――The sheets hanging outside the window of the office were insurance against the worst-case scenario.

In the meeting between Gustav in his office and the emissaries Arakia and Todd—almost entirely conducted by Todd and Gustav—Subaru and Hiaine, who were eavesdropping, had to go through considerable trial and error to arrive at the core of why Todd and the others had come to the island.

What was needed was to anticipate events, formulate spoken words, identify blind spots that needed to be hidden, calm Hiaine down, and secure an escape route.

They had to deceive that meticulous Todd and Arakia, one of the “Nine Divine Generals”.

An opponent who could readily read someone’s presence like a character from a manga. To mislead them, they relentlessly put their plans into action.

Buying time from Vaits, providing strong-smelling herbs to Tanzer on the way to the office, and gathering people at the high ground so Idra could distract the enemy’s attention.

They built up suspicion right to the edge of Todd and the others’ guard lines.

That fortress they built on thin ice allowed them to overcome the enemy’s walls.

But then—

“Schwarz! What are we going to do next?!”

“I’m thinking!”

Subaru clung to Hiaine’s body, just barely avoiding a fall to his death.

His lizardman limbs clung to the wall just like a real lizard would. However, compared to lizards, his body was larger, and he was weighed down by the burden of Subaru.

With the help of the hanging sheets, he managed to make his way down without injury.

After being lowered from Hiaine’s arms into the courtyard, Subaru confirmed the feeling of the cursed object in his hand.

The black sphere, still drenched in blood, had been pulled out from inside Gustav—where exactly it had been hidden, he didn’t know, but it had definitely been dragged out from within him.

“Gah!”

While enduring the rising nausea, Subaru desperately plotted his next move.

The moment Todd let go of the cursed object, Subaru instinctively moved, realizing there was no other choice. Being able to grab the cursed object like this made it seem like his decision wasn’t entirely wrong.

However, it was undeniably an impulsive action without a plan from this point onward.

“For now, let’s blend into the bushes!”

“W-won’t it be better to run off?”

“If we flee blindly, we’ll be found immediately! Hurry!”

Faced with the choices of “run” and “hide” that came to mind, he chose “hide” without hesitation.

Having already become adversaries to Todd and the others, it was clear they would be facing “death” no matter what choice they made. So he chose the option that allowed him to see some hope for the future.

Even if they did run, they would be running without a destination.

But if they hid, they could continue to think while they held their breath.

“——”

Pulling Hiaine, whose eyes were wide, into a corner of the courtyard behind some plants, Subaru dove in. There, Hiaine camouflaged himself and hovered over Subaru, hiding them from sight.

The pressure of Hiaine’s body caused Subaru to feel the rapid beating of his heart against his back.

Terrified and shivering. But he had to endure.

Otherwise—

“Not here.”

With a light sound, the height from which they had desperately descended was now breached by a girl.

Landing barefoot into the courtyard was Arakia, holding a thin branch. With one eye covered by an eye patch, she surveyed the courtyard with a drowsy gaze.

Could Hiaine’s camouflage deceive her keen eyes that were searching for something?

When someone did not suspect your existence, you could hide behind the subconscious of their awareness. However, in a situation where you were acknowledged as existing, hiding in a blind spot was impossible. Anxiety swelled as the slightest attention could lead to their discovery.

There was nothing Subaru could do. But they could not be found.

It wasn’t just because they had obtained the cursed object—the one that could save or slaughter everyone on the island.

There were more pressing reasons directly connected to Natsuki Subaru himself: he couldn’t be discovered; he couldn’t die.

“Hn—”

He hoped she would turn away and start looking in the wrong direction.

Yet, in vain hopes, Arakia, letting out a small growl, furrowed her brow and headed straight for the plants where Subaru and Hiaine were hiding.

Was it a sense of presence, scent, breath, or the sound of a heartbeat? Subaru couldn’t tell what it was that signaled their presence to her.

Could it perhaps be some aura only the strong could feel, something they couldn’t comprehend? It would be fundamentally unfair to close in on someone with an uncounterable asset.

After all, to Arakia, it would be laughable to even consider “rules”—.

“Hey, hey, what’s this? The governor’s room has been blown away!”

“Who’s this unknown beauty? Is she a guest?”

“What’s going on, what happened?!”

Just before the malice filled his head, it was right before Arakia arrived at the plants that the gruff voices of multiple men split the air in the courtyard.

Looking closer, five gladiator beasts had appeared in the courtyard, likely gathered after hearing the noise from Gustav’s room exploding.

Their attention was directed at both the blown-up governor’s room and the unfamiliar beautiful girl standing in the courtyard.

Arakia turned to face the newly arrived figures, tilting her thin neck as if pondering.

Perhaps she doubted if those who suddenly appeared were allies of Subaru and the others. Well, it’d be fine if she doubted them.

These newcomers were completely unexpected to Subaru, random intruders lead by coincidence.

Even if they were interrogated, they’d get nothing about Subaru and his allies. In fact, while they listened, Subaru and Hiaine could eye their chance to escape.

They had prepared a different plan; it was as if a spider’s thread had been dropped from the heavens to ensnare them—.

“—Listen!!”

“—Huh?”

Never letting such an unexpected opportunity slip away, Subaru peeked intently at Arakia’s movements as the voice burst forth from the ruined governor’s room.

The speaker was Todd, the last person remaining in that room.

Fear of Todd and the justification of focusing on Arakia in front of him were so strong that Subaru unwittingly excluded Todd’s existence from his mind for even a moment, shaking himself back to reality.

No matter what Todd said, he had to be ready to deal with it.

“Commander Gustav Morello has been killed! The culprits are a black-haired child and a gray lizardman! Kill them on sight!”

“——”

“I repeat! Commander Gustav Morello has been killed! The command will now be taken over by General Arakia! If you don’t want to die by curse rules, kill those two!”

It was not a rough voice, nor was it an emotional outburst—it was a clear voice that had been organized to convey the necessary emotional notes that many could hear, causing action.

Even if those who heard it were slow to understand, the voice remained in their eardrums distinctly, ensuring they wouldn’t forget what had been said.

And at that moment, Subaru’s eyes widened in realization of “I’m done for”.

The death of Gustav had now been pinned on both him and Hiaine. For them to proclaim it as a wrongful accusation would lead to nothing; they would find no fair trial nor investigation on this island.

Ultimately, if they were ever caught—even once—that would signal the end for them both.

In other words—

“—Now, the ‘Spalca’ has begun!!”

The abominable custom of Gladiator Island Gnunhaive, the “Ritual of Blood”, was set to unfold across the entire island.

“Arakia!”

Announcing the beginning of a cruel ceremony, while those who heard it were still unable to move, Todd calmly called Arakia, in a tone unperturbed by the circumstances.

When their eyes met, Todd silently pointed towards the courtyard below him. For a moment, Subaru felt a shock, but Todd was not pointing at him and Hiaine.

It was that pair of gladiators who had just arrived in the courtyard.

After pointing at the gladiators, Todd pointed the same finger to his own neck, articulating with his lips a silent—

‘—Kill them.’

If he hadn’t voiced such thoughts, they would surely lead to the end for their family. After all, how could a noble even contemplate profiting from the pain caused by war?

“Hey, what’s going on? What happened with the governor…?”

“You’re telling me! Let’s look for the ‘Schwarz’ boy! That creepy kid!”

Despite the panicking voices, the fear had spread among the gladiators, demanding answers from the still-collecting crowd.

Amid the exchanges, the notion that the governor had possibly been attacked continued to spread.

This pushed the gladiators to rally and seek out Subaru and Hiaine, despite the threat radiating from Todd’s intentions.

“Oh, come on! I don’t care what skin is being flayed! I told you, I gotta stay alive here!”

“Isn’t that just asking for death?!”

“Can’t you use your brains? If they’re coming after ‘Schwarz’, then it’s likely no different from hunting them down.”

“Yeah. He’s always been a total brat!”

“So, what do we do? Do we just sit back and wait for them to bust us out of here?”

The gladiators exchanged desperate voices among themselves, each torn between opposing forces—should they confront their oppressors or yield and hand over Subaru—some were resigned to the futility of resistance, while others lamented the unjust circumstances. A myriad of sentiments spread throughout the ranks.

Even among the gladiators, the line between who was an enemy and who could possibly be an ally was blurred.

In a sense, their situation appeared more formidable than directly facing off against Todd and Arakia.

Who could be called an ally? Who would prove untrustworthy—making it impossible to rely on anyone too carelessly?

Arakia, the guards, the gladiators they didn’t understand—and Todd.

Everything was closing in on Subaru and Hiaine; Gladiator Island was spiraling towards ruin.

It was happening—the great massacre. And even as they struggled, it continued unabated.

“Old Man Nur!”

Running through the catastrophe on the island, Subaru burst into the room before him.

The healing room located in the lower layers of the island was home to Old Man Nur—a place he had relied upon so many times. But as he dashed in, the entrance was in disarray, shattered into chaos, and a troubling premonition gripped him as he rushed inside.

And that terrible feeling came true.

“Schwarz-sama…”

The voice that greeted Subaru upon entering the healing room was a hoarse little girl crying out. Tanza sat in the back of the room, next to the corpse of a winged rat.

Most likely, Tanza had taken down the beast herself. That was quite impressive.

Yet, before Tanza’s arrival, that creature had ravaged the healing room and killed people.

Underneath where Tanza hunched down, lifeless was the body of a man with his throat ripped open—an old man’s skeletal corpse lay crumpled beneath her.

“S-Schw—”

Hiaine, who had dashed into the healing room alongside Subaru, sounded shaken, seeing the same grisly scene.

The brutal actions of Arakia in the courtyard, the way she’d killed one gladiator after another, were only possible because of Hiaine’s support to hide there until she left.

Without him, Subaru would never have made it back here.

But even in repeating their hiding and running, they still couldn’t win.

“Schwarz, you made it back!”

“Hmph, looks like you didn’t die either, lizard bastard…”

Idra and Vaits soon joined Subaru as they stood dejectedly before the corpse of Old Man Nur, the members of the factions who had helped them sneak into the office were now all present.

Given the state of chaos on the island, the fact that everyone had managed to converge without losing anyone felt nothing short of miraculous.

However, if it was a miracle, shouldn’t it yield an outcome much greater and more favorable?

“Schwarz-sama, was it true what they said? About Governor Gustav losing his life?”

“You and Hiaine? That’s impossible. The one who killed Gustav was the emissary from the Imperial Capital… Arakia. No, it was Todd who used Arakia.”

“Todd…? Who is that…?”

“Scarier than the Archbishop of Sin.”

At least according to Subaru’s understanding.

The memory of the Archbishops of Sin was nothing to scoff at. However, when placed beside Todd, they felt somewhat more bearable. In actual fact, they really couldn’t compare; a scumbag was a scumbag through and through.

Yet, from Subaru’s remarks, Tanza and the others appeared to grasp the danger Todd posed.

“Don’t make such outrageous comparisons. Even if I understand he’s different from the Archbishop, this is still bad for my heart.”

“Yeah, sorry; it’s just that I’ve seen him a lot.”

“Seen the Archbishop often? What exactly do you mean…?”

“I mean, what’s that supposed to imply? What do you know about me?”

“――――”

Feeling irritated, Subaru unintentionally pointed fingers at Tanza.

While he regretted the tone he’d taken, Tanza’s response didn’t reflect any resentment. Instead, it seemed to concern his earlier words more than anything else.

That left Subaru somewhat baffled.

Surely, none of them knew about his ability to “Return by Death”. How each time, it seemed to amplify the miasma connected with the “Witch”.

“So, what should we do? If Governor Gustav is dead, the curse that binds us should be lifted as well. Let’s draw up the drawbridge and head out of the island?”

“D-don’t say such foolish things! We don’t have the key to that! Plus, if we move the drawbridge, we’ll get targeted immediately!”

“Then we continue fighting against everyone on the island? If the ‘Nine Divine Generals’ are included among our enemies, sooner or later…we have no escape route…”

As Idra and the others deliberated on a way to resolve the situation, Subaru’s focus shifted to their discussion.

Idra’s proposal to escape via the drawbridge seemed brilliant. A myriad of conditions had changed, yet, since Subaru wielded the cursed object, they could leave the island now that the curse had been lifted.

However, just as Hiaine pointed out, if they attempted to flee using the bridge, the chance of an ambush waited at two locations: the control tower that operated the drawbridge and while crossing the bridge itself.

Yet, even remaining here was merely a recipe for misery, so as Vaits stated, it was not an option.

And then—

“—Governor Gustav,”

Old Man Nur and the gladiators who were currently losing their lives on the island due to Arakia’s rampage couldn’t remain lost to the realm of the living.

It was a thought Subaru couldn’t endure.

Even if they succeeded in recovering the cursed object and the threat of cursed roles no longer loomed over them, determining to move forward as this being the “best outcome”—that wasn’t a path that Natsuki Subaru would choose.

—That wouldn’t be the way for the son of Kenichi Natsuki.

“At the very least, if we can reduce the number of enemies…”

Closing his eyes tightly, Subaru became ensnared in a maze of thoughts.

Beside him, Tanza bit her lips lightly before murmuring. Indeed, in a situation where everyone was an enemy, it seemed that any improvement would allow different options to emerge—.

“…N-no, if that’s the case, maybe we shouldn’t hide anymore?”

“――――”

“Hey, Schwarz, I’m talking to you.”

“…Huh?”

Subaru stared wide-eyed at Hiaine, who had cautiously begun to speak.

Considering everything, it had also taken longer for him to connect because the call was unexpected.

To stop hiding, that’s what Hiaine was saying.

But just—

“Stop hiding…? What about?”

“For crying out loud! With the state we’re in, keeping such a hand to yourself ain’t gonna help!”

“Hey, stop, you lizard fucker…!”

Hiaine snapped back, frustrated at Subaru’s confusion. Vaits stepped in to calm things down, but Subaru was too shocked to give thanks.

Instead, both Tanza and Idra grew serious as they laid eyes on Subaru.

“While you could’ve worded that better, I understand Hiaine’s sentiment. It’s about time you let us in on this.”

“But I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about…”

“——Your father’s story.”

“…My father?”

Idra spoke earnestly, his seriousness almost unbelievable, which further intensified Subaru’s confusion. Why on earth was his father’s story relevant here?

To Subaru, his father was a prominent, respectable individual in the eyes of both him and his mother—nothing less than his idol.

“But, he’s just an average salaryman…?”

“Don’t play coy! I already know! You’re the Emperor’s illegitimate child!”

“———”

The voice of Hiaine overshadowed Subaru’s attempts to clarify that what he was about to say wouldn’t be utilizable in this scenario, even as Vaits held him down.

Though drowned out, the weight of Hiaine’s words wrapped itself around Subaru, inducing an utterological spinning effect within his mind.

“…Me, the child of Emperor…”

“Yeah, exactly! Outside the island, everyone’s been talking about you! That the black-haired, black-eyed illegitimate child of Emperor Vincent Volakia is somewhere in the country… and that it’s…”

“—Schwarz, that’s you, isn’t it?”

Hiaine’s words were followed by Idra’s calm yet steady gaze upon Subaru.

The desperation visible in Hiaine’s eyes and the unwavering conviction in Idra’s, neither of them had made a joke in the face of such a serious atmosphere, caused Subaru to glance at Vaits.

Vaits grimaced, and warped his face covered in tattoos.

“I told you… I know what you are. But whatever it is, I’ll lend you my strength… regardless.”

Were the circumstances different, it would have struck a different chord.

Reflecting back on that moment, when Vaits said that to Subaru below, the resolve behind those words became clear.

It had stemmed from a completely misguided assumption.

“Wait, hold up… why would I be the child of the Emperor?”

“Your unique decision-making ability, leadership qualities, and survivability. It was you who saved us and Hiaine’s comrades during the ‘Spalca’, Schwarz.”

“That’s….”

True, it was no lie that he had pushed himself against fate, leveraging all his capabilities.

However, he never once imagined it might lead to such an astonishing misunderstanding among Idra and the others.

If they had misconstrued him that way—

“Tanza, why do you think that’s different…?”

“—Schwarz-sama, I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

“—Huh?”

“I saw Schwarz-sama together with the Emperor himself.”

Tanza’s words were delivered calmly as she held down the hem of her kimono, and left Subaru speechless.

She referred to the time in Chaos Frame. He indeed had been in a tiny form alongside Abel sporting a silly mask.

As Tanza was Yorna’s retainer, it wasn’t strange for her to have known the truth.

Abel was the real Emperor, and she’d seen him with the shrunk form of Subaru.

Had she tied that to Idra and the others’ misunderstanding?

“But, Tanza was conspiring with Roswaal… no, wait.”

Tanza was involved with Roswaal and, as Subaru deduced, the two had been collaborating on various actions.

Most likely, those actions were taken to protect Yorna so he had no intention of blaming her. Additionally, even if someone were a co-conspirator, Roswaal wouldn’t have shared all his cards.

Tanza didn’t know that “Natsumi Schwarz” was in a shrunken state, either.

So then—

“What do you consider me…?”

“—That, the child of the black-haired woman and Emperor…”

“———”

He was left speechless.

While Tanza didn’t continue further, he understood what she was implying. Grasping that, he felt an inability to justify anything.

He had no evidence to present. Other than suddenly growing large here and now, he had no way to help himself.

“…Why is the story about being the Emperor’s illegitimate child all the rage right now?”

“—Right now, outside the island, there’s an uprising against Emperor Valakia. Due to that uprising, the one being hailed as the flagbearer is…”

“The Emperor’s illegitimate child?”

Subaru’s query was met by a nod from Idra.

And in finally connecting the dots, Subaru began to understand the rationale behind the unfolding turmoil. The conflict outside the island was essentially about a power struggle involving the Emperor and his child.

The truth was a battle between the real Emperor and a false one.

But what the public was aware of was the Emperor versus a rebellion led by his son.

Who generated that narrative, and how it came to shift into that format, Subaru had his hunch.

“That bastard…!”

Immediately, Subaru comprehended that the circumstances were orchestrated by Abel, the one who generated this situation and spread the rumor.

It wasn’t merely meant to irritate Subaru; rather, it seemed to lend legitimacy to the internal strife and perilously searched for Subaru, who was managed to disappear from Chaos Frame.

It was likely they thought Subaru hadn’t died. Although he could never utter out loud that everyone believed he hadn’t died…

“———”

The others’ eyes were on Subaru, who’d pressed his hand to his mouth, falling into silence.

Tensions roiling outside the healing room. He could sense battles occurring throughout the island, with gladiators at risk, some losing their lives.

The necessity to sit quietly, think it through, and take advantage of any time was nowhere to be found.

Thus—

“—Schwarz-sama.”

Tanza’s words reached him; she understood that time was of the essence, even while those words contained a certain solemnity.

Looking around to the faces of those in the “Alliance,” Subaru deliberated and decided—what he had to fulfill in this current predicament was to stand up and act.