Volume 4, 11 [Prideful Slothful Wrath]

Volume 4, Chapter 11 [Prideful Slothful Wrath]

In the space where even his footing was uncertain, before an emptiness where falling meant inevitable death, there was nothing to distract his attention away from there.

For in this moment, the only subject occupying Subaru’s consciousness was the girl in front of his eyes ―― the Witch with white-hair and white-skin, black clothes and black eyes.

That sense of overwhelming presence, of menace, that transcendent entity was of an entirely different level than all other living things.

All of Subaru’s insignificant existence, his eyes, his heart, and his soul, were being toyed and tangled upon the tips of those unseen fingers.

In the face of truly inescapable horror, people often seal-in emotions such as these.

Unable to breathe. Unable to feel his own heartbeat. Not even the breaking of a cold sweat, or even a blink, could proceed without her permission. There, was absolute isolation.

[Echidona: Oh dear, I may have overdone it with the intimidation. Even back then, whenever I take an interest in something, I’d end up running my mouth too much. A Witch’s nature is a troublesome thing]

Suddenly, still seated in her chair, Echidona seemed to notice how her speech had overheated and took up some self reflection. But still, he could not recover from the traumatizing darkness emanating from the Witch in front of his eyes.

No, the sense of oppression he had intentionally ignored up to now, now that he truly recognized it, would not leave his mind again.

The friendly exchange between them had evaporated. Subaru could no longer see the girl in front of his eyes as a girl anymore. For her true nature was that of a Witch.

[Echidona: When I was alive, this sort of thing happens every once in awhile. It was just like this when the royalty of the various nations came to me, seeking to borrow my wisdom......But I suppose you can no longer look at me without being guarded now]

“My my”, shaking her head as if trying to say, Echidona gazed into Subaru with her black pupils. Shaken by the sight of his own expressionless reflection in the black of her eyes, Subaru wavered, and just the same moment, she smiled.

[Echidona: In that case, maybe you’ll like this idea?]

[Subaru: ――――eh!?]

An abrupt change came.

Smiling, she whispered something to Subaru as he furrowed his brows to show his non-understanding. Then, watching as her smile dissolved into the darkness, Subaru gasped, and the moment he blinked――

[Little Girl: Whatcha lo~okin at~?]

[Subaru: ......haa?]

[Little Girl: Well stop sta~ring at me~]

Swinging her legs around as she said this, the little girl sitting in front of Subaru puffed up her cheeks in a pout.

With dark-green hair coming down to her shoulders, it was a little girl with apple-red cheeks. Her hazel-colored skin in her white one-piece dress matched adorably, and her childish cuteness unreservedly scattered everywhere around her. And, particularly distinctive, there was a blue flower-shaped hair clip on her hair.

No matter how you look at it, it was a harmless, innocent little girl――now sitting in the place where Echidona had just been, staring back at Subaru.

[Subaru: Ah, eh, huh? W-wait. E-Echidona......? Where the hell did she go?]

[Little Girl: Dona? Dona must somewhere around here but~ , who are you supposed to be~?]

[Subaru: M-me? My name’s Natsuki Subaru. I wasn’t invited here or anything, I’m just someone who got lost, drank some tea, and was heading back...... but then the owner of the house suddenly disappeared which left me in a pretty difficult situation......]

[Little Girl: Ehh~. Then~, I’ll call you Baru~]

It’s hard to feel hostility toward something so cute, and even though it didn’t quite fit the situation, Subaru gave this frank self-introduction. Hearing this, the little girl smiled happily, which made Subaru’s heart all warm inside despite the circumstances.

Regardless of how messed up things had become, the moment Echidona disappeared it was as if the pressure had been released. If he calmly considers all this, perhaps the little girl before his eyes was just like him, having been kidnapped from who knows where.

One way or another, maybe now he’d be able to escape with this little girl’s help――even though he wasn’t too sure how much strength she could lend him. He raised up his face and,

[Subaru: Ok, anyways let’s think of a plan to get out of here while the big bad ghost isn’t home. But considering there’s not many places to step on... first, maybe just tell me your name, little missy......]

[Little Girl: Say, Baru~, are you a bad man~?]

[Subaru: if you could tell me that then at least......Wha?]

Reaching out his hand, intending to sparkle his teeth, Subaru furrowed his brows.

The little girl in front of him swung her legs, which weren’t long enough to reach floor, and she rocked back and forth in her chair while childishly muttering [Be~cau~se~] impatiently pursing up her lips,

[Little Girl: I’m asking~ are you a bad man, or not a bad man~. So are you~?]

[Subaru: By their very nature, all humans are creatures who sacrifice other things to survive. Therefore, perhaps from the moment we are born into this world, we are sinners. But, even so, we still live our lives. Knowing that even as we are sacrificing, something more valuable can be built upon that sacrifice...... Even though I think this kind of philosophical discussion isn’t really something a little girl can understand, is that what you mean?]

[Little Girl: Um~, I heard it but I don’t really understand~. Well~, ok~, if I just check~]

Toward Subaru, who looked confused, the little girl looked even more confused.

Saying this, she held tight onto Subaru’s extended hand. From the small palm completely wrapped up inside Subaru’s, he felt a tactile softness that was unique to the hand of a little girl. And feeling this gave him a renewed resolve, that no matter happens, he will bring her safely out of this place.

[Subaru: Even though I’ve been around Petra, I’m still surprised I’m so fond of kids. I used to think they’re too noisy and all but......]

[Little girl: ――onlythroughpainandsufferingcantheguiltyberedeemed]

[Subaru: Hah?]

Suddenly, the little girl quickly muttered something in a whisper.

Unable to understand, Subaru’s raised up one of his brows, and felt a light impact. As if his arm had been lightly tugged, there was then a strangely liberating sensation, as if being released from a heavy burden.

Wondering what had happened, Subaru turned his head to look all around him.

Everything was just like it was before, and nothing changed in the world. The space that permitted Subaru and the little girl to sit facing each other was still without wind or sound or sensation of any kind.

Sitting in the chair in front of him, was still only the little girl swinging her legs.

Only, in her hand, she was holding a man’s severed arm――

[Subaru: ――!?]

[Little Girl: Doesn’t hurt so~, you’re not a bad man~, I’m so relieved~]

Then, glaring at the hoisted-up Subaru with rage-filled eyes, she brushed aside her hair in front of the frightened Subaru,

[Girl: Missing your right arm. Missing your legs from the knees down. Not bleeding or in pain...... looks like you’ve been punished by Typhon! That child......she did something so inconsiderate again, it’s just going too far!]

Looking at Subaru’s painless wounds, her blue eyes were clouded over by intense emotions.

With impulsive words, and an indignant attitude, her every act was instilled with passion, and all the while she was behaving like this, there were tears pooling faintly in her eyes.

[Subaru: A-are you crying......?]

[Girl: Not crying! Just angry! That’s right, I’m just angry! At Typhon who caused all these wounds and just left you here! At the world that made that child do such an outrageous thing! And at all the people fighting and harming one another making this world hell, at the senselessness of it all!]

Her furious voice cried out, with such power that it messed up her hair as she pronounced this.

Then, lifting up her arm, she suddenly tossed the dangling Subaru up into the air.

[Subaru: eh?]

[Girl: So I absolutely will not permit it! Pain! Conflict! Wounds! How can I remain idle in front such things――!!]

The next moment, with a speed that broke the wind, the girl dashed out and struck her fist straight into Subaru. His face being suddenly injected with such incredible speed and power, Subaru’s body was quite literally blown away like a leaf. But,

[Subaru: Pffu――!?]

Expecting to continue being blown away for quite some time, he suddenly arrived at the end of the world.

Echidona had actually trapped Subaru within a world of limited space, so after being launched flying by the power-packed punch, he had only managed to fly for a short distance. The impact against the invisible wall rolling through his entire body, having gone splat in the middle of the air, Subaru turned his eyes back around. And there,

[Girl: ――All will be well! Don’t ever think of turning back!]

Leaping, as if in pursuit, the girl rained punches onto Subaru’s body while it was still in the middle of its falling animation-sequence.

The endless flurry of punches striking into every inch of his body, Subaru’s flesh was sandwiched between the wall and her fists. The sounds of impacts ceaselessly penetrating Subaru’s body, its power went through him and into the walls, and began shaking the very world to its core.

Kneaded by the impacts, knocked up and down left and right, Subaru could no longer tell which was which as his mind turned blank. In the field of his vision, through the dance of the incoming fists, perhaps no longer wishing to conceal it, there was the face of the girl covered in a flood of tears. Droplets glimmering as they scattered through the air, just when Subaru wanted to complain “I’m the one who should be crying here...”, his face was already turned away by a punch.

Not knowing when the incessant hell would end―― it suddenly ended unexpectedly.

[Girl: Let my fists revive the world! Let my anger cleanse the world! My Wrath, and my healing fists are my reply――!]

The next moment, the world shattered.

The wall that Subaru had been stuck onto, under the impacts of the girl’s rain of fists―― after sensing an unbearable sensation through his clothes, Subaru felt the wall behind him shatter into dust.

In that instant, Subaru felt a sense of liberation.

When the rain of fists stopped, he felt something soft. Subaru noticed that he was lying on the ground, in the grassland of the previous world where they had their tea.

Sitting himself up, he looked all around in a stupor. Landing gallanty beside him, the girl brushed her blonde hair as she shot Subaru a stare.

[Girl: Right arm!]

[Subaru: Eh!? O-ok!]

Being suddenly called, Subaru raised up his arm, and that’s when he noticed.

The arm that had been ripped off of his shoulders was now back and perfectly well, all the way to his fingertips.

[Girl: Legs!]

[Subaru: Oooo things are looking up. I can stand and walk! Look I can do a moonwalk now!]

Just to be sure, Subaru jumped up and started doing a moonwalk for good measure. Watching Subaru sliding across the grass, the girl held her elbow and nodded contently. And it was at that moment, when the swaying of her prominent bust burned itself into his memory.

[Subaru: Y-you saved me, thank you. But, considering the flow of things, you are......?]

[Minerva: I am the “Witch of Wrath” Minerva! Not that I call myself that!]

[Subaru: You called yourself that just now!]

[Minerva: Don’t, that was no big deal! I will not allow anyone to be hurt in front of my eyes, nor tolerate to see a person wounded! It’s not a deed to be passed on for posterity or anything!]

[Subaru: You’ve totally just marked your own actions as some incredible accomplishment there! You’re not really hearing what other people are saying are you? It’s really hard to communicate with someone like that!]

Flailing his only recently-healed arms around to demonstrate his befuddlement, seeing this, Minerva just quickly turned her back to him.

[Minerva: In any case, now that the wounds are healed, there is nothing more for me to do here! Don’t get so much as a bug bite now! That’s a promise with a Witch!]

[Subaru: Even if I go live in a sterilized room that’s not possible is it!? And don’t make promises on behalf of other people! Promise with a Witch or something, wouldn’t breaking it mean some severe punishment!?]

[Minerva: It’s no such thing. But if it ever comes to that......I will heal everyone]

[Subaru: Don’t say that like you’re going to go around murdering everyone, it’s really scary!]

But the fact remains, Subaru’s body was completely healed.

Her crude healing methods――in this case, true to the description, he actually was healed at the end of all that. Beating someone up in order to heal them, to think that a phenomenon so inconceivable could possibly exist... It’s almost like in those old tv-series.

[Minerva: ――Well]

Then, the girl who was gallantly walking away turned around.

Her white hair swinging with her motion, and her black dress spreading upward charmingly, all filled into Subaru’s eyes. She was tilting her head to the side, quite happily gazing back at him.

[Echidona: To prove that I’m relatively harmless, I let you meet some of the other Witches. So what do you think? If your attitude could warm up to me a bit now, then waking them up from their sleep would all be worth it]

Summing up his painful experience up to now, was the Witch Echidona.

Seeing her in front of him, Subaru drew in a deep, long breath, before lifting up his head,

[Subaru: You, really are every bit a Witch...... No human would think like that at all]

And, just uttering these words took up the last bit of his strength.

-=Chapter 11 End=-