[ "Damn it, this is bad… My consciousness is really starting to fade." Subaru said.
Subaru was about to leave, facing the hellish reality once again. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Ah, were there still questions left unasked?"
Felt asked.
"There are quite a few, but the most pressing should have been Margrave Mathers' strange thoughts, attitude, and his true stance,"
Yuriusu said.
Putting themselves in Subaru's shoes, Margrave Mathers was highly enigmatic. If there had been enough time, Subaru surely would have asked about him.
—
[ "It seems we are out of time. This meeting was highly meaningful to me as well. After all, I didn't expect you to ask no questions last time, which was rather embarrassing. Have you witnessed at least a fraction of the 'Witch of Greed's' true capabilities?"
"Well… yeah, to be honest, you've been a huge help. Both in terms of advice and mentally. Echidna, I still want to come back here. What should I do? I know it's selfish, but I'll definitely need to borrow your wisdom again in the future. You're so knowledgeable, and…"
"It is not impossible, but it will be considerably difficult. The conditions for inviting you to the tea party will become increasingly strict. The first invitation depended on my whim, but the second was not so simple. By crying out the desire 'to know' from the depths of your heart, you made your voice reach me, allowing me to invite you twice. The third time must be even louder than the second—do you think you can manage that?" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Even louder? Then this time must have been the last, right?"
Otto said.
It was hard to imagine what level of 'wanting to know' could possibly surpass the sheer horror of being eaten alive by the Great Rabbit.
"There probably… won't be a next time, I suppose,"
Beatrice said, sounding somewhat uncertain.
By this point, all the difficulties of the Sanctuary should have come to light, so there shouldn't be any incredibly intense desire 'to know' left. However… with Subaru's uncanny knack for attracting misfortune, there was no telling what else might happen.
Then Beatrice added:
"But there is no need to rely solely on this method, in fact. There are still the Trials. Subaru has already passed one, which leaves two more. This means Subaru has at least two more chances to see Mother."
—
[ "Louder than this time? That means I'd have to die in a way even more shocking than being eaten by rabbits… Even if I could do it, I really don't want to."
"If you are resistant to that, then this may indeed be our last meeting. However, if you participate in the 'Sanctuary' according to plan, that might not be the case."
"Ah, right! There's always that option! Ah, it really looks like I'm waking up. Echidna, before I wake, I want to ask a favor of you. It's about the price for the tea party."
The price last time was altering his memory.
This time…
"Then, let us go with this." Echidna reached out, touching the white handkerchief wrapped around Subaru's wrist—the one Petra had given him. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Huh? What is she doing?"
Garfiel asked, puzzled.
"I do not know, but Mother must have her reasons,"
Beatrice replied.
—
[ "This is…"
"A wish is contained within this handkerchief. The person who gave it to you worries for you from the bottom of her heart. I can confirm the feelings within it and interfere slightly… There, with this, I have officially collected my prize. This is my new vow with you. Do not forget it."
"Then, you've been a huge help. The next time we meet will be in the 'Trials,' right?"
"I hope you can successfully challenge the graveyard. Natsuki Subaru, if you can make it to the third tea party…"
The vision was already beginning to blur. It seemed this was the end.
"At that time, I had something I wished to tell you."
Leaving behind one final parting word, the world gradually shifted. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"She has something to say to Subaru at the third tea party… What could it be?"
Emilia wondered aloud.
"I suspect that next time, Echidna will reveal her true objective to Subaru,"
Puck said.
Up until now, Echidna had helped Subaru almost unconditionally. Next time, she would likely state her true purpose.
—
[ "Gag! Cough! Cough!" Subaru opened his eyes and began to dry heave.
His mouth was full of sand and dirt.
"Man, having to go through this every single time…"
Subaru complained, then began to assess the situation.
"I was… killed by the Great Rabbit… and then I came back and attended the tea party… Echidna kept her promise. She really is a Witch in name only. But on the flip side, she holds the greatest advantage. This has a massive impact." Subaru wiped the corner of his mouth and stood up.
"I'm going to rely heavily on your power now. As long as my life can be used, you can use it as many times as you want." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Hey, hey, now that he knows there's no limit on the number of times, is the kid planning to just die over and over?"
Felt said.
"Hmm… Huh? Where is Lia?"
Puck asked, confused.
"Huh? I'm right here, Puck."
Emilia pointed to herself.
"No, no, Lia, I mean the Lia on the screen."
"Eh?"
Emilia looked toward the screen—
She wasn't there.
"That's strange. Where is Emilia-sama?"
Otto followed Emilia's gaze and realized that Emilia was nowhere to be seen in the graveyard.
"The most reasonable explanation right now would be that Emilia-sama tried to wake Subaru to no avail, and then left on her own… No, Emilia-sama wouldn't do that,"
Yuriusu said.
Then what on earth was going on?
—
[ "Because Emilia woke me up… that's how it should be." Subaru thought as he looked around—
"You've got to be kidding me." He said, dumbfounded.
He couldn't find Emilia.
"Emilia woke up first, so she tried to wake me up, and then… what happened? Ah! She couldn't have lost her mind and run outside, right…?" Subaru tried to think of a reason. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"It's only natural to think that. After all, the Trial really struck at Emilia's weak point. If there were no one to comfort her, she might really have lost her mind. But… even if Subaru wasn't there, Ram and the others would have comforted Emilia, right?"
Anastasia said.
So while losing her mind was a possibility, it was a very small one.
"Wait, what's going on with the Sanctuary?"
Garfiel was shocked by the scene before him and asked hurriedly.
"This… This is…"
Otto was also at a loss.
—
[ "A shadow…?" Subaru walked out of the graveyard and was completely stunned by the sight before him.
Almost everything within his field of vision was covered in shadow.
Yet, looking up at the sky, there was no massive object blocking the light.
Where was this shadow coming from?
Subaru ran down the steps and shouted: "E-Emilia! Emilia, where are you? Where are you? Answer me, Emilia!"
No one answered.
"Ram! Miss Ryuzu! Even Otto is fine! If you're there, come out!"
Still, there was no response.
This dark shadow looked somewhat like…
Somewhat like…
Everyone watching had a very bad feeling. ]
.....