[ "Cough… barely. Can I ask a question first? How many days has it been?"
"Regarding that question, if we count from the night Natsuki-san went missing, three days have passed. It is now evening… time for the 'Trial'." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Ah? Three days! And it's actually been more than three days, since Otto said he was counting from the day of the disappearance…"
Emilia recalled the first attack on the mansion. It happened three days later.
Then everyone at the mansion…
"…I believe the timing of the mansion's attack depends on Subaru,"
Yuriusu said.
He then went on to explain:
"As soon as Subaru sets off for the mansion, the Bowels Hunter will begin her move. As for how the Bowels Hunter knows his movements…"
Anastasia looked toward Roswaal.
Roswaal merely responded with a smile.
—
[ "Can you tell me what happened during the time I was missing?"
"Needless to say, the news of Natsuki-san's disappearance spread quickly. After all, you mentioned having an appointment with the Margrave that night, and even without that, Natsuki-san is quite famous around here. Consequently, this news threw the villagers into a state of extreme panic. Especially Emilia-Sama; her mind was in such utter disarray that she cancelled her challenge to the 'Trial' the following day."
"Emilia…" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Sigh, first they lost me, and then they lost Subaru. The mental pressure that the Lia of that world had to bear must have been immense,"
Puck sighed.
"At that time, if even Subaru disappeared on top of everything else…"
Emilia imagined it.
The cruel nature of the Trial, the blow of failure, and the departure of both Puck and Subaru.
Under this triple blow, her state of mind would have been absolutely terrible.
"Everyone must have been completely bewildered. A perfectly fine person, and one of the core figures at that, vanishing out of nowhere,"
Ferris said.
—
[ "He really knows how to put on a show… and he has the nerve to say things on the outside are handled well." Otto continued to explain to Subaru what had happened.
Garfiel had covered up Subaru's disappearance by claiming he had entered the 'Lost Forest.'
Even Ram's 'Clairvoyance' and other methods were useless.
Emilia and volunteers from Arlam Village had searched the 'Lost Forest' together for Subaru. But naturally, they found nothing.
"The Margrave suggested to Emilia-Sama that searching the forest with just a few people wouldn't solve the problem, and that only a large-scale search party would do. To achieve this, liberating the 'Sanctuary' should take priority." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Even Ram's Clairvoyance…? Ram is truly strange. What kind of bizarre place is this?"
Ram said.
"If nothing else, Subaru is really highly valued. They immediately gathered volunteers to look for him,"
Ferris said.
Although there was such a thing as superficial volunteers, that clearly wasn't the case here.
Everyone was genuinely worried about Subaru and wanted to find the missing boy.
—
[ "And so, because of the oath she swore, Emilia-Sama fiercely challenged the 'Trial' yesterday and today as well. But even so, she couldn't overcome it, and she seems deeply heartbroken over it."
"How should I put this… I've been a bit curious since a moment ago. It feels like I'm listening to rumors. Why does everything you're saying sound like you heard it from someone else?" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"I have the same feeling,"
Yuriusu said.
"Really? Hmm… now that I think about it, it does seem a bit like that…"
Felt said.
So why was that?
—
[ "Ah, you want to ask about that… It's a bit hard for me to say. Actually, it's like this… Just like Natsuki-san, I've also been targeted by Garfiel. I'm currently running for my life all over the 'Sanctuary'."
"Huh?"
Subaru and everyone outside the screen cried out in surprise in unison.
"Exactly! If Natsuki-san is the imprisoned victim, then I am the hunted fugitive! All that information earlier was gathered while I was on the run… so indeed, they are just rumors I overheard." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Ah! The reason the green-hatted guy was so dirty wasn't that he got messy breaking in here, but because he's been running for his life?!"
Felt said in shock.
Just now, after Otto said,
"Well then, I'll take off the cloth, and I might as well remove the blindfold too," he took off the blindfold, revealing his face clearly.
At that moment, Otto was indeed filthy.
But everyone had mistakenly assumed he got dirty on his way here, so they hadn't paid much attention.
So that was how it was.
"To go to such lengths for Subaru-kun…"
Rem and Emilia turned their grateful gazes toward Otto together.
And Beatrice did too.
"Ah… as expected, is that how it is… well, it can't be helped,"
Otto accepted the current reality.
—
[ "…" Subaru fell silent.
"Let's get out of here before the guards return," Otto said.
"Hearing you mention guards makes me pretty scared. But before that… tell me. Why are you being chased by Garfiel? Is your terrible appearance because you got messy while running for your life?"
"…" Otto said nothing.
"I am truly grateful to you for coming to save me. To be honest, before seeing your face, I was really in a state worse than death. But…" Subaru stared at Otto with a serious expression. "I can't think of a reason for you to help me. Though logically speaking, it is indeed possible for you to help." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"A reason… or rather, profit? Natsuki-san is truly…"
Otto smiled bitterly.
Helping others wasn't always just about profit.
"The me back then just wanted to help; it should be as simple as that,"
Otto said.
It was just that pure; he simply wanted to help.
—
[ "You aren't someone who likes to commit suicide, are you?" Subaru guessed.
"Who on earth likes to commit suicide?"
"Who knows. So, why are you being chased by Garfiel?"
"This is all Natsuki-san's fault. That night, the last person Natsuki-san met was Garfiel, and didn't I happen to see that? Afterward, Natsuki-san went missing, so of course, I would suspect him. From his perspective, my eyewitness testimony would be very troublesome, right? So, he came to me and said that as long as I didn't tell anyone about his meeting with Natsuki-san, he wouldn't harm me. He even offered me a reward, showing me some magic stones and the like."
"But you refused? And so you were chased by Garfiel?"
"Well, doing that sounded pretty heroic, but the result is this pathetic state I'm in."
"Are you stupid? Why did you do that? You didn't even… what on earth was it for…"
"I say, Natsuki-san." Otto smoothed his hair, adjusted his hat, and spoke: "I want to save a friend, is that so strange?" ]
.....