Arc 7, Chapter 71 "Water"
--The massacre of the Gladiator Island by the invocation of the "curse rule", which should not have happened.
At the last moment, it was the sharpness of the cold knife that took Subaru's life.
But just before that, that feeling of slowly dying from the edges of his body had unquestionably consumed Subaru and worked to make him die brutally.
In the end, we don't know why all the people other than Subaru - the gladiators including Tanza and the others, the guards and the gladiators who were supposed to be on the controlling side of the island, and even Cecilus - died in an instant.
How was it that Subaru was the only exception, the only one who was slow to die?
Maybe it's a question that's never answered, even if you think about it.
He's not someone you can ask and get an answer from, and it doesn't seem like it's worth the time and brain cells.
Instead, he needs to focus on the one who could definitely pick up on the information.
"That reaction of Todd's...... the curse rule is the answer."
It was the two choices he made with his dying, blood-deprived mind, but he drew the right one.
If he hadn't reconsidered there, if he had been possessed by the idea of Arakiya's magic, Subaru wouldn't have been able to come back with certainty.
It was only because he had been hit by a figurehead that Todd made the decision to kill Subaru in that split second.
He decided that Subaru was not a dying child, but a danger that needed to be killed now.
The speed of Todd's switching was the basis for concluding that Subaru was a curse.
"Just, why the curse rule?"
Now that the possibility of poison gas has been eliminated and evidence has been found to support the possibility of the curse rule, he's not going to get hung up on the idea that the curse rule is just a scare tactic and doesn't exist.
But then, Gustav's behavior is too unnatural this time.
The basis for Subaru's decision that there was no curse rule was that Gustav did not punish the dangerous Subaru for defying the rules of the Gladiator Island and trying to break the order, because he did not punish him with the curse rule.
Sure, Gustav doesn't want the gladiator dead, but it doesn't make sense that he would hesitate to use the curse rule compared to Subaru alone and the island order.
So, think about it the other way--,
"--When I provoked him, Mr. Gustav couldn't use the curse rule even if he wanted to. But when everyone on the island was killed, did he meet the conditions to use it?"
For the time being, that's the arrangement of the events that took place that he can think of with the information he has now.
"......Mr. Gustav is the enemy, huh?"
As long as the curse rule was used, in nine out of ten, the administrator, Gustav, is an enemy of Subaru and his friends.
In other words, the three enemies were Todd, Arakiya, and Gustav. The fact that Cecilus was not the enemy was a good thing, but he can't be happy about it either.
That curse rule was a threat that could kill even Cecilus.
"----"
In exchange for the information obtained, bad material is thrown into the pot one after another.
Can he filter the contents of a simmering black pot and see through to the bottom?
And bad material was something that folded in.
Because--,
"Schwarz......"
"--tsk"
"This shaking is......"
Subaru crouches down, holding his chest where there are no wounds, only the impact of the stab wound.
Weitz, who was worried about Subaru, was surprised to see the tremors coming up from under his feet. Of course, Subaru knows that this is coming and what this shaking is.
He knows, but there was a big problem.
--The time it took for the drawbridge to start moving was shorter than the previous redoing of "Death".
△▼△▼△▼△
If you turn away from what you don't want to think about and cover your ears, your feelings won't sink in.
But if you feel like a loser like that, there's no way to beat the approaching defeat.
So no matter how much you don't like the reality of your opponent, don't close your eyes and cover your ears.
--Even if the restart point is pushed back a dozen seconds.
"----"
The abnormality of Subaru's "Return by Death" makes it work very hard.
As well as setting an unusual restart point, this time there was a slight time discrepancy - a reduction in the grace period of a dozen seconds or so.
This was an anomaly that was different from the previous cases in which the grace period was extremely short, and it was a situation that was perfect for fueling Subaru's sense of anxiety and desperation.
This time it was only a dozen seconds, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be much shorter.
If this abnormality continues to compound over and over again, and finally the time until death becomes less than a second, or if it becomes impossible to "Return by Death" in the first place, what can Subaru do?
Even if he doesn't want to assume that he will "Return by Death", he should consider the strategy by taking the "Return by Death" into account.
Now that he is smaller, Subaru is more helpless than he was before he shrunk in stature. The land of this empire is not so kind that you can sit on your pretty self.
So--,
× × ×
"Oh, hey, Schwarz...... seriously, you're just gonna sit here?"
"I'm serious. Please, just don't freak out on this big one, Hiain."
"I'm not freaked out! I'm not, scared......"
Yes, his voice trembled so much that everyone could tell he was being strong, and Hiain, who was right beside Subaru, bit his teeth and hesitated to speak.
He can understand why Hiain would be frightened and try to get Subaru to reconsider.
If he was found, he wouldn't get away with it, and he couldn't understand why he would do such a reckless thing.
However, if he told the events that happen honestly, whether he believed it or not, there is no doubt that there will be no way for Hiain to help Subaru.
To do so, Subaru tricked Hiain into cooperating with him for a false reason.
He said that even if Hiain was a little reckless, he was trying to get information that he couldn't ignore.
The information that Hiain can't ignore is--,
"Damn, an emissary from the Imperial Capital brings you a story about a show......? You've got to be kidding me......!"
"--. Weitz will buy us some time. We're gonna get the details."
"I know, I know, I get it......"
Hiain is impatient and frustrated, and he's concerned about the island's entertainment - making a show of gladiators fighting to the death, the primary reason why Ginunhive is being run.
As long as the environment is prepared for surviving "Sparka", and the deaths are hard to die even in a death match for the purpose of training between gladiators, the most life-threatening thing will be the entertainment of it.
Falsely claiming to have information about the entertainment, Subaru asked Hiain for help.
As a result--,
"--Come in. Let's hear what you have to say."
The sound of the door being opened echoes through the room along with a stern voice.
Two log-like arms opened the entrance, and the air was heavy with the return of the master of the room.
"----"
Subaru shut his mouth at his appearance and tapped Hiain on the houlder. Hiain responded silently, apparently determined that he was ready for a situation where he could no longer stand.
It's only natural. Subaru and Hiain can't do anything bad anymore.
Because--,
"General Arakiya, and......"
"Todd."
A simple female voice answers the words of Gustav, the large figure who opened the door. There is a hint of a wry smile at that short, unkind answer,
"This is Private Todd Fang. Just until this business is settled."
So said the voice of a man who seemed to be clutching Subaru's soul as he continued.
The two people who were shown the way - Todd and Arakiya, a brown-skinned woman with an eye patch - entered the room without regard to these feelings.
This is Gustav's office. The other day, Todd and the others stepped into the room where Subaru had also been called in for a stern warning as an emissary from the Imperial Capital.
"A rather modest room for a Governor."
Todd stands in the middle of the room by the reception couch and looks around.
Indeed, Gustav's room has very few things in it. It can be said to be a room with only a desk and bookshelves for work and the necessities of the office, which is worthy of the name of the office.
You can see why he'd look over to that point. But they didn't want him to look around.
Especially the bookshelf in the corner of the room, especially in that direction.
× × ×
"--. The Oval Office. Everything you need for your day job. You're here for the audit?"
"No, of course not. I'm a close associate of the first general of Arakiya. The 'general' is very selective and has no subordinates other than me."
"Few and elite."
"Elite is an awe-inspiring description."
Todd shrugged as Gustav closed the door to his room and headed for his office desk. He slowly sat down on the couch, his expression unchanged by Arakiya's words that followed.
With that, his gaze wanders away from the bookshelf and Subaru sighs loudly, loudly inwardly.
It was a hell of a nerve-wracking moment.
No matter how much you think it's going to suck, Todd is the one who is afraid to paint the worst of it.
So he was really scared that he would notice him again.
--Subaru's presence is covered by Hiain, who is mimicking the surrounding scenery by the bookshelf, and is listening closely to this situation.
"----"
The current state of Subaru is that he asked Weitz to stall the visiting dragon car, and while he was there, he and Hiain broke into Gustav's office, mimicked him, and hid and hid.
Stalling itself had a precedent of working, but whether or not the mimicry could be detected was something that could not be known without trying. Even though he thought he had a grasp of Hiain's mimicry and its mechanisms from the initial "Sparka" and subsequent dialogues, certainty was another thing.
The accuracy of Hiain's mimicry is affected more by whether he has the guts to stay still than by his physical or mental state. If he has the guts to stay still and remain in place, he is almost invisible as he is assimilated into the landscape. Subaru, who can hug his small body, can receive the same effect.
However, as soon as it moves, the atmosphere of the mimicked scales becomes a mess, and it becomes a state of hide-and-seek for children who can see you there in full view.
In the battle with that lion-like gladiator, his cowardice had caused him to die many times. It was Hiain's own weak heart that killed Hiain's strength.
--But this mimicry should be able to work on improving that weakness.
"If they don't find us, we won't have to worry about them doing anything to us. The emissaries coming are the 'Nine Divine Generals' and their astute second-in-command, but as long as your mimicry isn't shaky, you'll be fine. Besides--"
"B-besides......?"
"--I'm here for you."
He told him so in advance, looking him firmly in the eye before he rode into the Oval Office.
Even the words of a cheeky child with short arms and legs and a voice that hadn't even changed yet reached Hiain, who had saved his life and the lives of his friends. Indeed, they seemed to have resonated.
--So this time Hiain's mimicry was not detected 'for the first time'.
Beyond this, this is the first time that Arakiya, with her second-in-command Todd, begins to talk about what story she came to the island to have with Gustav.
"General Arakiya, are you not going to sit down?"
"......I'm standing. Also, I'm restless."
"Are you nervous?"
"I heard that there are a lot of things that have happened since you came to the island. Because the Dragon's Nest is so close, I guess."
When asked to sit down, Arakiya shook her head and remained standing. Todd, her second in command, is sitting on the sofa, and Arakiya is standing behind him, in a strange, odd shape.
Still, the picture of Todd with his boss behind him doesn't make him feel uncomfortable, perhaps because Subaru has too much of an image of Todd as something very powerful and terrifying.
It's impossible not to be wary of someone who's going to try to kill you as soon as Hiain's mimicry gets a little distorted - but it's impossible not to be wary--.
"I don't mind my day job if that's what you want. So, what's the purpose of this visit?"
"I'm glad we can get right down to business. We don't want to take too long either. May I give you a letter, General?"
"Suit yourself."
"Thank you. Viceroy, here is a letter from the Prime Minister of the Imperial Capital."
He handed Gustav a latter that Todd had taken out of his pocket, with Arakiya literally standing like a figurine. Gustav had a wax seal on the letter, and it seemed to be stamped with the sender's seal.
That couldn't be confirmed from Subaru, even the mark of the imprint.
"Empire, Prime Minister......"
Subaru's tongue thirsted for Todd's words as he told him who had entrusted him with the letter.
According to what he heard from the repulsive Abel, the Prime Minister was one of the main culprits who drive him out of the Imperial Capital.
The letter from the bad vizier, who got rid of the emperor with a bad character, was delivered to Gustav. Moreover, the letter was carried by Todd, a demonic man.
The letter is a bad sign, considering the massacre that will take place on the Gladiator Island afterwards.
"Superior Gustav Morello, I understand that you were appointed Governor of this island by the order of His Excellency Emperor Vincent of Vollachia."
"I'm sure of it."
"Even though it's the Emperor's orders, isn't being the administrator of the Gladiator Island Ginunhive an unwelcome job for a blood relative of Vollachia's hero, Kurgan the Eight-Armed?"
The air in the room was thick with a tingling sensation, as if to encourage Subaru's premonition.
The cause is Todd's rambling, even ungracious, way of saying things. And Subaru knows what makes Gustav most angry, based on their previous contacts.
Gustav is more angry with him than he is with what's being said about him--,
"You say that like you are questioning the judgment of our Emperor?"
He is angry at his disloyalty to His Excellency the Emperor, i.e. Abel=Vincent.
× × ×
"----"
The air of ruggedness that Gustav emitted, and suddenly Arakiya lined up beside Todd.
Arakiya's face was unsure of what he was thinking, but with just that action, it reminded her of the spectacle of crushing with force the plausible loyalty that Gustav had issued.
However, it is none other than Tod himself who conquered that threat of Arakiya with his hand, saying, "General".
"That was a little too much for me to say. The Governor's anger is justified."
"......But I won't let you die. My friend, we have an enemy to avenge. Right?"
"--. Yeah, of course I am. I'm living for it right now."
Todd's expression grew bitter as he reproached Arakiya for her attitude.
The way Todd was pointed out by Arakiya as an enemy of his friend, Subaru couldn't help but bend his lips wide as he tried not to miss a single word.
Todd and hostile take on each other sounds like a very incompatible term.
He doesn't know Todd well enough to say that, but he assumes that means Todd has someone important to him.
You left your fiancée who wanted to see you so badly, and you're going to kill a lot of people on this island.
"I'm sorry to be so unkind, Viceroy. I'm sorry, Viceroy. I'm a bit on the outside, as is the general. So I apologize for my attitude. I apologize."
"......I accept your apology. But too much talk is a recipe for disaster."
"I'm sore in the ears about that. I'm very, very aware of that."
Todd, who had held Arakiya back, turned bitter at Gustav's advice. Todd's reaction was not taken into account as Gustav cracked the wax seal with his thick fingers and the letter was opened.
A letter from the Prime Minister of the Empire, the man responsible for the current imperial vandalism--,
"--This is"
"The truth is that I didn't mean to be rude earlier, but I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to say that if the Viceroy is tired of managing the Gladiator Island, then it's just as well."
Gustav ran his eyes over the letter and carved little wrinkles in his rock-like face. Todd closed one eye as if that would widen it, like a crack in a real rock.
Leaving the mute Arakiya behind, Todd continues with a face like he represents the messenger.
"The Gladiators of this island are a threat to internal security. The Emperor wishes to dispose of them all together."
△▼△▼△▼△
× × ×
In a matter-of-fact manner, as nonchalantly as if they were discussing garbage disposal on garbage day, Todd demanded that Gustav dispose of the gladiators of the Gladiator Island--hundreds of them.
"----"
The only reason why Subaru was able to withstand that, the worst possible prediction, was because he had already seen the actual massacre that killed everyone on the island and was prepared for it.
And it was a miracle that Hiain didn't scream in his sleep.
He should say, correctly, that he was too stunned to comprehend it.
"----"
It was one of those unrealistic voices that made Hiain forget to even flinch.
However, even though his injuries have kept him from unraveling his mimicry, Subaru can't help but bite his back teeth.
This request led to the invocation of a curse rule that killed everyone on the island.
As he feared, Todd, Arakiya, and Gustav are the enemies.
He said that unless these three men's heinous acts were stopped, there was no way to prevent that massacre.
"Fear of internal damage."
"A domestic affair is a domestic affair, and a fearful one at that, an insolent one at that, which shades the Emperor's majesty. However, the Prime Minister does not believe that it is Governor-General Gustav who has surrounded himself with them. The Viceroy's loyalty is genuine."
"----"
"That's why it pains me to hear it. Since the Governor has been posted to this island, the quality of the sword fighters being unveiled at the show is incomparable to what it used to be."
Todd is the one who ordered the disposal of that swordsman, but he's the one who is thankful for Gustav's labor.
Gustav's expression didn't move as he looked down at the letter. It was not even clear to Subaru, who was looking at the situation crippledly, how Todd's words were resonating inside of him.
"--. If we reduce the risk of needless deaths, let them learn the basics of how to fight, and stand side by side instead of outwitting others, the quality of the surviving gladiators will improve."
However, his quiet reply that Gustav had his own philosophy and managed the Gladiator Island seemed like pride.
Instead of making the gladiators just for show, Gustav trained them, raised them, and rewrote the rules of the island to make them more suitable for the emperor and his imperial subjects.
It probably doesn't include anything soft like feelings or emotions for the swordfighters.
But there is a decision to be made by Gustav, as a man placed in the position of Governor General.
"Are we done?"
Arakiya asks Gustav, who has placed his four hands on the desk where he has placed the letter and closed his eyes.
The insensitive question that completely ignored the flow of the conversation is something that Subaru might have gotten angry and blushed if he were in Gustav's shoes.
But Gustav didn't argue, and Todd takes it for granted.
"Have you heard of any good curse rules? I've heard that there were some magic tools given to me by a 'Nine Divine General' named Groovy Gumlet. I heard that you can use it to beat them all."
× × ×
"It's possible."
"Then it's a quick talk. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get a new gladiator ready in time. We'll need some time to prepare a new gladiator, so we'll close Ginunhive for the time being and--"
Todd speaks as if he's about to put away the tools he used at the end of class. The non-serious way he says it interferes with Hiain's reboot, which is still suspended in thought.
But even if Hiain hasn't rebooted yet, time is going to run out on the big one.
If Gustav invokes the curse rule as per the orders Todd and the others brought, they will be annihilated.
Knowing that it's a freaky and unstoppable future, the only way to stop it is for Subaru to make a move here. But how should he move?
They already know that if they show up with no plan, they'll be killed instantly.
On the other hand, to take Gustav hostage, who would use the curse rule, Gustav himself seems to be stronger than both Subaru and Hiain--.
"--No."
Yes, Gustav will turn down Todd and the others' demands, and they'll take advantage of it. Take advantage.
What is, the advantage, taking advantage?
"......What?"
Subaru tried desperately to get his head around it, but his thoughts were being scrambled just as much as Hiain's.
In contrast to Subaru, who stopped thinking like that, Todd's voice was cold and sharp.
Subaru feels as if the air in the room has become more viscous.
It's a change that has a radically different temperature feel than when Gustav was angry at Todd for the way he said it. In heat, the atmosphere is not humidity, but a different color.
With that air, Todd looked at Gustav, his hands on the desk, and,
"Are you aware of any discrepancies between what the order says and what we know?"
"No. The letter contains the same information as you have just given me. The name of the Prime Minister and his seal are not in error."
"If so, how do you feel about that?"
Todd asks Gustav, who holds out his hands and repels the request.
Even Subaru couldn't understand what was going on. Gustav refused Todd's request from the Imperial City to use the curse rule and wipe out the gladiators of the Gladiator Island.
They don't know why, it is--,
"--This position has been ordered by the Emperor himself. To train a gladiator, trained both mentally and physically, in preparation for any emergency."
"The Prime Minister's seal is a reflection of His Imperial Highness' will. Are you saying that there's a discrepancy with what was ordered beforehand and that you can't make a decision? The order is genuine."
"I don't suspect forgery. I take it as an order from the Prime Minister."
"......I'm not talking to you?"
Frowning, Todd turned his eyes on Gustav, who was looking at something he didn't understand.
For once, Subaru agrees with Todd. Although he is grateful that Gustav is paying off his demands, he has no idea what they are really about.
So, in front of Subaru and Todd, who are in the same bewilderment, Gustav continues.
"I have received a direct order from His Imperial Highness the Emperor."
"So, I'm going to withdraw that in the order and talk about following the next order......."
"When I was appointed Governor of this island by the Emperor's command."
Todd interrupts, and Gustav states the rationale for his choice. It was a few years ago, when Gustav was posted to the Gladiator Island as Governor.
It is--,
"The Emperor told me to tell you this. '--Even if you have orders from me, do not disobey this first order.'"
"----"
Those are the very words that will guide Gustav in this situation.
It is a word that anticipates Gustav's being put in this situation, an order that is never enough to say prepared, but cannot be completed without foreknowledge.
By The Emperor of Vollachia, Vincent - no, Abel, a stepping stone to the future.
"You can't listen to the current emperor's orders because of the past emperor's orders?"
"I don't need to know all the details. I agree with him. Regardless of whether I have knowledge or not, the role of my profession remains the same."
Shaking his head, Gustav stubbornly answered Todd's question.
Todd's eyes narrowed slightly at Gustav as he maintained his stubborn stance. The look in his eyes was not a face that was thinking so much about how he was going to convince Gustav.
He had no reason to try to persuade a stubborn man who would not listen to him with all his words.
In other words--,
"Arakiya. --Negotiations have broken down."
"--tsk!"
Yes, Todd spoke to Arakiya in a flat voice.
The next moment, before the fatal situation could arise, Gustav grabbed all four sides of the four-handed desk and tried to throw it, which he lifted, at the two visitors.
The muscles in his thick, strong arms were heaving, and a desk that looked like it weighed nearly a hundred kilograms was lifted with ease.
"Bshh--"
There was a distracted shout, and Arakiya pointed the tree branch she held at Gustav.
Immediately afterwards, a tremendous gush of water from the tip of a branch blew Gustav's entire neck and rock-like face off, turning his life into a death sentence.
△▼△▼△▼△
There was a heavy thud, and for a moment, the desk that had been lifted off his feet fell to the floor. A beat later, Gustav's body, which was missing from the neck up, fell onto the desk, as if to throw his entire body onto it.
The wound on his neck where he lost his head was gushing blood, and it was staining the floor of his office without mercy.
The fresh blood spreading seemed to claim Gustav's death as easily as a lie.
"A multi-armed tribe is the same no matter how many arms they have. Go get more heads anyway."
Todd rings the bones in his own neck as he looks at the dead Gustav. Then he looks back at Arakiya, who is frowning at the end of a branch, "What's wrong?" He tilted his head.
"You don't mean to tell me you're surprised by your own powers, do you?"
"No, I'm not. But I'm amazed. ......By how powerful just water can be."
"Oh, that's it. If you're aiming at a large group of people, fire is better, but if it's just one person, water is definitely the way to go. Next time, just pour a glassful of water into the opponent's head."
"I got it. ......Todd?"
Todd walks over to Gustav's corpse as he suggests something horrible. Arakiya called out to him with a lowered eyebrow as he pulled a large knife from his pocket.
Not answering the call, Todd walked behind the corpse on the desk and drove his knife mercilessly into its thick back, slicing the back open lengthwise.
It's an unforgiving strategy, just like handling a fish.
Todd dismantles Gustav's corpse, taking a lot of blood from his neck and a minimal but still not insignificant amount of return blood from his already dead body.
"----"
Looking away from the scene, Subaru was aware of his own trembling.
Up until now, Subaru has always thought of Todd as a fearsome enemy, but this is the first time he's seen him in regards to this bizarre behavior. --That he would dismantle a human being like an animal.
It's just that Todd's violence is only aligned with the goal of eliminating enemies and danger.
If he had a hobby of destroying corpses like this, Subaru wonders his own corpse had been destroyed in the same way after being killed by him so far.
When he thinks of that, an unbearable sense of dread and disgust takes over his whole body.
Subaru can't even cover his ears amidst the unpleasant sound that makes him want to cover his ears.
Even if you instinctively want to kill your heart in a situation, you never know what's sleeping. Maybe when you're running away from Todd, if there's a dead body, it might distract you.
He can't help but think how stupid that sounds--,
"--There it is."
"--? What?"
Suddenly, that unpleasant sound of water breaks off, and Todd and Arakiya's conversation switches.
Arakiya, too, lowered her voice at Todd's bad taste, but he answered her in a matter-of-fact way, wiping the blood that had splattered on his cheek with the back of his hand.
"It's the curse, the curse. I figured a guy like this would have one embedded in his body anyway."
"Cursebook......"
"You need to invoke the curse rule...... oh, you don't need to know. Whatever."
As he said this, Todd pulled out of Gustav's body a black sphere that seemed to be embedded in the middle of his large body.
Todd called the sphere, which was about the size of a golf ball at most, a curse tool.
That it's also a curse tool needed to activate the curse rules.
In other words--,
"As long as I have this, I don't care if the owner lives or dies. --You've done a foolish thing."
Todd calls out to Gustav's spectacularly disfigured corpse, his back opened and his head missing, as he fiddles with the curse tool in his hand.
There was no pity or sympathy in his voice. There was a tinge of indifference and dismay.
"It's funny that you think you can compete with a monster."
Todd's muttering with a twist of his neck, it must be referring to Arakiya, who killed Gustav in one breath.
But to Gustav, who lost his life, and to Subaru, who was there, the "monster" seemed to refer to Todd.
"----"
--The only way to get it is to get it from the "monster".
"Arakiya, give me some water. I'll wash the blood off the island, and then I'll get them--"
Todd's attention turned to Arakiya, wanting to open Gustav's body and wash his bloody knife and hands.
Once he had the cursebook in his hand on his office desk, Todd, and Arakiya.
--Instinctively, he decided that this was the only place to go.
"Ah"
Todd turned around at Arakiya's words, his mouth curling open. Todd's eyes widened as he suddenly appeared in the room, spotting a child reaching for a curse tool on the desk.
Hiain's mimicry did an extreme job.
Even the circumspect Todd and the monstrous Arakiya were unaware of Subaru and the others' presence.
"Hiain!"
The moment his fingertips caught the curse tool, Subaru called out for Hiain, who was assimilating with the prone floor.
However, his gaze is in a completely different direction - the entrance to the Oval Office.
He wants him to raise his voice in that direction.
"Blow up the whole room!!"
"--tsk, Arakiya!"
Hearing Subaru's tense call, Todd immediately called for Arakiya. Arakiya, too, was on the lookout for the door and stuck close to Todd.
If a terrible attack is launched from the door side, they'll be able to respond.
However--,
"--You're bluffing!"
For one second, in a moment when nothing happened, Todd saw through Subaru's aim. But if there was that one second, Subaru's side would be able to fulfill its purpose.
Grab the curse tool and just--,
"Ohhhhhh!"
As he barks, he grabs the curse tool and hears it flying down Subaru's waist. As he did so, he held Subaru in his arms and plunged into the window of his office, opposite of the entrance.
Subaru and Hiain jumped out there with their bodies, smashing the window frame.
That moment when they jump out of their skin--,
"Bshh--"
And with unimaginable force from the carefree shouts, the flash floods littered the Oval Office.
The tremendous pressure of the water blew away the upper layers of the Gladiator Island, clearing away the bookshelves and furnishings that Gustav, the master of the room, had so meticulously arranged, swept away mercilessly.
But--,
"He's not here."
Arakiya, who had done it, stepped on the wet floor and muttered as she watched the things in the room pour out of the shattered walls, one after another.
Below, if you look outside the broken office, you can see a white cloth tied across the wall you can look down on.
Grab it and slide your hand down so you can get down there.
"This......"
"Ambush at the ready, huh? --What's with that kid."
Next to Arakiya, Todd, who also looked out of the wall, put his hand over his mouth and muttered.
Squinting, thoughtful, Todd let out a small exhale.
"Arakiya, go and retrieve the cursebook. You can kill them."
"Okay. What about you?"
"You don't need to know what I'm trying to do."
Shaking his head, Todd brushed off Arakiya's question as such. But Arakiya didn't dwell on it, instead leaning out from the broken wall and falling straight down.
Without any small tricks, dozens of meters high without any help.
And so, looking away from Arakiya, who was chasing after the interloper, Todd sighed, and said,
'......That kid smelled like shit.'
He muttered with his colorless eyes and clicked his tongue abominably.
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--The massacre of the Gladiator Island by the invocation of the "curse rule", which should not have happened.
At the last moment, it was the sharpness of the cold knife that took Subaru's life.
But just before that, that feeling of slowly dying from the edges of his body had unquestionably consumed Subaru and worked to make him die brutally.
In the end, we don't know why all the people other than Subaru - the gladiators including Tanza and the others, the guards and the gladiators who were supposed to be on the controlling side of the island, and even Cecilus - died in an instant.
How was it that Subaru was the only exception, the only one who was slow to die?
Maybe it's a question that's never answered, even if you think about it.
He's not someone you can ask and get an answer from, and it doesn't seem like it's worth the time and brain cells.
Instead, he needs to focus on the one who could definitely pick up on the information.
"That reaction of Todd's...... the curse rule is the answer."
It was the two choices he made with his dying, blood-deprived mind, but he drew the right one.
If he hadn't reconsidered there, if he had been possessed by the idea of Arakiya's magic, Subaru wouldn't have been able to come back with certainty.
It was only because he had been hit by a figurehead that Todd made the decision to kill Subaru in that split second.
He decided that Subaru was not a dying child, but a danger that needed to be killed now.
The speed of Todd's switching was the basis for concluding that Subaru was a curse.
"Just, why the curse rule?"
Now that the possibility of poison gas has been eliminated and evidence has been found to support the possibility of the curse rule, he's not going to get hung up on the idea that the curse rule is just a scare tactic and doesn't exist.
But then, Gustav's behavior is too unnatural this time.
The basis for Subaru's decision that there was no curse rule was that Gustav did not punish the dangerous Subaru for defying the rules of the Gladiator Island and trying to break the order, because he did not punish him with the curse rule.
Sure, Gustav doesn't want the gladiator dead, but it doesn't make sense that he would hesitate to use the curse rule compared to Subaru alone and the island order.
So, think about it the other way--,
"--When I provoked him, Mr. Gustav couldn't use the curse rule even if he wanted to. But when everyone on the island was killed, did he meet the conditions to use it?"
For the time being, that's the arrangement of the events that took place that he can think of with the information he has now.
"......Mr. Gustav is the enemy, huh?"
As long as the curse rule was used, in nine out of ten, the administrator, Gustav, is an enemy of Subaru and his friends.
In other words, the three enemies were Todd, Arakiya, and Gustav. The fact that Cecilus was not the enemy was a good thing, but he can't be happy about it either.
That curse rule was a threat that could kill even Cecilus.
"----"
In exchange for the information obtained, bad material is thrown into the pot one after another.
Can he filter the contents of a simmering black pot and see through to the bottom?
And bad material was something that folded in.
Because--,
"Schwarz......"
"--tsk"
"This shaking is......"
Subaru crouches down, holding his chest where there are no wounds, only the impact of the stab wound.
Weitz, who was worried about Subaru, was surprised to see the tremors coming up from under his feet. Of course, Subaru knows that this is coming and what this shaking is.
He knows, but there was a big problem.
--The time it took for the drawbridge to start moving was shorter than the previous redoing of "Death".
△▼△▼△▼△
If you turn away from what you don't want to think about and cover your ears, your feelings won't sink in.
But if you feel like a loser like that, there's no way to beat the approaching defeat.
So no matter how much you don't like the reality of your opponent, don't close your eyes and cover your ears.
--Even if the restart point is pushed back a dozen seconds.
"----"
The abnormality of Subaru's "Return by Death" makes it work very hard.
As well as setting an unusual restart point, this time there was a slight time discrepancy - a reduction in the grace period of a dozen seconds or so.
This was an anomaly that was different from the previous cases in which the grace period was extremely short, and it was a situation that was perfect for fueling Subaru's sense of anxiety and desperation.
This time it was only a dozen seconds, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be much shorter.
If this abnormality continues to compound over and over again, and finally the time until death becomes less than a second, or if it becomes impossible to "Return by Death" in the first place, what can Subaru do?
Even if he doesn't want to assume that he will "Return by Death", he should consider the strategy by taking the "Return by Death" into account.
Now that he is smaller, Subaru is more helpless than he was before he shrunk in stature. The land of this empire is not so kind that you can sit on your pretty self.
So--,
× × ×
"Oh, hey, Schwarz...... seriously, you're just gonna sit here?"
"I'm serious. Please, just don't freak out on this big one, Hiain."
"I'm not freaked out! I'm not, scared......"
Yes, his voice trembled so much that everyone could tell he was being strong, and Hiain, who was right beside Subaru, bit his teeth and hesitated to speak.
He can understand why Hiain would be frightened and try to get Subaru to reconsider.
If he was found, he wouldn't get away with it, and he couldn't understand why he would do such a reckless thing.
However, if he told the events that happen honestly, whether he believed it or not, there is no doubt that there will be no way for Hiain to help Subaru.
To do so, Subaru tricked Hiain into cooperating with him for a false reason.
He said that even if Hiain was a little reckless, he was trying to get information that he couldn't ignore.
The information that Hiain can't ignore is--,
"Damn, an emissary from the Imperial Capital brings you a story about a show......? You've got to be kidding me......!"
"--. Weitz will buy us some time. We're gonna get the details."
"I know, I know, I get it......"
Hiain is impatient and frustrated, and he's concerned about the island's entertainment - making a show of gladiators fighting to the death, the primary reason why Ginunhive is being run.
As long as the environment is prepared for surviving "Sparka", and the deaths are hard to die even in a death match for the purpose of training between gladiators, the most life-threatening thing will be the entertainment of it.
Falsely claiming to have information about the entertainment, Subaru asked Hiain for help.
As a result--,
"--Come in. Let's hear what you have to say."
The sound of the door being opened echoes through the room along with a stern voice.
Two log-like arms opened the entrance, and the air was heavy with the return of the master of the room.
"----"
Subaru shut his mouth at his appearance and tapped Hiain on the houlder. Hiain responded silently, apparently determined that he was ready for a situation where he could no longer stand.
It's only natural. Subaru and Hiain can't do anything bad anymore.
Because--,
"General Arakiya, and......"
"Todd."
A simple female voice answers the words of Gustav, the large figure who opened the door. There is a hint of a wry smile at that short, unkind answer,
"This is Private Todd Fang. Just until this business is settled."
So said the voice of a man who seemed to be clutching Subaru's soul as he continued.
The two people who were shown the way - Todd and Arakiya, a brown-skinned woman with an eye patch - entered the room without regard to these feelings.
This is Gustav's office. The other day, Todd and the others stepped into the room where Subaru had also been called in for a stern warning as an emissary from the Imperial Capital.
"A rather modest room for a Governor."
Todd stands in the middle of the room by the reception couch and looks around.
Indeed, Gustav's room has very few things in it. It can be said to be a room with only a desk and bookshelves for work and the necessities of the office, which is worthy of the name of the office.
You can see why he'd look over to that point. But they didn't want him to look around.
Especially the bookshelf in the corner of the room, especially in that direction.
× × ×
"--. The Oval Office. Everything you need for your day job. You're here for the audit?"
"No, of course not. I'm a close associate of the first general of Arakiya. The 'general' is very selective and has no subordinates other than me."
"Few and elite."
"Elite is an awe-inspiring description."
Todd shrugged as Gustav closed the door to his room and headed for his office desk. He slowly sat down on the couch, his expression unchanged by Arakiya's words that followed.
With that, his gaze wanders away from the bookshelf and Subaru sighs loudly, loudly inwardly.
It was a hell of a nerve-wracking moment.
No matter how much you think it's going to suck, Todd is the one who is afraid to paint the worst of it.
So he was really scared that he would notice him again.
--Subaru's presence is covered by Hiain, who is mimicking the surrounding scenery by the bookshelf, and is listening closely to this situation.
"----"
The current state of Subaru is that he asked Weitz to stall the visiting dragon car, and while he was there, he and Hiain broke into Gustav's office, mimicked him, and hid and hid.
Stalling itself had a precedent of working, but whether or not the mimicry could be detected was something that could not be known without trying. Even though he thought he had a grasp of Hiain's mimicry and its mechanisms from the initial "Sparka" and subsequent dialogues, certainty was another thing.
The accuracy of Hiain's mimicry is affected more by whether he has the guts to stay still than by his physical or mental state. If he has the guts to stay still and remain in place, he is almost invisible as he is assimilated into the landscape. Subaru, who can hug his small body, can receive the same effect.
However, as soon as it moves, the atmosphere of the mimicked scales becomes a mess, and it becomes a state of hide-and-seek for children who can see you there in full view.
In the battle with that lion-like gladiator, his cowardice had caused him to die many times. It was Hiain's own weak heart that killed Hiain's strength.
--But this mimicry should be able to work on improving that weakness.
"If they don't find us, we won't have to worry about them doing anything to us. The emissaries coming are the 'Nine Divine Generals' and their astute second-in-command, but as long as your mimicry isn't shaky, you'll be fine. Besides--"
"B-besides......?"
"--I'm here for you."
He told him so in advance, looking him firmly in the eye before he rode into the Oval Office.
Even the words of a cheeky child with short arms and legs and a voice that hadn't even changed yet reached Hiain, who had saved his life and the lives of his friends. Indeed, they seemed to have resonated.
--So this time Hiain's mimicry was not detected 'for the first time'.
Beyond this, this is the first time that Arakiya, with her second-in-command Todd, begins to talk about what story she came to the island to have with Gustav.
"General Arakiya, are you not going to sit down?"
"......I'm standing. Also, I'm restless."
"Are you nervous?"
"I heard that there are a lot of things that have happened since you came to the island. Because the Dragon's Nest is so close, I guess."
When asked to sit down, Arakiya shook her head and remained standing. Todd, her second in command, is sitting on the sofa, and Arakiya is standing behind him, in a strange, odd shape.
Still, the picture of Todd with his boss behind him doesn't make him feel uncomfortable, perhaps because Subaru has too much of an image of Todd as something very powerful and terrifying.
It's impossible not to be wary of someone who's going to try to kill you as soon as Hiain's mimicry gets a little distorted - but it's impossible not to be wary--.
"I don't mind my day job if that's what you want. So, what's the purpose of this visit?"
"I'm glad we can get right down to business. We don't want to take too long either. May I give you a letter, General?"
"Suit yourself."
"Thank you. Viceroy, here is a letter from the Prime Minister of the Imperial Capital."
He handed Gustav a latter that Todd had taken out of his pocket, with Arakiya literally standing like a figurine. Gustav had a wax seal on the letter, and it seemed to be stamped with the sender's seal.
That couldn't be confirmed from Subaru, even the mark of the imprint.
"Empire, Prime Minister......"
Subaru's tongue thirsted for Todd's words as he told him who had entrusted him with the letter.
According to what he heard from the repulsive Abel, the Prime Minister was one of the main culprits who drive him out of the Imperial Capital.
The letter from the bad vizier, who got rid of the emperor with a bad character, was delivered to Gustav. Moreover, the letter was carried by Todd, a demonic man.
The letter is a bad sign, considering the massacre that will take place on the Gladiator Island afterwards.
"Superior Gustav Morello, I understand that you were appointed Governor of this island by the order of His Excellency Emperor Vincent of Vollachia."
"I'm sure of it."
"Even though it's the Emperor's orders, isn't being the administrator of the Gladiator Island Ginunhive an unwelcome job for a blood relative of Vollachia's hero, Kurgan the Eight-Armed?"
The air in the room was thick with a tingling sensation, as if to encourage Subaru's premonition.
The cause is Todd's rambling, even ungracious, way of saying things. And Subaru knows what makes Gustav most angry, based on their previous contacts.
Gustav is more angry with him than he is with what's being said about him--,
"You say that like you are questioning the judgment of our Emperor?"
He is angry at his disloyalty to His Excellency the Emperor, i.e. Abel=Vincent.
× × ×
"----"
The air of ruggedness that Gustav emitted, and suddenly Arakiya lined up beside Todd.
Arakiya's face was unsure of what he was thinking, but with just that action, it reminded her of the spectacle of crushing with force the plausible loyalty that Gustav had issued.
However, it is none other than Tod himself who conquered that threat of Arakiya with his hand, saying, "General".
"That was a little too much for me to say. The Governor's anger is justified."
"......But I won't let you die. My friend, we have an enemy to avenge. Right?"
"--. Yeah, of course I am. I'm living for it right now."
Todd's expression grew bitter as he reproached Arakiya for her attitude.
The way Todd was pointed out by Arakiya as an enemy of his friend, Subaru couldn't help but bend his lips wide as he tried not to miss a single word.
Todd and hostile take on each other sounds like a very incompatible term.
He doesn't know Todd well enough to say that, but he assumes that means Todd has someone important to him.
You left your fiancée who wanted to see you so badly, and you're going to kill a lot of people on this island.
"I'm sorry to be so unkind, Viceroy. I'm sorry, Viceroy. I'm a bit on the outside, as is the general. So I apologize for my attitude. I apologize."
"......I accept your apology. But too much talk is a recipe for disaster."
"I'm sore in the ears about that. I'm very, very aware of that."
Todd, who had held Arakiya back, turned bitter at Gustav's advice. Todd's reaction was not taken into account as Gustav cracked the wax seal with his thick fingers and the letter was opened.
A letter from the Prime Minister of the Empire, the man responsible for the current imperial vandalism--,
"--This is"
"The truth is that I didn't mean to be rude earlier, but I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to say that if the Viceroy is tired of managing the Gladiator Island, then it's just as well."
Gustav ran his eyes over the letter and carved little wrinkles in his rock-like face. Todd closed one eye as if that would widen it, like a crack in a real rock.
Leaving the mute Arakiya behind, Todd continues with a face like he represents the messenger.
"The Gladiators of this island are a threat to internal security. The Emperor wishes to dispose of them all together."
△▼△▼△▼△
× × ×
In a matter-of-fact manner, as nonchalantly as if they were discussing garbage disposal on garbage day, Todd demanded that Gustav dispose of the gladiators of the Gladiator Island--hundreds of them.
"----"
The only reason why Subaru was able to withstand that, the worst possible prediction, was because he had already seen the actual massacre that killed everyone on the island and was prepared for it.
And it was a miracle that Hiain didn't scream in his sleep.
He should say, correctly, that he was too stunned to comprehend it.
"----"
It was one of those unrealistic voices that made Hiain forget to even flinch.
However, even though his injuries have kept him from unraveling his mimicry, Subaru can't help but bite his back teeth.
This request led to the invocation of a curse rule that killed everyone on the island.
As he feared, Todd, Arakiya, and Gustav are the enemies.
He said that unless these three men's heinous acts were stopped, there was no way to prevent that massacre.
"Fear of internal damage."
"A domestic affair is a domestic affair, and a fearful one at that, an insolent one at that, which shades the Emperor's majesty. However, the Prime Minister does not believe that it is Governor-General Gustav who has surrounded himself with them. The Viceroy's loyalty is genuine."
"----"
"That's why it pains me to hear it. Since the Governor has been posted to this island, the quality of the sword fighters being unveiled at the show is incomparable to what it used to be."
Todd is the one who ordered the disposal of that swordsman, but he's the one who is thankful for Gustav's labor.
Gustav's expression didn't move as he looked down at the letter. It was not even clear to Subaru, who was looking at the situation crippledly, how Todd's words were resonating inside of him.
"--. If we reduce the risk of needless deaths, let them learn the basics of how to fight, and stand side by side instead of outwitting others, the quality of the surviving gladiators will improve."
However, his quiet reply that Gustav had his own philosophy and managed the Gladiator Island seemed like pride.
Instead of making the gladiators just for show, Gustav trained them, raised them, and rewrote the rules of the island to make them more suitable for the emperor and his imperial subjects.
It probably doesn't include anything soft like feelings or emotions for the swordfighters.
But there is a decision to be made by Gustav, as a man placed in the position of Governor General.
"Are we done?"
Arakiya asks Gustav, who has placed his four hands on the desk where he has placed the letter and closed his eyes.
The insensitive question that completely ignored the flow of the conversation is something that Subaru might have gotten angry and blushed if he were in Gustav's shoes.
But Gustav didn't argue, and Todd takes it for granted.
"Have you heard of any good curse rules? I've heard that there were some magic tools given to me by a 'Nine Divine General' named Groovy Gumlet. I heard that you can use it to beat them all."
× × ×
"It's possible."
"Then it's a quick talk. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get a new gladiator ready in time. We'll need some time to prepare a new gladiator, so we'll close Ginunhive for the time being and--"
Todd speaks as if he's about to put away the tools he used at the end of class. The non-serious way he says it interferes with Hiain's reboot, which is still suspended in thought.
But even if Hiain hasn't rebooted yet, time is going to run out on the big one.
If Gustav invokes the curse rule as per the orders Todd and the others brought, they will be annihilated.
Knowing that it's a freaky and unstoppable future, the only way to stop it is for Subaru to make a move here. But how should he move?
They already know that if they show up with no plan, they'll be killed instantly.
On the other hand, to take Gustav hostage, who would use the curse rule, Gustav himself seems to be stronger than both Subaru and Hiain--.
"--No."
Yes, Gustav will turn down Todd and the others' demands, and they'll take advantage of it. Take advantage.
What is, the advantage, taking advantage?
"......What?"
Subaru tried desperately to get his head around it, but his thoughts were being scrambled just as much as Hiain's.
In contrast to Subaru, who stopped thinking like that, Todd's voice was cold and sharp.
Subaru feels as if the air in the room has become more viscous.
It's a change that has a radically different temperature feel than when Gustav was angry at Todd for the way he said it. In heat, the atmosphere is not humidity, but a different color.
With that air, Todd looked at Gustav, his hands on the desk, and,
"Are you aware of any discrepancies between what the order says and what we know?"
"No. The letter contains the same information as you have just given me. The name of the Prime Minister and his seal are not in error."
"If so, how do you feel about that?"
Todd asks Gustav, who holds out his hands and repels the request.
Even Subaru couldn't understand what was going on. Gustav refused Todd's request from the Imperial City to use the curse rule and wipe out the gladiators of the Gladiator Island.
They don't know why, it is--,
"--This position has been ordered by the Emperor himself. To train a gladiator, trained both mentally and physically, in preparation for any emergency."
"The Prime Minister's seal is a reflection of His Imperial Highness' will. Are you saying that there's a discrepancy with what was ordered beforehand and that you can't make a decision? The order is genuine."
"I don't suspect forgery. I take it as an order from the Prime Minister."
"......I'm not talking to you?"
Frowning, Todd turned his eyes on Gustav, who was looking at something he didn't understand.
For once, Subaru agrees with Todd. Although he is grateful that Gustav is paying off his demands, he has no idea what they are really about.
So, in front of Subaru and Todd, who are in the same bewilderment, Gustav continues.
"I have received a direct order from His Imperial Highness the Emperor."
"So, I'm going to withdraw that in the order and talk about following the next order......."
"When I was appointed Governor of this island by the Emperor's command."
Todd interrupts, and Gustav states the rationale for his choice. It was a few years ago, when Gustav was posted to the Gladiator Island as Governor.
It is--,
"The Emperor told me to tell you this. '--Even if you have orders from me, do not disobey this first order.'"
"----"
Those are the very words that will guide Gustav in this situation.
It is a word that anticipates Gustav's being put in this situation, an order that is never enough to say prepared, but cannot be completed without foreknowledge.
By The Emperor of Vollachia, Vincent - no, Abel, a stepping stone to the future.
"You can't listen to the current emperor's orders because of the past emperor's orders?"
"I don't need to know all the details. I agree with him. Regardless of whether I have knowledge or not, the role of my profession remains the same."
Shaking his head, Gustav stubbornly answered Todd's question.
Todd's eyes narrowed slightly at Gustav as he maintained his stubborn stance. The look in his eyes was not a face that was thinking so much about how he was going to convince Gustav.
He had no reason to try to persuade a stubborn man who would not listen to him with all his words.
In other words--,
"Arakiya. --Negotiations have broken down."
"--tsk!"
Yes, Todd spoke to Arakiya in a flat voice.
The next moment, before the fatal situation could arise, Gustav grabbed all four sides of the four-handed desk and tried to throw it, which he lifted, at the two visitors.
The muscles in his thick, strong arms were heaving, and a desk that looked like it weighed nearly a hundred kilograms was lifted with ease.
"Bshh--"
There was a distracted shout, and Arakiya pointed the tree branch she held at Gustav.
Immediately afterwards, a tremendous gush of water from the tip of a branch blew Gustav's entire neck and rock-like face off, turning his life into a death sentence.
△▼△▼△▼△
There was a heavy thud, and for a moment, the desk that had been lifted off his feet fell to the floor. A beat later, Gustav's body, which was missing from the neck up, fell onto the desk, as if to throw his entire body onto it.
The wound on his neck where he lost his head was gushing blood, and it was staining the floor of his office without mercy.
The fresh blood spreading seemed to claim Gustav's death as easily as a lie.
"A multi-armed tribe is the same no matter how many arms they have. Go get more heads anyway."
Todd rings the bones in his own neck as he looks at the dead Gustav. Then he looks back at Arakiya, who is frowning at the end of a branch, "What's wrong?" He tilted his head.
"You don't mean to tell me you're surprised by your own powers, do you?"
"No, I'm not. But I'm amazed. ......By how powerful just water can be."
"Oh, that's it. If you're aiming at a large group of people, fire is better, but if it's just one person, water is definitely the way to go. Next time, just pour a glassful of water into the opponent's head."
"I got it. ......Todd?"
Todd walks over to Gustav's corpse as he suggests something horrible. Arakiya called out to him with a lowered eyebrow as he pulled a large knife from his pocket.
Not answering the call, Todd walked behind the corpse on the desk and drove his knife mercilessly into its thick back, slicing the back open lengthwise.
It's an unforgiving strategy, just like handling a fish.
Todd dismantles Gustav's corpse, taking a lot of blood from his neck and a minimal but still not insignificant amount of return blood from his already dead body.
"----"
Looking away from the scene, Subaru was aware of his own trembling.
Up until now, Subaru has always thought of Todd as a fearsome enemy, but this is the first time he's seen him in regards to this bizarre behavior. --That he would dismantle a human being like an animal.
It's just that Todd's violence is only aligned with the goal of eliminating enemies and danger.
If he had a hobby of destroying corpses like this, Subaru wonders his own corpse had been destroyed in the same way after being killed by him so far.
When he thinks of that, an unbearable sense of dread and disgust takes over his whole body.
Subaru can't even cover his ears amidst the unpleasant sound that makes him want to cover his ears.
Even if you instinctively want to kill your heart in a situation, you never know what's sleeping. Maybe when you're running away from Todd, if there's a dead body, it might distract you.
He can't help but think how stupid that sounds--,
"--There it is."
"--? What?"
Suddenly, that unpleasant sound of water breaks off, and Todd and Arakiya's conversation switches.
Arakiya, too, lowered her voice at Todd's bad taste, but he answered her in a matter-of-fact way, wiping the blood that had splattered on his cheek with the back of his hand.
"It's the curse, the curse. I figured a guy like this would have one embedded in his body anyway."
"Cursebook......"
"You need to invoke the curse rule...... oh, you don't need to know. Whatever."
As he said this, Todd pulled out of Gustav's body a black sphere that seemed to be embedded in the middle of his large body.
Todd called the sphere, which was about the size of a golf ball at most, a curse tool.
That it's also a curse tool needed to activate the curse rules.
In other words--,
"As long as I have this, I don't care if the owner lives or dies. --You've done a foolish thing."
Todd calls out to Gustav's spectacularly disfigured corpse, his back opened and his head missing, as he fiddles with the curse tool in his hand.
There was no pity or sympathy in his voice. There was a tinge of indifference and dismay.
"It's funny that you think you can compete with a monster."
Todd's muttering with a twist of his neck, it must be referring to Arakiya, who killed Gustav in one breath.
But to Gustav, who lost his life, and to Subaru, who was there, the "monster" seemed to refer to Todd.
"----"
--The only way to get it is to get it from the "monster".
"Arakiya, give me some water. I'll wash the blood off the island, and then I'll get them--"
Todd's attention turned to Arakiya, wanting to open Gustav's body and wash his bloody knife and hands.
Once he had the cursebook in his hand on his office desk, Todd, and Arakiya.
--Instinctively, he decided that this was the only place to go.
"Ah"
Todd turned around at Arakiya's words, his mouth curling open. Todd's eyes widened as he suddenly appeared in the room, spotting a child reaching for a curse tool on the desk.
Hiain's mimicry did an extreme job.
Even the circumspect Todd and the monstrous Arakiya were unaware of Subaru and the others' presence.
"Hiain!"
The moment his fingertips caught the curse tool, Subaru called out for Hiain, who was assimilating with the prone floor.
However, his gaze is in a completely different direction - the entrance to the Oval Office.
He wants him to raise his voice in that direction.
"Blow up the whole room!!"
"--tsk, Arakiya!"
Hearing Subaru's tense call, Todd immediately called for Arakiya. Arakiya, too, was on the lookout for the door and stuck close to Todd.
If a terrible attack is launched from the door side, they'll be able to respond.
However--,
"--You're bluffing!"
For one second, in a moment when nothing happened, Todd saw through Subaru's aim. But if there was that one second, Subaru's side would be able to fulfill its purpose.
Grab the curse tool and just--,
"Ohhhhhh!"
As he barks, he grabs the curse tool and hears it flying down Subaru's waist. As he did so, he held Subaru in his arms and plunged into the window of his office, opposite of the entrance.
Subaru and Hiain jumped out there with their bodies, smashing the window frame.
That moment when they jump out of their skin--,
"Bshh--"
And with unimaginable force from the carefree shouts, the flash floods littered the Oval Office.
The tremendous pressure of the water blew away the upper layers of the Gladiator Island, clearing away the bookshelves and furnishings that Gustav, the master of the room, had so meticulously arranged, swept away mercilessly.
But--,
"He's not here."
Arakiya, who had done it, stepped on the wet floor and muttered as she watched the things in the room pour out of the shattered walls, one after another.
Below, if you look outside the broken office, you can see a white cloth tied across the wall you can look down on.
Grab it and slide your hand down so you can get down there.
"This......"
"Ambush at the ready, huh? --What's with that kid."
Next to Arakiya, Todd, who also looked out of the wall, put his hand over his mouth and muttered.
Squinting, thoughtful, Todd let out a small exhale.
"Arakiya, go and retrieve the cursebook. You can kill them."
"Okay. What about you?"
"You don't need to know what I'm trying to do."
Shaking his head, Todd brushed off Arakiya's question as such. But Arakiya didn't dwell on it, instead leaning out from the broken wall and falling straight down.
Without any small tricks, dozens of meters high without any help.
And so, looking away from Arakiya, who was chasing after the interloper, Todd sighed, and said,
'......That kid smelled like shit.'
He muttered with his colorless eyes and clicked his tongue abominably.