Subaru and the others lay flat on their bellies on a hill overlooking Priestella.
Priestella was built on an island in the Tigracy River and the enormous walled city actually overflowed the island. Enormous walls kept the river out, but large gates in the wall let a small amount of river water flow into and through the city.
"Those are the gates that drowned, Typhon," Subaru muttered. "But what the hell are they for?"
"No idea," Garfiel admitted. "I know that there are a lot of canals in the city. They're supposed to be a trendy place to live, and the gondolas are a tourist attraction. The gates are usually just lifted high enough to allow the river to flow through the canals and out the other side of the city. I have no idea what genius decided to make sure that they could open wide enough to flood the entire city."
"Hm," Subaru muttered.
Garfiel studied the line of travelers entering the city. "The guards don't look like they're paying much attention to who comes and goes," Garfiel offered.
"I know. And that worries me," Subaru muttered. "When we went to Picoutatte, the guards went over everyone with a fine-toothed comb. Here, nobody seems to care. I'm worried that this is a trap."
"I doubt it," Felt said. "When we came through here with Koh, the guards were inspecting everyone. But Priestella is one of the largest trade hubs on the continent. The line for entry and exit was close to a mile long! We were stuck waiting at the entrance for hours. The guards were starting to turn people away and telling them to come back tomorrow. Finally, the Priestella ruling council put their foot down and ordered the guards to knock it off. That's how we all got in undetected."
Subaru digested that. "Alright. I guess we'll try it. I don't see any other options to get inside."
"It might be safer for you and Felt to go on the wagon and Garfiel and I to enter the city on foot," Emilia suggested, sounding reluctant. "If they're looking for four people, that might throw them off."
If I never let Emilia out of my sight again, it will be far too soon! Subaru thought to himself.
"We don't know that," Subaru said calmly. "Are they looking for one set of four or two sets of two? We have no idea how recent Lagunica's information is. They might not be looking for us at all if the kingdom thinks we're still stuck in Vollachia."
"Why don't we just try this the simple way: blend in and act normal," Felt suggested. "We can get more creative if there's an issue."
"Uh, question," Garfiel said, "What are we planning to do first? Get to the Od Laguna or find the spirits."
"The spirits," Emilia said at once.
"I agree," Subaru nodded. "There's a decent chance that rescuing the spirits will expose us to the authorities and that we'll need to get out of here in a hurry and make a mad dash for the border. We can work on finding another path to the Od Laguna if we really need to, or just come back to this one later, but either way, there's no way I'm leaving Beako in that place a second longer than I have to."
Garfiel smirked. "Sounds good to me."
The quartet wore plain hooded robes as the wagon rolled up to the gates of Priestella. Felt rode beside Subaru while Emilia and Garfiel lay in the back, pretending to be asleep.
"Halt," One of the guards said in a bored tone. "Name?"
"Lucas," Subaru muttered in an equally bored voice. "This is my sister Betty, my wife Petra, and our farmhand Rom."
The guard made a few desultory notes in his logbook. "Reason for visit?" He asked.
"We broke our plow. We need to buy a new one," Subaru said.
The guard made a few more notes. "Welcome to Priestella," He said indifferently.
"Thank you," Subaru muttered as Patrasche pulled the wagon into the city.
"Hey, Subaru?" Felt muttered under her breath. "I'd like to request a new alias, please."
"You'll be waiting a long time, Felt," Emilia murmured. "If you can't tell, Subaru isn't very good at coming up with names."
Subaru actually laughed.
"Well, that was easy," Garfiel muttered as Patrasche pulled them through the busy streets.
The city of Priestella was built over innumerable canals. There were plenty of ordinary streets, but every few blocks, the roads would become a bridge as they crossed the canal beneath them. Some of the bridges were colossal stone structures, while others were rickety wooden bridges, clearly in need of maintenance.
The canals were at least as busy as the roads, with vast numbers of people and merchandise being transported on small boats and barges.
One canal that they passed was bone dry. The canal looked like a dirt road burrowing through the city. It appeared that the canal had been drained for construction work. An enormous building was being constructed in the middle of the canal. The building skeleton was already assembled, a full six stories of brick. The building was being built on a platform that rested on a single stone support pillar the size of a redwood.
"Too easy," Felt worried. "I don't know if this is really a trap or if I'm just getting paranoid after everything we've been through."
"Let's try to be optimistic for the moment and assume that we haven't just walked into a trap," Subaru suggested.
"Fine," Felt grumbled. "Just let me know when it's time to panic."
"Let's start by finding this place," Subaru ignored her. "McClane's Hospital for the Incurably Insane."
"Shouldn't we find a place to stay and hide Patrasche first?" Emilia asked.
"Sure," Subaru agreed, "But if we find a place to stay close to the Hospital, that will help us keep an eye on the place and figure out how to get in there."
Daphne 's teeth ached. She'd been painfully gnawing through the massive leg bone of an Oliphant mabeast. Massive mastodon-like creatures with a thin pelt of black fur and a pair of wings too small to do anything but flap and beat uselessly against the monster's flanks, oliphants weren't native to the Kararagi badlands. They were mostly found deep inside the Vollachian jungles, but Daphne had sent out her call for help, and her children had responded. Powerful mabeasts had traveled from around the world, seeking out their just-returned matriarch and willingly sacrificing themselves to appease her hunger.
Daphne bit down on the bone as hard as she could, and just when it felt as if her teeth, if not her entire jawbone, would completely shatter from the force, the bone cracked, and Daphne hungrily sucked out the sludgy marrow.
The Kararagi badlands were a sandy desert populated only by rocks, shrubs, and a few hardy trees. The landscape was barren except for the witch herself, who knelt on a mountain of enormous bones.
Daphne had only managed to free a single arm from her chains. The other arm was still tethered behind her back, and her legs were still chained tightly together. She was so busy trying to eat every single mabeast that approached her that it had never occurred to her to ask them to break her chains or to remove her blindfold.
Daphne suddenly sensed someone behind her.
Daphne stiffened but finished devouring the marrow before investigating the unexpected presence. When her meal was complete, Daphne struggled to turn herself around with only one free arm.
She sensed something flying at her, something tiny and moving at great speed.
Daphne twisted around like a serpent, arching her body and catching the flying object between her sharp teeth. It was sharp and metallic.
Daphne spat it out. "A knife?" She muttered.
She sniffed at the knife, trying to get a sense of the stranger who 'd thrown it. His scent was both foreign and strangely familiar.
Daphne gasped at the presence she couldn 't see but easily sensed. " You …" Daphne grated.
"How did you do that?!" Lye asked shrilly. "There's no way that you could see my dagger!"
"An Archbishop," Daphne hissed, she slowly dragged herself forward. "So you're one of her thieves…"
Lye trembled. The witch was chained up, restrained, and struggled to move. But the ease at which Daphne had evaded his lethal ambush clearly frightened him.
"I'm no thief!" Lye yelped, staggering away from the furious witch. "The Authority was given to me freely!"
Daphne let out a laugh like the caw of a crow. "You're awfully brave to come and confront me like this," She growled, painfully dragging herself toward Lye. "Not very bright but awfully brave."
"You don't scare me, witch!" Lye blustered. "You're still exhausted from your imprisonment! Your magic is old and used up!"
Daphne 's face twisted into a snarl. "And your magic is stolen . And sooner or later, it will betray you, " She whispered while dragging herself toward him.
Lye took out another dagger to protect himself but realized his hand was trembling.
What the hell was I thinking?! Did I really come here to fight a witch with just my knife and my Authority? An Authority that 's more loyal to her than it could ever be to me?!
Lye gaped at her, then he spun around, poised to leap away. This was a stupid plan! I 'm no match for her alone! I need to get help! I need to get the others and convince-
From behind him, Lye heard a terrible explosion , and a wave of force washed over his body, staggering him. The force engulfed him and threw him onto his back. Even though the shock wave came from behind him, the force seemed to pull him backward .
Lye fought to get to his hands and knees on the sandy ground while furious winds tore at him like the most savage tornado. The beautiful, peaceful day vanished as Lye found himself engulfed in a black and terrible storm, a storm that was trying to pull him back toward the witch.
Lye watched as dead branches and small stones began to roll past him, drawn by this irresistible force. Lye dug his long nails into the soft sand, desperately struggling to resist the pull.
Lye looked back at the witch, but she was gone. In her place was a maelstrom of crackling energy as black as pitch. The sun had vanished from the sky, and a furious gale was trying to drag everything in sight closer to the witch 's maelstrom. Lye felt the sand under his fingers pulled away like it was caught in a rip current. Sand, branches, and even stones all rolled, slid, and finally flew into the heart of Daphne's crackling storm.
Lye felt his perch dissolving underneath him as the tearing winds pulled at him and ripped away the sand beneath his hands. He made a desperate grab for a slender tree just as all the sand and dirt around him took wing.
Lye hung on desperately, his fingernails leaving long scratches in the wood. The tearing winds grew more intense with each passing second. The wind pulled at Lye until his feet were lifted out from under him. The tremendous suction of Daphne 's storm caused Lye to dangle helplessly from the tree.
Suddenly, Lye 's entire world turned upside down. Instead of being sucked toward Daphne, Lye felt as if his grip on the slender tree was all that prevented him from falling into her. It was as if Daphne had become the center of gravity for the entire world, and gravity was dragging him toward her. The rocks and debris around him no longer rolled sullenly across the ground. They just took wing and fell straight down into the maw of Daphne 's storm.
From Lye 's point of view, the sandy ground was now in front of Lye, stretching out vertically like a cliff face, and the witch 's terrible storm was directly below him.
With the world having been turned upside down, the tree trunk that Lye clung to now seemed to jut out of the earth horizontally like a branch out of a sheer cliff.
Lye desperately tried to escape being devoured by Daphne. He fought to pull himself up onto the tree trunk. He used every ounce of strength in his wry body to climb up onto the tree trunk and put his feet down on the rough bark.
Lye felt the tree tremble under his feet. He saw that Daphne 's storm was tearing the sand out from beneath the great tree's roots, revealing the massive and complex root system beneath the tree. In a matter of seconds, there would be nothing left to anchor the tree to the ground at all and Lye would go flying into Daphne's vortex, clinging to the tree trunk the whole time.
With one last titanic effort, Lye jumped just as his perch went flying into the void. Lye made a giant vertical leap, and he shot up as fast and as far as he could. Fueled by desperation, the stringy Archbishops launched himself straight up into the air, flying parallel to the ground.
Lye barely managed to grab hold of another tree trunk, his long, dirty nails digging into the bark as the tearing winds tried to drag him back. Lye hauled himself onto the tree and set himself. He leaped again, this time to a huge rock formation jutting out of the sandy soil.
Lye nearly missed the rock formation. Only a desperate grab allowed him to seize hold of it, and he held on for dear life as the tearing winds intensified as if Daphne sensed that her prey might escape.
Lye pulled himself up and over the massive stone edifice. He hid behind it, giving him some protection from the howling storm. Lye looked around, but there was nothing in sight to jump to this time. There was just sandy soil as far as the eye could see.
The winds kept intensifying, and Lye knew that if he stayed there, sooner or later, even the huge rock formation that he now hid behind would be torn up out of the ground. Fueled by desperation, Lye took a deep breath, and he set himself. He braced himself against the rock, and he took one final desperate leap away from the witch 's storm. His body flew across the ground with great speed even as every instinct told Lye that he was actually jumping straight up.
The force of Lye 's jump started to fade. He felt the winds seize him. This time, he would go flying directly back into the vortex, and there was nothing that he could grab onto that would stop him.
Lye 's movement slowed-
And he crashed down hard on the sandy dirt. As soon as he had escaped the heart of Daphne 's storm, the world had turned itself right-side up again, and Lye had skidded out on the sandy ground.
Lye shook his head and spit out a mouthful of dirt. The tearing winds still buffeted Lye, but it felt like the fury of a savage tornado rather than the irresistible force of gravity.
Lye gingerly climbed to his feet. He looked back at the crackling maelstrom, his face twisted in fear. He was more than half a mile away, and the winds still tore at him as if he were standing next to a raging typhoon, but at least gravity was once again pulling him down instead of directly into Daphne 's bottomless maw.
The terrified Archbishop raced away as fast as he could. He leaped into the air again and was gone.
Moments later, the writhing maelstrom completely dissipated, and the sun returned. Daphne now sat at the bottom of a colossal crater at least a hundred feet across and quite nearly as deep. She held her free hand against her stomach, which gurgled violently.
Daphne coughed and looked pained. Her head warped grotesquely as her maw of sharp teeth gaped impossibly wide, and she spat out a dozen huge rocks, each one bigger than her torso.
"Now, I'm really hungry," She mourned.
Subaru and his friends located the Hospital in the most rundown and grimy part of town. The Hospital was an enormous brick building covered in years of soot and grime. A statue of a woman with long hair and wearing a flowing robe was erected on a pedestal in front of the building, but it was equally dirty. It was impossible to tell who or what the statue was depicting.
In Lagunican cities, most buildings outside of the slums were regularly cleaned and scrubbed to avoid the build-up of grime from all the smoke and soot produced by the town. Clearly, no one had bothered to clean the Hospital in many, many years.
Subaru got the distinct impression that the hospital was going out of its way to be as unattractive and unwelcoming as it possibly could. The phony hospital was huge and occupied an entire block by itself. The windows were covered in bars, and the heavily reinforced front door made the building look like a fortress.
As luck would have it, there was a slum inn just across the street from the Hospital. Subaru quickly checked in, but there was no place for Patrasche. This didn 't bother him much, however. He wouldn't have trusted anyone in the run-down and disreputable-looking establishment to take care of her anyway. He left the others to keep watch over the Hospital from their filthy, if very cheap, loft on the second floor while Subaru went a few blocks away and left Patrasche and the wagon at a stable that seemed at least competent at their work.
"Any thoughts?" Subaru asked when he'd returned and joined the others in their room.
"Not really," Felt muttered. "This was a good idea, Subaru, keeping watch on the hospital and looking for a weakness that we can exploit, but we've been sitting here and watching for two hours, and the place seems as lifeless as a tomb."
"More lifeless than the tomb we were just in," Garfiel added.
Felt rolled her eyes and sighed.
Garfiel squinted at the hospital. "Hey, shrimp, what about that board trick you used in Abiate?"
Felt blinked. "Huh?"
Garfiel shrugged. "You know, put a board between here and the hospital and then try to break into the top window. They wouldn't be expecting it, and we'd take them by surprise!"
Felt stared at him in disbelief for a long moment. "Garf, the hospital is on the next block! Where the hell are we going to find an eighty-foot piece of timber? On top of that, don't you think somebody on the street might notice us running a board out the window so we can reach the hospital?"
"Bad idea, huh?"
"I've heard better," Felt admitted.
"What about subterfuge?" Emilia suggested. "What if we just knock on the door and tell them that we have someone sick in our family, and we want to see if the facility is suitable for them?"
Felt scratched her chin. "It's got… possibilities , " She admitted. "This hospital may be just a front, but they have to at least pretend to engage in business when someone comes knocking, or the locals will get suspicious. "
Subaru made a face. "But by the same token, that means they're probably prepared for that eventuality," He muttered. "I realize that they're doing everything possible to look like a place where you wouldn 't want to leave anyone that you care about, but there have to have been people coming by who didn 't have the option of traveling around to inspect other institutions. Not to mention the local authorities wanting to drop off their problem cases here. These guys must have a song and dance all ready for people who come in. We wouldn't get a chance to see anywhere that might compromise them."
Emilia slumped. "Well…It was an idea," She sighed.
"She might be onto something, Captain," Garfiel argued. "Yeah, they're going to try to convince us to leave as soon as possible, but we'd already be inside. We could still inspect the place and get an idea of what we're dealing with. If it comes down to a fight, I doubt they have a ton of guards in there. And it's not like they call the city guards to come and help them stop us without blowing their cover."
Subaru mulled that over and then nodded. "That's a good point. Alright… let's give it a whirl. Garfiel can pretend to be our… um… intellectually disabled brother."
"It's the part that he was born to play!" Felt said brightly.
"Bite me, shrimp," Garfiel growled.
Felt thought about it. "I can probably pose as your sister… But what about Emilia," She asked.
Emilia sighed. "I could just stay here-" She said in a somber voice.
"No," Subaru said in a tone of finality. "I want us to all stay together. If something goes wrong, we can react quicker if we're all together."
Emilia raised an eyebrow at Subaru 's vehemence.
Subaru glanced away. Honestly, after what happened to her, I may never let Emilia out of my sight again.
"She could play the maid, maybe?" Garfiel suggested. "A demi-human maid shouldn't raise too many eyebrows. As long as she stays behind us and keeps her mouth shut, nobody should ask any questions."
Subaru nodded. "Alright. Let's all get dressed up in the clothes that Vincent gave us. We want to pose as a minor noble family. Emilia, you wear the robe."
"A maid in a robe?" Emilia asked skeptically.
Subaru made a face. "I know. But we don't have a maid's outfit on hand, and I have no idea where to find one! If anyone asks, we'll tell them you drove the carriage to town, and you haven't had a chance to get changed yet."
"…You think that they'll buy that?" Felt sounded dubious.
"If we keep them focused enough on the three of us, they should."
"I think I have a better idea," Garfiel said.
"What's that?" Subaru asked.
"This is one of the biggest trading centers in the world. How hard do you think it's going to be to find a tailor shop and a maid outfit?" He asked pointedly
Subaru blinked, and then he looked rather sheepish.
Felt watched Subaru, biting her cheek to keep from laughing. "Should Garf and me go find a tailor shop?" She chortled.
Subaru shook his head. "Let's all go together. The outfit will need to be fitted anyway. We should all get changed here. We'll cover our fancy clothes with robes while we're walking around town. That way, we won't attract too much attention."
Subaru and his friends walked to the wealthy district of Priestella. The streets were full of ornate carriages that drove past crowds of well-dressed individuals. Priestella was one of the continent 's major trading hubs, and the streets were packed with all manner of different costumes and styles of dress. As a result, Subaru and his friends, in their hooded brown robes, attracted no attention.
The group turned a corner onto a busy street. "So, I think I remember a tailor shop in this direction," Felt muttered. "I'm not sure because we didn't get much time to explore, but-"
Emilia 's eyes widened with fear. "It's him ! " She gasped.
"Huh? Mili, wh-" Subaru gasped as Emilia grabbed the trio with the strength born of desperation, and she dragged them back around the corner.
Emilia pressed them all against the cinder block building, her body trembling.
"Mili! What's wrong?" Subaru asked sharply.
Emilia 's face was horrified. "Regulus," She whispered.
Subaru 's face paled. "He can 't be here, " He whispered.
Emilia 's face was wet with tears. "He is. I saw him."
"How could he find us?!" Felt gasped. "There's no way he just decided to look for us here by chance! I thought that he lost his Gospel!"
"He must have found Sylvie!" Emilia wept in despair. "He found her, and he killed her, or he dragged her back to the mansion! And now he's here for me!"
"He's not going to get you!" Subaru hissed. "He'll never touch you ever again!"
"We need to get out of here!" Felt said in a near panic.
"But what about the spirits?" Garfiel whispered. "Regulus has enough power to destroy the whole city! If he blows the place up, then Puck and the Little Bit might be killed!"
"Calm down!" Subaru snapped, talking to himself as much as to the others. "Don't panic! We need to make a plan before we start running!"
Subaru carefully inched around the corner, studying the street from a concealed position.
"Subaru! Get back! He might see you!" Emilia begged.
Subaru peeked around the corner. "Mili, we need to know what he's doing and which way he's going before we try to escape. Otherwise, we might run right into him!" He insisted.
Emilia bit her fingernails with a whimper.
Subaru scanned the street with a frown and he triggered Reason and Judgment just to be sure.
"I don't see him, Mili," Subaru whispered. "Which way was he going?"
"He was standing in front of that shop on the corner, talking to someone," Emilia whispered. "It must be his Master again! He called her to help him find us!"
Subaru gave Emilia a strange look, and then he studied the street again.
"Mili," He said gently, extending his hand. "Come here for a second."
Emilia 's eyes opened wide with fright. "No! No, Subaru, we have to get out of here! He'll see us! "
"Mili, come here," Subaru murmured. He grabbed Emilia's flailing hand, and he pulled her toward him with gentle pressure.
"No! Subaru!" Emilia begged as Subaru slowly forced her to step around the corner. "We have to run away! We have to hide! He'll see us, and then-"
As Subaru pulled her around the corner, Emilia cringed and covered her face, waiting for the sound of Regulus 's screaming to start.
Nothing happened.
"Mili, look," Subaru said in a gentle voice.
Emilia slowly cracked her eyes open and looked at the crowd. She saw a man in a white suit standing in front of the shop on the corner … a short, chubby man with gray hair. He was talking animately with a woman in a green gown.
Emilia swallowed hard. "I… Subaru, I know that I saw him … I saw him right there," She said uncertainly.
Subaru wrapped his arms around Emilia and squeezed her tight.
"I saw him," Emilia whispered again.
Subaru turned to Felt and Garfiel. "Hey, guys," He said, "I don't want to waste time shopping around. Do you two mind going ahead and double-checking to see if this shop can get us what we want?"
"Sure thing, boss," Felt said at once. "Come on, fleabag," She scurried off into the crowd.
Garfiel paused long enough to gently squeeze Emilia 's shoulders in sympathy, and then he hurried after Felt.
Emilia stood there quivering. "I know that I saw him, " she whispered in a stricken voice. "I did . " Each time that she said it, she sounded more and more uncertain.
"It's OK, Mili," Subaru said again.
Emilia covered her face. "Gods! I just imagined him, didn 't I?! I was so scared that when I saw a man wearing white, I just imagined- " She cut herself off, bursting into tears.
Subaru wrapped his arms around her. "It's going to be OK, Mili," He soothed. "I can only imagine what this is like for you. After I faced Regulus, I was jumping at shadows for weeks. And I only spent a few minutes fighting him."
"Regulus was right! I am useless! I'm pathetic!" Emilia sobbed.
"No!" Subaru snapped with real heat. "That's what he wanted you to believe! Mili, I talked to the Vollachians. Regulus has been the scourge of the continent for centuries! How often do you think his wives ever managed to escape?"
Emilia sniffed. "Never. Sylvie told me that they'd never escape. She said that in forty years, she'd seen dozens try, and they all failed to escape."
"Not all of them," Subaru said pointedly. "Just this morning, we saw dozens of them escape. They escaped because of you. You're the first person to ever beat Regulus at his own game."
"Subaru, I couldn't even save myself!"
"But you saved everybody else!" Subaru insisted. "You put your own life on the line against a certifiable monster to protect those women! That's real courage, Mili!"
"Subaru," Emilia whimpered. "Don't patronize me…"
"You were a hero, Mili," Subaru went on relentlessly. "You saved them. I couldn't have. In a million years, I'd never have thought of that plan you came up with. If our positions had been reversed, those women would all be dead right now even if I had survived."
Emilia leaned her head against the stone wall. "Subaru, what's wrong with me?" She cried. "I'm seeing Regulus in places where he's not!"
"It's because he hurt you real bad, Mili," Subaru reminded her. "It's going to take some time to get past it."
"He didn't hurt me the worst, Subaru!" Emilia said in disgust. "He hurt all the other girls more than me! He was making them suffer for my mistakes! He hurt them because of me!"
"And he made you watch," Subaru countered firmly. "He made you feel responsible for what he did to them. I know you, Mili. There's nothing he could have done that would have made you suffer more than thinking those women were being hurt because of you."
Emilia shook her head despairingly. "Subaru!" She said in exasperation. "You can't excuse my failures with a bunch of pretty words!"
"I'll bet you all one thousand gold coins in this satchel that when Regulus was abusing those girls, you tried to take their place. I bet one thousand gold coins that you asked him to hurt you instead of them," Subaru folded his arms across his chest. "So, Mili. Do I win that bet?"
Emilia sighed. "He wouldn't let me…" She murmured.
"So, in other words, you did try to take the punishment for them," Subaru pressed.
"Subaru, intentions don't matter! Only consequences count…"
Subaru sighed. "Mili, take it from somebody who's screwed up on a mythic level: Sometimes, all we have is good intentions. Sometimes things are so far outside of your control that the most you can do is say: 'I tried my best.'"
Emilia shook her head. "Subaru, you always say that. I shouldn't even be out here with you right now. If I have a panic attack, I could attract everyone's attention at just the wrong time. I could put all of you in danger! I should go back and hide at the inn while you-"
Emilia was cut off as Subaru threw his arms around her.
Emilia screwed her eyes shut and started to cry. "I'm so scared…" She said in a broken voice.
Subaru squeezed her tight. "Emilia," He whispered. "I need you to do something for me," He said regretfully. "I know it's going to be really hard for you because I know you, but I think it 'll be best for everybody. So, do you think you can do me a favor?"
Emilia 's face fell. Subaru is right. I 'm putting everyone in danger. I have no magic and I can't even control my own emotions anymore. It'll be best for everybody if I just find someplace to hide until they finish our business in town.
Subaru sighed. "Mili, do you think you could cut Emilia some slack?"
Emilia frowned in confusion. She slipped out of Subaru 's hug until she could look him in the face. "What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.
"Emilia's been through literal hell lately," Subaru said sternly. "And she doesn't need you beating her down. For the next few days, I want you to forgive her for not reaching these completely unrealistic expectations that you seem to have for her. She needs love and support right now, not more criticism."
"Subaru! Why are you talking about me as if I'm another person?!"
"Because I'm starting to realize that's the only way to get through to you!" Subaru growled.
"What are you talking about?!"
"If Felt or I had just been through the same hell you've gone through, and we were freaking out and suffering from panic attacks, you wouldn't say a word to us! You'd hold Felt's hand all day and encourage her no matter how many horrible things that she said to you!"
"I-"
"Or what about the disaster in the Valley of the Winds? When I started crying, you didn't slap me and tell me to get over it! In fact, you were ready to beat Julius into the ground for criticizing me."
"Subaru, I-"
"But now, you're beating yourself up for not living up to these ridiculous expectations that you have for yourself! You wouldn't treat anyone else except Emilia with this kind of casual cruelty!" Subaru snapped. "And let me tell you something, when people are being mean to Emilia, I really get fucking mad!"
"Subaru! Why are you talking to me like this?!"
Subaru 's scowl lightened. "I'm talking to you this way because I'd never let anyone else tear you down and make you feel inferior. So, what makes you think that you're exempt from that rule?"
Emilia stared at him in disbelief.
Subaru reached up and touched her cheek. "Mili, I want you to give Emilia a message for me," He said softly. "Tell her that it's OK not to be OK right now. Tell her that it 's OK to feel broken inside. To be hurt, to be scared. It's OK for her to lean on me while she mends her wounds. It's OK to stumble and fall. To fail to live up to her own impossible standards. I want you to do me a big favor, Mili. Treat Emilia kindly for a while. Pretend that you 're talking to me or Felt whenever you think about her if you have to. Just please try to be kind to her. "
Emilia absorbed Subaru 's little speech, and she shook her head. "Subaru," She said sadly. "I think that might have been the stupidest thing that you ever said to me. "
Subaru shrugged with a rueful smile.
"But… it was also very sweet," She admitted. "I'll… I'll try to be nicer to Emilia for a while," She added dubiously. "If she has someone as wonderful as you sticking up for her, maybe I have been treating her unfairly."
Subaru pulled Emilia into a tender hug. "Give it some time. You might even grow to like her. I know that I do."
Subaru and Emilia met up with Garfiel and Felt inside the tailor shop. The tailor was a chubby gray-haired man with a walrus mustache.
Felt was bouncing a sack of gold coins in her palm. "See?!" She growled, acting as if she was talking to a small dog. "We have gold ! Do you want it? Huh? Do you? "
"Uh. Of course, madam," The tailor said quickly with a nervous laugh. "It would be a pleasure to assist such fine people as yourselves!"
"Did I miss something?" Subaru asked mildly.
Felt snorted. "'Tubby' over here didn't believe that we could afford his prices. Luckily, we've gotten that all sorted out." The tailor made a sound of protest at this nickname, but Felt ignored him and looked at Emilia with concern. "Is… everything OK?" She asked Subaru.
"Not yet," He admitted. "But we're working on that."
Emilia gave Felt a weak smile that Felt managed to return.
"Alright," Subaru said to the tailor. "We're looking for a maid costume."
"Uh. A 'costume?'" The tailor asked in confusion.
Subaru rolled his eyes. "Get us a dress that a maid would wear! Something in her size," he said, pointing at Emilia.
"Oh! Of course, sir. Just a moment."
The tailor darted into the back and returned with a plain white dress. He handed it to Emilia, who hesitantly took it.
"Try it on, dear, so we know if the fit is correct," The tailor said kindly. "The changing room is right over there." He pointed to a curtain.
Emilia pursed her lips as she awkwardly held the dress. She looked at Subaru as if thinking about saying something but then she sighed and walked behind the curtain without a word.
"Subaru," Felt whispered. "Is she going to be OK?"
"Yes," Subaru said firmly. "She will be… She's just… not OK yet."
"Hard to blame her," Garfiel muttered. "I overheard some of the stuff that she said to you in the wagon. If I went through that shit, I'd probably be a drooling vegetable by the time it was all over."
"How would we tell the difference?" Felt asked.
"Bite me, shrimp," Garfiel sighed.
"Subaru," Emilia's quavering voice came from the changing room. "Can you… help me for a minute?"
Subaru shot Felt a confused look, and then he hurried into the changing room.
Emilia stood in the changing room, still fully dressed. She held the dress against her body and stared into the mirror, her expression looking oddly fragile.
"Mili?" Subaru murmured. "Are you OK?"
Emilia swallowed hard, and she deliberately turned her back on the mirror. "Subaru… is it… really OK to not be OK? "
"Of course it is. What's wrong?" He asked gently.
Emilia took a deep breath. "This dress… It looks like-"
"The ones that they were wearing," Subaru grumbled, instantly connecting the dots and feeling annoyed at himself for not realizing it. He took the dress from her and left the changing room.
The tailor looked puzzled. "Bad fit?"
"We're looking for something else," Subaru said flatly. "What kind of uniforms do governesses wear?"
"Uniforms?" The tailor echoed. "Sir, governesses don't really have uniforms."
"Well, if a governess came here and asked for a dress, what would you show her?" Subaru asked impatiently.
The tailor thought it over. "A modest dress," He said slowly. "Something tasteful and probably in plain or drab colors so as not to overshadow the children."
"Do you have something like that?"
"Of course!" The tailor went into the back room and emerged with a plain brown dress. "Try this."
Subaru took the dress and walked back into the changing room.
He showed Emilia the dress. "How's this?" He asked without any judgment.
Emilia gave him a wane smile. "Much better," She admitted.
A few minutes later, Emilia emerged wearing a plain brown dress.
Subaru walked slowly around Emilia, studying her with an intensity that made her blush.
"It's good," Subaru said, pursuing his lips, "But it's missing something… Do you have a hat to go with it? Ideally, something to cover her ears?"
The tailor clearly felt increasingly confused about what was the point of all this. The nobility often had strange and nonsensical requests, but this was bizarre even for them. Still, the customer was always right.
"Oh. Yes, sir," The tailor scampered off and returned with a bonnet that he placed on Emilia's head.
Subaru studied Emilia who couldn 't help fidgeting under his attention.
Finally, he nodded. "Perfect. I think that this will work well," Subaru saw.
"Thank you, my lord," The tailor said happily. "That will be one gold piece."
Felt snorted. "Do we look like we were born yesterday? " She grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Do you often get to gull your customers like that? We still have time to buy from your competition, you know."
Subaru was already taking the coin out of his pocket when Felt objected. Subaru paused and gave Felt an amused smile.
The tailor looked sheepish. "Oh, yes. My mistake. I must have done the math wrong. The full price is five silvers."
"That's better," Felt muttered.
Subaru chuckled as he handed the tailor the money. "Incidentally, I noticed you had a sword belt behind the counter?"
"Hm? Oh, that. Yes. Someone came here two years ago and asked for it to be adjusted but they never came back for it. I keep meaning to throw it out."
"Can I buy it?"
The tailor looked more confused. "I… don't see why not. Three silvers."
"Fine," Subaru said, handing him a few more coins.
"Should we take off the robes now?" Felt asked as they approached the hospital.
"No… I don't think so," Subaru said slowly. "A real noble family would be embarrassed about this. They'd be trying to hide who they were. Dressing like this should be OK. Besides, the robes help cover Emilia's slave collar, which might raise more questions about who we are and what we're doing here. God, we still need to get rid of that damn thing."
"Yes, please, let's be rid of the blasted thing," Emilia sighed.
Felt nodded. "Hey, Garf? Remember: keep your mouth shut."
Garfiel snorted. "What? You don't even think I play the part of an idiot successfully? "
Felt gave him a sour look. "I think that if Subaru and I have a brother who 's got a mouth full of sharp teeth, we're going to have a lot of explaining to do!" She snapped back.
Garfiel rubbed his mouth self-consciously.
"Alright, remember," Subaru said. "The goal is to get in, get information, and get out. We don't push too hard or start a fight unless we're trapped and desperate. Or unless we see the spirits. If I spot Beako, I'm getting her out of there even if I have to smash our way out."
"Sounds like a plan," Garfiel murmured.
Subaru took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
His knocks sounded hollow on the massively reinforced door. They waited, but nothing happened. Subaru was starting to wonder if no one had heard him when he heard a click, and the door slowly opened.
A kindly-faced old man in thick glasses peeked out. "Yes?"
"Is this McClane's Hospital for Incurables?" Subaru asked bluntly.
The old man studied him. "It is, Mister…"
"Baron."
"Baron…?"
"Just 'Baron' will do for now," Subaru said firmly. "We're interested in availing ourselves of your services. Our younger brother…" Subaru tried to put the right tone of awkward hesitation in his voice before looking back at Garfiel.
Garfiel was fidgeting and making soft moaning sounds. Emilia held one of his arms as if to restrain or reassure him. Garfiel rooted around in his ear with his finger.
Huh. How about that? Garfiel isn 't a bad actor.
Subaru turned back to the old man. "Our brother has… special needs. And we are no longer capable of providing him with the… structure and support that he requires. We wish to inspect your facilities and discuss what you can offer us."
The old man nodded. "Of course, one moment, please." The old man closed the door.
The minutes ticked by. Eventually, the old man came back. He opened the door and welcomed them with a smile.
"Please, come in, come in," He held the door wide and invited them inside.
I trust that old man as far as I can kick him, Subaru thought. None of his smiles reach his eyes.
Subaru marched past him with Felt just behind. Garfiel and Emilia brought up the rear.
Garfiel kept acting like he was trying to wander off, but Emilia gently guided him along.
"Now, Baron," The old man said patiently as he walked in front of the group and beckoned them to follow. "We'll need a bit more information about your brother before we can determine if we support him here. What condition precisely does he possess?"
Subaru looked at the man as if he were being obtuse. "He's stupid. What else is there to say?"
The old man hesitated for a split second. "Ah yes, there is that, " The old man nodded as he led them down a hallway. "What type of care are you looking for?"
Subaru bit his lip. "I want him to be… comfortable. Cared for. And… unobtrusive , " He muttered, sounding faintly regretful. "…I can't allow him to shame the family any longer…"
"Of course, of course," The old man said cheerfully. "Why don't we take a tour of our facility?"
The old man led them through a chamber of horrors. The hospital 's residents sat in bare, brick cells that were little more than kennels lined with straw. The patients were almost nude, and several of them were chained to the wall. There was a foul odor wafting from the cells, and many of the prisoners gibbered insanely.
"We try to take the very best care of our patients that we can," The old man said in a happy tone, utterly unaffected by the misery of his patients who had been reduced to near animals. "Our… 'problem cases' occasionally necessitate some corrective measures, but we try to limit that to only the most extreme cases."
"Doctor," A painfully skinny woman with huge brown eyes whimpered. "I'm sorry. Please, let me out. I promise I won't kiss Gretchen or the other girls anymore."
"You were warned, Tracie," The doctor said kindly. "You stay in there until you've learned your lesson and learn to refrain from your deviant behavior."
These people are broken, brutalized, and destroyed, Subaru thought. This hospital treats people like animals, and it throws them into cells to be forgotten. This place is clearly hell on earth.
Subaru made a face. Very convincing. It almost makes me want to believe it. With the minor caveat that these 'prisoners' are all clean-shaven, and their hair and nails look very nice for people who have been stuck in tiny cells for years and who wash themselves with their own feces.
This is nothing but a show. My guess is that these people all work here and jump into the cages whenever visitors arrive. They put on this little song and dance to shock the visitors and convince them to leave and never come back.
Subaru put a look of disgust and horror on his face.
The doctor turned back to Subaru. "As you can see, your brother will receive only the best treatment here. Unfortunately, such care is expensive. We charge one thousand gold pieces a year for our services. "
"A thousand?" Subaru yelled, not needing to feign his shocked disbelief.
"Top quality comes at significant costs," The doctor apologized.
This method of trying to investigate the hospital isn 't going to be very helpful after all, Subaru thought ruefully. I wasn 't expecting their performance to be quite this blatant.
If we leave now, we won 't learn anything useful.
Unfortunately, after seeing all this, it would be suspicious if I didn 't pitch a fit and storm out of here, either because I care about my 'brother' and don't want him to be whipped and kenneled like a dog or because that outrageous asking price is well beyond what even most noblemen could afford.
Subaru pretended to be staggering in horror. "This… Doctor… how?" He babbled as if he was unable to put his thoughts in order.
Out of the corner of his eye, Subaru saw Garfiel inspecting an open shaft in the brick building with a speculative eye, but he had no time to ponder that right now.
"Yes, I'm sure that it's quite… unsettling at first," The Doctor said soothingly. "But our program has a very high success rate! Other hospitals use… different treatment plans but…" The doctor spread his arms helplessly.
What a subtle hint for us to explore other options …
Subaru put a sick expression on his face and cleared his throat. "Thank you… for your time, Doctor," He said in a weak voice. "We'll keep your… wonderful establishment in mind. But first, I think we'll explore a few other options if you don't mind."
"Oh, not at all! Not at all!" The doctor said in a friendly tone. "There are some wonderful hospitals in the capital and Ganaks. I strongly recommend them."
This guy is about as subtle as a club to the face …
"Thank you, Doctor," Subaru said weakly, "If you'll just show us the way out?"
"Please let us know if you want to talk more!" The doctor chirped as he closed the door behind them.
"Oh, Gods!" Emilia whispered in a shaken voice. "Those poor people!"
"It's awful!" Garfiel fumed as they moved back toward the inn. "I say we go back in there and splatter that sadistic little doctor all over the walls!"
"For what?" Felt asked flatly. "Putting his coworkers in cages for fifteen minutes?"
Garfiel and Emilia both stared at her.
"You noticed it too?" Subaru asked Felt with a fond smile.
Felt snorted. "They weren't being particularly subtle about it," She said with contempt.
"What are you two talking about?" Emilia asked, still sounding horrified.
"Prisoners tend to be messy," Felt said patiently. "Those prisoners were all pretty clean, and their faces were awfully well shaved. Their hair had been neatly trimmed, and so were their fingernails. They're not prisoners, they're actors. People paid to convince anyone that comes looking that the hospital is a place of nightmares and that they should never come back." Felt glanced at Subaru. "Was that all of the stuff that you noticed?"
"Pretty much," Subaru nodded. Subaru suddenly stopped short.
Wait a second. I noticed all of that stuff without even triggering Reason and Judgment. That seems … very odd.
Is the Authority affecting me more than I realized?
"Subaru?" Emilia asked, "Are you OK?"
"Huh? Oh, sure," Subaru nodded, and he started walking again. "Unfortunately, that trip was a big waste of time. We didn't learn anything useful."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," Garfiel grinned.
Subaru stopped short and looked back at him. "Garf? What have you got?"
"That shaft next to the cells," Garfiel smirked. "Did any of you get a good look at it?"
Subaru shook his head. "I was busy dealing with the doctor."
"What's a shaft got to do with anything?" Felt asked in confusion. "They probably made it to throw waste down into the sewers."
"Not so, shrimp!" Garfiel said, sounding very pleased with himself. "There was a rusty winch at the top of that shaft. A big one. One that was made to haul lots of weight up and done. And the shaft is pretty big, too. Big enough to allow some big ass crates to be raised and lowered."
"So… what?" Felt muttered. "They… lower crates into the basement from there? How does that help us?"
Subaru looked at Garfiel sharply. "But big crates couldn't possibly fit through that narrow hallway…"
"Bingo!" Garfiel said excitedly. "That means there must be another way to get things into the hospital! Lots of the older buildings in Priestella were supposed to have back entrances to the canals so that goods could be transported by barge."
"That suggests that there's another way into the hospital from the canals," Emilia said excitedly.
"You got it, Frosty!"
Felt stared at Garfiel for a long moment, and then she shook her head. "Garf, some days you amaze me."
They waited for night to fall and then prepared to investigate the canal side of the hospital.
Subaru put on the sword belt and carefully slid the sword of House Astrea into it. It wasn 't a great fit, but at least Subaru could be confident that the sword wouldn't fall out of the sheath.
"Uh, Captain?" Garfiel asked. "What are you doing with that?"
"Just in case we run into trouble," Subaru shrugged.
Garfiel looked confused. "If we run into trouble, wouldn't it be easier for you to just, you know, smash them like you usually do? "
"Much easier," Subaru agreed. "But if folks find bodies smashed against the walls, it positively screams that I'm here in town. I'm more than willing to do that if we have to, but if we can avoid doing it, it's less likely that we'll attract the kingdom's attention."
Garfiel mulled that over and nodded. "Hey, Captain, another thing," He added. "What about the Ironborn? Shouldn't we be warning the folks here that those monsters could arrive any time now?"
Subaru looked pained. "Well…We need to do that, " He agreed with a sigh, "But I'm currently drawing a blank."
"What do you mean, Subaru?" Emilia asked.
Subaru sighed. "I mean that I can't think of who we can contact to warn them! I don 't know anyone in the military hierarchy that I have any confidence would take me seriously if I approached them with this wild story! " He said helplessly.
"What about Lady Crusch?" Emilia suggested.
Felt shook her head with a snort. "Please! Crush wouldn't believe us if we told her the night sky was dark and full of stars!"
"Crusch… isn't my biggest fan," Subaru grumbled. "And from what Priscilla told me, she and Anastasia are both in some serious trouble right now. Apparently, the Triumvirate is watching them like a hawk to make sure that they don't step out of line. Crusch and Anastasia have formed a new alliance to try to break free, but Priscilla wasn't very optimistic about their chances."
Emilia frowned, and then her face lit up. "Subaru! What about Anastasia?"
Subaru looked at Emilia in confusion. "Anastasia doesn't really have any connections with the army, Mili. I mean, I think she'd probably believe me, but she 's just a merchant. What the hell is Anastasia going to do? "
"Convince Crusch to take you seriously!" Emilia said earnestly. "You said that they were in an alliance. If Anastasia reported this to Crusch, she'd have to at least listen."
Subaru frowned, mulling that over. Then his eyes widened. "Huh. That's actually a great idea. Good job!"
Emilia smiled.
"But how are we going to get in touch with her?" Garfiel asked.
"There's got to be a branch of the Hoshin Trading Company somewhere in Priestella," Felt said at once. "We'll give them a letter and let them deliver it."
Subaru nodded. "Right. But we'll do that later. I want to get Beako and Puck out of there first," He said.
"I don't know, Subaru," Emilia criticized. "Those Ironborn you told me about could arrive here at any time."
"No. Not at any time," Subaru disagreed, "The Ironborn themselves could probably come stomping along any minute now, but that assumes that Vincent was willing to attack the kingdom with a hundred Ironborn and with no support from the Vollachian army. The Vollachian forces are exhausted from the war, and they'll take time to recover and reorganize. The army can't move out without first setting up supply lines and stabilizing all the Vollachian districts that are still in rebellion. We should have plenty of warning when Vincent approaches. He might even want us to have plenty of warning so that he can give the Lagunican army time to get in position to block him. That way, he can crush the bulk of their forces before they realize what the Ironborn are really capable of."
Emilia looked unconvinced, but she raised no further objection.
Subaru glanced out the window at the dark and silent city. "Alright, let's go."
The team slipped around behind the hospital, where the rear of the building met the canal. There were no walkways along the side of the canals in this area, and the group needed to climb over fences and through shrubs to reach the hospital 's rear. Below them, they could see an old, dilapidated dock that clearly hadn't been used in years.
"Alright," Subaru whispered, "Let's start looking there."
The others nodded underneath their hoods.
The group slipped down onto the dock. There was a brick tunnel leading toward the hospital.
"Unguarded?" Felt whispered with a tone of alarm in her voice.
"Don't panic yet, Felt," Subaru murmured. "I'm sure that the path ahead is locked or maybe even sealed up. They may not need guards down here."
"Wait! But then, how are we going to get through?" Garfiel whispered.
Subaru smiled ruefully. "I'll smash it, " He said.
Garfiel chuckled.
The group slowly entered the dark tunnel.
"Shit, we should have brought a lamp," Garfiel muttered.
"Shush!" Felt whispered sharply. "I think I heard something!"
Subaru nodded, uncertain if the others could see the gesture in the dark.
I think I heard something, too. It sounded like somebody was talking. They stopped when Garfiel spoke up.
Looks like this place isn 't as unguarded as we hoped.
Luckily, I doubt that the guards in this place will be anything we can 't handle.
A loud 'bang' came from the darkness, less than ten feet away. Followed by a sharp 'Ouch!' as if someone had bumped into something and hurt themselves.
There are people right next to us! Can they see us in the dark?! Is this an ambush?!
A flash of light blinded Subaru for a moment. When his vision cleared, he found himself facing four figures who were also wearing brown hooded robes. One of them appeared to be rubbing his injured foot.
"Get out of here," A male voice said flatly. "We won't hesitate to cut you down if you interfere with us."
Subaru growled. "Buddy. We are breaking into this prison, one way or the other. You can get out of our way or be crushed. "
The figure was silent for a moment. "Wait. Aren't… you the guards? " He asked in an uncertain voice.
Subaru blinked, briefly debating if this was a ruse.
"Uh," Garfiel said awkwardly. "We thought that you were the guards…"
"No," Another figure said, rubbing his toes. "We're here on a mission of rescue."
"Perhaps we can become allies in this matter and work to secure the release of our companions together," A third said in a familiar voice.
Subaru 's eyes widened. "Wait a second! … Julius ?! " He asked in disbelief.
The figure started, slowly pulling down his hood, revealing purple hair. "Subaru Natsuki?" Julius whispered in astonishment.
Subaru pulled down his own hood, feeling more than a little foolish.
"Lord Subaru!" One of the others said in joyful recognition.
Two of the other strangers pulled down their hoods, rushed over to Subaru, and shook his hand enthusiastically. "What good tidings to find you here!"
Subaru frowned. "Hang on… Falric and Marwain?" Subaru asked uncertainly.
The two army captains grinned boyishly.
"We're flattered that you remember us, my lord," Marwain said.
"Well, you shouldn't be too shocked. We did spend a lot of time together," Subaru murmured, trying to figure out what was going on here. He glanced at the last figure. "Who's your friend?"
Falric and Marwain hesitated. They looked at each other dubiously.
Subaru closed his eyes with a sigh. "Hello, Crusch," He muttered in resignation.
Subaru heard something from the last hooded figure that sounded suspiciously like a curse word. They pulled down their hood, revealing long green hair and a frustrated expression.
Garfiel, Emilia, and Felt pulled down their hoods as well.
The looks that Falric and Marwain directed at Emilia were guarded but not yet hostile.
Julius showed no reaction to any of them until he noticed Emilia 's slave collar. Then his eyes widened, and his face twisted into an expression of outrage.
Felt glared at Crusch with a look of pure poison.
Crusch noticed Felt 's venom, and she shifted uncomfortably, her face flushed and embarrassed.
Crusch turned her attention toward Subaru. "Subaru Natsuki," Crusch said in tones that indicated she wasn't the least bit happy to see him. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were in Vollachia."
Subaru snorted. "Yes. And the Emperor was most insistent that we stay in Vollachia indefinitely. But we had prior obligations in Lagunica, so we slipped away to rescue our friends. "
"Your friends?" Julius asked sharply.
"We have a reliable tip that Puck and Beatrice are prisoners in this place," Subaru said.
"That's splendid!" Falric cried out.
Subaru looked at Falric incredulously.
Marwain elbowed Falric hard in the ribs. "My tactless companion misspoke," He said in resignation. "What he meant to say is that with your assistance, our raid on the hospital will be unstoppable, and we will rescue our friend from this place as well as all the other prisoners. "
Falric flushed but nodded enthusiastically.
Subaru glanced at Julius, whose face looked conflicted.
Julius doesn 't look too happy to see me. I've got to admit that I have misgivings about trying to work with him as well. Not to mention Crusch.
Still, what other choice do we have? We either work together or, one way or another, we 're going to end up fighting each other. And that's not only a waste of time and energy, but it will also alert the people in the hospital that they're under attack.
Subaru took a deep breath. "What do you say, Julius? You up for working together?" He asked in a neutral tone.
Julius stared hard at Subaru as if trying to read his mind. He seemed to weigh the prospect for a time, but ultimately, Julius sighed and nodded. "Your strength… will do honor to our cause," He said simply. "Together, we will prevail."
Subaru found himself nodding in agreement. "Who are you looking for in here?" He asked.
"Felix Argyle," Julius said at once. "Our friend has been taken prisoner by the Triumvirate to keep Lady Crusch submissive to their will. Lady Anastasia managed to smuggle all of us to Priestella during her journey to a trade mission in Gusteko. I asked Lady Anastasia for permission to accompany Crusch on this mission and she granted it wholeheartedly. It worries me greatly to know that Lady Anastasia is vulnerable without my sword at her side, but she assured me that she would be well protected until I could reunite with her in the north."
Crusch appeared annoyed that the decision to team up had been largely made without her, but she raised no objection. "As he said, we received a reliable tip that Felix was a prisoner here," She said reluctantly. "However, in return for this information, we had to promise to free all of the other prisoners from this place as well. "
Subaru frowned. "That could complicate things. This is a huge building. We can't hope to sneak a whole army of prisoners through the city streets without attracting attention."
"There is no need," Crusch said disdainfully. "I have had a longstanding relationship with Kiritaka, a member of the Priestella ruling council. He shares my disgust for this horrific place, but he was unwilling to commit forces to a raid without evidence. However, he has arranged for a large number of guards to be stationed nearby while on a training mission. Should evidence of wrongdoing just 'happen' to fall into their lap, they will move swiftly to arrest the malefactors and to secure their victims."
Subaru mulled that over and then nodded.
"I would strongly suggest," Crusch continued, her lip curling in distaste. "That you bring yourself away from this place before we encounter the guard. Your involvement in this operation would complicate the trial of these miscreants."
Subaru snorted. "Don't worry, Crusch. I plan to conclude my business in Priestella and then get myself gone . "
Which is all true. Crusch just doesn 't need to know what the rest of our business in town is.
"The night is passing," Julius reminded everyone. "We should continue our mission."
Everyone nodded and slowly proceeded down the tunnel, lit by Marwain 's lantern.
Subaru found himself walking beside Crusch who was pointedly ignoring him.
Subaru wrestled with indecision for a moment. Then he sighed. "Crusch," He said finally. "I need to talk to you."
Crusch looked back at him, her expression disdainful. "I don't believe that we have anything to discuss at this point," She sniffed.
"Vollachia has a new weapon," Subaru said.
Crusch 's eyes widened. She turned to face Subaru, her attention now riveted.
Subaru struggled to figure out where to start. "While we were in Vollachia… Vincent tricked us into helping him to acquire a powerful weapon," He sighed.
As much as I 'd like to cover up our involvement in this mess, hiding the truth would only hurt my credibility in the long run.
Besides, Crusch will probably find it easier to accept that Vollachia acquired a new weapon due to my screw-up than that they just stumbled over it by chance.
Crusch 's face twisted in outrage. "You did what?! " She shouted, her words echoing down the tunnel.
Everyone shushed her, and Crusch nodded apologetically, but she still glared at Subaru with a snarl of frustration.
Subaru sighed. "He outsmarted me, " He admitted. "Regulus kidnapped Emilia."
Crusch 's eyes flickered between Subaru and Emilia. "Regulus? That was the name of the monster that Reinhard fought unsuccessfully in the north?" She asked.
"I assume so," Subaru nodded. "I doubt that anyone else could stand up to Red. Regulus is invincible as far as we know. We had no way to confront him and get Emilia back. Vincent told us that there was an ancient weapon in the Gandahar jungle that would let us kill Regulus. We went after it. But Vincent double-crossed us, and he stole the Ironborn for himself."
Crusch 's face twisted in disgust. "The Ironborn ? The immortal soldiers of legend? " She asked with profound skepticism. "The iron men who built the Vollachian Crystal Palace and then placed the sun above it so that it would be properly illuminated?"
Subaru blinked. "Wait. You've heard of them?"
"Yes, Subaru Natsuki. I, too, read children's stories as a girl," She said flatly. "We don't have time for this nonsense. This is serious-"
"Crush," Felt grated. "We've seen the Ironborn with our own eyes. They're not men; they're monsters. Living statues made of metal. We've watched them tear through an army that was thousands strong without even taking a scratch. They can break rocks and steel as if they were thin tin. Subaru tried to fight them, but they could repair themselves almost as fast as he could break them apart. Vincent has already made it very clear that he intends to use them against Lagunica and that Priestella is his first target. You had better get ready for their arrival, or your first confrontation with them will also be your last."
Crusch frowned at Felt, and a sliver of doubt appeared in her eyes.
Crusch turned back to Subaru. "What can you tell me about them?" She asked in a strictly professional voice. "How many of them are there? Do they have any weaknesses?"
"He has about a hundred," Subaru said shortly. "They don't have many weaknesses. The only one that I've learned so far is that they can't be subdivided."
"What do you mean?"
"Vincent has a talisman that allows him to command the Ironborn. But it doesn't look like he can give authority over them to his officers. That means that he needs to keep all the Ironborn with him in order to use them."
Crusch frowned, mulling that over. "An invincible core of fighters that can't be dispersed…."
Subaru nodded. "The logical strategy would be to respond by breaking your own forces into small tactical squads," He said at once. "An army of titans is useless if it can't find anything of value to smash. Instead of engaging with the Ironborn directly, disperse your army so that he has no targets of sufficient value to be worth attacking. Then have your men cross the border on raiding missions, avoiding direct combat while you savage the Vollachian infrastructure and force Vincent to either go home to defend his people or watch his entire Empire burn down while he's busy trying to conquer Lagunica."
Wait. How the hell did I come up with that?
Subaru noticed that Crusch was looking at Subaru with the familiar expression of respect mingled with aggravation that he 'd come to expect from her. "A… very sound strategy," She admitted. "I wish to discuss this further at a later date. But for now, the rescue of the prisoners remains our top priority."
Subaru nodded, and they all walked deeper down the tunnel until they reached a solid brick wall.
Falric made an expression of dismay. "They did seal it off, " He whispered.
Subaru rolled up his sleeves. "I guess this is my cue," He sighed.
Julius held out a hand and stopped him. "Please, Subaru Natsuki," He said in a neutral tone. "Allow me."
Subaru raised an eyebrow, but he let Julius go ahead of him.
Julius waved his hand, and his spirits, quietly whirling around his wrist, flew toward the brick wall. The luminous balls of light spun in a circle next to the wall, glowing like tiny suns.
A moment later, the bricks melted down into sludge and clay, dissolving into a puddle and leaving an enormous hole in the wall.
Subaru gave Julius an impressed look.
Julius looked amused. "Being able to turn a pile of bricks back into clay is certainly a niche ability, but it does have its uses. "
Subaru had to agree.