Volume 4 - Chapter 56

Chapter 56
Chapter 56 [The Purpose of the Sanctuary]

The place where Lewes led him was the remote shed where she last invited him for tea .
[Lewes: Anywhere on the bed is fine . I’ll brew us something to drink]
[Subaru: I could brew it if you like? Ram’s trained me pretty well, I think]
[Lewes: While I’d love to see your expertise, it doesn’t look like you’re free at the moment]
Lewes smiled as she pointed out the girl who looked exactly like herself, still tugging on Subaru’s sleeve without any indication of letting go .
While she was probably Lewes’ clone, Subaru wasn’t entirely sure if he should keep calling her that,
[Subaru: Say, why’s Pico still not letting go?]
[Lewes: I don’t know where you got the name Pico from, but, things being as they are, I doubt there’s anything you can do so you should just accept it for now . That’s what happens when you touch things without thinking, you know]
[Subaru: Can’t really argue with that……]
It sounded like Lewes was saying this for his own good, but Subaru still felt a little upset to be blamed for groping things without thinking . Seeing Subaru pouting to indicate his displeasure, Lewes brewed up the tea and came back with the tray in hand .
[Lewes: Here, it’s hot, so let it cool before drinking]
[Subaru: I’m not a little kid anymore… I’m not gonna gulp it down and burn myself]
[Lewes: I have someone around me who never settles down and always has trouble with hot food, so the warning’s gotten to be a habit]
Since Garfiel was the first person Subaru would think of to have trouble with hot food, Lewes was probably talking about him .
Seeing how Garfiel could transform into a giant tiger, the can’t-settle-down and the cat-tongued descriptors were both a match, and having difficulty learning would be in line with Subaru’s preconceptions as well .
Just as Lewes said, the tea was scalding hot . Subaru brought the cup to his lips, took a sip over his parched tongue, and sighed . Come to think of it, this was the first drink he had since Returning by Death and waking up in the Tomb .
[Subaru: Ahh, taste just like leaves]
[Lewes: Have I just been given an unflattering review, or am I overthinking it]
[Subaru: You’re overthinking it, overthinking it]
Drinking down the rest of the tea, Subaru placed the cup back on the tray with a click .
Lewes casually pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down facing him .
[Subaru: So, now that we’re settled, let’s start going over the topics]
[Lewes: Hmm . And I have quite a few thing I’d like to ask Su-bo as well]
Somewhat relieved by her straightforward reply, Subaru’s mind began to turn .
He had plenty of opportunities to speak with persons of interest like this before, but he still hadn’t gotten any closer to the truth . Part of it was due to intentional concealing of information, but there was another reason before that .
[Subaru: It’s because I haven’t asked the right questions]
The question that would link all the answers into a single thread still eluded him .
And so, all this time, Subaru had been missing the point without realizing it .
Even something as simple as asking what he needed to know from those who knew was out of his reach .
[Subaru: That building…… that facility back there . What exactly is it?]
[Lewes: Hmm…… so that’s the question you’re starting with?]
The first thing that popped into his mind was an inconsequential feint .
A question to gauge just how upfront Lewes intended to be .
Hearing this, Lewes traced her fingers over her chin in a shrewd, seasoned gesture quite ill-suited for her appearance,
[Lewes: If you ask me what that facility is, the answer is that, in a sense, it is the core of the Sanctuary . In other words, it is part of the reason why the Sanctuary exists]
[Subaru: The reason why the Sanctuary exists……!?]
[Lewes: In the first place, Su-bo… who do you think had a need to create the Sanctuary?]
[Subaru: That’d be Rosw……]
Blurting out an almost reflexive answer, Subaru instantly realized that couldn’t be right .
While Roswaal was the current owner and manager of the Sanctuary, the question of who created the Sanctuary was a different story .
[Subaru: The one who created this place…… was the Witch of Greed, Echidona, right?]
[Lewes: Correct . It was the Witch Echidona who created this place . The Witch created the Sanctuary because it was necessary to her . Ultimately, that’s all this place is]
[Subaru: That’s a bit extreme, and skimping way too much in between…… at least give me a few details]
[Lewes: As for its purpose, isn’t the success of her experiments right in front of your eyes?]
Seeing Lewes’ smile as she said this, for a moment, Subaru held his breath .
Lewes’ words were vague, but he understood their meaning .
What she was trying to say was,
[Subaru: The result of this place… was Lewes-san and this girl?]
[Lewes: You are a kind child, Su-bo . Or otherwise, a naive one . ――It’s fine to just say the experimental results]
Subaru hesitated to say this in front of the person herself .
If it was a matter of failing to read the air or simply being obtuse, it’d be different story . But Subaru was keenly aware that this was not a time for jokes .
[Lewes: There is a girl inside the crystal who looks exactly like me, yes?]
[Subaru: ……Yeah . Exactly identical . So Lewes-san, this girl and her… you guys are triplets, I guess?]
[Lewes: If you’re going to bunch every one of us who looks the same into one big family, calling us triplets would be falling a tad too short]
[Subaru: Just a tad?]
[Lewes: Just a tad]
Lewes’ “tad” might be referring to a missing digit here .
In fact, having seen more than twenty Lewes-clones at once, no one could blame him for thinking this .
Subaru sighed and shook off that thought .
So far, Lewes hadn’t been trying to dodge Subaru’s questions . Perhaps now was the time to stop feeling her out and dive in .
[Subaru: ――The girl in the crystal… what’s her relation to Lewes-san?]
He asked the question directly .
Lewes expression was calm . Brushing her fingers through her light-pink hair, she turned a meaningful gaze towards Subaru―― or rather, towards the silent girl at his side .
[Lewes: Not just me . This girl is in the same position as myself]
[Subaru: And the girl in the crystal?]
[Lewes: No, she is different . That girl inside the crystal… is the original]
Unable to instantly take in what he had just been told, Subaru furrowed his brows to show his non-understanding . Standing up from the bed, he chewed over the implications of her words,
[Subaru: The original, would mean that……]
[Lewes: Don’t be in such a hurry . Trawling through memories takes time for the elderly . So get comfortable, and be patient]
[Subaru: Don’t suddenly play the elderly card now . Just looking at this bland flavorless girl beside me I can tell that you’re just trying to add seasoning!]
[Lewes: Hrm, that’s an unfortunate misunderstanding . I consider all the things that make me what I am now, what you might call acquired individuality, to be quite important to me]
[Subaru: Acquired… individuality?]
Hearing something he could not let slide, Subaru repeated the words as a question . Lewes nodded, and with [That’s right], she continued,
[Lewes: Just as you imagined, I am the same as this girl, born as an empty vessel . And through the passing of years, that empty cask was filled to become what I am today]
[Subaru: Wait, waitwaitwait, the story’s moving way too fast . Born? Empty? What’s that supposed to mean? Maybe it’s supposed to be obvious, but what does this have to do with how the girl in the crystal is the original?]
[Lewes: The one inside the crystal is the original . The first Lewes Meyer . All the other Leweses, including myself, are Lewes Meyer’s replicas]
So casually, Lewes told him of her origins . Or actually, Subaru wasn’t even sure if he should continue calling her Lewes .
What Lewes said just now was what Subaru himself vaguely hypothesized upon seeing the Lewes-replicants . He had half-suspected it but could not be entirely convinced, partly because he hated the feeling of knowing that someone he knew was a clone .
If there must be a reason, it would have been Subaru’s own prejudice .
[Lewes: Now that you know I am a replica, does that affect how you see me?]
[Subaru: ……I don’t know . I want to say that it doesn’t . I want to, but……when you put me on the spot like this…]
――He couldn’t say for sure .
Strictly speaking, considering that this is a parallel world, he couldn’t exactly call the Leweses clones, and the way they were created was probably very different from what he imagined .
No doubt, they would have been born through magical rather than scientific means . Such a life shouldn’t be considered superior or inferior: that would have been the appropriate thing to say, but,
[Subaru: I’m not confident enough to say it with a straight face . So I can’t really say I’ll see you the same way]
[Lewes: I suppose I should revise what I said before . Su-bo is kind and naive…… and more than that, overly honest at heart]
Surely, those weren’t words she was happy to hear, but Lewes gave him a satisfied nod nonetheless . While sorting through the emotions in his mind, Subaru turned to the girl sitting beside him――the one he named Pico, who was in the same situation as Lewes .
――Silently holding onto Subaru’s sleeve, Pico was staring blankly across the room . Although her eyes should be seeing the same image as Subaru’s, they harbored nothing that could be considered emotions, and were more like glass beads reflecting the light around her .
Her expression hadn’t changed, and he hadn’t heard her make a single sound .
[Subaru: She’s completely empty inside, is that what you meant……?]
[Lewes: She was born not long ago, a replica who’s only just been given her role . She knows enough to recognize simple instructions, but otherwise, she is no different from a newborn . Although, seeing that she doesn’t cry or need to eat, she is quite a lot less trouble to take care of]
[Subaru: She doesn’t need to eat……?]
[Lewes: Replicating a body isn’t so simple a task . What do you imagine were the principles behind her and my creation?]