overwhelming drama but the familiar resonance of the name. The moment he recalled where he had heard it, he couldn’t help but frown.

He remembered hearing it from Abel.

That name was surely one of the “Nine Divine Generals”—

“I am the ‘Blue Thunder’ of Volakia. —The star performer of this world!”

Faced with the person who so boldly claimed their identity, Subaru’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The name and title matched Subaru’s memories perfectly. Yet, there was one overwhelming problem.

“—Volakia’s strongest is a child?”

—The Cecilus Segmunt laughing in front of him looked like a mischievous child, about the same age as the shrunk Subaru.

—

The deep impact of “childhood” was eroding Nahtsuki Subaru’s heart and body.

The physical consequences were obvious: Subaru now had the physical capability of a ten-year-old child. His arm strength and leg strength, as well as his endurance and explosive power, had all regressed to pre-adolescence.

However, it was questionable whether Subaru’s original physical capabilities had been that helpful by this world’s standards, so it might be safe to say the difference was negligible. A tragic tale, indeed.

Much more serious was the internal effect that had emerged more prominently than the external one.

“I’m probably getting dim-witted…”

Though phrased awkwardly, it succinctly expressed the grimness of Subaru’s current situation.

His creativity, thinking ability, and knowledge retrieval were all fading weakly. Even if he was using the same desk, it felt like he was weaker when trying to pull out drawers and couldn’t reach high drawers anymore.

—

In the keep of Crimson Lapis Castle, the hellish game of tag against Roswaal.

The fact that he had engaged in an outrageous number of trials for that countermeasure had a huge impact from the drop in his thinking ability. Surely, had it been before he shrunk, he would have found a solution much quicker.

He likely would’ve been able to avoid more painful experiences by that much.

Fortunately, it wasn’t Subaru, but thanks to everyone he cared about, he had been saved back then.

It felt like their voices and cheers resonated within his head—

“No, no, it’s not that…”

Suddenly, something welled up within him, and Subaru hurriedly wiped it away.

The blend of relief and melancholy likely bordered on homesickness. Before he shrunk, he could endure due to hurry and responsibility, but it seemed the child’s body had lowered even the walls against tears. With a moment’s inattention, he felt he could break down and cry.

“…Don’t cry, don’t cry. Am I an idiot? No, I’m an idiot.”

No matter how much he lamented, he couldn’t borrow the strength of those who weren’t here.

Wiping away the tears, Subaru forced himself back to the main topic. If he didn’t, he’d miss out on the chance to reunite with everyone.

What was important now was neither his fading intellect nor the emerging homesickness. He needed to focus on confronting the essence of the problem.

That is—

“Did I hear about ‘the first’ from Abel or Zikuru…?”

Sniffling, Subaru searched his memory for answers.

Cecilus Segmunt—he had heard that name was the strongest among the “Nine Divine Generals” of Volakia. In other words, the strongest person in the Empire was him.

The reason he had headed to the Magic City Chaos Frame was to enlist Yorna, one of the “Nine Divine Generals,” to his cause. To reclaim the imperial throne, he needed as many of the “Nine Divine Generals” as possible on his side.

Of course, the topic of “the first” should have also been discussed among everyone.

Thus, he forced open the stubborn drawer in his mind, desperately trying to recall any useful information but—

“I can only remember hearsay that he lacks popularity and isn’t very reliable…”

Maybe it stood out because it was such an impactful aspect, or perhaps it was the only information he could find out, but that was all he had about “the first.”

Unfortunately, within that, no information about their appearance or age, which he desperately sought, was found.

“But if he’s not popular because he’s a child, that makes total sense.”

In a country where the strongest was respected, it was a curious story that the strongest one supposedly lacked popularity.

If the strongest person was a child, then it could be easily understood. Regardless of strength, many adults would dislike serving a child.

With that, just as Subaru reconciled the prior information with this new knowledge—

“—It seems we have reached some conclusion.”

As a voice interrupted, Subaru looked up to see the blue-haired boy—Cecilus, standing right in front of him, still striking the pose he had before.

Subaru blinked in surprise as he had been lost in thought, and—

“S-sorry for leaving you hanging for so long.”

“Oh, no worries! I often get excluded from discussions! I’m used to being left in silence, ahahaha!”

“R-really…?”

With a big smile on his face, Cecilus casually shared that somewhat sad circumstance.

While this light-hearted attitude was slightly disconcerting, he wasn’t offended by Subaru’s rudeness; that was a relief. After all, there were countless questions Subaru wanted to ask.

He had no idea where to start, there were just so many.

“I apologize for my rudeness, I’ll say it again. I am…”

“That’s okay! I wasn’t listening since you were deep in thought! But how did your earlier performance feel? I poured my heart into it, so I’d like to know your thoughts on its reception. I’m thinking about whether to add it to my repertoire!”

“Wait a second! I want to talk…”

“Exactly! There are so many things I’m curious about! How about! You take your time to tell me all about that—”

“—LISTEN UP!!”

Even when he tried to speak calmly, every single word was drowned out by Cecilus’s lightning-fast chatter.

Fearing he’d be swept away by that momentum, Subaru unintentionally shouted out. In response, Cecilus widened his already elongated eyes.

“Whoa, did I do it again?”

“That kind of template response is something you hardly hear these days…”

“Template? What’s that?”

“Uh, it’s a term from my hometown, meaning degree or something like that, I guess?”

“Oh, from your hometown! That’s interesting! Oh wait, that’s probably not appropriate.”

His eyes sparkling, Cecilus was eager to pounce on every curious subject, his total disregard for the norms making it seem as if his very name, “Blue Thunder,” signified a nature that was absurdly straightforward about his desires. His character was utterly restless.

—Then again, it could be a performance to hide his true nature.

“So, what are you going to tell me? I can’t contain my excitement about what you might share! Ahh, I really feel alive!”

“…Not a hint of it seems like an act.”

With sparkling eyes, the boy looked eager for Subaru’s stories to unfold.

With an attitude that seemed entirely unrelated to secrets or wicked schemes, the notion that he might lie seemed doubtful. After all, what relevance did setting a trap for Subaru now hold?

In this Empire, Subaru was an utterly unremarkable individual unless he was alongside Abel. —Of course, there were also exceptions who relentlessly tried to take Subaru’s life.

“Still, that’s just an extreme exception—I’d rather not meet them again…”

“—? What’s that?”

“Uh, never mind. By the way, I’m Natsuki Subaru… wait.”

Seeing Cecilus tilting his head, Subaru fumbled through his name, only to realize he had just made a blunder.

When in disguise, he had claimed to be “Natsumi Schwarz” to avoid his name spreading carelessly throughout the Empire, yet in a childlike folly, he had wrecked that caution.

There was a chance that Cecilus, being someone with a high standing as Volakia’s strongest, might have knowledge about the Royal Selection of the nearby Lugnica Kingdom and its related names—

“Natsuki Subaru? It flows off the tongue in a curious way. By the way, which is your family name, Natsuki or Subaru?”

“—Um, the family name is Natsuki, and my given name is Subaru.”

“I see! Then I shall call you Subaru! However, if I find a better nickname, I might go with the flow and change it!”

Flapping his hands, Cecilus answered with a blissful brightness that was utterly lacking in self-awareness.

While this brought a sense of relief, a tinge of doubt crept into Subaru’s mind—was this child truly Cecilus Segmunt?

“—”

Upon deeper reflection, anyone could claim to be anyone just by saying so. Naturally, the boy in front of him could do so as well, just as Subaru had declared himself “Natsuki Subaru.”

There was no doubt that everyone was aware of the name of Volakia’s strongest, “Blue Thunder,” and how could it be a mere coincidence to stumble upon it here in this unknown place? It would be much more plausible that a child admiring that name and title would declare himself as “Blue Thunder.”

“Oh? You seem to have a suspicious look in your eyes? Did I say something?”

“…Are you the real ‘Blue Thunder’?”

“Ha! There it is again! I’m often asked that!”

When Subaru threw out doubts straight and direct, Cecilus burst out laughing.

The question of whether to genuinely call this boy Cecilus hung in the air, but it seemed others also shared in the doubt regarding his identity.

However—

“To insist on being the real deal with mere words is easy but proves nothing, would you agree? On the other hand, even if I were to disclose hidden details for proof, you’d have a hard time distinguishing between what’s genuine and what’s false. Moreover, Subaru-san, you don’t know much about me.”

“That is… yeah, you have a point.”

“Then discussing the validity of my identity is futile. It’s a waste of time, so let’s move on to the next topic! That would be so much more constructive! I’m only a specialist in destruction!”

Subaru felt somewhat cornered by the relentless flow and rapid-fire dialogue, and when faced with Cecilus’s sudden words of wisdom, he almost thought it was better not to challenge him.

“So, what can you tell me about the current situation?”

“Well, first things first, you fell asleep in the middle of Gladiator Island after a questionable game of tag.”

“What!?”

“That’s the main trade here—the rules are incredibly harsh and deadly. If you don’t comply, it’s game over.”

Subaru’s expression darkened as Cecilus recounted how the name “Gladiator Island” echoed a terminally serious notion.

—

The turbulent wave of seeking dramatic experiences flowed from the lips of Cecilus Segmunt.

He seemed like he could prattle on endlessly without anyone needing to interject.

“So, I stumbled upon you who were crawling onto the shore, isn’t it amazing? This sort of thing doesn’t happen often; it’s practically destiny! Or should I say it’s like something out of a tale?”

“—”

“You probably don’t remember, but I’ve always been a reasonably perceptive person. Today, I just felt faintly drawn by the wind that guided me here, and I started walking.”

“—”

“Oh, and of course, you too, having survived that incident, are likely blessed by the world! I’ll show you how it is, S-subar…?”

Cecilus tilted his head, trailing off as he thought something over.

Subaru walked across the chilling stone floor with bare feet, while Cecilus’s nonsensical and shallow chatter echoed in his ears.

Waking up to find himself in an unknown place and walking alongside a stranger felt reckless.

Nevertheless, there were things he needed to ascertain.

“It’s true, right? I’m not alone here?”

“Eh? Oh yes, that is correct! In fact, that’s wonderful and worth commending! Not only did you survive, but you also managed to save your opponent!”

“That’s great and all, but that doesn’t matter! What about my companion?”

“Hm. A small girl exactly. Roughly the same size as Bassy… wow, that’s quite the pleasant sound!”

Although the topic drifted away from what mattered, he had managed to get a hint regarding his desire for information.

It was likely that Cecilus was mulling over how to respond to Subaru’s casual nickname for him. As long as the nickname wasn’t particularly terrible, what title he was called didn’t really matter.

What mattered was the information he had gleaned just before—

“—Lui!”

She appeared to be about the same age as Subaru—conveniently, the same age he was in his current form—but there was one person who obviously came to mind: Lui. Although Medium had been shrunk down in the keep, she hadn’t been there, so she wasn’t in contention.

To be honest, Subaru’s feelings towards Lui were tangled and overwhelming.

“Until I get a clear answer, I won’t throw you out. Plus, if you could utilize your abilities…”

If Lui’s “transportation” skill worked, they might be able to escape this unsettling island.

While he didn’t fully understand the entirety of the island’s geography, he could already tell Cecilus was quite clearly portraying this place as the worst possible environment for a child.

Therefore—

“I need to get out of this island as soon as possible.”

“That’s quite the ambitious goal, but I believe there are many obstacles in the way. According to what I’ve heard, only one person has ever escaped from here, and because of that, they made ‘curse rules.’ ”

“Then I’ll be the second, but with my companion, we’ll make three.”

Filled with resolve, Subaru retorted, causing Cecilus to flash wide eyes, followed by a high-pitched whistle.

While it seemed to brighten up his mood, Subaru didn’t have time to concern himself with that.

And then—

“Bassy, this is it.”

After some time navigating a dim, cold, and humid passage, Cecilus suddenly stopped. With his hands clasped behind his head, he gestured toward a room with a grimy wooden door.

Looking up at the door, Subaru asked, “What’s in there?”

“Healing room, although some might call it a corpse room. Many who come close to dying in the arena find themselves here instead.”

“N-no, it’s a healing room, right? You have healers here too?”

“Healers! We have some medic types, but we don’t have any rare magic users. If we had those, the number of dead would decrease, but that goes against the island master’s policy.”

“—”

Cecilus responded cheerfully, and Subaru instinctively fell silent.

It was a given that in the Volakia Empire, those capable of healing magic were extremely few in number. That was precisely why Rem’s healing magic had been treated as precious.

However, if there was no healer in the healing room, why was Lui tossed in?

“Your companion has been quite weakened; that’s likely why. This room is nominally for healing injuries, so there are at least some supplies like blankets. But the condition of us gladiators is as mentioned before—our sleep is the worst possible right?”

“…The only gladiator here is you, right?”

“Ahaha, that’s right! Well, shall we go see this poignant encounter?”

Reading Subaru’s feelings deftly, Cecilus gave a light pat on his shoulder.

Overwhelmed by that energy, Subaru swallowed hard and steeled himself before moving to the door. Pushing it open, he grimaced at the unpleasant smell that rushed out.

The odor that attacked him was a loathsome mix of filthy blood and decaying flesh.

With hygiene seemingly dead, the small room showed old, rusted tools and half-dried bandages hanging carelessly.

Within this unwholesome environment—

“That girl over there is your companion.”

“—Lui!”

Glancing around the room, Subaru noticed Cecilus pointing to a bed at the back.

The room, seemingly functioning as some sort of medical area, had two beds that were somewhat better than the one Subaru had been laid on. The blanket on the far bed bulged slightly.

Urged by a surge of emotion, Subaru rushed toward it, unsure of what to say to Lui who was right there.

Yet—

“—Eh?”

As he hurried over, intending to shake her small shoulder, Subaru froze in astonishment.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t find the words—no. It was that he couldn’t find the person to speak to.

Lying there was not Lui, the girl who had been pulled onto the island with Subaru.

Who lay there was a small girl with two prominent horns on her head and flaxen hair neatly trimmed at shoulder length. Her beautifully designed kimono had been stripped away to leave her in simply a basic undergarment.

She was neither Lui, nor Medium, who had been shrunk by Roswaal’s spell back in the Magic City Chaos Frame.

Lying there was—

“…Tanza?”

The sleeping girl offered no response to his trembling call.

Yet, even without a reply, it was clear as day. This girl, who was neither Lui nor Medium, was Tanza, the fawn girl who served Yorna Mishigure, the lady of the Magic City.

“Why… why is she here…?”

“Uh-oh? Did I perhaps do something again?”

With Subaru startled by the unexpected sleeping figure, Cecilus said something cluelessly behind him.

Of course, he wasn’t to blame. Not really.

“The story is different! I was told Lui was here!”

“Ah, well, how should I put this? I explained that there was a girl with Bassy on the island. The fact that it wasn’t the girl Bassy imagined was surprising to me as well.”

“Ugh…”

Faced with Cecilus’s most reasonable response, Subaru was at a loss for words.

Indeed, he had assumed “the companion girl” referred to Lui and had misinterpreted it entirely. He could only apologize to Cecilus for that misunderstanding.

Yet, this was odd. Why was Tanza here with Subaru?

If it was Tanza saying she had been with them, what would happen to Lui?

Lui, who could not be seen anywhere, sparked anxiety in Subaru’s mind.

Having revealed Lui’s true identity caused Abel, Al, and Medium to view her as a threat. While Yorna might protect her, it was only because she didn’t know her true nature.

If they ever learned that Lui was the Archbishop of Sin, she too might change her mind like Medium did.

And Subaru was at a loss for a reason to keep it from Abel and the others.

“I have to take her back to Rem!”

Lui’s existence represented a thin, weak thread connecting Subaru to the memory-absent Rem.

Even if she followed him without permission, Subaru had a compelling reason to bring her back. More than anything, he hadn’t decided what to do with Lui just yet.

Yet here he was, bereft of any leads on her whereabouts, inexplicably located on this island.

“I can’t afford to waste time like this!”

With so many jumbled thoughts, Subaru’s mind felt utterly in disarray.

Yet one thing was clear: he needed to return to the Magic City Chaos Frame immediately.

“If possible, I want to take this child with me…”

“Oh? Is that alright? Weren’t you saying that girl wasn’t the one you expected?”

“She wasn’t, but there’s no reason to leave her behind, right? Besides, Yorna must be looking for her!”

Yorna, with deep empathy, wouldn’t spare herself even for a child she had just met.

Without Yorna, Subaru wouldn’t have been able to successfully claim victory in the chase against Roswaal, nor would he have been able to bring that elderly man into the fray.

Thus, returning Tanza to Yorna seemed only a natural way to repay a favor.

“I think your determination and thoughts are commendable, but as I said before, I believe it’ll be difficult.”

However, Cecilus’s opinions dampened Subaru’s spirits.

While his speech and actions remained unchanged from before, the fundamentals of Cecilus’s statements tended to be serious. Still, he couldn’t simply allow himself to be defeated by the harshness of reality.

“I heard you say it’s hard to escape. But can’t we look for a boat or lower that drawbridge you mentioned…?”

“The drawbridge goes ‘up.’ While it presents challenges, the real issue lies in another area. The biggest issue is the curse—repeat, the curse.”

“C-curse…?”

Unfamiliar with the term, Subaru couldn’t ignore the mention of a major problem.

With narrowed brows, Cecilus pulled both of his hands into the sleeves of his kimono and elaborated.

“The cursed rule—namely, this ‘curse.’ It’s something very troublesome and powerful laid down by the island’s master that governs Gladiator Island. Breaking the rules means death! Rebelling means death! Resisting means death! —Death’s curse!”

“…Ugh.”

His theatrics culminated in a spin, fluttering his sleeves, yet despite his carefree tone, the palpable recognition of that death’s curse resonated far too accurately with the empire’s chilling image.

“So, does that mean no one can escape from here?”

“Yes. Otherwise, I would have left by now. Sure, the magical beasts in the lake are formidable enemies, but if I really wanted to escape, I could run across the water. Do you know how to run on water? Just lift your right foot before the other sinks…”

As Cecilus began to expound some worn-out theory in the face of Subaru’s bewilderment, the ninja’s supposed technique seemed like something that many superhumans in this world might actually find practical. However, this was not the moment to indulge in such a daydream.

“S-so, that island master? They’re the one cursing everyone? Then how about asking them to lift the curse? I’m here by mistake, you see…”

“Haha, that’s a funny joke! No matter how mistaken or misidentified, once you climb up on the island and get branded with a curse, you’re considered a gladiator. Not being bound by gladiator instincts could be viewed as a title defendant’s proof, of sorts.”

“—!”

Overwhelmed by a desperate plea being negated, Subaru instinctively gasped.

At the mention of “curse,” all he could conjure were unwelcome memories. And surely enough, it felt like those memories were about to be further solidified into something far worse.

“This isn’t a joke…”

With no clue how he’d ended up in an unknown territory with a child who he barely knew along for the ride, an alarming realization washed over him: if he attempted to escape this unknown place, he could die due to some curse cast by a nearly unknown stranger!

What could he trust, or how could he—

“…That’s right! Cecilus! You’re one of the ‘Nine Divine Generals,’ right?!”

“Oh?”

“If so, can’t you contact the outside world? Uhm, what about that girl lying down? She’s from Yorna’s group in the Magic City Chaos Frame…”

With a spark of determination in his eyes, Subaru gripped Cecilus’s shoulders tightly.

With a twinge of discomfort, Cecilus closed one eye as Subaru clung to his unexpectedly embarrassing fervor.

Just moments before, he viewed Cecilus as a liar or a prankster. Now he expected him to genuinely uphold the title “Blue Thunder.”

After all, he was claiming to be Volakia’s “Nine Divine General,” the strongest in the Empire, who behaved so cordially—there was a chance he would listen to what Subaru asked.

That was a painfully naive line of thought, merely an impulse derived from desperation.

By extension, it was all too easy for Subaru’s expectations to fall flat.

Alternatively, perhaps if he hadn’t dulled his thought process due to “childhood,” this would have struck him as an extremely obvious question.

It was then—

“Hey there, Bassy.”

“Ah, w-what is it?”

“Just what exactly is this ‘Nine Divine Generals’ you keep mentioning?”

“Huh…?!”

Cecilus, still gripping Subaru’s shoulders, tilted his head, a look of confusion marring his expression.

So when he continued, lacking a coherent thread, Subaru watched him in shock.

What Cecilus said next threw even more confusion into Subaru’s pieces.

“In reality, I’m not entirely sure why I’m here. Something tells me this plot is bound to move now, and I wonder if that’s going to be because of you, Bassy.”

“`

 

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