17: Endless Loop (Part 6)
The smell of old books filled the entire room.
The bright light made Subaru's eyes sting a bit after having just come from the dark hallway. The assault on his senses—both smell and sight—confirmed one thing:
Subaru had successfully stepped into the Forbidden Library.
"How did you manage to step in here?"
Beatrice closed the book in her hand and asked with a puzzled look.
There was no anger or hostility in her eyes—instead, they were filled with something unexpected.
—Expectation. She was expecting something. Subaru noticed this, and after a moment of thought, made his decision.
"Your spatial isolation magic uses doors as a medium, right? Connecting one door to another is a lost Yin-type magic, isn't it?"
"That's right. But what of it?"
"Well, if closed doors are your casting targets, then if I open all the doors, doesn't that remove the 'options'?"
"!?"
Subaru grinned as Beatrice stared at him, stunned.
"...Betty never thought the 'Door Crossing' could be broken by such a childish method. It's not exactly something anyone would think of."
"It wasn't childish at all. I had a Yin-magic expert as a mentor, you know. And when people are desperate to survive, they can unleash infinite potential... along with a little bit of coincidence."
Beatrice was silent for a moment.
It looked like she wanted to flip through the book in her hands—but then she hesitated, her expression conflicted, and eventually stopped her movement.
Because of her subtle reactions, Subaru finally noticed the black-bound book she was holding.
—That wasn't a gospel.
No, it was The Tome of Wisdom.
So she was the holder of the second Tome of Wisdom?
"So the reason you do nothing sometimes, and act strangely at other times... is all because of that book, huh? Still the same nasty way of doing things."
"???"
"Don't mind me. I'm just answering a question I had."
"...Fine then. So, how much do you know about this book?"
Beatrice asked as she gently caressed the Tome of Wisdom in her hands.
"Roswaal told me a whole bunch of jumbled stuff.
But I think I've got the general idea.
That book's similar to the gospels the Witch Cult uses, but it's a higher-level version.
It doesn't just tell of the present and the past—it can even predict future events.
The gospels are just a downgraded imitation of it.
And there are only two copies in the world: one with you, and one with Roswaal."
After Subaru shared everything he knew, Beatrice let out a long, weary sigh.
"Roswaal really is a loose-lipped man."
—That was the first time Subaru felt genuine disgust from Beatrice.
"So then, are you... that person for Betty?"
"Huh?"
The sudden, disjointed question left Subaru blinking in confusion.
Beatrice lowered her head and silently flipped through her Tome of Wisdom again. An air of despair began to cling to her.
"So you're not, either? Then... could you at least put Betty first?"
It was a relief that Beatrice wasn't trying to kill him outright, but the events that had unfolded since entering the Forbidden Library were so unexpected that Subaru felt his head spinning.
"Wait, wait, hold on—can you explain what you mean?"
Beatrice showed a conflicted expression, then a sad one.
She flipped through the Tome again with frantic fingers, then gave Subaru a hollow stare.
That cold, vacant look made Subaru's skin crawl.
She sighed and closed the book.
"Beatrice has always..."
CRASH——!!
The room's door exploded into fragments.
Petelgeuse, now in a new body, stepped in with his arms spread wide, blood dripping down from his robe.
"My most beloved... diligent follower..."
"Don't move around randomly. You're dirtying the floor."
As Subaru had planned, Petelgeuse had followed him into the library. The maniac's sudden intrusion brought an abrupt end to Beatrice's conversation.
—Damn it, just a little more. I was so close to reaching her heart...
Subaru inhaled deeply several times, trying to suppress the frustration boiling within him. Then he forced himself to refocus on the reality before him.
"Spirit, spirit, spirit! A small being with no understanding of justice or love! Daring to intrude upon the trial—you don't know how deep your sins run! Ignorance itself is sin! Such vile acts are unforgivable!"
The existence of the spirit Beatrice clearly enraged Petelgeuse.
He stared at her with hatred and fury.
But Beatrice only looked back with sadness in her eyes.
"To think the one once called the kindest of all Witch Cultists has fallen to this... But Betty is the Guardian of the Forbidden Library. She won't forgive anyone who disrupts its peace."
Subaru watched the two face off.
Did he feel guilty? A little.
He'd broken the seal on the Door Crossing and dragged Beatrice, who could have stayed safe to the end, into this war. But more than guilt...
He felt joy.
Joy that he had finally found a way to make Beatrice fight.
Petelgeuse was enraged by her words.
Dozens of Unseen Hands burst forth from his body. Countless bookshelves were toppled. Books were shredded.
Then—
"Shamack."
Beatrice whispered, and darkness swallowed every corner of the Forbidden Library.
Just hearing the name of the spell made Subaru instinctively shudder.
He felt his body shift with the distortion of space.
Caught off guard by fear, Subaru collapsed to the floor.
Beside him stood Beatrice, book in hand.
Floating around her were countless purple arrows of magical energy.
"Assuming Betty couldn't hurt you because she's a Yin magic specialist was a big mistake."
She opened her palm toward the window-smashed Petelgeuse.
The purple arrows surged from every direction toward the Archbishop in the air.
"Naive... Naive! You think this level of magic can defeat me? Laughable!"
The Sin Archbishop cackled wildly.
His Unseen Hands whipped through the air. Ten or more fused into a massive arm that lifted him into the air.
The so-called "lethal" arrows barely grazed his skin.
"Don't underestimate Betty. That was more than enough to deal with you."
Suddenly, Petelgeuse's body—his current "finger" host—began to shatter like glass.
—A touch-and-die attack? Subaru instantly understood and rejoiced at Beatrice's power.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
A horde of Witch Cultists came rushing in with inhuman movements.
"Minya!"
Beatrice chanted another spell.
The arrows returned.
Even if the cultists cut through them with blades, the hands holding the weapons would instantly shatter into purple fragments.
The great spirit harvested lives with a mournful expression—but the swarm still succeeded in splitting her focus.
"Beatrice, watch out!"