Re:Zero - The King of Pride

Subaru and Patrasche hid in an alley in Lowtown. So far they seemed to have avoided detection.

After Subaru had fed and watered her, Patrasche had laid down in the alley and Subaru leaned back against her flank.

Man, this 'Lowtown' place is the pits. Hell, this place is a pit. I'm not even sure where the Ganaks mine stops and the neighborhood begins. It looks like half the people down here live in abandoned mine shafts. The whole area is just a dug out bowl with some shafts cut deeper into the rock.

I thought that the place Felt and Rom lived was obscene but this place puts it to shame. The air is stale, no sign of clean water, and barely even any sunlight because we're half underground!

I can hear that the city is still in an uproar. They're searching Hightown and Midtown. Funny but it may not initially occur to them that I'm even hiding down here. After all, what human would willingly descend into a demi-human slum?

How the hell am I going to get out of here?

I might be able to just hide here and wait them out. Ganaks is a huge city with a thriving economy. They can't seal the gate for more than a couple of hours before the locals start screaming in protest. They might last a day of checking everyone leaving the gate but that will just stretch out the wait time and the locals will be screaming again.

It'll be business as usual in two days and then I can probably just ride out through the front gate. Even if they spot me, once I'm outside the city, they'll never catch up.

"What do you think, girl?" Subaru asked. "Do you think we can hide out for two days in a city of a hundred thousand people? Should be easy right?"

Patrasche gave a low, mewling cry.

Subaru shook his head. Yeah, who am I fooling? Brendig is likely to force his guards to search day and night until they burn me out. I need to find another way out of the city.

"Well, there's always a way in or out of a city," Subaru mused to himself. "If you're really serious about it. Maybe a sewage aqueduct?"

Patrasche shivered.

"I know," Subaru said. "That wouldn't be my preference either but we are desperate."

Patrasche licked his forehead.

"Thanks," Subaru smiled. "I guess our only option right now is to try to get to that restaurant Victoire told us about and try to contact Mikael. He might be able to get us out of the city. Hightown is a swarm with soldiers right now but we don't have much choice. At least Miss Lilian's seems to be at the edge of Hightown so we might have more luck sneaking in. What do you think?"

Subaru looked at Patrasche who responded with an ambiguous cluck.

Subaru and Patrasche didn't have much trouble getting into Midtown. Hightown was a completely different matter.

Hightown was awash with soldiers and they were all looking for Subaru and Patrasche.

This prompted Subaru to come up with an alternate strategy.

So he brought Patrasche back to Lowtown and left her someplace hidden.

Then Subaru… took off his hooded robe and put on his normal clothes and walked through Hightown with his head held high.

Subaru smiled in a friendly fashion to the guards as he passed by and received a smile in return.

That's what I thought. There are no pictures of me here for them to study so they've just been told to look for a hooded man on a black dragon. They can't tell who I am. As long as I don't bump into Julius or someone else who knows me by sight, I'm golden!

It's a risky plan but it's working so far.

Subaru located Miss Lilian's at the edge of Hightown. It was a small, homey building that appeared to still be open for business despite how late it was.

Subaru walked inside and quickly scanned the area.

Miss Lilian's was a small restaurant that gave off a vaguely Italian impression. It was filled with small tables and booths but they all appeared to be empty. A musician with a violin sat far in the back, playing a quiet melody.

Behind a counter, near the front of the restaurant, there was a well-dressed man with carefully groomed black hair who was wearing an apron. He took one look at Subaru and immediately turned his nose up.

What's his problem? I'm wearing my nice clothes for a change. I don't look like a penniless peasant. What's with the attitude?

Whatever the reason is, I get the funny impression that this man and I will not be friends.

"Can I help you, sir?" He said flatly.

"Yes. I'm looking for somebody. His name is Mikael," Subaru replied.

"I'm afraid that there is no such person among our guests tonight," The man said dismissively.

"He's not a guest. He's an employee," Subaru said, fighting for patience.

"We have no waiter of that name either," The man said, waving his hand as if to shoo Subaru away.

I'm starting to wonder if this man is even listening to me…

"He's not a waiter, he's a busboy," Subaru almost growled.

The man looked at him as if he was crazy. "Do you really think that I would know the name of a mere busboy?"

"Why not?" Subaru asked raising his voice. "Do you run this place or not?!"

The man scowled. "Please lower your voice, sir!" He snapped.

"Why?!" Subaru retorted. "The place is empty!"

"The restaurant has been completely rented out tonight by our most important client. I will be unable to entertain you further."

Subaru ground his teeth. "I need to talk to one of your employees."

"Sir, please leave right now before I am forced to call for the guard," The man snapped.

Subaru bared his teeth and tried to remind himself that an Indomitable punch was not a sensible response to this idiot. "Listen to me, you-"

"Hey! Subaru!"

Subaru whirled around and his jaw dropped.

Sitting a few booths back, wearing a napkin around his neck as a bib and sipping champaign out of a fluted wine glass, was Lye.

"Hey! I thought that was you!" Lye said with a smile. He raised his wine glass in a salute before taking a sip.

Subaru quickly raised his fists and fell into a defensive stance.

Lye's eyes widened and he put up his hands. "Hey, hey! No fighting in here! This is one of my favorite restaurants this side of the capitol!" Lye took another sip of the wine. He didn't so much drink it as he seemed to pour a little on his tongue and then inhale over it.

Subaru stood tensed for several moments but Lye didn't show any sign of aggression and Subaru slowly relaxed his defensive posture.

"So how have you been?" Lye asked Subaru, "That Sanctuary business was crazy, right?"

Subaru walked slowly up to Lye's table. He watched every move that the twisted little man with razor sharp teeth made.

"Master Lye," The man hurried up to the table. He was clearly terrified of Lye and it was obvious that now he was applying that same fear to Subaru. "Do you… know this man?"

Lye laughed. "Yeah, Pierre. We kind of work together. He's alright. Hey, why don't you join me for a minute, Subaru? I'm having a special meal tonight. Say, Pierre, what am I eating?"

"Oh an exquisite delicacy, Master Lye," Pierre said with a fawning demeanor. "Maurice is already hard at work preparing your entree," Pierre paused for dramatic emphasis, "Escalopes de Veau à l'Estragon!"

Lye squealed in delight. He bounced up and down in his seat while clapping his hands together. "Oh, fabulous day!" Lye said in rapture. He sipped a bit more wine and sopped up some olive oil spread on a plate with a bread roll. "Sit down, Subaru! Let's catch up!"

Subaru just stared at Lye with a scowl and Pierre swallowed hard. "Of course. I will fetch Master Subaru a menu immediately!"

Pierre hurried away.

"Hey!" Subaru grabbed him by the arm.

Maurice looked back at Subaru with raw terror on his face. Subaru gave him a steady look. "While you're back there, see if you have a Mikael on staff, OK?"

Maurice nodded fervently. "Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" He bolted for the kitchen as soon as Subaru let go.

Lye sipped his wine and then sighed in rapture. "I'm telling you, Subaru, there is no greater pleasure than to savor the exquisite balance of flavors in a good bottle of wine. Especially when it perfectly matches the entree."

Lye stared off into the distance with a dreamy look on his face. Finally, he ended his reverie and smiled up at Subaru. "So, what have you been up to?" Lye asked.

Subaru gave Lye a look of disbelief and then shook his head, "Lye, did I miss something here? Last time we met, we were trying to kill each other!"

Lye stared at him, "Are you stillupset about that?" He asked incredulously. "What's the big deal? You got to keep the elf anyway!"

Subaru sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Come on! The food here is too good for us to waste time squabbling. Sit down and take a load off! I wanted to talk to you anyway, Subaru. It's lucky that my Gospel sent me here tonight. I thought that it was just because of the new veal cutlets but this is a win-win," Lye replied.

Subaru slowly took a seat at Lye's booth. Subaru never took his eyes off the Sin Archbishop. This is ridiculously dangerous but maybe I can get some information out of him. If it's true that the Archbishops put this curse on Emilia then maybe Lye can tell me how to undo it.

Lye sipped some more wine and dipped some bread in what looked like a plate of olive oil. "So, I'm sensing that you're still kind of upset with me," Lye said matter-of-fact.

Subaru stared at him, unable to completely hide his fury. "You tried to kill me and to steal my fiancee!" Subaru reminded him.

Lye shrugged, "Well, my Gospel told me to! You would have done the same thing. Luckily, the Gospel changed its instructions and I don't have to waste my time thinking about the elf anymore."

"It changed its instructions?" Subaru repeated intently.

"Yeah. I guess the Gospel really is satisfied that she's with you or something," Lye took another drink. "So, what have youbeen up to this past week?"

Subaru grimaced at Lye and then sighed. "All of my friends turned on me, I'm wanted by two kingdoms, and my fiancee is cursed."

"Damn, Subaru," Lye said sympathetically. "That's a really rough string of luck."

"Tell me about it," Subaru muttered. Am I really commiserating with a Sin Archbishop?! "Say, Lye, I'm wondering if the curse on my fiancee might be something that the other Sin Archbishops did."

"A curse?" Lye asked in surprise. He shook his head. "Sorry, Subaru. That wasn't us."

"What do you mean?" Subaru asked sharply as he felt his only lead slipping away from him.

"None of the Archbishops have any facility with curses or that kind of magic. If somebody cursed your woman, it wasn't us."

Could he be lying?

Well, sure he could be. But what if he's not? What if I'm completely lost and I have no leads at all as to what happened to Emilia?

Lye suddenly chuckled and flashed Subaru a grin that showed off shark-like teeth, "Oh. Before I forget, I should probably tell you that Capella still wants to hunt you down and do a whole host of nasty things to you."

Subaru broke into a cold sweat. "She still wants Emilia?" Subaru asked.

"Nah. This is personal. She took those comments you made about her 'sucking you off,' pretty badly."

"Gee, thanks for telling her about them then," Subaru grumbled.

Lye laughed, "Are you kidding me?! For a second, I thought that she was going to burst! I've never seen her so angry and it wasn't even directed at me. It was awesome! Keep pissing off Capella and Regulus, Subaru, and I'll start taking you out for drinks!"

"Neat," Subaru muttered.

"Here, try some of this," Lye said, pouring a small amount of wine into Subaru's elaborately carved wine glasses. "This is a special Vollachian vintage that I have shipped up here just for me."

Lye looked at Subaru. "Tell me what you think," He said intently.

I doubt that the wine is poisoned. Lye certainly seemed surprised by me showing up here. Maybe I can learn something if I can keep this conversation going.

Subaru sniffed it for a moment and then, as he'd seen Lye do, poured a little on his tongue and inhaled over it.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.

Hm. The flavor isn't unpleasant but it's still just rotten grapes and alcohol. You never were much of a wine drinker back home. All the same, you should come up with something laudable to say about this wine. If Lye has it shipped all this way, it's bound to be something that he loves dearly. You'll make more headway with him if you charm the freak a little bit. You might unlock all kinds of useful information about the Cult. Actually, hold that thought. Balance your review. Say two nice things about the wine and then find something to criticize. That's more in keeping with being a gourmet.

The wine's flavor is smooth, there's not much bite to it compared to the wines that your parents used to drink. The alcohol is also barely noticeable over the mix of fruits. Probably grapes with some apples mixed in? However, there is a strong wooden flavor that detracts. If you recall correctly, they age wine in wooden barrels. Perhaps this one was set down for just a little too long.

Subaru restarted time, "I think that this wine has a rich smooth taste, the different flavors are largely in balance and the apple tang is delightful. However, the amount of wood I can taste in the wine is a bit too strong. Maybe they aged it improperly," Subaru replied calmly.

"Exactly!" Lye cheered, "They were so close to a truly legendary wine and they just missed. It's such a tragedy. You spend years, maybe decades trying to make a truly exquisite wine and then to mess it up by mistiming the aging length?! It brings tears to my eyes!" Lye mourned.

Wow. He really means that. This little monster is looking at the wine as if it were a sick child. The more I learn about these Cultists the more freaky I find them. I guess Rem might have had a point in attacking first and asking questions second.

Pierre came out and handed Subaru a menu. "Master Subaru," Pierre said very formally. "I apologize but we have no one working at this restaurant this night or any other night by that name. It's possible he was a previous employee who departed. I'm sorry."

Subaru looked at the menu to hide his scowl. Great work, Victoire. These 'Shadows' really have their act together.

Or did he just get killed off like the other Shadows? Maybe I shouldn't tell Anri about this.

Actually, maybe I shouldn't tell Anri that I came here in general. News that I was greeted like an old friend by a Sin Archbishop and someone that I strongly suspect of being a cannibalistic serial killer is not a story that I want getting around.

After several seconds of staring at the menu, Subaru finally started to read it.

Man, this menu is small. I don't even know what half of this stuff is. Wait, 'Pasta Napolitan?' I think maybe I had that back home once. I'll just grab that.

"Can I get three orders of the Pasta Napolitan to go, please? I need to get moving soon," Subaru said, handing the menu back.

Pierre looked aghast at the notion of 'takeout' but he seemed too frightened of Lye to object and he was now clearly putting Subaru on the same pedestal. "Of course. I'll see that your dishes are prepared immediately, sir," Pierre walked away.

"Damn, Subaru. Takeout?!" Lye asked critically. "How can you miss out on dining here?! The decor, the music, the ambiance! There's a reason that this is one of my favorite restaurants and it's only about seventy percent about the food. Look," Lye put down his wine glass and tapped it gently. The glass hummed, "That's real crystal, you know!"

Subaru shrugged, "I suppose I never was much of a foodie," He admitted.

"Oh, I weep for you, Subaru!" Lye mourned, "There are so many exquisite pleasures in this world that you're completely insensitive to!"

"I guess to me it's less about what you eat than who you eat it with," Subaru replied.

"Heh. You sound just like my sister."

Subaru stared at him, "You have a sister too?"

Oh dear, my imagination is a frightening place to be right now…

"Yeah but I don't see her too much. I just try to keep Louise well fed," Lye took a sip of wine, "Speaking of family, I wanted to talk to you about Roy."

"I hope that you're not looking for an apology," Subaru grumbled.

"Nah. He was a big, fat sack of crap. You wouldn't believe the kinds of garbage he ate," Lye said, looking sick. "He'd eat anybody! It didn't matter their age, their skills, or their character. He ate everyone he came across."

Subaru squinted at him. "Not that I'm complaining but I am pretty surprised that you're taking this so well," Subaru replied.

"Please, I hate all of the the other Archbishops. Well, maybe not Louise," He admitted, "But honestly, Subaru, you're probably the closest thing among the Archbishops that I have to a friend."

Subaru was silent for a moment. "That's so very, very sad," Subaru muttered.

"Yeah," Lye admitted, "Anyway, I needed to talk to you about Roy. When you killed him you took a piece of him with you."

"Probably several pieces," Subaru admitted, "But I've bathed since then and I'm guessing that they're all gone."

"Cute," Lye grinned at him, "Nah, I meant his Authority."

Subaru stared at him, "What?"

"My Gospel says that you pocketed his Authority of Gluttony when you killed him. Don't ask me how, the Gospel flat out told me that you aren't compatible with it, and after that commentary about food, I've got to agree. Anyway, I think of the Authority as kind of a family possession so I'd like to have it back."

Subaru's mind whirled.

Wait. So I picked up a new Authority? I haven't noticed anything different. Then again, like Lye says, I doubt that I'd be compatible with Gluttony. Wait, could that be why… whatever happened at the slave camp, happened?

Subaru's eyes widened. Could that be why the mabeasts have responded to me? Ever since Roy died, they've been acting funny around me. I remember that Beatrice once told me that the mabeasts were a product of the Authority of Gluttony. Maybe that's why I can control some of them now?

Hang on a second. 'Pridebreaker.' Could that power have been unlocked because I acquired Roy's Authority? Would that mean that I can use Gluttony or is the extra Authority just making Pride stronger somehow? Or could it be completely unrelated?

Too many possibilities to sort through right now. That said, this might be useful in another way. I have something that Lye wants. That gives me leverage over him. I just need to decide how to best play this…

"For?" Subaru asked calmly.

"Huh?"

"An Authority is one of the ultimate powers in the world, Lye. I'm assuming you didn't really expect me to just hand it over without some kind of compensation."

Lye frowned and began to rub his chin.

Judging by how that question appears to have completely tripped him up, I think he did expect that. I'm guessing Lye and the others aren't really used to negotiating. They live in a world where the things you want are taken because the person who has it isn't strong enough to protect it.

Tough break, Lye. You can't take stuff from me by force.

"I could give you a copy of my map of all the best dining locations on the continent," Lye suggested.

Oh God…

"Sorry, Lye. That wouldn't really do it for me," Subaru sighed.

I'm not sure that I'd want to give him the Authority anyway. Instinct tells me that doing anything that could potentially make Lye stronger is a really bad idea. Not that I have the slightest idea of how I could give the Authority to him even if I wanted to. However, if I just say 'no' then I bet Lye will fight me or start actively pursuing me which is one more Archbishop on my tail that I don't need. I should encourage him to think that we can make a deal once he comes up with something to satisfy me.

Lye looked frustrated, "Well, what do you want for the Authority?"

"I'm just looking for equal value here, Lye," Subaru said calmly, "I'm willing to give you the Authority but only if you give me something that's just as good."

"That's hard!" Lye complained.

"Well, if you don't work for something you don't appreciate it," Subaru said conversationally. "We have a saying back home: 'Hunger is the best sauce.'"

"I hate hunger!" Lye shuddered, "It's horrible! It's my least favorite sensation to eat."

Yeah I bet… "But you have to admit that food tastes better if you've been waiting for it for a while," Subaru pointed out.

Lye frowned, "Alright. So I if I find you something that's as good as Roy's Authority, then you'll give it to me?"

"Sure," Subaru shrugged, "Like you said, I'm not compatible with it anyway."

OK, it sounds like Lye is prepared to go hunting for treasure or something rather than trying to lead any more Archbishops to hunt me down. That's good enough for now.

"Do you have any idea what Capella and Regulus are doing right now?" Subaru changed the subject.

"Regulus is probably sitting in his mansion and either being fawned over by all those girls that he's captured or he's abusing them," Lye sniffed. "It's pathetic."

"'Pathetic' does describe him well," Subaru agreed.

Also absolutely terrifying but why split hairs?

"Capella's gone off on some kind of secret mission. I don't know the details. She'll probably yank my leash when she needs some extra muscle." Lye made a gaging sound. "Frankly, I'm in heaven as long as she's out of contact. She's such a spiteful, narcissistic bitch! And she thinks that everybody is lusting after her body!"

Subaru frowned, remembering the skinny, flat-chested, barely teenage Capella.

Lye made a sound of disgust. "It's annoying as hell! Not to mention the way she runs me and the other assassins around. You know, she tortures me and the other assassins just for laughs? And the random hits she assigns? Some days I think she pulls target names out of a hat. Half the ones she sends me after aren't even worth killing."

"Because they're not bad people?"

"Huh? No! Who cares about that? When I use my power, I devour my target's memories and experiences. These fucks aren't worth killing because they don't have any useful skills or impressive experiences. I'm not Roy, Subaru! I have expectations of the people I eat!"

With every word that he says, Freaky gets more and more creepy. "I'm sure that they're all very sorry that their deaths didn't live up to your expectations," Subaru said.

"Well, I guess it's not entirely their fault," Lye replied seriously. "Capella is the one who picks the targets after all."

Freaky doesn't even hear sarcasm…

Subaru changed the subject, "Hm. I thought that I'd annoyed Capella enough to come looking for me personally," Subaru mused.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that she isn't but I'd like more information on what she's doing right now.

"Capella is lazy as hell," Lye grumbled. "She'd normally just sit in her lair, growling to herself and punishing everyone that she can get her hands on until someone finds you. I'm actually pretty curious what she's gone off chasing right now. It must be something serious to catch her attention. I mean, I'm not curious enough to go and ask her but still."

OK well, I still don't know where Capella is but it sounds like she's busy doing something that doesn't involve me. That's promising.

Lye sipped some more wine. "Anyway, before I forget, I'm really glad that I ran into you tonight because I got permission from someone to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

"To take your seat in the Order."

"Huh?"

"The Archbishop of Pride," Lye explained.

Subaru frowned. "Hey, do the people here know who you really are?" Subaru asked.

If they know who Lye is, anyone who recognizes me could associate Subaru Natsuki with the Witch Cult. That would be really bad.

"Nah," Lye replied. "They just know that I'm scary and that I kill people," He chuckled. "And they know that if I don't like the entree I'll cut their balls off."

"And eat them?" Subaru asked with a sick look on his face.

"What?! No! That's disgusting, Subaru!" Lye shuddered. "Do you have any idea what human flesh tastes like?!"

"No. But I bet you do," Subaru deadpanned.

Lye nodded. "Yeah, guilty as charged. You know, I once spent a fortune bidding on a fabled cookbook said to date to the days of the Old Kingdom. It was supposed to have recipes of such exquisite delicacy that it's heartbreaking! Some even included recipes for human flesh and blood."

Subaru stared at Lye in disbelief. "And… how did that work out?" He murmured, not certain he wanted to know.

"Disappointing," Lye sighed. "I can't act like the recipes weren't interesting but none of them lived up to the hype. I spent a full six months doing nothing but cooking after I bought that book."

"You can cook?!" Subaru asked in surprise.

"Naturally! I'm an accomplished gourmet, you know," Lye said proudly. "Sometimes I even compete in Epicurean contests!"

"No kidding," Subaru replied.

This conversation is nothing short of surreal. And what does Lye mean by 'human flesh tastes bad?' Isn't he constantly talking about eating people? I guess he just means devouring their memories and skills. That's a really weird power he has.

Lye wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah. You know, someday I think I'd like to start my own cooking school," Lye said wistfully. He shook his head. "But anyway, what do you think about coming into the Cathedral?"

Subaru snorted. "What? And get double-teamed by Regulus and Capella? You must think that I'm an idiot!"

Lye shook his head. "It's a sincere offer. It's not a trap. The rules forbid us from fighting one another. That's a serious taboo. If you came in and took the oath, Regulus and Capella would have to back off."

Subaru frowned. "If Capella can't hurt you, why do you always act so afraid of her?"

Lye shuddered. "I said she can't kill me," He grumbled. "But you'd be surprised what you can live through…"

Subaru swallowed hard. "Should I even ask?"

Lye shook his head violently.

What did I expect?

Lye took another sip of wine as if to chase the bad memory away. "Capella is probably the biggest swinging dick in the Order. She can't kill the rest of us but she's really good at coming up with with creative punishments to convince us to do what she wants. That's how she keeps control of the Order."

Subaru frowned. "You mean she outranks Regulus?" he asked in surprise.

"Outranks? Nah. Every Archbishop is on the same level. Capella is just mostly the one who runs the Order because Regulus and the rest of us flat out doesn't care about managing it. Regulus and Capella tend to step around each other a little carefully when we meet up at the Cathedral. They usually avoid butting heads since their powers don't work all that well against each other."

Subaru scratched his chin. "You're saying that you're not allowed to kill the other Archbishops. But what about Petelguese? You and Regulus killed him."

"Yeah but that was after he had already rebelled against the Order. He refused to follow the Gospel's writ so the Gospel told us to hunt him down and kill him."

Subaru frowned. "Wait. Why did he rebel?"

Lye scratched his chin. "Um. Well, I'm not really sure. The Gospel apparently told him something about you that made him crazy. Petelguese was always pretty crazy but this was a new low even for him. Anyway, he went AWOL and decided to kill you to prove the Gospel's prediction was wrong. That's why the Gospel ordered us to kill him instead."

OK… That's interesting, if not particularly informative.

"Do you know what he read?"

"Nah," Lye said dismissively.

Subaru thought for a moment. "Wait. Didn't the Gospel tell the Archbishops to kill me at the Sanctuary?" Subaru asked.

Lye looked incredulous. "No! The Gospel told Petelguese in no uncertain terms to leave you alone but it also told him a ton of other stuff, stuff that he refused to accept so he ran off to kill you. Regulus's Gospel also told him to leave you alone but he was too dumb to figure out who you were at first."

"Roy told me that the Gospel had put me back on the 'kill' list," Subaru said intently.

Lye hesitated. "Well, no, not really. The Gospel told us to save you from Petelguese and then it stopped talking about you, for whatever reason. But it never explicitly told us to kill you either. That's the only reason that we're talking right now. If the Gospel told me to, I'd rip you apart. I don't know that your status ever really changed after the incident with Petelguese. I can't say for sure what Roy read. As far as I can tell, right now an Archbishop would only kill you for personal reasons."

That is in no way comforting…

Subaru made a face. "Why would I want to join the Witch Cult anyway?"

"The Order!" Lye shouted, sounding very offended.

"OK, fine. 'The Order.' Why would I want to join?"

Lye looked thoughtful and began to rub his chin.

Seriously? He didn't even have a pitch ready? Did Lye really just assume that I'd be thrilled to join up the moment he offered?

Lye finally shrugged. "Well, for one thing, the Gospels tell the Archbishops to work together pretty often to advance our individual goals so you'd have backup in pursuing your own objectives. And there's an iron clad rule against fighting each other as long we're all obeying the Gospels. Regulus and Capella would have to leave you alone."

I've got to admit, that might be worth a lot.

"What about my… pawns?" Subaru asked.

I doubt there's special rules for 'fiancees' and 'spirit partners.'

Lye nodded, sopping up some olive oil with a bread roll. "Yeah, we're not supposed to mess with each other's pawns either. It's not a rule but it's still good advice. If Capella slaughters your people, you'll turn around and do the same to hers and she really can't stop you because she can't face you directly."

Lye suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Subaru asked.

Lye sighed. "I'm just picturing Regulus's face if you slaughtered all of his wives."

OK, that's just… creepy on so many levels…

Would I really do this? I mean… I don't have a ton of options left. Could the Witch Cult help me cure Emilia?

If the thing with Anri doesn't work out then where do I go from there…

Subaru sighed. "Lye, I got to tell you, your personal assurance that this isn't a trap doesn't carry a ton of weight with me."

"Hey!" Lye said, looking hurt.

"What?!" Subaru asked incredulously. "We've spoken a grand total of three times in our lives! One of those times involves us trying to kill each other and the other time involved you kicking back and laughing while you watched Regulus try to kill me. How much trust do you think that earns?"

Lye thought about that and finally shrugged. "I guess that makes sense," He said reluctantly, "Still hurts though." Lye shook his head. "Anyway, check your Gospel, Subaru. You'll see that I'm on the level with you."

It always comes back to these Gospel things. Some instinct tells me that it would be a simply terrible idea to admit to Lye that I don't have one.

Subaru made a face. "I thought you said that Capella still wants to kill me?"

Lye laughed. "Nah! She wants to torture you for a couple of weeks!"

"Thanks for clarifying," Subaru said dryly.

"Capella's not under any obligation to leave you alone unless you come in and take your oath to follow the Gospel's writ so she's not technically breaking the rules," Lye explained, sipping his wine. "It's pretty nice that I found you. I was worried that the enchantment you're under would prevent me from locating you."

Subaru blinked. "Enchantment?"

"Yeah. I heard that you've been placed under some kind of weird enchantment. Apparently, it prevents witches from being able to locate you unless you go looking for them first. Or unless they have something to lock onto that would let them track you down. I figured the same enchantment would apply to me but I guess I don't qualify as a witch!" He chuckled.

Witches?! What the hell? Aren't all the Witches dead except for Envy who's supposed to be trapped? Who's out there that could even be affected by this spell?!

"Wait. Who put an enchantment on me?" Subaru asked.

"Beats me," Lye shrugged. "I mentioned this to Capella the last time that I saw her. I dunno why I decided to be nice to her. It's always a waste of time. She was really pleased when I told her. She claimed that the enchantment explained why she couldn't find you. Turns out that she's just a really shitty tracker. I can't wait to see her face when I tell her that we talked," He snickered.

"How did you find out that I was enchanted?"

"Oh," Lye blanched and he suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I… really couldn't say…"

Subaru waited but Lye didn't say anything else. He just sipped his wine, looking nervous.

OK. Guess I'm not getting any more information on this subject…

What about his offer? Working with the Witch Cult?

I admit, it's an idea. As little as I like all these freaks, if the whole world really does turn against us, it might be our final refuge. A very final refuge. I don't want to have anything to do with these guys if I can help it.

"Lye, hypothetically, if I did want to meet up with the Order, how would I do it?"

Lye snickered and reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black book.

That must be the Gospel he keeps talking about.

Great…

"OK, Lye," Subaru said. "I promise that I'll think about it."

"Great!" Lye said enthusiastically. "I'd love to have someone at the Cathedral who doesn't make me want to puke!"

Subaru nodded. Not sure how I should feel about Lye's apparent fondness for me…

Subaru cleared his throat. "Hey, Lye, I wonder if you could help me out with something?"

"Sure! Always happy to help a brother in the Order!" He tittered.

I guess this is him trying to be enticing. Also, it's a complete lie from what he's told me about his interactions with the others.

"This city is all locked up and I'm trying to find a way out. Any ideas?"

Lye sipped his wine. "Sure! There's a route that me and Capella's assassins take all the time through the mines. Just follow the red hands."

"Follow the what?"

"There's a lot of graffiti on those old mine tunnels so the marks blend in pretty good. Look for a red hand symbol painted on the wall. The fingers point to the city. The wrist points outside. Just keep following the red hands and it'll lead you out into the country. It's one of the old tunnel entrances with all the warning sounds around it."

"Warning signs?" Subaru asked slowly.

Lye snickered. "The tunnel was abandoned because of firedamp. I wouldn't bring an open flame into that tunnel if I were you."

"Then how do I find my way through?"

"The red paint is enchanted. Glows in the dark. You'll find your way OK."

"Are the tunnels big enough for a riding dragon?" Subaru asked intently.

Lye thought for a minute then shrugged. "Probably."

Worth trying at least.

"I'll probably be heading out that way myself once I finish eating," Lye said. "I need to go meet up with Elsa."

"Elsa?" Subaru's stomach dropped.

"Elsa Granhiert," Lye said. "She's one of Capella's assassins and we were working on a job together. It went tits up at the last minute."

"What job?" Subaru asked slowly.

Lye reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Subaru.

Subaru tried to smooth it out and read it. The boilerplate at the top was a thick opaque block of legalese and at the bottom were more than a dozen names, almost all of which had a line drawn through them. Subaru struggled to parse the text. His eyes bulged. "Lye, is this… an assassination contract?!"

Lye snorted. "I know, right? It's weird what Capella is a stickler about but she demands contracts from all of her customers!"

"You do assassinations for Capella?!"

Lye shrugged. "Hey, we all need to make a living. Capella gave Elsa and me the job. We got everybody on the list except for one. We lost the trail near here so I went off to a Food festival in Costuul while Elsa tried to track down our target. I need to go meet up with her and get back on the hunt."

Subaru scanned the list of names. There was only one left that hadn't been crossed out: 'Kairei vas Sirosse an Ithil.'

At the very bottom of the paper was a signature: 'Malcolm an Griest.'

Subaru thought carefully for a moment. "I'm afraid that you won't be finding Elsa," He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I bumped into her," Subaru said apologetically. "Hey, I didn't know that she was working with you! She tried to attack one of my pawns and… well, what was I supposed to do?"

Lye looked aghast. "You killed her?!"

Subaru shrugged, trying to look guilty. Lye might let this pass if I reveal that I didn't know they were working together. Also, I'm pretty sure that I want Lye to think that I killed Elsa and not Emilia.

Lye looked devastated. "Gods, Subaru! Do you have any idea how long I've been cultivating that girl?! She was almost ready!"

"Ready for what?" Subaru asked.

"Eating! I've been waiting for her to amass enough skills and life experiences to be delectable! Do you realize that I've spent close to twenty years grooming that girl?!"

Question: is this kind of 'grooming' more or less creepy than the kind I usually hear about? If he's been doing it for twenty years then he probably started when Elsa was about ten years old…

Subaru shrugged. "How could I have known?!"

Lye sulked. Finally he shook his head. "Try to be a little more considerate in the future, OK?" Lye grumbled. "Well, at least I still have Meili. Although she probably won't be ripe for another decade," He mourned.

"'Hunger is the best sauce,'" Subaru said again.

Lye snorted. Then he started to chuckle. "I can't believe that you killed Elsa. Gods! Capella is going to start foaming at the mouth when she finds out!"

"See? Silver lining," Subaru said.

"Ugh," He moaned. "But now I need to find the last target all by myself," Lye muttered. "I wanted to use Elsa to do the grunt work!"

"Actually, that's why I killed Elsa," Subaru said slowly. "See, I made this girl one of my pawns and Elsa tried to kill her so…"

Lye frowned. "You're protecting the girl?"

Subaru nodded. He felt a bead of cold sweat fall down the back of his neck.

Lye looked annoyed and he thought hard for a long moment.

Lye finally sighed. "Alright, that's action that I just don't need! I don't want the girl enough to fight you for her!" He said sullenly.

"Thanks, Lye," Subaru replied.

"I'll head back to the Cathedral and sync up with Capella," He muttered. "You're practically in the Order already so I can't just kill your pawns. I'll let Capella figure out what to do."

"Sounds good," Subaru said, starting to relax. "Hey, would you mind if I kept this?" Subaru asked, raising the paper.

Lye frowned. "I don't know, Subaru. Capella would be furious."

"Sounds like a good reason to me," Subaru deadpanned.

Lye thought for a minute. "Sure, take it!" He shrugged. "If Capella throws a tantrum, I'll just tell her that you took it from me by force. Once she finds out that you got your hands on one of her contracts, she'll turn all kinds of pretty colors."

Subaru chuckled. "Thanks, Lye," He said, tucking the paper into his satchel.

Pierre came back out with a bag of food, "Have a good night, Master Subaru. Master Lye, your food will be out shortly."

Lye squealed in delight.

"I think that I'll just leave you to this, Lye," Subaru sighed, "I doubt that I could add much to this experience for you."

"Great, great," Lye said indifferently, staring greedily at the kitchen door.

Subaru stood up and started to walk away.

"Hey, Subaru," Lye called after him, "When I do find something tasty to exchange for the Authority, how do I find you?"

Subaru sighed. "Ask your Gospel."

Lye slapped his forehead with a chuckle.

Subaru sighed as he walked out of the restaurant and sneaked back to Lowtown and Patrasche.

A short time later, Subaru had sneaked down into Lowtown. However, this time he was carefully dodging city guards.

I guess the guards finally decided to search Lowtown. Isn't that just my luck. They're searching here just when I realize that I need to be here.

Subaru pulled his hooded robe back on. A person dressed in fine clothing in the slums will probably attract more attention than some guy in a ratty hooded robe.

Subaru found Patrasche sitting quietly where he had left her.

"OK, girl," He whispered. "I think we have a way out of here. I just hope you're not claustrophobic."

Patrasche gave a nervous moan as Subaru mounted her and she stood up.

"Let's go. Quietly," He said.

Subaru and the dragon slipped off into the shadows.

Felix Argyle was frustrated as he walked through the streets of Ganaks that night. I've spent almost the entire day in Ganaks and haven't accomplished a damn thing, nya!

OK, that's unfair. I healed three crippled children and gave them the ability to have normal lives. I also cured a group of people of conditions that likely would have killed them within the month.

That's all well and good, I suppose but none of it really benefits my mistress.

This happens to me everywhere I go. As soon as I visit a place, everyone comes to me begging for healing and I wind up having to put my mistress's errand on hold. Julius and Al wanted to go home but they've had to sit in the town hall waiting for me because they knew that I'd be busy healing people all day!

I know that Crusch expects no less of me but I want to act for her benefit first and foremost. She'd be disappointed in me if I refused healing someone, anyone, so I never do, but Crusch's goals need to be paramount. Crusch will put aside her own interests to help someone in a heartbeat but that means that she needs someone to look after her.

And that's me. I have to keep my eye on her needs to protect my mistress from herself.

Felix heard a gasp and a moan of pain from a nearby alley. Checking a sigh, Felix stopped and then went to investigate.

Stepping into the alley, Felix stopped short. A man lay in front of Felix, shallowly gasping for breath. His body was covered in gruesome wounds.

What happened to this man, nya? These wounds… Someone wasn't just trying to kill him. Someone wanted to torture him!

"Help… me…," The man gasped weakly.

Felix nodded. "I'll do my best, nya. But you're in really bad shape," Felix said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You're… a knight…I have… valuable intelligence that… I'll trade… for my life."

"Oh?" Felix said skeptically as he began to work on the man. "About what?"

This man is dead. I give him a ten percent chance of survival even with my best efforts.

The man swallowed hard and panted for breath for a moment. "About… Subaru Natsuki… and the Witch Cult…"

Felix stiffened. "What are you saying, nya?" Felix asked as he struggled to stabilize the man.

"My name… is Pierre. I work at Miss Lilian's restaurant. Tonight, Subaru Natsuki… came into my restaurant… and spoke to… a savage killer named Lye…"

"Keep talking, nya," Felix ordered, pulling vials of medicine out of his bag.

I don't know if this is true but if it is then I have to save him. I just wish I felt more confident in my ability to do so…

"Lye… has been a regular patron. He… shows up every couple of months and… eats at my restaurant. He pays for good food… with whole bags of gold," Pierre panted. "But if he's dissatisfied… he… kills people… slowly."

I guess the evening's repast was not to satisfaction…

"Tonight, Lye met with Subaru… Natsuki. Until tonight… I never… knew what Lye… really was. I eavesdropped on them… while they were talking. He told Subaru that he wanted… Subaru to come and… take his seat as a… Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult," Pierre gasped.

Felix's eyes widened. Could he be lying to buy his life? Why? Why would he think that I would believe this? Nobody could possibly know what Crusch suspects about Subaru Natsuki. The entire country still thinks that he's a hero!

This is the proof that Crusch needs! I have to save him so he can testify!

"How did Subaru respond?" Felix said, working frantically to stabilize him.

"He… asked a few questions… he seemed… on the fence… He asked… how to find… the Cult and…" Pierre's eyes widened as a major blood vessel in his chest suddenly let go.

"No!" Felix shouted, using every healing spell he could think of to staunch the bleeding.

Pierre's body slowly went limp and his breathing stopped.

No! Not now!

Felix cast every healing spell that a lifetime of training had thought him and finally he slumped to the ground in exhaustion beside a dead body.

I failed Crusch. I had the evidence she needed in my hands and I failed…

I am a failure…

Felix's eyes narrowed. Wait a second. This was a deathbed confession… Legally, a knight's testimony of a third party's statement can be admissible in court if the third party is deceased or otherwise unavailable for questioning. The law is a little convoluted but the courts do allow it sometimes. Pierre made a free declaration in my presence before he died! All it takes is my oath to confirm what he said! I can still get the evidence for Crusch!

Felix leapt to his feet, fighting off his exhaustion and raced back to the Ganaks garrison, leaving Pierre's body lying in the gutter.

Julius Juukulius sat on a cot in the Ganaks Garrison sickbay.

Julius checked a sigh as a healer, a young woman with a cheerful face, continued to inspect him throughly. "Are we nearly done?" He asked in a calm voice.

"Almost, Sir Julius! I just wish to be through. General Brendig was most concerned about your health!"

More accurately, General Brendig wanted some assurance that whatever Subaru Natsuki had done to me and my spirits hadn't made me his thrall in some unexplained way. Everyone explained to him how ludicrous such a proposition was but Brendig wouldn't listen. This woman has been going over my person and my spirits with a fine-toothed comb for hours and I remain unconvinced that she even knows what she's being asked to look for.

"If I might ask, where is Sir Felix?" Julius said. "I believe I saw him returning to the garrison some time ago. Perhaps he could assist in wrapping this up quicker?"

"Oh. I'm afraid that Sir Felix has left the garrison again."

Julius frowned. "Truly?"

"Yes. I spoke to him briefly, Sir Julius. He came here to submit a deposition of some kind for Lady Crusch Karnstein. Then I'm told he left the garrison again to help with a medical emergency."

Julius held his chin, deep in thought. That's not like Felix. Yes, he's called upon for medical emergencies regularly but it isn't like him to bolt off again without speaking to me. Honestly, I'm surprised that he didn't demand to take over my treatment the moment he discovered that I was in the sickbay. He usually does, no matter how minor the injury. It's one of the ways that Felix displays his affection for his friends. Perhaps this medical emergency truly was dire?

And what was this deposition that he provided?

"I believe that we're done, Sir Julius," The healer said with a bow.

"Am I in good health?" Julius said, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Entirely. Please assure the General that I have run every diagnostic test I can think of on you and your spirit companions. There is no sign of any kind of magical influence on you whatsoever."

"Splendid," Julius said, rising to his feet. "I will pass that along. Thank you very much for your diligence."

"Oh! And I almost forgot: The General asked that you meet him in the council room in the conference room. Apparently, there is some new high level intelligence that the General and Lady Crusch Karnstein wish to discuss with you."

Julius nodded. "Thank you."

He swept from the room.

Subaru realized quickly that he couldn't just brazen it out in Lowtown the way he had in Hightown. It was obvious that the city guard considered everyone in Lowtown to be suspicious. The guards wasted no time grabbing the locals and threatening them and even beating them until they were satisfied that they truly didn't know anything about Subaru. The demi-humans and the few humans living down here seemed to be viewed as little more than animals by the city guard.

Luckily, the ruined and dilapidated houses in Lowtown provided ample cover as Subaru and Patrasche crept through the slums and closer to the mine.

The mine entrance was like a huge depression in the earth. Subaru hid Patrasche nearby and sneaked over to the edge and took a look down over the ridge.

"Guards. Naturally," Subaru sighed.

It looks like the guards have been told to search the mine shafts but they don't seem all that enthused about the job. That's promising. They'll probably just hang around here long enough to convince their bosses that they did their jobs and then head back.

I see the tunnel that Lye told me about. It's got warning signs all around it. No guard is even going near that entrance.

Huh. The guards with arrows have all lit one of them on fire as makeshift candles. That's almost clever. It's even smarter that they're keeping their distance from the mine entrance.

I just need to wait for the guards to get bored and wander off. Then we'll slip inside.

"…And then he fled, Lady Crusch," Julius said.

Julius sat in a small room in the garrison at Ganaks. General Brendig sat silently beside him. The communication system displayed Crusch Karnstein as a hazy blue image standing in the middle of the room since she was still far away in the capitol.

"Julius, explain. What do you mean by 'he took your spirits away?'" Crusch asked.

"Just as I said, Lady Crusch," Julius replied. "He invoked some unfathomable magic against me. And my spirits, who have been my loyal companions since I was a boy, immediately forgot that I ever existed. They joined their power with his and it was a simple act of charity on his part that caused him not to turn their magic against me. They have made it clear to me that if he had so commanded them to destroy me, in that moment they would have obeyed."

"Can the spirits tell you anything about how it was done?"

"Not very much," Julius admitted. "They feel horribly guilty about what happened but they're not able to tell me how it happened. For them, at that specific moment, joining their strength to Subaru Natsuki's was simply the most natural thing in the world. They compared it to water running downhill."

"How could he have acquired such power?" Crusch mused.

"Subaru Natsuki claimed that it was the world itself which gave him this strength. He called it 'the power to control the magic of the world.'"

"That is ludicrous! Could it perhaps be something that the Witch did while you weren't looking? Or even a power that she lent him?"

"The witch was not present. Lady Crusch, with all due respect, I am beginning to think that Subaru Natsuki could be a more deadly threat than any witch. I have never experienced power like his before! If, as he claims, the world truly has ceded him authority over its magic-"

"Impossible," Crusch dismissed. "Anything else to report?"

"My bond with my spirit partners has been badly weakened by Subaru Natsuki's witchcraft. It will take time until I can summon the full force of their magic as I did before," Julius sighed. "Moreover, I am forced to admit that… I was completely unprepared to face Subaru Natsuki in combat. I have no excuse for my failure."

"I wasn't aware that Subaru Natsuki had become such a skilled duelist," Crusch mused.

Julius shook his head violently. "Nor is he, Lady Crusch! His skill was laughable! Even pitiable! I truly would have believed that he had never held a sword before in his life! His stance was terrible, his grip weak, and his knowledge of technique would be embarrassing to even the most elementary student of swordplay! But somehow, each time I struck at him, he not only managed to parry but parried the very tip of my blade with the Ricasso of his!"

Crusch frowned. "That is a very risky strategy," She criticized, "It allows him to easily push your sword away despite using a slender rapier but in doing so he allows you almost under his guard with each parry and there is no margin for error in his defense. Missing your sword by a matter of millimeters could be fatal."

Julius shook his head. "So I thought. I initially believed the fight would be over comically quickly and yet it dragged on and on! I can't imagine anyone except Sir Reinhard successfully using a sword to parry in this fashion, although he would not do so as it would be purely to show off. Yet Subaru Natsuki caught every strike flawlessly!"

Crusch looked grim. "I've learned the hard way to never underestimate Subaru Natsuki, Sir Julius. The times when he is bumbling and clowning around are when one must be most suspicious. He is a master strategist and a schemer without equal. He consistently manages to lead his foes to underestimate him even when they should know better. Please do not be offended by this as he tricked me time and time again in the same way."

Julius sighed.

Crusch pursed her lips. "How did the fight end?"

Julius shook his head. "Eventually, I grew weary. My sword was far heavier than his slender rapier. It was clear that he was simply waiting for me to exhaust myself but I had no opportunity to end the fight! Finally, out of sheer desperation I faked a stumble, hoping to goad him into an unwise attack. He took it and I finally got under his guard only to discover that he'd turned my trap into his own and he effortlessly brought me to bay!"

Crusch stared at Julius in amazement.

Julius sighed. "I feel as though I was defeated by a child! I am filled with the sense of ineptitude one can only feel upon realization that you have been bested by a foe who is in no way your equal!"

"Do not be so ungenerous to yourself, Sir Julius," Crusch replied kindly. "Subaru Natsuki has played all of us for fools at one time or another. Fail to underestimate him a second time and your record will be far better than mine," Crusch said with grim humor.

Julius bowed his head. "As you say, Lady Crusch. What are my new orders? I am prepared to continue to pursue Subaru Natsuki if you wish it but I must confess that I candidly have small hope for success in this matter, especially if we at all desire to take him alive. I fear that no one less than the Sword Saint could hope to contend with him now."

Crusch absorbed that for a moment. "General Brendig, have you dispatched Felix's missive?"

"Lady Crusch, I have been provided with Sir Felix's… deposition," Brendig said awkwardly. "It was composed, signed, and witnessed by ranking members of the Ganaks authorities as the law requires. Rest assured I have already dispatched this document with his sworn testimony to you by the speediest means possible."

"Thank you, General," Crusch replied. "Felix's testimony is of critical importance to the security of the nation."

"Yes, of course," Brendig murmured, sounding throughly unconvinced.

Crusch sighed. "In any event, Sir Julius, I'm afraid that we have dire news to discuss. Felix and Aldebaran have already been appraised but I believe you have not heard the latest intelligence."

"My lady?"

"We've received word that House Griest of Gusteko is preparing a major offensive. They are equipping a second army for a military advance and have been joined by large detachments from the other Houses. In light of Voivode's previous threats against us we can only assume that this column is intended to attack Lagunica and reclaim Ganaks. We only received this intelligence today. Malcolm an Griest has taken us all by surprise by proving willing to open a second front against Lagunica before the first front against Siros is settled. They have dispatched an entire army including three of the Acolyte Knights."

Julius gasped.

"Only a fool fights a war on two fronts," Brendig muttered.

"This is true and it is very likely that this error will cost him the dearly, General," Crusch replied grimly. "But he will do great harm in the meantime. He has taken us completely off guard due to this farcical decision. Our forces are scattered, some dealing with the havoc caused by the Witch Cult and some holding the Vollachian Empire at bay. We have no chance of getting reinforcements to Ganaks in time. I've dispatched an army north under General Haig but it won't arrive for several days. By then, all they can hope to do is push the invaders back across the border."

Julius shook his head. "But Reinhard-"

"Reinhard van Astrea is off in the eastern desert investigating a sighting of the witch and Subaru Natsuki. A sighting that we must now conclude was planted as a diversion. He is completely out of contact by any means we possess. By the time we would be able to get word to him, the city would already be in flames."

Julius's mouth was a grim slash. "When will the invaders arrive?"

"Our best estimates are two days. You must prepare to evacuate."

"Evacuate?! A city of a hundred thousand people in two days?!" Julius protested.

"I know, Julius. It's a dirty business. I must take personal responsibility for failing to protect Ganaks. My failure to see this coming is the cause of this nightmare but every life we save is one more life saved."

"Sir Julius is quite correct, Lady Crusch," General Brendig muttered. "Two days is not nearly enough time! We'll need to send our own forces out to delay the army's advance."

Crusch frowned and shook her head. "General Brendig that will mean meeting a vastly superior military force in open country!"

"I said 'delay,' Lady Crusch. Not battle," He said grimly.

"Even hit and run tactics would seem unreasonably risky," Crusch pointed out.

"To reach Ganaks, this army will need to cross several bridges that ford the river Jamark," Brendig said. "We'll send out a small force under Sir Julius to harass the enemy by knocking those bridges down, one by one. Each destroyed bridge will delay the invaders for hours and that will mean hundreds, perhaps thousands more civilians can be properly equipped for a journey and evacuated."

Crusch thought for a moment then slowly nodded. "It is a very risky strategy but it appears to be our only chance. Sir Julius, are you willing to accept this mission? It will be extremely dangerous. We have limited intelligence in the field. You and your men could easily be ambushed by scouts or skirmishers."

"I am eager to do all that I can to protect the people of Lagunica," Julius said calmly.

Crusch stared at him for a long moment. She slowly nodded. "Sir Julius. Do only what you can and then withdraw. Do not take any unacceptable risks. We can't afford to lose you."

Julius nodded. "Lady Crusch, are you aware if Lady Anastasia is available? I need to speak with her immediately."

Crusch nodded. "As it happens, she is currently in the castle holding a conference with her supporters. I'll ask her to contact you shortly." She hesitated. "Sir Julius, I hope that… you are not intending to say goodbye."

"Have no fear of that, Lady Crusch. I simply require instruction from my Lady," Julius said calmly.

"Yes, of course. Forgive me for my tactless assumption. I will go find Lady Anastasia immediately." The blue illusion of Crusch faded from sight.

Brendig's face was a grim scowl. "I'll gather up our finest military engineers to join you on this mission. Can I assume you will be ready to depart within the hour?"

"Of course," Julius replied coolly, still not quite having forgiven Brendig for ordering his medical evaluation. "I will address them as soon as they are assembled and then we will head out. I assume that Aldebaran and Sir Felix will be joining me?"

"I'm told that Priscilla has already recalled her 'gladiator' and that he has left the city," Brendig said dismissively. "I have no idea where Felix went or what this 'medical emergency' was, so I have no idea when he'll return."

Julius frowned. "I'll be with you shortly then, my Lord General. First I must speak with Lady Anastasia."

Julius was sitting in the same room as before when a blue illusion of Anastasia appeared before him.

"My Lady," Julius said formally, falling to his knees.

"Julius, Crusch has told me what's going on. Are you alright?" She asked urgently.

"Please be at ease, Lady Anastasia. Subaru Natsuki did me no injury," Julius responded.

"I was more worried about the fact that an army is about to attack the city that you're in! When are you going to evacuate?"

Julius hesitated a long moment. "I have an idea for how the populace at least might be preserved, my Lady. However, I will require your permission-"

"You do not have my permission to throw your life away, Julius! Do you hear me?! You will not die in some heroic sacrifice! I need you!"

Julius's face flushed. He coughed. "No, Lady Anastasia. I had no intention of dying, heroically or otherwise. General Brendig has a plan that might allow the city to be fully evacuated. However, I will need your permission."

"What is this plan?" She asked suspiciously.

"General Brendig has requested to lead a small company of men out of the city to destroy bridges and delay the advancing army. With luck, this will give us the time we need to fully evacuate the city."

"Julius, this sounds very risky," Anastasia worried.

Julius nodded. "I can not deny this, Lady Anastasia. There will be considerable risk but success would offer us the chance to save thousands of lives. It would also offer considerable prestige to your ladyship in her attempts to gain the throne."

Anastasia looked at Julius for a long time. "Julius. You make sure that you come back to me safely. You hear me?" She said finally.

Julius's face flushed red. "Yes, my lady."

A group of thirty soldiers stood at attention in the courtyard. Despite the late hour, General Brendig's personal guard had readied themselves quickly for combat.

"Is everything ready, Captain Dannath?" Julius asked the commander of the army engineers.

"At your order, sir!" Dannath snapped a salute. "Fall in!" Dannath shouted and the soldiers fell into perfect ranks.

Julius stepped forward to address them. "Men," Julius said in a clear voice. "I will not deceive you. This is a desperate mission and our situation is grave. We will do all that is possible to avoid contact with the enemy. That said, it is entirely possible that we may be spotted and attacked by superior forces. However, in spite of this risk, by our actions we may have the opportunity to save thousands of innocent people from the horrors of war. We will depart now and perform a forced march to the source of the river Jamark. We hope to arrive by tomorrow night. We will use all our skills to break every bridge between there and Ganaks and give the people time to evacuate. If we are successful, there is even a chance that the entire city might be saved. General Haig and a powerful army marches north even now and they are just a few days away. If we can stall the enemy army for that amount of time we may save Ganaks without battle at all! No army wishes to attack a superior force in a fortified position and Ganaks is well nigh impregnable."

Julius looked the men over and gave a firm nod. "We march now and we must go quickly! With luck, we will be at the headwaters just after dark. March forth! To save our people!"

There was a cheer as the men began to march quickly behind Julius.

General Brendig watched them go from the garrison in Hightown.

"Lieutenant," Brendig called.

"Sir!" His assistant snapped to attention.

"Send a message to Lord Montefort. Tell him that Julius Juukulius has left the city."

Subaru watched as the city guards finally pulled out of the Pit. He nudged Patrasche forward and they crept silently toward the mine entrance with all the warning signs around it.

Subaru noticed one sign was covered in graffiti and as Lye had promised it had a red hand painted on it.

'Danger. Extreme firedamp.' Well, at least firedamp isn't deadly just from breathing it. …I don't think…

Fuck, I'm not sure. I know that firedamp is explosive but I don't know if it's toxic in high quantities.

Wait, Lye uses this tunnel. What am I worried about? If he can survive it so can we.

Patrasche reached the entrance and balked, moaning at Subaru.

"I know, girl," He rubbed her head. "I don't want to go in there either. But we need to. It's our only way out."

Patrasche looked at Subaru with misery written on her face. She sighed and started to enter the cave.

"Lieutenant!" A voice screamed from behind him.

Subaru spun around and saw a crossbowman standing there.

"I see him! It's the witch!"

Subaru's heart stopped when he realized that the crossbowman had loaded a flaming arrow.

"Oh, shit!" Subaru whispered. He kicked Patrasche and the dragon took off like lightning. Subaru had no interest in steering his mount as long as she took him away from there.

Before Patrasche had even gone into a sprint, the arrow had already left the bow and was streaming toward the cave mouth like a flaming comet.

The other soldiers raced toward the mine just in time to hear a thunderous explosion and be knocked flat by a concussive shock-wave as the mine tunnel's roof shattered into a huge ball of fire.

The shock-wave hit Subaru and Patrache in the back like a dozen sledge hammers.

Patrasche roared in pain as she was launched into the air but somehow the dragon landed on her feet and kept running as the fireball kept expanding behind them.

Subaru and Patrasche desperately raced back toward Midtown, looking for a place to hide.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Lady Doniki," Montefort said with a bow.

"Yes, of course," Lady Doniki of Costuul said with a yawn. She was an older woman with graying hair who was one of the leaders of the Moderate faction of the nobility. Most of these nobles, including Doniki, had yet to pledge their support to any royal candidate.

They sat in Lady Doniki's dimly lit sitting room in her town house in the capitol. She had been unceremoniously awakened in the dead of night by Montefort's arrival and she sat in a chair across from Montefort in a dressing gown as she had been assured that there was no time to change. "Now please, Lord Montefort, what was so important that it could not wait until morning. Has there been a break in the investigation regarding tonight's bombing? Or does this concern the word I received about Gusteko's impending attack on northern Lagunica?"

"Neither one directly," Montefort replied. "However, I think we might be able to leverage both."

"'Leverage them?'"

"I have a bit of legislation for your consideration," Montefort handed her a piece of parchment.

Doniki took out her spectacles and read the parchment with an increasingly incredulous frown. "Lord Montefort, may I speak bluntly?"

"By all means."

"Have you completely taken leave of your senses?!"

"I admit, that was blunter than I expected," Montefort commented.

"Do you really intend to go before the royal assembly and, without a shred of evidence, urge the chamber to convict a royal candidate and a public hero of practicing witchcraft?!"

"It seems to me that we have plenty of evidence," Montefort said calmly. "His own faction admits that he's been traveling the land with a witch."

Doniki stared at Montefort for a long time. She spoke in a strained voice, "Lord Montefort, Subaru Natsuki has been seen traveling with a silver haired half-elf. That's all. I understand that your faction is willing to… take on faith that all demi-humans are suspect and all silver haired half elves are witches but for those of us who come from districts with a larger demi-human population, we must take a more… nuanced view of things."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, can you even imagine the kind of riots that would be touched off in demi-human communities if we convicted Subaru Natsuki of witchcraft based solely on his association with a demi-human woman? The Demi-Human Alliance has been relegated to the fringes for fifty years, limited to terrorist attacks and isolated murders. Now imagine that the kingdom makes it clear that simply associating with a demi-human is grounds for trial and conviction in absentia. Such an insult to the demi-human populace would breathe new life into their movement. I would not relish a new civil war!"

"That is precisely what I hope to avoid," Montefort said calmly. "Subaru Natsuki has been stirring up the demi-humans and peasants in ways not seen in centuries. They might very well march. Take a moment to imagine that. Thus, I think we are both in agreement that Subaru Natsuki's coronation is absolutely unacceptable?"

Doniki thought for a moment and then gravely nodded.

"Then it seems to me that this is our best option for removing Subaru Natsuki from the equation. A charge of witchcraft would immediately invalidate his entire camp and remove him from the selection. Better yet, it would justify us suspending the royal selection to allow an investigation into potential malfeasance within the election. We can determine a king acceptable to all parties later."

"I heartily agree with your goals, Montefort, but you need to have some kind of pretense for it! Nobody is going to believe the charge of 'witch' when you slap it on Subaru Natsuki on such flimsy evidence."

Montefort shrugged. "Zyst, Pickett, and I already have the numbers in the assembly to force it through. I was simply hoping that you would work with us, not against us."

Doniki stared at Montefort. "How did you convince so many people to go along with this idiocy?!"

"Essentially, I just kept asking them if they had any better ideas to get rid of Subaru Natsuki. Then I reminded them that if he's this popular in three months, in two years he might have enough support to simply dissolve the assembly all together. I admit that this is a ham-fisted approach but it's the best option that we have right now. Besides, we do have advantages if we act quickly."

"Such as?"

"The bombing last night ties Subaru Natsuki to the Witch Cult and the impending Gusteko attack will distract the populace."

"Wait. How does the bombing tie Subaru Natsuki's faction to the Witch Cult?" Doniki asked in confusion.

"Come now. A Witch Cultist appears at their rally? How does it not tie them together?"

"Lord Montefort, I am rather skeptical that this bomber was a Witch Cultist at all. Bombs are the weapon of choice of the Demi-Human Alliance, not the Witch Cult, and nobody at the scene was recovered alive to be questioned or give a report. Moreover, the bomber attacked the Subaru faction's rally. He killed several people there. That's hardly an expression of support."

"I admit that we'll have to talk very fast to make this stick," Montefort agreed. "However, my point still stands. Subaru Natsuki must be dealt with and he must be dealt with soon. If you have a better idea then I'm very happy to entertain it but so far this is what we have. If McMahon hadn't committed that massive blunder and opened an investigation into Subaru being a witch, we might have had time to find a different scandal to pin on him. However, as it stands, we're all in on the charge of witchcraft now. If these charges are dismissed, we'll never make the next scandal stick. Nobody would believe that we were acting in good faith. Everyone will accuse us of desperately trying to find anything to charge him with. So allow me to be equally blunt, Lady Doniki: Are you with us or against us?" Montefort asked pleasantly.

Emilia hid in a rocky ridge near the craggy city of Ganaks. There were a few patrols making the rounds outside the city as well as several on top of the wall. Luckily, they all carried torches and they seemed to be unaware that these torches reduced their night vision to nothing.

Emilia waited in the shadows until the guards had walked away and then flitted to the great gate of Ganaks.

She touched the rusty portcullis. The gaps in the metal were almost large enough for her to squeeze through.

I might be able to shatter it, Emilia thought. If I freeze the metal and then hit with something hard then maybe…

Emilia peered through the portcullis and saw a full platoon of guards standing watch on the other side.

That's no good. There's no point in breaking in only to have to fight the whole city. I need to sneak in.

And once I do sneak in, how can I possibly find Subaru? This is one of the biggest cities in the world!

Have the soldiers captured him or is he still safe?

…Well, he's probably not safe but the soldiers almost certainly haven't found him yet or they wouldn't still be actively hunting for him.

Emilia sighed. Subaru, where are you when I need you? I know that you'd have a plan if I was the one trapped inside the city…

Emilia heard a patrol coming toward the gate and she bolted away, hiding in the shadows between the city wall and the great, turning water wheel.

The patrol stood in front of the gate, torches in hand, as they chatted for a few minutes. Then they walked away.

A falling stone almost brained Emilia where she stood. Luckily, it hit the paddle of the waterwheel instead. She looked up and saw a patrol on the upper wall, carrying torches.

For a horrified moment, Emilia thought that she'd been discovered but then the sentries turned around and kept walking around the city.

Emilia looked up and realized that the stone which had landed on the paddle had been carried up above the wall before being dumped into the waterfall and falling down into the river.

This waterwheel might be my way in.

But something about this makes me nervous. This is an obvious vulnerability to the city. Why isn't it better guarded?

Emilia bit her lip. It's my best chance, regardless.

When the next paddle came sullenly up out of the water, Emilia took a flying leap to it and barely managed to catch the edge.

She struggled to pull herself up onto the flattening paddle and looked up at the wall.

Oh no. More guards. I need to hide!

Emilia thought about jumping off and into the deep pool beneath her but she was worried that the guards would hear the splash and come investigate.

She felt the paddle tilt up in the opposite direction as the wheel turned.

Oh. I don't have to hide. I'll just stay here behind the paddle.

It seemed like a good plan and Emilia was fairly proud of it until she realized that the floor was slipping out from under her feet.

Emilia started to slid down toward the pool beneath her but she sprang off the paddle just as it turned vertical and made a desperate leap for the paddle in front of it. The water from the pool beneath her stank of chemicals and other contaminants.

Emilia panted for breath as the paddle straightened out in front of her. Then she gasped and covered her head as the wheel swept her through a raging torrent of falling water that tried to sweep her off the paddle.

Emilia barely held on. She struggled to breath under the raging water as the paddle left the waterfall behind, far too slowly for her comfort.

She gasped as her head was finally clear of the waterfall. She was forced pull herself up over the top of the paddle as it went vertical and almost completely sank into the pool at the bottom of the wheel.

Emilia pulled herself up as the paddle started to rise again.

I hope that those guards are gone by now. I really don't want to do this again, Emilia moaned.

Emilia looked up at the approaching wall.

There are no lights on the parapet. That means no guards, right?

Emilia bit her lip. As the paddle began to tilt up she sprinted to the rising end and made a running leap off the side.

The distance was further than she'd thought. Her heart stopped as she began to fall.

Emilia stretched a hand out toward the wheel and fired a burst of icy wind. The jet of cold air pushed her closer to the wall and she landed on top of the ramparts, gasping for breath.

Oh. That's why the wheel isn't better guarded, She thought. Nobody could have made that jump!

I need to start thinking before I act!

Emilia shook her head and got to her feet. I don't have long before the patrols come back this way. I need to figure out how I'm going to find Subaru.

Emilia peered down into the enormous city before her. She saw nice neighborhoods built onto a spire of rock in the center of the city that looked like a mountain and more modest neighbors spread out on flat land. She also saw what could only be slums near an enormous pit that had been dug in the city.

This place is almost as big as the capitol! Where do I even start looking?!

Just then, there was a thunderous explosion and an enormous ball of fire leaped up from the pit.

Emilia shook her head. "That just has to be Subaru," She muttered, taking off at a run.