Arc 9, Chapter 36 – “Problem”

Arc 9, Chapter 36 – "Problem"

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???: [I'm sorry, I've caused you so much trouble…]

???: [No, Rem is the one who ought to be happy that you cried with joy. It was just like when Nee-sama did the same… ah.]

Petra bowed her head repeatedly, apologizing for her flustered and disgraceful behavior. Rem, who had tried to comfort Petra, realized she had said something awkward and stiffened her cheeks, looking toward Ram.

In response to Rem's gaze, Ram smiled gently and said, "It's okay",

Ram: [After all, Ram is a pathetic older sister who is unable to even keep her composure during an emotional reunion. It's no wonder Rem would call her sister a crybaby.]

Rem: [Th-that's not what I meant! It's a misunderstanding that you're a crybaby, Nee-sama! Besides, I was happy that you cried for me, Nee-sama!] [1]

???: [That's right, Ram. You're finally able to remember Rem. Even if you did cry, no one would think you're a crybaby. Cheer up!]

Ram: [Rem, Emilia-sama… wah, wah, wah…]

Following Rem's lead, Emilia joined in comforting her, to which Ram covered her eyes with her hands and turned away. The two remained concerned, but from Petra's perspective, it was all just a farce.

Of course, there was no doubt that this situation brought tears of joy to Ram's eyes.

Petra: […Ram-neesama, I get that you're happy, but you shouldn't tease them so much.]

Emilia: [Huh!?]

Rem: [Tease…?]

Petra managed to compose herself and admonished Ram, causing Emilia and Rem to widen their eyes. Ram, who had deceived the two innocent girls, ceased her fake crying, shrugged her shoulders, and said,

Ram: [Well, now that memories have been restored, it's natural to want to see all of Rem's different expressions, so there was some teasing involved. Will you forgive such a mean older sister?]

Rem: [Nee-sama… well, it seems it can't be helped. Just this once, okay?]

Ram: [Yes, thank you. Are you okay with that, Emilia-sama?]

Emilia: [Rem forgave you, so I can't stay angry forever. Good grief.]

???: [Amazi~ng. Instead of showing any humility, all you did was act cute and you got away with i~t.]

Despite showing not a single shred of remorse, Rem and Emilia easily forgave Ram's overbearing behavior, while Meili watched in astonishment and muttered in disbelief. Petra agreed with Meili's disbelief. This was typical of Ram, but she was getting a little too carried away.

Petra: [I would like to hold a victory party for Rem… Rem-neesama, but this is a very difficult time, so could you please refrain from doing so, Ram-neesama?]

Ram: [Self-restraint, you say. That sounds reasonable at first, but what about you, Petra?]

Petra: [――? What do you mean? I've been reflecting on what happened earlier as well.]

Ram: [Not that you should feel bad about getting all worked up. It's just something else that has been concerning. ――Ever since a little while ago, it seems you have naturally positioned yourself between Rem and Emilia-sama.]

Ram pointed this out with one eye closed, and Petra widened her eyes with a "Huh?". Then, she looked to her left and right, and saw the profiles of Emilia and Rem beside her.

The three of them were now sitting side by side on a long sofa, with Petra in the middle. Petra had her arms firmly wrapped around the two of them, as if she never wanted to let go.

Petra: [Huh!?]

Meili: [Don't just "huh" u~s. After you hugged Rem-oneesan, you ve~ry naturally pulled her along with yo~u. Even Emilia-oneesan was pulled along to~o.]

Petra: [S-sorry. It seems like my love for both of you overflowed…]

Petra reflected on her actions in light of Meili's continued exasperation. However, her excuse was precisely the same as Ram's earlier, causing Ram to let out a "Ha!"

Rem: [It's okay, there's no need to worry, Petra-san. Rem also wants to fill in the gaps in her memory piece by piece.]

Petra: [Rem-neesama…]

Rem: [Besides, Rem didn't think Petra-san and the others in the village got along with her very well, so it's a pleasant surprise to find that they cared so much.]

With Petra's arm wrapped around her, Rem blushed slightly and gave a shy smile.

From Rem's perspective, her relationship with Petra and the others was at its peak around the time the Royal Selection began―― during the month when Subaru was taken in at the mansion. Before that, they had been merely passing acquaintances at best.

That was why Rem's perception was not wrong. The reason Petra held such strong feelings for Rem was not so much because of her own emotions, but because of the extent of "Subaru's" influence.

However, despite that, she still felt them.

Petra: [Rem-neesama, smiling and looking shy, how precious…]

Emilia: [Petra-chan, your ears are reaaally red. Are you okay?]

Petra: [Ah, that's not true. This isn't two-timing… Emilia-neesama is number one!]

Emilia: [Huh? Um, that's right. I'm the most important person in the camp, so I have to do my duties properly.]

Petra, torn between her impatience and happiness, blurted out something she should not have said, but Emilia, like the angel or goddess that she was, or perhaps because it simply went over her head, reacted to it like a dense protagonist.

With that in mind, Petra suppressed her racing heartbeat and stood up, telling herself, "Subaru is my number one…"

If she remained sandwiched between Emilia and Rem, her heart would surely be pulled apart.

???: [Way to go, Petra! You hung in there!]

Petra: [Subaru, you better be ready for me to give you a piece of my mind later. You two-timer.]

"Subaru": [That's not fair! I can't even touch Emilia-tan or Rem!]

Petra managed to cut off her lingering sentimentality and directed her pent-up anger toward the Imaginary Subaru. Holding a handkerchief to stifle her tears, she sighed as she watched "Subaru" dance around the reception room, exploding with emotions toward Rem, whose memories had returned.

That was when――,

Rem: [Rem knows that she's causing quite a disturbance, but it would be helpful if we could calm down for now. ――Let's talk about that person.]

Petra: [――――]

Rem's quiet voice caused the air in the room to become noticeably tense.

Although the tension was not completely relaxed, the atmosphere had started to warm up despite the urgency of the current situation, and Rem herself broke the tension. That was very admirable and impressive.

Emilia: [Ram, Rem, did Clind-san already explain everything to you?]

Ram: [More or less. Besides, we also saw the devastation in the Royal Capital. Who would have thought it would come to this… Barusu really messed up.]

Petra: [Ram-neesama, that's quite a way of putting it…]

Ram: [Sorry, let's rephrase that. ――Everyone, including Ram, really messed up.]

Petra: [――――]

Ram's assessment weighed heavily and resonated deeply with everyone.

As previously confirmed before Ram and Rem had rejoined them, the severity of Al's actions was beyond one's ability to bear.

???: [That bein' said, there's nothin' ta be gained from blamin' ourselves excessively. Ultimately, the responsibility for what happened oughta lie with the person who caused it. That's what we've concluded.]

Ram: [That's how Ram and the others feel, no doubt. But things aren't that simple. Wouldn't you agree?]

???: […You're quite an impressive girl. What was all that foolin' around earlier?]

With that, Rom-jii stroked his bald head and gave Ram a stern look. Seeing the understanding between the two, Rem tilted her head and said "Nee-sama",

Rem: [When you say "things aren't that simple," are you talking about where the responsibility lies?]

Ram: [Yes, that's right. Rom-sama wants to discuss the details. Please go ahead.]

Rom: [Throwin' us a load of trouble… well, fine. As the girl said, regardless of our resolve, the current situation ain't good for us or for all of ya.]

Rom-jii, who had been entrusted with explaining the situation by Ram, pointed at himself and Emilia with his thick fingers. Staring at his large fingertips, Emilia blinked her amethyst eyes and,

Emilia: [That's true for us, but, Rom-jii, what about you, the others… and Felt-chan?]

Rom: [Ezzo was also at the Tower. He was given the task of managin' the Tower until an official investigation team could be dispatched by the Kingdom, but he was unable ta fulfill his duty. Even Reinhard wasn't able ta stop the helmet bastard nor the Divine Dragon, 'n damage was caused ta the Royal Capital.]

Meili: [Bu~t, thanks to Emilia-oneesan, no big rocks fell on the city, ri~ght? So why are we still being scol~ded?]

Rom: [If ya could gain popularity just by smashin' stones thrown at ya, then Reinhard could just keep doin' that forever. Meili, it's not just the results that need ta be judged fairly, but the process as well.]

Meili pouted at Rom-jii, who shook his big head slowly with a serious expression.

Hidden beneath Meili's dissatisfied attitude lay her frustration that Emilia's critical role was not being properly appreciated. Realizing this, Emilia smiled at Meili and said, "Thank you," causing the pouting girl to turn away even further.

Rom: [At the bare minimum, we have ta talk 'bout what we absolutely must do. First, we gotta stop that helmet bastard… the man who calls himself Aldebaran, with our own hands. We can't leave it ta anyone else or the Kingdom. We can only talk 'bout recoupin' our losses after we've done that.]

Emilia: [Why does it have to be us? Of course, it would be natural for us to try our best, but if Al is stopped before he does something terrible…]

Rom: [Emilia, ya don't understand. It's no longer just 'bout Aldebaran. He has the Divine Dragon on his side. This is a serious matter that could shake the foundations of the Royal Selection… the only way ta reverse that is for the Dragon Priestess, a Royal Selection candidate, ta recall the Divine Dragon. If that can't be done…]

Emilia: [――Would that mean the Royal Selection itself would be null and void?]

Emilia spoke of a definitive possibility, and Rom-jii drew back his chin with a serious expression. Upon hearing this, Petra belatedly comprehended the gravity of the situation.

In the first place, the Royal Selection to determine the next monarch of the Kingdom of Lugunica was based upon the prophecy of the Dragon History Stone that was necessary in order to maintain the Covenant with the Dragon. In other words, it was a ceremony which relied upon the mighty power of the Divine Dragon Volcanica, and without the Divine Dragon, the Royal Selection would not be viable.

Rom: [For that reason, we must. The only solution's ta stop Aldebaran, the one who's bewitched the Divine Dragon, by the hands of a Royal Candidate.]

This was a fundamental prerequisite for settling this crucial situation, and for the continuation of the Royal Selection.

The words of the old giant, the wise man from the Felt Camp, who had long seen the world, possessed conviction which none could refute.

The destruction of the world by Al's hand must be averted. However, that did not mean that so long as the world was spared, nothing else mattered.

After the battle ended, there was the matter of――,

Rem: [We need to ensure there is a proper place for Subaru-kun's return.]

Emilia: [Rem…]

After listening to Rom-jii's words, Emilia looked at Rem as she muttered so. Rem met her gaze, her pale-blue eyes filled with resolve, responding with "That's how it should be, is it not?",

Rem: [That person, he did the same for me. Rem's room in the mansion remained exactly as it was before… because Subaru-kun thought so highly of her, Rem was able to remember the things she had forgotten. It's all thanks to the Morningstar that Subaru-kun polished every day…!]

Indeed, Rem emphasized that forcefully, with an iron ball attached to a chain in her hands―― the Morningstar. Overwhelmed by the chain's rousing resonation and Rem's vigor, Emilia tilted her head.

Emilia: […Thanks to the Morningstar?]

Rem: [Yes. It may surprise you, but it was in the moment upon touching the Morningstar. Every memory up to that point came flooding back… thinking that it was all just that person's obsession was a misunderstanding… There are so many things to apologize for.]

Lowering her eyes as if ashamed of herself, Rem recounted how her memories had returned to her. Troubled by Rem's impassioned plea, a wide-eyed Emilia waved her hands about.

Perhaps, it was a matter of timing. ――That which Gluttony, whom Al had released from the Prison Tower, had done was likely related to the rebirth of Rem's Memories and Name. And that had happened at the same time Rem had touched the Morningstar in the mansion.

That was why Rem was convinced that the Morningstar had awakened her.

Emilia: [You know, Rem, can you calm yourself for a moment to listen…]

Rem: [Rest assured, Emilia-sama. With this Morningstar, Rem will surely be of help in getting Subaru-kun back. After that is done, let us discuss what happened in the Empire and the future…]

Emilia continued to look troubled as Rem clenched her fists with an attitude of determination. Next to her, Meili looked at Ram and asked, "Aren't you going to stop he~r?", to which she replied,

Ram: [It can't be helped. This is something Ram didn't expect either. ――Who would have thought that Barusu's ridiculous ramblings about polishing it every day would actually prove useful?]

Meili: […It's really bad that I'm the one with the most common sense he~re.]

Meili lamented the situation, in which even Ram had placed too much faith in the power of the Morningstar.

In any case, it was necessary to share everything they knew concerning Gluttony with Rem and the others, including their speculations. Petra decided to leave that to Emilia, and turned back to Rom-jii, keeping the dream-like interplay between Emilia and Rem in the corner of her eye.

And then――,

Petra: [Clind-niisama still hasn't returned with the Master and the others… but we don't have much time. We'll be cooperating with Rom-ojiisan, right?]

Rom: [――. Yeah, that's right. It's our consensus that the Royal Selection's gotta continue.]

Petra: [Then, please tell us all about it. Rom-ojiisan, what have you noticed about Al-san?]

Rom-jii had joined up with them in the plains and had accompanied them as they rushed to the Royal Capital. For the sake of Clind's Compression, he had opted to act separately from Tonchinkan and the rest, but he had been laying the groundwork for fighting alongside Emilia and the others, saying that he had critical information concerning Al that he had obtained during their previous clash.

From the discussions up to this point, the Emilia and Felt Camps were of one mind. It was time for both sides to open up to each other; thus, Petra urged Rom-jii.

In response to Petra's request, Rom-jii patted his bald head and said,

Rom: [What I'm gonna tell ya is gonna sound pretty outlandish 'n insane. I didn't keep it a secret 'cause I wanted ta seem important or nothin', but 'cause it's so unbelievable.]

Petra: [It's okay. I'll believe you, Rom-ojiisan. I'm sure Rom-ojiisan would be surprised if he knew, seriously.]

Rom: […You're also quite the peculiar girl, ain't'cha, Petra.]

Perhaps mistaking it for lip service, Rom-jii lowered his eyebrows and muttered in exasperation.

But, there were no lies in Petra's words. Petra trusted Rom-jii. She knew that he cared deeply for Felt, who had been taken hostage by Al and his accomplices, and that he was a man of fatherly love who would show no hesitation to sacrifice his life for Felt.

For that reason, the hurdle of trust about which Rom-jii was concerned was cleared at the onset.

Unaware of Petra's various circumstances, while paying heed to Emilia and Rem, who even now were still reconciling their perceptions of each other, Rom-jii said,

Rom: [This is somethin' I'll tell Emilia 'n the others later, but… this Aldebaran guy, he's likely usin' some kinda cheat technique called an Authority.]

"Subaru": [――An Authority.]

"Subaru" reacted to Rom-jii's carefully chosen words before Petra could.

"Subaru" ceased his twirling in midair and his face stiffened, his gaze fixed intently upon Rom-jii. The Imaginary Subaru's reaction was understandable. They had just heard it from Clind's mouth, but both Petra and "Subaru" were familiar with the word "Authority" and its more sinister significance.

It was a word that had been uttered by the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, and by the Witch of Greed who slumbered in her tomb.

The manifestation of a formidable right which allowed one to interfere with the nature of this world, to overturn concepts, to selfishly paint over those laws.

The reason Rom-jii concluded that Al utilized one was because――,

Rom: [――This guy, it seems like he's able ta go back ta time gone by. But, it don't seem ta go very far back, though.]

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――In the end, just what was it that she absolutely needed to do?

That "problem", which had accompanied her endlessly since the days she had been small and weak, continued to familiarly haunt Felt even now that she had been taken by the Aldebaran Crew.

Felt: [Geez, it's so damn irritating.]

Scratching her head at that frustration, Felt spat out the bitterness that had been festering in her stomach.

Feelings of powerlessness and resignation, albeit definite, were of no use; this Felt knew. Despite that, despite neither quenching her throat nor filling her belly, they would seek to fill up people's bodies, welling up by every means just to get in the way.

Felt: [――Tsk.]

With a click of her tongue, Felt sunk her teeth into the dried meat served to her for dinner, chewing it apart. Finding herself clearly unsatisfied with the overly salty flavor, she was disgusted with how spoiled she had become.

It had been a mere two and a half days since they had been parted, yet she longed for the cooking of Flam and Grassis.

Even the heavily seasoned, manly meals that Ezzo, Rachins, and the rest would sometimes bring to the table were far preferable to these portable dishes. Flam and Grassis would get mad at her if she made Reinhard cook, as it was a task below his station, so she did not make him do so, but when Felt had him make sweets in secret, he was not bad at all.

Unfortunately, Felt and Rom-jii's culinary skills were so horrendous that she was amazed she had not died of food poisoning in the over ten years she had spent at the loot house. That was likely the source of Felt's meager growth when compared to others of the same age.

Regardless of the culinary circumstances of her Camp――,

Felt: [I can't cook or nothing. So then, what can I do?]

Licking a grain of salt off her fingertip, Felt narrowed her red eyes, her thoughts returning to the initial "problem".

――At present, the Aldebaran Crew was moving from place to place, with Aldebaran and the Divine Dragon endeavoring to recover from their exhaustion incurred from the Royal Capital. Initially, Felt assumed that Aldebaran and his accomplices would make straight for their objective, the Grand Mogolade Geyser, after fleeing the Royal Capital, but it seemed as if it was not simply a matter of reaching the destination; an element of grasping the right time was involved as well.

However, those breaths of respite while waiting for that time were far from ideal―― they had been met with the relentless sabotage of a callous pursuer, Otto Suwen.

Felt: [It's not just talking with bugs, it's an outrageously terrifying Divine Protection… Or rather, what's terrifying is probably not the Divine Protection, but Zodda bug-niichan himself.]

Otto possessed a quiet and ignorant face, but his true nature seemed to be that of an individual warranting extreme caution.

Ultimately, every Divine Protection served as nothing more than just another tool. No matter how fine a sword one held, if they were not equipped with the strength to swing it, the ambition and opportunity to learn how to wield it, and the courage to brandish blade when the time came, then the sword would merely be a fine decoration.

Otto had the strength, the opportunity, the ambition, and the courage. ――Thus, Felt would have no choice but to prove that she too possessed those things, swordless as she was.

Felt: [That nii-chan's going all out on the offensive… plotting some damn nasty stuff.]

With the Divine Protection of the Soul of Language, Otto had allied with bugs, birds, and fish; without allowing the Aldebaran Crew even a moment of tranquility, he was constantly forcing them to counter.

The buzzing of insects and the distant howling of beasts, the pollution of water and contamination of food supplies, his methods of attack were diverse; since they were unable to secure any sleeping hours, Felt, being dragged along with them, was also experiencing a headache.

But, getting caught in the crossfire like this was something Felt could discount as trivial damage. If possible, Felt would make use of her position accompanying the enemy to mercilessly contribute to Otto's tactics.

Felt: [I thought there'd have been plenty enough meaning in serving to suppress the Divine Dragon, but…]

That alone would not suffice; she had understood that through the battle between Divine Dragon and Sword Demon at the Royal Capital.

Even if Felt's presence curtailed the Divine Dragon's power by ten percent, the remaining ninety percent were still enough to display catastrophic power; that was the true worth of the DIvine Dragon Volcanica―― considering the possibility that from here forward, Rom-jii would seek a rematch against Aldebaran's party after his initial defeat, her current state was lacking.

At present, that was the "problem" that the captured Felt ought to face.

Felt: [No, I guess also there's one more.]

Muttering so, Felt turned her eyes toward the other "problem", visible from her position.

???: [――――]

To her fore, across the crackling bonfire, a man sat facing Felt. ――No, he could not be described as facing her. After all, his face was downcast, with nary a glance in her direction.

Clutching a sheathed sword to his chest, silently cowering as if he were deceased, the red-haired man radiated a sense of vexation in every direction―― Heinkel.

Left alone at the entrance of a cave naturally formed in a rocky wall, Felt and Heinkel were spending a dismal time together, waiting for the ones who had gone to ascertain the safety of the surroundings and remove obstacles.

For the time being, Heinkel was supposed to be in charge of supervising Felt, but based on the ratio of who was looking at who, it would not have been possible to tell exactly who the supervisor was. That manner of rejecting the outside world, to the point of neither touching his dried meat dinner nor putting water to his lips, thoroughly rubbed Felt the wrong way.

Felt: [――――]

Felt had declared that she had no ruler of good or bad with which to measure Heinkel's actions. There was no falsehood in that, and she would not alter her view, but―― she did have a ruler of liking and disliking to measure with.

At the very least, his demeanor befitting a hollow despite yet living, was something she absolutely hated.

Felt: [Oi, if you aren't gonna eat, pass me that dried meat.]

Heinkel: [――――]

Felt: [You can hear me, yeah? Don't ignore… woah there.]

Albeit her initial belligerence, the dried meat she had used to broach conversation was thrown at her as if to shut her up. She hastened to pick it up, but Heinkel cast nary a glance in her direction.

In that instant, thinking it foolish to unclench her fists, Felt called out "Oi" once more,

Felt: [So, why the hell did you interfere back there?]

Straight to the point, Felt boldly cut straight to the source of Heinkel's cowering.

Heinkel: [――――]

Heinkel kept his silence; however, given that he had flung the dried meat at her, he had not completely cut himself off from the outside world. Seizing on that, Felt lightly exhaled,

Felt: [Your old man… how should i call him. The fight between Reinhard's grandfather and the Divine Dragon. I'm not really a warrior or anything like that, so I dunno the specifics of who was superior in that battle and stuff. But, you're supposed to be the Divine Dragon's ally, yeah?]

Heinkel: [――――]

Felt: [For you to have interfered there meant that things were looking bad for the Divine Dragon. That's an outrageous prospect, but there's also something strange about it. ――If your objective is the Dragon's Blood, then that grandpa being on the verge of victory ought to have been the perfect opportunity.]

Heinkel: [――――]

Felt: [Even though you might have gotten your hands on the blood if the Dragon died, you got in the way. Why's that?]

Using the other party's lack of objections to make her point, Felt bluntly lined up her words.

As she had said, Heinkel's interference with the battle between Divine Dragon and Sword Demon was exceedingly unnatural when considering his goal. There was also a possibility that he had acted on impulses of a strong grudge towards his father, but before flying off with the Divine Dragon, Heinkel had requested the Dragon to apply healing on Wilhelm, whom he had stabbed.

In other words, Heinkel had wished for neither the Divine Dragon, nor the Sword Demon, to die during that battle.

Felt: [It's way too incoherent. Just what exactly are you――]

Thinking; it had been the moment she was about to continue her words. ――Immediately pinned down to the hard ground, an unsheathed blade was fastened to Felt's neck.

Heinkel: [You talk too much, brat.]

Right before her eyes, the bloodshot blue eyes of Heinkel were present. Perhaps because he had bitten the inside of his mouth, his breaths doused her in a reek of blood, causing Felt to grimace. While she did so, Heinkel continued to slide the blade as if to intimidate Felt,

Heinkel: [If you don't want to feel the pain, then don't say such unnecessary―― goaghh!?]

Through an opening in that threat, Felt drove her fist forward without hesitation, straight into Heinkel's nose.

Heinkel exclaimed "Uh, ah?"; rather than pain, it was the reality of having been hit that surprised him. As he stood up with the momentum, a kick to the chest sent him crashing onto his backside, and Felt looked down upon him.

Felt: [There's no way I'd be scared of you at this point.]

Saying that, Felt picked up Heinkel's sword which had fallen beside her. For a moment, Heinkel's body tensed, but Felt heaved a sigh and tossed the sword back to him. Heinkel snatched up the sword, eyes widening, but Felt just shrugged her shoulders in response.

It might have seemed a mystery why she had returned the sword, but from Felt's perspective, it was the natural decision.

Even if Felt went ballistic here, she could not beat Heinkel, and on the off chance that Heinkel thoughtlessly tried to cut Felt down, it was clear that Yae would be overjoyed. To begin with, the moment Felt and Heinkel had been left alone here, Yae's aims were made obvious.

If possible, Yae wished to discard both Felt and Heinkel. Resorting to violence here was unideal, as it would only have been playing right into her hands. ――Even without such reasoning, there was also the fact that it was not Felt's role to beat up Heinkel.

Felt: [Then you'd think it'd be Reinhard's role, but I think that also doesn't seem right.]

Heinkel: [――Hk.]

As Reinhard's name came up, Heinkel was once again greatly perturbed.

For a man over double Felt's age to be cowering in fear over her every word and action was absurdly unsightly. However, Felt wanted to uncover the reason behind that unsightliness.

Even if that would deliver a terribly bitter flavor to Felt, she wished to know.

Felt: [Same as before, you don't gotta answer anything. I'll speak on my own, and infer on my own.]

Wiping the hem of her clothes, dirtied from being pinned down, Felt waited not for the other party's response, and looked to the sky. Within the night sky, visible through a fissure in the rocky wall, countless stars shone aglow with a brightness that did not belong.

Glaring at the ironic beauty in that sky, Felt broached with "As a matter of fact",

Felt: [What bothered me about the battle between the Divine Dragon and that grandpa was everything I said before. Even though you want that Dragon's Blood, the actions you took don't seem to add up. And so, there's one other thing with you that doesn't seem to add up either. ――It's Gluttony.]

Heinkel: [――――]

Felt: [Let's ignore the fact that that bastard's got the absolute worst personality, and that he never ever stops talking. Even without that, he's a good-for-nothing Sin Archbishop, and there's no way he'd ever be welcomed, but… when it comes to reasons to hate that bastard, you ought to have way more than I do, yeah?]

Hushed, Heinkel gave no answer, but his breath caught upon hearing the question. Even if he did not respond with words, Heinkel's reaction was far too easy to read, and thus Felt narrowed her eyes.

Released from the Prison Tower, Roy Alphard was being made to accompany them by Aldebaran as a necessity for his plan―― there were endless reasons to hate, to detest the Sin Archbishops who brought forth many a tragedy, but Heinkel ought to have had a more precise, definite reason for enmity.

After all, the woman who was Reinhard's mother, who was Heinkel's wife―― the affliction of the ever-slumbering Louanna Astrea bore a striking resemblance to that of the victims of Gluttony.

Felt: [I said it once before, but I know about your… about Reinhard's family circumstances. That your wife's been sleeping for over ten years, and that you can't find a way to wake her up. Well, that might be resolved once you've got the Dragon's Blood, but… how are you gonna settle the score?]

Heinkel: [――――]

Felt: [How are you gonna settle the score with the fuckface who put your wife to sleep for over ten years?]

Through the assault on Duchess Crusch Karsten and the battle at the Watergate City Pristella, the damage incurred by the Authority of Gluttony had been made clear; Sleeping Beauties―― tragic beings whose ties had all been severed, discovered in a state of unawakening sleep, with nobody around aware of their existence. It was uncovered that such individuals were none other than victims of the Witch Cult.

Of course, that also ought to have reached the ears of Heinkel. Nevertheless, not once had Heinkel displayed any interest in Gluttony, who could have been the cause of his wife's slumber.

――Was it because his utmost priority was to acquire the Dragon's Blood and awaken his wife?

――Was the impact of stabbing his own father, bathing in his blood, simply all too much?

Or perhaps――,

Felt: [If you seriously are just completely disregarding the bastard, then why?]

Heinkel: [W-wait… what are…]

Felt: [You don't need to respond. I told you, didn't I? I'll speak on my own, and infer on my own.]

His grip on the sword quivering, with an expression deathly pale Heinkel did look at Felt. The gaze of eyes Astrea blue clashed with that of her own red, and Felt was convinced.

Deep within Heinkel's eyes were terribly indefinite, yet ultimately unperishing embers. ――Likely, they were heat of the same ilk as that which dwelled in the eyes of Rom-jii whenever he gazed upon Felt.

Heinkel: [――――]

Appearing to be a despicable man, self-centered, selfish, self-destructive, of wavering heart whilst being ignorant of his own capabilities, and beyond all help, was Heinkel Astrea. ――If concealed deep within, visible through only the slightest of gaps, was a heat ever-present in this man's every action, that would mean.

Felt: [The reason you don't even bother to look at Gluttony, is because you know there's no connection between your wife falling asleep and Gluttony. You know it's incorrect, so you don't turn your sword on him. But…]

――Louanna Astrea's affliction of Sleeping Beauty, was definitively different to that of the other Sleeping Beauties.

Unlike the Sleeping Beauties whose every tie in the world was severed, Louanna was remembered by Reinhard, by Heinkel, by all who were acquainted with her, and her slumber they all did lament.

In other words, it was different. Louanna Astrea was no victim of Gluttony. Then, while Heinkel knew the truth of the matter, he had not shared it with anyone else.

Why was that? Because he could not afford for any to know. ――The cause, of Louanna's slumber.

That cause was――,

Heinkel: [――Reinhard.]

Felt: [――――]

A pair of motionless, widened eyes, a voiceless countenance, a husky breath void of vitality, all of which became an answer more eloquent than words, lending credence to Felt's conviction.

That which she absolutely needed to do. ――Finding that out, was Felt's current "problem".

By her resolve and conviction to face that "problem", she arrived at the terribly bitter truth, and that was――,

Felt: [――So the one who put Reinhard's mother to sleep, was Reinhard himself?]

Translation Note:

[1] Rem's speech patterns since she regained her memories have been slipping between her style of speaking in Vollachia and before she fell asleep. One very noticeable indication of this is that she is flipping between using her name and 私 (watashi), the pronoun she used in Vollachia. This will be shown in our translations with I/me for 私 and Rem when she uses that. Going forward, we will not be pointing this out every time it happens, since it will likely occur a lot.