“—Are you going to that person, Abel-san?”

Vincent stopped in his tracks at the call from the side and turned around.

Standing at the coupling point where he had come across the Dragon Carriage—used as a long single unit by linking multiple passenger cars, allowing the blessing of multiple Earth Dragons’ ‘Wind Shield’—was a familiar blue-haired girl, who he closed one eye at.

Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he exchanged words with this girl.

“Did the uninvited guests from the kingdom achieve their objectives?”

“Their objective is not me…”

“Stop. Don’t waste my time with nonsense you don’t even believe yourself. Time is precious, especially in the current situation. You understand that, right?”

“——-”

At Vincent’s harsh voice, the girl cast her gaze downward.

However, she immediately raised her face, understanding Vincent’s point about the limited time, and asked again,

“Are you going to that person, Abel-san?”

“I am not Abel. I am Vincent Volakia.”

In response to her question, Vincent returned her words without changing his expression. Abel was just a temporary name he took on while on the run. It was borrowed from his family name, Abelkus, before ascending to the throne, and he had no attachment to it.

However, the discomfort of being called that name was particularly strong at this moment.

“—I received a report that he has awakened. I must confront him.”

Pushing aside that discomfort, Vincent answered the girl’s question.

Regardless of what the girl might be thinking, it would not change Vincent’s course of action. He had never thought that this girl had particularly strong will or thought.

Protected, swept along, and suffering, she arrived at the obvious conclusion after a long time.

Like many others, she was just one of those ordinary people.

For that reason, Vincent attempted to cut off the conversation quickly.

However—

“That person is not your enemy, Abel-san.”

“—What?”

Vincent frowned at the unexpected content of the girl’s response, thinking she would remain silent and averted her gaze.

The girl fixing her gaze on Vincent had a certain will shining in her pale blue eyes.

The light that had not existed when they had parted now pierced through Vincent, boldly and timidly trying to hold him at bay.

“—I am Vincent Volakia. There won’t be a third time.”

“I’m sorry. However, I have no memories, so I do not know Emperor Vincent well. Therefore, I cannot say anything to you, Vincent.”

“——-”

“That person is not your enemy.”

The girl reiterated strongly, never once averting her gaze.

Vincent was aware of her abilities. They were the reins to control Natsuki Subaru and a precious user of healing magic.

If she was confidently confronting Vincent, aware of this position, it would indeed be quite courageous, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

And—

“What is your name?”

“—Rem. At the very least, I can clearly answer that now.”

“A girl without memories declares her name.”

“That’s strange. Even without remembering in my head or heart, some things can be taught by my environment. Because someone has been saying all along that I am Rem.”

Whether that was gratitude or exasperation, even Rem herself did not understand her way of speaking.

Vincent only recognized that it did not lead to any feelings of disgust or aversion, and he determined that further conversation was unwarranted.

He turned his back and walked away. On the way, he stated,

“Rem, do not waste my time again. Next time, I’ll behead you for your disrespect.”

With that, he ended the dialogue with Rem.

And—

“How eloquently you speak, Natsuki Subaru? —The ‘Star Reader’ of the Parent Dragon Kingdom.”

△▼△▼△

Feeling the hostility directed at him intensely, Subaru faced the man.

Looking back, his relationship with this man could only be described as perplexing.

The first encounter was with that dubious bandaged man camping in the forest. At that time, he had been too desperate searching for the lost Rem and Lui to delve deeper, but he was more than just a suspicious person.

The next encounter was in a cage in a Shudrak village, where it was inexplicable how he could act so high and mighty despite being a captive. If he had some escape plan, it was still a no-go as afterward, he was forced to participate in the “Ritual of Blood.”

Later, while requesting help in reclaiming Rem, they had parted ways, but he had revealed a cruel streak in his knowledge that they would inevitably have to return.

On the other hand, during the siege of Castle City Gwararu, he had fully cooperated with Subaru’s plan and infiltrated the enemy’s stronghold alongside the dancers Natsumi Schwarz, Bianca, and Flora.

He raised suspicions about his unusual relationship with Priscilla, was courted by Yorna, and had unhesitatingly declared that he could not leave Lui alive in the Magic City and parted ways with Subaru.

Yet, after escaping Gladiator Island and hearing about the situation surrounding the entire Empire, he had believed without a doubt that it was all his scheme, the deposed Emperor.

Abandoning the Imperial Capital Rupugana, an evacuation and retreat were taking place, and even during this situation, he commanded it again, regaining his position as the top commander of the empire—the renowned wise emperor.

“It’s an honor to have Vincent Volakia come to visit me. Since you’re here, could you peel some Lingas for me?”

“Don’t joke around. First of all, I can’t peel fruit. Secondly, where is the Linga?”

“Where, you say…? ”

As the man approached, entering the bedroom while questioning, Subaru’s gaze shifted sideways. In this kind of situation, it became a staple for injured or sickbed visitors to bring fruits in this fantasy world; next to the bed lay a basket filled with Lingas.

Of course, the man could see that as well.

“That fruit basket over there! It looks ripe and delicious!”

“Fool, are you trying to deceive me? Linga is a white fruit.”

“Sure, the inside is white after peeling… but wait, somehow this conversation feels eerily familiar, like I’ve had the same exchange in the distant past.”

Though the memory was quite vague, he felt he had a similar conversation quite some time ago.

He couldn’t recall who that person was, but he remembered thinking this was how the upper class got carried away.

Anyway—

“You didn’t know that, huh? Surprising.”

The fact that the first exchange of words was loose didn’t feel bad, so Subaru said this.

In response to Subaru’s words, the man—Abel reached for the fruit basket and split a Linga in half with the knife on the side. Naturally, the white flesh inside became evident.

“——-”

Seeing the undeniable outcome, perhaps he finally accepted the truth of the earlier exchange. Abel set the knife down and looked at Subaru while leaving the half in the basket.

His black eyes, unmistakably glimmering with hostility.

“Are you angry because you were embarrassed by the Linga’s color…? And earlier, you called me by that silly name.”

“Star Reader of the Parent Dragon Kingdom.”

“That’s it.”

Revisiting the term made Subaru frown, as he had no recollection of it.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar term; he had heard that fortune tellers glued to the emperor were referred to as such in this Empire.

Much like the Dragon History Stone from the Lugnica Kingdom, a presence that indicated the future.

“No, it felt more like a derogatory term… a way of saying I’m peeking into tomorrow.”

“That understanding is correct. That’s how I perceive that existence.”

“By that logic, you just called me a peeping tom, you realize that, right?”

Under normal circumstances, that would be a straightforward insult, one that Subaru would be prepared to challenge in civil court for libel in his modern life.

However, Abel’s expression did not waver in the slightest at Subaru’s retort. Like a child refusing to play, he delivered that with a depth that differed from Subaru’s similarly colored black eyes.

Of course, Subaru didn’t think he was playing around at all—

“How much do you understand?”

“How much do I understand…? About the situation? Well, I don’t have many details. I know that Emilia and the others are concerned about us waking up… it’s obvious we are in the middle of a retreat.”

“——-”

“Having temporarily stopped the civil unrest, everyone is currently fleeing from the Imperial Capital… it must have been chaotic, but it doesn’t seem to have turned into a ruckus.”

The Dragon Carriage continued to run, and the night scenery visible from the windows was moving slowly.

Despite the protection of the ‘Wind Shield’ against tremors and wind sounds, it was quiet.

This likely owed to the quietness inherent to this passenger car, demonstrating that the Dragon Carriage had not stopped once, indicating that no significant troubles had occurred.

Despite a considerable number of people relocating—likely on the scale of ten thousand.

“While there might be the gravitational pull of the ‘Nine Divine Generals,’ that alone wouldn’t suffice. You really do have some impressive abilities.”

“——-”

“Honestly, when I first heard that your right-hand man and advisor had betrayed you and kicked you off the throne, I seriously wondered if you would be alright returning as emperor, but now it seems that was correct.”

Almost certainly, it was due to leadership abilities and charisma—the qualities expected of those in charge.

It was not simply a matter of being better than others; that quality could also be one nurtured through mud and sweat, but there were also those who were born with it.

These being the royal families of various nations or the heads of distinct organizations.

So, in that sense, the Abel who confirmed his footing during a crisis had the potential to make people around him follow him and look up to him.

“Though it’s frustrating, I find myself somewhat inclined to believe you. You were correct in being the emperor…”

“—That too is just as you plotted.”

“Eh?”

Quiet, yet emotions were certainly packed within his voice, something felt too bizarre for Subaru’s brain to process.

As a result, Subaru could not evade the oncoming hand, his forehead pushed down onto the bed. Before he could even protest what was happening, he felt a sharp sensation against his throat.

That was immediately realized to be the tip of the fruit knife used to cut up the Linga.

Even after realizing it, he did not know the intent. What did it mean for Abel, holding that knife, to turn his hostility—no, the same hatred expressed in his voice—towards Subaru?

“——-”

Subaru and Abel glared at each other, separated by mere inches, their breaths intertwining.

Should Subaru carelessly raise his voice and call for help now, Abel would not hesitate to slash Subaru’s throat with that knife.

However, the reason he hadn’t done it yet lay within Abel’s rationale.

“What do you intend to do…?”

“What you should be asking is what I am thinking. To what extent did you foresee the sequence of events unfolding? Is everything leading up to this point according to your design?”

“That’s why…! I’m saying I don’t understand what you’re talking about. What scheme could I possibly have…?”

“—Why did you leave me behind instead of Chisha?”

The blade pressed against his throat cut deeper than the knife itself, alongside Abel’s probing voice that jabbed at Subaru’s throat. It silenced him, trembling Abel’s hand still clutching the knife.

Grinding his teeth, Abel glared intensely at Subaru and declared those words.

It was something that Subaru could not grasp immediately.

“Abel…”

“Vincent Volakia.”

“——-”

“I am not Abel. I am none other than Vincent Volakia, the 77th Emperor of the Volakia Empire. —That is the outcome you wished for, isn’t it?”

Straining his words, Abel—no, Vincent disdainfully declared his name.

It felt as if he cursed himself for naming himself so, a sentiment that Subaru didn’t quite understand. After all,

“Weren’t you fighting to get that name and fame back…?”

“That’s not it. I struggled to fulfill my responsibilities as emperor. The pact with the ‘People of Shudrak,’ the fall of Castle City, negotiations with Yorna Mishigure, inciting the civil war—all of it was for that purpose.”

“The responsibilities of an emperor…?”

“At the throne, Vincent Volakia shall fall. From there, I must leave means to resist the ‘Great Calamity’ that aims to destroy the empire. That is my responsibility.”

“Huh…”

Subaru exhaled in a raspy breath in response to Vincent’s first description of his plot.

Hearing that unfamiliar term ‘Great Calamity’ seized Subaru’s attention even more, alongside the manner in which Vincent spoke.

He said that Vincent Volakia would fall and the ‘Great Calamity’ would begin.

And he added that he would leave a method to resist this ‘Great Calamity.’

Not to investigate, but to leave it behind.

The way he said it seemed as if—

“It’s like you’re saying you know you’re going to die…”

Feeling the icy tip of death pressed against his neck, Subaru muttered.

Or perhaps, standing just before the ‘death,’ he sensed the intoxicating sway of Vincent’s black eyes. He intuitively perceived the assured emptiness beyond that inky blackness.

It was resignation ornamented with the will to resist.

“Yes. I made my death part of my scheme. No matter if I perish, the Volakia Empire must not perish; that is, the plan I will leave behind.”

Then, as that intuition was confirmed by none other than Vincent himself, the next moment, Subaru’s thoughts turned crimson, and emotions erupted.

“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?!”

With a beastly smile bared, Subaru glared fiercely at Vincent—no, the coward in front of him. A stabbing pain shot through his neck, but that could wait.

Right now, beating this smug coward down was far more urgent.

“You dragged so many people along, made them cross dangerous bridges, and had them take all those unnecessary detours, only to end up planning on dying yourself? Don’t mess with me!”

“I am not messing around. Every single path you described was necessary to traverse. The conclusion of my death pales in comparison to the critical matter regarding the survival of the empire.”

“That’s not true! What I’m saying is, why are you the first to give up your life? A ‘Great Calamity’? I don’t care! You should stand up and face it!”

“Don’t spout nonsense. While I am alive, the ‘Great Calamity’ cannot occur. That is the premise of this strategy. It cannot be overturned—”

“No one has decided it can’t be overturned! You’re smart, so just trick it however you can and lure it out…!”

“—You are the ones who taught me it cannot be overturned, you ‘Star Readers’!”

In Subaru’s emotional outbreak, Vincent restrained his emotions to respond. Yet, at this moment, those feelings exploded before Subaru’s eyes.

Just how deeply unexpected this outburst was for Vincent could hardly be conveyed. Had he not seized the edge of the blade he was presenting towards Subaru with his other hand, he might not have known where the sharp end would stab.

Dripping blood spilled from Vincent’s left hand gripping the blade and began to spot the white sheets.

However, neither Subaru nor Vincent were focused on the dripping blood, but rather locked in on each other’s eyes, and the existence beyond them.

Again, Vincent referred to Subaru as a ‘Star Reader.’

That was the reason Vincent Volakia hated Natsuki Subaru, bore hostility, and had even directed a knife at him.

It was because he knew this, that he could not unravel the mystery.

“The ‘Star Readers’ taught you that…”

“—The observers from above, those ‘Star Readers’ outside the framework, who listen to the voices from above. They convey prospective events and offer opportunities to minimize damage. But that only concerns the size of the damage. It’s not about stopping it altogether.”

Vincent began to speak in that bitter, as emotion-suppressing voice.

What he spoke of resonated with Subaru’s own reflections. If the ‘Star Readers’ genuinely foresaw the future, they would clearly know it’s not easy to change it based on actual experiences.

It’s better described as a force of destiny or the natural flow of time; it tends to follow its own prescribed form, making it difficult to avert impending tragedy.

The predictions of the ‘Star Readers’ were similar to Subaru’s experience.

For instance, even when Subaru ‘returned by death’ during a natural disaster, he could urge everyone to evacuate in preparation. Yet he couldn’t prevent the very natural disaster itself.

Whether he could stop it from crushing homes or taking lives remained uncertain, but it was undeniable that the challenge was undeniably hard.

“So far, the ‘Star Readers’ have successfully foreseen the emperor’s crises. We have dealt with those as best we could, but there will always be things we cannot save. Hence, we need strategies.”

“Strategies…?”

“Methods to minimize the damage, to bring the losses as close to zero as possible.”

—The impending disaster of the future, what can be done to allow more people to overcome it. What can be done to ensure that more do not get left behind.

If Vincent Volakia had dedicated himself to realizing that.

“You whispered about my death, you ‘Star Readers’. So why tell me to overturn my death? Are you… playing with me?!”

“Wait, hold on! I’m telling you, I’m not a ‘Star Reader’ or anything like that!”

“—You can still see what is yet to come. Stop scheming, Natsuki Subaru.”

At those words, Subaru felt his heart seize.

Through the process of exposing his inner thoughts, the emperor’s mask was peeled away, revealing behind it the façade of a flawed man who called himself Abel.

Then, the man looked straight into Subaru’s eyes and spoke.

“—Ah.”

He understood why Vincent—no, Abel had called Subaru a ‘Star Reader.’

Abel had seen through Subaru’s ‘Return by Death.’

To be precise, he hadn’t seen ‘Return by Death’ itself, but rather that Subaru could rewind time by losing his life and return with information from the future—he perceived that he had the means to foresee ahead.

And he equated that with the ‘Star Readers’ prophecies he knew.

“——-”

Thinking about it, it was a confusion that could naturally arise.

After all, Subaru himself sought to find connections and understand the commonality between himself and the description of ‘Star Readers’ Abel explained.

Having learned about the examples of ‘Star Readers’, it would not be strange for Subaru to spot a similarity—or rather, see it as the same thing when he produced an outcome that surpassed his innate abilities.

Abel’s insight was indeed accurate. His perceptiveness correctly scrutinized matters.

With his keen eye, he immediately understood that it wasn’t merely due to immature skills and simple luck that Subaru had survived through various crises in the empire.

So, that was it.

“That’s why you always tried to listen properly to my opinions.”

If a proposal resulted from looking toward the future and selecting the best course of action, it would be impossible for him to disregard any suggestion, no matter how absurd it seemed.

He hadn’t let the Shudrak village burn, had disguised himself as a girl in the siege of Castle City, and in the journey to the Magic City Chaos Frame and negotiations with Yorna, it was the same.

Abel had always taken Subaru’s proposals seriously, exploring their realizability.

Thus, Abel had tried to involve Subaru, whom he believed to be a ‘Star Reader’, into the great game concerning the empire’s survival—as one of the methods of resistance for after his own loss.

And yet—

“You left me behind instead of Chisha.”

“——-”

“Natsuki Subaru, you are an ordinary human.”

That was, in yet another yet different manner, a voice devoid of emotion.

He was not holding back his emotions; if he was suppressing them, he’d hear the alive feelings shrieking to call out.

Yet, there was nothing to hear. It wasn’t that he had contained them, but rather that his emotions had withered away.

In that emotion-dead voice, Abel hurled colorless words at Subaru.

“You are a sweet, blue, young human filled with bitterness. Not exceptionally good or studiously evil. If you have nothing, you do nothing and would only die as just a human being.”

The detached assessment of Subaru uttered plainly left no room for rebuttal.

According to Abel’s keen perception, Subaru couldn’t be exceptional. Even if his body and mind were soaked in juvenile innocence, reverting to the time he believed himself a prodigy, he still knew the visage his future self would take; he was merely an average human with no clear stance.

But—

“Even so, you’ve been granted that surpassingly extraordinary opportunity. You have made full use of it and survived up to this day. Being ordinary, human, not tilting toward either good or wickedness.”

“Abel…”

“You are an ordinary human. …Then, why?”

With a strong grip, Abel bit his teeth tight as he looked at Subaru.

That expression stripped away all nobility, purity, ease, and confidence, showing the flesh underneath the emperor’s mask while trembling in his voice.

Shaking as he spoke, trembling, he shouted.

“Why did you leave me, Natsuki Subaru?!”

“——-”

“You have no ties or obligations to this empire. You could have been satisfied with merely protecting those few who became close to you by today. Why did you save me? Why did you think of saving someone like me with whom you share no harmony…?!”

“——-”

“Why…?”

In his rage, the raspy voice spoke volumes of the weight behind Abel’s questions.

With a firm grip, the blade cut deeper into his hand, causing more blood to flow painfully, and Subaru instinctively tried to pry the knife from him to stop the bleeding.

However—

“Do not touch me!”

“Zud.”

Abruptly swatting away Subaru’s hand, in an instant the pain shot through his outstretched hand causing Subaru to wince.

Before his eyes, the knife swung in Abel’s hand cut into Subaru’s palm, blood dripping down.

As both faced each other, the blood flowing and staining the sheets continued unchecked.

Still, ignoring the blood dripping and the soiled sheets and floor,

“…The fact that you reached out just now was the most incomprehensible and incompatible thing about you.”

“——-”

“Driven by the fleeting emotions of the moment, you even trample over your own beliefs and thoughts. You break your own promises and disregard what you’ve decided must be, reaching out indiscriminately without being able to differentiate whom you should save and whom you should let perish.”

“—Ah.”

With Abel’s piercing gaze and words that felt similar to what had recently tortured Subaru, he found himself breathless.

The pain of the bleeding wound faded, and what froze his thoughts was that Abel’s words conveyed the same meaning as what had tormented Subaru not long before.

“—But you want to choose whether to save Kachua or not, don’t you?”

“——-”

That was a line flung at him before Subaru regained consciousness, in the moments just before relinquishing that consciousness.

Judgment rendered by Todd Fang, who had declared that he could never connect with Natsuki Subaru, who deemed him a monster, not recognizing him as either a ‘Return by Death’ or ‘Star Reader.’

He too had called Subaru an enigma, having honed his insight through living as a werewolf, pointing out the peculiarity Subaru represented.

“You are disjointed! You sit back and act as if you were ready to die at any moment, yet you treat others’ lives as a scale of your whims, and if it gets to this point, you resist with all your might. It’s unsettling!”

“——”

The cold gaze of Todd and the lifeless tone resonated with Abel’s expression before him.

While Abel’s gaze and voice expressed anger, they nonetheless merged. The reason was clear: both sought to separate from Natsuki Subaru, whose existence they could not accept.

To reject Natsuki Subaru, whose existence did not fit, and eliminate him from the world— that was the preface.

“The malignancy lies not in your lack of self-awareness. You are making choices over the lives of others. You decide who to save, who to let go, dependent on your whims. You cherish those who offer flattery and show their bellies while neglecting those who don’t. I will not hesitate to fawn or expose my belly for others…”

“—But how could I associate with a creature who decides the lives and deaths of others based on personal preference?”

What had driven Todd to violent acts was Subaru’s thoughts and attitudes.

Of course, Subaru would not completely swallow that or think of himself as wrong. He had only acted based on what he considered right. If he flipped his stance now, he couldn’t face the allies who had believed in him and followed him until now.

However, at the same time, there existed undeniable truths.

—That Subaru indeed chose who to let live and who to let die, and that possibility had been put forth to him.

Through the power of ‘Return by Death,’ Subaru had altered the destinies of those important to him.

He twisted the fates of those who could only either lose their lives or get hurt, those who could only snatch valuable things from each other, creating distance across which misunderstandings lay while preserving the chance to understand one another.

With the decisions and actions Subaru had undertaken, it was likely that the number of people dying around him or being made unhappy had decreased.

However, it wasn’t that Natsuki Subaru had saved everyone.

Hadn’t saved them, couldn’t save them—it was only a matter of whether to think positively or negatively, the fact remained standing resolutely.

He hadn’t destroyed all ‘enemies.’

Yet he hadn’t saved them all either. How had Subaru chosen whom to help and whom to let through?

Todd feared that it had simply boiled down to Subaru’s personal likes and dislikes.

“No, that’s not it, Natsuki Subaru. That’s not even about preference for others.”

“…Huh?”

As he became acutely aware of the insurmountable gap between him and Todd, the gaze of Abel shaking his head halted Subaru’s train of thought.

Breath held, Subaru looked up at Abel, who spoke.

“If you were to make your decisions based on your subjective preferences about whom to save and whom to leave behind, it would have been easier to understand. Yet you save even those you loathe. Just as I did.”

“That could never be…”

Yet those words were further silenced from continuation.

Whether he deeply loathed Abel enough to abandon him in the heat of the moment was a question only he could answer, but indeed, it was true that he reached out to someone he detested.

He did not let go. Even in conflict, he had been alongside Lui until now.

He had reached out even toward those he would abhor, and if that’s the case, he would have done it again.

“—Take the relatives of the kingdom and leave Volakia.”

A shock passed through Subaru as he reflected on his actions, his thoughts interrupted by these unexpected words.

Raising his gaze slowly, he found Abel had returned the knife into the fruit basket, crafting a neutral expression with anger seemingly faded.

He continued speaking to Subaru, stunned by this shift in attitude and the context of the words he had issued.

“From this point on, the empire is entering battle with the ‘Great Calamity’. The strategy I sought to create has significantly diverged in critical parts, but I can manage. Therefore, you are unnecessary.”

“Wha—”

“I have heard enough of your trivialities. Regardless of your motives, what has happened is done; it must be accepted. Questioning the reasons is the utmost futility.”

That wasn’t merely words directed toward Subaru; rather, they were directed at himself.

Here, the emotional interplay with Subaru, the rational exchange devoid of feelings—all of this was being cut off unilaterally by Abel.

That was far beyond simply not like his usual self.

Both sides of the discourse brought into discussion the name ‘Chisha’—which had become relevant in the talk, and to whom Subaru was well acquainted.

From what he articulated, Abel was genuinely making an inquiry about why Subaru hadn’t saved Chisha, who presumably fell just earlier during the siege on the imperial capital.

Abel intended to suppress this truth, bury it, moving forward as if it had never happened.

“Prepare for your return. I will handle all arrangements necessary to cross the border. As for the rest, it is entirely the Empire’s—my problem.”

Indeed, having rephrased how he addressed himself was an expression of his resolve to leave behind the performance as Abel and move forward as Emperor Vincent Volakia.

Yet what that decision entailed for him, and the heaviness of the burden it harbored, Subaru couldn’t grasp.

Natsuki Subaru could not understand Vincent Volakia.

Vincent Volakia could not understand Natsuki Subaru.

Thus, this barren moment painted only with shared blood would end—

“You’re a monster. Far more so than that zombie.”

Unable to understand, unresolved, with parting unavoidable, it drew the conclusion, arbitrarily categorized—so consistently defined and summarily ended.

In the end, wasn’t there some regret over how that had all unfolded? The irredeemable foolishness he faced.

“Hey, Abel.”

Turning his back to signify the conclusion, the emperor made to leave. Calling towards that departing slender back, he took a quiet breath and paused his steps.

Thereafter, he faced Subaru without so much as a spark of emotion in his barren gaze.

“Understand this: I am Vincent Volakia, and there is no man named Abel—”

“—Shut up! Bite your teeth together!”

Using the springs of the bed to propel himself, Subaru jumped, aiming for Abel’s face.

His small, blood-stained fist was hurled toward the face of the arrogant man who had thoughtlessly demanded closure and ordered himself out, aiming straight for that infuriatingly smug, hypocritical face, overflowing with disdain, full of hidden sentiments—everything that made it so painfully frustrating crashed into Abel’s cheek.

 

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