"If the contract between me and that girl is terminated, is it okay for me to leave the rest to you?"
"...Do it for a reason."
Wetting his lips with his tongue, Subaru faced Puck, ignoring the dryness in his throat.
Puck's expression was not visible inside the crystal, but the swirl of emotion in his words made Subaru believe they were not spoken lightly.
It's just a matter of contract.
This is the contract between the spirit and the spiritist, which places more importance on this than anything else.
The words that unilaterally declared that they would be "broken" - the true meaning of those words was not something that Subaru could easily fathom.
"The contract between you and Emilia... in other words, it's an agreement between the spirit and the contractor, right? Breaking that means there's naturally going to be a corresponding penalty, right?"
"Of course, that's right."
"If I understand correctly, the contractor is someone who borrows power from the spirit by abiding by the contract. If the contractor cannot abide by the contract, then obviously the spirit will no longer have a reason to lend its power to the contractor. ... In other words, it would mean forcing the contractor to break the contract."
"It will result in the loss of the bond between me and Lia."
Puck neither denied nor corrected Subaru's reasoning, instead accepting it.
However, what this affirmation meant was――
"If I can no longer borrow your power... then Emilia will lose her fighting power. It will mean that she will be overthrown by just one girl."
"Isn't that something that doesn't really matter to you? Whether Lia has power or not, you're the one who doesn't want her to fight. It seems like you were a bit upset about the difference in policy between you and Lia, wondering what she herself thinks."
"G... that's true. However, my sentimentality is a separate issue. At this point, as you say, fighting power is not the root of the problem. In this case, what's important is... what will happen to Emilia if you're no longer by her side."
For Emilia, being without Puck was like losing a pillar of support.
If the telepathic conversation she had had with Puck up until now was true, then deep within her heart she knew that Puck was not actually asleep. Their tenuous connection had not been severed.
However, even with that barely connected bond, the cornered Emilia was so exhausted that she said she would never leave Subaru's side, and became so dependent on him.
If that meant that his connection with Puck would truly be severed――
"It would not be surprising if Emilia lost her balance in that moment. That would be one of the top three scenes you would never want to see. What are you planning?"
"There's nothing I can do about it. I just support what's best for Leah. I can't and won't do anything that she doesn't want."
"Does Emilia want you to break off the contract?"
"That's not true, Subaru. Losing our contract is merely a byproduct of Lia's wish coming true. Lia's current wish is, without a doubt, to overcome the Tomb's Trial. There's no need to doubt that, you can believe in that."
On that point, even Subaru had no doubts.
Even if we believe Puck's hypothesis that Emilia is unable to face her own past, and continues to see a false past, which causes her to repeatedly fail the Trials.
Subaru believed more than anyone that she was not the kind of petty person who would merely "pretend" to overcome the obstacles that stood before her.
The affirmation in Subaru's heart could not have been conveyed to Puck in the form of words. However, as if to convey Subaru's true feelings, Puck slightly lowered the tone of his thoughts,
"If Lia finds out I'm gone, she'll definitely be distraught. She'll probably cry like a child, scream, and go crazy."
『――――』
"But I think that's okay. The current state of affairs, where the outside of your heart thinks I'm not here, but the inside of your heart knows I'm here, is what's really unnatural. Only when you understand, both the outside and the inside of your heart, that I'm not here... and only when the obvious shackles sealing away your past are gone, can Lia be able to face her own heart."
Puck's words were quiet, but packed with emotion.
It was filled with compassion, sadness, joy, and above all, a sense of devotion that allowed one to give everything to the thing one loved.
"So, in order for me to face myself... are you going to cut off my connection with you and move forward?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm sure there will be a lot of hardships, but I believe that Leah is the kind of girl who can endure them."
"You won't be able to be by her side anymore. Aren't you worried? Your daughter is a bottomless kind-hearted person, yet she always puts her own needs on the back burner and ends up suffering, so don't you want to be by her side to protect her forever?"
Even Subaru himself was beginning to lose track of what he was saying.
If Puck's offer produced the desired results, then it would surely bring about the developments Subaru had hoped for. As Puck had said, Emilia's fighting ability or not was of no concern to Subaru, who was trying his best to keep her off the battlefield.
So Subaru welcomed Puck's proposal and saw no reason to try to stop it.
"I thought that recently you haven't been happy about me being by Lia's side."
"You're not wrong in that way. ...After everything that's happened recently, your stock price in my eyes is at its lowest, and it's not going to improve that easily. A simple choice like sacrificing yourself for Emilia won't wipe away all the distrust that's built up so far."
"That's a pretty harsh thing to say, it makes me a little sad."
『But』
There was no mistake in how their impressions of each other matched up. Subaru couldn't just take Puck at his word, nor did he think it would be easy to change his negative impression of him.
There is no lie in what he says. However,
"I can picture Emilia grieving after you're gone. I know better than anyone that you are the most important person to her. And it's because of you that I..."
『――――』
No words continued, and vague thoughts continued to pool within Subaru. Puck, too, remained silent in his thoughts, quietly waiting for Subaru's vague intentions to take shape.
However, the more you panic, the more the answer becomes less certain and more uncertain.
『I, I, you…』
"Your presence is a big part of why I'm able to make decisions like this, Subaru."
Before Subaru could finish his incoherent words, Puck's voice came, muttering softly. The whisper resonated directly inside his skull, and Subaru looked up, gazing blankly at the green crystal.
"Just as you said, Lia is the most important person to me. I want to keep watching over her and lend her my strength. Even now, after coming to the decision that it would be better for her if I wasn't by her side, those feelings haven't changed."
『If that's the case, then why...?』
"Maybe it's because you're here"
『――――』
Suddenly, Subaru was overcome with the sensation that he had stopped breathing.
"In this place... no, in this world, you are the only one who is willing to risk your life for Lia, just like me. In the time we've spent together so far, you have proven that. And Lia... aside from me, you are the one she relies on the most. There's no doubt about that. You can trust me."
"But even so... I don't have incredible strength like you, nor am I overwhelmingly strong enough to blow away the obstacles that stand in her way with brute force. The best I can do is to hold her head and worry with her, and let her vent her pain... that's about it. Do you really think you can leave the rest of your life in the hands of someone like me?"
"It seems like you've misunderstood, but I'm not asking you to take my place. There are things that only I can do, only I can do. And the same goes in reverse, I expect you to help Lia with the things that only you can do."
Subaru remained silent, but Puck continued speaking without stopping.
Block Subaru's escape route, and prevent Emilia from missing her moment of decision.
"Even if I were to disappear, Leah would be much stronger than you. That is definitely true in the sense of the 'strength' you spoke of. But as you know, she is weak. That is definitely true in the sense of the 'weakness' I spoke of. That is why I want you to support her in that weakness."
"...If the contract expires and our connection is severed, what will happen to you?"
"It's thanks to the path I have with Lia that I'm able to materialize in this world. If that connection were to be severed, I would need to remain materialized at all times in order to maintain my existence. ...But if I continue to materialize, that also means that I will endlessly consume all the mana around me. I'm sure Subaru would be shocked if he saw my true form."
The "true form" that Puck was talking about was probably when he had grown into that towering giant form. The pinnacle of all quadrupeds, an angry blizzard beast. The beast of the end.
Indeed, if it had to always be in that state, then it certainly couldn't continue to exist.
"So, you're just going to disappear?"
"It's not like I'm disappearing. I'm just going to revert to the small existence I was before I made a contract with Lia. I'll probably go to the Great Elior Forest, which has a deep connection to me. I'll sleep there, inside something that will become my vessel, and wait for the time to be awakened."
『Being woken up… that is.』
"Of course, Lia. This is where the contract between me and her ends. But if the time comes when she needs to make a new contract and she has to choose a spirit to be her partner... I'm sure she'll choose me again. Yes, I believe that."
Subaru held his breath, feeling as if he had been told in a bright and cheerful voice.
There was not a trace of anxiety in Puck's voice, even though he was making a decision that could potentially wipe him out. Even if his natural personality was one of optimism, there would never have been any anxiety in his voice.
He has no doubt that Emilia will choose him once again.
After losing her contract with Puck, Emilia is forced to confront her past. She never imagined that she would be unable to accept her past and would be crushed.
Emilia overcomes her past and when she seeks the covenant again, she chooses herself.
Within the pack, it's a decision.
He doesn't doubt Emilia's strength, and he doesn't doubt the time he and Emilia have spent together, and therefore he is able to choose to sever his ties with her.
"――――"
To Subaru, who was still wavering, it was a dazzlingly strong and solid bond.
Puck's deep love and trust for Emilia is the result of his heart of steel.
『And then you're pushing the responsibility of comforting a distraught Emilia onto me.』
So Subaru shouted out in desperation, almost as if he was venting his frustration. Puck responded with a throaty grin,
"I truly think that would be a pain. But... you're entrusting your precious daughter to them, so I hope they'll be able to overcome something like that together."
"…That means you're implicitly acknowledging me as Emilia-tan's partner."
"If I wipe you out now, I'll have to rethink a lot of things."
"You're always going to get revenge, you damn cat!!"
Subaru's face lightened just a little after he gave a harsh retort to the extreme remark.
Given the depth of Puck's feelings for Emilia, she felt a little more at ease, being able to exchange the same kind of conversation they had before the rift between them had developed.
And when she heard that he was going to break off his contract with Emilia and leave this place, an idea occurred to her. If, hypothetically, it were to work out――then the scales of the gamble would surely tip, at least a little.
"I understand your plan. I'm a little worried about whether it will actually go as planned... but I'll pretend not to notice and help guide it."
"I wonder what it feels like to control the mind of the girl you like."
"Stop it, you'll be crushed by guilt. Besides, if Emilia really does understand a lot of things... then after this is over, she'll realize that she was manipulated into doing so."
"If that happens, we might be hated for being accomplices. Are you scared?"
"Well, that's true. The vector of dislike between you and me is different from that of adolescent girls who are hated and told not to wash their clothes with their dad's!"
If Puck's dislike is purely a family issue, then Subaru's dislike is something much deeper and more fatal. If he explains it sincerely, though, he's sure Emilia will understand.
Even if he understood her true intentions, there's no way Emilia would be happy if she knew that her heart had been manipulated. --And for that, she'll surely not be forgiven.
"It's too late now, you know. I've done so many unforgivable things and made that girl cry so many times, how can I say I'm not prepared to shoulder the burden now?"
『――――』
"I accepted your conditions, Puck. I'll clean up after you. If Emilia breaks down in tears tomorrow morning... it will be in my arms."
"--Yes. Well then, I'll ask you to do it. Although it looks like I'll be forcing a lot of hard work onto you from now on."
Subaru accepts his proposal, and Puck's words leave him feeling slightly ashamed.
Closing one eye at the sound, Subaru prefaced his answer with, "In that case,"
"Is there any room for you to consider my proposal?"
"...suggestion"
"Yes, it's a suggestion. Don't worry. Just like you, I want a good future for Emilia, and I'm acting with that thought in mind."
Smacking his chest, Subaru turned to Puck, who was silently expressing his approval, and said.
"There are a few things I want to ask you, and then there's something I want to try after hearing them. --Emilia might wake up, so let's not take too long."