——The moment I turned the doorknob, I felt sure that I guessed it right for some reason.
When you walk in the house like this, your consciousness will suddenly be attracted to the door.
So he walked towards the door, and as soon as he touched the doorknob, he became convinced that something was wrong, and looked behind the open door——
The Forbidden Library, which had not changed at all as before, appeared in front of me gently raising my hand.
The large room buried by bookshelves is filled with the unique smell of old books. There are no windows, making the room dark. The quiet atmosphere has not changed at all. Not only the appearance of the room, but also the caretaker of this library.
A girl sitting on a step stool that serves as a chair, looking at a book on her lap——Beatrice
"Now that you're back, you can consider this period of commotion to be over."
Yuexing nodded and said
"I came here to ask some questions..."
"Squeak——"
After the sound of the door opening, Subaru poked his head out of the door.
"Hey, long time no see" Subaru walked in and greeted warmly.
"——I wanted to say why the room is so noisy. It turns out you are back."
Beatrice raised her eyes slightly, her blue eyes reflected Subaru's figure and said this with a bored tone, and then her eyes immediately returned to the book.
"Yeah, thanks to you... I mean, you are really difficult to deal with. It's all because you refused to be obedient and leave together, which made me break out in cold sweats during the battle!"
"Who cares about you? I have no reason to worry about you in the first place."
Beatrice's tone showed that she wasn't afraid at all, and Subaru didn't back down and replied.
"Many people are worried about you, especially Emilia and Ram. You have to apologize to them later."
"Apologise? Betty to them? Who has that need and why? I really can't understand it."
"Boring insistence... Since you are so stubborn, let me apologize to everyone. I will say that you are grateful and sniffing your nose to say thank you."
"Don't fabricate facts! Tears haven't been shed for a long time!"
Faced with Subaru's provocation, Beatrice's voice was even higher than usual.
"It's not bad to just make a little adaptation and dance, and occasionally cry a lot, right?"
"As expected of a man who cries on the lap of the girl he likes, it's so subtle."
“It’s time to forget about that thing, right!?”
The person involved, Emilia, must be very concerned about it, but Subaru doesn’t even dare to think about it.
At that time, he was both reluctant and repressed. When his feelings finally burst out, it was Emilia who could bear it.
When I think of what happened at that time, my cheeks will be as hot as fire. The deeds are as hot as the heat, and they are also important memories that shine brightly deep in my heart.
In order to get through the complicated emotional whirlpool, Subaru coughed loudly and changed the subject.
"...No matter what, it would be best if both of us are safe, so let's reach a consensus on this first."
"What kind of consensus is that you said it yourself? You act arbitrarily at all times."
"Yes, I make my own decisions every time. I probably do this when I talk to you, remember? When we played hide and seek at the mansion, and when we had snowball fights..."
Subaru opened up endless topics, making Beatrice narrow her eyes. Under her direct gaze with blue pupils, Subaru spoke about their shared memories while adding body movements.
Choose your words carefully and go through the entire memory box to get to the truth.
"It was the same with the Warcraft turmoil later. The curse at that time was really thanks to your care."
"That's enough"
A cold voice burst out, forcibly interrupting Subaru's words.
Upon closer inspection, the sound came from Beatrice's thigh - the originally open book was roughly closed.
Sensing Beatrice's impatience, Subaru pursed his lips in embarrassment.
Then, Beatrice stared at the silent Subaru with sharp eyes.
"Get to the point quickly - you coward"
"...Okay"
Although she was scolded, she could not refute it because her opinion was correct.
Subaru wanted to use various means to delay the conclusion and continue the boiling frog conversation, but Beatrice directly impeached his weak heart.
The words you want to ask have already been in your heart, only the courage to turn them into words with your tongue is left.
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, listen to the heartbeat, and then ask
"You...how sure are you and Roswaal of this matter?"
Depending on the answer to this question, the two of them may never be able to talk to each other like before.
"————"
After hearing Subaru's question, Beatrice lowered her eyes.
The silence that followed was heavy and long, and Subaru exhaled like a breath.
"...Beatrice"
She didn't respond. While he was anxious about this, Subaru also noticed the contradiction in his heart.
What do I want Beatrice to say?——I don’t even have the answer to this question in my mind.
Do you want her to be the mastermind behind everything? Or do you want her to be an ignorant girl who doesn’t know anything? Or neither? Subaru doesn’t even know which answer he wants.
Shortly after--
"Hypothetically...how would you like Betty to answer?"
"I don't want to assume! Moreover, it has nothing to do with what I want you to say. What I want is the answer to this question, YES or NO. I want a more direct answer!"
Subaru couldn't help but shout loudly at the unexpected reply.
But facing Subaru like this, Beatrice did not change her cold attitude.
"Who told you to be so motivated? Betty doesn't know what you are talking about, and Betty is not your teacher. If you think Betty will tell you kindly, you are totally wrong."
"Um...! Don't change the subject! Some people said that you can know what Roswaal is thinking. I'm so sorry. I saw your attitude and felt the same way."
"Who said that? Oh ~ the half-beast girl who came back must have said that?"
"Half-beast," after saying this word that could not be ignored, Beatrice smacked her lips with her cute face, then closed her eyes and pointed at Subaru.
"Indeed, the little girl's view is somewhat correct, but the relationship between Betty and Roswaal has nothing to do with this matter. Betty doesn't know anything."
"But, you are left alone in the mansion, and there is no countermeasure in this house."
"Betty can protect herself at least, so she stayed. It has nothing to do with Roswaal... It's just that Betty doesn't think that he has thought anything about this matter."
Beatrice's answer made Subaru review his memories again, but in the battle memories he reviewed, there was no trace of Roswaal's countermeasures.
Rem, Curio, Frandelica, Beatrice, none of the answers given by everyone
"Do you and I, the companions around me, and everyone else believe in him too much? I want to say that it is impossible for him to face the Witch Cult without any help... By the way, I have forgotten it!"
For a moment, Subaru remembered something like a revelation. He obeyed the revelation, groped in his arms in panic, and handed out another question he wanted to ask Beatrice, which was——
"Beatrice, this, look at this"
——It was a black book with a blood-stained cover and content.
The previous owner had a bad reputation and was regarded as a problematic book. Its contents were affected by strange magic and could not be read. If one did not meet the qualifications to hold it, it would be regarded as useless.
"This should have a lot to do with the Witch Cult's intentions. Since you said you can't tell what Roswaal is thinking, at least tell me about this book..."
"--blessing……?"
Feeling anxious that he couldn't understand even after getting it, Subaru, who was talking like a rapid-fire barrage of words, suddenly stopped. The reason was that Beatrice's eyes were full of shock as she stared at the book in his hand. It was a really dramatic reaction.
She looked in disbelief, her lips trembling slightly
"Why...you are holding this book..."
"...It's the trophy I grabbed. I got it from the leader of the Witch Cult who surrounded this house."
"What about the holder?"
"——He's dead. He was run over by a wheel. I killed him."
Faced with Beatrice's detailed questions, Subaru did not look away and answered truthfully.
Strictly speaking, Betrugius Romanee-Conti was not a human being, but an evil spirit that parasitized on other people's bodies and manipulated the human body as he pleased. Therefore, it may be wrong to regard his death as murder.
But Subaru personally sent Betrugius away and took his life.
Otherwise, you can't defeat him. The soul understands this and then kills him with "murderous intent".
Betrugius Romanee-Conti was the first person Natsuki Subaru personally killed——
I can’t say that I didn’t hesitate, and I can’t say that I didn’t regret it after taking action. But even so, because I didn’t show off to others, I couldn’t at least say panic to my own heart.
The killing of Betrugius and being killed by him are things that are deeply engraved in my heart and will never be forgotten.
"————"
However, in the face of Subaru's emotional words, Beatrice showed no reaction.
She stared at the gospel in Subaru's hand and murmured to herself——
"Did you leave Betty too, Hughes..."
"——? Who are you talking about?"
"...It's okay, let's not talk about it anymore. Since you killed the Sin Archbishop..."Sloth", what happened to the witch factor?"
"Witch factor...?"
This time it was Subaru's turn to be confused about Beatrice's words.
"Witch factor" is a word I have heard many times, but every time it was said by Betrugius, so I didn't expect that it would be used after his death.
Facing such confused Subaru, the confusion in Beatrice's eyes intensified, and she lowered her head and remained silent.
"Hey, you, a know-it-all, don't use technical terms for a guy who doesn't know anything. What the hell is that witch factor? It just sounds like the beginning of disaster."
"You don't know? Really or not? In that case, why are you killing Sloth? And what is Roswaal doing...?"
"I just shot away the sparks that burned my upper body! Also, that guy Roswaal is in the "Sanctuary"! What is that guy thinking, I just want to ask!"
Subaru lost all his patience when the conversation failed, and he yelled. Immediately, Beatrice's expression, caught by his excitement, disappeared, and the resulting silence left Subaru at a loss.
There was no strong anger or sadness, but an expression of confusion and everything falling away, which made Subaru suppress his breathing as if he was panting. Instead, Beatrice sighed deeply.
"——The answers you want are all in that "sacred realm""
"What?"
"Rozwaal's thoughts, the meaning of the Gospel, and the answer to the Witch Factor are all there. If you want, go there. The half-beast girl will show you the way."
"Wait a minute! Why are you doing this all of a sudden? You were putting on airs just now, so why are you telling everything all of a sudden? Also, you know the answer even if you don't go to the "Sanctuary"."
"——Betty doesn't say it, Betty has the right not to say it."
After hearing this stubborn answer, Subaru was speechless because he had the impression that she had rejected him like this before.
It was the same as when he tried to take her out of the mansion for refuge, but her hand was thrown away.
——In other words, the result is the same
"——!? You want to drive me away again!? Like last time!"
There was wind pressure coming from the library door behind, which was caused by the space being distorted by an extraordinary force. The distortion formed a wind that entangled Subaru, trying to pull him out of the door.
This is the magical "door of opportunity" full of coercion
"The path to the answer has been revealed. Stop acting like a baby to Betty. Your willfulness and arrogance are really infuriating."
"Beatrice... Beatrice!"
She yelled and stretched out her hand, but Beatrice slapped her away with a refusing look and attitude.
The girl on the step stool closed her eyes and shook her head weakly
"Betty is not your convenience prop."
"You are not someone who will ask you whatever you want to ask...Betty is not such a convenient person."
After a while, Beatrice suddenly spoke
"Is there anything else? I've heard everything you want to know. You don't want Betty to throw that guy out, right?"
Yuexing sighed and closed the book in his hand. From the moment Subaru came in, Yuexing could not get a word in.
"Part of the witch factor of "Sloth" is in the hands of "Gluttony", and the rest is still in his body..."
"Is this all you want to say? If there's nothing more, just get out quickly -" Beatrice urged impatiently
Walking to the door of the room, Yuexing suddenly said
"As for the content in the "Gospel", you should have seen it..."
"...So what, Huang Yuexing, or I should call you - a "person from another world"..."
Suddenly a book with a golden cover appeared in Beatrice's arms, with red words written in the i language on it——