Chapter 59: "Geuse"
"Geuse~~"
Despite enduring a storm-like barrage of attacks, even though her clothes were soaked in blood, the silver-haired half-elf—supposed to be the object of the trial—still did not fight back.
She kept calling out, in a gentle voice full of tenderness, a name that Petelgeuse had never heard before.
"I am the Witch Cult's Archbishop of Sloth! Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti!!!"
"Geuse is Geuse… my most beloved foster father…"
He was supposed to care about nothing except the trial.
That was the nature of it.
And yet, for some reason, hearing the girl repeatedly call that incomprehensible name filled his heart with sharp pain.
Tears blurred his vision, and in that haze, countless phantoms began to surface.
—It was as if his memories were awakening!
Petelgeuse didn't know why, but this thought suddenly struck him.
—Why use the word "awakening"? As if his memories were false… What a joke!
Filled with rage, Petelgeuse instinctively took a step back from the trial subject and pulled out his gospel.
—As long as I feel the love of the Witch once more… As long as I look back at the guidance she has given me on this long journey, no mental spell can possibly affect me.
My love for the Witch surpasses all!
"If someone makes a mistake—even if they've been flawless before—that mistake will leave doubt when relying on them.
It takes time and effort to rebuild trust. The unfortunate thing is… the gospel made its mistake just recently, and has shown no signs of redemption."
"That's why this is your chance. The more someone lives by blind faith, the harder the blow when that faith is shaken. Just like Roswaal and Beatrice… when he pulls out that black book, you…"
Watching Geuse's actions, Emilia remembered what Subaru had told her before they parted.
"That book has already made a mistake, hasn't it? If it were truly infallible, the trial should've ended already. Geuse, think back—were your actions truly right?"
Her words pierced Petelgeuse like a blade.
—If the gospel was wrong…
"I… I actually… doubted the Witch's guidance? Doubted her…"
Before he could finish his self-reproach, Emilia—having already made up her mind—glided forward on a path of ice she created.
His Unseen Hands surged toward her instinctively, but she continued calling his name softly, arms open and completely defenseless, gliding straight toward him.
The Unseen Hands grazed Emilia's body—she hadn't dodged.
Instead, the attacks had changed course.
Even so, four deep grazes tore into her flesh. Yet she didn't care about the pain.
"I knew it… I knew Geuse would protect me."
She hugged him tightly and, smiling through her tears, whispered:
"Lady Emilia… no, the trial… I… why… why would I betray the Witch? My love for the Witch? Her love for me…?"
"Yes, I'm Emilia—your Emilia. The one Geuse desperately protected. The one who loves you. The one Fort—Fortuna-mama loved… The Witch made you kill her. You never loved the Witch. You loved Fortuna."
Emilia's words rocked Petelgeuse to the core.
Something was trying to surface from within, but was being forcefully suppressed.
Clutching his head, he repeated those familiar names, scratching his scalp raw.
"Emilia… Fortuna… the Witch… aaaaAAAHH!!"
Then—like a shackle being shattered by a sword—it snapped.
"That's right… I am the Witch Cult's Geuse. I am—"
—A spirit who had lived for 400 years!
Awakened memories reached back far beyond the tragedy of the Elior Forest a century ago.
400 years of massive, chaotic memories surged forth.
He remembered making contracts with people again and again to maintain his own existence.
Then, with certain others, he had created the Witch Cult.
Lord Flugel had entrusted him with the Sloth Factor.
As a sinner, he had supported the elves living in the forest, guarding the seal.
—Then why… why did I become like this?
As if in response to that question, a new, foreign memory emerged.
He had been delivering supplies to the forest, preparing to leave, when he encountered Lady Emilia.
Though he couldn't understand why he'd cried so hard, he had felt an overwhelming sense of salvation.
—That feeling… so familiar?
Then it hit him.
His feelings of salvation by Emilia had been twisted—manipulated—into the belief that the Witch had saved him.
Even his resolve to give everything to Emilia had been distorted.
—Pandora!!!
An indescribable hatred surged toward that unfamiliar name.
—Why do I hate… Pan… do… ra?
And as if to answer, another memory fragment appeared.
"I am the Archbishop of the Witch Cult, representing Greed—Regulus Corneas."
He remembered a young man, clad entirely in pure white.
Pale skin, short white hair, clean clothes, a sinister smile.
This man had introduced himself, facing a wary opponent—Petelgeuse himself.
Geuse couldn't believe the man's arrival.
He was questioning him non-stop.
Next to the man was a silver-haired woman, holding a young Emilia's hand, radiating terrifying hostility.
—Fortuna.
The moment he saw the woman, her name surfaced in his mind.
Along with it came a wave of fear, guilt, remorse, anger, and love…
"Geuse, don't be afraid. Don't blame yourself. No matter what happens… this time, I will stand by your side."
The grown-up Emilia—looking 90% like the girl in his memory—spoke.
Geuse came back to his senses and realized he had somehow returned to the present.
He looked into her eyes… saw the wounds he had inflicted that still hadn't healed.
—Yes. I can't afford to not understand what happened.
He struggled to remember.
Perhaps due to the chaos of his memories, this time he saw one more girl in the scene.
She was so beautiful it made him tremble.
Her translucent platinum hair sparkled.
Her deep blue eyes seemed to imprison the world.
Her flawless appearance embodied the very concept of "beauty." Her petite frame was wrapped only in a strip of cloth, like a fairy from a tale.
"Now, to fulfill the Witch Cult's long-held wish, hand over the key and the seal."
"Pandora——!?"
Her calm declaration overlapped with Fortuna's desperate scream.
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