Seeing the woman standing in the doorway, a shiver ran through Subaru's entire body.
Even for Subaru, who had experienced so many bouts of desperation and death since his arrival in the Parallel World, this was an existence that inspired a strange kind of dread.
Donning a black feathered cloak, the dynamic curvatures of her body were packaged in jet-black attire. The same color as Subaru's, her black hair, which was such a rarity in this world, was woven into a french braid. The far corners of her eyes were angled downwards, while a seductive smile adorned her almost gentle expression.
If it weren't for the blood-drenched blades casually dangling from her hands, she might have been mistaken for a lady straight out of a portrait―― instead of this murdering monster that was Subaru's worst nightmare. His first-killer. The Bowel Hunter: Elsa Granhiert.
[Subaru: How are... you here!?]
[Elsa: ――Oh my, I was wondering where I had smelled that smell before? How has your body been faring since we last parted? Have you been taking good care of your bowels for me?]
As if having just noticed the tongue-tied Subaru's presence, Elsa lifted her brows and slightly tilted her head.
Just from her answer to his question, it was already clear that no conversation could be had between them. Taking care of one's bowels isn't something normal people would consider suggesting. Hearing her make such a request like it was a matter of course left no doubt in his mind that this woman before his eyes was a lunatic.
What's more, she was a lunatic of a completely different breed than Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
Feeling all the muscles in his body contracting, Subaru strained his nerves watching Elsa's every movement.
But the combat strength of this madwoman was such that she had taken a blow from the Sword Saint, Reinhardt, and lived. No matter how much Subaru sharpened his nerves, chances were she could take him down before he'd even have time to react.
[Beatrice: ――Who gave you permission to be here, I suppose]
Suddenly, a voice came from behind Subaru, addressing Elsa.
The one who asked this impassive question was Beatrice. She remained as before, facing against Subaru, except all traces of her tears had vanished from her face.
Hearing the girl's question, Elsa brushed her hand through her long, dark hair.
[Elsa: It wasn't locked or anything, all I did was open the door and come in? If you're having such an important conversation, you shouldn't forget to lock next time]
[Beatrice: That's not what I meant. This is Betty's Forbidden Library, and you have entered without my permission... aside from this man, not many others could do this, I suppose. How did you manage this]
[Elsa: Ah, that's simple]
As Beatrice tossed a glance towards Door Crossing's other exception, Subaru, Elsa nodded as if having understood her question. Then, she gestured to the opened doorway,
[Elsa: Your spatial-isolation magic... uses doors as its medium, right? A door-linking spell that connects closed doors with other closed doors?]
[Beatrice: Yes. The Forbidden Library is potentially connected to any door in the Mansion. Unless Betty permits it, it should be impossible to find it, I suppose. So how did you...]
[Elsa: Then it's easy. Seeing how it uses closed doors as the medium... if I just opened every door, that would eliminate all the other possibilities, right?]
[Beatrice: ――――!]
Elsa spelled out her straightforward solution to Beatrice's Door Crossing.
Indeed it was just as she said. Beatrice's Door Crossing was a spatial transition magic that linked closed doors with one another. That is, it could not link to doors that were already open. Since there was a finite number of doors in the Mansion, once all the other doors were opened, the last one remaining could only lead to the Forbidden Library. But, in order to do this,
[Subaru: You'd have to open every door in the Mansion... and no one tried to stop you...?]
But the moment he spoke, Subaru realized the full extent of his stupidity.
Or rather, that he had been averting his eyes from the truth that he didn't want to see.
[Subaru: On… your knife... whose blood is that?]
The blades of Elsa's Kukri-knives were coated in congealing blood. Judging from the droplets still dripping from their tips, one might imagine that they had only just sliced open their prey. That, combined with his existing assumptions, gave Subaru more than enough reason to imagine the worst.
Watching the color drain from Subaru's lips, Elsa traced her finger over the side of her blade, and then licked her bloodied finger clean.
[Elsa: I wonder whose it is?]
[Subaru: You...]
[Elsa: I'll give you a hint. She's dressed as a maid]
There were three people in the Mansion. They were all dressed as maids. Or no, Rem would be sleeping in her nightgown. So she's out as a candidate. That leaves only two.
[Elsa: Hint number two. Her hair wasn't long]
Petra's hair was shoulder-length. Frederica's hair was long.
――Subaru's throat inhaled in preparation for the scream that was to come.
[Elsa: Hint number three―― "Subaru, Subaru!" she cried as she died]
[Subaru: ELSAAAAAAAA――!!!!]
Baring his teeth as he lowered his stance, Subaru charged towards Elsa head on.
Elsa casually straightened her limbs to meet his charge, pointing the tip of her right-hand blade at the oncoming Subaru's eye――
[Elsa: ――Ara?]
[Subaru: Like anyone's gonna charge a monster like you from the front!]
Elsa groaned as if taken by surprise.
In front of her, Subaru lowered his body, scraping his hand against the floor before swinging it in an upwards arc. Caught in the trajectory of his arm, a stack of Gospel pages went up fluttering.
In an instant, tens of white pages blocked Elsa's view of Subaru. Immediately drawing in a breath, Subaru concentrated every ounce of his mana into the center of his stomach, and,
[Subaru: ――SHAMAC!!!!]
A plume of black smoke billowed out, completely obscuring the space between Elsa and Subaru.
Though it paled in comparison to the Shamac he used against Julius, he knew from experience that it would be effective against Elsa. Unlike last time, when he completely expelled all the mana inside his body, this time, it only left a general sense of fatigue, an indication that he was getting better at utilizing his mana.
[Subaru: Beatrice!]
Quickly turning around, Subaru grabbed the on-looking Beatrice by the arm. Though for a moment, she made an effort to resist, she didn't manage to escape Subaru's grip.
Forcefully pulling her almost weightless body, Subaru embraced the small girl into his arms and launched himself back into the Shamac.
――Confusion. Deprived of vision, sound, sensation, and left with only darkness.
The feeling of his footfalls had become Subaru's everything, the entirety of his world.
In the span between one foot left the ground and his other foot landed, Subaru was completely abandoned by the world. His left foot lands. He was linked to the world. His left foot leaves. He was alone. His right foot lands. He was linked. He was alone. He was linked. He was alone. He felt something struggling in his arms. But he didn't let go. He mustn't leave her alone. He was linked. He was linked. He was linked.
[Subaru: ――Phaa!]
The next instant, as if popping his head out of a water's surface, the darkness abruptly fell away.
In his clearing vision, Subaru found himself in the Mansion's hallway. The red carpet lining the halls could only mean that they've dashed out of the Library.
They have bypassed Elsa at the door and escaped.
[Subaru: Knew that would work――!]
He knew that when hit with Shamac from the front, the battle-hardened Elsa would try to shoot Subaru through the smokescreen thinking that he would be running away. By going against her expectation and running towards her, Subaru passed right by Elsa through the door she had left open.
[Subaru: Kinda wanna say "Nailed it!", but...]
This was no time to congratulate himself.
She didn't know how long Shamac would last, but as soon as Elsa realizes that Subaru isn't in front of her, she will immediately turn back in pursuit.
Roughly kicking the door shut behind him, Door Crossing's link was severed. But, depending on Beatrice, Subaru couldn't be sure if the Forbidden Library was still connected to his immediate surroundings.
[Subaru: Beatrice! Link the door to different room in the house...]
[Beatrice: I was going to even without you telling me, I suppose. Also, close some doors around us, that'll buy us some time]
[Subaru: Shit, that's right!]
Answering the disdainful words of the girl in his arms, Subaru scrambled to shut the closest doors around him. While closing each door he peeked inside, but found nothing of note.
He didn't know how much of Elsa's words could be believed, but――
[Subaru: What to do… what to do what to do what to do what to do what to do――]
The questions were endless.
Why was Elsa here now? Out of all the loops, this was the earliest she had appeared in the Mansion. It was the sixth day, then the fourth, and now the second―― no matter when, Elsa always attacked on the same day Subaru arrived at the Mansion.
He had already suspected this before. But now, after hearing Elsa's statements in the Library, that suspicion was turned into conviction.
But if that was the case, then why――
[Subaru: Why not wait one more day... or just wait a few more hours!]
That night, Petra would have been brought back to the village.
Subaru was already half-resigned to the fact that Elsa would attack the Mansion. The sight of Petra's lifeless corpse remained seared into the back of his eyes. So this time he was resolved to place her far away from the carnage. Yet, even so, evil arrived sooner than his countermeasures could be carried out, and the girl could not escape her fate.
[Subaru: It's not over yet. There's no need to give up now. Even if she has some overpowered setup, there's still a chance. There has to be. How can I lose hope now...!]
[Beatrice: It's not so much hope as it is reluctance to let go, I suppose...]
[Subaru: Shut up! Just be quiet and let me carry you! That lunatic wants to kill you too, you know. She's the kind of pervert who'll open your belly with her knife and get turned on by seeing what's inside!]
Ads by Pubfuture
[Beatrice: Wanting to see a spirit's intestines… that's just bad taste]
While Subaru muttered in agreement under his breath, Beatrice suddenly slipped out of his arms and landed herself on the hallway floor. She lightly patted off her dress, and,
[Beatrice: So, what do you plan to do now, I suppose?]
[Subaru: It's not about what I'm planning. The priority is to check if Petra and Rem are safe. And then... either way, we'll escape the Mansion together. Unless, you want to try and fight her?]
[Beatrice: ...If that thing came to kill Betty, if I just don't resist, then I'll get my wish…]
[Subaru: I knew you'd say that, that's why I dragged you out… If you still won't give up that thought, I'll just have to carry you out of here. So which will it be?]
Looking down at Beatrice who was almost half his height, Subaru pressured her to choose. That said, he wasn't really offering her a choice. Even if she decided to stay behind, he would still drag her out by force.
As if having picked up on Subaru's intention, Beatrice exhaled a sigh,
[Beatrice: Even if I can't choose the place of my death, I should at least choose who kills me, I suppose]
[Subaru: How about we discuss that once we're settled down somewhere safe. Let's go!]
Seeing that Beatrice was willing to follow him, Subaru took her by the hand and started running. Trailing behind him in her cumbersome dress, Beatrice struggled to keep up with her short little steps. They didn't go ten paces before,
[Subaru: Aaaah, come on! I'm picking you up!]
He pulled her up by the wrist and took her into his arms once more.
Beatrice was a lot lighter than she looked. He didn't know if this was because she was a spirit, or if it was just because of her stunted growth.
[Beatrice: ...let go, I suppose]
[Subaru: If we go at your speed she'll catch us straight away! It's faster if I just carry you! Besides――]
Even as Beatrice voiced her rejection in his arms, her hands gripped onto the front of Subaru's jacket as if seeking something to rely on. Noticing this, Subaru fell silent, and neither affirmed nor denied nor commented on the matter.
This is enough, he thought at the time.
[Subaru: Anyway, before Elsa shows up... we better find Petra and Rem!]
[Beatrice: I thought there's one more maid in the Mansion]
[Subaru: Frederica... it's better if we don't meet just now… I think…]
Subaru's last words trailed away as he shook the blond-haired maid out of his mind. Beatrice furrowed her brows at his reaction, but didn't say anything in the end.
Right now, he wanted to avoid meeting Frederica. Once he had confirmed that the other two girls were safe, he would go find her, and ask her then.
If what Subaru imagined was true, then he was sure of it――
――Petra was on the dining table, lined up alongside the tableware.
The white tablecloth had been dyed dark red with Petra at its center. Some time had already passed, and the spilled blood had begun to turn a hue of black, which only served to darken the macabre sight.
[Subaru: petr…a...]
With faltering, unsteady steps, Subaru slowly approached the table.
Laying there in the center was Petra. A tearful expression of agony and horror had congealed on her lovely face, and her eyes were open as if searching for something at the very end. Blood was still leaking from the corner of her half-open lips, and the fatal wound was of course a deep gash opened in her waist.
The maid's dress that had adorned her so sweetly and fairy-like when she spun in front of Subaru―― was cut open from the chest to the lower abdomen, while the spilled blood and intestines further lightened the young-girl's body.
[Subaru: ――――ug]
Something rose up in the depths of his throat. Not to vomit, but to sob.
He felt a searing heat in the back of his eyes, and before it could overflow, he reached out his hand to Petra's face. Her expression remained twisted and frozen in fear. The least he could do was to close her eyes, and then, like he had done before, Subaru took off his jacket and placed it over her body.
Just how many times had he failed to save her, and resorted to this superficial atonement?
How many times had he known this would happen and still let this child die?
And how many times would this girl have to suffer for nothing more than her fondness of him?
[Subaru: I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Petra...]
Even his muttered apology felt hollow.
With no one to protect her, she encountered the hideous murderer here, and was mercilessly killed whilst calling Subaru's name.
His heart might shatter from grief. And his body might burst into flames.
If hatred could kill a person, Subaru could have killed Elsa a million times before his hatred ran out.
Such was the depth of the sin she had committed. And he will make her realize it, no matter what.
[Subaru: For that, I can't let this loop just end like this...]
[Beatrice: This loop...?]
[Subaru: Talking to myself. I don't want to leave Petra like this... but there's nothing we can do right now. Let's go find Rem first. We'll take her and leave the Mansion. You still can't use Door Crossing?]
[Beatrice: For that, we'll need to pass through the Forbidden Library. I'm guessing the door is currently held open, I suppose]
[Subaru: ――Is that how it is…]
The way to shut down Door Crossing is quite simple.
First, open all the doors in the Mansion to eliminate as many options as possible. Then, simply leave the door to the Forbidden Library open, and thus prevent any other potential doors from linking to it.
Even if a stick was left behind to keep the door from closing, Beatrice would not be able to summon the Library to her.
[Subaru: Do you know where the Forbidden Library is connected to right now?]
[Beatrice: Of course. ――Right now it's in the West Wing, a guest room on the third floor, I suppose]
If the door was in the West Wing, there was still some distance between there and the dining room in the Main Building. But since the door was open, that would mean Elsa had already left the Forbidden Library.
With that murderer's nose, it wouldn't take long before she found Subaru.
There was no time.
[Subaru: We don't have time to panic right now. Either way, let's hurry up and find Rem...]
Wiping away the tears seeping from his eyes with the back of his hand, Subaru looked to the direction of his destination. Rem would be sleeping in her room in the maid's quarters of the East Wing. If Elsa started her search in the West Wing, then she shouldn't have gotten there yet.
But that was only in regards to Elsa,
[Subaru: There's a good chance that Frederica is there...]
Knowing how much Rem's well-being meant to Subaru, Frederica would have figured that Subaru would go to her after slipping away from Elsa. In that case, it was very likely that she had gotten there first.
Watching Subaru holding his chin in thought, Beatrice narrowed her eyes.
[Beatrice: This has been bothering me. ...Are you suspecting that maid, I suppose?]
[Subaru: ...I don't want to suspect her, but…]
Subaru answered Beatrice's question with a feeble nod.
Elsa's attack on Roswaal's Mansion―― was probably due to Frederica's betrayal. Of that, Subaru was half convinced.
This was the third time Subaru encountered Elsa in Roswaal's Mansion.
The last two encounters had been on the sixth and fourth day, both after a few days had passed since his departure. However, this time, he had returned after only two days, and yet there she was again.
Each and every time, Elsa appeared as if she was waiting for Subaru's return. As for how she managed to do this, Subaru could only suspect the existence of an informant.
[Subaru: The same day I return to the Mansion, Elsa is led inside… I had thought that a trip to the mountain cabin would be a part of it, but...]
Subaru had suspected from the start that Elsa was hiding in the mountain cabin and was led inside by Frederica. So this time, when he got back, he asked her if she would be "heading to the cabin in the mountains".
But he didn't notice anything suspicious about Frederica's answer or demeanor, and so he put it off for the moment, deciding that he was overthinking it.
[Subaru: But there's more than one way she could've done it... and it's not like I can read her mind. I might have been duped and haven't realized it]
Subaru had thought that he had concealed his suspicion from her. But instead, she must have sensed his wariness and acted with extra caution.
That was Subaru's mistake, and the result was this girl's life being taken from her for a second time.
Petra's death was entirely Subaru's fault, for having failed to take her away from here. In fact, it was no different than if Subaru had killed her himself.
[Subaru: But… Petra looked up to you...!]
"Big sister Frederica", he could remember Petra calling her tutor.
Didn't it hurt her to know that Petra, who so adored her, was killed at the hand of that murderer?
What was she thinking when she took part in this?
[Subaru: More than anything… is the way she disabled Beatrice's Door Crossing. Honestly, I was surprised how she managed to break it like it was child's play]
[Beatrice: ...Betty didn't think it could be so easily broken either. It's not a method one could think of just off the top of one's head, I suppose]
[Subaru: Given enough time, I might have thought of it too... but that's the problem, time. She couldn't have come up with it unless she knew about you and the mechanisms behind Door Crossing beforehand. There was no way Elsa could've thought of it then and there. So she must have learned it from someone on the inside]
[Beatrice: You seem to be well acquainted with that crazy woman. Where did you meet, I suppose?]
[Subaru: She kinda cut my belly open in the Capital. ...Right, it was the first wound you treated me for, remember?]
Thinking back on it, Elsa was the reason Subaru got to enter Roswaal's Mansion in the first place. [Ah], Beatrice nodded as if having understood.
Ads by Pubfuture
In any case, this was no time for reminiscences.
[Subaru: Anyway, we have to get to Rem. If Frederica's there... can I count on your help?]
[Beatrice: You don't even have the backbone to protect the girl you love yourself, I suppose? To be placed foremost in such a man's heart… I shudder just thinking about it]
[Subaru: If feelings can knock whales from the sky I'll knock down as many as you want, but the world isn't so kind to me, you know]
Despite her disdainful remark, Beatrice seemed to have accepted his request. Even this bickering was probably out of Beatrice's consideration for Subaru. Most likely, she did this to take his mind off of Petra.
Unlike Subaru, who had been oblivious to Beatrice's sorrow and even now could not offer her a single solution, Beatrice was far more clever. And that was why he was always relying on her.
[Subaru: Let's go]
[Beatrice: Mm, alright, I suppose]
Naturally, Beatrice held out her hand, and was hoisted up into Subaru's arms without objections. Lifting up the light little girl, Subaru started running as he did before.
Bounding for the East Wing, Subaru tried his best to silence his steps, even though he knew that it was probably pointless. It didn't appear as though Elsa had come through here as he darted up the stairs to the second floor, and then the third. Timidly popping his head into the hallway, he checked for any shadows around the destined room――
[Subaru: ――――]
Spotting a figure outside the room, Subaru quickly ducked back his head.
Seeing Beatrice quietly looking up at him in his arms, Subaru nodded, and stuck out his head once again―― there seemed to be a tall person leaning against the door.
Even from afar, there was no mistaking the golden hair and the maid's uniform.
It was Frederica. Just as he thought, she was standing outside Rem's bedroom, waiting for Subaru's arrival.
[Subaru: What do we do...? Pretend nothing's happened and say hello? If she hasn't met up with Elsa yet, she might not know we're on to her...]
[Beatrice: If your prediction is correct, then the moment that maid invited the enemy into the Mansion, she'd already had no reason to care about our feelings. Besides, when you last parted with that maid, you were entering the Forbidden Library, I suppose. The moment you stepped out, you already have no more excuses]
[Subaru: In that case, we'll just have to break through from the front]
Frederica's weapon of choice―― was what looked to be a pair of clawed gauntlets. From both her bearing and the fact that she was Garfiel's older sister, even if Subaru hadn't personally seen her in action, he could imagine how powerful she must be. Their chances of victory from a frontal assault was almost non-existent.
[Subaru: I'll release Shamac right away, and if we manage to surprise her, can you hit her with some ranged magic attacks...? Even if we can't fight her, we're good as long as we can get her to retreat...]
[Beatrice: That's way too lenient for a traitor, I suppose. You can't face an opponent who's out to kill you without having the same resolve yourself]
Listening to Beatrice remark coldly, though he knew that she was right, Subaru was still reluctant to follow her advice. Even knowing that the person in question was a traitor, it was still someone who had once treated him as a friend. For as long as Subaru could remember those times, it would never be such a clear-cut matter.
Even if, purely in terms of consequence, Frederica was deeply responsible for Petra's death.
[Subaru: Beatrice. I'll block her line of sight with Shamac. I'll count on you to maybe lightly shoot her with something]
[Beatrice: ――You realize things could go badly if we go too easy on her, I suppose?]
[Subaru: There are just some things I still want to ask her. Don't overthink it]
"Isn't it a bit late for that?", Beatrice's expression seemed to say, but, seeing Subaru lower his head, she sighed through her nostrils and said nothing.
Reminding himself not to impose on her, Subaru took a deep breath, and opened and closed his palms. His body was still somewhat fatigued, but he should still be able to manage one more Shamac――
[Subaru: Hold it together, body of mine. ――SHAMAC!]
Dashing into the hallway, before Frederica could turn around, black smoke shot out from Subaru's outstretched palm.
Without fail, it filled the space between Subaru and Frederica just as it had done in the Library. But, along the way, feeling his head grow heavy from the excess loss of mana, Subaru fell to his knees and collapsed to the floor.
Stepping out beside him, Beatrice held her hands in front of her as she advanced. Chanting something under her breath, a hollow hole warped from the atmosphere, from which emerged a spear shrouded in pale purple flame.
Its burning tip causing the atmosphere to tremble, the amethyst spear levitated into the air. ――Ignoring Subaru's protest that the magic was clearly lethal, Beatrice fired the spear into the shadow――
[Beatrice: …..something's off]
Beatrice tilted her head, muttering.
Subaru didn't understand her reaction, but the spear came to a halt mid air, and with a turn of her outstretched finger, Beatrice made the spear swipe left and right.
With this simple movement, the darkness from Subaru's Shamac was dispelled. That was merely because, being a Dark Magic user herself, Beatrice's influence was far greater than Subaru's.
Seeing the fruit of his exhausting efforts so easily brushed away, Subaru looked on stupidly. But that sentiment soon fell away.
When he realized the reason Beatrice had halted her attack.
[Subaru: ――――]
With the shadows clearing from the hallway, Subaru advanced straight towards Frederica.
Dragging along his exhausted, mana-deprived body, at the speed of a turtle's crawl, Subaru made his way to her feet. There was no more need for caution. For she made no reaction to his approach. None at all.
――She would never react to anything again.
[Subaru: ...why]
Frederica had died, standing guard in front of Rem's room.
Her stomach was pierced by a Kukri-knife, nailing her to the door. On her lifelessly dangling arms were her gauntlets. As evidence that it was a hard-fought battle, her clothes were riddled with cuts.
Frederica's body was already cold, and her expression indicated that her soul had long departed. Her stiffened face spoke of bitterness and regret, and Subaru could tell that she had defended the door with her life.
In other words, Frederica had fought to the end so that the attacker would not enter this room.
She would have no reason to do this if she was the one who led the culprit here.
[Subaru: I completely doubted you... when you…]
Covering his face with his palm, Subaru did his best to take in the reality before his eyes.
Frederica died with blade wounds littering her body. Now that he had seen her like this, how could he say that she was an informant and a traitor?
Was this the fruit of his distrust? He was so eager to accuse her, when in fact, he just wanted an excuse to lessen his own guilt.
He had to admit it.
[Subaru: ――I was wrong... wasn't I]
Frederica was not a traitor.
She fought to the death, guarding Rem until the end. Judging from the coldness of her body, she probably died before Petra in the dining room.
She would have had no time to lead Elsa to the Forbidden Library.
[Subaru: ...Rem]
A gaping blankness took over his skull.
Uncoiling his scrambled thoughts, the first thing that came to mind was that lovely, sleeping girl inside the room which Frederica had been guarding.
Frederica's stiffening body had grown heavy, and prying her from the door was heavy work. Subaru had to exercise his utmost caution in order to avoid harming her any further. Though his fingers were as impatient as his heart.
But, like a betrayal of Subaru's considerations,
[???: ――Finally found you]
At the end of the hallway, a black shadow slipped into view.
Elsa stooped low with her french braid swinging, holding her palm against the floor, watching them with eyes wet with rapacious murder. Her gaze ran up and down his body, petrifying Subaru in place. Not letting this opening escape her, Elsa's shadow shot through the hallway.
That soundless advance was none other than the approach of "Death".
[Beatrice: You'd be making a huge mistake if you think we'll go down so easily]
But there was someone who blocked Elsa's advance.
Beatrice lightly lifted up her hands to where her amethyst spear was waiting, with its aim locked on Elsa.
The spear that had been held from its purpose screeched in exalted glee at a new target for its destruction.
[Elsa: That's quite a dangerous toy for someone so small]
[Beatrice: Whether it's a children's toy or not, your body can be the test of that]
Elsa smiled in the face of this diabolical magic. And, as if to wipe that smile from her face, Beatrice's amethyst spear shot out.
The spear's velocity far surpassed that of the icicles Subaru had seen Emilia fire. Although there was only one, it lined up directly with Elsa's trajectory as she dashed forward with the same momentum―― but, bending down with her chest nearly sliding along the floor, Elsa evaded the strike.
[Elsa: Too bad. Your aim and speed still needs some work]
Feeling the weapon graze past the back of her head, Elsa muttered without a trace of fear as she turned her underhanded Kukri-knife towards Beatrice.
The blade's dull gleam approached Beatrice's body, threatening to cleave her tiny figure in two――
[Beatrice: You're the one who hasn't thought this through, Human]
Just before it could happen, Beatrice clenched her open palm, and the amethyst spear swelled. Continuing down its course after having missed its target, the spear bulged at the end of the hallway and burst like a ruptured balloon behind the halting Elsa.
[Elsa: ――This!]
The exploded spear's splinters turned into smaller spears, surrounding Elsa from all directions.
Though they were called smaller spears, they were each no bigger than Subaru's index finger. Their countless multitudes flooded the space, all their tips pointing at Elsa.
And then,
[Beatrice: This shall be your punishment for trespassing into Betty's Forbidden Library, I suppose. ――Drawn and quartered, would be a fitting end]
Proclaiming this merciless sentence, she fired the amethyst spears.
-=