Volume 4, 48 [A Price For The Tea Party]

Volume 4, Chapter 48 [A Price For The Tea Party]

He heard a roar.

Compelled by hunger to extend his tongue to catch the blood dripping from his right hand, Subaru heard the roar in the distance. Rage, it was full of rage. Furious. Someone was enraged. Someone was furious. A voice of someone enraged to the point of madness.

――It didn’t matter. For now, he just wanted to sate his hunger.

Chew, chew, chew, but it wasn’t enough.

What was two fingers supposed to sate? And how much of this thirst could some dripping blood quench?

Not enough. Not enough. Not nearly enough.

Even if he devoured his entire right hand, then devoured his left hand as well, even if he devoured his whole body, it still wouldn’t be enough. There was no limit to this hunger. He simply craved what he craved. And so――

[???: ――HNNGYAAAaa!!]

[Subaru: ――――WHAT THE F!?]

Laying sideways on the grass, the devastating strike came from directly above his head, sending his body bouncing up from the shockwave before slamming back into the ground. The sheer force warped the earth, leaving a crater in the small hill with Subaru in the center.

Then, the assailant, whose fist was still stuck to the back of Subaru’s head, took a ragged breath, and,

[???: That’s enough! Why does everyone always have to fight......? Resorting to violence is the worst......the worst......hg]

The voice, half in tears, descended from above, while, savoring the taste of mud, consciousness limped back into Subaru. At the same time, he felt a drop of water landing on the back of his head, guiding him to look up.

There was the vague outline of a young, blonde girl, slowly disappearing, and in tears.

――What just happened to him? Pushing himself off the ground, Subaru understood when he noticed that his right hand had been restored.

Quickly, he turned to the disappearing girl,

[Subaru: Th-thank you for healing me......!]

[Minerva: ......Hmpf]

The Witch turned her face away, sulking as she faded.

But, just before she vanished completely, Subaru caught a glimpse of a blush on her cheeks, and a smile which she didn’t manage to hide.

Once the blonde girl―― the Witch of Wrath vanished from the scene, she was replaced by the graceless coffin once again,

[Daphne: Neru-Neru’s such a meddler, gees... Say, did you learn anything at least? Diid you? Subaruu~un?]

Hearing these nonchalant words coming from inside the coffin, Subaru jumped to his feet and instantly scuttled away from the crater while shooting Daphne a look of caution.

Seeing this, Daphne gave her nose a snort,

[Daphne: Right~right, you should be careful... After all, eat or be eaten is the only relationship in this world...]

[Subaru: I don’t wanna think of it as that kind of bloodthirsty place......! Anyway what just happened!? It was only for a short while, but...... I actually went insane]

[Daphne: That was the maddening hunger... Extreme hunger can turn people into something worse than beasts. If you looked into my right eye too, it would’ve been even more interesting, you know?]

[Subaru: ......you’re kidding]

A magical eye, or something of the sort.

Although Ram’s clairvoyance would also count as an eye-power, her ability didn’t really have much offensive potential, so Daphne’s was definitely way scarier.

Perhaps it could be called the “Eye of Hunger” or the “Eye of Starvation”. The moment Subaru looked into her left eye, he ate his own fingers for a hunger he wasn’t even aware of.

He was so famished that he forgot the existence of pain, and everything in sight was food to sate his insatiable hunger. In other words――

[Subaru: Is that... how the Great Rabbit sees the world......?]

[Daphne: Those children were born when Daphne was reeaaaaally starving, so they took after me...... they really understand what it feels like to want to eat each other, you know?]

[Subaru: How can you say that so lightly...... don’t you feel sad to have given birth to creatures like that? Since you’re lecturing me all high and mighty, then you probably know what that hunger feels like. Having your own children...... children... go through that......]

[Daphne: ――? But, even if Great Rabbit’s belly goes hungry, it doesn’t mean Daphne’s belly has to go hungry too?]

[Subaru: ......I was an idiot for asking]Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

Like parallel lines. No matter how far they stretch, there was no way he could ever understand this Witch.

The Mabeasts she claimed to be her children, were really just emergency foods she could pick up and eat when she felt hungry.

Birthed from her own body and eaten by herself, it was the ultimate form of self-sufficiency.

[Subaru: If you don’t bother anyone and go hole up in some other dimension to be self-sufficient there, I guess no one would be too hung up about that, huh]

[Daphne: Say, Subaruun, what is it that you actually want to ask Daphne? If all you want to do is take hits at Daphne, then I’m already getting hungry from staying awake so long... and would rather take a nap now...]

Turning her face away inside the coffin, all the strength drained from Daphne’s body, as if ready to fall asleep.

He finally understood why she kept herself in her mobile coffin, all bound in restraints. Keeping her threat contained for the sake of the outside world―― was not the reason.

Instead, it was only to reduce the calories burned from the movements of her limbs so she wouldn’t feel as hungry.

This may not be the case for her blindfolds, but that was probably to prevent her magic eyes from draining her stamina.

This girl’s existence was complete entirely in herself.

A pure mass of “The Desire to Eat”―― all quite fitting for the name, “Witch of Gluttony”.

[Subaru: Honestly, I’m pretty sure it’s pointless to ask this, but....... how do I destroy the Great Rabbit?]

[Daphne: Eeeehhh~? You want to destroy Great Rabbit? But that child’s so weak and easy to eat, and keeps on multiplying too. He’s one of Daphne’s greatest masterpieces, you know?]

[Subaru: Eat or be eaten... if you go by that kind of philosophy, then what about killing your enemies to stay alive? I was hoping you’d approve of a survival instinct besides appetite]

Subaru decided to strike from the same baseline as Daphne’s own warped morality.

Honestly, he had already half given up on getting any information out of Daphne. After all, he couldn’t seem to get her to say anything useful, and couldn’t even see himself establishing a proper conversation with her.

At first glance, their game of conversational catch-ball may seem to be going smoothly, but the reality was that she was chewing up every ball Subaru was throwing, begging him to throw more, without ever tossing back anything of her own.

However,

[Daphne: Since I eat in order to live, I also have to permit killing in order to live...... Uuu~unn, that’s, nnn, that’s also right, isn’t it]

[Subaru: ――Eh? That worked?]

[Daphne: If Daphne thinks something is right, then Daphne will accept it. Subaruun too, what did you take Daphne for?]

“This is the Witchiest Witch I’ve ever seen,” Subaru sincerely thought. But if he used that as his answer, there’d be no end to it, so he decided to keep it to himself.

Oblivious to that silence, Daphne pouted her lips with [Huu~uuuu],

[Daphne: If you want to destroy Great Rabbit-chan, Met-Met, Dona-Dona, and Milla-Milla can all do it easily]

[Subaru: Wait, whose nickname was that you just called? Dona-Dona...... is Echidona, right? Met-Met... must be Sekhmet. But who’s Milla-Milla?]

[Daphne: Carmilla...... she’s Lust. But she doesn’t seem to want to meet you, Subaruun]

[Subaru: Even though it’s somewhat depressing to hear that the one in charge of sexy things hates me... your suggestion is not gonna work. The Witches can’t leave this place, so you guys can’t help me]

[Daphne: .......Huuuuu, can’t do it huh...?]

For Subaru, who’s used to relying on others, such an offer would have been more than he could have hoped for. If they could go out and help him, they would be more than enough to deal with the Great Rabbit and Elsa, but,

[Subaru: Even if you could go outside......would you be satisfied with just destroying and eating the Great Rabbit and coming back here?]

[Daphne: Daphne’s stomach has never been satisfied in my entire life, you know...]

[Subaru: So, even if there’s a way to get you guys outside, I can’t let you guys go]

Sticking out his tongue at Daphne’s unsurprising reply, Subaru ruled out her proposal. Inside the coffin, Daphne made an [Uunnn~], and,

[Daphne: If that won’t work, then you’ll just have to do your best to eat all of them to the last one, I think. Those kids won’t be able to multiply from zero......haa~ha......]

[Subaru: Nevermind eating... so we have to kill all of them, huh...... and if we leave just one alive, the whole thing will revive... They move in a group, right? But are they always all together?]

[Daphne: Yeah... Even though there are many of them, their consciousness is singular. Like, one consciousness, shared by the whole group. They don’t really have the intelligence to split up]

[Subaru: Is that......so. In that case, we shouldn’t run into a problem where we leave some stragglers alive to multiply...... and then find out “THERE WILL BE MORE PANIC AND HORROR” or whatever, right?]

It happens quite alot in horror movies where after exterminating the bloody monsters, you find out that some of them survived underground to reproduce and you wind up with a “THE PREDICAMENT IS NOT OVER!” ending.

But, at least, it seems the Rabbits aren’t smart enough to pull a stunt like that.

[Subaru: Oh by the way... about how many rabbits are there on average? If they eat each other, then I’m thinking they must have some system for keeping their numbers in range, or...]

[Daphne: ......who knows? Would you be able to count the numbers of droplets in a fog, Subaruun...?]

[Subaru: It’s that level......? No no, I already know I can’t take your word for it. So I’ll just go see for myself]

Just counting the number of rabbits that swarmed him, there must have been more than a hundred. But, considering how they devoured everyone in the Sanctuary, their number must be closer to the tens of thousands.

In order to kill them all, he’d have to think of a better way.

While Subaru sank into thought, Daphne gave a big yawn to indicate her boredom. And then, making quiet chewing motions in front of the silent Subaru,

[Daphne: Subaruun... if you’re busy pondering, could Daphne disappear now? After all, I get hungrier when I exist...]

[Subaru: Preferring not to exist just so you could be less hungry is seriously a mind-blowing statement... But yeah, regardless of how we got here, that was a lot of help. Thanks. ――Also]

Throwing out those half-assed words of thanks, Subaru appended an “Also” at the end.

Seeing Daphne cast him a puzzled expression, he went on with the most scornful voice he could muster,

[Subaru: I’ll annihilate that asshole Rabbit. And I’ve already killed your White Whale. I hope you don’t mind, Mommy-sama]

[Daphne: ............]

[Subaru: Four hundred years, that’s how long those bastards born from your good intentions preyed on the world outside. That’s long enough. ――It’s time I erase them without leaving a trace]

[Daphne: You are merely Human]

In front of Subaru’s declaration of war, Daphne made a reaction which he had never seen before.

Stretching her lips wide, for the first time, her expression revealed something other than “Hunger”.

[Daphne: Try it if you can]

With all the discussing, teaching and chatting, this tea party must have been a great satisfaction for this Witch. Subaru was somewhat reluctant to leave, seeing her unbridled joy and her visible regret to see him go, but he quickly shook his head and severed that sentiment.

It was strange how this Witch managed to pull on his heartstrings, but it wouldn’t be good to become too attached to her. She was a Witch, and more than that, she was dead. Though it’s unclear which part was actually worse here.

[Subaru: What should I do when I want to come back here?]

[Echidona: You mean how to be invited to the tea party? Oh no no no, we mustn’t, you mustn’t become too dependent on me. It’s true that you have no one you could confess your Return by Death to in the outside world, and I know how much you long for me as the only person you could open your heart to, but I am dead and you are living...... no, it can never be, between us]

[Subaru: When you wriggle around looking strangely happy while saying that it’s not convincing at all!]

What was he supposed to do when Echidona suddenly behaves like an overenthusiastic eel-restaurant owner who saw his first customer in years?

Seeing the way Echidona was looking at him with her hand on her cheek, Subaru wasn’t sure just how to react. Then, with [Huhuhhu], she placed her hand over her lips, smiling,

[Echidona: Don’t look so troubled. I am a girl, after all, and sometimes I want to have lighthearted conversations like this too. That is all. I am still well aware of the gap between Witch and Human]

[Subaru: ......Echidona]

[Echidona: The condition to being invited to the tea party is to scream from the depths of your heart, “I want to know”, inside my Tomb. The first time, you are invited no questions asked, but the second time onwards will not be so simple. The third time...... might be quite difficult, I think. Merely superficial screams won’t be able to reach me]

Hearing her quickly explain this, Subaru recalled what had happened immediately before being invited.

He had just Returned by Death after being eaten alive by the rabbits. His body was drowning in the lingering agony of death, and his consciousness was endlessly screaming “What had happened?”

That was when he heard Echidona’s invitation. But next time, things would have to be even more desperate than that.

[Subaru: I really... would rather not......]

[Echidona: Precisely. So... this may very well be the last time we meet. Though of course, this would not be the last if you challenge the Trials again]

Same as in the first Trial, it seems she would be waiting for him in the second and the third Trials as well. As long as Subaru challenges the Trials in Emilia’s place, their reunion will be assured.

In other words,

[Subaru: I’ll see you at the next Trial, then? Guess there won’t be any tea there]

[Echidona: If you really want a drink, I wouldn’t mind brewing you some on the scene......]

[Subaru: No no, I get the feeling that if I see the manufacturing process I’ll want to drink it even less]

Seeing him holding up his palms to say no, Echidona made her most dejected expression yet.

He didn’t know why she wanted to push her body fluids on other people so much. Maybe she gets off on having a part of herself become a part of someone else, or some kind of fetish like that...The sin is deep.

[Subaru: Well, I guess I’ll be disappearing soon...... thanks for your hospitality, Echidona. Till we meet again......]

[Echidona: Before that, would you mind?]

Sensing that his body was fading, Subaru tried to say farewell to Echidona. But it was Echidona herself who stopped him.

She stood up from her seat, and, with her funerary dress swaying, she walked to Subaru’s side,

[Echidona: You have joined me in my tea party, and acquired some portion of my knowledge...... but, aren’t you forgetting something?]

[Subaru: Forgetting something?]

[Echidona: My compensation, that is]

Echidona narrowed her eyes, and poked out her tongue at Subaru’s tilted head.

Subaru’s eyes widened at her words, repeating [compensation......] under his breath. And with, [Yes, compensation], Echidona nodded,

[Echidona: I charged a toll for our last meeting as well? Dealing with a Witch always comes with a price. The last payment was for last time, so what should I take this time, I wonder?]

[Subaru: C-can’t you wait till I’m better off in life? I don’t really have much cash on me, and the stuff you charge can be a little too rough on me you know]

[Echidona: Your skills for negotiating with Witches might be a little lacking]

Seeing Subaru pressed into the back of his chair, a sadistic smile emerged on Echidona’s lovely face. She looked him up and down, wondering just what to take.

A Witch’s compensation―― last time, it was forgetting Echidona’s existence after returning to reality. If the same happened this time, then all the information he gained from the tea party, along with any hope of breakthrough, would be lost. Only, he wasn’t sure what other price he would be able to afford,

[Echidona: Alright, I’ve decided]

What’s going to happen? Subaru shriveled back, as Echidona leaned her body forward and placed her face up against his. While Subaru was busy being shaken by the closeness of her lips to his, she leaned down even further―― and reached into the inside of his jacket.

Her soft, white hair brushing against his skin smelled of the faint scent of flowers. Having no immunity to pretty girls, Subaru’s brain froze like a brick.

But, not minding Subaru’s mental issues, she touched him on his chest,

[Echidona: Then, I’ll take this]

[Subaru: ......Oo, eh?]

Pulling her hand out of the confounded Subaru’s chest―― Echidona’s white fingers drew out a small handkerchief, fluttering in the wind.

White, with gold linings, on its back was an embroidery of the gray Great Spirit,

[Subaru: The handkerchief Petra gave me when I left for the Sanctuary.......?]

[Echidona: You should thank the person who gave you this gift. It is imbued with only the pure and powerful emotion of concern for your safety. Every passing of the needle and thread instilled this magic into this object. I am quite fascinated indeed by the power residing here]

[Subaru: ......Petra...did that?]

[Echidona: Someone is very fond of you, it seems. While I must apologize to the child who offered you these thoughts, I will be taking this]

Echidona’s cheeks softened at the embroidered Puck on the back, before stowing the handkerchief away into her chest. Then, leaving Subaru’s side,

[Echidona: The price for the tea party has been paid. From the bottom of my heart, I look forward to your next visit]

In an almost joking gesture, Echidona picked up the edges of her dress and performed an impeccable curtsy.

Perhaps, she wanted to give him a lighthearted send-off―― noting that it wasn’t like her at all, Subaru stood up from his chair,

[Subaru: Thank you for the treat... and for everything. ――Until we meet again]

In the same way, Subaru picked up the hems of his jersey and did a curtsy of his own, prompting a wry smile onto Echidona’s face.

Then, as a white light enveloped the scene―― Subaru left the tea party.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

――The first thing Subaru felt as his consciousness returned from the tea party was the cold, hard floor, and the unpleasant taste of dirt in his mouth.

[Subaru: Uegh! Ghpphph! Does that have to happen every time now......!?]

Spitting out the foreign objects in his mouth, Subaru sat up and shook his head, pushing his mind to wake up.

First thing, was to confirm his body’s condition, and recall what had happened before he woke. When he Returned by Death after being devoured by the Great Rabbit, he was immediately summoned to Echidona’s tea party. There, he got mangled by Daphne’s eye, proceeded to strengthen his resolve, and was at last saved by Petra’s thoughts.

None of it was missing from his memories. And, relieved by this fact,

[Subaru: Looks like Echidona kept her word. The tea party didn’t get erased from my memories this time]

This time, the white-haired Witch still remained vivid in his memories.

Even though she had no lack of Witch-iness, she did at least keep her promises. In fact, judging from their interactions so far, she might even be among one of the few people he could call an ally.

Though it was too bad there wouldn’t be many opportunities he could rely on her help,

[Subaru: Can’t say I got everything I needed this time...... but at least it’s something]

Placing his hand over his chest, Subaru thought back to the events of the tea party―― to his confession of his “Return by Death”, and clenched down onto that feeling of salvation.

There, even though it was limited to Echidona and the other Witches, being able to say it out loud and share that burden was already more than he could have hoped for.

And having the chance to hear someone more knowledgeable about this Parallel World give her thoughts on “Return by Death” was just another one of the things he gained.

The Witch of Envy was the one who put everything into motion, and when the day comes when he will have to face her, he will be ready.

[Subaru: With that renewed feeling, Natsuki Subaru is reborn! So let me make good use of that Witch’s power for now. No matter how many times it takes, I’ll spend my life to do it]

If it could get him closer to the answer, he would ask for nothing more.

[Subaru: My sense of time must be off thanks to the tea party, but this is right after the first Trial, isn’t it?]

The location of his Return by Death hadn’t changed, that was what Echidona told him. Turning his head about to look over his surroundings, he was definitely inside the Tomb.

Having verified this, and deciding that he should start carrying Emilia out of this place, Subaru proceeded to search for her.

[Subaru: Considering this is immediately after Return by Death, and the third time at that, I better think about how to deal with Garfiel. ......Though I’m pretty sure he won’t just try to kill me all of a sudden]

But still, Garfiel was prone to impulsive actions. And it’d be impossible to predict what he will do.

Thinking back to their last encounter and his subsequent death, even though the Great Rabbit was his immediate cause of death, recalling the scene of the slaughter of the villagers made a dark emotion boil within Subaru, beyond his control.

Repel the Great Rabbit, repel Elsa’s attack, solve the Sanctuary’s mysteries, and settle his debt with Garfiel.

Even if none of it had happened in this world, Subaru was not going to forgive him. One way or another, he will exact his revenge on Garfiel.

Brooding over these thoughts, Subaru’s negative feelings towards Garfiel surged ever higher, seeping to the surface. But all these thoughts came to an abrupt end, when,

[Subaru: ......Where’s Emilia?]

――She was nowhere to be found.

The sense of incongruity made Subaru furrow his brows, desperately trying to peer through the darkness of the Tomb. But he couldn’t find Emilia’s body anywhere in the narrow room where their Trials took place.

This had never happened before.

[Subaru: Immediately after my Trial, Emilia should still be in the middle of her’s......]

Emilia, unable to pass her first Trial, should still be tangled by her past, suffering at Subaru’s side.

And yet, she was not in the Tomb. The place and time he returned to was no doubt inside the Tomb immediately after his first Trial, but,

[Subaru: ............]

He had a bad feeling about this.

Emilia’s absence meant deviating from all the conditions so far.

It shouldn’t be possible, not unless Subaru had changed the future. But what could an unconscious Subaru have done to have this kind of influence?

Stirred by unease, Subaru ran out of the Trial room and into the corridor. Then, carrying his reverberating footsteps through the corridor, he came out of the Tomb.

Underneath the moonlight, stepping out of the Tomb, what Subaru saw was――

-=Chapter 48 End=-