Subaru collapsed to the floor, realizing just how bad his luck was.
Although it would have been best if they hadn't been found, it was a stroke of luck that the people they found were familiar faces. What's more, they turned out to be a duo he'd only just met yesterday, so you never know what life is like.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that yesterday's encounter with them had been an event intended to help Subaru get through this situation.
"So, I will respect the will of fate and keep things peaceful--"
From a seiza (sitting upright) position, the waist is bent deeply, both hands are placed on the ground in a figure eight shape, and the top of the head is gently slammed into the floor. This is the DOGEZA tactic, handed down since ancient times in the Empire of Japan, which advocates the triple star of defenseless, undignified, powerless, and nothing, and makes the opponent feel absolute pity for it.
Returning to his senses, and realising that he had not managed to get through the situation, Subaru chose to make the obvious apology.
Other options included breaking through with force or dancing around pretending to be crazy to avoid the issue, but I could see both options ending in a complete disaster, so I rejected them straight away. I ended up with the option that seemed to give me the highest chance of survival, and now I'm clinging to the kindness of my opponent.
"――――"
The silence continues, and as Subaru kneels, a sense of pressure weighs down on his shoulders. Unable to bear the weight, he glances up.
As he watched, the small soles of his shoes filled his field of vision――
"What a boring guy."
"So fluffy."
Accompanied by one bored remark, a front kick was delivered to Subaru's face.
With such force that it seemed as though there had been no mercy or anything like that, Subaru's neck was thrown back from where he was sitting. The back of his head hit the closet door, and the soles of his shoes continued to trample on him as his eyes cried in pain.
The girl who owned the sole of the shoe kicked the shocked, immobile Subaru,
"I wonder how determined you must be to sneak into the royal castle... how pathetic. I won't listen to an apology. Besides, if you're going to apologize, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."
Throwing words of contempt and ridicule, the girl continued to dig into Subaru's cheek with her sharp heel. Groaning in sharp pain, Subaru quickly tried to brush her foot away, but...
"Don't move, you idiot. Princess is doing it out of kindness. Do you prefer me to interrogate you? You're clumsy with your hands so it's a real pain."
As he tried to move, the tip of the silently drawn great sword was pointed at his throat.
Before Subaru's breathless eyes, the one-armed man who had done it muttered listlessly in an inaudible voice.
Based on Subaru's knowledge, the broad blade was similar to a sword called the "Blue Dragon Blade." He wielded the large, thick sword with one hand with ease.
There was no way that an unarmed, amateur like Subaru could compete with that skill, let alone against him.
While Subaru was speechless at the expert's refusal to let her know that he had made the first move, the girl, who still had her foot on Subaru, looked up at the attendant beside her,
"Hey, Al. You bastard, don't put such a dangerous object so close to my feet. If you even scratch my bare skin, it will be a loss for this world."
"Don't worry, Princess. I have a policy of not doing anything I can't do. Especially since you're my benefactor. Just think of it as if you're on a super-reinforced sinking ship."
Subaru was on edge at the exchange between master and servant before him, and decided that it would be unwise to act in the current situation. However, it was also true that nothing good would come from just letting the situation continue as it was. He would have to find an opportunity somewhere, but――
"This sinking ship will sink...put us on a big ship..."
Squeezing it out, Subaru risked his life to comment on the strange sensation he had heard.
The orange-colored girl slowly turned her head at his words. She closed one eye at the fact that Subaru had spoken without her permission after being kicked,
"You have some nerve speaking without my permission while you await my decision. Well then, if you don't value your life that much――"
"Wait a moment, princess. What did you just say, brat?"
Al stopped his master who was about to make a cruel declaration and leaned over to ask Subaru. The servant's rudeness seemed to have really irritated the girl, but as he was staring at Subaru, he didn't notice.
Al, from within his jet-black helmet, stared at Subaru with eyes that could not be seen from the outside,
"I had a feeling that was the case ever since I caught a glimpse of you yesterday... Hey, brat."
With his cheek still dug into by the girl's foot, Subaru looked up at Al with half-closed eyes. Seeing his attitude, Subaru decided that his thoughts were not off the mark after all.
As their eyes met, Subaru held his breath and waited for Al to speak. And then,
"When the wind blows--"
"...? Oh, so the barrel maker is making a profit?"
"Speaking of next year"
"The demon is laughing...!"
"At the gate of laughter"
"--Good fortune has come!"
Subaru declared forcefully, continuing to look up at Al's face.
His expression was not visible from behind the jet black helmet. But he shook his head and shrugged his one-armed shoulder.
"I see. That's what I thought. This guy is a problem."
"What's the point? You're the only one who's convinced. Explain it to me too. What's the point of this incomprehensible exchange?"
The one who seemed dissatisfied with Al's understanding was the girl who had been left behind.
She glanced back and forth between Al's attitude and Subaru, whose expression seemed to echo his.
"I am not so generous as to laugh and forgive disrespect after disrespect. Therefore, answer with care. What was that exchange just now?"
"--If I had to say, it's like confirming each other's hometowns."
"So what do you mean..."
Subaru responded to the low-voiced question in a similar tone. The girl frowned as the answer didn't make sense, but then narrowed her eyes as if something had suddenly occurred to her.
"--Are you from the same hometown? Al?"
"Maybe."
Once again, Al shrugged his shoulders in affirmation of his master's question.
He then sheathed his unsheathed blue dragon sword, and looked down at Subaru once more,
"I have a few more questions I want to ask. What do you think?"
"...If I'm going to be interrogated, I'd be happy if they served me something like a pork cutlet bowl."
"I prefer unadon. Although, I don't see either of them around here."
Yes, Al was laughing, judging from the tone of his voice alone, and held out his free hand towards me.
Subaru grasped her hand firmly,
"You never know what's going to happen in life, actually."
" ' I said, feeling that I had escaped death, and adding an unexpected surprise to the situation.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
"Amnesia?"
Subaru muttered this in an insane voice as he rose from the floor of the changing room and, for the time being, gained the right to survive.
The one who nodded in response to the muttered reply was the jet-black helmet--Al.
With one arm, he roughly scratched the area where his helmet and light armor met, around the nape of his neck,
"It's what they call episodic memory loss. I don't have any common sense, or proper names for things, or any memories of those sorts of things. But the parts that relate to me just disappear. That's pretty standard, right?"
"It feels weird when a stranger uses katakana over and over again... I guess I've been pretty immersed in the fantasy of another world."
As Subaru replied with a wry smile to Al, who was asking for his agreement, he once again realized the truth he had just confirmed.
"You are definitely someone who was summoned to another world, just like me."
"But that's based on the common sense I have."
As he said this he shook his shoulders - I think he was probably laughing.
Al's attitude had softened considerably compared to their previous conversation. He could sense an intimacy between them equal to their previous encounter, if not even greater.
In a way, this was only natural, as Subaru too had sympathized with him and felt that it was no stranger to him.
"I hadn't really thought about it, but since I exist, it's not strange that there are people like me who have been summoned. Do you know anyone else, Al-san?"
"Stop calling me Mr. or Mr., it's annoying, brother. We call you Al here, so please keep it that way. Now, about the other people from our hometown."
Al adjusted his helmet with difficulty and bowed his head slightly.
"Sorry, but I don't know the others. You're the first person I've ever met from my hometown. To be honest, I even suspected that I might be insane."
Subaru's eyes widened in surprise. In response to that, he mocked himself and said, "But isn't that right?"
"I have memories of a world that isn't here, but I don't have the memories of myself who has those memories. Do you think I can help but suspect that this mysterious collection of settings was born out of a sudden, emerging ego and delusion? To be honest, memories of another world always seemed like nothing more than a lonely madness to me. But--"
His tone was gloomy, but that feeling disappeared towards the end. He continued his momentum and slapped Subaru on the shoulder,
"I had my brothers. Thanks to them, I was saved. My memories were real. I wasn't a crazy madman. That alone - yeah, it saved me."
Subaru could hear a hint of tears mixed into the sound of relief, and he thought about the weight of the lonely days the man in front of him had been living.
There was no one with whom he could share his memories. Subaru was in the same situation, but he had his own memories to base his memories on. Only with these two things could the strong sense of self that is Natsuki Subaru exist in another world.
However, Al had nowhere to turn. He had memories of a different world that no one knew existed, a different world that even he didn't have any real feeling for. He had been drowning endlessly in that vast ocean of memories from which he could receive nothing but a lack of understanding from others.
The weight of it made Subaru shudder, and he involuntarily asked with trembling lips.
I hadn't really thought about it much before, but now that I'm aware of it, I can't help but question it.
"Al, how long have you been in this world?"
The time Subaru had spent in this world was only about twenty days in real time. His memories of his original world were still vivid, and the existence of everything in this other world felt fresh to him, so he was still in that other-worldly novice state.
In response to Subaru's question, Al was silent for a while, and then
"I'm not sure, but it must be about eighteen years since I came to this world."
"Juu...!?"
Upon hearing the unexpected number of years, Subaru was at a loss for words even when he asked to repeat himself.
Al nodded in confirmation of Subaru's surprise,
"I don't remember my actual age, so I don't know… but I'm probably around forty years old. Was I around the same age as you when I was summoned?"
Touching Subaru's chin, Al spoke as he looked closely at his entire body.
Realizing once again the weight of his earlier words, Subaru was all the more unable to casually offer words of sympathy for the painful days he had been through.
There are still many things I want to say and ask. However, I thought that digging up those things might cause Al pain, so I couldn't just--
"So?"
Subaru's sentimental thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a third person, who had remained silent up until that point.
I turn my head. A girl is leaning against the wall of the changing room, arms folded, eyes closed. She taps her fingers impatiently on her folded arms.
"You went so far as to interrupt my affairs. I guess it paid off, Al."
"As far as I'm concerned, this is the best I can say. I don't know what this will mean for Princess, but at the very least, I've learned that my delusional words didn't end up being just that."
"You say that with a clean-cut face, I can't even get angry. --And on top of that, there's the way you were treated."
Pushing Al aside, the girl stood in front of Subaru.
The small girl exuded an intimidating presence - Subaru was overwhelmed by her size. An oppressive presence that he had not felt when they met yesterday. It inadvertently made him realize the great and deep gap that lay between her and Subaru.
"Are you just like you and Al, and are you saying you came from the other side of the great waterfall?"
"Big waterfall?"
"The very end of the world. The place of its abominable demise. A torrent of water that will wash away everything in this world - that is the Great Falls. It is said that no one has ever seen what lies beyond."
Placing her fingers under Subaru's chin, and lifting his face, the girl continued.
"Very occasionally, someone will appear who claims to have come from the other side of that great waterfall. Most of them are vulgar people who try to attract attention with their big words... but Al is a bit different."
"I'd like to know the basis for that decision..."
"It's a hunch."
With that single word, the girl easily cut off Subaru's last resort counterattack.
The girl assured the speechless Subaru, then turned to look at Al behind her,
"One clown to divert my boredom will be enough. That is my decision. Do you have any objections, Al?"
"Yes, there are, a huge number of them. To be honest, there aren't many people from my hometown left, Princess. So when I see even a little bit of mercy, I feel happy, embarrassed, and excited."
"Are you giving me orders?"
"No way, I'm begging for mercy. My super beautiful, super promising, super smart, super wonderful and super kind princess would never make a choice that would make me sad."
The girl accepted Al's cheerful words without saying a word and with no expression. She then lowered the temperature of her gaze and looked boredly at Subaru, who was still waiting for the answer.
Her fingertips still lifted Subaru's chin, terrified at what she would say next.
Although Al is on Subaru's side emotionally, Subaru had learned of the girl's moodiness in just the short time they spent together yesterday. It was unclear whether she herself had the power to harm him, but it was certain that she could at least use daggers and magic.
--If necessary, I'll unleash one of my Shamak and get some revenge.
Subaru's desperate thoughts were,
"Well, that's fine."
But that was all she had feared, as the girl said in a bored voice just as before.
The girl withdrew her fingers from Subaru's chin, pulled out a fan from her pocket, and fanned herself as she crossed the dressing room,
"It's not something I was particularly interested in to begin with. It would be foolish to go to the trouble of chopping off a head that wasn't needed and incur the displeasure of my servants. It would be unnecessary trouble and unnecessary hardship."
"So that means, um... no punishment?"
"That's too convenient, brother."
Subaru relaxed his shoulders as the wind seemed to be blowing away his strength, but Al gave him a bitter smile and warned him. Then he called out to his master, who was about to leave the room,
"Hey, Princess. I'm glad you listened to my request, but what are you actually going to do? It's probably impossible to just let this go."
"That's right."
Although he had literally narrowly escaped the threat at hand, it was also true that what Subaru had done had gone beyond the point where it could be overlooked.
It seemed that Al had no intention of softening the line on that matter. The girl stopped in her tracks at his words, and turned around with her head, looking really annoyed.
"You fool, will you not consider my wishes? Just take me with you. If you try to escape, I won't mind chopping off your head."
"That's fine, but... no, is it really okay? I mean, Princess is leaving now."
"noisy"
After readily accepting the cruel order, Al voices a question. The girl interrupts him,
"It is absolutely unacceptable to interfere with my actions. Know your place, Al. Only things that are convenient for me happen in this world. Therefore, there is not a single mistake in my judgment. Taking that clown with me is to my benefit. It is the world's choice that it will be on its own."
"It's so refreshing to hear Princess affirm herself. I get it."
Al declared in a friendly tone that he would obey Subaru's arrogant self-consciousness. Then he turned to face Subaru and lightly poked him on the shoulder.
"And so, from now on, you two are prisoners of war. Oh, and don't try to run away. I'd hate for you to do that, but if you do, I'll cut you down."
"What about friendships from the same hometown?"
"If you compare obligation and human kindness, obligation comes first in this business."
After speaking words that made him deeply feel the transience of this world, Al urged Subaru to follow him.
Completely swept away by the situation, Subaru had no choice but to move forward, caught between the small back of the man who had begun to walk away and the intimidating force of his armed countryman who was pressing down on him from behind.
"Well, I know I'm in the wrong, so it can't be helped, but… I wonder if this situation is actually getting better or worse…"
"If it wasn't me who found him, he would have been beheaded and that would be the end of it. If this doesn't turn things around, then what will? So, be thankful to me beyond measure."
"I was saved, but... this may sound weird for me to say, but don't you think you should find out why I was in a place like this? If I say so myself, I'm really suspicious and at my worst."
I would like to explain it, but it's hard to say that I acted for reasons that I could explain well to others. It was the result of a vague anxiety that made me unable to sit still.
And so, Subaru's reaction was to worry about not being asked the questions he should have been asked, and to take precautions against that, but the girl snorted as if she had read through Subaru's shallow thoughts,
"I have a rough idea of the reason. Therefore, I will not ask. I was in a certain mood... and, ah, that's right."
The girl stops and turns around.
The orange-haired girl cut across the street in front of Subaru, and he was suddenly stopped in a panic. Pointing her finger at him, the girl curled up the corners of her lips in a sweet voice,
"Lingam"
"teeth?"
"Your performance yesterday, Linga, was not bad. You can count it as thanks to you that I will be able to chop off your head immediately."
Having thus defined the reason for her change of heart, the girl walked away without looking back.
Watching him leave in a daze, Subaru digested the words in his head, then slowly took a step forward and muttered softly.
"So that means my life was saved by the old man at the fruit shop..."
We were able to sneak into the castle thanks to Kadmon, so it feels like his event involvement rate in the royal capital has reached an abnormal level.
With that trivial thought, Subaru was able to come to some understanding as to why he had escaped death.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
"Hey, is this okay? Is it alright? Am I in a completely out of place place?"
"Not to mention being out of place, it's trespassing in the first place. Since Princess agreed, I won't say anything but...don't do anything strange. I won't actively protect you."
Subaru looked around anxiously as Al, who was standing next to him, said coldly. However, upon closer inspection, Al, who appeared calm, straightened his posture uncomfortably and directed his gaze at the progress of his master in front of him.
The girl in front of her - walking down the corridor of the central tower on the upper floors of the royal castle, was receiving countless stares, but she strode with an attitude that matched her extravagant clothing and elegant beauty.
The gazes of the girl were directed at her by the fully armed guards standing on either side of the passageway. Subaru, who walked hurriedly following the girl down the passageway lined with guards with swords raised, felt something was off inside.
After all, Subaru had originally intended to sneakily observe the situation inside the castle, so why did he have to do that in a place with so many people, and on top of that, where if Al next to him accidentally blurted something out, he'd lose his head?
He wanted the passage to end quickly. Pushed by the silent pressure of the swirl of gazes from the soldiers, Subaru walked quickly and caught up with the girl.
No, they had reached the end of the corridor and arrived at the place where the exchange took place.
"A huge door at the end of the corridor lined with soldiers..."
The double doors were so large that one had to look up, allowing Subaru to naturally imagine the grandeur of the place behind them even from outside.
The location was the upper floor of the central tower of the Royal Capital Castle - past a corridor lined with soldiers on either side, and a bad feeling had grabbed Subaru's head and shook it around, refusing to let go.
While Subaru was feeling so gloomy, the girl was speaking to a large man standing in front of the door.
The fully armored giant removed his helmet and assessed the girl and us with an intelligent gaze.
He was a man in his thirties, with a stern, rather than bold, face. His deeply carved face, like a rock, had a stern look and the air of a soldier with a long history of battles.
"We've been waiting for you, Priscilla-sama."
He bowed respectfully, his voice heavy with his stern features.
The girl nodded insolently at his polite attitude, then she gestured to the two behind her,
"They are my companions. One is my knight, and the other... is the Ringa attendant."
"Wait..."
Subaru was about to retort that she should have given him a better position, but then he remembered how bad the situation was and covered his mouth. The knight glanced over at the many-faced Subaru, his expression still motionless as he looked at the girl,
"--Are you the linga person?"
"That's right, I'm the linga attendant. I'm a pathetic clown whose mission is to deliver red, bittersweet lingams to me. I'm harmless, so don't worry about it."
"I will not let you in until I have heard Mr. Mycroft's opinion..."
"What I am doing is, in other words, a choice for the world. This is extremely disrespectful. Let it pass, Marcos."
It seemed to be a standard phrase, and the knight didn't offer any argument against the girl's disrespectful words.
He assessed Subaru, and then Al, with his calm blue eyes - and the moment after, his clear blue eyes sparkled brilliantly, that was no metaphor, it was a fact.
He put his fingers lightly to his eyes,
"I can't detect any dangerous magical activity or weapons. The only thing you're bringing with you, my lord knight, is your great sword correct?"
"....Ah, the knight is me. That's right, yes, yes. If there's any black-haired person showing any suspicious behavior, I'll cut them in half with my own hands."
"If, in the unlikely event that something were to happen, please protect our master, Priscilla. Leave everything else to us, the Konoe."
In response to the flippant remark, Al gave a vague reply of "Yes, yes." Then the large door was opened by the call of a knight called Marcos.
"Everyone is already waiting inside. Please hurry."
"It is my superiority to make ordinary people wait. I will never tolerate the reverse."
The girl made a petty remark in an arrogant manner, and then stepped through the door, being seen off. Seeing Al following her without any hesitation, Subaru made up his mind and went inside.
--What unfolded before his eyes was a vast space covered in a red carpet.
The walls were decorated with gorgeous ornaments, and the ceiling was lit up with luxurious lighting even in the middle of the day. Compared to the size of the gymnasium-like room, the dearth of things inside was a bargain in terms of waste. Of course, that was only natural when you considered the room's purpose and use.
At the very back of the center of the room, there was a small step and a chair installed at a slightly elevated position.
With a wall decorated with a dragon design behind them, those sitting in the chair will feel as if they are carrying the dragon on their back and are being protected.
That was indeed the Royal Throne Room. If so, then that chair must be the throne of Lugnica.
After his eyes were immediately drawn to the throne, Subaru timidly looked around.
Unlike outside, there was not a single guard with a sword at the ready inside the room. While all of the royal guards were waiting outside, the number of people in the room was so small that they could be counted on the fingers and toes.
And within thatーー,
Subaru: "ーーSubaru?"
As Subaru passed through the door and entered the throne room, the silver-haired girl looked at him with a shocked expression.
She blinked as if unable to believe that Subaru was there, confusion and other emotions flickering in her amethyst eyes.
As he felt her shock and astonishment, Subaru's heart beat so fast it hurt.
It was a mysterious feeling of oppression that surpassed all the pressure he had felt since sneaking into the royal castle.
Somehow managing to overcome that, Subaru took action before she could make her next move.
He put his hands on his head, closed one eye, and stuck out his tongue.
"Sorry, I'm here."
A great, silent weight hung heavy over the throne room for a moment.