Chapter 97: What Meaning Is There in Struggling?

"Oh my~ Some people really do talk a fine game, calling him their benefactor with every breath, yet for all the fondness they show on the surface, deep down they never harbor the slightest trust."

Priscilla gently swayed her fan, her tone and gaze carrying unmistakable mockery.

"Little Lia is just putting on an act, isn't she? I truly feel sorry for poor Subaru, being toyed with by such a wicked woman."

Anastasia made a show of dabbing nonexistent tears from her eyes, jumping right into the pile-on.

Felt, the last of the three, didn't say much; she merely shifted her gaze toward the ground and muttered.

"Honestly, I don't think the three of you seem like good sorts either. Just be thankful if Subaru doesn't end up doing something even worse than Emilia by the time he reaches the Royal Capital."

Emilia, seeing the several women across from her—who all claimed to be Subaru's wives—mocking her one after another, couldn't help clenching her fists, her gaze turning cold.

These women had been provoking her this entire time!

Never mind that, from the very start, they had inexplicably taken on the guise of Subaru's wives, looking down on her with a condescending air of superiority.

The way they were now insulting the relationship and the feelings between her and Subaru was simply unforgivable!

Were it not for the constraints of this space's rules, she would long since have been unable to stop herself from striking out!

"What are you lot barking about? Speak ill of my daughter again and watch me teach you a lesson."

Puck crossed his arms and planted himself in front of Emilia, leaving behind a back that radiated reassurance.

"Ah, just as expected, Lady Ram, she..."

Just then, Otto, who had been watching the screen with rapt attention, shook his head and let out a sigh, drawing everyone's gaze back to it.

[Facing the questioning of both Roswaal and Emilia, Natsuki Subaru lowered his head and hesitated.

For a single moment he wanted to impulsively blurt out the whole truth.

But immediately he recalled the pair of hands that had gripped his heart that very morning, when he had confessed to Emilia.

And it was precisely this hesitant manner of his that drained away all the patience of the already grief-stricken Ram.

A wind blade took shape in her hand, flashing past and grazing Natsuki Subaru's cheek, splattering a spray of blood.

"If you know something, then confess it honestly to Ram!"

Seeing that her previous attack had veered off the mark, Ram, without the slightest hesitation, gathered another wind blade and loosed it at Natsuki Subaru in an instant.

"Wait a moment, Ram, I—"

Natsuki Subaru gritted his teeth, but it was already too late to explain.

"Vwoom!"

Accompanied by a shrill whine, the incoming wind blade was caught by Betty, who flashed in front of Natsuki Subaru and thrust out a hand to stop it.

"I happen to be a keeper of promises, I suppose."

Betty's expression was placid, yet her tone carried an unquestionable firmness.

"For this stretch of time within the manor, Betty will honor the contract to protect this man's safety, I suppose."

Seeing this, Ram cried out in disbelief.

"Lady Beatrice!"]

"Wow, little Betty really did keep the contract. So now big brother's safety won't be a problem, right?"

Meili tapped her lips, pondering.

In terms of combat power, there was no way that Ram could ever beat little Betty, who was a Great Spirit, was there?

"Ah, hard to say."

Beside her, Elsa looked thoughtful. If one were to consider Betty as an enemy, then her weakness was glaringly obvious.

Although Subaru had gained her protection, that protection was limited in range... in other words, it only held within the manor.

Elsa couldn't help licking her lips.

Judging by this little girl's tough-talking, soft-hearted manner, this flaw probably hadn't been set up on purpose.

Was there some kind of limit to her power? Did she grow weaker once she left the manor, or something like that? Mm, truly a fine piece of intel.

"Hey, don't you go slandering my dear little sister. Even if Subaru can't escape this calamity, it would take Roswaal himself stepping in for that to happen."

Puck gave a start and once again transformed into an overprotective parent to draw fire, earning sidelong glances from everyone.

Hearing this, Elsa pursed her lips and said no more.

"Roswaal, this fellow was in the Forbidden Archive all last night, so he shouldn't have anything to do with this incident."

Betty turned her head and explained to Roswaal.

"But that's not the point of the matter. I never imagined you would protect him—seems you've taken quite a liking to him."

Roswaal remained unmoved; instead he stretched out his hand and summoned forth various elements, gathering his momentum as a prelude to unleashing magic.

"Could you kindly confine your jokes to your makeup and your eccentricities?"

Betty crossed her arms in displeasure, coldly squaring off against Roswaal.

"That sort of thing—none of it matters!"

Suddenly, Ram's shout rang throughout the entire room, seizing everyone's attention.

"Don't get in my way—let Ram through. I will avenge Rem..."

Ram ground her teeth, clutching the hem of her maid dress tightly and refusing to let go.

"If you know something, then tell me everything—"

"Help Ram, help Rem!"

As the final words fell, Ram fixed her tear-streaming eyes on Natsuki Subaru, waiting for his answer.

And in response, Natsuki Subaru only looked toward the ground, likewise gritting his teeth, at a loss for how to answer.

In the end, unable to speak the truth... he ran out of the room, ran out of the manor, and chose the path of escape.]

"Running away, huh... That's hardly a wise choice. There should have been a chance to explain things properly, shouldn't there?"

Outside the screen, Otto spoke regretfully, feeling that Mr. Natsuki's abrupt behavior was, once again, a choice made in the heat of the moment.

"No, in truth this was an inevitable outcome. What could Lord Subaru even say? He had no way to explain the source of his knowledge about the Curse Caster, and even less way to find proof of where the curse had been placed upon Rem's body."

Ferris lifted his eyes and said lightly.

"Unable to clear himself of suspicion, in the end the only path left to him was to flee."

"Sister..."

Hearing this, Rem looked toward Ram with some worry, only to see her shake her head, signaling that she was all right.

Let's keep watching.

[Leaving Roswaal Manor, Natsuki Subaru ran into the forest.

Before he knew it, he had come to the very spot where he had died in his previous loop, and the realization made him slow his pace despite himself.

Death?

Natsuki Subaru suddenly froze in place, that single word circling endlessly through his mind.

—If he died, he could be freed from this misunderstood situation, couldn't he?

That's right—as long as he died, things could change.

Natsuki Subaru raised his head toward where the sun hung overhead, and gradually felt his vision drowned in a dazzling, hollow light.

"If all my ceaseless struggling and striving leads only to a result like this, then what meaning is there left in anything I do—in my very life?"

Natsuki Subaru lowered his gaze, looking toward the direction directly before him.

That, too, was a place he knew well—and a place that could very likely bring him release.

"A cliff, huh..."

Natsuki Subaru murmured.]

Outside the screen, upon hearing the words spoken in Natsuki Subaru's heart, Ferris's face took on a complicated, shaken expression.

That Lord Subaru, who had gently comforted him as though no hardship in the world was worth a second glance—could even he, in this world, give rise to such thoughts?

No—not even just this Lord Subaru on the screen!

Ferris suddenly realized something.

No matter the world, the fact that Lord Subaru possessed the power of Return by Death remained unchanged, so this very thought... must also...

Ferris did not know whether to grieve that Lord Subaru had begun to make light of his own life, or to rejoice at having uncovered one true corner of Lord Subaru's heart.

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