The spatial jump caused a disorienting scene change, but Adam's anxious heart settled when he saw the familiar faces before him.
It felt so good to be alive!
The air in the Forbidden Library was fresh — the only clean place remaining in the mansion full of corpses.
"Adam! Are you alright?!" Subaru spoke first, hasty as always, lacking the composure of a mature man.
Yet his noisy voice filled Adam with warmth. Not just him — Emilia, Ram, and Rem all wore worried expressions, concerned for his safety.
"Subaru-kun... thank you for your concern. I'm fine, just a bit drained. Sorry for worrying you all." He shook his head reassuringly.
"My my, who would have thought the young man would catch that Witch's attention? How unfortunate indeed." Puck floated in mid-air, making a flippant remark despite his serious expression. He clearly understood the gravity of the situation but was trying to lighten the mood.
"Unfortunate? Yes, quite unfortunate indeed." Adam played along, then turned to Beatrice, who sat properly in her chair, casually reading her book.
"Beatrice, thank you for saving ."
"Hmph. Betty had no intention of saving you! If it weren't for Brother's (Puck) request, Betty wouldn't have teleported you back."
"Oh? But I didn't say anything. To think you'd try to pin what you did on ..."
"B-Brother...! Hmph, it has nothing to do with Betty. If you got targeted by that Witch, you must have done sothing to provoke her. It serves you right."
Beatrice's lie was imdiately exposed by Puck, leaving the tsundere girl flustered as she tried to act uninvolved with another light hmph.
"She's being tsundere."
"Such a tsundere."
"Well, that's Beatrice for you."
"Indeed."
"So this is what tsundere ans?"
Everyone chattered teasingly, bringing levity to the heavy atmosphere.
"Being a deadly tsundere isn't a good trait, Beatrice." Adam crouched in front of her, vigorously squishing her collagen-filled cheeks.
The soft, smooth feeling was amazing!
"Ah—! Wh-what are you doing, you pervert!" Beatrice loudly scolded the ill-mannered man, only to receive even more vigorous cheek squishing.
"Ahh, that felt good." After a while, Adam let go and turned to the others, "That's enough joking around. Let's discuss serious matters."
"Indeed. The Witch pursuing us is beyond our current strength. What should we do, young man?" Puck raised his fluffy paw and lightly patted Adam's forehead.
"Puck is right. We face a witch who stands above the world — one we cannot oppose in our current state." Adam paused in thought before continuing, "We have no choice but to escape."
"Escape?" x5
Everyone reacted differently: Subaru and Emilia looked puzzled, Rem and Ram maintained their composure, while Puck's expression turned grave.
This was hardly an ideal solution!
"Escape? But where to?" Puck's usually cheerful tone dropped to a low voice, "A Witch isn't sothing we can deal with easily, especially not this one..."
"There's only one place we can go now — the Sanctuary. Other Witches reside there, and even if we can't banish the Witch of Vainglory again, we can at least keep her at bay."
"The Sanctuary?" Ram asked, surprised, "Is it the sa Sanctuary I know?"
"Yes, that's the one."
Their cryptic exchange left the others confused about how this 'Sanctuary' could possibly halt a witch.
"I'll explain everything once we're safe. For now, we must focus on how to leave." Adam redirected their questioning looks toward the imdiate concern of escape.
"Adam is right. We need to plan our escape." Emilia agreed, stepping forward with the authority of the faction's leader.
"There's a Witch outside, and though the mansion has Beatrice's barrier, I doubt it can stop a Witch's advance." Puck circled anxiously, "Who knows when she'll appear? We must move quickly. Young man, do you have any ideas?"
"I do have a way... but it depends on her help." Adam turned to the loli girl, "Beatrice...?"
"Wh-what? Betty can't help." Her eyes betrayed obvious panic.
She avoided eting anyone's gaze.
"Beatrice, Al Shamak is our only escape route. You have the Sanctuary's Magic Mark, don't you?" He revealed the secret she'd kept hidden for years.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Betty doesn't understand." But she persisted in her denial, feigning ignorance.
"Beatrice, please. If this continues, we'll all be annihilated." Puck added his voice to the plea.
"...Fine. Since Brother asked, Betty will reluctantly help you this once." Beatrice conceded after much internal struggle, yielding to her respected brother's request.
"Really? Thank you, Beatrice!"
"Beatrice..."
"Thank you for your help, Lady Beatrice."
"Thank you, Lady Beatrice."
Everyone expressed their thanks.
"But let state one thing first: Betty won't go with you. Betty will only send you to the Sanctuary," she declared firmly.
"Why?" Adam asked, bewildered, "You must know that the Witch outside is terrifying. You can't survive alone."
"Betty knows. But so what? Betty... Betty still has a mission..." Beatrice clutched the book tightly in her arms.
Another Book of Wisdom!
...No, this was the Book of Wisdom (Defective Version) — even weaker than Roswaal's! What's more, Beatrice's book no longer showed the future; it had beco completely blank!
"Beatrice...?"
Before Emilia could speak, Subaru cut in, "Hey, Beatrice! Puck already said it—that's a Witch we can't defeat even if we all work together! If you stay here, you'll die!"
"Death... maybe that would be better, if it could bring release..."
"What?! Don't say such stupid things! Do you know how painful death is?! Don't throw that word around so casually!"
"What do you know about Betty! Betty... Betty still has obligations!"
"Obligations?! What obligations could be worth dying for...!"
Clap clap clap!
Before Subaru could continue, Adam interrupted, clapping his hands to silence them.
"Enough! This arguing wastes ti!" He turned to the others, "Please step outside for a mont. Leave this to . Don't worry, it won't take long."
"...Alright. I leave it to you, Adam."
With those words, everyone left the Forbidden Library, leaving just the two of them in the small space.
After a mont of silence, he spoke first.
"Don't you want to talk to about anything?"
"Betty has nothing to say." Beatrice hugged her book and curled up in the large chair, looking like an abandoned little girl — her pitiful, helpless appearance tugging at one's heartstrings.
"Anything will help us move forward. Let's talk."
"Why should Betty talk to you?"
"What do you an 'why'? We have such a close bond..."
"Betty's relationship with you isn't good at all!" Beatrice loudly rejected his words, "You already rejected Betty — you even denied being that person! How dare you co talk to Betty now!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't think those words would hurt you so deeply... No, perhaps I knew they would."
"What's the point of saying this now?"
"On the contrary, this is the most crucial mont! Beatrice, I'm taking you away!"
Beatrice clutched the book tightly to her chest and whispered, "No, Betty won't leave."
In this narrow, dark room, she had spent countless lonely days waiting for soone whose face and voice remained unknown.
Four hundred years of waiting had exhausted her fragile heart, leaving her filled with despair and ready to embrace death.
"No! Whether you agree or not, I'm taking you with !"
"You rejected Betty! You said you weren't 'that person' — you said it yourself!" Beatrice cried out, her voice trembling with tears as she repeated herself.
"Beatrice..."
"If you had just lied — if you had just said it — Betty would have believed you... Even knowing it was a lie, Betty would have had no choice but to believe!"
She knew the truth: that person would never co, that person didn't even exist. The Witch of Greed had deceived her — the blank book proved it!
But she could only keep waiting. Had to keep waiting.
"Indeed. If I had lied, I could have easily captured Beatrice — could have gained a useful 'tool'. Yes, you heard right — I said 'tool'."
"What...!"
"But Beatrice, you're not ant to live for soone else! You're not just a 'tool' waiting four hundred years for 'that person'!"
"What do you know about Betty? Betty still has promises, still has obligations."
"I know nothing about Spirit promises or obligations. But I do know this: I want to free you! Not just from this mansion, but from these imaginary promises that have bound you for so long!"
"But you already rejected Betty!"
"Yes, I rejected you completely and decisively." Adam nodded, acknowledging her words, "However, my desire to take you away is real. Beatrice isn't soone who exists rely to wait for another — you're an independent being with your own thoughts and choices! You are you, Beatrice! That Great Spirit who loves to act spoiled, loves to be tsundere, and fears loneliness!"
It would be simple to untie Beatrice's emotional knot — just say "I am the person you've been waiting for".
But that would only trap her in a cage built from her own avoidance and lies, rather than truly reaching her heart and setting her free.
That would erase Beatrice's individual will, sothing Adam refused to allow.
He genuinely liked Beatrice — this tsundere, drill-haired little girl who complained yet always reached out to help others.
So, he would save her!
"What are you saying? You want to help Betty? To save Betty? Why now? Why didn't you just embrace Betty from the start instead of rejecting her? Why are you suddenly speaking such gentle words?"
What was this — pity? Charity?
She wished Adam hadn't appeared at this mont. Why wouldn't he just let her fade away?
"You make a fair point. I know I'm being opportunistic. But I'll say it again — whether you agree or not, I'm taking you away! That's absolute!"
"...Being so forceful, are you Greed?"
"Hahaha, I am indeed a very greedy person! I want not just the body, but the heart too!"
Hearing these seemingly mocking words, Adam took pride in them rather than sha.
"Hey, Betty."
"What now?"
"Your book has been blank for a while now, hasn't it?"
"..."
"Even if you try to hide it, I know. Your book hasn't shown any information about the future for so ti, right?"
"How do you know that... Never mind, it doesn't matter anyway." Beatrice opened the book, staring blankly.
"It does matter!" Adam crouched beside her, looking at the book with her.
Indeed, it was completely blank.
"Hey Beatrice, haven't you ever thought about writing sothing in it yourself?"
"Are you stupid?! This is an important book Mother left for Betty, how could Betty... Hey, what are you doing!"
As they spoke, Adam lifted the drill-haired blonde little girl and placed her between his legs.
"Well then, let's write a new future."
"Huh?!"
"Co on, don't be shy, write freely."
"Hey, wait...!" Though she protested verbally, her body betrayed her willingness, allowing Adam to guide her.
'Actions speak louder than words' suited her perfectly. Without hesitation, he took her small hand and wrote these words on the blank page.
[Betty chose Adam, ending her 400-year wait, and lived happily ever after. Congratulations, congratulations! (The End)]
"What did you do!"
"Well, Beatrice. Now that you see this, what will you choose? Will you follow the book's arrangent, or reject it?"
"But you wrote this yourself!"
"Ah! I did write it myself, but it appeared on the book's blank pages, didn't it?!"
"You, why..." Beatrice tilted her head back, staring at the man holding her.
This forceful, unreasonable man had exposed all her lies about the book, compelling her to face her true feelings and make a choice.
"Actually, Beatrice made her choice long ago. Otherwise, you wouldn't have saved , right?" He whispered in her ear, "Choose , Beatrice. From now on, I'll always cherish you, treat you as my one and only. Yes, the only Spirit I cherish."
"But you're not 'that person'..."
"Ah, that's right."
"You'll die eventually..."
"Ah, that's right."
"You'll leave Betty behind..."
"Ah, that's right." Adam acknowledged all of her concerns, "So, even knowing all this, will you still choose ? Take my hand, and let's write our future together."
"Even so, even so..."
Beatrice reached out with her trembling small hand and took his.
She had made her choice.
✧✧✧
T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!
That's it and happy reading! /mrblackwing
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