Chapter 135: Emilia is still drowning in it

Although the old man on the screen—the one named Sigrum—had turned around, every single person in the audience could see it perfectly clearly.

In that instant, Natsuki Subaru, seated upon the throne, thrust out his hand and flung a coin high into the air.

The so-called "tails" referred precisely to which face of the coin was pointing up the moment it landed.

And in the very next second after the result was announced—a head rolled to the ground!

It seemed that only in this moment did the [Purge King] Natsuki Subaru's cold and brutal methods truly reveal themselves before them!

At that, Otto abruptly clapped a hand over his own mouth, his face ashen, looking as though he might vomit at any second.

Recalling everything that had just happened—the Purge King Natsuki Subaru's capricious temperament, the twisted delight of letting a single coin decide whether a man lived or died, and at the end, that cold cruelty of finding it not enough to kill one man, but to drag his family into it as well…

"Thug! Villain! No matter how much the man before me resembles that Mr. Natsuki I once admired, my very soul rejects the idea to its core!"

Otto slammed his fist down hard on the armrest of his seat, roaring with a savage, twisted expression.

As he shouted, tears suddenly spilled from Otto's eyes, his spirit crushed, his voice choking up.

"The Mr. Natsuki I knew would absolutely never treat life with such indifference! He was kind and strong, a man who stood tall and unyielding, resolved to become a hero!"

Garfiel let out a sigh and gently patted the back of his friend beside him, soothing his emotions—though at this moment, discontent burned in his own eyes as well.

"Hmph. Killing prisoners who've surrendered doesn't weigh on this great one's conscience much at all, but the boss not even sparing that man's family—that part I can't agree with!"

Garfiel clenched his teeth tightly, his sharp shark-like fangs glinting with a cold light.

The instant he saw that old man's collapsing figure, this scene involuntarily surfaced in his mind—

Somewhere in that world, that old man's wife, and perhaps a pair of siblings, a brother and sister—the three of them huddled together in fear, sharing their warmth, waiting for the father's return.

But in the end, all they awaited was the Purge King's butchering blade.

In his eyes, the color of blood kept spreading.

It was only an imagined scene, yet combined with his own past, the sense of empathy was simply too overwhelming.

And so Garfiel, seething with rage, imitated Otto and slammed his own fist down hard on the armrest, producing a great muffled thud!

"Garf, calm down. That's just a story that happened in another world."

At that moment, Frederica suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Garfiel, then stroked his head over and over, comforting him in a soft voice.

"Hm? Isn't this a perfectly normal thing? It's totally big-brother's style, y'know~"

Meili sat in her own seat, her little feet dangling and swinging back and forth in the air as she spoke with a giggling grin.

"Indeed—but everything Lord Subaru does is right. He inherited the will of His Highness the Fourth Prince, so I will follow him forever."

Ferris, who had always had the faintest presence, suddenly stirred at the discussion about Natsuki Subaru, speaking up with a reverent expression.

But then a faintly puzzled look crossed her face.

"It's just… when exactly did Lord Subaru come to know His Highness the Fourth Prince, again…?"

Ferris shook her head, casting the doubt entirely aside.

She had, at least, a fair degree of self-awareness—she was merely a handy tool for Lord Subaru, nothing more.

Yet was Lord Subaru not, in his own way, the tool that filled the hollow void within her heart?

By now she could no longer live without Subaru; otherwise the enormous emptiness inside her would swallow her whole like a black hole.

Once the viewing ended, she too would rush to Lord Subaru's side at the first opportunity, awaiting his command, begging him to use her however he pleased…!

"This overbearing side of Subaru—I quite like it, too."

Emilia bashfully covered her face with her hands. Though gentle by nature, not only did she fail to blame Natsuki Subaru for dragging in the innocent, her love for him only grew all the more fervent.

After all, during her days of captivity, Natsuki Subaru would often come to that pure-white cage to keep her company, seeking solace.

No one else understood, but she knew!.

That the Subaru on the screen had killed that man and even his family was only because he had no other choice.

That's right—no other choice!

Subaru's heart had long since been riddled with wounds; he no longer dared to trust anyone.

So even though that merchant claimed with his mouth that he would defect to Subaru's side, in truth he might still betray him. Subaru could not be certain whether the man's words were true or false, and so he resorted to a coin toss to decide!

So if it came up tails, well—there was simply nothing to be done about it!

The corners of Emilia's mouth curled into a pleased smile. She could only be happy for Subaru—one more unstable factor that might have betrayed him, gone.

In her heart at this moment, it would be best if all those other eyesore people simply dropped dead; alive, they only made her jealous that they stole away Natsuki Subaru's gaze, his attention, his care!

If only she remained… it would be enough if Subaru had only her by his side!

Because she would absolutely never betray Subaru!

Emilia was overcome with excitement within.

If the Ram in that world on the screen was one who vented her boundless resentment upon Natsuki Subaru—was rage itself—

then the Emilia of the present was one who lavished her boundless favoritism upon Natsuki Subaru—was jealousy itself.

This obsession of hers had not been cultivated in a single day.

And just then, the screen slowly began to bring her up as well.

["Ugh… bleeeagh!"

A violent retching sound rang out—and it came from none other than the Purge King Natsuki Subaru, who moments ago had, with an utterly cold face, given the order to kill the merchant.

Even having witnessed countless similar scenes of an opponent's death, he still could not grow accustomed to the ghastly state of the corpses, nor to the stench of rot that drifted from them—whether real or imagined, he could not say.

Standing in attendance at his side, Cecilus Segmunt watched as the dark circles under Natsuki Subaru's eyes grew ever heavier, his mental state sinking to rock bottom.

And so, out of responsibility toward his own employer, he earnestly offered his counsel.

"Boss, you're already far too worn out. Why not go to that place and rest a while?"

As for what exactly "that place" was, he did not dare say outright—

Rumor had it that the [Purge King] had a mistress, called Emilia, but to him this person was like a dragon's reverse scale—even mentioning her was dangerous.

Still, at present he was merely doing his duty as a subject offering counsel.

"…"

Thus the Purge King replied.

But Cecilus Segmunt, who knew him well, understood—the boss's silence meant tacit consent.]

"A mistress… is it? So that's how everyone else views the relationship between Subaru and me."

Emilia repeated the words in a low murmur, then broke into an infatuated smile.

As the Purge King Natsuki Subaru, who had always personally controlled the entire organization, it was impossible for him not to know of this rumor.

Yet he chose to ignore it—could that not be counted as a kind of tacit acknowledgment of the relationship between the two of them?

Subaru… truly is a fool who says one thing and means another!

Only—when the Sword Saint descended, when enemies swarmed outside Pandaemonium…

When she confessed to Subaru, when she proposed that they flee this place together, or at the very worst die together in a lovers' suicide—why had Subaru shoved her away with a single push?

Emilia was suddenly seized with agitation and unease, unable to sit still.

Even after being reborn for so long a time, she still had not figured out this question.

Did it prove that she had never once entered Natsuki Subaru's heart, that she had never truly understood him?

Even having left that world, Emilia to this very day—was still drowning within it.

____

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