Roswaal's proposal - liberating the refugees from Aram Village.
This plan itself passed without much difficulty, just like the last time. It was only natural in a situation where there was almost no benefit to having refugees in the Sanctuary, but what was different from the last time was that the accompanying conditions had been removed. Last time, the condition was that Subaru had to undergo the Trials.
"This time, the person who imposed that condition completely disliked me..."
"What's wrong, Subaru?"
"Hmm, it's nothing. More importantly, are you okay, Emilia-tan? Are you calm? If I'm in the way, I'll compromise and go outside the room."
With a wry smile and waving his hand, Subaru called out to the girl beside him - Emilia.
The location was Lewes' house, which had been assigned as Emilia's bedroom, and they were spending time together sitting next to each other on the bed in the bedroom, without having any particular conversation.
It was already evening and night would soon fall.
After waking up before noon and having a late breakfast with Emilia, he finished discussing the issue of refugees with Roswaal and Ryuzu. The proceedings proceeded smoothly, and it was decided that the refugees would be released tomorrow, so the meeting was about to be dismissed――
Subaru: "So, this is obvious, but… Lady Emilia will be taking on the 'Trial' again tonight, right?"
But, if it weren't for Garfiel's poignant remark, the matter could have been avoided.
Subaru glanced at Emilia, trying to resist the urge to click his tongue at her words, and seeing the look of fear and sadness that flashed across her face for just an instant, Subaru was half convinced that Emilia would not be able to pass the Trial this time either.
Unlike Subaru, who is able to carry over his memories, Emilia's conditions ultimately remain unchanged. If Emilia were to be able to overcome the Trials, Subaru's actions would have to have caused a dramatic change in the environment surrounding her.
And in this loop, there is currently no prospect of any measures that would significantly change her environment in such a short time. Even if she tried tonight, it would probably only wear her down.
Subaru: "But, Emilia is the one who doesn't whine and just says she'll do it."
In response to Garfiel's provocative question, Emilia quickly hid the momentary emotion behind her eyes and resolutely declared, "Of course, I'll do it."
Garfiel narrowed his eyes at that attitude, appearing somewhat impressed, and Subaru nearly burst with rage when he heard Roswaal whistle softly.
Either way, there was no way to back out now, and there were only a few hours left before tonight's "trial" began.
They had finished their discussion, had lunch not long after breakfast, and had been back in the house for about three hours now. Subaru had been with her the whole time, and had been constantly bombarding Emilia with topics to talk about - but as the time for the Trial drew nearer, she had visibly become less talkative.
Now, she only gives small responses to Subaru's words.
"Hmm... that's a bit much."
"Ah, I get it. That's fine. Until Emilia-tan calms down, I'll just concentrate on inhaling the breath you exhaled, so don't worry."
"I really don't like that... But, stay here."
Subaru shrugged at the complexity of a girl's heart and continued where he was, as he was told.
Although they were sitting next to each other and he was too exhausted to even dare put his hand on hers, he was honestly happy that he was wanted. By none other than Emilia.
Even if it was just a substitute for not having the person she could rely on the most.
Ever since coming to this Sanctuary - no, to put it more clearly, ever since she returned to the mansion and Puck stopped responding to her calls, Emilia's attitude towards Subaru had steadily softened.
While part of Subaru was happy that she had simply allowed him this, another part of him was quietly worried.
Another part of her wondered if Emilia had lost her anchor and was in a dangerous position right now.
"...Hm?"
"It's nothing. Emilia-tan, your eyelashes are so long and cute, I just thought I'd like to eat some."
"Subaru, you often say you want to eat hair, eyelashes, lick cheeks… so, are those your hobbies?"
"In my hometown, it's the ultimate expression of affection."
Responding sulkingly to Emilia, who seemed a little hesitant, Subaru scratched his cheek.
I think that saying that you want to prpr is the ultimate courtship statement from Subaru's point of view, but if you actually put it into action, you'll be shocked. Especially in this world where your hidden intentions can't be read. I want to be careful with what I say. Though it's too late now.
The best Subaru could do now was to say silly things like this to distract Emilia from her thoughts. He now knew fragments of the past Emilia was facing. If he spoke it out loud, it might bring about a dramatic change different from last time, but
--No matter how I think about it, I don't think things will change for the better.
In any situation, what is needed is time.
Emilia needed time to prepare her heart to face her past. Subaru needed time to present the fragments of his past to her and get the truth out of her mouth. Time, time, time. And that was not enough.
"Why do I have to rush around with such a restrictive schedule? Have I ever had a moment of peace and quiet since coming to this world?"
Searching his memory, if there was ever a time that Subaru could call peaceful, it would have been just a few weeks after the incident with Juggernaut had been resolved.
The times that followed were so hectic that I was amazed that I had never died from overwork in my life.
And as I was thinking such pointless thoughts,
"ーーSubaru."
Subaru was slow to respond to the sudden call. When he turned to look in the direction of the voice - Emilia - she was looking at him closely, her amethyst eyes moist.
Instantly, captivated by her wet eyes, his heart rang so loudly that it seemed as if it would stop. Subaru held his breath. As she gazed at him, Emilia's eyes showed wavering determination and uncertainty. Perhaps with the Trial right before her, she was wavering, as if she was about to confess something to Subaru.
"What?"
So Subaru spoke with as much kindness as he could, careful not to rush Emilia. If she had made up her mind, then he would never get in the way of it.
However, Emilia suddenly dropped her gaze upon Subaru's response,
"Ah... no, sorry. It's not that. I was just calling out to you."
"--. I see. So you just called him! That sounds like a typical exchange between couples who just started dating!"
"I have to get going soon..."
Her resolve had been thwarted. Subaru regretted missing out on that chance, but tried to pretend not to let it be known. Hearing her voice, Emilia stood up and looked out the window as the sun set and night began.
"--We have to go to the tomb. Subaru is only halfway there."
"I'd like to bow to Garfiel and see him off to the entrance, but I don't know if I can persuade him. ...Emilia, it may be pointless saying this."
"---It's useless. It's useless, Subaru."
He tried to stop her, telling her there was no need to push herself, but Emilia had predicted his intention and rejected him, snapping his head back.
In front of the silent Subaru, Emilia smiled bravely and placed her finger over her lips,
"It's okay, you might not think so after seeing how upset I was yesterday, but I'll do my best. I want to do my best. I think I have to do my best."
She clenched the hand she had in front of her face into a fist and continued, "So..."
"If you want to say something to me, don't say, 'It's okay to quit,' but rather, 'Do your best,' and encourage me. If I can feel that even one person has high expectations of me, I think I can turn that into strength."
Subaru: "I have high expectations of you, Emilia-tan. The only man who has as high expectations of you as I do might be your cat dad. ーーDo your best."
"Hmm, I'll do my best."
For the first time that day, Emilia showed a genuine, unassuming smile. Feeling relieved by her smile, Subaru stood up and followed her out of the building.
At night when the sun has gone down, a cold wind blows through the Sanctuary, making you feel chilly.
Emilia's silver hair danced and sparkled in the flowing wind as she walked ahead.
Looking at the silver river bathed in moonlight, Subaru gazed upon her back as she took each strong step,
--But even so, he realized that it probably wouldn't be possible tonight.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
The return of the refugees to Roswaal Mansion took two days less than last time.
There weren't many differences from the last time, other than the date and time. The refugees boarded the same dragon carriages they had used to arrive at the Sanctuary, and the peddlers they had been hired by were all released outside the Sanctuary. Subaru and Otto accompanied them.
If there is one thing that is different from last time, it is
"I was surprised that it was Lewes who volunteered to show me the way. Usually, this kind of thing is reserved for low-ranking people... or people of that rank, right?"
"What, are you not happy about me? We've even had tea and chatted together, but you're so cold to the elderly, it makes me bitter."
The loli-baba pretended to cry as she spoke. She squeezed her small body into the cramped carriage and took her position proudly next to Subaru. The carriage was originally designed to seat two people, so even if one person had the figure of a young girl, the space was quite tight.
"Yes, I can imagine how you feel. Natsuki-san really has no mercy or restraint, so I guess she left those kinds of subtleties behind while she was in her mother's womb."
"Hey, Su-bo. There's a stranger next to the driver's seat. Who's this guy?"
"Is that how you feel about where I stand in your opinion?"
Otto was trying to start a Subaru victims' association and had his ladder removed from him. Even though he holds the reins in the driver's seat and is in a position that truly bears the lifeline of the dragon carriage, he is still treated with disdain as ever.
He cast a shadow over his surprisingly handsome features,
"Ah... I just have the impression that I've been shouting like this ever since I got here, but did I manage to make a good impression on Earl Mathers?"
"You showed your usual relaxed self with that performance, and you laughed so hard your stomach hurt, so I think that made a pretty strong impression."
"There are good and bad impressions in this world, but when you think about it, which impression do you think your stomach will give?"
"And after ripping someone's stomach, this happens... This guy is hopeless."
"If I'm no good, then you two are totally no good either!"
The reason why Otto had accompanied him to the Sanctuary, and the introduction with Roswaal, had gone without a hitch. This followed the same flow as the previous time, and in fact, having witnessed Otto's personality with laughter, Roswaal likely has a fairly low opinion of him.
Although, I don't really get the feeling that I'm seen purely as a merchant.
"Well, we can work that out in our future dealings. Either way, you already know the top secrets of the Mathers territory, so you can't run away."
"I guess meeting Natsuki was just my luck… No, I've already attained some kind of enlightenment, so that's fine."
He is truly a man of tenacity who has persevered in his business despite being faced with a difficult path. He may not be destined for great success, but I won't let him regret his choice.
While I was feeling a deep affection for him for putting up with me like this,
"I'll continue to treat you well, so please look after me, Otto!"
"What on earth is this guy saying with such a refreshing look on his face!"
Otto screamed as Subaru tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing how Lewes, who was between them, made the annoying gesture of covering his ears, Subaru once again looked down from the dragon carriage before it departed,
"--Well then, I'm off, Emilia-tan."
"Hm, be careful."
I exchanged words with Emilia, who waved her small hand in front of her chest and looked at me with a disconsolate look on her face.
Last night, Emilia had taken on the Trial with Subaru by her side. The outcome was known, but it was a failure. Because Subaru was unable to accompany her to the tomb, the Trial was not interrupted midway, and in a daze, Emilia crawled out of the tomb and, eyes trembling, collapsed into Subaru's arms, losing consciousness.
Subaru no longer remembers how many times he wiped tears from Emilia's sleeping face, having stayed beside her all night.
It would be a complete lie to say that I wasn't worried about leaving her behind in such a mentally exhausted state. If possible, I would like to stay by her side as long as possible and support her trembling body.
"I'll be back within a day or two, so don't push yourself. Once the villagers are gone, there's no need to rush. Let's take our time and conquer it."
"I guess so. Yes, if Subaru says so..."
Unlike the smile he showed last night, which had regained a little of its strength, this was a weak smile that conveyed nothing but transience. Still, he was forcing himself to stand here and see Subaru and the others off. Or perhaps, by concentrating his attention on something else, he was trying to forget the thing that was shaking his very foundations.
"Ram, I'm not going to stab you in the nail."
"Ram, I doubt that this is anything other than a nail-jabbing attack... But don't worry. It's annoying, but I agree with Barusu. This is a problem that should be seen as a long-term battle in the first place. Unless Lord Roswaal gives orders, Garf will keep a check on them."
"I'll repay you... that sounds scary. I'll repay you with something else."
"Tch. Even though it's Barusu, he has good intuition."
"Right now, I was secretly avoiding a different death flag."
Despite having heard him click his tongue, Ram politely bowed and sent them off without feeling guilty. She took a step back, and Subaru sat back down in the driver's seat, ready to depart - and far at the back of the line of people seeing them off, he saw a blonde young man with his arms crossed, looking in his direction.
He noticed what Subaru had noticed, and their gazes met.
It was unclear what feelings either of them had in the gazes they were given, but after what had happened with Emilia last night, the sense of danger had not lessened one bit.
「Nyarome. I'll try to find a clue to defeat it somehow…」
"Natsuki-san? We're about to leave, is that okay?"
"Sure. Lewes, please show me around."
"Leave it to me."
Lewes nodded with a pompous gesture, and Otto, who was holding the reins, signaled to Patrasche and Foulfou. The dragon carriage slowly began to move, and the great movement of the refugees began.
The dragon carriage was moving at a slow speed, far from full speed. It was only children, the elderly, and women riding on it, so it was inevitable that they would be considerate.
"But still, everyone looks happy now that they can go back."
"That's the power of home. No matter how boring it is, no matter how empty it is, you always end up leaving your heart there."
Subaru was muttering absentmindedly while looking behind him, and Lewes followed suit. He folded his arms, tilted his head and said to her, "I guess that's how it is,"
"So, you too, Lewes, have an attachment to the Sanctuary?"
"...I wonder. In my case, I'm in a unique situation where I don't know anything other than that place. I'm not so sure I'm afraid to think about anything other than that place."
"Are you scared?"
"Stepping foot into an unknown place is a scary thing, Su-bo. Especially for an old man like me who has only grown old in vain."
Ryuzu has a mature smile and a faraway look in her eyes. However, because of her young appearance, no matter how serious she tries to act, she just looks like a little girl trying to act older than she is.
On the way, the carriage continued its slow march through the forest, exchanging small conversations. It was a long journey of about eight hours each way. The wind's protection ensured a comfortable ride, like being in a royal seat, but it actually made the time pass more slowly.
"That earth dragon is quite clever. Even without my guidance, he rarely gets lost."
"She's a cute girl I'm proud of, after all. I know it's a bit odd for me to be proud of her, but the people around me are pretty high-level, you know?"
Starting with the people at Roswaal Mansion, everyone he had met since the start of the Royal Selection had been someone of some calibre. It was a pathetic story about his mediocrity among such distinguished faces, but for now he had resigned himself to the fact that it was fine to just look up.
Although he had a late start and was a lap behind, he had certainly started running. All he had to do was keep running to catch up - he had already received the strength to do so.
"Now that I think about it, it's fine if you guide us part of the way, but what are you going to do on the way back, Lewes? All the dragon carriages have returned to Aram Village, so you don't have any transportation."
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to get home just fine. Let me just say that with these strong legs, you're still more than capable of not losing to any of the younger guys."
Ryuzu slapped her short, slender legs as they swung along with the movement of the dragon carriage. To be honest, her words didn't have the slightest bit of persuasive power, but she didn't want to discourage the overly confident young girl,
"Okay, okay… hey, Otto. Do you have the energy to carry a little girl on your back and run all the way to the 'Sanctuary'?"
"I don't understand the intention of that question, so I would like to refuse to answer. Is that okay?"
"Did you hear, Lewes? Apparently, he's not up to carrying a little girl on his back, having to walk alone through the dark forest. He doesn't give a damn about one or two little girls."
"That's a terrible thing. People's hearts have become completely desolate."
"Were you two having a meeting or something?!"
Otto's shout cut through the silence of the forest as usual, and as he and Lewes looked at each other and laughed, she suddenly raised her head,
"It's about time, then."
Subaru frowned as Lewes muttered, "Oh?". Suddenly, Lewes suddenly leaned towards Subaru. Subaru caught her light body and let out a small "Oh?",
"Otto, stop. Lewes-san seems to be acting strange."
"Are you going back to the village?"
After issuing a short command, Otto took the reins and halted the carriage. He sent out a similar command with flags to the ranks behind him, and the earth dragons began to neigh as they stopped one after the other.
Suddenly, Lewes in Subaru's arms raised her hand slightly,
"... Sorry, there's no need to go back. It was just the effect of coming so close to the barrier. If you go any further out of the forest you'll probably lose consciousness."
"The barrier... is it the same as when Emilia entered the Sanctuary?"
It was already nearly a week ago in Subaru's time, and he remembered his visit to the Sanctuary.
Just like now, while they were being rocked on the dragon carriage, Emilia suddenly lost consciousness and was given a rough welcome by Garfiel.
Lewes' condition was very similar to Emilia's at the time, and if the dragon carriage had continued to move at this rate, she would have lost consciousness instantly.
"But this barrier really has no sense of discrimination. I have sensitive skin, and neither Otto, who has insensitive skin, felt anything in particular."
"What do you mean, insensitive skin? There's no such thing as sensitive or insensitive skin."
"And so, young people who neglect their skin care end up gradually suffering from age spots and freckles in their late twenties, and regretting their youthful ignorance."
"I'm starting to lose track of what you're saying, but to get back to the point, is this the time to say goodbye to Lewes-sama...?"
Otto, tired of the light-hearted back and forth, ignored Subaru and turned to Lewes. In response, she nodded with a somewhat painful look on her face,
"That's right. That's all for me. The things of the 『Sanctuary』 are not compatible with this barrier. I came here after a long time, but... as expected, there's nothing I can do."
"Maybe it was just a way to test that out?"
"Surprisingly, I was thinking of something convenient. The result was as you saw. …If I'm no good, then the Sanctuary will not be liberated until the Trials are completed. Do you understand that, Su-bo?"
As the young girl glanced his way, Subaru realized that she had shown him the true condition of those trapped in Sanctuary. At the same time, she too yearned to get out of Sanctuary, a very natural desire.
"I wonder if Emilia will end up feeling the same way after coming this far."
"Now that you're inside, that's probably true. Not all of the residents of Sanctuary were born and raised there. From time to time, Little Roz would bring people from outside with similar circumstances. Once those children entered Sanctuary, they too became the witch's property. Lady Emilia is no exception."
"...I feel like there's some information mixed in that I can't miss."
If Roswaal were to cause the inhabitants of the Sanctuary to be affected by the barrier from the outside, that would mean that they themselves were also "half."
"And you're bringing that in and locking him away? Come on, what were you thinking?"
"As for the truth of that... I don't think it's right for me to speak about it. I think you should go back and question Rozu directly."
Lewes shook her head weakly and escaped from Subaru's arms, frowning. She eased her small body down from the driver's seat and stroked the back of Patrasche's neck as he turned his head to her.
"You're a good earth dragon. I'll be of help to you."
Rubbing her nose against him, Patrasche seemed to confirm what Lewes had said. More than anything, it was the first time Subaru had seen Patrasche being so attached to someone other than Subaru, and not just out of conceit. Even though Otto was able to converse with him, he was constantly getting headbutted.
"There are various things to do in the Sanctuary, and I'll be right back after I've asked Frederica what I wanted to ask her."
"That's probably a good idea... This is just my hunch, but I don't think the Sanctuary talks will move forward without you."
"Another huge overestimation... but it's just a hunch."
"That's the intuition of a woman who has lived for over a hundred years, you know?"
"Your judgment depends on whether you see the experience as a good thing or a bad thing."
Subaru responded to Lewes by bowing politely to her from the driver's seat. After witnessing this, she took some distance from the carriage, and Otto quietly said, "I'm off."
"Well then, Ryuzu-san. Be careful on your way home."
"Yes. If we go straight from here we will leave the forest. If we continue on to the highway, the earth dragon will lead us wherever it wants. Be careful."
With a small wave from Lewes, Otto waves the flag and the dragon carriage begins its march once again.
As she walked away, Lewes also turned away and headed deeper into the forest. Watching her disappear into the gaps between the trees, Subaru prayed for her safe return - but he felt a knot in his heart that he couldn't put into words.
"...There was something strange about it."
Subaru had felt a strange unease during their previous conversation. Unable to put into words what it was specifically, he leaned his weight against the swaying of the dragon carriage.
They left the forest, the sunlight filtered in, and the path widened - they crossed the barrier and left the "Sanctuary".
From here on out, there's still a long, long road ahead.
Things that need to be done, things that need to be said.
With those items piled up, Subaru continued to be rocked on the dragon carriage.