[ "Does anyone know? You know, the kind of power that overwrites someone else's consciousness with your own, hijacking their spirit or something. Does a magic capable of such a feat exist?"
Having grasped the current state of the board, Subaru immediately cut to the heart of the matter.
After a brief exchange of tactical analysis, Subaru laid out the walkthrough strategy: "We just need to wipe out the Sin Archbishop's remaining HP… in other words, we have to catch all the 'Fingers' in one fell swoop."
"…Then he will lose the vessels for his soul transfer. One could say that moment marks the Sin Archbishop's death knell. In short, the conclusion is to prioritize the extermination of the 'Fingers' lurking in the forest before settling the score with 'Sloth'."
Yuriusu provided the supplementary explanation. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"But there's still the most critical quest objective he hasn't mentioned."
Otto, speaking from outside the screen, commented.
"Green-hatted bro is way too impatient. Isn't he saying it right now?"
Felt retorted.
—
[ "…Everyone, there's just one last thing." The raid party refocused their gaze on Subaru.
"My bad, but it's not just the 'Fingers'. I'm afraid I might also be a target for the Sin Archbishop's soul transfer. Regarding this bug in the system, how do you guys think we should patch it?"
....
"Huh?"
The subjugation squad was collectively stunned, their processors lagging.
....
"Since a spy exists, our movements will be exposed no matter how we try to mask our presence. Even if we gank the spy first, cutting off regular comms will just make the enemy suspicious. In that case, why not reverse the logic? We'll let him leak intel—but we'll feed him fake news." Subaru conveyed this via his inner voice.
On the road, the party utilized "Nect," communicating directly through consciousness and spirit. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"So, this traveling merchant is the NPC in question."
Anastasia remarked.
The person mentioned here was likely the one Ferris had interrogated in Arlam Village during the previous loop—the previous "save file." On the surface, a traveling merchant; in reality, a spy.
"As long as the issue of Natsuki-san's possession is resolved, this should be a smooth run, right? After all, Natsuki-san has already datamined all their movements."
And he even intended to utilize disinformation.
Executing the high-level mechanic of "Commanding the Enemy."
Truly, the art of command.
—
[ "But how do we resolve the issue of the handwritten letter? Leaving a blank sheet of paper unchecked is a serious flag." Subaru naturally shared the details of the blank letter with the group.
One of them asked this key question.
"Simple. We use 'Clairvoyance'." Subaru responded.
Clairvoyance?
Did Subaru have a strat in mind?
....
The scene shifted. Two hands were visible, frantically waving a large board to assert their existence.
Subaru was riding Patrasche at the very front of the formation, doing everything in his power to draw aggro and make himself conspicuous. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"What is Natsuki-san doing… Oh, ah."
Otto realized the play.
"Hmm… but this is from Subaru's POV. We don't know what's written on the board."
"That board has 'The letter was a mistake, my bad' scrawled on it in incredibly messy handwriting."
Ram responded to Emilia.
Although there was an element of RNG involved, Subaru gambled that Ram would use Clairvoyance to survey the situation, especially given the fully armed subjugation squad approaching.
Seeing that board—even if it didn't instantly turn enemies into allies—would at least open up a dialogue tree for negotiation.
"By the way, Ram, wasn't it you who taught the Boss how to write initially? Isn't that basically admitting your tutorial was trash?"
Garfiel looked at Ram and quipped.
"Ram has no memory of such an event. That was the work of a Ram from a different worldline."
Ram replied.
—
[ In the subsequent scene, Ram indeed noticed the board, met with the subjugation squad, and cleared up the misunderstanding.
Then, Subaru requested the villagers to evacuate.
"…Excuse the intrusion!"
The scene cut again. A young boy… or rather, Natsuki Subaru, clad in a cognitive-blocking robe, kicked the door open and scrambled into the hall, bowing to Wilhelm.
This robe—viewers with good memory outside the screen recalled it immediately.
It was the very robe Emilia had thrown at him during their quarrel.
To think it would be equipped here; truly maximizing item utility.
"There are signs that the group lurking in the forest is making unusual moves. The situation is critical! Once those guys, who have been thirsting for blood, mobilize, this entire area will turn into a hellscape…" Subaru reported to Wilhelm.
"Hmph, is that so… The enemy's aggro is faster than we predicted. Since so many have entered the village, being detected by them is only a matter of time." Wilhelm responded.
"What are your orders, Captain… no, 'Sword Demon', Wilhelm-sama…" And standing before them was Emilia. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"This is?"
Anastasia asked.
"At the time, after receiving the blank letter, I was incredibly anxious. Fortunately, Wilhelm-san walked over and explained it was a misunderstanding. Though he didn't mention the Witch Cult; he said the Bandit King was coming. I only learned the truth watching this loop. Regardless, he led us to evacuate. Due to insufficient manpower, half went to the Capital, half to the Sanctuary. And that boy…"
Emilia responded first, then fell silent.
At the time, she thought it was just a stranger. But reviewing it now from Subaru's POV… that was Subaru.
"I apologize deeply for deceiving Emilia-sama"
Wilhelm bowed his head toward Emilia.
"Ah, no, no. I didn't mean it like that, nor did I intend to blame Wilhelm-san. If anything, I should be thanking you."
Emilia hurriedly explained.
"It's a good thing we knew the meta beforehand and rushed to explain. Who knows how anxious and tense Emilia-sama must have been in the previous loop."
Otto remarked.
Not only that, but it also seemed that in that timeline, Lady Emilia had begged the villagers to evacuate multiple times to no avail. Combined with the ominous aura near the mansion and the blank letter signifying a declaration of war, one could only imagine the immense mental stress stacking up.
—
[ "…Emilia-sama." Wilhelm looked at Emilia, his gaze seemingly prompting a decision event.
"I understand. I accept this kindness with gratitude. I have decided to evacuate; I do not wish for the villagers to encounter danger." Emilia finished speaking, and Subaru departed.
"…That's more like you."
The screen faded to black, then transitioned.
....
"…I see. The only thing I couldn't figure out was your method of communication with the others. By the way, this 'Metia' gadget really is omnipotent, huh? Though I believe face-to-face communication is also important, you know."
Subaru looked down at the spy who had pulled out a conversation mirror, preparing to transmit intel.
It was the man disguised as a traveling merchant.
Then Subaru continued: "You guys have the gall to interrupt my touching reunion with Emilia. That's a heavy sin to bear."
With that, he lowered his hood.
In the next instant, the spy displayed killing intent toward Subaru, signaling his two companions with a glance, intending to initiate a PK on Subaru.
Then—
"Too slow."
With those words, Wilhelm cut down the two companions.
"I wouldn't recommend resisting. I have no intention of inflicting unnecessary suffering upon you." Yuriusu held his sword against the spy's neck.
"The disinformation campaign worked perfectly. Thanks for the co-op—you reported a schedule that's two hours late to your allies. And in that time, I'll have everyone escape and wipe you lot out."
Natsuki Subaru spoke, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smirk: "I'm going to make you thoroughly taste the fear of having all your plans destroyed before they even begin." ]