When he did so, Petelgeuse’s obsession seemed to fall away. A single tear trickled down his face as he spoke.
“Yes, it is just as you SAY.”
“—?!”
He said it in an uncharacteristically gentle way. The next moment, Subaru found Petelgeuse strongly embracing him.
Subaru’s throat caught as powerful, instinctive repugnance hit him, but the madman paid his reaction no heed. Petelgeuse grandly wept, wiping away neither his flowing tears nor the blood on his forehead.
“Ahh, I am wrong, I am deeply mistaken! Yes! The trial! What I require is not to punish, judge, or slay myself, but the trial! What terrible slothfulness, forgetting that while wallowing in the joy of my own wounds! I thank you! I thank YOU!!”
When Subaru turned in Petelgeuse’s arms, he faced upward as Petelgeuse showered him with one-sided gratitude.
Petelgeuse wiped the blood off his brow and thrust his right hand’s fingers into his mouth, the same mouth that bespoke the foolishness of self-injury, crushing the thumb, index, and middle fingers one by one.
“I am worthless if I am slothful! Diligence is the most valuable thing in this world, and in this world, sloth is the worst vice that I must abhor! Ahh, AHH, ahh, I must repay Her love!”
He was in a precarious, incoherent state in which word and deed were no longer aligned. He reflected upon self-harm as he crushed his own fingers, only to lament his rash actions the next moment.
Subaru, feeling the need to bring his mad, nigh-unbearable nature to a quick end, put his hand in his pocket. However, his palm was not greeted by the hoped-for reaction. More time was needed for the operation to proceed.
“Lord Archbishop—may I speak to you about the trial?”
Fearful of an ugly silence taking hold, Subaru took a deep breath, concealed his inner thoughts, and spoke those words. The last time around, he had failed to get anything out of Petelgeuse regarding the trial, so he was still in the dark about the particulars. A trial meant a test of some sort. The Witch Cult was subjecting Emilia to some kind of test in accordance with its dogma.
If fate bound Emilia to the Witch Cult going forward, he wanted to dig up something…
“Lord Archbishop, now that I have joined you, I would truly like to ask you about the trial.”
“The trial…”
When the words haltingly trickled from Petelgeuse, his expression suddenly lost all emotion. Perhaps his mania from before had vanished into thin air; as the madman gazed at Subaru with hollow eyes, he put the remaining fingers—the ring finger and the little finger—of his already-bloody right hand into his mouth, crushing them with his teeth. And then—
“Yes, the trial! The TRIAL!! THE trial! We must carry out the trial and test her! We cannot fail to test this half-demon, and learn if she is a suitable vessel for the descent of the Witch!”
Subaru was bathed in a strange, shrill voice and stinky breath as Petelgeuse broke into a little dance. Subaru grimaced in shock and disgust as the madman’s declaration sank in.
“A vessel for the Witch’s…descent…?”
“If she passes, embrace her! If she fails, eliminate her! We must test the half-demon’s capacity to accept life, whether she is suitable for the Witch, whether the Witch’s love can be sealed within! And the TRIAL is how we determine this!”
The madman responded to Subaru’s doubt-instilled voice with his own mad voice, raising his hands above his head in the process. The words struck Subaru like a revelation; he was horrified by the comprehension he had gained.
Vessel. Witch. Descend— If he could take the meanings of those words at face value, then…
“If the trial determines she’s a suitable vessel for the Witch, the Witch will descend into her body…”
“Someday that fateful day shall arrive when the Witch is resurrected into this world—! We exist to bear witness to that moment! And for this purpose I, and my fingers, shall exhaust all efforts… This is MY love!”
Petelgeuse was moved to tears, for in his world, it was the most blessed occasion conceivable. The sight of the madman before him made Subaru sick to his stomach.
Based on all that, all the acts of savagery Petelgeuse had engaged in, all the slaughter he had perpetrated, and his pushing Subaru’s heart to the breaking point had been because—
“—You people don’t see any value in Emilia herself, do you?”
To them, “Emilia” was nothing more than a box into which they could stuff the soul of the Witch.
They were after a container. Their great objective—the revival of the Witch—loomed large before them. The girl’s aspirations, how gentle her heart was, how hardworking she was…these things simply didn’t matter.
This was at once bottomless contempt for Emilia as an individual girl and, to Subaru, whose heart was greatly swayed by her existence, a humiliation difficult to endure.
“—Monster.”
Petelgeuse did not notice that for a single moment, a single word, Subaru let his true feelings slip.
He did not think of burning a village to the ground as excessive in the slightest if it was for the sake of his villainous goals. He could casually dismiss the life story of each and every person he laid hands upon, brushing their dreams and futures aside.
That was why Petelgeuse and the Witch Cult were Subaru Natsuki’s enemies.
“…Lord Archbishop, I have humbly heard your esteemed views. Hearing the ideals of the Witch Cult, and your determination to win, I am truly, deeply impressed. Let’s make certain this trial succeeds.”
“Ohhhh! You are indeed splendid! Yes! We shall become as one, and wholeheartedly hurl ourselves toward my long-cherished desire! Since the day I accepted Her favor, my entire being, my entire spirit became rubbish devoted solely to repaying Her love… Ahhh, Satella! I BELONG to you!”
Petelgeuse approved of Subaru’s superficial praise, accepting it with great delight rather than doubt.
“It is YOU, an ideal disciple, who should truly be exalted! With the favor so rich within you, should you intend to join the fingers. I shall bestow the Factor upon you without DELAY!”
“Then by all means, please make me one of your fingers!”
“I am truly delighted by your unexpected offer! BUT, BUT…the numbers of my fingers have already been filled. There must be something more suitable for the likes of you… Yes, that is IT!”
Petelgeuse was counting on his bloodied fingers when he put a hand into his habit like he’d just remembered something. What he took out of his pocket was a single black book—his Gospel.
The madman lovingly touched its cover; his breath went ragged as his eyes perused its contents.
“The words recorded in the Gospel, its entire tale of love, is what guides MY future! Accordingly, all that I am…all that I ever shall be, is recorded WITHIN!”
Froth came into the corners of Petelgeuse’s mouth as he browsed the pages with a laugh.
Subaru, who had once stolen that Gospel from him, knew that the strange contents of the black book were indecipherable. But to its owner, Petelgeuse, the characters constituted a legible tale. And his actions were in accordance with its passages.
If that was true, Subaru’s real enemy was whoever had written that Gospel’s passages to begin with.
“Present thy Gospel.”
Petelgeuse, audibly closing his Gospel, spoke that single phrase. The madman cocked his neck at a ninety-degree angle, twisted his hips to the same extent, and stared at Subaru with a neutral expression.
These were the words Subaru feared most. According to previous experience, even if a conversation had gone well up to that point, that question served to sever the flow.
If someone was a Witch Cultist, they had a Gospel—no exceptions. The black books, their origin and method of creation unknown, served as proof of identity among members of the Witch Cult.
Accordingly, Petelgeuse was asking Subaru to show his ID.
Whatever answer he might come up with would greatl
y influence the course of circumstances, but—
“What is THE matter?”
In contrast to the silent Subaru, Petelgeuse left his head bent at that angle, his long tongue drooping out.
All he had to do was show off his Gospel. A disturbing air began to waft around Petelgeuse as Subaru failed to prove himself even to that extent. Amid that bone-chilling aura, Subaru slowly put his hand into his pocket.
Then he thrust what he had taken out before Petelgeuse’s eyes. But—
“What…is this?”
“As you can see, it’s a metia, Lord Archbishop.”
Petelgeuse’s eyes were wide in surprise, for that which had been thrust before him was a mirror—a conversation mirror, to be specific. There was no doubt that the madman recognized it; after all, it had been in the possession of one of the madman’s very own fingers. The fact that Subaru had it was throwing the madman off.
But his surprise did not end there. Before his eyes, the surface of the mirror began to faintly glow.
“Ah, it’s turning on. Wow, your face is scarier than I heard!”
The adorable voice they heard over the mirror was very much out of place in the current situation. Subaru couldn’t see the mirror’s surface, but Petelgeuse was no doubt seeing the speaker, a certain kitty-eared knight.
It was like playing a really bad joke—but this constituted the signal for the operation.
“What have YOU… No! What have YOU people done!!”
“Now, then. Ahem. Tora-tora-tora!”
“—?!”
Ferris suddenly stated those words to an uncomprehending, angry Petelgeuse. The madman did not know the meaning of the words. Accordingly, Subaru explained them.
“It means, ‘The surprise raid was a success’—”
Subaru pointed to the mirror in his hand, laughing at the wide-eyed Petelgeuse.
This was not the made-up smiling face from earlier, but the real Subaru—smiling like a little punk.
“Wh-wha—?”
“You don’t look like you’ll understand no matter how many times I say it. Well, don’t worry about it.”
With Petelgeuse thrown for a loop, Subaru continued his full, beaming smile as he raised a hand above his head.
And then—
“I can’t understand what the hell you’re saying, either!”
“What a—?!”
Subaru spoke fighting words as he snapped his raised fingertips. Responding to the aggression, Petelgeuse instantly shifted to a combat posture. But the movements of the sprinting figure rushing in from the side proved quicker.
“Ga, haa—”
Raising a shriek, the madman was sent flying head over heels, crashing and rolling over the rocky ground.
“—”
Watching this, the pitch-black land dragon neighed, as if to spurn the madman for having made her wait for so long.
The dragon judged the unproductive conversation to be at an end. Her roar echoed across the forest sky.
4
He felt heat from the conversation mirror as he returned it to his pocket. The operation was proceeding to its second phase.
That fact spurred Subaru to harden his resolve once more, raising a middle finger toward the madman’s astonished eyes.
“As for everything we were discussing, my answer is no.”
“Wh-wh-wh…?”
“If you don’t get it, I’ll say it so it’s easier to understand: After careful consideration of your offer, there is an insurmountable clash of organizational culture between us. Therefore, though this is highly arbitrary of me, I am removing myself from consideration. I pray for your continued activity and growth hereafter…and stuff.”
Subaru indicated that talks had broken off with a kind and careful explanation that was even harder to understand. With Patlash close by his side, he proceeded to gallantly mount her, taking the reins as he looked down at the madman.
Petelgeuse, confused as he looked up, belatedly came to understand, whereupon he became filled with anger at Subaru’s act of violence and shouted,
“Do you comprehend what you are doing?! I am an Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins! An Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins granted the grace of the Witch! I have received Her favor, the same as y—”
“Sorry, but I’m tired of hearing about all that. The Witch can go eat shit, Petelgeuse.”
“Why! Why, I ASK! Why, do you refuse Her love?! The favor of the Witch! What is YOUR reason for rejecting Her grace? I, who have abandoned all things for Her, cannot compreHEND!!”
Petelgeuse tore at his head, letting spit fly as he spoke with intense emotion. He actually seemed intent on convincing Subaru with those desperate cries.
If so, exchanging words with Petelgeuse truly lacked even a single shred of worth.
“When I look at you, I sympathize with you a bit, too. But let me tell you this.”
Subaru paid the madman’s delusions little heed as he recalled the intricacies and rampages that had arisen from his own heart. He’d professed that he was right, asserted that everyone around him was wrong, and had spent his time wailing and engaging in temper tantrums like a child.
I see. It really is unbearable to watch. This is like the horrible example everyone should learn from.
“Right now, you’re the one who’s crazy, and I’m the one who’s right— It ends here, Petelgeuse!”
And so he bade farewell to his own mistakes.
There had been nothing tying Subaru and Petelgeuse together in the first place. The madman, too, instantly understood that it had all been a performance and a fraud. The next moment, his decision was cruel and severe—
“Violence, heresy! You shall pay for this—I shall rend YOU limb from limb and offer your soul to the Witch!!”
Petelgeuse’s laments cut off in an instant. His shadow seemed to explode, spreading and swelling as it became a multitude of pitch-black arms. These objects of overwhelming density cascaded toward Subaru like a waterfall to rip him limb from limb, wring his neck, and violate his soul, just as Petelgeuse had declared. But—
“Why—?!”
“Hey, I was playing tag, you’re it with demon beasts in these parts just two months ago!”
Patlash surmised Subaru’s intentions through his unskilled use of the reins, moving more than she had been commanded. The wise dragon’s movements deftly evaded the evil hands pursuing them as she leaped, escaping beyond the area of effect.
The distance between them widened. Petelgeuse could not conceal his shock at his perfect opening attack being foiled. His eyes and mouth opened wide, so much that they nearly tore, and he wailed, “Just now! Those movements! You evaded! The Favor granted unto me?! Impossible, insufferable! Why can you see my authority?!”
“Who knows? The Witch left her scent on my body, so go ask her. Oh, did I mention that unlike you, the Witch gave me a meet-me-anytime permission slip?”
“—! What do you mean by… You blaspheme the Witch, Satella, by feigning closeness to Her!”
“Hey, we’re so close she reaches out and grabs me by the heart—literally.”
Subaru added a wink, taunting Petelgeuse with a maximum of ridicule.
That moment, the madman’s tolerance instantly reached the boiling point; his face went red with rage as he bit his own fingers to the core. A dull sound rang out as his teeth snapped the fingers, crushing nail, flesh, and bone alike.
Responding to his intense emotions, the shadows swirling around the madman increased in density. Their total number increased, and even for Subaru, able to see the invisible evil hands, the difficulty level had just been jacked up.
However, the one most surprised by the increase in the evil hands’ numbers was Petelgeuse himself.
“The Factor granted to my fingers has returned…?! Why?! What has happened to my…?!”
“As the Witch Factor you handed out comes back, the number of hands you can control increases. Well, the answer’s obvious, isn’t it? Hey, do the math, Lord Arc
hbishop! Or maybe you’re just too lazy!”
“—! —!!”
Petelgeuse was at the mercy of consternation and rage when Subaru redoubled his taunt. When it came to getting under other people’s skin, Subaru Natsuki came second to none—but an opponent like this, with zero resistance against instigation, was practically dancing on the palm of his hand.
Exactly as planned, Petelgeuse was so angry that his face was dark red, thrusting his bloodlust-infused fist toward Subaru and sending the arms to bluntly smash him flat and rip his very life out.
“Patlash—!”
The land dragon grasped Subaru’s intent, continuing to evade the carpet bombing–like Unseen Hands offensive with frightening accuracy. She was so dependable that Subaru truly couldn’t bow his head enough to her.
Subaru judged that they could continue to hold out against the first wave of attacks.
“Operation Stage Three, let’s go!”
“Just how many petty games do you intend to play…! Against my diligence, this is all futile… Aa?!”
Petelgeuse readied himself for a counterattack, but the next moment, Subaru’s action made his words choke in his throat.
“Turning your back to me… Just how much do you intend to mock me?!”
“Sorry! But your stinky breath is making my eyes burn, so I have no choice!”
With a command to Patlash, Subaru moved away from the rocky area and made a beeline for the forest. Patlash violently trampled the grass, blowing open a makeshift road like the wind itself as they distanced themselves from their foe.
“Do not think that! I shall allow you! To ESCAPE!!”
Petelgeuse shouted, but in contrast to his words, he crouched down then and there. The instant after he did so, he sat holding his knees like a gym student as a shadow grabbed hold of him, hurling the madman toward the heavens.
As if in a twisted game of catch, his body sailed with ease until another evil hand caught him. Catch, throw, catch, throw—repeating this over and over, Petelgeuse was hot on Subaru’s and Patlash’s heels as they fled.
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 9 Page 11