That terrifying concept made Garfiel clench his teeth hard so that they wouldn't chatter.
He'd thought for certain that his mother had died. Even if his mother had been safe, if she had been tethered to life, he couldn't possibly imagine a reason why she wouldn't have returned to Garfiel and Frederica's side.
"After she was rescued, she hovered on the edge of life and death, opening her eyes several days later just as I came to check on her. Then she
spoke these words loud and clear— 'Who am I?' she asked."
Galek lowered his eyes, shaking his head from side to side.
"Perhaps it is a side effect of her heart nearly stopping once. She didn't remember anything. All she knew, from the name tag on the clothes she wore, was that there was a Li in either her family name or her given name. And so she took the name of a flower that blooms at night. I have called her Liara ever since."
After that, Galek's gaze grew distant as he spoke, but there was not a great deal to tell thereafter.
After he took her into his care, the bonds between them naturally deepened, and it was not long before they fell in love. And ever since he'd taken Liara in, Galek's business had grown by leaps and bounds.
Galek never questioned his belief that this good fortune was from bringing Liara back with him.
Because of her, Galek had worked in this city as a man, a husband, and a father until the present day.
That was why—
"—I love my wife. I dearly love our children. Once upon a time, her past weighed upon my mind, but not anymore. No matter what happened to her
before we met, she is my wife, the woman most precious to me."
Galek spoke those words firmly and plainly with his chest out.
These were the unshakable feelings that Galek felt for his wife, carried through from the moment they'd met to the present.
" "
Listening to his tale to the end, Garfiel silently looked up at the murky night sky.
How did the waxing moon and the stars dotting the darkness feel as they gazed down at him in that moment?
As Garfiel chose to stay silent, Galek's lips trembled more than once. He was hesitating. But then he firmly closed his eyes, brushing that hesitation aside.
"I am truly sorry to ask you this. However, I wish to inquire nonetheless."
" "
"How…are you related to my wife, Liara?"
Just how cruel a question was that to ask someone?
Confronted by the last thing he wanted to be asked, Garfiel slowly shifted his gaze from the sky back to the ground, and then finally to Galek.
Galek looked at Garfiel with quiet, unshakable resolve in his eyes. Even Garfiel wasn't insensitive enough to miss the significance of those words and the emotions invested in them.
More than that, he knew exactly what response he should give.
" "
He opened his mouth once, then closed it. He breathed in and out, in and out, over and over.
His pulse was racing. His eyes felt unsteady. His head throbbed with pain. The urge to vomit kept welling up.
He felt a storm of emotions raging inside as well as the ultimate sense of loss. During it all, Mimi held Garfiel's hand.
"Me, I…"
" "
"I don't have…any relationship with your wife." He did it.
He'd said it aloud.
With those words, the torrent of emotions swirling inside his chest rapidly dissipated. What remained was a yawning, cavernous loss, an emptiness that made his limbs run cold.
"I am…very sorry…"
Lowering his eyes, his shoulders trembling, Galek bowed his head to Garfiel.
But Galek's apology was not something Garfiel wanted.
Enough. Just stop it. Don't hurt me anymore. What went wrong? Who's to blame? Who do I have to smash, to rip to shreds, to send flying, to get over this?
What am I supposed to do with the pain in my heart that just won't go away?
"—Darling! Ahh, I'm so glad you're with Mr. Gorgeous and Ms. Mimi."
"?!"
He wanted to scream.
He was on the verge of wailing like a weak little boy.
In that moment, seeing her was more terrible than any poisoned blade for Garfiel.
"Liara, why…?"
"Because I thought you ran out in such a hurry that you would probably manage to catch them. I thought it was terrible for them to leave emptyhanded, too…"
Galek was just as surprised by the sudden appearance of his wife as Liara came over in a little run, passing by her husband's side. Then with Garfiel still rigid from shock, she gently extended a bag toward him.
"These are some Sowarie sweets I made. Perhaps it is not so great a reward, but I have confidence in their taste. Please take this."
"Ah…"
With a perfectly innocent smile, she offered Garfiel the cruelest of gifts.
Galek agonizingly lowered his face at the exchange between Garfiel and his wife. It was too painful for anyone to intervene. No one who understood the true nature of this meeting could do more.
That was exactly why—
"Ohh! Yaaay! I love sweets! I'm gonna brag to the lady!"
Grabbing the bag from Liara's hand, Mimi bore an outgoing, smiling demeanor that was completely out of touch.
It was so at odds with the atmosphere from a few moments ago that it took a short while for Galek to accept what was happening. But only Liara, unaware of the circumstances, greeted Mimi's honest delight with a beaming smile.
"I am so glad to hear you say that. Please give my best regards to this lady of yours."
"Yep, yep, uuuunderstood! Super understooood!"
Taking the sweets in her still-pallid hand, Mimi smiled as she gave a playful salute. Stuffing the bag in the satchel she carried over one shoulder, she used her long tail to thwap Garfiel on the back.
"Time to go for real! Gorgeous Tiger and Gorgeous Mimi will be leaving now!"
"Yes, do be careful. Mr. Gorgeous, take care not to fall into the waterway at night."
When Mimi set off with a big wave of her hand, Liara gave a little wave back. With the pair trading hand-waves, the two men watched the exchange with morose faces.
" "
From there, Garfiel followed the pull of Mimi's hand and trailed behind her. Neither Mimi nor Garfiel said anything for a while, continuing to walk as Liara and Galek receded from sight.
Finally, when Garfiel judged that they were far enough, he came to a stop.
"Hey, runt… Er, whoa?!"
"Hiyahhh!"
The next instant, Mimi jumped, stretching Garfiel's arm. Kicking off from the ground in a flash, the pair leaped onto the roof of a nearby building.
After going up three stories in one bound, Mimi stretched her back.
"Mmm!! Amazing! It feels so good!"
"Hey, don't gimme that! What gives all of a sudden…?"
Mimi was enjoying the bracing wind as he drew close. But when she stared back at him with her round eyes, Garfiel was at a loss for words. He was oddly uncomfortable seeing how he looked reflected in her eyes.
With Garfiel pressed into silence, Mimi abruptly tilted her head. "Garf, you look like you're gonna cry."
"…Huh? What the hell are ya sayin'? No way I'm gonna do that."
"I know you're strong, Garf, but that doesn't mean you have to act tough.
Liara is Garf's mom, right?"
"!"
When Mimi stepped into the crux of the matter, Garfiel drew in his breath, utterly unprepared.
"Why do you…think that she's…?"
"I mean, Garf's and Liara's scents are reaaally alike. And the scents of
Liara's kids are a little like Garf's scent, too. So I figured just maaaybe—" She didn't learn of Garfiel's family from the course of the conversation. Mimi had accurately arrived at the truth based on a feral sense of smell and base instinct.
Words could be fabricated or suppressed. But Garfiel had no rebuttal for something based on a part of you that never changed.
"What the hell…?"
Garfiel sluggishly sank down then and there, leaning his listless head backward. Overhead, the stars and moon in the sky stared back down at him, their glimmering unchanged from before.
"So am I right? Is Liara Garf's mom?"
"…I dunno. Is that person…really my mom?"
He didn't know. Truly, that was how Garfiel felt from the bottom of his heart.
But just as Galek had told him and as demonstrated by Liara's own behavior, she had completely forgotten her own past as Lisha.
Having forgotten everything, she'd given birth to children as Liara, living together with them as a happy family.
"Ha. Now that I think of it, doesn't that make those two my little brother and sister?"
He hadn't totally wrapped his head around it yet, but if they were siblings by a different father, then his relationship to them was exactly the same as what he had with Frederica. In other words, that boy and girl were his adorable younger siblings. Always the youngest child, Garfiel finally had the younger siblings he'd always wished for.
—Setting aside that no one wanted such a relationship. "Me tellin' her who I am ain't gonna help at all…" Liara had parted with her past life as Lisha.
Even if Garfiel revealed everything he knew, it would not change the fact that she had spent fifteen years as Liara or that Lisha had lost those fifteen years. It would only hoist the burden of fifteen years' worth of guilt onto Liara and elicit a sense of loss over the time that Lisha would never get back.
Galek would have to watch his wife struggle, and her children would no doubt be unable to understand their mother's suffering when they knew nothing of the circumstances.
—All that just for Garfiel's self-satisfaction.
Even if Liara was recognized as Lisha then and there, the only one who would derive any closure from that was Garfiel.
There was no way that Frederica or Ryuzu could have known Lisha had survived like this. If Garfiel did not tell them, then they surely would never know.
Unless Garfiel spoke of it, there was no way for Liara's family to find out about the past, either. Their time as a happy family would remain protected and unchanged, peaceful as ever.
If Garfiel could keep it all bottled up in his chest and just abandon his true desires, that would settle everything once and for all.
And yet— "Why am I…?"
The resolve to cast them aside, the decision to forget, the courage to lock them away—why is this so hard?
Tiger, where have you gone? Show me the right path, the right way to be.
Show me the strength to bear anything, to carry anything, and to stand up even so.
—Oh, tiger, please tell me… Because a real tiger wouldn't lose to anyone.
" "
Squatting down, biting back what was welling up inside, he felt an intense yearning clawing at his heart. Just when Garfiel wanted to cast everything aside, it was then that he noticed.
"Gooood boy."
Someone was hugging his head against their tiny chest and stroking his hair.
" "
As Garfiel sat there, Mimi embraced him from behind.
Placing her chin against his crown, she gently stroked Garfiel's head with her little palm. It almost felt like the soft sensation was lessening the pain of the raging thoughts crawling around inside his skull.
"The hell…do you think you're doin'…?"
"Mm, I figured Garf wanted to cry, see… But you know, Mimi heard that men don't cry unless you make a place for them to do it, and that sounds like such a pain! That's definitely what the lady told me!"
It was something that resembled an answer, but it wasn't quite all there.
Trying to keep his heart and his voice from trembling, Garfiel had chosen those sparse, halting words with great care.
Still embracing Garfiel, Mimi smiled teasingly at him.
"So I bet you were thinking, I'm not sure where I am anymore, but it's probably in a woman's arms? That's what you figured, right? Yeah! A man can cry in the arms of the woman he loves!"
"…Who'd fall in love with a little kid like you?"
The first person who came to Garfiel's mind didn't behave like Mimi at all, acting cold and dismissive whenever he wanted kindness. And then she suddenly treated him nicely when he least expected it, only to punch him twice as hard later. What a dangerous woman.
The girl before his eyes didn't have those things in common with her whatsoever—and yet Mimi continued smiling.
"Mm, but it's all right! Even if Garf hasn't fallen for Mimi, Mimi's already fallen for him! And now you're in Mimi's arms! The arms of the girl who loves Garf! So it's all right to cry!"
"—Ah."
Her opinion was just too stupid.
What is this, some kind of wordplay? A kid making things up as she goes along? This is a convenient excuse—nothing more.
It's nothing, so stop messing with me.
—Tiger, tiger, where have you gone?
Come back inside this chest right now. Let out a ferocious roar, smack this shrinking back of mine, drag me back to my feet, and do something about these unbearable feelings.
If you don't…I won't make it this time.
"Mom…"
Stop, stop, please stop.
I don't wanna cry, I don't wanna be weak, I don't wanna talk in a tearful voice like this.
I'm a tiger. A tiger. I'm the strongest. The mightiest. A stronger, harder shield than anyone else.
That's—
"Mom! …Mom! ...Mom…!!"
"Good boy."
"Why?! Why did you forget me?! After all this… Meeting you after all this time!! You won't even say my name… You won't…f-forgive me...!!"
"It's all right. Garf, you're a very good boy!"
"Moooooommm… Mooommm… Mooommm…!"
—Tiger, tiger, where have you gone?
What do I look like right now? Stars, moon, sky, won't you tell me?
What do I look like right now?
* * *
If a tiger would never howl in pain, then what do I look like right now?!!
4
"All dry!"
"Shaddap—don't say that over and over!"
The next day, well into Fire Time, Garfiel was wandering through the city alongside Mimi with a guilty look on his face.
Mimi cackled as she tugged at the part of her white robe over her chest that was still dirty from Garfiel's tears, snot, and drool, though it was completely dried now.
"That's filthy. Go wash it off at some waterin' hole somewhere."
"Mm, isn't it fiiine? I'll change when we get back to the inn… I didn't return yesterday, so the lady's gotta be real mad! Hetaro and TB will probably be crying!"
"…Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it… Mimi told Garf he's a good, good boy and let him cry himself dry—that's all."
Garfiel's meager apology brought a naive smile to Mimi's face. He couldn't lift his head up at all.
He'd made a fool of himself, crying all night long, and before he realized it, he'd slumped down and fallen asleep in her arms. He was somehow remaining calm at the moment, but he couldn't keep up with Mimi's everyday antics at all today.
In the end, Garfiel harbored feelings of guilt and couldn't bring himself to say proper words of thanks.
"So what are we doing this morning? Going to meet your mom?"
"Pfft…! Wh-what are you talkin' about?! Meet her…? Like hell I am!"
Garfiel was deep in thought when that explosive suggestion made him open his eyes wide in shock. Mimi simply responded with an "Oh really?" as she tilted her head with an innocent look on her face. "But Liara is Garf's mom, right? Don't you have lots to talk about?"
"You really didn't pay attention to anything that came up yesterday, did you?"
Though she had instinctually cut right to the heart of the matter, Mimi apparently hadn't picked up on any of the finer details.
Mulling over how he ought to explain to her his difficult position in relation to that family, Garfiel quickly discarded the idea. The answer came out with his tears the night before.
"It's fine. Mo… That person is better off not knowin' I'm her son."
"Garf, you're fine with that?"
"It's fine… Ah, haven't thought about if I should tell Sis or Granny, though."
If they knew the facts, Frederica and Ryuzu would probably agonize over it just like he was. If that's really what came to pass, Garfiel might eventually end up regretting speaking to them about it.
But if the situation was reversed, Garfiel absolutely would have wanted to know the truth. After all, even if the only thing that accomplished was sharing that cruel conclusion, both women were still family to Garfiel.
"Mm, that's so complicated! Mimi doesn't even know for sure if she has a mother!"
"…You don't know your own mom?"
"That's right… Mimi and Hetaro and TB—none of us know anything about our parents. Seems like we got abandoned because it was too hard to raise triplets. So Rossi took us in, and now we're with the lady and the captain! We're all family!"
"…That's a pretty big family, huh?"
He was able to glean that Mimi had lived a hard life. From the casual way she spoke, it hadn't been all tragic, but he somehow understood that it certainly wasn't easy.
Mimi didn't let any of that show, however. Without any deep thought behind it, Garfiel patted her on the head.
"—Wah!"
Instantly, Mimi brushed his hand aside and hopped backward. Garfiel was surprised by her dramatic reaction. Mimi went, "Ughhhhhh," making noises with a red face.
"For some reason, I've been feeling weird since yesterday. I get all mushy and tingly when I get close to Garf."
"O-oh, I see. That sounds rough… Maybe we should walk a little farther apart, then?"
"I don't wanna. So we should stand not too far but not too close!"
Inching slightly closer, Mimi walked alongside him, just out of arm's reach. He felt that Mimi's face was a little red as she made a beaming smile from that position.
"Ah, come to think of it, we have Sowarie! Let's eat some!"
"Ahhh, right."
Seemingly trying to distract him from the redness on her cheeks, Mimi took the bag of sweets out of the satchel slung over her shoulder. For an instant, Garfiel's chest throbbed in pain at the sight of the bag, but he accepted the sweet that Mimi offered to him, gazing at the treat in the palm of his hand.
A Sowarie was a sweet-tasting baked pastry fashioned out of bread dough with cream and bean jam inside; it was a noontime snack that was tasty and filling. Given the time of day, they were basically having big, round Sowarie for breakfast.
"Mm-hmm! Sweet! Tasty! Yum-yum!"
"…They're good, huh."
Mimi's praise was over-the-top, but Garfiel found the flavor striking as well.
It was impressive—not too sweet and incredibly soft and fluffy. They would've probably tasted even better fresh. If this had been his mother's specialty, perhaps he'd had a number of chances to savor this himself—
"—Man, I'm getting too sentimental."
Clicking his tongue at those lingering attachments, Garfiel stuffed the remaining Sowarie into his cheeks whole. Mimi opened her mouth wide in an attempt to copy him and managed to get cream all over her face.
Garfiel sank into thought once again as he helped her wipe it off. Truthfully, the previous day had been full of ups and downs. Each event had served as a trial, but one unambiguously good thing had happened.
Though he'd put on such an unsightly display the day before, the phantom was nowhere to be seen this morning.
If that phantom was a representation of weakness in Garfiel's heart, it wouldn't have been strange for the events of the previous night to trigger it and bring it into even sharper relief. But that hadn't happened at all.
Just maybe, that phantom might never appear before him ever again. If so,
this was an opportunity granted by the sheer presence of the girl who'd stayed beside him—
"—Ahem, ahem! Can all you meatbags hear this?"
That instant, a voice suddenly greeted Garfiel and Mimi's eardrums.
"If you meatbags are listening to my voice, go ahead and shake in your boots, and any meatbags not listening, would you just drop dead and save me a whooole lot of trouble? Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"
After exchanging looks as that voice continued rambling, Garfiel and Mimi simultaneously turned to the sky. It was because that voice seemed to be calling out to them from there.
"What the hell's with that stupid-soundin' voice…?"
"Mimi knows! This voice is coming from some super-awesome metia! In this city, you can hear singing every morning thanks to it. Yesterday, I slept through it, though!"
As Garfiel questioned the source of the voice, Mimi raised a hand up and rattled off a quick explanation. Garfiel assumed she meant that they were hearing someone via the power of a special metia and not that it was simply a very loud voice.
The whole time that exchange was going on, that high-pitched voice continued pouring down from the sky.
"So, so, so—did any idiots take me up on that offer and die just now? If there aren't any, then so be it, but it sure would put a damper on my mood after I got all excited to talk up a storm!"
The annoying voice reverberated across the Water Gate City, drawing looks of surprise and bewilderment from every pedestrian who heard it. Even they didn't seem to have any idea who the speaker was as they, too, stared up at the sky in confusion.
According to Mimi's explanation, the metia was normally used to send singing to every corner of the city each morning, but Garfiel was thoroughly convinced that the owner of this voice was incapable of anything so sensitive.
Her objective was unclear. Her character was vulgar. What he did know
—
"Breathe in, breathe out: That's all it takes for mongrels like you to ruin my mood. You really are pieces of trash with no redeemable value at all, aren't ya?! If all you do is eat, go into heat, and drool without doing anything with your lives, then it'd be better if you were corpses instead! Know what? Just die already! Please just die already! Really, I'm begging you! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
—was that the speaker was incredibly twisted.
"Garf… This is reaaally creepy."
With the speaker's motive still unclear, that unpleasant voice made Garfiel clench his fist in anger. Tugging at his sleeve, Mimi's normal sunniness had been subdued as she gazed at the sky with concern.
Seeing her like that really got to Garfiel somehow. That kind of expression didn't belong on her face.
"Now then, all you meatbags ignoring my entirely valid opinion, have any of you ignorant slobs finally noticed the purpose of this broadcast? The reeeal purpose?"
"Hmm…? What purpose is there besides gettin' on everyone's nerves…?"
"—The fact that my voice is reaching you means that I…or rather, we have taken control of this city's heart, doesn't it? Ah, incidentally, the four control towers at the edge of the city are also in our hands!"
"!! The control towers?!"
That ominous statement dripped with malice and made Garfiel's breath catch.
He'd heard that the four control towers in the city were crucial facilities for regulating the volume of water across the entirety of Pristella. It was said that their functions were unchanged from when the Water Gate City was used to trap a being of tremendous power so very long ago—and now they had fallen into the hands of this mysterious entity.
It was tantamount to this maniac holding the entire city hostage.
"Now this city is a miniature garden where we can go around amusing ourselves, abusing and toying with you as we please, oh my! You meatbags are just like insects in a cage, aren't you?! No cards to play! No bright prospects! No dreams or hopes! Do you get what that means, huh?!"
Garfiel grimaced as the sadistic voice being broadcast across the city cracked. Simultaneously, the people in the surrounding area were only now beginning to belatedly comprehend the gravity of the situation; disorder and dismay were spreading.
Seemingly pleased at the mounting chaos, the announcer spoke even shriller, becoming more self-absorbed.
"Do you get it? Did you get it through your thick skulls? You're so pathetic, every last one of you running around in a panic as you finally realize what I've been telling you all along! It's too pathetic! Anyway, I, a being of profound beauty and mercy, have happy news for you irredeemable, pathetic bastards!"
" "
"My objective is the Witch's bones kept somewhere in this city! I want them. I want them so much that it aches and keeps me up at night, so could you please put in some effort? If you deliver what I ask…I'll probably even reconsider the control-tower thing!"
Having taken the entire city hostage, the speaker now presented her demand. The item she mentioned, the Witch's bones, made Garfiel grimace, but the surrounding unrest only deepened.
The high-pitched voice cackled, as if the speaker had been waiting for that very moment above all others.
"Bwa-ha! Oh nooo, if I don't finally introduce myself, people like you will start trying to escape from reality right about now, huh? That's why I, one of the wise and marvelous, will point out what's happening loud and clear so that even you can understand it!"
With that malicious voice leading the city by the nose and chaos beginning to swirl around them, Garfiel and Mimi drew shoulder to shoulder, girding themselves for whatever might get announced next.
It was then that the now-familiar voice declared in the broadcast with complete satisfaction—
"I am the Witch Cult's Archbishop of Lust—
"It's me, Capella Emerada Lugunica! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!! Revere, worship, kneel, and beg and piss and shit in your pants as you pathetically wail, meatbags! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!"
5
—Immediately after that malicious broadcast, the situation began to move fluidly, like flowing water.
The appearance of the Witch Cult and someone claiming to be an Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins had sown chaos and disorder, but arguably, the citizens of Pristella were still moving in an orderly manner. Even if they were unsettled, they did as the city's everyday rehearsals trained them; the surrounding people began leading the way toward the nearest shelter.
The citizens guided any outsiders unfamiliar with the procedures. The people close to Garfiel and Mimi called out to them, too, but the pair declined, hurrying to link back up with their comrades.
If they didn't meet up with Subaru and the others at the Water Raiment and put a stop to the Witch Cult's tyranny— "—Ahh, Mr. Gorgeous!"
"!"
The voice made Garfiel reflexively freeze in place.
When he looked back, running down the street behind Garfiel and Mimi was Liara, who was reassured to have found people she knew. Enduring the aching in his chest, Garfiel turned to face her.
"Ms. Mimi, I'm glad you're safe, too. That broadcast had me worried."
"Yep, I'm all right! Ah, the Sowarie were delicious! We had a feast!"
Since Garfiel failed to respond immediately, Mimi replied for both of them. Garfiel thought it was pathetic of him even as he rested easier knowing that Liara was unharmed.
"Glad everyone's safe and sound. Now get movin' toward the shelter.
We've gotta…"
"Yes, I am all right… But, um, Mr. Gorgeous…"
Even when Garfiel bid his farewells and tried to extricate himself as quickly as possible, Liara continued still in an awkward voice. Then she clasped both hands together in front of her.
"Have you seen my children? They went out early this morning to play… but neither of them were at the nearest shelter."
"?!! Those kids?"
Surprised by the unexpected development, Garfiel plucked out one of his own short golden locks in frustration.
"Well, shit, of course you're worked up about that…"
"Y-yes. Also, that broadcast… The metia required to conduct it is at city hall, where my husband works… I'm worried about whether something happened to him."
Voicing her concerns, Liara bit her lip as she looked in the direction of the building.
City hall lay at the center of Pristella, which itself was divided into four districts: north, south, east, and west. It was the place that governed all core city functions. It was also the place that Lust had declared to be under her control.
—Just what kind of damage had the perpetrator of such a cruel, deranged broadcast inflicted on the people at city hall?
Deep in his chest, Garfiel's heartbeat sounded like an alarm bell, and his thoughts were extremely limited.
His unseen younger brother and sister, Galek left behind in a danger zone, Liara running around at that very moment out of concern for her family— where danger to this group was concerned, Garfiel couldn't just calmly sit back and watch.
"General, Lady Emilia…"
Subaru, Emilia, Beatrice, and Otto all appeared in the back of Garfiel's mind.
It was none other than them whom Garfiel had come to the Water Gate City to protect. What good was he if he wasn't at their side then and there? He didn't offer much beyond his fighting ability.
But simultaneously, his heart could not turn from his newly found younger siblings, Galek, and the sight of his mother standing before his very eyes.
—It was time to choose. A decision pressed upon Garfiel that would determine which path his fate would take.
"I am sorry for troubling you like this… Please forget everything I told you, Mr. Gorgeous." "…Ah."
"I am being exceptionally unfair to you right now. It's quite all right. Those children hear the city broadcasts every day, too, and since long ago, nothing ever slips by that man…"
Liara put on a brave smile to appease the hesitant Garfiel. But her hands, which were apparently folded in prayer, trembled. Her face had gone pale, seemingly drained of blood.
It was a desperate performance. She was trying not to saddle Garfiel and Mimi with duties they were not obligated to take on.
—Just like she'd tried to do when she left him and his older sister in the Sanctuary to search for his father in the outside world.
His heart had swayed between the two choices, but that throbbing memory made him come to a swift conclusion.
"…I'll find your children, and your husband."
"Mr. Gorgeous?"
Liara opened her eyes wide with surprise at his unexpected reply.
Nodding firmly in Liara's direction, Garfiel looked down at Mimi's hand as it gripped his own. During the time he was thinking and the time he was deciding, she'd simply waited in silence for Garfiel to choose.
She had little brothers and other people she wanted to protect, too. He couldn't force her to go with his whims any longer.
"From this point on, it's just me bein' selfish. You go back and…
Owww!!"
"As if!"
In the middle of saying his good-bye, Mimi dug her heel into Garfiel's foot. Her body was light, but that kick was angled to provide maximum penetrating force. Garfiel groaned from the pain as Mimi puffed out her chest.
"Mimi's offended that Garf thinks she'll run away after he said something so cool! Mimi's coming, too! Totally coming!"
"Why …? Nah, I get it—sorry."
"—This is where you say thanks!"
"—Yeah, thanks."
"You are very welcome! Yay!"
When a silly smile came over Mimi's face, Garfiel smiled back, feeling like a great weight had been lifted.
As Liara watched in astonishment, the pair turned to face her once more.
"We'll find 'em. You go stay at the nearest shelter. Better to stick with the others and wait for us to take care of this." "B-but…why are you going this far for me?" —Indeed, why was he?
Liara's shaking eyes pressed Garfiel for the true reason behind his decision. This was not out of worry or doubt. She had a simple misgiving— this was an act of benevolence without any basis that she could think of.
Garfiel clacked his fangs at her words and flashed a fiendish smile.
"Because I'm the golden tiger! I'm Gorgeous! Tiger!!"
"And because Mimi is Gorgeous Mimi!!"
Shouting those words in excessively loud voices, they glanced down at Liara, who blinked in surprise as the pair leaped away as one. With his mother far below, Garfiel turned to face the wind and make full use of his nose.
"Garf, what'll we do?"
"Track 'em by scent. I remember how they smell just fine!!"
"All righty!"
Settling on a plan while almost yelling to be heard, Garfiel and Mimi practically flew as they raced through the Water Gate City.
Mimi was sticking with him in his moment of recklessness as he put off his duties and prioritized his personal matters—even as various factors tried to convince him to reject that choice.
Wrestling with them all, Garfiel touched the scar on his forehead. He decided he would think it through later and simply followed his heart. In the end, this was just faster. There was no reason to pick and choose when he could take everything.
This was the way of the Emilia faction—something Garfiel had picked up over the past year.
"Garf! This scent! It's coming from over there!"
"—Yeah, no mistakin' that! Good work!"
Garfiel belatedly confirmed that Mimi had sniffed out the scents they were searching for. They had found lingering traces of the two siblings. They were leading toward District One—he recalled the conversation he'd had with Fred the night before.
"I get it now! So those two went off to see the Songstress at that park again this mornin'?!"
Meaning the younger brother had risen early after reflecting upon his mistake the previous day, and his foulmouthed sister had ended up going with him as a result. Therefore, he reasoned that they had to be at the shelter located close by.
The park was close to the Water Raiment, and it was a place where they could quickly rendezvous with Subaru and the others—
"—City hall."
A moment before kicking off the ground, Garfiel had caught a glimpse of city hall. There, at the center of the city, which had fallen to Lust, was the final person he was searching for— Once more, it was time to choose.
"Garf, what'll we do?"
When Mimi asked, pressing him to decide, Garfiel asked himself that very question.
Just what kind of person should Garfiel peg Galek as?
Should Garfiel think of him as the hateful man who stole his mother away or see him as the great benefactor who saved his mother's life? Unlike the siblings, who were linked to him through his mother's blood, he and Garfiel were not connected in any way.
If he was basing his choices on blood connections, Garfiel had no duty to rescue Galek. But what would happen to Liara and the kids if they lost him?
A blank space in a family could never be filled—Garfiel knew that better than anyone.
"…City hall—that's where the Archbishop who did that damn broadcast earlier is holed up."
"Mmm, probably, yeah."
"She shook the city all up, and between the general and your little bros, there's lots to worry about… But a mettore's heart is in its head. If we
smash the cause of everythin', we can settle this real fast."
"! You mean we can save everybody! Amazing! That's amazing!" Mimi leaped at Garfiel as he explained the logic behind his decision. But her long tail immediately rose up, its tip pointing toward city hall. "But is that really all right? I'm getting a sort of bad feeling that's making my hair stand up."
"Can't underestimate intuition. My ears got tired from how many times the general told me that the Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins are bad news. Still…"
The only person Garfiel knew who was connected to Witches was the Witch who had a foul personality and was slumbering in the Sanctuary's tomb.
It was a fact that she was imbued with incredible power. But Garfiel never, ever had felt like he'd lose to her in a contest of strength.
Whatever the case, the Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins had to be taken down for the city to be freed.
"It'd be great if we could just shut her up. At the very least, I wanna get a good look at the enemy's face."
"You mean ree-con? Mm…okay! Let's go do some ree-con!"
Though Mimi had seemed initially cautious about the dangers, she agreed with Garfiel's plan in the end.
Mimi readied the beloved staff that she carried on her back, and Garfiel slipped his silvery shields onto both arms. After giving his gear a final check and confirming that the steel was wrapped around his thick arms, Garfiel was ready for combat.
"Let's go."
With that brief declaration, the two broke into a run toward city hall.
The Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins Subaru'd beaten a year earlier apparently had a considerable number of followers with him. The combat power of the disciples had been middling at best, but at any rate, there'd been a lot of them. And of course, they were good at blending into crowds.
They'd have to deal with that on the fly and take back city hall by force. Garfiel had presented it as reconnaissance to Mimi for expediency's sake, but in his heart, he intended to overwhelm the enemy with speed and violence.
—At least, that was the plan until he picked up the exceptionally dense odor of blood seeping from city hall.
" "
As the pair stopped, that thick stench of iron was wafting over from the street right in front of them. If they went straight ahead and turned the corner, city hall would be right in front of their noses. There was no doubting from whence the scent hailed.
"Garf, don't! Don't…!"
The instant Garfiel tried to advance toward the scent of blood, Mimi grasped his loincloth. She shook her head in rejection, almost in tears as she repeated, "Don't."
But he couldn't turn back. If he retreated, he wouldn't be able to fulfill Liara's—Lisha's wish.
"If you don't wanna go, stay here. Me, I'll rip this asshole's head off alone if I have to!"
"Garf!"
Shaking off Mimi's grip, Garfiel raced down the street. Rounding the corner, his vision opened up. City hall was right before him, and when he laid eyes on the square that led to the building—a tragedy awaited him.
"?!!"
The scent of blood was so strong that it made him crinkle his nose, and a single glance was enough for him to recognize the traces of a gruesome slaughter. The square in front of city hall, which was surrounded by waterways on three sides, was overflowing with so much blood that it was almost impossible to tell what color the paving stones used to be.
A great many had already perished, their corpses tumbled into pools of their own blood—based on their equipment, these victims had been Pristellan guardsmen. They'd likely heard the broadcast and had valiantly come running in defense of their city.
Then their lives were savagely torn asunder.
The corpses numbered thirty or so, but even that grisly detail was not what attracted Garfiel's attention most.
—Rather, it was the two figures standing side by side at the center of the square, surrounded by those corpses.
" "
The first was a huge man, large enough that Garfiel had to look up to stare at him. He was gripping large swords in both hands, calmly gazing toward Garfiel's way. The other was a figure with a slender, feminine physique, and this one held a long, slim, single-edged blade, her stance exhibiting such beauty that it made Garfiel tremble.
Both were dressed in black outfits from head to foot. Garfiel couldn't get a good look at their faces.
"…But judgin' by the way you carry yourself like a warrior and that smell of blood comin' off ya, you two are the ones who did this, right?"
Garfiel clacked his fangs as he spoke to the two standing boldly in that bloody square. But neither opponent responded to his provocations. He felt the scar on his forehead throb.
"Garf… Those two—they're reaaally strong!"
With a pattering of footsteps, Mimi caught up with Garfiel and stood alongside him. As he had expected, she, too, was floored by the gruesome state of the square, but her tiny form was taut with caution that exceeded her surprise.
His earlier impression that their opponents had shown no reaction had been in error—the moment Garfiel and Mimi stepped into the square, they were struck by a ghastly, malevolent atmosphere and a cutting aura that seemed sharp as a blade itself.
The pair waiting in the square were so dangerous and hostile that it was immediately obvious they were exceedingly difficult foes. Garfiel felt so threatened that his throat suddenly went dry; it was as if the point of a sword was resting against his beating heart.
Their enemies were clearly masters who had stepped beyond the realm of mere mortals—and unless he surpassed these sentinels, he could not fulfill his oath.
"Ha, this is gettin' interestin'…!"
Smiling, Garfiel banged together the shields covering his arms before his chest in an attempt to rouse himself. The screech of metal on metal and a shower of sparks illuminated the beast contained within his timid heart.
But even as Garfiel worked himself up, Mimi spread both arms wide and stood in front of him as she shouted.
"D-don't! Garf! Not these two! They're too strong! Mimi and Garf can't take them alone! Stop!"
"! Can't know till we try it. Ain't no way I'm acceptin' absolutes as set in stone." The words that Mimi used in an attempt to stop Garfiel stabbed at the cracks in Garfiel's heart. Clicking his tongue at his sore insecurities, Garfiel indicated the pair with his chin. "Besides, even if we tuck our tails and run, those two ain't gonna just let us walk outta here. Someone's gotta do this."
"Th-then only once! We go clang, pull back, and run. Anything else is no good! Just Mimi and Garf aren't enough! It's hopeless without the captain and Julius!"
Seeing that Mimi still wanted to run, Garfiel firmly dug in and refused.
Mimi's pleas were the right call. Each of the two before them possessed superhuman might—their danger level was equal to, if not greater than, that of the Bowel Hunter. Garfiel largely agreed that facing them unprepared was suicidal.
Or at least, he agreed in theory, but accepting it as fact was a different story.
The two before his eyes were a wall. Blocking his path with overwhelming power, they represented a wall that he had to challenge and overcome. Having lost to Reinhard without a fight, could he really bear to run from his opponents twice over?
He yearned to be the strongest. He had pride in himself. He was aware that he was the shield for his precious comrades. And in a different form than he had wished, he'd reunited with his mother and her new family. To his mother, the safety or peril of the man who had saved her was—
" "
Mimi gave Garfiel a concerned stare as these bewildering emotions whirled about inside him. The sight of her waiting for his decision made him recall the night he had spent protected by her warmth.
Instantly, Garfiel shook his head as the obstinacy that held him in place had melted away.
"…All right. We'll do like you said. Give it all we got for just one hit, then we pull out. We'll gather our crew and then come back to mount our real attack—that's fine, right?"
"Mm! Yeah! Let's go and do our best-best!"
Mimi looked relieved that Garfiel had reined in his recklessness.
Now on the same page, they turned as one to face their enemies. The pair opposing them had watched their exchange in silence. It wouldn't have been strange for them to attack during Garfiel and Mimi's debate, but they had not, be it out of pride, mercy, or composure— Garfiel and Mimi would make them regret that.
"!!"
Without any signal, Garfiel and Mimi simultaneously launched themselves at their opponents.
Garfiel ended up matched up against the woman with his strength, and Mimi, the big man with her maneuverability.
As Garfiel drew near with the speed of an arrow, the woman remained calmly poised, not moving a muscle. The distance between them vanished in the blink of an eye, and at five to four paces out, Garfiel initiated the first attack, swinging up with a bestial claw.
—Instantly, a sword flashed with such entrancing beauty, it was enough to make anyone watching lose themselves in it.
"—Gah!"
That moment, Garfiel threw his right shield up to intercept the sword as he kicked toward the woman's open chest. She dodged it without even the slightest wasted movement. As her body twisted away, her blade, which had been caught on his shield, was freed for a renewed attack.
Neck, shoulder, arm—the longsword twisted like a snake to defend them all as a chorus of sword meeting shield rang out. Evading a strike, Garfiel instantaneously retaliated with another kick; the woman blocked this with her scabbard as she was sent flying back.
"The hell?"
Garfiel raised an eyebrow at how light the woman felt.
To his right, Mimi ran circles around her huge opponent and slipped under his massive greatswords, waving her staff to conduct a magic attack. When a blue explosion rocked her opponent and put him on the back foot, it seemed like that was as good a time as any for them to evacuate from the square.
The huge, tottering man wouldn't be able to catch Mimi. It shouldn't be difficult for her to escape unscathed. As for the woman he'd driven back, she was in no position to withstand a follow-up attack from Garfiel.
"For starters, we'll take one down!!"
Therefore, he decided it was time to strike. Garfiel bared his fangs and leaped toward the woman.
With her blade still where the shield had last deflected it, he whipped his claw toward the woman's wide-open torso.
"You're min—!"
He had her right where he wanted her—the instant he was certain of this, death closed in on him from behind.
" "
The distance between him and the giant vanished. That ghastly aura was the only warning Garfiel got. Curtailing his attack, he flipped his body back and leaped up. Not a moment later, a greatsword swung downward and smashed his body into the ground.
"Gah, arghhh?!"
Caught up in the shock wave, the force blew Garfiel's thoughts away as he hacked up a clump of blood.
After bouncing off the ground, he felt another blow close in on him from the side. He was lucky that his arm made it just in time to catch the greatsword with his shield. Even with the lessened impact, he was still sent skipping across the ground and the surface of the water.
Pursuing Garfiel as he soared through the air, the giant and the woman simultaneously leaped up. Death was near.
Aiming to catch him in a merciless pincer attack, they came in from both sides, keeping Garfiel pinned in the middle.
He deflected the longsword coming from the front with a shield and evaded a savage greatsword swing from behind by kicking the weapon away at the last moment. Guessing the path the sword would take, Garfiel miraculously managed to parry it. But as a shower of sparks scorched his cheeks, Garfiel's body was crushed by greatsword swings that came from above and below.
"Gwuh!"
His hip bones and ribs strained, then snapped. The blunt trauma alone left his vision bloodred as he was pushed to the brink of death.
Even as groans of pain and globules of blood spilled from his mouth, he never stopped searching for a path that would lead him to survival. However, these two powerful foes would permit no such thing.
Still speechless, his attackers turned their soundless slashes into heartless bloodlust as they continued to assail Garfiel.
The woman's swordsmanship was sharp, representing the epitome of how beautiful death could be. The weight of her individual blows could not compare with that of the giant, but the skilled footwork and technique with which she wielded her long blade meant that the slightest misstep on Garfiel's part would inevitably result in a lethal blow slipping past his guard.
The large man's fighting style was crude and violent, but the chaos and lack of polish served to optimize its destructiveness. He swung swords that a normal person would struggle to lift up even with two arms, while he wielded them with a single hand each, raging like an implacable storm of destruction incarnate.
"Ngh! Aaaaaah!!"
On one side, there were dazzling sword slashes that flowed like water. On the other, there were destructive sword swings that would crush anything that stood in their path, like an implacable maelstrom.
Battered by these two very different styles of swordsmanship that sat at the opposite extremes of sound and motion, Garfiel's mind was reaching its limit. He was avoiding and parrying death on pure instinct, only narrowly escaping from multiple fatal blows.
At this rate, he would inevitably be sliced to death or crushed by the sheer weight of heavy sword strokes—
It is because you will kill me that you are my first love, Garfiel Tinzel.
The instant death entered his thoughts, that sweet, dark invitation to what lay beyond life echoed loudly within him.
Instantly, his head seethed as he abandoned those clouded musings. He roared:
"Graaaaaah!!"
His explosive increase in aggression diminished the ferocity of the incoming attacks ever so slightly. The skeletal structure of Garfiel's face audibly changed, and both of his muscular arms bulged in size as golden fur began covering all his exposed skin.
Transforming only his upper body usually lowered his ability to reason and replaced it with an animallike combativeness, but if anything, his thoughts grew clearer.
Roaring at the silent pair, he used his blessing of the earth spirit to make the ground beneath his feet explode. Sending blood and gravel flying as he flew across the gore-drenched battlefield helped interfere with the enemy's coordination.
The sudden change in footing had caused the woman to lose her balance because of her light weight. A bestial claw, sharp as any blade, didn't miss this opportunity. Just before the blow struck the woman's windpipe, the giant got in between to shield her.
A single blow from the mighty tiger was about to rend that thick mass of flesh—
"?!!"
An explosive sound rang out, leaving Garfiel thunderstruck.
Garfiel's blow had been halted by the massive man's arms. However, these were not the same arms carrying the greatswords. Opening up his outfit, the giant had used additional, hidden arms to stop Garfiel's attack with brute force.
All told, four arms were now out, leaving no obvious openings. This overwhelming combination of attack and defense completely stymied Garfiel's counterattack. Instantly, the mighty tiger that should have been the epitome of aggression was brought to a standstill.
In other words, in a battlefield where life and death were decided from moment to moment, his life was unguarded and exposed.
Circling around from behind the towering man, the female attacker closed in on Garfiel from his blind spot, sword at the ready.
Her attack almost seemed like a beautiful sword dance. And in his current state, she could easily lop off Garfiel's head like he was a scarecrow. Even as death approached from behind, Garfiel had no moves to make.
Sensing death coming from the front and the back, he caught a shadowy figure in the corner of his vision flashing him a bloody smile as she laughed
—
"Choyasaaa!!"
A powerful shout interrupted, summoning a blue magic wall that blocked the woman's sword.
The wall made a sound like ice cracking as the blade slid across the barrier's surface and thrust harmlessly toward the ground. Mimi had returned to the field of battle, saving Garfiel in the nick of time.
"Garf, you said you'd run right away!"
As Mimi clutched her staff, her first words were a blunt criticism of Garfiel's refusal to follow their plan.
Hearing her voice coming from behind his back in his half-transformed state, Garfiel realized what a fool he had been.
Desperate for results, he'd courted death by misjudging how formidable his opponents were. If Mimi hadn't been there, Garfiel would have undoubtedly met a grisly end—his life cut short without ever achieving his dream of becoming the strongest.
"—Ohooooaaaaagh!!"
Pushing aside the relief that he felt at being saved, Garfiel howled and yanked his arm free from his grappling opponent. Kicking the giant in the chest, he didn't bother to see the results as he leaped clear to rejoin Mimi.
Putting an arm around her slender waist, he poured strength into his legs. It was time to take Mimi and retreat. Following her initial suggestion, they'd gather their comrades and return in force.
" "
Right before he could jump, the woman pursued him in a low stance. Mimi turned her staff toward the approaching woman, deploying a triplelayered magical barrier surpassing what she'd summoned before and using the thick walls to bar the woman's path.
Garfiel was glad he had Mimi here with him. She'd saved him time and again.
As that thought occurred to him, Garfiel was already flexing his legs, and
—
"—Ah."
There was a soft, strained cry and a light impact. He heard something that sounded like ice breaking.
This caught him by surprise, and he wondered what had happened as he finished leaping away. Paving stones shattered as the half-beast sailed into the sky, seemingly streaming a trail of fresh blood in his wake.
—Fresh blood… Where the hell was it coming from?
"Hey, shorty?"
The moment he called out to her, Garfiel swiftly released his halftransfiguration and returned to human form. However, the chill that ran up his spine was all that occupied him, to the point that he didn't even notice the unsettling feeling of his fur falling out.
Mimi was limp in his arms. When he looked down, he saw that the woman was peering up at Garfiel in the sky, pulling back the longsword she had thrust at them.
He noticed that the longsword was stained in blood along half its length.
" "
He could feel something warm spreading across his stomach. The girl in his arms was not moving. Her staff…was falling to the ground.
He landed, then bounded once more. Leaping onto the roof of the nearest building, Garfiel fled without regard for anything else. There was no pursuit. The two foes simply watched as the wounded weaklings escaped.
What their enemies thought of them and their abilities wasn't important at the moment. Jumping five more times to distance them from the square, Garfiel broke the roof of the building that he picked to land on, then set down the girl in his arms.
Mimi's eyes were closed. A great deal of blood was still coursing out of
her pierced chest.
Hastily, he stripped away her clothes around the source of bleeding and checked the wound. Fortunately, it apparently missed her vitals. Of course, she was in danger if she wasn't treated immediately, but a user of healing magic was right there with her.
Pressing a hand to the wound, Garfiel poured magic energy into Mimi's body.
Well aware that he wasn't cut out for the role, he'd put his soul into learning healing magic. He wanted the power so that he could manage if something happened to anyone in the Sanctuary. That was why Garfiel had focused his efforts on studying healing magic, and in the process, he had learned a decent amount about treating the wounded in general.
It was time to put all that hard work to use. It was an opportunity to show how far he'd come. This was surely the exact situation he'd wanted to prepare for.
Even a wound this serious would close up in a flash with some healing mana. Touching his palm to the open wound, he could sense the blood coursing beneath the skin, the flesh, the innards, and the healing magic he was pouring in. He poured and poured, but— —the wound… It wasn't closing.
"Why won't…?"
He heard someone speaking in a very frail voice.
He wanted to kill whoever was speaking in such a pathetic voice at a time like this. Lifting his face, he looked around. There was no one else there. He immediately realized that the voice…had been his own.
I was the one who sounded that weak? Why did I let out a voice like that?
That's just… That's just like…like—
"!! Close! Close, close, damn it! Heal, heal, healhealheal!!!"
He kept pouring all the mana his body could muster into the healing magic. Ignoring his own wounds, he sent waves of healing energy into Mimi's battered body, filling it with gentle power.
And yet the wound that needed to close would not.
"…No…way."
Unable to accept the reality before him, Garfiel spat out in a frail voice once more.
Then he slugged his own cheek, cutting his lip with his own fangs, and used the pain to rouse himself. This wasn't the time to wallow in despair.
There had to be a way. There just had to.
He knew it existed. Of course it did. He was just too stupid to realize it.
He had to think. Not knowing was no reason to give up. At any rate, he had to do something to save this girl.
She was the one who'd helped Garfiel cry.
It wasn't right for this girl to die for his sake.
" "
Clacking his fangs, Garfiel was still in a daze as he leaped off that roof. Keeping pressure on the girl's wound, he tried to stop the bleeding as he continued attempting his ineffective healing magic.
There was a scent of blood, and death, hanging over the city. He didn't spot another soul as he reviewed all available information in his mind.
I'll take anyone who can help. Please just save this girl. Someone, somewhere, please show me a miracle. Please tell me. If there's anything that I can do, then tell me how to save this girl.
He was so desperate that he was even willing to trade his life for hers if it came to it. Garfiel focused everything on his sense of smell.
The scent of water, the scent of blood, the scent of violence fanned by emotions run amok, the scent of scorched flesh—amid those countless smells, Garfiel's nose picked out the one he wanted.
He knew this one. And it was the one that Garfiel had been searching for.
Leaping over obstacles, racing forward, Garfiel was feverish by the time he finally reached his destination. He arrived at the same building he had visited just the day before and rushed into one of the rooms inside. A large number of people were shocked to see his bloodied form. He had no time to explain. Swiveling his head, Garfiel searched for the man he could rely on.
"Garfiel?!"
Someone called his name. Turning, he spotted the one he was looking for.
He lifted his head. Straight ahead at the back of the room, he saw Subaru. Subaru Natsuki.
To Garfiel, this man symbolized miracles; he was the personification of the ray of light that revealed hope in the direst of situations.
With tottering feet and a heavy head, he raced toward his hope while carrying an all-too-light weight in his arms. Subaru's cheeks stiffened as he got a good look at Garfiel. He had noticed Mimi's limp body in his arms.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, General!! I'm…! I'm useless! Worthless…!!"
Dropping to his knees in front of Subaru, he held up Mimi. Then he despaired, cursing his own foolishness.
He hadn't protected his family. He'd failed to fulfill his oath to serve as a shield. He'd challenged the enemy on his own judgment and been routed, and as a result, this kindhearted girl was now on the brink of death.
"Garfiel, what did…? No, we'll leave that for later! Ferris!"
"I know! Quick, lay her down!"
Taking Mimi from Garfiel's arms, Subaru set her down on the long table. Garfiel simply watched as the nearby, pretty cat-eared girl put a hand upon Mimi's wound.
The next instant, an overwhelming amount of healing mana swelled up. This was incomparable with what Garfiel could wield. If Garfiel's healing magic was a drop of rain, this person's power was a thundering waterfall.
It was so great that even bringing the dead back to life seemed within reach. Garfiel felt like his soul slipped out of his body as he gazed upon such godlike healing power in a daze.
Then Subaru gently rested a hand upon his shoulder. When Garfiel slowly looked up at him, Subaru nodded. He only noticed now that Subaru's leg was heavily bandaged.
"Not gonna sugarcoat it and call this a good situation, but you did well getting this far. With Ferris here, it's the best place you could've brought her.
We'll be able to save Mimi thanks to you."
"Thanks…to me…?"
What was Subaru saying?
Thanks to Garfiel, Mimi would be saved? What was he even talking about? Wasn't it Garfiel's fault that Mimi had ended up like this to begin with?
Even so, Subaru had naturally arrived at the conclusion that she'd been saved by Garfiel's good judgment. But that was all wrong.
He felt lost. His thoughts were empty and hollow. The disgust and guilt tortured him and seemed like they would never stop. There was a persistent ringing in his ears that wouldn't go away. He found the insistent pain of his own wounds laughable and out of place.
I want blame. I want pain. I don't want anyone to forgive me for my stupidity.
Garfiel's wish was one that would be granted. After all, the world was not so forgiving.
There would be a price to pay for his errors—but the bill would come in the most loathsome way possible. "Ferris, what's the matter…?"
Sensing that something was wrong, Subaru suddenly asked a tentative question.
In front of him, the treatment to save Mimi's life was still underway. An incredible stream of mana was flowing. It was so awesome that even the residual energy seemed powerful enough to cure all ills.
And yet the girl employing this breathtaking power had a desperate look about her as she shook her head.
"Why…? The wound…isn't closing! I can't help her like this! I don't understand!!"
As that pained report echoed through the room, Garfiel slumped against the wall and crumpled to the ground. The wall was cold. The floor was cold. He was covered in blood. The wound would not heal.
" "
As Garfiel hung his head, the phantom woman in black gazed upon him.
She said nothing. She didn't make a sound. She didn't even smile. Her black, hollow eyes told him nothing.
Nothing except that the price for his mistake was being repaid in blood.
CHAPTER 5
THE OPERATION TO RETAKE CITY HALL
1
"Old Man Wil! Carry her! I can't stop the bleeding here!"
Seeing Ferris change his expression, Wilhelm did as he instructed and picked up Mimi's bloodied body. The two proceeded to rush out of the conference room with urgent steps, heading to the field hospital in the structure's basement.
With healing magic being ineffective, they had no choice but to fall back onto ordinary medical treatments. Fortunately, Ferris was skilled not only in healing magic, but also surgical techniques as well.
If not for that, it was likely that there would be nothing else they could do but despair.
"Has my heartache reached any of you even a little? Really, for beings lower than insects trapped inside a box, how are you so slow on the uptake? I wuv it! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!"
Even as some of them were making heroic efforts to save a life, Lust continued her menacing broadcast.
In truth, this could no longer be considered a broadcast that was meant to intimidate its listeners. It was simply being used to mock and scorn, to spit upon the valiant efforts of others. It was a sadistic ritual.
" "
Under that downpour of malice, Subaru looked at Garfiel, who had flopped against the wall. Covering his face with both hands and hanging his head, Garfiel sported wounds all over his body. They were definitely not the kind that could be ignored.
However, the gravest wound was not to his body, but his heart.
"You scum are even lower than insects! And now that you've deeply hurt me, I really want some payback for this pain to my heart! My heart will be assuaged by what I said before! I expect great things from the smarter meatbags among you!"
Lust redoubled her malice during that time as well. Subaru focused on her voice, searching for a way to land even a single retaliatory blow against this villain who kept rambling without a care for those who were forced to keep listening to her.
Information, weaknesses, clues about the enemy, anything would do— with that mindset, he noticed a particular sound.
Besides Lust's high-pitched, earsplitting voice, there was also the sound of her clapping and stomping her feet. She acted like a child who was struggling to settle down, and that certainly also grated on Subaru's nerves— but he was focused on something else.
He heard…another sound.
The source was most likely right beside the broadcasting metia, unintentionally mixing in with her voice and reaching Subaru's ears through the broadcast.
Then Subaru's sense of reason instinctively rejected the identity of that sound.
Don't pay attention. Stop. You don't need to know— Don't give in to your cowardice.
"!"
Biting down hard on his lip, Subaru used the pain to come back to his senses. He clenched his teeth as he examined the nature of what he had just rejected.
Concentration, rejection, comprehension, rejection, comprehension, comprehension, comprehension—
That was what hummed in Subaru's ears.
The buzzing of an unbelievable quantity of insects was mixed in with the threatening broadcast. It was incredibly anxiety-inducing, the manifestation of a nightmare that provoked an instinctive disgust, and the instant Subaru realized that, he—
"Incidentally, isn't it about time for the smarter meatbags among you to notice something that you really should've kept ignoring?"
"—Ah."
She pointed out with terrifying timing that she'd planned for them to hear it all along.
"Bwa-ha-ha-ha! You should've just been enchanted by my beautiful voice, but now you're paying the price because you just haaad to do something pointless. Speaking of which, the stupid try-hards who tried to force their way in should be having a real bad time right about now."
Subaru was stunned. She had basically just revealed that they were still dancing in the palm of her hand. Toying with their minds like this wasn't enough to sate Lust's malicious appetite.
She smacked her lips and made sure everyone could hear it.
"I'm so deeply hurt that you would slap away the hand that I held out! That's why I figured it's time to stop holding back and time to tighten up a bit around here. And all you meatbags who got excited when I mentioned making things tighter just now, I'll have to teach you what the word serious really means! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Bwa-ha-ha! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! …Haaah."
Her laughing gradually lost strength, and by the end, only a tedious sigh trickled forth. That sharp drop in emotion made it sound like Lust had decided to forsake everyone else as she continued:
"—I'll start by turning the meatbags at my feet into mincemeat." "!"
"If you want to avoid that, I've only got one demand. If you're going to surrender, then just get it over with already and bow your heads as low as you can. That's the smart thing to do, right?"
Calmly, with none of the excitement she had shown just moments ago, Lust thrust her demand onto the city.
That sudden reversal and a threat that promised gore made Subaru gasp for breath.
Then Lust's disturbing moment of composure ended with such ease and speed that Subaru could have sworn the change was audible.
"Well, that's all from little ol' me! …And I said this already, but here's a friendly reminder that we've set up camp in the control towers, so don't try anything funny. The sight of a drowning human's face is so awful, I almost can't bear to look at one again! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"
With one last screeching laugh, the spiteful broadcast finally came to an end.
It had been a completely one-sided statement of intent that left just as suddenly as it had arrived. Her way of speaking was perfectly in character for an Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins—a manifestation of ugliness in a new form.
"M-messing with us like that…"
At the same time the broadcast ended, Subaru no longer heard the buzzing that had put his heart in a vise. His body instantly relaxed, and as soon as it did, the first words out of his breathless mouth were grumbles.
Of course, trash-talking someone who couldn't hear it was little more than the distant whimpers of a beaten dog. Subaru clenched his fist in frustration at his total inability to even say a retort that would reach their enemy.
"—Subaru, can you hear me?"
Abruptly, Subaru heard a voice calling his name from the round table. When he looked over, he saw that the conversation mirror, which had been abandoned in haste, had not lost its glow and was currently displaying a morose knight's face upon its surface.
"Yeah, I hear you. You caught the broadcast just now, right?"
"But of course. Loath as I am to say it, that voice surely reached every corner of the city. There is Mimi's condition to consider as well. TB and I shall return to you. We will speak again once we arrive."
"Yeah…"
Once he finished that short exchange with Julius, Subaru closed his eyes once before turning toward the conference-room window.
"…We can talk it over soon."
The red-eyed flag fluttering atop the control tower in the distance looked like it was laughing at the Water Gate City.
2
A short time later, Julius and the others who had ventured outside returned to the designated shelter.
"B-Big Sis, hang in there…!"
"Keep fighting, Big Sis…"
Concerned for their unconscious sister, Hetaro and TB continued calling
out to Mimi. Feeling their sister's wounds due to their shared blessing even now, both brothers had pain and grief carved onto their faces in equal measure.
"Every second counts! Keep pressure on the wound to stem the bleeding… Argh! This method is so outdated…!"
Ferris was too worked up for anyone else to get a single word in. Everyone present understood what was at stake. Critically wounded, Mimi could be entrusted to none but him.
"Sir Subaru."
It was then that Wilhelm called to Subaru with an austere expression.
Sensing unconcealable anguish from the man's subdued voice and seeing the deep creases marring his forehead, Subaru nodded. He had a pretty good idea what was upsetting the elderly butler.
"Mimi's wound won't close. It's probably…"
"…It is almost certainly due to the blessing of the grim reaper."
Picking up where Subaru left off, Wilhelm spoke those words with resolve.
The blessing of the grim reaper was a terrifying power that afflicted any wound caused by the bearer of the blessing with a curse that kept it from healing. Based on what they had seen, there was little doubt this was why healing magic had no effect on Mimi's injury.
Additionally, from all Subaru had heard, there was only one individual he knew who possessed such a blessing.
Theresia van Astrea, the prior generation of Sword Saint—Wilhelm's departed wife.
"I'm scared to ask this…but, Wilhelm, is your arm…?"
" "
When Subaru asked, Wilhelm stripped off his butler's jacket without a word. The old wound on his left shoulder was concealed under bandages—it was the unhealed gouge that his wife had left upon him.
The bandages wrapping the wound that had been carved in him by the blessing of the grim reaper were faintly red and wet.
"If that's still bleeding, then…"
"My old wound has reopened. It seems that I cannot pretend to be uninvolved."
Putting his jacket back on, Wilhelm quietly murmured. Subaru couldn't think of anything to say to him. However, what dwelled in Wilhelm's eyes was neither hope nor relief, but anger.
Even though he'd discovered the possibility that his wife, the one he had supposedly lost so long ago, might still be alive—
"—My wife passed away fifteen years ago. That fact has not changed."
Pushing down the roiling emotions he must have been feeling, Wilhelm refuted what Subaru had been thinking as he leveled his gaze directly at him. That moment, Subaru thought he could feel a small part of Wilhelm's surging desire to fight.
"Someone out there is involved in her death, in the desecration of her soul. I swear upon my sword and the days I spent together with my wife— they shall pay."
With an indomitable resolve, the Sword Devil had become as tenacious as hardened steel.
Anyone who set eyes upon this man would realize that there was nothing else to be said. Cheap condolences and consolations would only be an affront to his determination.
" "
Standing beside Wilhelm, Subaru quietly took a breath.
Ferris continued doing everything he could while Hetaro and TB stayed huddled at Mimi's side. Ferris soon shooed away the rest, sending them to an adjacent waiting room. Subaru and the others continued discussing plans as they changed locations.
He was still deeply worried about Mimi's condition, but the city's situation didn't allow him to focus on Mimi alone. The most pressing issue they needed to discuss was—
"—As you have all heard, the Archbishop made a second broadcast. The lives of the hostages at city hall may not have very long."
One of their group raised a hand and shed the jacket of his white suit as he kicked off the conversation.
He was a man with meticulously combed hair and an elegant face— however, his expression was taut. This palpable desire to deal with the formidable problem left before them belonged to none other than the president of the Muse Company, Kiritaka Muse.
Right up until moments before, Kiritaka had been doing his best to get a grasp on the situation while suppressing disorder across the entire city as one of the Council of Ten, but after hearing the earlier broadcast, he decided to participate in the urgent meeting that was currently being held.
Given that he was a central figure in the city, Subaru had wanted to confirm something with him right at the start.
"There's no time, so I'll get straight to the point—Kiritaka, could you give us an explanation about the Witch's bones?"
It was Anastasia who cut to the chase without the slightest hesitation, taking a position at the front of the waiting room. She discarded the demure attitude she usually adopted, turning a sharp, serious look toward Kiritaka.
Realizing from her keen gaze that Anastasia was serious, Kiritaka nodded and assented to her request.
"I suppose there is no point hiding it at this juncture. Therefore, in brief… The Witch's bones do exist, and they are here in the city. Only the people on the Council of Ten know where they are… Of course, I am one of them."
"…So the bones seriously exist?"
When Kiritaka confirmed as much, everyone present drew in a small, short breath. It was tangible proof that the establishment of the city four centuries prior had indeed been related to a Witch.
But Kiritaka met their general reaction with a "However" before continuing his explanation. "I must say this bluntly. The Witch's bones absolutely cannot be moved. Accordingly, we cannot comply with the opponent's demand. The bones cannot be used as a bargaining chip."
"Master Kiritaka, is it simply your opinion that they should not be moved?"
"No. I am not saying they cannot be moved due to custom or adherence to ancient history. In a situation where human lives hang in the balance, such things are not even worth considering."
"Then are you saying that…?"
"They physically cannot be moved."
Kiritaka's reply to Crusch's question was firm, but his follow-up to Subaru's words was mostly listless.
It was an oddly roundabout way to ultimately say they could not be moved even if someone wanted to. The Witch's bones—if Al's murmur was to be believed, the chance that they were relics of Typhon was high. She'd been a young girl and barely any different from Beatrice in stature, so it was hard to imagine that the difficulty in moving them was due to size or weight.
There had to be another reason.
"Maybe it's more about where they're currently located or the role they play?"
"That would make sense. If the Witch's bones truly do exist but they're kept a secret from everyone except the city's council, there should be a fairly important reason for it."
Anastasia quickly agreed with Subaru's conjecture. The pair's hypothesis made Kiritaka visibly tense up before letting out a resigned sigh.
"…As you have surmised, special power dwells within the Witch's bones —power sufficient to serve as the foundation of this city. Without the bones, the Water Gate City is unsustainable."
"What happens if they're moved?"
"It seems that all present are aware of how this city was founded. Should the bones be moved, the city will undoubtedly sustain damage on par with that legendary event… No, it would likely be an even greater disaster than that. The result would be the same as if the Witch Cult flung the water gates of this city wide open."
"…I see. And that's why you can't move 'em." As he made that remark, Subaru glanced at Crusch. She shook her head side to side in response.
The power of the blessing of wind reading allowed Crusch to tell whether the words of others were truth or lies. There were a number of loopholes, but it was a pretty safe bet that this meant Kiritaka's statement was not willful deception.
In other words, handing the Witch's bones over was tantamount to destroying the city. By including such a terrible condition in her proposed deal, Lust had clearly miscalculated.
"Or perhaps we should assume that she came up with her terms knowing full well what it would mean for the city."
It was then that Julius murmured an alternative explanation with a faint crease in the brow of his forehead. Having returned with TB and joined the renewed meeting, he swept his hair to the side when he noticed all attention gathering upon him.
"After visiting several shelters, I can safely say that the residents of the city have endured well. Even so, there will be no end to the number of people who find this current situation hopeless. Without understanding the consequences it will entail, some may even demand that the Witch's bones should be handed over."
"You mean Lust is getting off on seeing the city rip itself apart? …That's a sick joke."
It was a pessimistic bit of speculation, but at the same time, it was difficult to rule out. When Capella, the Archbishop of Lust, made her broadcast, all of them had gotten a glimpse of the joy she got out of sadistically toying with people's hearts.
Perhaps the real objective of making the entire city hear her voice was simply to tyrannize the hearts of others—
"—We ain't handin' over those bones, and we sure as hell ain't entertainin' their stupid demands. It wouldn't change a damn thing."
It was a quiet declaration. The tenor of that voice made Subaru lift his face with a strong sense that something was off.
He found the quietness of that voice deeply unsettling. This was because the one who just spoke was always so strong and spirited—a far cry from the impression of the subdued, muted emotion the voice gave off now.
Sporting charred-brown fur and a large, muscular frame, the demi-human dog-man Ricardo was normally bold with his words and his actions. Like Julius, he had returned from his excursion and now stood in silence with his thick arms crossed, seemingly thinking hard about something.
Then he slowly walked over to the wall and broke the silence again.
"I didn't say thanks yet. Bro, if ya hadn't brought Mimi here, there's no doubt in my mind she'd be dead. I owe you one. Big-time. Seriously, thank you."
Ricardo sank down and sat cross-legged, pressing his head to the floor as he conveyed his gratitude. His words were directed at none other than Garfiel, who was still slumped against the wall, his head hanging like a rag doll's.
" "
Despondent, Garfiel had only barely managed to do as Subaru instructed and cast healing magic upon his own wounds. He opened his jade eyes, revealing a frail, clouded gaze filled with bewilderment and remorse.
Based on what Garfiel had wailed when he brought Mimi in, it was clear he felt responsible for Mimi's condition. As her guardian, Ricardo had a right to blame him for what had happened.
And yet instead of accusing Garfiel, Ricardo had chosen to bow his head.
Ricardo's sincerity stabbed deep into Garfiel's heart, driving the boy further into the grasping hands of guilt.
"Well? Shouldn't we stop dancin' around the issue here and ask what we need to ask?"
It was Al who pointed out their inactivity from his seat at the long table. Fiddling with the seams of his helm, he surveyed all those present.
"That nutty broadcast earlier can't be unrelated to those two rushing in here all a mess. They're crucial live witnesses who just returned from city hall. That's a big deal, am I right?"
Though wounded, Garfiel jerked his chin up. Al shrugged with a familiar disinterest. His aloof demeanor came off as insensitive, but he asserted that was what the situation called for.
There was no doubt that Garfiel and Mimi had confronted their enemies at city hall. Perhaps that had been a hasty decision, but the two had tried in their own way to do the best they could.
And they'd paid the price—in fact, Mimi was still paying for it even as they spoke.
"Garfiel, it might be tough to talk about it, but please tell us what happened. I get that no chump could've put you through the wringer like that.
But…"
" "
"…we have to give a serious thrashing to all the morons who attacked this city. We'll need your strength to make that happen. I can't afford to let you stay down in the dumps like this."
He knew it was a cruel demand to make. But Subaru gave it to Garfiel straight and spoke from the heart.
Garfiel had challenged the enemy based on his personal judgment but had failed to protect Mimi. It was easy for Subaru to imagine what crushing regret and responsibility must have weighed on Garfiel's chest.
That was only natural. Subaru himself felt the exact same way Garfiel did.
"…We heard…that broadcast. Me and the runt headed for the center of the city all because I wanted to give that bastard broadcastin' out of city hall a good beatdown."
Haltingly, his face still angled toward the floor, Garfiel began to speak. Suspending his treatment, he clenched a fist so hard that it nearly broke the bones in his hand. That was the only way he could keep his churning emotions from exploding.
"There were a whole lotta dead people in front of city hall. I think they were city guards. The ones who did them in were a pair, a big man and a thin
woman. Both fought with swords, and they…"
Garfiel's fangs trembled as his words trailed off. What he had left unsaid were no doubt Garfiel's defeat and the cause of Mimi's wound, which refused all attempted treatments.
What made Subaru want to doubt his ears was that it was a complete mystery who that pair might be.
The fact that they were acting in concert with Lust meant they were definitely Witch Cultists. But as Subaru knew, no Archbishops matched the physical characteristics that Garfiel had mentioned.
They were unknown Witch Cultists who weren't even Archbishops.
What's more—
"Both of 'em are a match for… Actually, I think they're stronger than me."
Garfiel seemed weak, seemingly shrinking in on himself as he agonized over that thought. His awe at his opponents' might and his guilt for letting Mimi get hurt left Garfiel looking incredibly small.
"—Looks like ya got a pretty good grasp on the strength and weakness of your opponents."
"Ricardo…"
Ricardo had kept his head pressed to the floor right up until he made that comment. An instant later, a terrifying, ferocious, and bestial presence filled the room.
"Tell me, Bro. Of the two ya mentioned, which one is it? Which one do I cut apart to avenge Mimi?"
If Ricardo's exhaustive thanks were sincere, then he was equally sincere in just how far he would go to rip and tear his enemy to sate his thirst for vengeance.
Taken aback by that daunting show of brutality, Garfiel hesitated slightly.
"…It was the woman who got the runt. It happened when Mimi covered for me."
"That was Mimi's choice. I ain't gonna criticize her decision."
"I get it. I get ya. No one… Not a single person's blamin' me…but I do!
That's why I gotta give it to that woman…!!"
Practically flying to his feet, Garfiel wore a mournful look on his face as
he shouted his desire for retribution. Rising in turn, Ricardo stared down at the boy across their difference in height.
"That was a good howl. A man never goes back on his word. Now stand up and fight."
"Yeah…yeah! Damn right I will! I'm gonna do it…!"
Garfiel howled as if he was tearing into something with his jaws as the light returned to his clouded eyes. There was some bravado at work, but now angry, Garfiel had sworn to Ricardo that he would avenge Mimi.
Acknowledging his resolve, Ricardo nodded and glanced momentarily toward Subaru. Though it should have been Subaru giving Garfiel that extra push he needed, Ricardo had thoughtfully acted in his stead.
The captain of the Iron Fangs was as good at helping people back to their feet as Subaru expected.
"Thanks to Garfiel's report, we now know the degree of danger that awaits us at city hall…and have learned about the sacrifices made by the guards who fought with the resolve to die in defense of the city. Next…"
Now that Ricardo had lit a fire under Garfiel, Julius pulled the conversation back on topic, faintly narrowing his yellow eyes as he looked at Subaru.
"Subaru, what would you do?"
"…Whoa, that's an awfully sloppy way to pass the reins over to someone else."
Subaru grimaced at Julius's uncharacteristically haphazard manner of speaking. Julius's only response was a smug chuckle.
"I was simply thinking back to the battle with Sloth. I was hoping that you might be particularly effective against the Witch Cult once again. As such, I reasoned that you might come up with a plan that would not have occurred to me."
"Don't get carried away, man. If I was that effective against 'em, my leg wouldn't have ended up like this."
"That is unfortunate. However, there is also the matter of Lady Emilia. Surely, you do not wish to leave her in her current predicament. I simply wish to confirm what you intend to do."