Chapter 81: The Summit of the Decisive Battle, Oni Route, A Storm is Brewing (Patreon)

Nightfall.

Anastasia's Hoshin Company territory.

"Defendant in the dock, state your name!"

Clang!

Armed with a mysterious little gavel that Anastasia's company had dug up from who knows where, Subaru Natsuki slammed it on the table and tried his best to look stern and solemn. But his gentle nature gave him away. No matter how hard he played the part, he couldn't scare anyone.

Jolted awake, the girl was less frightened than bewildered and lost. The first thing she did was clap both hands to her face, but she fumbled around and couldn't find the mask she'd been wearing. Clearly, her face, her true face, was now completely exposed in front of everyone.

"A-ahh… You, you're the Witch Cult? The Witch Cult?! Give me back my power, give it back! I'll kill you, I'll kill every last one of you!"

She thrashed and roared, her fury blazing up in an instant. She looked ready to grab some weapon, unleash some power, and slaughter everyone in the room.

But she had no power left to draw on, and her weapons had been confiscated. After such long bursts of power and the erosion that came with it, her body was far frailer than normal. She barely made it half a meter off the floor before she crashed back down with a thud.

"Hey! You little brat, get this straight. What do you mean 'your power'? What do you mean 'give your power back'? It's mine! You thief! The only reason I haven't killed you is for Subaru's and Anna's sake. Talk back one more time and I'll hit you, and hit you, and then hit you some more!"

Tia bared her teeth. She was genuinely furious.

She'd been sleeping soundly at home when someone invaded her lair and stole her Light Orb. Now the thief had finally been brought to justice and the orb recovered, and she still had the nerve to say 'give me back my power' to her face?

Was that your power, may I ask? That was what I, Zarestia, spent thousands of years painstakingly building up, you bastard!

Tia glared at the woman viciously. "Every leech who wants to reap without sowing deserves to die. Go die!"

"Ahaha…"

Everyone else smiled wryly. Nobody quite knew what to say, but Tia really was the most innocent victim among victims, and she rarely got a chance like this. Let her vent.

Anastasia imitated Subaru and tapped the little gavel in her hand, drawing the woman's attention. "Wake up a little, yeah? Never mind that you ought to return Miss Tia's power to its rightful owner. We're not the Witch Cult, you know?"

"If anything, it's thanks to us pulling you out of there that you're still alive. Otherwise you'd have died at the Sin Sin Archbishop of Gluttony's hands for sure."

"You…"

The woman's face was still fierce, but Anastasia's words checked her. She glanced around the room and found she had nothing to say. She stopped shouting.

She could smell it.

Nearly everyone around her carried the scent of the Witch. But it wasn't a deep-rooted scent. On the contrary, it was laced with a heavy smell of blood.

Those were the scents of Witch Cultists who had died at their hands, not scents that belonged to them. She could tell.

Since they were fellow Witch Cult killers, comrades in the same trade, the tension left her face. Anyone who killed the Witch Cult was a good person. That was the rule she lived by now.

"Mm-hm, looks like you've calmed down, hmm?"

Anastasia gave a small, satisfied nod. "Now then, miss, may I ask your name and race?"

"Reize… I'm… my race, well, since you've already taken my mask off, you must know by now, right?"

That was true. Two Oni horns grew from her head.

While waiting for her to wake up, Anastasia had already given Subaru a crash course. Those horns were a classic Oni trait, and the Oni were a demi-human race.

Subaru did know about the Oni, actually. Back in the capital, when he was with Emilia, they'd talked about Ram. Emilia had said Ram was an Oni and had a younger sister named Rem.

It was just that Ram had no horn at all, so back then he'd assumed Oni looked no different from humans.

Halibel drew on his cigarette, his tone that of a hard interrogation. "Why would an Oni invade Zarestia's lair, steal her Light Orb, and go around killing people?"

"I needed power! Without power, I could never take my revenge! It's not my fault. It's this world's fault. I just didn't have power, so to get it I had to do that. I had no other way!"

Reize couldn't stand Halibel's attitude and roared back, "What do you mean, 'killing people everywhere'? Every last member of the Witch Cult deserves to die!"

"I've no objection to that. But."

Halibel shot right back. "Are you saying we Kararagi folk are Witch Cultists too?"

"…?" Reize froze. What was that supposed to mean?

"Looks like you don't remember anything from your rampage, hmm?"

Anastasia shook her head. "Miss Reize, after you used Miss Tia's Light Orb, you kept hunting the Witch Cult, but you dragged innocents into it too. You even attacked other people who just happened to run into the Witch Cult. Plenty of them were left on the brink of death. Thankfully we barely managed to save them… but the damage you've done to Kararagi is very real, you know."

"I… did that?!"

Reize couldn't believe it. All she'd wanted was revenge. How had it come to this?

No. Even so, she didn't regret it. She'd gained power, she'd been able to take revenge, and even if innocents had been caught up in it, she would never regret that. It was better than never getting her revenge at all!

Ricardo asked, "So what do you make of it?"

"…I don't regret it."

Reize fell silent, then spat out an answer that was stubborn to the bone. "Even if it's true, I don't regret it. My only regret is that I didn't wipe out every last Witch Cultist in the world. Now that you've caught me, kill me, carve me up, whatever you want. Come on!"

She knew. She had committed crimes, made mistakes. Regret or no regret, she could never be forgiven that easily.

Ricardo scratched his head. "Geez. Tsk. That's one stubborn attitude."

"Why are you so fixated on the Witch Cult? Were your parents killed by them?" Julius offered a sympathetic guess.

"…If only it were just that." Reize forced the words out.

He had clearly struck an old wound, because what came out next was heartbreaking.

"My hometown, the Oni village… everyone, everyone, all of them… they were all killed. Except me, there wasn't a single survivor. Not one. My hometown, my people… there's only me left. There's no meaning in living anymore!"

She suppressed her anger and barely held herself back from bellowing. But the pain and bitterness inside her came through crystal clear, and everyone present was stunned into silence.

The Oni were a demi-human race whose numbers were already small. Like the werewolf tribe, they had only a single village where their people gathered, and it lay near Kararagi. The people of Kararagi knew that much.

But the village's exact location was well hidden. The Oni were also xenophobic, and outsiders who wandered in got killed. The village could be largely self-sufficient, so it stayed sealed off from the outside world.

So it wasn't strange that no news of the Oni or their village had come out for years.

Even Halibel had never imagined that the Oni village could be wiped out by the Witch Cult without a sound.

"…"

Somehow, there seemed to be nothing left to say.

Reize had clearly sealed her heart the moment her village was destroyed. Since then she'd lived only for revenge. Talking morality to someone like that was pointless, and punishing her wouldn't matter to her either.

Aside from revenge, Reize couldn't care about anything else.

But just then.

"That's not right!"

Subaru blurted it out blankly, almost on reflex. "Aren't Ram and Rem still alive? They're Oni too!"

"—You, no, what did you say?!"

Reize's pupils shrank in an instant! Her attitude turned respectful and reverent at once.

If he'd only said 'some Oni are still alive,' it could have been a trick. But if he could name the twins correctly, it had to be true. Given how closed off the village was, no one who didn't truly know could have learned those two names!

"Over in the Lugunica Kingdom," Subaru said, not one to speak in riddles, "they were taken in by Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers. They work there as maids. So, how about it? Feel a little better? Want to live now?"

"This, I…"

Reize's mouth hung open. She started to speak and stopped, stammering. Her mind was clearly a total blank, her ability to think gone for the moment.

The Oni twins had been the village's biggest stars.

Ram was the 'Reincarnation of the Oni God' the village had pinned its hopes on. If she grew up safely, she was sure to wield power second only to the Sword Saint in the whole world. Rem, on the other hand, was the village's laughingstock, looked down on by everyone.

Reize had never had anything to do with them, but naturally she knew of the twins.

Back when the village still stood, she'd felt nothing at all toward the sisters, not a flicker of interest.

But now that the village was gone, hearing suddenly that some of her people were still alive, even this pair, she found herself shedding tears.

Her bond with her people triumphed over everything.

"I want to, I want… I want to live. My lord, please, I beg you, all of you, my lords, I want to live. I want to find those twins. I want to live with my people again. I don't want to die anymore. I'm willing to atone, I'll accept any punishment. I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong, but please, I want to live, I want to see them!"

Before she knew it, she was sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, choked with emotion.

The feeling of getting back something she'd lost, her love for her kin, broke through everything inside Reize. She no longer even wanted revenge.

If she kept pursuing revenge, she'd die at the Witch Cult's hands one day. Then she would never reunite with the twins or live alongside them!

Subaru brightened and turned to Tia. "What do you think?"

"It's so-so," Tia said, pouting, legs crossed, and gave a cold snort. "If she knows how to apologize, she's not hopeless."

That meant she was willing to forgive.

Her most precious possession had been stolen, and she could still forgive without a shred of resentment. Tia truly was a great, kind, endlessly gentle person.

Subaru was full of admiration and gratitude, because he wanted Reize to live too.

After all, if someone in Kararagi had been beaten to death by Reize, then by rights it would have to be a life for a life. Luckily, the worst anyone suffered was being brought to death's door, and all of them had been saved in time.

In that case, as long as Reize truly repented, went from house to house to apologize, and earned money to compensate the victims, the matter could still be settled.

In the end, hurting innocents hadn't been her intent. She simply couldn't control Tia's overwhelming power, and it drove her into an unconscious rampage with nothing left but a looping echo of revenge.

"Then, as for the victims' compensation, I'll pay out of my own pocket on Miss Reize's behalf first, yeah? But in return, Miss Reize, from now on you'll be one of my subordinates. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it. Understood, hmm?"

Anastasia spread her small hands and laid out the terms of the contract. "But later I'll let you go see the twins at Roswaal Manor, and I'll allow you to stay there long-term too. Can you accept that?"

"Understood, understood! I accept all of it, I agree to everything. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Reize nodded frantically, terrified the contract might slip away, and kept apologizing to Tia, the biggest victim of all.

Subaru, Anastasia, Halibel, and Reize traded glances to make sure no one objected, and then the final outcome was settled.

Halibel stood up. "Then I'll send word by pigeon, so the big shots learn the whole story on Reize. And so they know the Sin Sin Archbishop of Gluttony has appeared."

Of the three incidents, two were as good as dealt with, all thanks to Tia's cooperation.

Had Tia refused to cooperate, both the Tia incident and the Reize incident would have ended in a tangled mess, with every side dissatisfied and only losses to show for it.

'What a good woman,' Halibel thought, glancing at Zarestia.

But good woman or not, the one who could stand at Little Subaru's side looked like it would only be Little Anna. After all, Zarestia herself didn't have the slightest self-awareness.

"Well then."

Anastasia nodded in satisfaction, clapped her small hands, and had the people waiting outside come in to lead Reize off to eat. She was too weak; for all anyone knew, she'd starve to death within the hour.

Ricardo and Julius, who had been through days of back-to-back battles, were hungry too, and went along to eat.

Subaru turned to Anna, curious. "Uh, Anna, there's something I've never quite understood. Who are the 'big shots' Hal keeps talking about?"

"That, hmm, let me think where best to start."

Anastasia thought for a moment, a fingertip resting at the corner of her mouth. "Mm… Four hundred years ago, the land that is now Kararagi was a patchwork of many small countries. Wasteland Hoshin persuaded them all to unite, and together they became the fourth great nation."

"Back then, the ten largest of those small countries had their cities become the Ten Major Cities of Kararagi. It was also decided that each of the Ten Major Cities would select one representative, and those ten representatives together decide Kararagi's course. They're the big shots."

"Simply put, the ten of them taken separately are the Council of Wise Men, and the plans and strategies they decide on when all ten meet together are the emperor. So they're the biggest of Kararagi's big shots!"

Subaru understood, but it only left him more confused. "So there's no seat for you among them?"

"…Oh my."

Anastasia paused. Her eyes lit up with a strange glow, rippling with delight.

"Natsuki-kun thinks I ought to be in there? That I'm just that impressive? Is that it?"

"Of course!"

Subaru was absolutely firm. "No matter how I look at it, you definitely have the ability. Forget being one of the ten. Even if one person had to replace all ten, I think you could handle it. But you're not there… that's got to be wrong, right?"

"Mm, going by the original intent from four hundred years ago, I certainly could have a seat."

Anastasia was beaming. She cupped her cheeks in both hands, smiling sweetly, her eyes curved into crescents as she gazed at the boy who was indignant on her behalf.

It was true that she'd felt rather sour whenever she thought about having no seat on the Council of Ten. But right now, this time, even though the topic had come up, she was overjoyed!

She loved it!

She even wondered whether she'd never gotten that seat precisely so she could have this day, this moment.

As long as Natsuki-kun would stand up for her like this, even if she never won that seat in her whole life, she felt it would be completely worth it!

"Back then, Wasteland Hoshin's original intent was to decide it by debate. Whoever was the most eloquent and could lead everyone to profit would win the people's support and become one of the ten."

"But after four hundred years of ossification, those seats have turned into a closed class of interest-swapping. A brand-new company like mine, built from nothing by a pauper off the street, can never reach those seats no matter how big it grows. If anything, they fear me for being too good and my company too big."

"So I've had it really rough, you know~"

Anastasia turned sly, her fox tail showing, and put on a pitiful voice to act spoiled. "I've always been avoiding this sad subject, you know. Now Natsuki-kun's brought it up, and I'm so sad, so hurt, so pained. Mm-hm, I need your comfort~"

"Th-this is—" Subaru froze.

He'd just been thinking how outrageous the Ten were. Once he unified the world one day, he'd deal with the Kararagi problem and make Anna a border lord to help him govern Kararagi.

Then he turned around, and Anna was scheming away, making an ambiguous request like that of him.

Cold sweat slid slowly down his forehead.

What should he do?

"Hey, you, Subaru, come with me!"

Just as Subaru was torn between the two choices, Tia, who had been strangely quiet for a long while, suddenly spoke up. She looked like she'd made some decision and was ready to handle serious business.

Seeing this, Anastasia withdrew her flirtation of her own accord and held out a small hand. "Then I'll lend Natsuki-kun to Miss Tia for now, yeah? Miss Tia, you owe me a favor, you know?"

"Favors, whatever."

Tia stood and strode off briskly without objecting. Subaru let out a breath and hurried after her.

Outside, Tia didn't stop. She scanned her surroundings, leading Subaru on and on, turning down several streets, until they reached a secluded, empty, narrow corner. Only then did she stop and turn to look at the boy behind her.

Then, pat.

She yanked off the cloth covering the Light Orb and flung it straight into Subaru's hands with a flick of her small hand.

He scrambled to catch it, terrified it might get knocked or bumped, totally stunned. "Tia, this, what are you doing?"

The orb was the thing she'd dreamed of taking back. So why, now that it was in her hands, wasn't she hurrying to merge with it again? Why throw it to him instead?

"…I don't want that thing." Tia kept her back to Subaru so he couldn't see her expression, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"What?"

Subaru was startled and stepped forward, cradling the orb. "You can't mean that! Hal said that if you go too long without taking the orb back, you'll keep getting weaker, and you might even die!"

"I don't care about that!"

It was a dull, muffled growl, as if she put no value on her own life.

But she clearly still feared death. Her growl was threaded with uncertainty. She knew she was lying. That she might die could never be something she 'didn't care about.'

Reize wanted to live, and of course Zarestia did too. She wanted to live!

But, but…

If merging with the orb again and living on came with a price, a price she disliked, couldn't accept, wouldn't allow, didn't want, then she truly didn't know what to do.

And if the orb stayed in her hands, it wouldn't be long before she lost control, gave in to instinct, and devoured it again, this thing that had been a part of her all along.

There was only one person she was willing to hand the orb to.

Not Anastasia. Not the big dog. Certainly not the knight. Not anyone else. Only him. Only he was someone she could accept, someone she was willing to trust.

So.

"That thing is yours now!" Tia tried to look carefree, nonchalant, utterly indifferent.

But.

"You're… trembling, Tia."

Behind her, the boy approached with the orb in one hand. He stared at her body, shaking despite herself. His other hand stroked her long white hair, touched her shoulder, and finally closed over her trembling palm.

He might not know what Tia was thinking. He might not know why she was acting like this, or how torn and tangled up she was.

But he could see that Tia was wavering, and afraid.

"—That has nothing to do with you! Don't bring that thing near me!"

"Tia!"

In the whole world, apart from the Sword Saint and that Blue Lightning of the Vollachia Empire, no one could match Zarestia's speed.

Even though she wasn't at her peak, no one could catch her when she wanted to run.

Subaru wanted to get to the bottom of it. What was wrong with the orb? Why had Tia's attitude flipped a full one-eighty? But Tia fled.

Wrapped in wind, alone, she shot away at full speed, and no one could catch her.

All Subaru got was a faceful of her exhaust.

"What on earth is going on…"

He could only mutter, looking down at the Light Orb Tia had forced into his hands.

He still couldn't set his mind at ease, no matter what. Tia's behavior was just too strange. He had to figure it out, or he'd surely regret it.

Subaru's eyes hardened. He would find Hal and use Hal's methods to track down where Tia had gone. Tia might sneak back tonight, but he'd feel safer going out to find her himself.

As for why not Ricardo, Ricardo simply wasn't a match for Hal in that department.

After days of continuous purge operations, Hal's strength was holding up and he wasn't that worn out yet. But Ricardo and Julius really did need a night's rest, so he wouldn't trouble them.

That was also why no strategy meeting had been called that day about the escaped Batenkaitos.

Decision made, Subaru wasted no time and set off to look at once.

But.

At the very same time that the incident broke out between Subaru and Zarestia, Halibel, alone in his own room sending his pigeon messages, ran into trouble of his own.

A letter was hurled at him from far away.

It was signed by the Sin Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. The contents were simple: provocation, a challenge, and a threat.

The letter declared that if he didn't come settle things with the Sin Sin Archbishop of Gluttony right now, then from tonight on, the other would ambush people without end, whenever they were alone, asleep, bathing, and so on.

And right now, Halibel had a chance to take him out.

The one who had thrown the letter was visible through the window, a hundred meters from Halibel. Face and scent were unmistakable. It was the Sin Sin Archbishop of Gluttony he'd met that day.

Strangely, the finer details of the scent seemed to differ slightly, but at the root they were exactly the same, one source, one origin.

And most importantly, the tone the letter used, and the tone the Archbishop a hundred meters away used on him, was identical to that of the ninja under his command.

As expected, he couldn't not care about this. He already had a few vague suspicions. Whichever of them turned out to be the truth, he had to wash away his own disgrace!

If he went back to notify the others now, it would be too late.

Halibel thought for only a moment, then laid his curse on the letter and left it in his room, so that anyone who came looking for him would understand what had happened.

Then he smashed out through the window!

The Admirer versus the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony: this chase and duel could only end with a total victory for one side.