Arc 7, Chapter 72 "Ridiculous Rumors"
--The sheet hanging outside the Oval Office window was insurance against the worst.
The meeting between Gustav and his emissaries, Arakiya and Todd, in the office - which was conducted almost exclusively by Todd and Gustav - took a lot of trial and error for the two eavesdroppers, Subaru and Hiain, to get to the heart of Todd's group's visit to the island. It took a lot of trial and error.
All you need are the events that happen and the words that are unleashed, a blind spot to hide in and a way to calm Hiain down, and an escape route.
They must deceive that circumspect Todd and Arakiya, one of the "Nine Divine Generals".
Reading the signs is the person who tries to imitate like a cartoon character without any problem. He did his best to deceive them.
He asked Weitz to stall for time, Tanza for strong smelling herbs on the way to the Oval Office, and Idola to gather the people on the high ground to distract them as much as possible.
That's how he built up his suspiciousness to the point where he was on the verge of violating Todd and his team's warning line.
Those, the fortifications that they had built on thin ice, allowed them to climb over the walls of their opponents.
But--,
"Schwarz! What are we going to do after this?!"
"I'm thinking!"
Subaru barks as he clings to Hiain's body and barely manages not to fall to his death.
The actual Lizardman, his limbs are stuck to the wall just like actual lizards and other people. The actual Lizardman is a big body compared to a lizard, and he's also carrying a weight called Subaru.
It is correct to say that with the help of the hanging sheets, he ran down to avoid injury.
From his arms, Subaru was lowered into the courtyard to check the feel of the spell tool in his hand.
The black ball, still sticky and wet with blood, was inside Gustav's body - he doesn't know where he had put it, but it had been dragged out of him anyway.
"Guh"
Subaru struggles to come up with his next move, enduring the sensation of nausea.
The moment Todd let go of the spell tool, Subaru moved quickly as if it was the only place to do so.
But it was definitely an unthinking move from here.
"Anyway, mimic in the bushes!"
"Don't you have to run away?"
"If we run in the dark, they'll find us! Quickly!"
With the options of 'Run' and 'Hide' that came to mind, he immediately chose Hide.
So, at the very least, he chose the one that would give me a clearer view of the future.
You have to get away and stay away.
But if you hide, you can keep thinking about the next one while you hide for breath.
"----"
Pulling Hiain's arm, whose eyes were black and white, Subaru jumped behind a plant in the corner of the courtyard. There, Hiain mimicked and covered Subaru, hiding him from the surroundings.
He can feel Hiain's body pressing down on him, and he can feel his heart leaping up and down my back.
Scared, cowering. But he'll have to endure.
Or else--,
"He's not here."
The girl broke through the height that Subaru and the others had struggled to descend with a light thud.
The first time he saw her, she was in the courtyard, barefoot, holding a thin tree branch in her hand. She has an eye patch over one eye and looks around the courtyard with a sleepy look in her eyes.
Will Hiain's mimicry be able to deceive her searching eyes?
They can hide behind that awareness when they don't suspect their presence, but they can't sneak into blind spots in situations where it is known to exist. A little careful searching is all it takes to increase the anxiety of being found.
There's nothing they can do from Subaru. But they can't be found.
Not because he's got it, a spell that can kill or save everyone on the island.
For a more serious reason, a reason directly related to the way Natsuki Subaru was, he couldn't be found, he couldn't die.
"Ngh--"
He wants them to turn their backs and walk away looking for the misguided one.
The two of them are the first to be in the same room, and the second to be in the same room with the other two.
He doesn't know which triggered it: the presence, the smell, the breath, the heartbeat.
Or is it like an aura that only the strong can feel that Subaru and the others can't? If they're feeling something like that, it's a foul play. It would be against the rules to use something that can't be counteracted to corner them.
Even if the rules are something that Arakiya would want to laugh at--.
"Whoa, whoa! What the hell is this? The Governor's room's blown to hell!"
"Is this beautiful woman I don't know a customer?"
"What's wrong, what happened?"
Just before the grudge filled his head, which was also just before Arakiya reached the plant, the slurred voices of several men split the air in the courtyard.
They saw that the five gladiators appeared in the courtyard walking heavily, and perhaps that the "union" had heard Arakiya blow Gustav's room, and had come to heckle him.
Their attention is focused on Gustav's room with its blown out walls and on Arakiya, the unfamiliar beautiful girl standing in the courtyard.
Arakiya, too, turned to them as they appeared and tilted her slender head thoughtfully.
She's wondering if these newcomers are the same Subaru and the others she's chasing. She is suspicious here.
They appeared in this way, completely unexpected by Subaru, an intruder brought about by chance.
Questioning them would not yield any information about Subaru and the others. Rather, while they are talking to them, Subaru and Hiain can look for a chance to get out.
They are the spider threads that hang from the heavens, not of their own accord, but of a different kind--,
"--Listen to me!!"
"--tsk"
The voice came from a room with a broken wall above Subaru and the others, who were looking intently at Arakiya's movements, as if they would not miss the opportunity that had just presented itself.
The voice is Todd, the last one left in that room.
Subaru shuddered and steeled himself for the fact that his fear of Todd and his cause to focus on Arakiya in front of him had kept him out of his consciousness, even for a moment.
Tighten his cowering heart to deal with whatever Todd has to say.
"Governor Gustav Morello has been murdered! Two men did it! A black-haired kid and a gray skalengeck! Kill them as soon as you find them!!"
"----"
"I repeat! Governor Gustav Morello has been killed! The role of Viceroy will be taken over by General Arakiya! If you do not wish to die by the curse, kill them both!!"
It wasn't a rough voice, it wasn't an emotional punching bag, it was a well-defined voice with the necessary emotional organization to be heard and moved by a large group of people.
A voice that stays in your eardrums that doesn't let you forget what you said, even if the person who heard it lags behind in understanding.
And the moment he was told that, Subaru's eyes widened as he said, "I've been hit."
Gustav's death has been rubbed in the faces of both Subaru and Hiain. Even if they were falsely accused, there is no hope for a proper investigation or trial on this island.
In the first place, once someone catches them, Subaru and the others are finished.
In other words--,
"--Now, let the 'Sparka' begin!!"
The "Blood Life Ceremony", an evil custom of the Gladiator Island Ginunhive, is about to begin on the entire island.
"Arakiya!"
She announced the beginning of the cruel ritual, and while those that heard it were still unable to move, Todd called for Arakiya in a voice that wasn't as strained as it had been earlier.
When his eyes meet hers as she looks up, Todd silently points to the courtyard below them.
It was those Heavenly Thread Gladiators who had appeared in the courtyard late.
Todd pointed at those swordfellows, then brought that same finger to his own neck.
"--Do it."
And even though his voice was inaudible, Subaru could tell that his lips moved like that.
Waving the finger on his neck to the side is a ruthless signal to cut off his opponent's head. Seeing the same thing as Subaru, Arakiya slowly turns her gaze to the gladiators.
Stared at by Arakiya's red eyes, the one not hidden by the eye patch, the gladiators were puzzled.
They were still digesting the meaning of Todd's words earlier.
"Do you know anything about it, little girl? About Gustav being dead......"
"I'm sorry. I've been told."
"Ah......? What?"
The gladiators tilted their heads at the sudden order and the combination of unknown opponents. In response to them, Arakiya shook her right hand with the branch.
That was all she did. That was enough.
"Bgah"
The next moment, the heads of all five of the gladiators facing Arakiya, all of them, exploded from the inside.
The effects were rightly divided between those that popped from the inside, those that died when the contents of their faces were pushed out of their eyes and noses, and those that died when their heads swelled up in an odd way.
It shouldn't have made much difference to them, though, because the result is the same.
"Don't talk to dying people."
The heads are broken, and the gladiators fall without power.
After a while, Subaru realized that the murmur he was making while looking at the falling gladiators was the asnwer to his earlier question. He was too busy to do that.
His mind was busy processing what the monster known as Arakiya had done.
--Maybe it's the water.
The advice Todd gave to Arakiya when Gustav was killed. He told him to let the water out of his opponent's head, which he probably did.
That was the reason why the heads of the sword guys were blown off from the inside, due to the water that appeared.
"Cup, for one......"
As he says this, he is playing with the tip of the branch in Arakiya's hand with his other hand.
Her ruminating tone was devoid of emotion, but to Subaru it sounded like she was somehow expressing frustration. --A frustration that felt like it didn't work out.
It's funny how he only has that much sense after he's killed someone.
That's why he's a monster. So is Arakiya, and of course Todd.
"Is anybody there? Did you hear that loud voice?"
Arakiya's deed, which is not human, turns Subaru's heart black, and while Hiain freezes, forgetting how to breathe, another voice comes to the courtyard again.
It's another gladiator. They can see up to the Governor's office where the voice was heard, and they know it's the most likely place for people to gather, so one by one the gladiators come running up.
And that's--,
"Hey, you, where'd you come from? The Governor is......"
"They say. --Don't talk to dying people."
The turning around of Arakiya, means that the victims of the "Spirit Eater" will be magnified.
And so it began.
--The massacre of the Gladiator Island, for a different reason than the invocation of the "curse rule".
△▼△▼△▼△
The situation Todd had prepared for was so bad that it didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment flash of inspiration.
One after another, Arakiya kills gladiators at random.
Naturally, there was not a single person who would be able to fight back against her, one of the "Nine Divine Generals". To be in her sight was such a disaster that it meant instant death.
Arakiya could have used tornadoes and explosions, but the least she can do is not use such a big technique that involves the whole island.
Maybe Todd ordered it because he didn't want us to be able to check on the body.
And besides Arakiya, it's the island's guards that are troublesome.
The guards apparently believed Todd's words that Arakiya had taken over the role after Gustav died. Subaru doesn't know how the position is actually taken over, but he doesn't think Gustav would want the person who killed him to take over.
That part of the story is probably where the guards have no reason to question it, since Subaru and the others have killed Gustav.
He hates it when the guards misunderstand him like that, but the main problem is--,
"Fuck! They did it! The guards have unleashed their gladiators on the island! They're coming for us! Run, run, run, ruuuun!!"
Such angry shouts and screams continue to rise all over the island, which is in turmoil.
The released gladiatorial beasts - the gladiatorial beasts used as enemies of "Sparka" - as far as Subaru could see, all of them were demonic beasts that had broken their horns and were following the guards.
The gladiatorial beast hears the order of the guard who follows Todd and is looking for the two people on the island, Subaru and Hiain. -However, the gladiatorial beast can't tell the difference between each of the gladiators.
So, the gladiatorial beasts had also started attacking gladiators one after another, at random.
"Where are you? Get out of here, Schwarz! You creepy little brat!"
A guard with eyes glazed with hostility yells at him and walks down the aisle with a large dog with two heads next to him.
The guards didn't actively try to communicate with the sword guy, so this was the first time he'd seen them bare their emotions like that. To think that they were usually hostile like that, this also made Subaru sad.
But not only was he sad, he also realized something.
The guards searching for Subaru and the others, there is impatience and frustration in their appearance, plus fear. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that the guards were also dead when the curse rule was activated.
The guards are also following this and that in order not to die themselves.
Arakiya and the guards, dangerous enemies for Subaru and his friends, roam the island.
Is Todd, who is using them as pawns, working on his own or is he just directing them? Not knowing his whereabouts reduces Subaru's ability to think considerably.
All this time, he's been on the verge of cracking his taut heart from being on the lookout for Todd.
But Subaru is not the only one to suffer from this--,
"Hey, where's Schwarz? Was he here?!"
"I didn't see him! But the guards! If they see us, they'll kill us!"
"So, if you turn in Schwarz......"
"Fuck you! They're just trying to get us to do things! I don't know the difference between them and you!"
"What are you going to do then? Just shut up and die?!"
"B-but, Schwarz, if those rumors are true......"
The voices of the desperate, gladiators who continue to do their best to claw their way to survival.
There is a disagreement among the desperate gladiators, under threat from Arakiya and the guards.
There are those who stand up to their arrogance, or do as they're told and offer Subaru to them, there are those who have given up on the futility of doing so, there are those who lament the unreasonable situation, there are those who try to cling to a halibut hope that has no basis in reality, there are all sorts of things.
There are a lot of gladiators who are enemies and potential enemies with Subaru.
In a way, they may be much tougher than the guards and Arakiya, who can be split off as all enemies.
He doesn't know who's his enemy and who's his friend, so he can't bypass them and rely on them.
Arakiya, the guards and the gladiators, the swordfighters who don't know friend from foe - and Todd.
As they begin to pursue Subaru and his friends, the Gladiator Island is headed for destruction.
It happened. A massacre. Even though they struggled to stop it.
"Old Man Null!"
Running through the catastrophic island, Subaru ran into the room in front of him.
The healing room on the lower level of the island was the work place of Old Man Null, who had taken care of Subaru many times. The entrance to it had been grandly broken, and he ran in with a bad feeling.
And the bad feeling came true.
"Mr. Schwarz......"
A gravelly girl's call greeted Subaru as he ran into the healing room. It was Tanza, sitting in the back of the room, a winged rat corpse lying next to the smaller girl.
Probably a hexenbiest that Tanza defeated single-handedly. That would be so awesome.
But before Tanza came, that hexenbiest trashed the healing room and killed a man.
Because under Tanza's crouched feet, a corpse with its head bitten off, a corpse of a slumped old man with nothing but bones and skin, was lying there.
"Sch-Schwarz......"
Hiain's voice trembled as he and Subaru jumped into the healing room and saw the same thing.
It was only thanks to Hiain that he was able to hide in there until she walked away from Arakiya's murderous actions in that courtyard, killing gladiators one after the other.
Without him, it would have been absolutely impossible for Subaru to come back here.
But you can't keep running and hiding, and you just, you can't win.
"Schwarz, you're back!"
"Hmm, didn't you die too, lizard boy......"
In front of the dead body of Old Man Null, Idola and Weitz also rushed to the place where Subaru and the others were drooping down. The "union" who helped them sneak into the office are all here.
It seems like a miracle that we were able to join up without anyone dying under the circumstances on this island.
But if it's a miracle, shouldn't it attract more and better results?
"Is it true, Mr. Schwarz, that the stories that are flying around about are true? The orders of Viceroy Gustav?"
"Me and Hiain? There's no way we can do it. It was the messenger from the Imperial City...... Arakiya that killed Mr. Gustav. No, it was Todd who used Arakiya."
"Todd......? Who the hell is that? That's......"
"He's scarier than the Sin Archbishops."
At least, that's how Subaru perceives it now.
The Sin Archbishops that he remembers are a bonus, but compared to Todd, they still seem endearing. He doesn't think so. The scum were scum no matter what they were compared to.
But the way Subaru said it, it seemed that Tanza and the others could see how dangerous Todd was.
"Don't make a perishable analogy. Sin Archbishops, etc., even when you know it's not true, it's still heart-breaking."
"Oh, sorry, I was close. I used to run into them all the time."
"You run into the Sin Archbishops a lot, is that right? That's still......"
"I knew it. What do you know about me?"
"----"
He was annoyed and he said it like he was blaming Tanza.
Subaru was mortified by this, but Tanza's downcast reaction was not to blame, as she seemed to care about what Subaru had to say.
That's a little strange for Subaru.
No way, there's no way that any of these people know about Subaru's constitution - every time he "returns by death", the miasma, which is apparently related to the "witch", gets stronger.
"So what should we do? If Governor Gustav is dead, then the curse that binds us must be gone. Shall we raise the drawbridge and head off the island?"
"D-don't be stupid! You don't have the key! And if we move the drawbridge, they're gonna shoot us right out of the sky!
"Then, do we continue to fight against everyone on the island......? If the enemy has one of the 'Nine Divine Generals', sooner or later...... we won't have any way to retreat......"
Idola and the others were discussing a way out of the situation, and Subaru's attention turned to them.
Idola's suggestion of escaping from the drawbridge was one odd idea. Although the conditions had changed in many ways, the curse tool was in Subaru's possession, so he could leave the island now that he was free of the curse rule.
However, if they were to escape using the drawbridge as Hiain said, they could be ambushed in two places: the control tower for operating the drawbridge and the drawbridge while they were crossing it.
That said, it's a jittery idea not to leave the island, and Weitz is right, we can't choose.
Moreover--,
"--Mr. Gustav is"
Old Man Null, and all the other gladiators who were sacrificed by Arakiya and are still dying one by one on the island, will live in a world that will remain dead if they don't.
That would be unbearable for Subaru.
Even if the situation is that you have succeeded in recovering the curse tool and the fear of the curse rule is gone, it is not in Natsuki Subaru's nature to decide that this is the "best" way to proceed.
--That's not the path that Natsuki Kenichi's son should have chosen.
"At least if we can reduce the number of people we're dealing with......"
Subaru, with his eyes tightly closed, is trapped in a maze of thoughts.
Beside him, Tanza muttered while biting her thin lip. Certainly, the whole island is an enemy situation, if it were a little better, a different choice might come to mind, but--,
"......Hey, hey, you can stop hiding it, can't you?"
"----"
"Hey, Schwarz, it's you. I'm talking to you, man."
"......huh?"
Suddenly, Subaru opened his eyes at the fearful comment.
He was thinking about it, but more than that, it was a call that he had no idea what it was, so he was slow to respond.
Stop hiding, that's what Hiain told Subaru.
He told him--,
"Stop hiding...... what do you mean?"
"C-come on! This is not a good hand to be laying low in this situation!"
"Hey, stop it, you lizard......!"
Hiain strongly bites Subaru, who has no idea. A man in between stopped him, but Subaru was too surprised to thank him.
However, to this Subaru, "Schwarz", and Idola too, with a serious look on their faces,
"I know how Hiain feels, despite the way he says it. It's time you told me."
"No, so I have no idea what you're talking about......"
"I'm talking about your father."
"......My dad?"
Seriously, incredibly seriously, Idola tells Subaru that.
But even being told seriously like that, Subaru's confusion is only gaining momentum. He has no idea why they need to talk about Subaru's father here.
Subaru's father is a man who is admirable and respectable in his son's eyes and his wife's eyes, and is the very person Subaru admires, but--,
"But he's just an ordinary businessman......?"
"Don't play dumb with me! I already know! You're the Emperor's illegitimate son, aren't you?!"
"----"
Subaru's voice, which was about to explain that it was not information that would be useful here, was painted over by the voice of Hiain, who was being winged by Weitz.
He painted over it, but the color of the paint he used to paint over it was too dark for Subaru's mind to comprehend what the resulting picture was.
What did Hiain just say?
"......I'm the Emperor's child?"
"Yeah, that's right! That's what they're talking about off the island! The illegitimate son of the dark-haired, dark-eyed Emperor Vincent Vollachia is out there somewhere! That's......"
"--Schwarz, I know it's you."
Taking over Hiain's words, Idola said to Subaru with a quiet voice and eyes.
Subaru looked at Weitz at Hiain's clinging eyes and Idola's believing eyes, the two of them who weren't making a joke that wasn't funny in this situation.
Weitz, his tattooed face contorted, said,
"I told you...... I know what you are....... But whether you like it or not, I'm here to help you......."
Mysterious, were it not for the circumstances, the words would have struck him more.
At that time, when he said that to Subaru at the lower level, he can clearly see now how much Weitz was prepared to say that to me, and the weight of it.
And that it came from a completely misguided idea.
"W-wait, wait, wait a minute...... How can I be the emperor's child?"
"You have a judgment, command, and survivability that is unimaginable at such a young age. It was you who saved us and our friend Hiain and the others in 'Sparka', Schwarz."
"That's......"
It is true that Subaru resisted his fate by using all the abilities he had.
But he had no idea that it would cause such a terrible misunderstanding with Idola and the others.
If they were that wrong in the first place.
"Tanza, you said why not......"
"--Mr. Schwarz, I see it with my own eyes."
"--ah"
"I saw Mr. Schwarz with the Emperor."
Tanza calmly finished her sentence while holding the hem of her kimono, and Subaru was speechless.
She's talking about what happened in Chaos Flame. Surely Subaru was with Abel, who was in a smaller state and wearing a stupid mask.
Tanza is Yorna's squire, so there's nothing strange about the fact.
Abel is the real emperor, and they see him with a shrunken Subaru.
You connected that with the misunderstanding of Idola and the others.
"But Tanza is working with Mr. Olbart...... no."
Subaru's guess is that Tanza was conspiring with Olbart to do this and that.
He thinks she was probably acting to protect Yorna, so he can't really blame her for that. And Olbart wouldn't reveal his hand, even if it was against an accomplice.
Tanza doesn't know that Subaru is the shrunken form of "Natsumi Schwarz".
Well, then--,
"What does Tanza say I am......?"
"--. Between that dark-haired woman and His Imperial Highness."
"----"
Exclaim.
Tanza didn't say more, but he knew what she was thinking. Understandably, Subaru exclaimed, and then he also understood that it was difficult to defend himself.
He can't offer any proof. There's no other way to do it except for Subaru to suddenly get bigger, right here, right now.
"......Why is this story about the Emperor's illegitimate son such a hot topic?"
"--. It is said that there are rebels against the Emperor outside the island now. The leader of that rebellion is said to be......"
"The Emperor's illegitimate son?"
Idola nodded at Subaru's question.
So the logic connects, even if it falters in Subaru. An emperor and a power struggle between the emperor and his son. That's the story of the battle that Abel and the others started outside the island.
The truth is a battle between a real emperor and a fake emperor.
But what is known is the battle between the real emperor and the rebels headed by the emperor's son.
He could only imagine who and how they made it that way, and in that format.
"That son of a bitch......!"
Immediately, Subaru understands that it is a situation prepared by Abel, a rumor that has been spread.
And that it was not to harass Abel, but to make it a cause for this internal conflict itself, and also to find Subaru, who was no longer in the Chaos Flame.
He thinks the situation is because they believe that Subaru is not dead. He's not going to say that he 'believes' that Subaru is not dead, though.
"----"
Tanza and the others look at Subaru, who puts his hand over his mouth and falls silent.
Weitz released the quieted Hiain, and the attention of the four of them turned to Subaru.
Even as he does this, he can see that outside the healing room - battles are happening all over the island, and gladiators are falling into danger or losing their lives.
There's no room anywhere for shutting up, settling down, taking time to think.
So--,
"--Mr. Schwarz."
If he doesn't have time, Tanza will call him to teach him what she knows.
Subaru looked around at the faces of everyone in the "union", sensing the slightest hint of awe in their calls.
He looked around and decided. --He's going to do what's required of him in this situation.
△▼△▼△▼△
--Todd Fang quietly stroked his chin as he felt the change in wind direction.
"--It's disgusting."
He blew the head off the Governor, who was not listening in the Oval Office, and literally replaced the head of the island, but there is a sense that he has been slow to move since.
Of course, if all they have to do is annihilate everyone involved on the island, then Arakiya alone is overpowered.
That "Nine Divine General" who don't have the brains to think for herself are immensely powerful despite their light heads, and if she wanted to, she could engulf the entire island in flames.
He's told her not to do it, though, because Todd would be in trouble if she did.
To begin with--,
"I didn't want to be here."
Todd feels bitter, as every action he's taken that was necessary and so divisive has backfired on him.
The purpose of rescuing Arakiya, who was trapped in the castle city, was to recover from the loss of the castle city and to stick with her and return to the Imperial Capital to have her reassignment fulfilled.
In fact, he can say that the reassignment itself was fulfilled, but the way it was fulfilled was not what he expected.
Todd was promoted as the only subordinate of the one general of Arakiya who had no subordinates.
All because of a single lie that he told to plot against Arakiya.
"Jamal, you're a dead nuisance."
Todd's lies have brought about this situation, but Arakiya has no doubt that Todd sincerely wants to avenge Jamal's death.
It was a lie that was necessary to round her up, and Todd couldn't deny it now.
To be honest, she's a woman who doesn't know what would be scaled against her. Considering the possibility of being extinguished the moment she touches the opposite scale, she can't even retract her opinion bypassing it.
As a result, Todd was made a subordinate of Arakiya.
The Imperial Prime Minister, Berstetz Fondalfon, who commands Arakiya, has sent her to the Gladiator Island, a paradise for crazy people.
Berstetz's orders were to dispose of the island's internal affairs. He was told that Gustav, the Governor, had the means to do so, and that it would be an easy job to just order it carried out.
It was all a lie, too.
He'd never had an easy job get done with ease. He knew what to expect. So he was prepared.
Most things can be handled with advance preparation. Only really unfortunate mishaps can be avoided, but the risk can be minimized by avoiding situations where mishaps can occur.
And yet, an unforeseen accident happened.
In that scene, it's a gotcha accident, like a child jumping out of a blind spot that you can't see.
"I've got plenty of ideas on how to kill a superior......"
He never really thought much about how to kill a child.
He's not in a good mood and won't have many chances to use it. So he used it in conjunction with the kill method for the Gladiator Island, of which there aren't too many candidates.
--If they involve the guards, the gladiators, and half of the gladiators, they can target any individual on the island.
Throw Arakiya into the mix, and it would be strange if this didn't kill them.
But--,
"--Because nothing is ever perfect."
Twisting his head, Todd mutters as he walks down the corridor littered with bodies.
Every body that lies dead is a shabbily dressed island gladiator. He's not interested in whether it was the result of mutual strife, the violence of Arakiya, or the brutality of gladiatorial beasts.
A corpse is a corpse, and if it's dead, you can erase it from your mind.
"Private Fang, we need to go this far......"
"Of course there is. Governor Gustav was killed. The gladiators were organizing. They're planning to overthrow the island in an armed uprising. I don't know who's in their clutches, but can you tell the difference between the enemy and the non-enemy?"
"Uuh......"
At Todd's question, one of the two guards following behind him shushed him.
It's two of the guards who sent Arakiya out of the Oval Office and rushed in as soon as Todd declared "Sparka".
It's Todd who's making her do it, so why don't she just blame Todd?
It was a hesitation that meant nothing, because he did what he had to do with a look of concern on his face.
"Don't act like you're a real man. The first thing is that you and your neighbor are both in a position to have scars on your shins when you're forced to work as guards here. Other than the uniform, you're pretty much the same as them."
"--tsk"
"Just that uniform is your safety valve. Just make sure you chew on it."
The young guard, his bitterness still not gone, taps him on the shoulder and smiles at him, and Todd sighs inwardly. -Worn or unworn uniforms, they should be grateful, because that's really all they've got.
The guards of the Gladiator Island are all Imperial soldiers with backgrounds that could have made them gladiators.
A place of exile where half-wits who disobeyed orders, assaulted others in the ranks, or failed to follow the Iron Code were sent.
They are bound to life by the curse rule, and then they finally learn to obey it, and they have no memory of things. He has to say that it's really funny, including the part where they act half-human.
"Well, I don't really care."
What they need is not so much their abilities as guards, but the gladiatorial beasts they've been given.
If he can jump over one head and just get the gladiatorial beast, he can get rid of the guards all together, but he guesses they put the guards in between so that that doesn't happen.
Perhaps it was also a safety valve prepared by the dead Gustav, or otherwise a decision by His Imperial Highness the Emperor, which Gustav stubbornly followed.
"I don't know what's wrong with anyone who willingly wants to go to war and anyone who stands by and takes it. Please, don't disturb the peace between me and Katya......"
Both the signs of rebellion in the Castle City and the subsequent events in the Demon City Chaos Flame were nothing but an annoying noise to Todd.
He doesn't care if the top of the empire changes if it makes it livable, if it doesn't, he's fine with the way it is.
If nothing happens and he continues to spend his days with the woman he loves, then--/
"--I remember something I don't like."
The thought of rebellion brought a terrifying presence to Todd's mind.
The "poster child of war" who loved war and was loved by war. If possible, he would like him to die in the middle of a fierce battle, but he wonders what will actually happen.
If he's in a position to help the rebels, he'll show up when the disaster spreads.
If he's going to lash out, then he and Katya need to get out of there--.
"--Todd Fang!!"
"----"
For some reason, Todd felt a stirring sensation in his chest when a high-pitched voice called his name.
It's as if the concern that popped into my head has become a reality, fortunately.
And--,
"......What the hell were you thinking, dude?"
The boy who appeared in front of Todd's eyes, in front of the passage, at the end of the passage, was the one who should have been hunted down with the whole Gladiator Island against him.
He's a dark-haired, dark-eyed child. He's covered in blood and mud everywhere, but all his limbs are still attached and he doesn't seem to have lost anything.
In other words, Arakiya and the guards all missed him.
"I know there's something about you that can't be described by the word 'lucky'. But why did you bother to show your face here? It just doesn't make sense."
"----"
"It's not as if I'm invincible with a group of people I can count on."
As he says it, Todd looks around the boy, at the four people who came with him.
The gray skalengecked man and the man with tattoos all over his body. The two are a man of medium height and medium build with no outstanding features compared to the other two, and a little deer girl dressed in a kimono for some reason.
From Todd's point of view, those four people didn't seem to be particularly outstanding powerhouses. From the atmosphere, all of them are amateurs, only the tattooed eyes and the way the deer man stands need attention.
The tattoos were undeterred and the deer girl seemed strangely confident.
And--,
"It's hard to judge the look in your eyes. Are you confident or not......?"
"Todd, surrender. And you're gonna make that woman...... Arakiya stop, too."
"--. Anyway, why don't I ask you why?"
Todd's eyebrows rose as he threw in a request that was absurd and not meant to be heard.
At any rate, he urged the conversation onward with a pretense of interest, while Todd silently sent a hand signal to the two guards standing off to the side.
The two guards are accompanied by a black giant eagle and a rocky frog gladiator, respectively.
Right next to Todd and the boys, outside the passageway, an eagle crawls across the sky and a frog crawls along the wall, slowly closing the distance between them and their opponents.
It would be best if the gladiators could finish them off and retrieve the curse.
Of course, there is a possibility that they are hiding the curse tool somewhere, so it will remain troublesome.
It would have been easier with Arakiya--,
"Where are you stuck......?"
No way, it's not like hunting gladiators is fun only for Arakiya.
Some soldiers enjoy killing, but Arakiya is not one of those. Arakiya is a soldier who's purpose is to serve the people she cares about, nothing more, nothing less.
If she can't fulfill a vital task, she should consider that she is in the way of something.
But if there is such a thing, things change.
"So, what's the story you want me to tell you?"
"It's simple. --The cursebook that governs this island's curse rule is in my possession."
"Wha-......?!"
The boy answers Todd with a shrug of his shoulders, his words upsetting the two guards.
Of course they are. The main reason they are following Todd is because they have their lives in their hands, a condition they can't resist.
But Todd cut him off, saying he was bluffing.
"It's a stupid game. First of all, a curse tool? If there is such a thing......"
"--This is it."
"Hey, hey."
Without even demanding to see it, the boy pulled something out of his pocket. It was a black sphere, wiped clean of blood, clearly recognizable even from a distance.
The time in my hands was short, but there was no mistaking it.
That's the real thing, the curse tool that Gustav had inside him.
Todd would definitely hide it somewhere on the island and use it as a bargaining chip, including its whereabouts.
What is the purpose of bringing the actual thing instead of doing so?
"What's with the dirty ball? Don't tell me you think you can trigger the curse rule with it? Then give it a try. Try reducing the number of guards in your way."
"Wha?! D-don't! If you do that......"
"I told you, he's bluffing. Or do you not believe the words of the Imperial messenger?"
He told him over and over to the upset guard, and the guard shushed him with a blue face.
The reaction caught Todd a little off guard. He can understand why he would be uneasy about being shown a black sphere that he said was a curse and doubting its authenticity, but his reaction is not right.
It's as if the guards have a reason to react as if they have a reason to not dismiss those children's - no, that child's - words as just a bluff.
"What is it? There's a problem with that kid--"
"--Mysteriously, listen to me, you rude man."
"----"
Todd tries to question the guard, looking for an answer to a trick question. But sooner than that, a high-pitched voice echoed down the aisle, drawing their attention to a deer girl.
She wrapped the embroidery of the kimono around her arm and gently pointed with her hand at the boy beside her.
"If you are from off-island, you have already heard of the great upheaval that is currently sweeping across the Empire, and the rumors that are circulating."
"----"
Todd closed one eye at the girl's dignified, even heroic plea.
Regardless of how they secured the means to get information on the island, the girl is right, the world will gossip about this and that as much as they want.
As for the rebels, there were already various stories such as one of the "Nine Divine Generals" had already given.
Some of them were greatly ridiculous - but some of them were not--.
"No, no way."
"--The One who stands here is at the heart of the situation that has shaken the Empire. He is the one with the legitimate credentials and the honor to stand up to correct the mistakes of the Empire."
A beat, a pause there, and the girl looked at him.
Behind those round eyes, Todd caught a glimpse of a thought that made the concern in his heart swell--,
"--Mr. Natsuki Schwarz, son of His Excellency Emperor Vincent Vollachia."
The bastard son of the Emperor, with the spellbook in his hand.
The Deer Girl told such a ridiculous story with the greatest of bravado. The girl acted as if she had been in these situations before, and she was so convincing that it made you doubt the truth of the ridiculous story.
Surely, the ridiculous rumors had something to do with that.
The rumor is that the leader of the Rebellion is the illegitimate son of the dark-haired, dark-eyed Emperor. Of course, sensible Imperial soldiers would laugh it off, and it would be foolish to take it seriously.
If they were there, Todd thought, it would be trouble.
But the idea that it just happened to be here, on this island, is just too ridiculous to contemplate.
But--,
"--tsk"
Todd didn't miss the reaction of the guards, who gasped and changed color.
Perhaps they had known in advance a story similar to the information Todd had just been told. They'd overheard it or something, and had a seed of suspicion growing in their chests.
So when that boy - the child called Natsuki Schwarz - declared that he had the curse tool, he couldn't laugh it off as a bluff.
He was possessed by an illusion that might be more or less credible than his position as Todd, a messenger from the Imperial City and a subordinate of Arakiya.
So--,
"Well, quickly, guards--"
The girl tried to stand up and say something.
No sooner had the girl's request been communicated than Todd had his hands around his waist and the hilt he had grabbed was reared straight across with all his might.
"--tsk"
The arcing blade of the axe struck the two guards standing next to Todd. The right guard's head was chopped off, and the left guard's head was cracked open and slammed against the wall.
Both died instantly, and the momentum of the upset prevented them from giving it to that side.
And--,
"--Do it!"
Jumping on the head of the guard he had chopped off, Todd kicks his head as hard as he can to the front. The head flies towards the wide-eyed boys, spraying blood as it flies.
To those who have not yet understood the meaning of their doing--,
"----σσ!!"
The next moment, the huge body of the black giant eagle that plunged right into the passageway swallowed the head of the flying guard and the boys around him in destruction.
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--The sheet hanging outside the Oval Office window was insurance against the worst.
The meeting between Gustav and his emissaries, Arakiya and Todd, in the office - which was conducted almost exclusively by Todd and Gustav - took a lot of trial and error for the two eavesdroppers, Subaru and Hiain, to get to the heart of Todd's group's visit to the island. It took a lot of trial and error.
All you need are the events that happen and the words that are unleashed, a blind spot to hide in and a way to calm Hiain down, and an escape route.
They must deceive that circumspect Todd and Arakiya, one of the "Nine Divine Generals".
Reading the signs is the person who tries to imitate like a cartoon character without any problem. He did his best to deceive them.
He asked Weitz to stall for time, Tanza for strong smelling herbs on the way to the Oval Office, and Idola to gather the people on the high ground to distract them as much as possible.
That's how he built up his suspiciousness to the point where he was on the verge of violating Todd and his team's warning line.
Those, the fortifications that they had built on thin ice, allowed them to climb over the walls of their opponents.
But--,
"Schwarz! What are we going to do after this?!"
"I'm thinking!"
Subaru barks as he clings to Hiain's body and barely manages not to fall to his death.
The actual Lizardman, his limbs are stuck to the wall just like actual lizards and other people. The actual Lizardman is a big body compared to a lizard, and he's also carrying a weight called Subaru.
It is correct to say that with the help of the hanging sheets, he ran down to avoid injury.
From his arms, Subaru was lowered into the courtyard to check the feel of the spell tool in his hand.
The black ball, still sticky and wet with blood, was inside Gustav's body - he doesn't know where he had put it, but it had been dragged out of him anyway.
"Guh"
Subaru struggles to come up with his next move, enduring the sensation of nausea.
The moment Todd let go of the spell tool, Subaru moved quickly as if it was the only place to do so.
But it was definitely an unthinking move from here.
"Anyway, mimic in the bushes!"
"Don't you have to run away?"
"If we run in the dark, they'll find us! Quickly!"
With the options of 'Run' and 'Hide' that came to mind, he immediately chose Hide.
So, at the very least, he chose the one that would give me a clearer view of the future.
You have to get away and stay away.
But if you hide, you can keep thinking about the next one while you hide for breath.
"----"
Pulling Hiain's arm, whose eyes were black and white, Subaru jumped behind a plant in the corner of the courtyard. There, Hiain mimicked and covered Subaru, hiding him from the surroundings.
He can feel Hiain's body pressing down on him, and he can feel his heart leaping up and down my back.
Scared, cowering. But he'll have to endure.
Or else--,
"He's not here."
The girl broke through the height that Subaru and the others had struggled to descend with a light thud.
The first time he saw her, she was in the courtyard, barefoot, holding a thin tree branch in her hand. She has an eye patch over one eye and looks around the courtyard with a sleepy look in her eyes.
Will Hiain's mimicry be able to deceive her searching eyes?
They can hide behind that awareness when they don't suspect their presence, but they can't sneak into blind spots in situations where it is known to exist. A little careful searching is all it takes to increase the anxiety of being found.
There's nothing they can do from Subaru. But they can't be found.
Not because he's got it, a spell that can kill or save everyone on the island.
For a more serious reason, a reason directly related to the way Natsuki Subaru was, he couldn't be found, he couldn't die.
"Ngh--"
He wants them to turn their backs and walk away looking for the misguided one.
The two of them are the first to be in the same room, and the second to be in the same room with the other two.
He doesn't know which triggered it: the presence, the smell, the breath, the heartbeat.
Or is it like an aura that only the strong can feel that Subaru and the others can't? If they're feeling something like that, it's a foul play. It would be against the rules to use something that can't be counteracted to corner them.
Even if the rules are something that Arakiya would want to laugh at--.
"Whoa, whoa! What the hell is this? The Governor's room's blown to hell!"
"Is this beautiful woman I don't know a customer?"
"What's wrong, what happened?"
Just before the grudge filled his head, which was also just before Arakiya reached the plant, the slurred voices of several men split the air in the courtyard.
They saw that the five gladiators appeared in the courtyard walking heavily, and perhaps that the "union" had heard Arakiya blow Gustav's room, and had come to heckle him.
Their attention is focused on Gustav's room with its blown out walls and on Arakiya, the unfamiliar beautiful girl standing in the courtyard.
Arakiya, too, turned to them as they appeared and tilted her slender head thoughtfully.
She's wondering if these newcomers are the same Subaru and the others she's chasing. She is suspicious here.
They appeared in this way, completely unexpected by Subaru, an intruder brought about by chance.
Questioning them would not yield any information about Subaru and the others. Rather, while they are talking to them, Subaru and Hiain can look for a chance to get out.
They are the spider threads that hang from the heavens, not of their own accord, but of a different kind--,
"--Listen to me!!"
"--tsk"
The voice came from a room with a broken wall above Subaru and the others, who were looking intently at Arakiya's movements, as if they would not miss the opportunity that had just presented itself.
The voice is Todd, the last one left in that room.
Subaru shuddered and steeled himself for the fact that his fear of Todd and his cause to focus on Arakiya in front of him had kept him out of his consciousness, even for a moment.
Tighten his cowering heart to deal with whatever Todd has to say.
"Governor Gustav Morello has been murdered! Two men did it! A black-haired kid and a gray skalengeck! Kill them as soon as you find them!!"
"----"
"I repeat! Governor Gustav Morello has been killed! The role of Viceroy will be taken over by General Arakiya! If you do not wish to die by the curse, kill them both!!"
It wasn't a rough voice, it wasn't an emotional punching bag, it was a well-defined voice with the necessary emotional organization to be heard and moved by a large group of people.
A voice that stays in your eardrums that doesn't let you forget what you said, even if the person who heard it lags behind in understanding.
And the moment he was told that, Subaru's eyes widened as he said, "I've been hit."
Gustav's death has been rubbed in the faces of both Subaru and Hiain. Even if they were falsely accused, there is no hope for a proper investigation or trial on this island.
In the first place, once someone catches them, Subaru and the others are finished.
In other words--,
"--Now, let the 'Sparka' begin!!"
The "Blood Life Ceremony", an evil custom of the Gladiator Island Ginunhive, is about to begin on the entire island.
"Arakiya!"
She announced the beginning of the cruel ritual, and while those that heard it were still unable to move, Todd called for Arakiya in a voice that wasn't as strained as it had been earlier.
When his eyes meet hers as she looks up, Todd silently points to the courtyard below them.
It was those Heavenly Thread Gladiators who had appeared in the courtyard late.
Todd pointed at those swordfellows, then brought that same finger to his own neck.
"--Do it."
And even though his voice was inaudible, Subaru could tell that his lips moved like that.
Waving the finger on his neck to the side is a ruthless signal to cut off his opponent's head. Seeing the same thing as Subaru, Arakiya slowly turns her gaze to the gladiators.
Stared at by Arakiya's red eyes, the one not hidden by the eye patch, the gladiators were puzzled.
They were still digesting the meaning of Todd's words earlier.
"Do you know anything about it, little girl? About Gustav being dead......"
"I'm sorry. I've been told."
"Ah......? What?"
The gladiators tilted their heads at the sudden order and the combination of unknown opponents. In response to them, Arakiya shook her right hand with the branch.
That was all she did. That was enough.
"Bgah"
The next moment, the heads of all five of the gladiators facing Arakiya, all of them, exploded from the inside.
The effects were rightly divided between those that popped from the inside, those that died when the contents of their faces were pushed out of their eyes and noses, and those that died when their heads swelled up in an odd way.
It shouldn't have made much difference to them, though, because the result is the same.
"Don't talk to dying people."
The heads are broken, and the gladiators fall without power.
After a while, Subaru realized that the murmur he was making while looking at the falling gladiators was the asnwer to his earlier question. He was too busy to do that.
His mind was busy processing what the monster known as Arakiya had done.
--Maybe it's the water.
The advice Todd gave to Arakiya when Gustav was killed. He told him to let the water out of his opponent's head, which he probably did.
That was the reason why the heads of the sword guys were blown off from the inside, due to the water that appeared.
"Cup, for one......"
As he says this, he is playing with the tip of the branch in Arakiya's hand with his other hand.
Her ruminating tone was devoid of emotion, but to Subaru it sounded like she was somehow expressing frustration. --A frustration that felt like it didn't work out.
It's funny how he only has that much sense after he's killed someone.
That's why he's a monster. So is Arakiya, and of course Todd.
"Is anybody there? Did you hear that loud voice?"
Arakiya's deed, which is not human, turns Subaru's heart black, and while Hiain freezes, forgetting how to breathe, another voice comes to the courtyard again.
It's another gladiator. They can see up to the Governor's office where the voice was heard, and they know it's the most likely place for people to gather, so one by one the gladiators come running up.
And that's--,
"Hey, you, where'd you come from? The Governor is......"
"They say. --Don't talk to dying people."
The turning around of Arakiya, means that the victims of the "Spirit Eater" will be magnified.
And so it began.
--The massacre of the Gladiator Island, for a different reason than the invocation of the "curse rule".
△▼△▼△▼△
The situation Todd had prepared for was so bad that it didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment flash of inspiration.
One after another, Arakiya kills gladiators at random.
Naturally, there was not a single person who would be able to fight back against her, one of the "Nine Divine Generals". To be in her sight was such a disaster that it meant instant death.
Arakiya could have used tornadoes and explosions, but the least she can do is not use such a big technique that involves the whole island.
Maybe Todd ordered it because he didn't want us to be able to check on the body.
And besides Arakiya, it's the island's guards that are troublesome.
The guards apparently believed Todd's words that Arakiya had taken over the role after Gustav died. Subaru doesn't know how the position is actually taken over, but he doesn't think Gustav would want the person who killed him to take over.
That part of the story is probably where the guards have no reason to question it, since Subaru and the others have killed Gustav.
He hates it when the guards misunderstand him like that, but the main problem is--,
"Fuck! They did it! The guards have unleashed their gladiators on the island! They're coming for us! Run, run, run, ruuuun!!"
Such angry shouts and screams continue to rise all over the island, which is in turmoil.
The released gladiatorial beasts - the gladiatorial beasts used as enemies of "Sparka" - as far as Subaru could see, all of them were demonic beasts that had broken their horns and were following the guards.
The gladiatorial beast hears the order of the guard who follows Todd and is looking for the two people on the island, Subaru and Hiain. -However, the gladiatorial beast can't tell the difference between each of the gladiators.
So, the gladiatorial beasts had also started attacking gladiators one after another, at random.
"Where are you? Get out of here, Schwarz! You creepy little brat!"
A guard with eyes glazed with hostility yells at him and walks down the aisle with a large dog with two heads next to him.
The guards didn't actively try to communicate with the sword guy, so this was the first time he'd seen them bare their emotions like that. To think that they were usually hostile like that, this also made Subaru sad.
But not only was he sad, he also realized something.
The guards searching for Subaru and the others, there is impatience and frustration in their appearance, plus fear. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that the guards were also dead when the curse rule was activated.
The guards are also following this and that in order not to die themselves.
Arakiya and the guards, dangerous enemies for Subaru and his friends, roam the island.
Is Todd, who is using them as pawns, working on his own or is he just directing them? Not knowing his whereabouts reduces Subaru's ability to think considerably.
All this time, he's been on the verge of cracking his taut heart from being on the lookout for Todd.
But Subaru is not the only one to suffer from this--,
"Hey, where's Schwarz? Was he here?!"
"I didn't see him! But the guards! If they see us, they'll kill us!"
"So, if you turn in Schwarz......"
"Fuck you! They're just trying to get us to do things! I don't know the difference between them and you!"
"What are you going to do then? Just shut up and die?!"
"B-but, Schwarz, if those rumors are true......"
The voices of the desperate, gladiators who continue to do their best to claw their way to survival.
There is a disagreement among the desperate gladiators, under threat from Arakiya and the guards.
There are those who stand up to their arrogance, or do as they're told and offer Subaru to them, there are those who have given up on the futility of doing so, there are those who lament the unreasonable situation, there are those who try to cling to a halibut hope that has no basis in reality, there are all sorts of things.
There are a lot of gladiators who are enemies and potential enemies with Subaru.
In a way, they may be much tougher than the guards and Arakiya, who can be split off as all enemies.
He doesn't know who's his enemy and who's his friend, so he can't bypass them and rely on them.
Arakiya, the guards and the gladiators, the swordfighters who don't know friend from foe - and Todd.
As they begin to pursue Subaru and his friends, the Gladiator Island is headed for destruction.
It happened. A massacre. Even though they struggled to stop it.
"Old Man Null!"
Running through the catastrophic island, Subaru ran into the room in front of him.
The healing room on the lower level of the island was the work place of Old Man Null, who had taken care of Subaru many times. The entrance to it had been grandly broken, and he ran in with a bad feeling.
And the bad feeling came true.
"Mr. Schwarz......"
A gravelly girl's call greeted Subaru as he ran into the healing room. It was Tanza, sitting in the back of the room, a winged rat corpse lying next to the smaller girl.
Probably a hexenbiest that Tanza defeated single-handedly. That would be so awesome.
But before Tanza came, that hexenbiest trashed the healing room and killed a man.
Because under Tanza's crouched feet, a corpse with its head bitten off, a corpse of a slumped old man with nothing but bones and skin, was lying there.
"Sch-Schwarz......"
Hiain's voice trembled as he and Subaru jumped into the healing room and saw the same thing.
It was only thanks to Hiain that he was able to hide in there until she walked away from Arakiya's murderous actions in that courtyard, killing gladiators one after the other.
Without him, it would have been absolutely impossible for Subaru to come back here.
But you can't keep running and hiding, and you just, you can't win.
"Schwarz, you're back!"
"Hmm, didn't you die too, lizard boy......"
In front of the dead body of Old Man Null, Idola and Weitz also rushed to the place where Subaru and the others were drooping down. The "union" who helped them sneak into the office are all here.
It seems like a miracle that we were able to join up without anyone dying under the circumstances on this island.
But if it's a miracle, shouldn't it attract more and better results?
"Is it true, Mr. Schwarz, that the stories that are flying around about are true? The orders of Viceroy Gustav?"
"Me and Hiain? There's no way we can do it. It was the messenger from the Imperial City...... Arakiya that killed Mr. Gustav. No, it was Todd who used Arakiya."
"Todd......? Who the hell is that? That's......"
"He's scarier than the Sin Archbishops."
At least, that's how Subaru perceives it now.
The Sin Archbishops that he remembers are a bonus, but compared to Todd, they still seem endearing. He doesn't think so. The scum were scum no matter what they were compared to.
But the way Subaru said it, it seemed that Tanza and the others could see how dangerous Todd was.
"Don't make a perishable analogy. Sin Archbishops, etc., even when you know it's not true, it's still heart-breaking."
"Oh, sorry, I was close. I used to run into them all the time."
"You run into the Sin Archbishops a lot, is that right? That's still......"
"I knew it. What do you know about me?"
"----"
He was annoyed and he said it like he was blaming Tanza.
Subaru was mortified by this, but Tanza's downcast reaction was not to blame, as she seemed to care about what Subaru had to say.
That's a little strange for Subaru.
No way, there's no way that any of these people know about Subaru's constitution - every time he "returns by death", the miasma, which is apparently related to the "witch", gets stronger.
"So what should we do? If Governor Gustav is dead, then the curse that binds us must be gone. Shall we raise the drawbridge and head off the island?"
"D-don't be stupid! You don't have the key! And if we move the drawbridge, they're gonna shoot us right out of the sky!
"Then, do we continue to fight against everyone on the island......? If the enemy has one of the 'Nine Divine Generals', sooner or later...... we won't have any way to retreat......"
Idola and the others were discussing a way out of the situation, and Subaru's attention turned to them.
Idola's suggestion of escaping from the drawbridge was one odd idea. Although the conditions had changed in many ways, the curse tool was in Subaru's possession, so he could leave the island now that he was free of the curse rule.
However, if they were to escape using the drawbridge as Hiain said, they could be ambushed in two places: the control tower for operating the drawbridge and the drawbridge while they were crossing it.
That said, it's a jittery idea not to leave the island, and Weitz is right, we can't choose.
Moreover--,
"--Mr. Gustav is"
Old Man Null, and all the other gladiators who were sacrificed by Arakiya and are still dying one by one on the island, will live in a world that will remain dead if they don't.
That would be unbearable for Subaru.
Even if the situation is that you have succeeded in recovering the curse tool and the fear of the curse rule is gone, it is not in Natsuki Subaru's nature to decide that this is the "best" way to proceed.
--That's not the path that Natsuki Kenichi's son should have chosen.
"At least if we can reduce the number of people we're dealing with......"
Subaru, with his eyes tightly closed, is trapped in a maze of thoughts.
Beside him, Tanza muttered while biting her thin lip. Certainly, the whole island is an enemy situation, if it were a little better, a different choice might come to mind, but--,
"......Hey, hey, you can stop hiding it, can't you?"
"----"
"Hey, Schwarz, it's you. I'm talking to you, man."
"......huh?"
Suddenly, Subaru opened his eyes at the fearful comment.
He was thinking about it, but more than that, it was a call that he had no idea what it was, so he was slow to respond.
Stop hiding, that's what Hiain told Subaru.
He told him--,
"Stop hiding...... what do you mean?"
"C-come on! This is not a good hand to be laying low in this situation!"
"Hey, stop it, you lizard......!"
Hiain strongly bites Subaru, who has no idea. A man in between stopped him, but Subaru was too surprised to thank him.
However, to this Subaru, "Schwarz", and Idola too, with a serious look on their faces,
"I know how Hiain feels, despite the way he says it. It's time you told me."
"No, so I have no idea what you're talking about......"
"I'm talking about your father."
"......My dad?"
Seriously, incredibly seriously, Idola tells Subaru that.
But even being told seriously like that, Subaru's confusion is only gaining momentum. He has no idea why they need to talk about Subaru's father here.
Subaru's father is a man who is admirable and respectable in his son's eyes and his wife's eyes, and is the very person Subaru admires, but--,
"But he's just an ordinary businessman......?"
"Don't play dumb with me! I already know! You're the Emperor's illegitimate son, aren't you?!"
"----"
Subaru's voice, which was about to explain that it was not information that would be useful here, was painted over by the voice of Hiain, who was being winged by Weitz.
He painted over it, but the color of the paint he used to paint over it was too dark for Subaru's mind to comprehend what the resulting picture was.
What did Hiain just say?
"......I'm the Emperor's child?"
"Yeah, that's right! That's what they're talking about off the island! The illegitimate son of the dark-haired, dark-eyed Emperor Vincent Vollachia is out there somewhere! That's......"
"--Schwarz, I know it's you."
Taking over Hiain's words, Idola said to Subaru with a quiet voice and eyes.
Subaru looked at Weitz at Hiain's clinging eyes and Idola's believing eyes, the two of them who weren't making a joke that wasn't funny in this situation.
Weitz, his tattooed face contorted, said,
"I told you...... I know what you are....... But whether you like it or not, I'm here to help you......."
Mysterious, were it not for the circumstances, the words would have struck him more.
At that time, when he said that to Subaru at the lower level, he can clearly see now how much Weitz was prepared to say that to me, and the weight of it.
And that it came from a completely misguided idea.
"W-wait, wait, wait a minute...... How can I be the emperor's child?"
"You have a judgment, command, and survivability that is unimaginable at such a young age. It was you who saved us and our friend Hiain and the others in 'Sparka', Schwarz."
"That's......"
It is true that Subaru resisted his fate by using all the abilities he had.
But he had no idea that it would cause such a terrible misunderstanding with Idola and the others.
If they were that wrong in the first place.
"Tanza, you said why not......"
"--Mr. Schwarz, I see it with my own eyes."
"--ah"
"I saw Mr. Schwarz with the Emperor."
Tanza calmly finished her sentence while holding the hem of her kimono, and Subaru was speechless.
She's talking about what happened in Chaos Flame. Surely Subaru was with Abel, who was in a smaller state and wearing a stupid mask.
Tanza is Yorna's squire, so there's nothing strange about the fact.
Abel is the real emperor, and they see him with a shrunken Subaru.
You connected that with the misunderstanding of Idola and the others.
"But Tanza is working with Mr. Olbart...... no."
Subaru's guess is that Tanza was conspiring with Olbart to do this and that.
He thinks she was probably acting to protect Yorna, so he can't really blame her for that. And Olbart wouldn't reveal his hand, even if it was against an accomplice.
Tanza doesn't know that Subaru is the shrunken form of "Natsumi Schwarz".
Well, then--,
"What does Tanza say I am......?"
"--. Between that dark-haired woman and His Imperial Highness."
"----"
Exclaim.
Tanza didn't say more, but he knew what she was thinking. Understandably, Subaru exclaimed, and then he also understood that it was difficult to defend himself.
He can't offer any proof. There's no other way to do it except for Subaru to suddenly get bigger, right here, right now.
"......Why is this story about the Emperor's illegitimate son such a hot topic?"
"--. It is said that there are rebels against the Emperor outside the island now. The leader of that rebellion is said to be......"
"The Emperor's illegitimate son?"
Idola nodded at Subaru's question.
So the logic connects, even if it falters in Subaru. An emperor and a power struggle between the emperor and his son. That's the story of the battle that Abel and the others started outside the island.
The truth is a battle between a real emperor and a fake emperor.
But what is known is the battle between the real emperor and the rebels headed by the emperor's son.
He could only imagine who and how they made it that way, and in that format.
"That son of a bitch......!"
Immediately, Subaru understands that it is a situation prepared by Abel, a rumor that has been spread.
And that it was not to harass Abel, but to make it a cause for this internal conflict itself, and also to find Subaru, who was no longer in the Chaos Flame.
He thinks the situation is because they believe that Subaru is not dead. He's not going to say that he 'believes' that Subaru is not dead, though.
"----"
Tanza and the others look at Subaru, who puts his hand over his mouth and falls silent.
Weitz released the quieted Hiain, and the attention of the four of them turned to Subaru.
Even as he does this, he can see that outside the healing room - battles are happening all over the island, and gladiators are falling into danger or losing their lives.
There's no room anywhere for shutting up, settling down, taking time to think.
So--,
"--Mr. Schwarz."
If he doesn't have time, Tanza will call him to teach him what she knows.
Subaru looked around at the faces of everyone in the "union", sensing the slightest hint of awe in their calls.
He looked around and decided. --He's going to do what's required of him in this situation.
△▼△▼△▼△
--Todd Fang quietly stroked his chin as he felt the change in wind direction.
"--It's disgusting."
He blew the head off the Governor, who was not listening in the Oval Office, and literally replaced the head of the island, but there is a sense that he has been slow to move since.
Of course, if all they have to do is annihilate everyone involved on the island, then Arakiya alone is overpowered.
That "Nine Divine General" who don't have the brains to think for herself are immensely powerful despite their light heads, and if she wanted to, she could engulf the entire island in flames.
He's told her not to do it, though, because Todd would be in trouble if she did.
To begin with--,
"I didn't want to be here."
Todd feels bitter, as every action he's taken that was necessary and so divisive has backfired on him.
The purpose of rescuing Arakiya, who was trapped in the castle city, was to recover from the loss of the castle city and to stick with her and return to the Imperial Capital to have her reassignment fulfilled.
In fact, he can say that the reassignment itself was fulfilled, but the way it was fulfilled was not what he expected.
Todd was promoted as the only subordinate of the one general of Arakiya who had no subordinates.
All because of a single lie that he told to plot against Arakiya.
"Jamal, you're a dead nuisance."
Todd's lies have brought about this situation, but Arakiya has no doubt that Todd sincerely wants to avenge Jamal's death.
It was a lie that was necessary to round her up, and Todd couldn't deny it now.
To be honest, she's a woman who doesn't know what would be scaled against her. Considering the possibility of being extinguished the moment she touches the opposite scale, she can't even retract her opinion bypassing it.
As a result, Todd was made a subordinate of Arakiya.
The Imperial Prime Minister, Berstetz Fondalfon, who commands Arakiya, has sent her to the Gladiator Island, a paradise for crazy people.
Berstetz's orders were to dispose of the island's internal affairs. He was told that Gustav, the Governor, had the means to do so, and that it would be an easy job to just order it carried out.
It was all a lie, too.
He'd never had an easy job get done with ease. He knew what to expect. So he was prepared.
Most things can be handled with advance preparation. Only really unfortunate mishaps can be avoided, but the risk can be minimized by avoiding situations where mishaps can occur.
And yet, an unforeseen accident happened.
In that scene, it's a gotcha accident, like a child jumping out of a blind spot that you can't see.
"I've got plenty of ideas on how to kill a superior......"
He never really thought much about how to kill a child.
He's not in a good mood and won't have many chances to use it. So he used it in conjunction with the kill method for the Gladiator Island, of which there aren't too many candidates.
--If they involve the guards, the gladiators, and half of the gladiators, they can target any individual on the island.
Throw Arakiya into the mix, and it would be strange if this didn't kill them.
But--,
"--Because nothing is ever perfect."
Twisting his head, Todd mutters as he walks down the corridor littered with bodies.
Every body that lies dead is a shabbily dressed island gladiator. He's not interested in whether it was the result of mutual strife, the violence of Arakiya, or the brutality of gladiatorial beasts.
A corpse is a corpse, and if it's dead, you can erase it from your mind.
"Private Fang, we need to go this far......"
"Of course there is. Governor Gustav was killed. The gladiators were organizing. They're planning to overthrow the island in an armed uprising. I don't know who's in their clutches, but can you tell the difference between the enemy and the non-enemy?"
"Uuh......"
At Todd's question, one of the two guards following behind him shushed him.
It's two of the guards who sent Arakiya out of the Oval Office and rushed in as soon as Todd declared "Sparka".
It's Todd who's making her do it, so why don't she just blame Todd?
It was a hesitation that meant nothing, because he did what he had to do with a look of concern on his face.
"Don't act like you're a real man. The first thing is that you and your neighbor are both in a position to have scars on your shins when you're forced to work as guards here. Other than the uniform, you're pretty much the same as them."
"--tsk"
"Just that uniform is your safety valve. Just make sure you chew on it."
The young guard, his bitterness still not gone, taps him on the shoulder and smiles at him, and Todd sighs inwardly. -Worn or unworn uniforms, they should be grateful, because that's really all they've got.
The guards of the Gladiator Island are all Imperial soldiers with backgrounds that could have made them gladiators.
A place of exile where half-wits who disobeyed orders, assaulted others in the ranks, or failed to follow the Iron Code were sent.
They are bound to life by the curse rule, and then they finally learn to obey it, and they have no memory of things. He has to say that it's really funny, including the part where they act half-human.
"Well, I don't really care."
What they need is not so much their abilities as guards, but the gladiatorial beasts they've been given.
If he can jump over one head and just get the gladiatorial beast, he can get rid of the guards all together, but he guesses they put the guards in between so that that doesn't happen.
Perhaps it was also a safety valve prepared by the dead Gustav, or otherwise a decision by His Imperial Highness the Emperor, which Gustav stubbornly followed.
"I don't know what's wrong with anyone who willingly wants to go to war and anyone who stands by and takes it. Please, don't disturb the peace between me and Katya......"
Both the signs of rebellion in the Castle City and the subsequent events in the Demon City Chaos Flame were nothing but an annoying noise to Todd.
He doesn't care if the top of the empire changes if it makes it livable, if it doesn't, he's fine with the way it is.
If nothing happens and he continues to spend his days with the woman he loves, then--/
"--I remember something I don't like."
The thought of rebellion brought a terrifying presence to Todd's mind.
The "poster child of war" who loved war and was loved by war. If possible, he would like him to die in the middle of a fierce battle, but he wonders what will actually happen.
If he's in a position to help the rebels, he'll show up when the disaster spreads.
If he's going to lash out, then he and Katya need to get out of there--.
"--Todd Fang!!"
"----"
For some reason, Todd felt a stirring sensation in his chest when a high-pitched voice called his name.
It's as if the concern that popped into my head has become a reality, fortunately.
And--,
"......What the hell were you thinking, dude?"
The boy who appeared in front of Todd's eyes, in front of the passage, at the end of the passage, was the one who should have been hunted down with the whole Gladiator Island against him.
He's a dark-haired, dark-eyed child. He's covered in blood and mud everywhere, but all his limbs are still attached and he doesn't seem to have lost anything.
In other words, Arakiya and the guards all missed him.
"I know there's something about you that can't be described by the word 'lucky'. But why did you bother to show your face here? It just doesn't make sense."
"----"
"It's not as if I'm invincible with a group of people I can count on."
As he says it, Todd looks around the boy, at the four people who came with him.
The gray skalengecked man and the man with tattoos all over his body. The two are a man of medium height and medium build with no outstanding features compared to the other two, and a little deer girl dressed in a kimono for some reason.
From Todd's point of view, those four people didn't seem to be particularly outstanding powerhouses. From the atmosphere, all of them are amateurs, only the tattooed eyes and the way the deer man stands need attention.
The tattoos were undeterred and the deer girl seemed strangely confident.
And--,
"It's hard to judge the look in your eyes. Are you confident or not......?"
"Todd, surrender. And you're gonna make that woman...... Arakiya stop, too."
"--. Anyway, why don't I ask you why?"
Todd's eyebrows rose as he threw in a request that was absurd and not meant to be heard.
At any rate, he urged the conversation onward with a pretense of interest, while Todd silently sent a hand signal to the two guards standing off to the side.
The two guards are accompanied by a black giant eagle and a rocky frog gladiator, respectively.
Right next to Todd and the boys, outside the passageway, an eagle crawls across the sky and a frog crawls along the wall, slowly closing the distance between them and their opponents.
It would be best if the gladiators could finish them off and retrieve the curse.
Of course, there is a possibility that they are hiding the curse tool somewhere, so it will remain troublesome.
It would have been easier with Arakiya--,
"Where are you stuck......?"
No way, it's not like hunting gladiators is fun only for Arakiya.
Some soldiers enjoy killing, but Arakiya is not one of those. Arakiya is a soldier who's purpose is to serve the people she cares about, nothing more, nothing less.
If she can't fulfill a vital task, she should consider that she is in the way of something.
But if there is such a thing, things change.
"So, what's the story you want me to tell you?"
"It's simple. --The cursebook that governs this island's curse rule is in my possession."
"Wha-......?!"
The boy answers Todd with a shrug of his shoulders, his words upsetting the two guards.
Of course they are. The main reason they are following Todd is because they have their lives in their hands, a condition they can't resist.
But Todd cut him off, saying he was bluffing.
"It's a stupid game. First of all, a curse tool? If there is such a thing......"
"--This is it."
"Hey, hey."
Without even demanding to see it, the boy pulled something out of his pocket. It was a black sphere, wiped clean of blood, clearly recognizable even from a distance.
The time in my hands was short, but there was no mistaking it.
That's the real thing, the curse tool that Gustav had inside him.
Todd would definitely hide it somewhere on the island and use it as a bargaining chip, including its whereabouts.
What is the purpose of bringing the actual thing instead of doing so?
"What's with the dirty ball? Don't tell me you think you can trigger the curse rule with it? Then give it a try. Try reducing the number of guards in your way."
"Wha?! D-don't! If you do that......"
"I told you, he's bluffing. Or do you not believe the words of the Imperial messenger?"
He told him over and over to the upset guard, and the guard shushed him with a blue face.
The reaction caught Todd a little off guard. He can understand why he would be uneasy about being shown a black sphere that he said was a curse and doubting its authenticity, but his reaction is not right.
It's as if the guards have a reason to react as if they have a reason to not dismiss those children's - no, that child's - words as just a bluff.
"What is it? There's a problem with that kid--"
"--Mysteriously, listen to me, you rude man."
"----"
Todd tries to question the guard, looking for an answer to a trick question. But sooner than that, a high-pitched voice echoed down the aisle, drawing their attention to a deer girl.
She wrapped the embroidery of the kimono around her arm and gently pointed with her hand at the boy beside her.
"If you are from off-island, you have already heard of the great upheaval that is currently sweeping across the Empire, and the rumors that are circulating."
"----"
Todd closed one eye at the girl's dignified, even heroic plea.
Regardless of how they secured the means to get information on the island, the girl is right, the world will gossip about this and that as much as they want.
As for the rebels, there were already various stories such as one of the "Nine Divine Generals" had already given.
Some of them were greatly ridiculous - but some of them were not--.
"No, no way."
"--The One who stands here is at the heart of the situation that has shaken the Empire. He is the one with the legitimate credentials and the honor to stand up to correct the mistakes of the Empire."
A beat, a pause there, and the girl looked at him.
Behind those round eyes, Todd caught a glimpse of a thought that made the concern in his heart swell--,
"--Mr. Natsuki Schwarz, son of His Excellency Emperor Vincent Vollachia."
The bastard son of the Emperor, with the spellbook in his hand.
The Deer Girl told such a ridiculous story with the greatest of bravado. The girl acted as if she had been in these situations before, and she was so convincing that it made you doubt the truth of the ridiculous story.
Surely, the ridiculous rumors had something to do with that.
The rumor is that the leader of the Rebellion is the illegitimate son of the dark-haired, dark-eyed Emperor. Of course, sensible Imperial soldiers would laugh it off, and it would be foolish to take it seriously.
If they were there, Todd thought, it would be trouble.
But the idea that it just happened to be here, on this island, is just too ridiculous to contemplate.
But--,
"--tsk"
Todd didn't miss the reaction of the guards, who gasped and changed color.
Perhaps they had known in advance a story similar to the information Todd had just been told. They'd overheard it or something, and had a seed of suspicion growing in their chests.
So when that boy - the child called Natsuki Schwarz - declared that he had the curse tool, he couldn't laugh it off as a bluff.
He was possessed by an illusion that might be more or less credible than his position as Todd, a messenger from the Imperial City and a subordinate of Arakiya.
So--,
"Well, quickly, guards--"
The girl tried to stand up and say something.
No sooner had the girl's request been communicated than Todd had his hands around his waist and the hilt he had grabbed was reared straight across with all his might.
"--tsk"
The arcing blade of the axe struck the two guards standing next to Todd. The right guard's head was chopped off, and the left guard's head was cracked open and slammed against the wall.
Both died instantly, and the momentum of the upset prevented them from giving it to that side.
And--,
"--Do it!"
Jumping on the head of the guard he had chopped off, Todd kicks his head as hard as he can to the front. The head flies towards the wide-eyed boys, spraying blood as it flies.
To those who have not yet understood the meaning of their doing--,
"----σσ!!"
The next moment, the huge body of the black giant eagle that plunged right into the passageway swallowed the head of the flying guard and the boys around him in destruction.
