The moment the thug stepped on the ground, Subaru had the illusion that the world had tilted.
In reality, that could never happen. The weight of the earth is not so small that even a mere human-sized presence could shake its very foundations.
Therefore, the tilt of the world was just an illusion on Subaru's part.
In reality, the ground had simply turned up from under Garfiel's feet, flipping the dragon carriage over like a tatami mat.
"No way, right――right!?"
At the front of the makeshift seesaw, the sensation of being pushed upwards with force reached its peak, and the dragon carriage glided through the air, engulfed in a sense of floating. The total weight of the dragons, including Patrasche and the others, easily exceeding one ton, was sent flying, and Subaru, who was inside the carriage, could only pull Emilia, whom he had quickly taken hold of, tightly towards him.
The dragon carriage was slammed into the ground, sending tremendous shockwaves inside and out, creaking violently. It was a high-quality dragon carriage. Its luxury wasn't limited to its gorgeous appearance, it was also proof of its excellent livability and durability, which was fully demonstrated and prevented it from being destroyed. However, the dragon carriage was in a state where it was almost overturned, so it was not in a position to move forward immediately.
In other words, this means that we must face an entity that has committed such terrible acts without having the option of fleeing.
"Shit, what the--"
Shaking his head, Subaru put his hand to his sore forehead as he stuck his head out of the driver's seat. His head throbbed slightly from where it had hit it when he had fallen, but thankfully there were no signs of cuts or bleeding. Suddenly remembering something, he looked down and saw that Emilia in his arms didn't appear to be hurt either.
I feel a sense of relief at this, but it is soon replaced by frustration as I remember the root cause of the situation.
He looked up in frustration, and there before his eyes was the sight he had feared――
"Patrasche――!!"
Neighing and baring its fangs, the jet-black earth dragon leapt its massive body and leapt towards the smaller shadow.
Taking advantage of the loosening of the connection to the dragon carriage, Patrasche twisted her body and, with quick movements, escaped from her restraints and attempted a counterattack against the attackers.
Its sharp fangs were as sharp as blades, and its jaws were powerful enough to slice through the flesh of a human body and crush bones. With the speed of the wind, it aimed for Garfiel's neck and began to rip him to shreds without question. But,
"That's an incredible decision. A fine earth dragon... No, a fine woman, you know. 'The sound of broken bones is also proof of love', as the saying goes."
"----!"
The tip of an outstretched arm was thrust into the jaws which were closed to bite off something.
Garfiel held out his right hand for Patrasche to swallow. The earth dragon took advantage of his plan and bit into his arm, tearing off the tip and leaping at his body. Or so it should have been.
And yet Patrasche couldn't move. Not only his body, but even his jaw couldn't move at all, even though his arm was in his mouth.
Was it some special ability or magic?
As such questions raced through Subaru's mind, Garfiel easily answered them with a single action: the muscles in his arm swelled as he thrust his body through the mouth, prying it open with strength that surpassed the strength of his jaw.
"Good job, you. Good thing you took action right away, and even better that you haven't given up yet. You pass."
"----!"
The jet-black earth dragon lowered its body and twisted its hips while its mouth was still being held. With the strength of its jaws sealing the man's right arm, Patrasche's tail roared as it swung around and went to blow off the side of the dragon's face. Subaru had been hit by a tail blow like that before, but looking at Patrasche's movements now it was clear how much she had been holding back.
It was a literal blow with all its might, packed with enough hostility to easily knock the body it hit with a bang, but even that was easily stopped by Garfiel's left hand, which was thrust in mid-strike.
A dry popping sound rang out, and after the impact, the tip of the tail was grabbed in the left hand. Garfiel held his head with his right hand and the tail with his left, baring his fangs like a beast and grinning.
"I won't let you suffer. Get some sleep."
He swung his arms wide, and the circular motion sent his large frame sliding effortlessly through the air as if it were a joke. He was then spun sideways on the spot, and with a look of confusion in his eyes at the floating sensation that even he himself had never imagined, he was gently thrown sideways to the ground.
There was barely a vibration from the giant's body hitting the ground, and in the silence Patrasche was defeated. Seeing this unbelievable sight before him, Subaru cleared his throat in disgust,
"You threw Patrasche...?"
「That's an honest nature. I threw it honestly so it didn't hurt. I'll finish it off before it even gets up!」
Subaru was shocked when Garfiel, cheeks raised, slid lightly onto the driver's seat. On the tilted driver's seat was Otto, who had lost his balance, and he rose to his feet in time with the attackers climbing in,
"Ugh... But don't underestimate me! I'm still just a peddler! I've prepared for the possibility of being attacked by thugs while out trading. So, if you don't want to fall victim to the Suwen family's thug-repelling techniques, I recommend you surrender immediately... ahhh!"
"Shut up, you amateur. There's no way you can defeat me with just a little hairy technique, go to sleep."
Right after he took a fighting stance in high spirits, Garfiel approached him calmly from the front, flicking his forehead with his fingers, causing Otto to collapse.
A fist punch―― Or rather, more like a flick on the head, made an immense sound as it toppled Otto's emaciated body onto the driver's seat. Judging from the way he was clutching his forehead and writhing in silence, his life was likely in no danger, but with this there was no obstacle between them.
"Well, from what I can see, it looks like you guys are the only ones left."
The thug snorted and muttered, shooting Subaru a sharp glare that looked as if it could cut him to pieces. The distance between him and Otto, as he stood on the driver's seat, was roughly four long strides - to him, who had closed the distance between him and Otto in an unconscious moment, that distance was practically nonexistent.
Subaru holds his breath and searches for a solution, but nothing comes up in the search results. With their current strength, the only one who seems capable of competing with the man in front of him is Emilia, but she is still unconscious from a fainting spell of unknown cause. Above all, he must protect her.
"I am..."
"'No matter how many times you turn it over, your skin is still blue', I'm not gonna listen to that!"
He heard a light kick on the floor, and then in the blink of an eye, Garfiel's small body appeared before Subaru's eyes. His raised arm had five fingers spread, and he could easily imagine himself being torn apart by the five claws as they swung down on him.
And as Subaru saw his body being torn apart, there was only one thing he could do. He put his own body on the line to protect Emilia in his arms, so that none of the damage would be directed at her.
「――――!!」
--Maybe there was a few seconds.
Subaru closed his eyes and shielded Emilia with his whole body, feeling uneasy at the awful amount of time it seemed to take for the impact to hit. Then, he cautiously opened his eyes and saw five fingers outstretched and motionless in front of him. And behind them was a thug with a suspicious look in his eyes.
He looked down at Subaru, who had involuntarily stopped breathing, and his neck cracked loudly.
"You're not even going to fight back and you prioritized protecting the woman, I wonder. If you get killed, the woman will go down with you either way. That's poor judgment, isn't it?"
Subaru was speechless in many ways as he was confronted with a truthful argument that he didn't want to hear. Garfiel seemed to feel even more uncomfortable with his silence as he waved his sharp, clawed palm,
"And to top it off, he came back too late. It's not like he had no hope since he was able to move, but... there's no doubt that he's useless."
"Y-you are..."
"Huh?"
Garfiel gives a terrible evaluation based on arguments that Subaru doesn't understand. Subaru somehow manages to move his frozen throat and try to call out to him. At that moment, Garfiel, his ferocious expression twisting even more in displeasure, draws his face closer,
"Your voice is too quiet. Speak louder."
"You're Garfiel... so it's fine, right? You're an acquaintance of Roswaal and Frederica."
"--Frederica?"
Subaru confirms this, and for the first time, Garfiel's expression loses its aggressive intent. He blinks, confused, with a sober face that, if you just look at him, you can see a glimpse of the charm of a carnivorous animal that has forgotten its blood, but he quickly covers it up with a bitter expression,
"Why that name... No, wait a minute. The woman you're holding, that silver-haired one... is she half-demon?"
"She's a half-elf. Don't talk like that in front of her."
"--Ha. What's up with you, you suddenly look so fired up."
Looking down at Emilia, Subaru's words explode the moment he utters that derogatory term. All the fear he had felt earlier vanished as his words were overcome with pure anger, and upon hearing this, Garfiel clicked his teeth together in great amusement,
"Well, then, this must be the rumored Emilia-sama. The only half-demon approaching here right now is someone connected to Roswaal."
"You..."
Subaru started to stand up as Garfiel ignored what he had just said and deliberately emphasized the "half demon" part, but was stopped short by the outstretched palm of Garfiel.
"'A fool who bites into hot iron will only get hurt'. You can't beat me. Just consider the difference in our abilities and keep quiet. --You didn't get hurt, did you?"
He makes a fist with his outstretched palm and cracks the bones in a threatening manner. The fighting strength of our two sides is clear, and since I don't know what he will do, any unnecessary confrontation will only make the situation worse. I suppress my anger at this time and aim for an opportunity to get revenge later. That is the right and wise decision.
that's why,
"Fuck you."
"Huh?"
Subaru: "I don't want to get hurt. I'll probably get beaten up by you. But still. Just because this child will be sad doesn't give me any reason to overlook your disrespect."
Gently laying Emilia down on the carriage, he stroked the hair off her forehead with his fingers. Subaru then stood up, and Garfiel, who was silently looking his way, glared at him so close that their foreheads almost touched. So close that he could feel his breath, so close that he could reach out to touch him.
"Please take back that ridiculous nickname and never use it again."
"...If you want to make me do what you want, aren't there a lot of things missing? I'll hurt your side, your ribcage, your shins, all of them, huh?"
「Give it a try. It won't be free. I'll bite the hand that punches me in the face, hang on to the arm that punches me in the stomach, spit on the leg that kicks me, and I'll get my revenge.」
Returning threats with threats, Subaru gave in to the seething passion that burned in his heart. Before his eyes, Garfiel's quiet hostility sent fear running through his entire body. If he really wanted to, he could literally swat Subaru away. Just the previous exchange made that clear.
Garfiel is an individual who possesses the fighting power to rank among the most powerful people Subaru has ever seen in the other world. Even if he can't reach the top of Reinhard, who is at the top, he could reach Wilhelm and Julius, who are below him.
There was almost no chance that even the very small retaliation that Subaru had spoken of could be carried out.
And yet, Subaru and Garfiel stare each other down. Knowing he will lose is no reason to retreat. The reasons he must not retreat are right behind him.
"--Hihaha."
"--a?"
It was a sudden, incomprehensible sound of air.
In the midst of their staring contest, it suddenly leaked out and cut between them. Subaru raised a suspicious voice, wondering what was going on, and Garfiel moved in response.
"Hahaha! That's a good challenge, hey. You can do it if you just do it!"
"What... Ouch! Wh, what, it hurts, wait, it hurts!"
Shaking his shoulders wildly and laughing, Garfiel slammed Subaru's shoulders with all his might. It was an act that had nothing to do with hostility or aggression, but it was done purely out of a desire for physical contact, and his relentless force had the sole effect of chipping away at Subaru's stamina gauge.
"Fine, you pass. I'll let you through. Half-demon... I don't like half-elves, but if you have the guts to go to such lengths to protect a woman, I'll spare you."
"I'm fine with you repeating yourself... I mean, I told you it hurt! How long are you going to keep hitting me? Are you trying to kill me?"
Subaru shakes off Garfiel's unwavering arm, stepping back slightly to put some distance between them. Seeing this, the thug tilts his head, then crosses his muscular arms,
"How cruel. Let's just forget about what happened just now. Being petty is proof that men are petty, you know?"
"This is the first time I've heard that idiomatic expression from you, but that's none of your business! Anyway!"
Shaking his body violently, Garfiel pointed and locked his fingers with both hands. As he lifted his chin slightly, Subaru continued speaking roughly,
"You're Garfiel, and you're an acquaintance of Roswaal, right? I was a bit scared at the sudden contact, but is it okay to say that you have no hostile intentions now?"
"Peace, stop making noise. You're so noisy. There's no need to rush, I'm just going to pick them up and eat them."
"Who would believe that with your violent attitude up until now...?"
Garfiel had his fingers in his ears and looked annoyed, but he seemed convinced by Subaru's complaint, saying, "I guess that's true." There were some parts of his thinking that were hard to read, but he was somehow relieved that it seemed he was able to understand what was being said. Then, Subaru remembered that he had escaped from a difficult situation,
"Well, that's not the point! Emilia suddenly collapsed. She was talking normally up until just now."
"The half-elf who collapsed? Well, of course. Where did you think you were? There's no need to panic."
Rushing over to Emilia, he sees her expression and sees that she is still breathing heavily in her sleep. Subaru worries about her painful condition, but Garfiel merely shrugs his shoulders in a mocking manner. When Subaru asks, "What do you mean?" with a knowing look on his face, he frowns suspiciously,
"You asked Roswaal and Frederica what this place is, right? If so, it must exist... Don't you know?"
When Subaru shook his head at the introductory stage of the explanation, Garfiel clicked his tongue in disgust. He bit back the words, "That perverted bastard..." and tried to suppress the obvious curse he was referring to.
"Frederica didn't say anything either? That nasty guy, I guess he's taken on the personality of his owner since we last saw him. There's no hope for him."
Shaking his head, Garfiel let out his frustration in a rough snort. Then, noticing Subaru's questioning eyes, he lightly raised his hand and said, "I understand, I understand,"
"You look unwell, but your life is not in danger. However, if you don't want to see you in any more pain, then get away from here. I'll show you to the village."
"If I leave here, will he regain consciousness?"
"That's why I said so. Let's get going. How long are you going to sleep? Get up."
Unwilling to give any further explanation than this extremely inadequate explanation, Garfiel turns around without even trying to hide his rude attitude, heads towards the driver's seat and kicks the fallen Otto. Otto, still writhing in agony, cried out "Aaah!" after receiving the kick,
"You're the driver, aren't you? I'll fix the tilted dragon carriage, so you drive it to the village yourself. I'll kick you ass until it buckles."
「But really, what kind of situation is this!? From what I've heard so far, I think I've completely lost out!」
Otto boils over at the outrageous argument and stands up to speak to Garfiel. It's impressive courage coming from someone who'd only just suffered such a painful experience, but Garfiel seems to agree, seeing it and turns to Subaru,
"Hey. Is this guy always this energetic?"
"Even if you ask that person for their opinion of me, I don't think you'll get a fair evaluation, so please stop! Look at me with your own eyes and evaluate me as a person! For now, apologize! Please apologize!"
「Huh!? You bastard, you've suddenly become energetic, are you underestimating me!? I got a little ahead of myself and hit someone who didn't need to be hit, so give me a break!」
"You two shut up! Emilia-tan is probably suffering while you're doing this, so grab the reins quickly! And you fix the dragon carriage!"
The three men started shouting and exchanging insults on the driver's seat.
Emilia was still unconscious, lying on the back of the truck, and had not yet woken up. However, her handsome features were slightly frowning, and she spoke in pain at the noise.
"...Shut up."
He muttered this in a small voice, as if he was talking in his sleep.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
"Now that I think about it, I haven't told you my name. I'm Garfiel... Ah, just Garfiel. The strongest man. I'll be counting on you."
"Yeah, I'm Natsuki Subaru… eh? What did you just say? Did I say I'm the strongest? Sober?"
As they sat facing each other in the carriage, Subaru and Garfiel introduced themselves to each other. Subaru was surprised and shook the hand that was offered to him, to which Garfiel gave a puzzled look,
"Oh, I told you. Is there something strange?"
"Well, to be honest, I never thought there'd be someone who would honestly say, 'I'm the strongest.' But even so, aren't you carrying a bit too much of a big name?"
"Am I not worthy of being the strongest?"
"I'll admit that he's incredibly strong, but when it comes to discussing whether he's the strongest or not… there's always someone that pops into my head."
Imagining the red-haired knight, Subaru mentally compared him to Garfiel before him. Judging from their previous exchange, Garfiel was a man of considerable martial skill even with his bare hands, but he couldn't blow away a house with a single kick - no, Garfiel had also made the ground cave in with a single step and upset a dragon carriage. In terms of outrageousness, could that mean he could give the master swordsman a fair fight?
Even with that thought, the image of Reinhardt's superiority still remained in Subaru's mind. He himself didn't know why he viewed that knight as so special.
"Ha, well, it doesn't matter. Someday I'll prove that I'm the strongest with my own hands and overturn your wrong ideas. For now, just think of me as 'The Red-nosed, Cold-sensitive Todonos'."
"I don't know what I was supposed to think..."
Subaru tilts his head at the unclear phrasing, but Garfiel doesn't seem to intend to explain, so he crosses his arms behind his head and relaxes, leaning his weight back on the seat. The conversation seems to have died down, and Subaru looks out the small window, taking advantage of the confusion to run his fingers through Emilia's silver hair as she lies on his lap.
Emilia has yet to wake up, but her expression is more peaceful than before. As Garfiel claims, it seems that at least moving away from that place has had a positive effect. And what worries me about this is,
"Hey, I forgot to ask earlier, but you're an acquaintance of Roswaal, right?"
"You've at least heard of my name, right? Just to be safe, I'm by far the strongest of all those connected to Roswaal."
"That doesn't make sense... I remember hearing that he was an influential person or something."
Surely he wasn't called an "influential person" because he had military prowess? If so, then Garfiel had gone against Subaru's expectations, and was not an ally in the political sense, but in the muscle-brain sense.
With the Sanctuary just around the corner, it was a blessing to be able to make friendly contact with someone we should be wary of, but it was troubling that it had created more headaches.
"I have more questions to ask Roswaal about the Sanctuary. He's supposed to be working to solve the problems, but it only seems like the problems are increasing. What's going on?"
Holding his head, Subaru's expression clouded over the fact that the difficulties that lay ahead had only increased. However, upon hearing this, Garfiel clicked his tongue softly, revealing his sharp canines,
"A 'Sanctuary' - right?"
When Subaru raised his head at the meaningful mutter, Garfiel waved his hand slightly. He then stood up and turned towards the direction they were heading - that is, towards their destination, the "Sanctuary", and,
"You took everything Roswaal told you at face value, that's why you called him that. Not knowing is one thing, but not letting him know is the worst."
"To be honest, I agree with you, but talking behind someone's back when they're not around is just rude, so let's stop that. ... By the way, did that bother you?"
Garfiel was clearly upset upon hearing the word "Sanctuary." Subaru looked to see if he had said something wrong, but his response was straightforward.
That is, he made an unbecoming, sarcastic smile on his face,
"I think it's about time for the princess to wake up. We've gotten quite far away from the barrier."
"What is a barrier… Emilia-tan?"
Before she could voice her doubts, Subaru noticed Emilia shifting in his lap and called out to her. She opened her eyes slightly and looked around the carriage with blank eyes. Still half-conscious, she gazed at Subaru with her amethyst eyes,
"Good morning, Shubaru..."
"You're incredibly cute when you wake up, but that's not the point, Emilia-tan. Are you feeling a bit off or have a headache?"
"Um, not at all? I don't feel anything strange though..."
Emilia seemed to have fully regained consciousness in the middle of the conversation, as she sat up with force, causing Subaru to hastily throw his head back. The two were on the verge of exchanging headbuds, but Emilia seemed completely unaware of the situation as she looked back at Subaru,
"Are you okay, Subaru? I said I'd protect you, but then I collapsed..."
"I somehow got through it without having to worry about that! The contact I made through conversation paid off. People can connect with each other through the communication tool called words, and I was able to take that first step here. Even though I'm not very good at communicating."
He touches Emilia's shoulder as she approaches him, calming her down and saying random things while observing her condition. She's not even able to stand up and walk, her eyes aren't moving, her complexion isn't white, and she's not slurring her words. Also, she's super cute. Just like always.
"See? It was just as I said."
Garfiel laughed, as if waiting for Subaru to relax. Emilia was surprised to hear this and noticed for the first time that there were more unfamiliar people in the place. She immediately stood behind Subaru, facing him as if to protect him.
"--Who!? I'm telling you, I won't let you lay a finger on Subaru."
"Emilia-tan, it's okay! And please stop making statements that establish me as the heroine! My gauge is almost at its limit!"
Subaru grabbed Emilia from behind and forced her to break free of her intercept stance, then he turned to Garfiel and pointed at him,
"That was Garfiel. He attacked the dragon carriage right after Emilia-tan collapsed... I mean, he boarded it. I don't think he's there to pick her up, but he's accompanying us to the Sanctuary."
"Garfiel... is this the man? The one Frederica was talking about?"
"I was wondering what he said, but let's put that aside for now. We'll be arriving at the village soon."
Emilia felt the same emotion as Subaru had earlier, but Garfiel jerked his chin without giving her time to process the situation. Just as he had indicated, the forest seemed to open up ahead, and the exterior of the village that was their destination came into view.
"We welcome Lady Emilia and her entourage."
It was an honorific -- but there was not a single sentiment of respect or affection attached to it; rather, it was full of a strong hint of contempt.
Subaru was unaware and his gaze was turning stern, while Emilia looked confused. Garfiel, still bearing the gaze of both of them, continued to maintain his attitude and spread his arms wide.
"Roswaal has the nerve to call it a 'Sanctuary' - it's nothing more than a stalemate experimental site inhabited by a collection of half-baked individuals."
"Experimental field...?"
"You half-baked idiot--"
While Subaru and Emilia's attention was drawn to different places, Garfiel placed a hand over his mouth, where his canines were prominent, and smiled as if to conceal his extremely complicated emotions.
"We residents call it the 'Graveyard of the Greedy Witch.' Isn't that a funny story, eh?
A faint sound of self-deprecating laughter echoed inside the dragon carriage.
It resounded low and quietly, like a curse, like a blessing.
Listening to this, Subaru quietly thought to himself, worried about the girl beside him.
It was as if she was telling herself firmly and strongly that if the witch tried to stand in her way again, she would have to be the one to scatter the sparks.
The "Sanctuary" draws closer.
ーーA place that would greatly change the path of Natsuki Subaru, and Emilia.