Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Greetings - Edited Version

This is very important: Novels and Future Arcs from the Anime spoilers are below. This story is filled with  s poilers, so please be aware of that. I'd advise you all to go and read  t he  w ebnovel until Arc 6 and watch  both  the anime  and  the OVA's.

On the road to the Watergate City, Priestella, a carriage filled with many loud individuals blew past.

"Subaru! Stop treating Beako-chan like that!" A sweet voice sounded while holding a hint of amusement, faking a motherly tone.

A chuckle came out of another speaker, a black-haired boy holding a grumpy blonde girl in both arms. Grinning from ear to ear while the little girl pouted in angry while being held on his lap.

"Sorry, Emilia-tan~!" The boy chuckled while ruffling the blonde spirit's head. "I just want to give Beako all the attention she needs. I mean, we will be too busy gushing about once we reach the Watergate City itself. I wouldn't want to make this loli feel left out."

The little twin-tailed girl sitting on his lap huffed in anger and kicked her heel into his leg, crossing her arms. "You would be a horrible contractor if a mere grand city takes your attention off of Betty's cuteness, I suppose. Hmph!"

An angelic giggle filled the carriage as the silver-haired princess sitting across from Subaru held her hand to her mouth.

Her beautiful amethyst eyes were filled with amusement. Her smile wide as ever, showing how happy she was sitting with the boy and his spirit girl.

The black-haired young-man didn't notice the beautiful lady's gaze on him, the task of appeasing Beatrice's anger at the forefront of his mind.

"Come oooonnnnn, Beakoooooo!" Subaru whined exaggeratedly as he hugged the small girl tightly.

"Hmph! You're lucky Betty is the most gracious and noble-hearted spirit there ever was, I suppose. Make sure to please your spirit with more head pats until this trip is over, in fact." Beatrice contentedly held her head high as she was patted affectionately and delicately hugged by her doting idiot of a contractor.

Subaru looked at Emilia with an exaggerated look of exhaustion. "It's hard being such an awesome single father… If only I had a loving wife to help me~"

The half-elf simply chuckled and shook her head, aiming a smile of amusement at the boy. "You're such a silly kid, Subaru."

The boy held his chest in pain and began gasping on his seat. "Emilia-tan broke through my heart once again!" Subaru gasped, clenching his shirt in faked grief. "Only my Beako's awesome cuteness could help me now!" The boy moved to hug the elegant blonde once again. The spirit proudly held her head high and let herself be engulfed in his warm arms.

"That's right, I suppose." She mused proudly as she enjoyed Subaru's embrace.

"I'm glad you're treating Beako-chan well, Subaru. Spirits are like family. You should always treat them with love and care."

Subaru shook his head, a soft smile on his lips, gazing at Emilia with understanding eyes.

"You shouldn't deal with such a troubling situation alone, Emilia-tan." Subaru gazed softly at the lady, noticing how she flinched.

Emilia looked down with a saddened smile on her face.

"I...I guess that my mind wanders to what me and Puck used to do every time I look at you and Beako-chan." As Emilia looked down in shame and equal sadness, Beatrice took the opportunity to gloat once again.

"You should be jealous, infact. Bubby is a wonderful spirit but Betty and Subaru are the best, I suppos-EHHHH!"

"No gloating over heartbroken beautiful ladies, that's a rule we agreed upon, Beako." Subaru held his finger up with a look of disappointment and sternness as the small spirit agonized over her twin-tails being sprung once again.

"Don't do that, I suppose! Betty's contractor is allowed to touch her but when she allows it, infact!" The loli screamed in outrage while Subaru kept his fatherly frown for a moment before turning to the beautiful half-elf sitting silently infront of him.

"Emilia-tan."

Hearing her name called, the lady raised her eyes to meet the sharp, shining ones of her knight.

Subaru knelt before her seat and held her hand boldly, smiling confidently and gazing up at her with a reassuring gaze. "Don't worry, Emilia-tan."

The half-elf's eyes widened as her cheeks warmed up. She tried to resist the urge to turn away from the prince-like stance the boy had so suddenly taken.

"S-Subaru… I'm not sad at all… " The lady stuttered, embarrassed by this display of affection from her knight. She glanced away from him, her cheeks warm and her heart beating with increased speed.

"Emilia…. I know that you've been missing Puck ever since the Sanctuary. I know that you've been waiting patiently to get him back so you can scold him for being such a horrible dad… "

"That's… " Not wrong, she finished in her thoughts. For a moment, the lady could only hold a disappointed expression, her knight's words resonating with her own sentiments. Her spirit father wasn't as malevolent as she wished him to be… but he was still her Puck.

She needed him.

And Subaru understood that, he squeezed her hand tightly and gained her attention by smiling up at her.

Emilia felt his warmth and love through this action and could only smile back at him as she gazed into his sharp eyes.

"It's why we're here." Subaru softly assured the beautiful lady. "My heart burns every time Emilia-tan gazes at me and Beako with such saddened eyes."

Emilia's already red cheeks managed to heat up even more. Her heartbeat growing faster as the boy delivered his charming words.

She was loved, cared for, and filled with warmth.

She could feel all of these emotions as Subaru held her hand and gave her his signature smile. A smile she adored so much.

"You're both idiots, I suppose." The knight and his mistress both looked startled as the loli gazed at them with clear annoyance.

"Why should we waste time about this, I wonder? We're already going to the Watergate City so we could bring Bubby back, I suppose. There's no need to be worried this much, infact."

As the small spirit turned her head away with a pout, Subaru and Emilia grinned simultaneously, giving each other looks of understanding.

The clearly agitated Beatrice wasn't expecting the two idiots to jump behind her and wrap their arms around her at the same time.

"EHHHHH?! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING, I SUPPOSE?!" Beatrice shrieked as Emilia and Subaru held her in their arms.

"Beako is sooo cute!" Emilia cooed teasingly while Subaru rubbed his cheek against the spirit's.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice you being left out! I promise to give you more attention, Beako!"

"GET OFF OF ME BOTH OF YOU!" The poor loli tried to free herself from the cruel pair's arms.

Emilia and Subaru giggled childishly as they both held the girl tightly.

"I see you're all having fun."

The three occupants of the carriage looked up towards the speaker, finding a smiling gray-haired boy, looking inside of the carriage from the front.

"How're things going, Otto? We there yet?" Subaru asked lightly while standing up from his seat beside Emilia and his spirit.

The merchant smiled brightly, about to answer his best friend's question.

"Oi, Cap'n! Our trip is almost ov'r! Sorry to stop yer moment with yar lady and child." A blonde young man with sharp, beastly teeth smirked mischievously, pushing away a protesting Otto.

"What did you say?! How dare you call Betty a child, I suppose?!"

"I—It's not nice to tease people, Garfiel-kun!"

Ignoring the pouting ladies beside him —and trying to hide a blush of his own- Subaru coughed into his fist and grinned at his little brother.

"Thanks a bunch, Garf!"

The blonde tiger boy nodded and gave one last smirk towards his cap'n before closing the carriage's window.

Subaru glanced at the two ladies…

"Oh come on! I didn't do anything to deserve such looks!"

~~~~~Staaaaarreeeeeeeee~~~~~~

He was met with two angry-looking pouts from one half-elf and one spirit girl that was sitting on said elf's lap.

"You're a baaad knight, Subaru!"

"What a worthless contractor you are."

The boy could do nothing but fall to his knees in shock and despair.

"No…. Please…. I can still change!" Despite his desperate pleas, Subaru was only met with two 'Hmphs' as Emilia held Beatrice in her arms and turned her head away from the perv. Beatrice did the same, looking like a child who was imitating her mother.

Subaru could only fall to his knees and look at the floor in anguish. He had lost the respect of both the girl he loved and the little loli he cherished so much.

He trembled on the carriage floor for a second, seemingly containing the pain before holding his stomach as he fell into hysteric laughter.

Emilia and Beatrice looked down at the rolling boy with deadpan faces.

"Dummy."

"Useless, I suppose."

With fond smiles, the two ladies watched him roll on the floor because of his practical joke.

After a few seconds, Subaru calmed down and stood up with a confident grin on his face.

Emilia and Beako looked up at him, the former smiling back as if his confidence and joy were contagious to her own.

"It'll be fine, Emilia-tan." Subaru softly spoke with his charming grin in place. "We will meet with Anastasia-sama and get you that spirit stone. All we have to do after that is easy."

"What if they don't have that kind of stone we need-"

"Don't talk like that!" Subaru interrupted Emilia with a stern look. The half-elf smiled slightly as she watched her favorite antic in Subaru play right when she needed it.

"Puck is waiting for us, waiting for you. Anastasia-sama is no liar. Even though I don't know how she managed to find out we needed a stone like that. But she still knows how great of a spirit Puck is. So, she has to have a stone powerful enough with her. And if she decides to overcharge us…. "

Subaru stopped talking for a moment and looked at the closed carriage window… He turned back to the confused Emilia and Beatrice with a degenerate grin.

"That's why we have Otto with us." Subaru whispered to the two with a wink placed at the end for good measure.

Suddenly, the window opened up, startling everyone in the carriage.

A smug looking Otto pointed at Subaru confidently. "I heard that!"

"No, you didn't hear anything!" Subaru denied brashly, crossing his arms and looking away from his friend.

The merchant—turned—minister smirked darkly at Subaru and laughed. "You do know how useful I am!"

"No, we just brought you here to drive the carriage and have someone to keep Garf company, that's all." Subaru nodded his head, maintaining a stern gaze.

Otto didn't even bother listening to Subaru's denial as he held his head high. "If that's what Natsuki-san expects of his dearest friend, I'm willing to try my best."

Subaru shook his head but grinned fondly at the bantering merchant infront of him.

"Thanks a lot for your help, Otto-kun." Emilia gave a sweet smile filled with gratitude towards the merchant.

Otto blushed underneath the grateful gaze of Emilia's amethyst eyes. "O-Of course, Emilia-sama! I would always do my best to help your camp."

A black-haired boy growled childishly. His eyes filled with unbounded hatred and envy at the two's interaction. His fists trembling.

"Otto… You are my enemy now."

Emilia and Beatrice giggled as Otto blew a raspberry at the scowling Subaru.

"Cap'n!"

The atmosphere suddenly changed as Subaru quickly dropped his fake scowl and ran towards the window.

"What's going on out there, Garf?!" Shouting in distress, Subaru climbed out of the window with a sharp look on his face.

Emilia quickly clutched Beatrice tightly and held on to an armrest as the carriage suddenly stopped to a halt.

"KRAAAAAAAAAAA!" The black dragon pulling the carriage dug her legs into the dirt in an attempt to make a sudden stop and growled at something outside.

"S-Subaru! What's going on?!" Emilia shouted as she held on to the chair. The cart was suddenly filled with a bright light and a voice so loud and clear that it seemed to come from within her head.

Time, Sage candidate?

Is it really that time again?

"What…. "

Emilia could only whisper in shock and confusion not understanding the voice's words. Who was a sage candidate? Why were they talking to her?

Before she could question herself more, the light grew brighter, as if covering her entire world in blank white.

"Cap'n! I can't see shit!"

"Natsuki-san, hold on!"

"What's happening, I suppose?!"

"KYAAAAAAAA!"

As the bright light filled the carriage. Emilia could only hear the screams of her friends and fellow members of her camp as they were attacked by something outside of the cart.

Even though the situation should have evoked some amount of fear in her, the half-elf could only feel a slight warmth washing over her. It was as if the cold air blowing past the divinely protected cart had suddenly turned into a warm summer breeze.

She was protected and safe, unafraid of this confusing turn of events.

Suddenly, the light dissipated from around her, freeing her from the white empty world.

Opening her eyes, Emilia looked around her with a bewildered expression.

"Wha…?!"

The silver-haired girl looked around her with an expression of complete bafflement and confusion. "How did we get to such a place?" She wondered as she gazed at her fallen friends and the new world they appeared to have dropped in.

Around her, was a closed-off room with no doors or windows. Rows of comfortable expensive-looking chairs filled the room from beginning to end. It seemed that Emilia and her camp were dropped right in the front row while the rest of the room laid behind them. However, their eyes were far more focused on a strange object embedded in the giant wall before them.

An illuminating light broke through the darkroom from within the palatial window placed inside of the wall.

Emilia slowly turned around. Confusion and fear filled her face as she gazed at the rows of seats behind her.

Her mouth agape from shock, she could do naught but stare at the appearances before her.

"Ta' fuck is happening, my amazin' selfs wasn't in here!" A blonde gruff-looking kid shouted in fury as he looked around frantically in confusion.

"Calm down Garfiel-san!" Otto voiced in concern as he stood up from the floor and placed a hand over his panicking friend's shoulder.

The two boys looked over the rest of the room with shock and surprise, noticing what the half-elf sitting beside them had, seconds ago.

There were many other factions present in the room. Garfiel didn't know any of these weird looking bunch but his sight was quickly drawn towards a faint light at the very back of the room.

The small presence of the light vaporized, revealing a person sitting in its place. A person Garfiel knew all too well and was shocked to see.

"Ram!?" The boy shouted his surprise, shocking Emilia and Otto as they looked up at the last row.

Finding a pink-haired girl in a maid uniform, looking around in confusion and puzzlement.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Ram growled out as she noticed a bunch of other occupants sitting around her as well as her own camp sitting right in the front row below her, she didn't know how…. but she blamed that black-haired buffoon for this one.

As she looked around some more, trying to see if there were any other people in this room with whom she was acquainted, she noticed a faint light ball appearing beside her for an instant before vanishing into the air and leaving a person sitting in its place.

A person she was very well acquainted with;

"Roswaal-sama?!" Ram uttered in shock as she witnessed her master appearing right beside her in this strange place in a matter of seconds.

The colorfully dressed man with clown makeup on his face simply blinked in utter disbelief as he took a moment to gaze around him. His expression transformed into a thin unreadable line as recognized the identities of all those around him.

"Now isn't this interestiiiiiiing…" Roswaal mused to himself. smiling softly at his shocked maid and glancing in the direction of his gathered camp sitting far away from him.

"It seems we've all been teleported agaaaaainst our will." The mage mused once more in a tone filled with excitement and wonder as he noticed the other occupants that filled the seats of the room other than the members of his camp.

Other than the Emilia camp, it seemed that all four other royal selection candidates and some of their trusted allies were seated in the room with a seating arrangement that placed each faction away from one another.

Some of these people looked bored to be here, he noted as he scanned everybody sitting before him.

Emilia noted Ram and her sponsor's presence in the same room and moved on to look at the person sitting behind her.

The half-elf couldn't believe her eyes.

"Felt-chan? You're here as well?" Besides the overwhelming sense of happiness at seeing the little blonde who had been once a thorn at her side before her, Emilia couldn't hide her extreme bafflement and little understanding of the situation.

The little scarlet-eyed blonde seemed to have taken a much more laid back approach than the silver-haired girl as Felt met Emilia with a confident smile and a welcoming wave.

"Hey, Big sis! Glad to see ya safe and sound." The blonde anarchist smirked cheekily as she greeted her big sis.

Emilia shook her head softly and smiled towards the small candidate, happiness for their reunion settling in once again. "Glad to see you're doing fine as well, Felt-chan. I hope you haven't been stealing anything lately."

The blonde winced and narrowed her eyes at the teasing lady. "Oh come on! I apologized for that didn't I?! And besides, I got this shitty job at the selection nonsense because of my crime so consider it punishment enough."

Emilia softly chuckled as she turned from the blushing Felt towards the person sitting right beside her. A dashing red-haired young man dressed in the uniform of the royal guard sat beside the little girl wearing a charming smile that filled the area around him with an aura of comfort and overwhelming calm.

The young knight swiftly bowed his head towards the half-elf and held a hand to his chest in respect for her position.

"It's a pleasure to meet with you once more, lady Emilia-sama. I'm glad to see you safe and sound since our last reunion."

Emilia smiled warmly at the man as her panic calmed and her fears were halted in his presence. "It's very nice to see you too, Reinhard-sama. I'm glad you're fine as well."

"You shouldn't hold me as if I'm your equal by that honorific, lady Emilia. I am but a mere knight in service to my queen's kingdom." The young man corrected gently with an apologetic smile. Felt rolled her eyes and Emilia shook her head at the young man.

Emilia's expression turned serious as she asked. "Did you guys get engulfed in-"

"A blinding light thingie that covered us and dropped us on these chairs here?" Felt cut into Emilia's sentence with a dry expression which surprised the half-elf. "Yea. We were taken away from the roads too."

Emilia glanced at Reinhard in surprise, the knight nodded his head in confirmation that this was indeed the truth.

"I couldn't find a way out of here no matter what I tried, my strength is useless and my entire armada of divine protections are useless, unfortunately."

Emilia widened her eyes in shock at this information. As fear began settling into her heart once more after finding out that the Sword Saint himself couldn't do a thing to help them escape. They would need something stronger than Reinhard's power… they were doomed.

Before Emilia could despair any further, a loud shriek sounded from beside her.

"Subaru, wake up, I suppose!"

Everyone turned their eyes towards the distressed twin-tailed girl as she shook a nasty-eyed boy's jacket frantically. Her eyes washed in worry and woe as the boy gave no indication to reply to her.

Emilia's eyes widened and she immediately jumped and ran towards them with her concern filling her expression as her heart ached in worry for the boy.

"Beako, What's wrong with Subaru?!" The silver-haired lady asked as she knelt and inspected the sleeping young man for any visible injuries.

Emilia quickly held his hand in hers and checked for a pulse. Relief overwhelmed her beating heart as she felt a small pulse from his wrist.

He was alive.

"He's not waking up, I suppose!"

Emilia and Beatrice gazed at the sleeping boy in alarm, worry overcoming them.

"Subaru…" Emilia called out innocently with a disheartened look. Softly shaking the boy with the hope that his stupor might stop and he might open his sharp nasty eyes once again. Her fear increased as she started shaking his shoulders harder with all of her might, concern, and horror overwhelming her as the boy didn't respond to any of her pleas.

"What's wrong with him?!"

"Natsuki-san!"

Garfiel and Otto both ran until they were beside Emilia and Beatrice. Looking at their brother with expressions of torment and panic.

As the four camp members huddled around Subaru's unconscious form, someone from behind the front row spoke calmly and soothingly towards them.

"Do not panic over Subaru-dono, he will be just fine." A whimsical fatherly voice spoke towards the distraught group.

Emilia and the rest looked up to see an elderly man wearing a neat tuxedo, his gray-hair folded to the back with warm, compassionate sharp blue eyes.

"Wilhelm-san? You're here as well?" Emilia asked in surprise, not fully taking in who else was in the room with her.

The tenacious looking man bowed his head in polite respect as he left the talking to the energetic demihuman boy wearing a skirt and sitting beside him.

"Heya! Don't worry about Natsuki-kyun he will be fyine!" The boy with kitten ears moved his hands in paw-like stances as he assured the group with a confident grin. Garfiel raised a brow at the boy's behavior, not understanding why he was acting like a boy, girl, cat, and a human at the same time.

Emilia's eyes roamed away from the well-known healer's form and towards the person sitting next to him. A green-haired lady with beautiful honey-colored irises wearing her signature blue uniform.

"Crusch-san..." Awkwardly and yet curiously, Emilia looked at the girl with sympathy and guilt.

Only she was surprised when the smile said girl gave back was unwaveringly confident.

"No need to be alarmed, Emilia-sama. It seems whoever brought us here managed to return my memories to me. I'm sure Natsuki Subaru-dono isn't awake for reasons that will be explained soon."

Emilia's eyes let up with happiness at the news and the confidence Crusch was showing with her answer. Not as warm and delicate as her amnesiac self but the confident and commanding lady that first entered this election.

"Um… I'm sorry, Karsten-sama but…. What do you mean by 'will be explained soon'? Nobody has such a power like this." Otto interjected apologetically while holding his merchant hat to his chest, shaking by his display infront of such powerful people. But his eyes filled up with a fiery determination to know about his friend's condition.

Before the lady could answer, the small catboy sitting beside her cut in with an amused glance at the petty merchant who dared speak with his lady.

"Bold of you to cut my lady off lil' guy, nyan!"

Otto ignored the snarky healer and kept his gaze towards the surprised noble lady, awaiting his answer.

Luckily, his brother had his back. "Oi, catboy! Don't think ya aren't tha' lil ya hear!" Garfiel growled out as if protectively looking over Otto's shoulder.

The skirt-wearing knight simply fufud a giggle as he gazed down at them. "My, my. So angry at the first interaction. You guys must be acquaintances of Subaru's."

"What's that supposed to mean, I wonder?" Beatrice calmly and elegantly cut in while piercing the amused demihuman with the most bored expression she could muster.

Before the hunched knight could have more fun with the guests, Crusch silenced him with a wave and a glare.

"So sorry~" The healer smiled sweetly and leaned back in his seat. Crusch sighed and returned her gaze towards the group with a polite smile shown on her face.

"We have arrived much earlier than any of the other occupants in the room. It was explained to us by a strange voice calling through our heads that we should await the 'others' arrival and that we couldn't escape from this prison no matter how powerful we are. The reasons for this would be explained once someone called the 'sage candidate' shows amongst the next batch of prisoners."

Emilia and the others in her camp all looked towards one another in shock.

"D-Did you all hear what the voice said to me?" Emilia asked her squad earning nods from everyone around her that were moved through space at the same time as she did.

"He was talking to the sage candidate in my head as well… " Otto muttered thoughtfully.

His gaze slowly wandered over until he was directly looking at Subaru's sleeping form.

"What's a sage candidate anyway?" Felt asked from the side, glancing worriedly at the sleeping boy with a glint of disappointment clear in her eyes as she wanted to meet with him one more time.

"I don't know what that is… " Reinhard shook his head in shame but gazed at the young-man with worry.

Beatrice stayed silent and kept her eyes firmly on those closed ones of her contractor. Not wanting to explain precisely what that title meant. She had a feeling that her contractor held on to such a title since she felt the power within him… But she never dreamt of it getting exposed like this. If these people knew what this name truly meant… They would execute her precious Subaru on the spot.

"Beako… You're a knowledge bound spirit. co-"

"I'm a great knowledge bound spirit, I suppose. But I don't recall that name ever existing in my archives at all, infact."

Emilia flinched at the hostile tone in the little blonde's tone. Deciding that she was upset for Subaru, Emilia ignored the clearly forced tone of the spirit loli and looked up at the other occupants in the room.

"When the light engulfed us, we heard a voice speaking to us… or one of us." Crusch and Felt's camps all looked at Emilia as she explained loudly to all of them.

"They said something akin to a greeting towards a 'Sage Candidate' but we don't know who that is… " Emilia softly turned her gaze towards the sleeping black-haired young man near her.

"You think whoever they may be, were referring towards Natsuki Subaru-sama?" Crusch inquired with her eyes narrowed in interest.

Emilia slowly looked at her friends, getting a shrug from Garfiel as he looked lost but ready to pounce on anyone trying to hurt his friends and a thoughtful look from Otto.

She gazed up towards the duchess and nodded her head firmly.

"I think they might be after Subaru… He's the only one not awake out of everyone here… They must've wanted to do something special with him for being… whatever a Sage candidate is." The half-elf concluded while edging closer towards her knight to be extra sure that she can jump in and save him in the event of another faint light showing up to take him away.

"Subaru-kyun always manages to attract the worst kinds of trouble, huh." An exasperated Felix sighed and shook his head in bemusement.

Crusch kept her gaze stuck on the black mop of hair slumped on the seat before her. "Hmmm. It seems like whoever brought us here are knowledgeable about things we are ignorant about."

As the duchess mused to herself in thought and worry for the boy's condition, a loud accent-heavy voice filled the room as a purple-haired lady wearing fur clothes and a fox scarf strutted towards the conversing three camps.

"It seems that whoever brought us here is more powerful than the Sword Saint himself, huh?"

A cheerful voice called the attention of the two, revealing the purple-haired faction leader, Anastasia with her mercenary team and her elegant knight standing beside her.

"Julius, This wasn't a move from your Camp's leader, right?" A one-armed helmet-wearing man called out from his side of the room where he sat beside a bored fiery headed woman that was watching the events below her with an amused look.

Julius simply shook his head elegantly. "This wasn't Anastasia-sama's doing. Whatever brought us to this place, the culprit surely isn't any of us."

While the others continued conversing amongst one another. Emilia and Beatrice sat next to Subaru, each holding one hand. Wondering why he hadn't woken up.

As another faint light appeared at the back row, a scream filled the theater-like room.

"Rem!"

All eyes turned to find a completely shocked looking Ram staring starstruck at what looked to be a carbon copy of her but with blue hair instead of pink.

"R-Rem… Sissy!" The blue-haired girl blinked in confusion and bewilderment as Ram engulfed her in a tight hug, her eyes leaking tears of happiness.

"Isn't she Cap'n's potato?" Garfiel pointed at the clearly awake and confused blue-haired maid with a look of bewilderment, referring to her as to how he remembered her.

An unconscious coma induced girl that had been the source of grief for Subaru for a year.

"Th-That is Rem-san, yes." Emilia whispered with disbelief painting her expression. The sight of an awake sleeping beauty highly disturbing her.

"But… " Emilia grimaced in disappointment as she tried to search her mind. "… I don't… "

"We don't remember who she is stiiiiilll." Roswaal cut the thoughtful Emilia off with an unreadable frown on his face. Watching the reunion of pink and blue with a skeptical expression.

The blue-haired maid stayed silent. Covering her distraught sister with her arms and patting her back. Rem's eyes took a moment to analyze the room and everyone in it, wonder and confusion filled her irises as she noticed just who was in the room with her. Questions of how she had arrived her or why any of these people were present with her were at the forefront of her mind.

"I… I'm Rem… The L. Mathers' head maid… and Natsuki Subaru's caretaker. I can see the confusion as to who I may be… I'm sorry if I disturbed this meeting for all of you."

As Ram finally fell into silence and managed to step back from her sister, Rem took the chance to introduce herself to the audience in the room with an elegant bow.

"Subaru's… caretaker?" Emilia whispered and glanced at the sleeping face of the young man beside her in worry. The half-elf's heart clenched painfully once she realized what Rem's awakening brought upon her and Subaru's relationship. The memories of the boy gazing lovingly and softly at Rem's sleeping face every night before he went to bed played inside of Emilia's mind.

"Subaru… loves Rem too." Emilia whispered while biting her lip in uncertainty. She could recall having a conversation about Subaru's heart and who got to own it had Emilia ever decided to accept him as her beloved. She was always warned by him that a piece of his heart always belonged to the sleeping blue-haired beauty.

Emilia found the need to understand what 'love' truly is as something to be taken as slowly as possible. She wanted to give her best answer to this wonderful boy after all, but she was always sure of one thing… She truly believed that Subaru was the one made for her, the one she wanted to love.

But now this girl she couldn't even remember was finally awake. The shameful feeling of jealousy overwhelmed what she should've been feeling at the moment. Emilia should be jumping in joy with Ram for Rem's curse has been lifted and that an innocent person was able to live free once more.

But all Emilia could think about was how much time Subaru spent by the girl's bedside every night. Her only perception of this Rem was that of someone coming to take Subaru's attention and affection away.

She couldn't even remember if this maid was her friend or not.

The blue-haired girl rose her head up and met someone she wasn't expecting with wide eyes.

"Pardon me… Do I know you?" Crusch questioned sternly as she noticed the newcomer's shocked gaze falling on her.

"Um… Pardon me, Crusch-sama. I didn't mean to gape like that… But the reason for my shock is… " Rem looked reluctant to speak of the last few moments she had been awake and how the duchess infront of her was bleeding on the road behind her during the nightmarish attack.

Crusch's eyes widened in understanding. Recalling who this girl was from a few memories left after her amnesiac self. Remembering that she hosted the girl inside of her manor for treatment because she displayed the same symptoms of Gluttony's curse.

"You were present during th- ACK!"

[CLICK!]

Before Crusch could continue her sentence, a loud clicking sound filled the entire theater. The effects quickly making everyone hold their heads in agony for a moment, before disappearing as soon as it came.

"Tha hell was that?!" Garfiel shouted in fury, not liking his brain being pinched one bit. Looking around the room with his fists clenched, ready to bounce on the first suspect he sees, the boy's emerald eyes were drawn towards the stunned looking maid. He didn't know why… but something was drawing him to gaze at her… slowly… He could feel something very far away trickling into his mind… As if he was feeling the sensation of some liquid being poured all over his head… Like a bath only he got to experience while fully in his clothes.

Softly…

He opened his eyes… Garfiel's jaw fell…

"H-Holy crap! Rem!" The blonde tigerboy shouted as his eyes filled up with shocked tears.

Emilia and Crusch slowly rose their heads up to look back at the extremely confused maid. Their eyes filling up with horrified understanding.

Roswaal slowly smiled as both of his eyes filled up with real happiness for a second.

Everyone sitting in the room had experienced the same thing. The shower of invisible liquid.

The return of Rem's existence has been finalized. Their minds quickly played every memory, every blank, every empty piece filled up with the blue-haired Oni maid's correct placement within them.

Garfiel struggled to stay standing as he remembered all of the times he and the blue-haired maid interacted through her visits to the Sanctuary. The shaking boy could only stare at her in disbelief before moving toward her.

Once Rem noticed him walking towards her, her eyes widened in shocked recognition. Unable to believe that the stubborn tiger finally left his cage.

"Garfiel-kun?! You left the Sanctuary?!"

The tigerboy nodded his head and looked at the maid with a somber look. "Rem…" The boy gritted his teeth in frustration, unable to look her in the eyes.

Rem waited patiently with rapid bewilderment as this turn of events never would've crossed her imagination.

"I'm sorry… I forgot about ya … All of us forgot who ya wer'."

The maid's eyes widened in rapid confusion. Slowly, Rem turned to her still crying sister with a pleading look.

Ram slowly wiped her tear streams and regained a bit of calm as she explained through a hoarse voice.

"You've been attacked by the Gluttony Archbishop before you and Crusch-sama's wounded could reach the capitol. That bastard managed to best you and Lady Karsten in battle."

Rem nodded her head and looked back at the duchess, she was staring at Rem with an expression akin to gratitude and pity mixed into one.

The maid gave her a nod and turned back towards her sister. "Yes, nee-sama. That's correct. Gluttony attacked with an ally and managed to wound lady Crusch into unconsciousness. I did the best I could to force her bleeding to stop and moved to protect her body from those monsters." Rem scowled deeply as she remembered the sight of the two disgusting cultists.

Her sister had her eyes narrowed to glare after Rem admitted that she was facing off powerful enemies on her own but she continued to explain.

"It seemed that… you fell victim to Gluttony too." Ram stayed silent for a moment to monitor her sister's expression.

Which was a slack-jawed stare.

"Wha..?!"

"You were defeated by Gluttony after he used his authority upon you… which lead to a really unfortunate turn of events."

Gulping, Rem stared at her sister with worry. Her heart beating heavily as the implication that she might have died settled inside her mind.

"Wh-what happened to me sister?"

"…"

"…"

"Your existence was erased from the world's memory. Making you null inside of everybody's thoughts and recollections. Every achievement and item you've owned were either gone or moved to someone else."

Rem's shock reached her core as a phantom feeling of pain and misery filled her heart at her sister's words.

"You were removed from everyone's minds. No one knew who you were. Gluttony's power made you fall into a state of sleep akin to a coma. You turned out to be one of many victims, forgotten and inactive, left to die with no one to remember them."

Ram looked at the ground with her shame covering her entire form.

The blue-haired Oni held her hands together as her entire body trembled in place, shaking from the agony and horror that were placed in here from hearing that implication.

"Y-You didn't let me live like that… Right?" Rem asked whimperingly, with a pleading look that screamed her despair.

A fiery lady from the back snorted while watching the display.

Ram softly grimaced as she gave her pleading sister nothing but her silence.

"S-Sister?" Rem asked once again, stepping closer to her twin, her eyes filling up with tears of disbelief. Wanting nothing more than reassurance that at the very least, her beloved sister held on to her unworthy existence.

Ram gave nothing but silence.

Rem slowly backed away, her eyes blurry from the painful truth. Her loving sister, the one person she respected and loved most… had forgotten about her. But as the despair filled the small girl's heart… the thought of someone else entered her mind… Someone she also cherished very much… A person she wanted to die for…

Her heart beating heavily, her tears soaking her cheeks. Rem turned around and looked at the sleeping boy settled at the very front of the room.

Shaking, Rem whimpered in a whisper… "Did… Did he… "

"He didn't."

Rem's blue-eyes widened immediately. Her head turning to face her silent guilty-looking sister. An expression of pure disbelief and hope suddenly showing her face.

Ram flinched softly but kept her head down as she spoke. She needed her sister to know that she wasn't alone during that coma. She cared for her very deeply… but Ram understood that she wasn't the one who saved Rem. And she wasn't the one who helped her little sister.

But she also understood the need for her sister to know this. To know that someone was still beside her.

"Barusu… was the only one in the entire world that could still remember who you were."

Rem's eyes shed tears of pure joy as she gazed at her twin with a slackened jaw. Softly, her heart fluttered in her chest as she spoke. "S-Subaru-kun? He was still able to remember me?"

Ram nodded her head, noting the slight happiness in her sister's tone. "Barusu somehow had the ability to keep the memories Gluttony erased. He kept you by his side and explained who you were to everyone."

The blue-haired Oni could only tremble in place with an expression of pure joy and relief. The boy she loved so much was still able to remember her existence and name. He kept protecting her even when she was useless. The thought of him struggling for her was painful and yet somehow euphoric at the same time. Her heart complicated and her lungs burning in emotionally induced pain, Rem noticed how her sister's eyes began leaking tears once again.

Acting on impulse, Rem immediately hugged her guilt-ridden sister as tightly as she could. Giving her whatever she needed of affection. "Sister shouldn't feel guilty for forgetting Rem. You're already amazing enough to feel guilty for her." The Oni spoke softly to her trembling sister.

Garfiel and Otto looked at the two in sympathy while Felt shook her head in pity. All of them were watching the scene between the two with heavy hearts and amused looks.

The knights present all respectfully looked away from the two, unable to watch such a tender moment for they were not worthy of it. They couldn't keep these two subjects protected.

As Ram calmed down, swimming in her sister's warmth for a moment longer, before pulling back and dropping in her seat beside an amused clown lord. The emotional toll of that scene exhausted her enough to paralyze her weak body.

Rem quickly wiped the few tears streaming down her cheeks and held her head high with a joyous smile, her heart beating in excitement and hope as she turned around to face her objective.

Garfiel and Otto unconsciously stepped out of the maid's way as she whimsically stepped down the rows of seats until she reached the bottom level. Where a certain dear person was seated in a sleeping form on one of the chairs.

Softly stepping towards the black-haired young man with a smile filled with affection and warmth, Rem did not forget to greet her superiors.

Giving a polite bow, Rem humbly greeted the bored-looking great spirit and the overwhelmed looking silver-haired beauty. Each sitting at one side from the sleeping boy.

"Emilia-sama, Beatrice-sama, pardon my bold action to come here. I hope you're both in good health."

Beatrice simply looked away from the maid in disinterest while hooking her fingers with her contractor.

The silver-haired lady beside her had much to say, however. Emilia softly gazed at Rem, trying to form words that might show her guilt and need for forgiveness.

"Rem-rin… I'm so sorry… I don't know what to say…"

"There's no need, Emilia-sama. I've been blessed enough to learn how much my hero has fought for me. I can't blame anyone of you for a power that you don't control."

Emilia couldn't believe the amount of kindness Rem was showing her. The guilt and shame drove her to think of an entirely different scenario than what was happening now. The relief of this change happening brought a small smile to Emilia's face.

"I'm glad you're finally cured, Rem-rin. Subaru has been worried about you the whole time since you've been found. He worked reeeeally hard to make sure everyone knew you." Emilia assured the maid with a happy smile.

The Oni girl seemed to brighten her expression at this affirmation as her gaze fell back on the innocent sleeping face of her hero.

"Rem's hero is always working so hard for her, for everyone, he just wants everybody to be happy."

At the maid's soft-spoken words, almost all of the Emilia camp members (minus Roswaal and Ram.) all looked stricken by them. As if they all were hit by a sense of nostalgia.

"Sounds like a description of big bro alright." Felt snorted in amusement as she and her knight smiled towards the boy fondly.

Emilia and Beako both also smiled softly at the boy in question, remembering the many times he had worked tirelessly and almost near death just to save them or to make them smile.

"He's an idiot, I suppose." Beatrice said with a soft smile.

"Mmmhmmm." Emilia nodded her head as a beautiful perk of her lips was aimed towards the brave boy. Finding herself relaxed by staring at his sleeping face.

Rem had more questions to ask but a sudden speaker decided to cut in.

"Now that you've been acquainted once again, let us return to the matter at hand, ya?"

Looking up, Rem found herself the target of many stares and looks. The Oni bowed her head respectfully to the speaker who was revealed to be one of the candidates that were to take the throne.

Seeing the polite gesture, Anastasia took her chance to lead the discussions by clapping her hands together and smiling cheerfully towards the occupants of the room, her green eyes shining with merit and hidden intent as always.

"I've been holding off on saying anything till now since everyone was yet to arrive here. It looks like the lights stopped 'napping people up. So, it should be alright to speak with you all."

"What would we talk about? We don't even know why we are here." The one-armed man wearing a black helmet snorted from his seat while glancing at the large window overhanging the room.

"Do intend to find a way out of this place?" Crusch mused from her place while staring at the merchant with clear mistrust.

Anastasia met her with a sly smile. "Course I am! I don't have time for staying in such a place. I have a race to win and a country to turn ova' if you couldn't tell~." The merchant mocked while rubbing her scarf smoothly.

"Hm, a commoner thinking she has the right to speak of a position meant for a goddess above her own heaven." A rich high-toned voice spoke from the back seat of the room. An amused looking lady with scarlet eyes watching the entire scene with belittlement.

"Oh~ and lady Barielle finally joins the discussion! I thought you were going to stay silent while the true working class does all the work so that you could protect your pwetty nails~" Anastasia smoothly deflected the noble lady's words with her own belittling.

But it seemed that the royal dressed lady found them more amusing than challenge worthy. "Fufufu~! Why would I lift a finger when the world is turning for my amusement?"

Many in the room looked at the lady with annoyance and disgust.

"What a cunt." The brash little blonde growled in hatred as her scarlet-eyes honed in on the noble.

The tension around the Emilia camp grew as Anastasia, Felt, and Priscilla looked to be upon each other's throats. Crusch and her knights reserved taking a back seat as did Roswaal and Ram. Emilia looked on at the situation with worry filling her expression as she didn't know when she was to intervene.

Beatrice didn't care for any of this fuss so she just sat back down while the camps behind her argued.

Otto and Garfiel also sat down beside the spirit girl. Otto looked around thoughtfully as he inspected the room for any weakness or escape holes.

Garfiel had already done that, finding nothing and doubtful of his punches ever managing to break the wall… He kind of tried to break the wall actually while Rem was speaking with Emilia… It backfired badly.

The only one left standing was the worried and confused Rem, looking at the camps arguing with a shocked expression.

"So… you all have been kidnapped to this place? Even Roswaal-sama? And The Sword Saint?" Rem asked in shock as she looked around her at all of the powerful people present. The thought that someone managed to bring them all to one place and trapped them sent shivers down her small body.

"It would be better if you sit down, I suppose."

Rem looked back at the small elegant dress-wearing loli sitting beside Subaru in surprise. Beatrice simply stared boringly at the maid, not showing any interest in a conversation as she ordered.

Rem nodded her head reluctantly and bowed to the great spirit. The question of why this shut-in loli was suddenly closer to her hero was something she was dying to ask.

The Oni girl slowly stepped around the front row and took a seat in the one behind it. Making her directly behind Subaru and Emilia. This was the closest seat to her hero since both his sides already had worried girls sitting in them.

As the arguing built up behind her, Rem tried to take her mind off of the shouting by staring at them strangely calming screen infront of her.

But then…

Something shocking started to happen.

"Look!" A small girl with cat ears shouted, pointing at the giant window on the wall.

Emilia and the other candidates all turned to the window on the wall in confusion.

Their eyes collectively widened in astonishment.

"What the hell?!" Al growled out from beneath his helmet as he stared at the screen in shock along with his lady.

Roswaal widened his eyes and lean in with interest.

Everyone laid their eyes on the dimly lit up window as it began to change suddenly as if a vision inside of it was playing. Colors and shapes all mixed up and reverted inside of the giant square shape.

And then the image of a grassy green field was paused on the screen.

The screen showed what appeared to be a young man, standing in the middle of said field.

"Who's that?" Julius asked, a feeling of prohibition and caution filling him as he narrowed his sharp eyes at the image of the faraway person.

The window seemed to inch closer and closer towards the figure of the young man… Who was revealed to be…

"Subaru-kun?"

"Subaru?"

Emilia and Rem gasped suddenly as they looked on. Everyone watching the vision stared back at the sleeping young man in puzzlement as they watched.

"So it was truly Subaru-sama they were focused on." Crusch mused as she glared at the closing-in image of the young man.

Everyone's eyes widened as a shivering, broken, hoarse-sounding voice spoke through the window.

"How long are you going to fight for them?" The voice questioned through the window, the voice unsettling almost every person in the room.

"What the hell is happenin'?" Garfiel growled out as he watched the window zooming in on his captain's standing form.

"Who was that?!" Otto asked with his eyes wide with concern for Subaru, not liking this frighting position he was in at all.

"How long are you willing… to endure this pain?" Subaru was shown bleeding all over. As he fell on his knees with his head hung low, a small grunt of pain  escaping his bloodied lip. Wounds and cuts are shown all over his tracksuit.

The knights and candidates started watching with alarmed looks and expressions as they noticed how dire the situation was for the boy on the screen.

"Subaru!" Emilia called out in panic, her amethyst eyes filled with horror and fear for the boy. Holding a hand to her chest as her heartbeat increased heavily.

"Natsuki Subaru…"  The voice blew out with a chuckle as some shadow towered over the black-haired young man.  " Y ou  were a most disgusting prey." The amused tone coming from the speaker filled the room as something towered over Subaru's exhausted kneeling form.

"What is it we are seeing?" Reinhard spoke with an expression of disturbance and anger for seeing his friend in such a position.

"This must be some sort of vision." Julius replied to his friend as he too held an expression of calmed anger and a bit of worry for the young man on the screen.

"A vision of what?! Who's doing this to Subaru-kun?!" Rem growled as her eyes shone her hatred towards the demon speaking down towards her hero.

"Of the future perhaps?" Crusch answered the maid with her eyes analyzing every inch of the scene playing before her. Her heart beating heavily for the safety of the boy although she knew a losing battle when she sees one. With his wounds and his enemy's smug tone… Subaru had already lost this battle.

But the duchess bit her lip and watched with an anger building so swiftly as she already prepared herself to oath revenge against whoever was doing this.

"You were so useless!" The voice broke into maddened laughter as the shadow towering over Subaru trembled in place. Indicating that whoever was laughing was the person standing over Subaru's form and their shadow was shown on the screen.

The window finally moved away from Subaru's form…

Showing a plethora of bleeding corpses and bodies l i ttered all around the kneeling boy.

Everyone's eyes widened at the sight, some were so horrified they had to look away.

"Is-is that…?!" Reinhard uttered with his face twisted in shock as he noticed the body of a small blonde girl amongst the ones around Subaru… Felt.

"That's…" Emilia muttered softly as she watched the scene in disbelief. She was dead… Her corpse was right behind Subaru…

The half-elf trembled in fear.

One by one their bodies were shown all around him. Bleeding, cut, wounded, brutalized.

Candidates and their knights, villagers and their kids, smaller noblemen and women.

All of them filled up the entire field, grass turning red as the masses of corpses bled.

"What?!" Garfiel shouted with his eyes wide and body completely falling limp at the shocking sight.

Rem and Emilia gasped with tears filling their eyes at the image.

Al quickly noticed his lady's body amongst them and bit his lip in anger.

Reinhard and Julius quickly moved to analyze every aspect of the scene to see if this was a reality that might come.

"This must be an apparition! There is no way such a monster exists!" Julius shouted in disgust as he noticed his entire camp along with Ana and himself, dead on the ground.

He wouldn't have failed to save her! He was the greatest knight!

"Crusch-sama!" Felix shouted in outrage as he noticed his own corpse hunched over someone with green colored hair.

Someone that had been cut in half from the legs up.

It was clearly his lady.

The duchess herself found it appropriate to intensify her glare to relieve some of her boiling rage.

"What could possibly be strong enough to cause such massacre?!" The aristocratic leader growled while slamming her fist on her armrest.

As the cast watched, the shadow began to move over towards Subaru on the screen.

"Subaru-kun, run!" Rem shouted in despair, unable to tell if the scene was real or not from how horrifying it was. She had never seen this much blood in her life.

The entity strode forward before the window, standing right over the hunched boy.

A black covered entity with glowing red eyes, two very large horns on each in of its forehead. It was all just black. Darkness covered this being completely.

And it leaned down over Subaru's trembling wounded body.

"Hahahahahaheheehehheeeeee~" The entity laughed in a voice so distorted that it might as well have been both a male's voice or a woman's since the vocals changed with every syllable.

Demonic. That's how it sounded.

" You were so worthless, Subaru-kun! "  The demon mocked in a spiteful tone as it quickly grasped his hair between its fingers.

"S-Stop! Stop it, I suppose!" Beatrice completely lost all of her composure as she witnessed the terrifying shape of this character before her. Her mind concluded that she was also infact one of the dead but her body was nowhere to be seen since she was a spirit that couldn't leave a body behind after her death. She could see that this Subaru was struggling from gate poison already since she was there with him.

Her fear of seeing her contractor die by this freak forced tears of anguish to fill up her eyes.

"What is this thing…?!" Wilhelm spoke in a serious tone. His blue irises honing in onto the monster and his teeth grinding behind his lips. Wanting to save the boy but also seeing his own corpse behind the monster on the screen.

The cast watched in confusion and disbelief.

T he monster quickly forced the boy up by pulling his hair with its claws and swiftly delivered a kick to Subaru's stomach that sent the boy rocketing away as if he was hit by a speeding cart.

A s the boy rolled and screamed in agony for his body was twisted and broken from how many times he impacted the ground as he rolled, the monster quickly appeared before Subaru's broken crying form.

" You are so weak! I can't believe you've caused us this much trouble… Subaru-kun~~! "  The demon mocked once more as he posed over the boy's bleeding body.

"Stop! Please stop!" Emilia shouted as she watched the horrific scene with tearful eyes. Not being able to take seeing the boy she cared for getting tortured like this.

All of the knights glared with pure hatred as they understood how cruel this monster was. He was able to send the boy flying with a simple kick. Subaru wasn't a threat to him. He was a toy.

"Just what does this mean?" Anastasia muttered softly while she watched with a serious expression present on her face. Thinking of a way to use this vision for any kind of information or data she could gather. If this was a future event or a past one that was changed somehow. Or if this was a dream the boy was having while he was asleep.

The blonde tiger-blooded young man was growling and biting his teeth in constant form as he stopped himself from jumping straight at the window in hopes of ending up inside and teaching that bastard a lesson.

"Hm, looks like the boy is done for…" Priscilla mused while watching the screen with interest. Her eyes showing that she was not at all bothered by this. Just interested.

T he Black Demon swiftly placed his hands on both of Subaru's shoulders, aiming to make the boy stare into his scarlet glowing eyes. But Subaru kept his head down as he gasped in pain from his body being forced into such a position while it was so broken and beaten up.

He was still bleeding from many of his wounds so his shattered bones didn't help at all.

The scream like voice of the black entity  sounded once more, as its face was mouthless.  " All of them… Allll of them! They all died because of your incompetence, Subaru-kun~! "

Otto could only grit his teeth and keep the tears in as he watched the horror show before him. His belief that his friend could easily fix any situation breaking with how bleak things seemed to be in here.

"What is this being? Why is it so fixated on torturing Barusu?!" Ram voiced out in surprising shock as she understood the slim chances this poor kid had against such a beast. Her anger flaring to its highest after she noticed her own body alongside many of her colleagues maids and butlers amongst those Subaru rolled over.

T he darkened entity found it amusing to start pulling on the boy's hair and moving his down-turned head as they pleased.

" You are so useless~! "  Singing, the monster mocked as it forced the boy to the floor once more with another kick. This time a single push with no super strength.

Subaru grunted and struggled to breathe through his broken ribs planting themselves into his lungs.

His face was still not shown on the screen. Just a shot of his crushed chest as he bled and failed to breathe.

"BAASTAAARRRDDDD!" Garfiel shouted demonically as he bled from each fist from how hard he clenched them. Seeing his own captain getting this beaten and tortured made him feel so useless and broken as a shield.

Rem moved closer towards the boy, her expression one of deep hatred as she watched the monster kill him. Her rage making her horn slightly come out as she glared at the screen with tear-filled eyes.

"Subaru-kun!"

"Subaru!"

Emilia and Rem screamed after the kick as they leaned closer towards their sleeping black-haired young man, finding comfort in his presence while watching his on-screen self getting broken inhumanely by this demon.

"A child that keeps running because he dares not look back. Afraid of his own mistakes. Committing sin after sin with nothing but failure to show for it."  The figure of pure black leaned down to meet Subaru's eyes. A dark, twisted, abhorrent smirk showing through the faceless facade. As if his dark mask opened just so this entity could show how much joy it was having by seeing this boy wither in pain.

"You're not a hero."  The demon growled hatefully.

"You barely even qualify as a person, Sage." It mocked once more with a happy tone.

"What does he mean by sage?" A short cat-eared boy that looked like his short twin spoke out with his expression darkening at the creature on screen.

Beatrice managed to keep herself from sobbing as she understood why all of this was happening to her contractor. It was because of his connection to the sage.

"I don't know…" Anastasia mused with a stern expression, obviously disturbed by the events showing but still able to set her feelings aside to keep a straight head.

Roswaal's eyes narrowed heavily as he watched the crowds pondering the question. His eyes wandered back towards the screen. "Why won't you turn back I wonder? Hmmm… was this a future that forced you to lose that ability?" The magi shook his head in disappointment. "What a shameful way to lose a precious power." He growled as he glared with hate and animosity towards the dying Subaru on the screen.

Emilia could only hold her hands on her mouth to keep her sobs from coming out as she watched her knight get abused and insulted by this beast. Wanting nothing but to jump in and cast a healing spell to save him… and maybe a few ice flowers blasting into the demon's chest for punishment. But all she could do was watch helplessly.

Everyone watched the next event with pure awe written on all of their faces.

The bleeding young man slowly sat himself up, not caring for any of the many cracking sounds his bones were uttering as he moved through the pain .  His face drenched with blood and mud he managed to lift it just enough to stare at the monster with the most rage-fueled, hate-filled glare he could compose. Using his nasty sharp eyes to their maximum potential.

H is brown irises almost glimmering in red as he met the demon entity right back into its scarlet ones.

Determination.

Everyone was scared of how Subaru looked at the man. Despite how powerless the boy was. Those eyes were unmatched in sharpness. Although never directed towards them. This will be the first of many times they see that glare.

"Big bro is looking scary." Felt was in awe as she saw the amazing will Subaru had to stand against the demon in front of him and glared right back. Wounds in all.

Garfiel and Otto stared slack-jawed at their brother's bravery or idiocy.

Emilia and Beatrice were both in shock at how bravely their beloved idiot was standing against the demon. Their hearts clenching in worry that his efforts might not help him anyway.

Julius shook his head softly, his lips trembling in rage. He understood what this boy will do. Something very stupid. That look only came about once a person had nothing to lose and wanted to make one last move that would surely end them as it achieved victory. He was willing to let things go but this idiotic habit he could not forget from the boy's first impression. Julius was most acquainted by Subaru's impulsivity after all.

"What will you do, Subaru?" Crusch leaned in to watch. Her eyes narrowing in disappointment as she understood that he was about to do something very reminiscent of the word 'final'.

"How will you get out of this… if at all?" The duchess soundlessly asked as the screen zoomed on Subaru's hateful expression.

Facing down the demon before him, not caring for every broken bone or open wound across his body, Subaru's chilling dark voice filled the theater.

"No matter what it takes..." Subaru spoke. He picked up a small dagger that was laying beside him and glared back at the towering black Demon.

"What's that going to do?" Priscilla snorted haughtily at the cringe-inducing display infront of her. A pathetic useless boy acting brave as if he will make a difference with a small puny dagger. "How pathetic indeed." The fiery, uninterested lady spat in disgust as she fanned herself.

"Don't talk about Subaru-kun like that!" Rem shouted at the lady, forgetting her placement before the candidate.

A snort came from a surprisingly angry-looking Anastasia. "She's kinda right tho… What's he doing with that puny thing? It's a stupid way to die if ya ask me." The merchant rubbed her scarf with an angry glared aimed at the screen. Not happy that her death would be for nothing as this stupid boy stood as the last man against this beast… and he was giving up his life like this for nothing.

"Oi!" Garfiel's already blood-red glaring eyes were narrowed into slits as he turned towards the merchant queen threateningly. "Don't eve' talk about my Cap'n like tha'!"

The elegant purple-haired young man sitting beside the threatened girl narrowed his eyes dangerously as his nerves were already sparking from watching Subaru's stupid sacrifice and his own inability to jump in and help the boy.

Julius brought his chest forward and spoke clearly so that this runt could hear him.

"Know your place and who you talk to, impish fool! This is the future queen of our king-"

"I don't care who she may be, pal! She doesn't talk tough shi' and we're all gonna be happy!"

As Garfiel and Julius glared at one another, the cast around them gave expressions of shock and rigid silence.

Julius and Anastasia swiftly looked at the source of the shock, only to find themselves falling into the same sense of disbelief and confusion at the horrifying sight.

Garfiel was baffled by the change of mood and quickly pranced around to see what was happening to his capta-.

"OI!" The boy shouted in shock and outrage, his face twisting to one of despair and lost hope.

"Oi, Oi, Oi, OI, NOOOOOOOO!"

As the blonde kid screamed in anguish, Emilia's horrified tears finally fell down her cheeks as she stared at the screen with a frozen expression. The sight completely breaking her.

"Why…" The half-elf whispered hoarsely while Beatrice and Rem looked on with their hearts breaking.

"Natsuki?!" Crusch shouted as her face settled onto one of pure surprise.

On-screen, Subaru had stabbed himself in the neck with the dagger. He remained standing and glaring at the ever smirking demon.

" I swear…

I will…

defeat you."

A s his eyes closed... darkness overtook him.

Subaru  finally  died.

"What the hell was that?!" Felt shouted in horror as her eyes were full of tears at the sight she had seen.

"Why would he… kill himself..?!" Felix asked as he kept staring at the darkened screen with a traumatized expression. Unable to handle any of the events shown. From the gore, the horror, the disbelief, the fear and absurdity of Subaru's actions.

Otto slowly trembled as his eyes fell towards the floor of the theater, his heart beating heavily and his tears spelling for the crushing sight he had witnessed.

What they all watched was so shocking their cores were almost misplaced.

"Subaru, why…" The silver-haired lady stopped her muttering and swiftly took her chance to engulf the sleeping form of the boy in a tight hug. Her compassion and love showing for him as she held cried while smothering her face into his jacket. Feeling nothing but his warmth and his constant heartbeats. Feeling his life as she touched him.

He was alive.

He was nowhere near that illusion. That fake dream. That nothing.

It was nothing to worry about. Her Subaru was right here, safe and sound.

A voice sounded across the theater from the giant window above the cast.

The voice of a man, speaking clearly and smoothly so that all could hear him.

This story you're going to see...

Is the story of the one who has fought hell itself to save you.

Everyone managed to obscure their shock for a moment as they mulled over the stranger's words.

Confusion. Anger. Bewilderment. Puzzlement. Pure sadness. Despair.

"Watch… his story?" Emilia cleared her eyes of tears and kept her arms wrapped around her knight as she faced the darkened screen with confusion.

"Why is it making us see this, I suppose?" Beatrice sobbed and kept hugging her contractor's arm with all of her might. Not wanting to see him hurt or worse see him reach death once again.

The sight of the boy killing himself so easily and willingly never could've left both girls less heartbroken as it did at this moment.

Other than those completely left distraught for the boy's vision, there were some skeptics.

With a snort, Anastasia calmed her nerves by rubbing her scarf. Moving her thoughts away from the sentiments and towards the necessary questions.

"How could someone save us if he will die anyway? I couldn't help but notice the small pinch in the boy's plan… the fact that he killed himself! " Many flinched at Anastasia's snarky tone as if almost challenging the events and words coming from the screen. Her anger slightly showing as she aimed her spite at Subaru's weakness.

"I don't see how he will save us as you say. Didn't he kill himself?" The merchant urged smoothly and a little more diplomatically towards the screen as she remembered who she was talking to.

"Hmph! What a farce this is! I want to return to mine carriage this instant." A fiery-headed lady demanded in disgust, seeing this entire charade useless and petty for the likes of her divinity.

But others didn't share her sentiment at all. They were all left in shock at the scenes and visions played on the window. They couldn't help but let curiosity overwhelm them. What was so special about this boy? Why was he called sage? Was he related to the legend? The monster? The entire event? The bodies? Subaru's suicide and his strange belief that he got a jump on the beast via his death?

Everyone was confused, some were angry, a few heartbroken. But, they all agreed that this place was not going to let them leave before showing them something important.

A stern tainted voice spoke out as Priscilla moved to attack a wall with her power.

"Your body was among those around Natsuki-sama. I'd advise that you watch this apparition and learn from it.

Priscilla laughed and looked down at the noble-looking Crusch with a look of pure disdain.

"Calling him 'sama' now? You've been charmed by a mere common fool that brought nothing but shame and humiliation on his own master. A filthy dog that killed himself because he didn't want to face a monster."

Priscilla leaned down to growl dangerously at the silent and calm Crusch.

"I would rather be dead than be saved by such a weakling." Priscilla sat down and smirked at all the glares she got.

Crusch simply met the nasty taunts from her contender with a small snort as her face fell into a beautiful knowing smirk.

"Natsuki-sama has a habit of surprising those who doubt him." The duchess spoke confidently and even a little fondly.

"Oh? you believe he had a plan when fighting that monster?"

Crusch turned to the curious Anastasia with apprehensiveness.

"Didn't you see how confident he looked? He wouldn't swear to stop that demon just to kill himself afterward." As the duchess defended she couldn't believe one of her own coming to argue with her on this first.

"But the wound looked real, Crusch-sama." Felix gave his expert opinion. He appeared to be angry for some reason.

Those in the Camp closer to the boy had their heads low as they thought about all the memories they had shared with him. They saw their innermost member die. Illusion or not, the thought alone was hard to swallow.

They were having none of these talks. Not one of them wanted to acknowledge anything less they might fall into tears once more.

Otto was so angry that his best friend was facing something like that on his own. After all, Subaru should know by now that he can rely on others. He wanted to get up and punch him square in the jaw to knock him back to his senses.

Garfiel was so scared and shaken by the death he saw on screen. His inability to instantly jump into action and save his captain. The idea of failing as Subaru's shield tormented him.

Beatrice simply held on to her contractor's arm and tried to forget the entire scene from her head. She simply didn't want to have his death as part of her memories with him.

The Oni maid simply kept her head down and her hands gripped her skirt as she didn't want her tears to be seen.

The heartbroken Emilia looked up from Subaru's chest and found the window above her changing once again.

The screen moved through shapes and uncountable colors breezing as if playing a flashback…

It was finally loading again.

"This is your story, isn't it Subaru-kun?" Roswaal looked on with an unreadable expression. His tone filled with excitement and complete pleasure.

"Who would've known… Your power's way of activation is truly cruel…" The clown mused with his lips falling into a deeply satisfied smirk. As if he found out about a secret so valuable it might have taken a life to obtain it. His life.

"Now if this is truly the way you go about doing the loop… What would it take to finally break your frustrating will?" The clown let his smirk grow wider as he finally found a chance of doing things his own way without the gospels presence or his servitude towards a useless half-elf being demanded from a soul-binding contract.

As everyone had their eyes on the ever loading screen, the stranger's voice filled the room once more.

"It's time for the beginning of this arrogant weakling child's story to be displayed before those for whom he suffered the most."

The silence in the big room was overwhelming as all listened and looked on at the ever-changing window.

"Natsuki Subaru, the self-proclaimed knight."

Anastasia and Priscilla snorted at the title shown on the screen as they remembered the royal humiliation he was subjugated to.

Julius looked down a bit, an action noticed by his red-haired friend.

Those in the Emilia camp were confused as to why people were laughing at the title. They saw Emilia looking downtrodden, filled with guilt. It began to set in that this was no mere illusion.

" First arc. Begin."

The multiple Camps competing in the royal selection watched the supposed story of the self-proclaimed knight. Some with bewilderment, some with excitement, and some with fear of what they will see.

Others found it either amusing, boring, or possibly insightful to see what was so special about this boy.

And to each and every single one of them…

Only horror and despair awaited.

Episode One... Arc 1's...Intro.

Start.

I hope you all enjoy this story with all its faults and cringe jokes I make in it.

This story will have each episode written in full with every chapter.

Enjoy.

Hey all! Mohamed here.

I've had the pleasure of reading all of your messages for the past 2 weeks and I've found myself inspired to carry on with this story. I have a more in-depth message talking about this but that will be placed at the end of chapter 15… which will be coming soon… :)

I've seriously fallen out of love with this story but reading your words made me decide to do something I normally would've never done.

Chapters 1-14 of Watching Him Die Again and Again will be reworked. More reactions, better detail, grammar, and spelling fixes, as well as the removal of cringe-inducing jokes.

I want to make this story better and I've been blessed with a truly awesome community that helped me build my confidence back up.

Thank you, guys. For every reader that waited patiently for this story's continuation, and my few writer buddies that took hours out of their day to beta my stuff. Thank you.

I would also like to announce something special I've been working on for a week or so.

I've started a discord server! For writers and readers alike to come in and share their thoughts and ideas.

Whatever it is you're writing, even if it's not rezero, you can promote on this server however you like. I know that it seems messy to invite everyone into this server but I want this community to communicate much more easily other than messy dms and story comments.

Your wonderful comments and messages made me believe that there are sides to this reader base I haven't explored properly and I wish to do so with all of my heart.

If you want to join in, please click the link below. If it's broken then please check out my Reddit. You can find me under the name: mohamedasemabas.

You'll find my discord server's link on my bio.

https:// discord.gg/ ytyVcNk9Tf

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Ep 1 Directors cut

The screen's flashing lights illuminated the theater as it flashed some very ominous and preferable visions and imagery with great speed. Seeing that nothing can be understood from these blurry images playing before them, many of the worried cast began questioning their predicament.

"Man, this kid always seems to have trouble coming for 'em, huh?" A feisty-looking dogman said humorously while grinning, trying to lighten the mood. Although, a few didn't find the joke as funny as he hoped.

Sharp teeth grounded as emerald-colored irises flashed towards the bulky beast-human. "Don' talk as if this is Cap'n's fault, ya hear?!"

"Whoa! Calm down, fella! I didn't intend to insult yer friend in any way!" Ricardo held his hands up nervously and apologized patiently. The need for calm and persistence flowing over his pride. He could see the rage in the blonde kid's eyes. The worry and confusion were also clear as day all over the agitated scarred face of the boy.

Ricardo also noticed that it wasn't just the boy who looked stricken from the previous events played on the strange window. Almost the entire camp surrounding the sleeping black-haired youth was distraught about the events.

Many in the theater were placed in a position of utter confusion at what they had witnessed. None more, than the few people sitting around the unconscious black-haired young man.

"What is this, I suppose?! It doesn't make sense for Betty to be missing from such an event, in fact!" The small blonde drill-haired girl shouted her rage and confusion as she held on to the boy's arm tightly. An expression of panic and fear etched on her childish face. The memory of what her contractor had to endure alone while everyone he cared for was dead around him was the worst… but that scene of him stabbing himself… It was downright haunting.

The small spirit never felt this scared in all of her miserable years of existence. The gore and horror committed against her Subaru was more than enough to bring her to tears. She would never let anyone figure out his connection to the cursed factors. Betty promised that she would be his protector. She would guard him against harm. Whatever that demon was… Betty would be prepared for it when it comes for her Subaru.

"You won't hurt Betty's Subaru again, in fact." The spirit growled dangerously as she burned the image of the demon into her head. The anger boiling within her shared by many of the people clutching her contractor tightly.

None, were as furious as a certain blue-haired maid.

Was this what had become of him after she fell to Gluttony's deceit? Did she fall only to cause horror on the one person she lived to die for?

Rem could only try and calm her breathing as she held her dress tightly. The memory of her love stabbing himself ingrained in her memory…

"Subaru-kun…" The maid whispered as she gazed at his sleeping form from behind. Her placement allowing her to gaze at him but never allowed to touch him or it would look scandalous.

The small Oni maid simply shook her head of the memory and focused on something else for now. Her anger won't do any good here unless she plans to embarrass her gracious lord and her sister before all of these important personalities present.

She was but a maid. She can't dwell on something shown to her by a weird window controlled by the people who kidnapped them to sit here.

She won't believe for a second that her hero suffered such a horrible fate as death with her out of commission.

Even though she was dead beside her own beloved sister… Rem couldn't believe that such a vision might happen.

It couldn't…

"Subaru… " A voice coated like a silver-bell spoke out. "Wake up, Subaru… " The voice begged, heartbreak and disbelief clear in their tone.

A beautiful silver-haired lady with pointy ears was shown speaking to the innocent sleeping young man beside her. Her eyes looking tired and despaired as she gazed down at the boy beside her.

Her tears showing signs of her distress and agitation at the unknown event that had played.

What happened in there? Why would her wonderful knight stab himself for no reason? Why did she let him fight that monster on his own? She wouldn't ever let him face something like that alone! She was… She was dead…

In the vision… her knight was facing a monster, alone, and everyone's corpses around him.

It was cruel. Horrifying. Completely imaginary.

It mustn't be real… She was alive… Her Subaru was alive…

Emilia finally found more courage to hold Subaru's limp hand. Her nervousness and fear almost dissipating immediately upon her fingertips connecting with his warm, loving, and protective grip.

The half-elf smiled for a moment, distress and vision completely forgotten as she took the chance to observe how adorable the boy looked when he was asleep. The warmth and closeness completely erasing the sense of unease and alarm the vision had set.

Her Subaru was happy when he was beside her. She was happy when she was beside him.

There was no way her wonderful knight would ever resort to harming himself like that. He had her and the rest of his friends. But he mainly had her.

It wasn't real. That entire vision was just a piece of imagination. Nothing shown on it was to be believed.

That's what the half-elf had come to as a conclusion.

Her Subaru was alive, happy, and sitting right by her side… as he should be. Emilia's warmth showed through her amethyst eyes as she held her knight's hand, comfortable for his safety.

"This is dumb!" A loud voice of a young girl shouted in frustration.

"Try breaking the wall with both of your fists!"

"I've been tryin' fer a while girly! Leave me alone!"

A blonde ruffed looking young man shouted in agitation as he sat on his seat and held his head in his hands. The expression of anger and confusion settling in.

A smooth, charming speaker moved in to stop an argument from erupting. "Felt-sama, please. I think we should give them all a bit more time to deal with… the tragedy, this vision showed us."

The charming speaker was met with an annoyed huff as the little girl beside him turned away and stomped towards her seat in the back of the row.

"This is lame! It wasn't real anyways! Why should we trust anything this stupid window shows us?" The scarlet-eyed, blonde girl shouted as she hopped down on her seat with a displeased expression clear on her face.

Her red-haired, handsome companion followed her trail and took the seat beside hers. His expression was one of pure contemplation and a hint of upset. Remembering that memory wasn't a pleasant thought, not to him or his lady.

"I've been thinking of all magic users and mythical monsters that might look like that… creature. But I can't remember anything that matches it's description." The royal knight spoke in a disappointed tone, looking down with bluish disappointed eyes.

"You think that vision was a fake, Felt-sama?" A stern lady spoke while looking at the blonde girl piercingly.

Felt glanced up towards the noble green-haired maiden and snorted.

"Yea, nothing in this world could ever kill Rein that easily." At his lady's words, the charming red-headed knight couldn't help but bow his head humbly.

"Your words are far too kind, my lady. But I fear that you have too much faith in me-"

"Yea, yea, you're humble. Shut up."

A helmeted, one-armed man laughed loudly from the very back in amusement at the sight of Felt's annoyance with her knight's humble attitude.

As Reinhard bit his lip in discomfort and worry for his lady's inflated perception of his ability, the girl was already facing the duchess and explaining her reasoning without a care shown.

"This idiot over here is the strongest person alive." Felt stated for the duchess and the crowed listening in with a matter-of-fact tone. "If the monster guy killed Rein then none of us have a chance against 'em."

As the green-haired duchess held her chin in thought, someone else decided to argue the blonde's words.

"Pardon me." A polite, nervous young man spoke with his hat held to his chest as he bowed towards the two ladies from where he stood. "I'm sorry to intrude, Felt-sama, Karsten-sama. But I fail to see how your point disproves the reality we've seen."

Not understanding what this icky looking wimp was saying, Felt decided to glare at him and demand an explanation. "What are ya saying?!"

Flinching at the harshness the lady was showing him, Otto stuttered nervously. "W-What I meant was how you've ignored the rest of this vision… We could learn from it-"

"There's nothing to learn from! It's all fake I tell ya!"

"But… your knight wasn't the only corpse visible…"

And just like that… the mood instantly darkened across the room as Otto let his words fall heavily across the theater. Before the many schemers and players for the ruby throne, he set the mood for a conversation ignored and almost hated.

"Everyone in this room was apparently butchered by this killer… Except for Subaru-dono." An old man with piercing blue-eyes mused thoughtfully and sternly.

The mood darkened even more as everyone remembered how their bodies were shown, cut-open and flung across the grass in a horrid display of decoration. As if the monster was showing off his amusement with their blood.

Reinhard wasn't the only one feeling angry or some sort of upset at his failure and incompetence with stopping the monster. Every knight, fighter, and friend present in the room were all clenching their fists in anger for not being able to protect the ones they swore to defend and shield.

None were as angry as the sharp-teethed blonde boy sitting beside the standing Otto.

"The monster knew him somehow. Why would Subaru-kyun know someone that powerful?" Felix mused from his seat while holding an expression of distrust for a moment.

"You guys seem to have forgotten something important…" Al raised his hand for a moment to gain peoples attention. As eyes fell on him, he began explaining his point. "It doesn't really sit well that we all happen to be in the same location, don't ya think? I mean why would all of us be standing on some random grassy field? It seems like a made thing to me." The one-armed man shrugged and fell silent, concluding his explanation to the crowed.

Many nodded their heads at the logical explanation.

"Hm, I do agreeee that the possibility of us all going out on a picnic and suddenly encountering this beast is highly improooobable." A clown-faced eccentric looking man voiced his agreement while his helpful pink-haired maid gave a curt nod. His smile was mischievous and sinister as he spoke.

A short chuckle came out of the innocent looking lady dressed in a fur coat and wearing a fox-scarf. "I do agree wichya. It is a slim chance for all of these personalities to be present in such a remote location. So that would be reason alone to dismiss what we were shown as a fake vision." As the purple-haired, scheming lady took control of the conversation, she smiled sharply as she tried to pounce on a point of contention she was having. She needed to look as authoritative as possible before her contenders after all.

Leading them out of here would be a huge blow for all their morale.

But she was interrupted by an uncaring blonde lady.

"It's not that ya idiot."

Anastasia slowly turned with a still smile. "Excuse me?" The merchant princess asked sternly, almost growling under her breath.

Felt simply crossed her arms and tapped her boot's toe against the floor in thought. "It's not just the fact that we were all dead on the floor." She ignored how her knight flinched and clenched his fists harder.

Her scarlet eyes slowly wandered towards the unconscious boy at the very front of the room.

A soft, almost adoring look present on her face as she spoke in a reminiscent tone. "I can't believe that big bro would just off himself like that." Felt shook her head in sadness as she remembered the image of the boy's suicide.

"Pardon me." Felt slowly looked up towards the duchess, who was now gazing down with interest and sharp observation. "Did you know Natsuki Subaru from before? You seem close with him since you're calling him a big brother."

Felt gave her green-haired rival for the throne a snort as she leaned on her hip. "Yea, I met the idiot before. He saved my life."

Rem and Garfiel looked at the girl with interest and surprise. Most of the room's audience looked surprised by this revelation.

"Oh, he did?" Crusch sounded her amusement at the boy's heroic antics while hiding her smile by faking a rubbing motion on her chin.

Felt nodded her head and pointed her thumb towards the boy. "Yep, this moron saved me from a really dangerous lady a few months ago. He had the gall to tell me that there was always something to look forward to in life before jumping into danger himself to buy me time for an escape."

Most were enthralled by the tale while others in the room smiled warmly and proudly at the tale told of their black-haired friend and colleague.

"My hero has always been this way…" Rem whispered as she gazed towards the boy.

Otto shook his head in exasperation but held a small smile of relief at his friend's habit of being a hero yet being a dumbass at the same time.

Garfield looked at the girl with a proud smirk and a starry look as he listened to how awesome his captain truly was.

The small loli spirit sitting beside the boy simply huffed and shook her head. A small smile for her contractor's beloved habit of saving those in need could be seen over her lips.

Emilia could only smile softly at the tale, the memory of her first meeting with the boy sending a warm fluffy feeling in her tummy.

"Typical Barusu, hmph! Setting his nonexistent charms on such a young maiden." Ram snorted in what appeared to be intended as disgust but her small smile was too telling of her true feelings on the matter.

"I see. Thank you for telling us this. I do agree that Natsuki-sama wouldn't seem like the type of person to just give up and give his life like that before such a monster." Crusch nodded her head in appreciation and observed the flashing screen before her.

"Yeeeesss, speaking of Natsuki Subaru-" Anastasia tried to take back her control over the conversation with a swift intervention but her mind couldn't have anticipated the next obnoxious speaker cutting her off.

"Hmph! Why is everybody repeating that commoner filth's name as if it was important to this discussion somehow?! All we saw was how much of a cowardly dog he was." A fiery-haired scarlet-eyed lady crossed her legs and fanned her face softly with a red fan while gazing uninterested at the crowds below her. Bored with their squabbling and disgusted with the subject.

At the lady's words, many expressed their displeasure and anger by sending the woman heated glares and snarled lips.

"Excuse me, Priscilla-sama. But I don't appreciate the way you speak of my knight's name." The silver-haired girl swiftly voiced her anger in a stern tone that was equally as matching as her cold expression.

Emilia glared coldly towards the nasty noble lady above, not fearing the glaring fires those scarlet eyes were shooting down towards her.

"You dare tell me how to speak, half-wit scum?" Priscilla snarled loudly as she glared at Emilia in disgust.

Surprising everyone, Emilia glared right back while holding her knight's hand. Her anger amplifying her courage. "I won't have you tarnish my amazing knight's name by calling him a coward. Subaru has always been a hero who puts everyone's happiness above his own. Don't let your words take you somewhere you might regret." As Emilia voiced her obvious threat in a determined voice, many around her nodded their heads in agreement from Rem to Garfiel and Otto to even Felt and Crusch.

Priscilla simply laughed loudly and stared down at Emilia with mirth and amusement clear in her eyes. "The only place I might regret going is near you or letting you kiss my shoe instead of staring at it, half-devil filth. Why don't you stop with the pointless politics and take your knight somewhere far away from us high-folk? You would have a coward for a slave and we would be rid of the both of you." The lady laughed snobbishly as angry scowls filled the faces of those watching the display.

Emilia kept her cold stare firm, her eyes narrowing and her grip tightening around her knight's hand as she faced the nasty noble.

"I don't suppose you've managed a way out of here yet, Barielle?" Crusch offered diplomatically as she glared firmly towards the screen. "It would be wise to stop inciting pointless fighting within your allies since we're all in this prison together."

This made the laughing witch almost fall over. "Fufuf~! You think I'm stuck here with all of you?! How delightfully naive of you my dear stepping stones! The world wants me here for a reason so I shall see it through. But if I truly wanted to leave this place then all I have to do is think it and the world will turn to please my wish." The smug, snobbish, arrogant lady smirked down at the commoners glaring at her and fanned herself in satisfaction.

"What a cunt." Felt snorted dryly while glaring at the nasty woman.

Emilia found herself agreeing with the little girl as she too glared at Priscilla with hatred in her eyes, along with Rem, Garfiel, and Beatrice.

A clap sounded throughout the theater, the richly dressed merchant queen held an annoyed serious expression as she looked around.

"Please keep this conversation focused, we need ta talk about what the screen will sho-"

As Anastasia finally got control of the conversation, her horror and despair could not have come at a better time as she instantly lost grip of the situation once again when a loud, smooth voice, filled the theater.

My apologies for the long wait. I hope you've all been lamenting on the events shown to you.

Everyone in the room made a collective jump to find the suspect speaking to them.

"What was that?!"

"Th' fuck?!"

"Hey, it's in my head! It's in my head!"

"Calm down Mimi!"

Every candidate and knight stared up at the flashing screen, serious and battle-ready expressions showing as they waited for whatever this voice was to reveal itself.

"Show yourself! Why did you do this to Subaru-kun?!" Rem shouted in anger as she moved to grab her morningstar… Only to find nothing in her pockets.

"My morningstar!"

Ah, yes. Your weaponry has been taken from you all. Can't have you kill each other or else this would be for nothing.

Many found it disturbing how they managed to lose sight of their weapons like that. Even Reinhard's dragon sword was taken, which truly terrified the knight of the possibilities.

I promise that your weapons are safe. So please don't think about them too much. And yes, your spirits are also fine and taken care of, please don't fret over them Julius.

The elegant knight only gave a sharp glare in response towards the flashing screen as their captor spoke calmly and smoothly.

"Excuse me!" Anastasia shouted in anger and annoyance as she glared at the screen.

Yes?

"Could you explain what is going on here? I doubt ya would just drag all of us in here and not give us an explanation."

Ah, Anastasia Hoshin. Opportunistic and ready to take advantage as always.

The lady stepped back in shock at the sarcastic tone the voice suddenly took with her. Her knight beside her glaring sharply at the flashing window while standing guard.

I know who you are, yes. I know what powers you hold. I know your secrets and goals.

As the voice spoke through to the audience, many began feeling the sense of suspicion and fear fill them.

I know about your guilt.

Two Oni girls and a redheaded knight stirred up at the screen's words.

I know of your regret.

Julius and Wilhelm clenched their fists as they felt the screen talking towards them. As they both were reminded of the horrible things they've done to people they trusted and cherished.

I know of your true colors

Felix and Al flinched suddenly as if they were struck by a hurtful fact.

I know of your selfishness

Emilia winced and sat back down while holding Subaru's hand in her shaking one.

I know your arrogance.

Priscilla scowled deeply in disgust, biting her lip in fury as she felt the words striking her.

I know your schemes.

Felt and Anastasia were the ones suddenly stricken by the voice's sentences.

I know your crimes.

A clown dressed man with a wide amused smile raised a brow as he felt the words directed at him.

"Oh, this will be interesting~" The magician mused from his seat.

Let me tell you all this…

I don't care.

You can all hype yourselves up however you like.

Make yourselves seem as strong and better fit for leading as possible.

Try your best to contain your disdain for one another and help each other.

I don't care if you do any of this.

You are nothing to me but prisoners.

As the voice hailed upon them these heavy words, many stood still in frozen shock at the person's harsh tone. As if he was annoyed with them.

I am your warden.

The voice announced in a stern tone. Finalizing his position in all of this.

I placed you all here for one reason and only one.

You will all watch the story of one person that affected the very core of this world.

As the voice clarified his position, eyes flickered towards a certain sleeping young man.

Emilia and Rem looked at the boy with surprise and confusion.

"What has Subaru-dono done to earn the ire of such a powerful being?" Wilhelm wondered grimly with a sense of protectiveness overcoming him as he thought of the brave young boy getting hurt.

The modern Sage Candidate.

Subaru Natsuki.

Emilia's knight

and…

her  champion.

Emilia narrowed her brows in confusion and held the hand of her knight tightly. What champion? Why was the her emphasized as if the voice was in pain from speaking about it.

Who was this her?

Why was Subaru her champion?

Emilia's hurt-filled chest forced her to start breathing heavily as ungraceful thoughts filled her head.

"What does this boy have to do with all of us?" Anastasia questioned regally and sternly.

"And when did scum like you decide what a goddess chooses to watch?" Priscilla chimed in with a haughty tone, appearing to talk down towards the screen hovering above her head.

A goddess with no power, influence, or worth in a world she knows so little about.

As Anastasia fumed in anger at being ignored YET again, Priscilla laughed loudly at the screen's retort.

"The world turns in my favo-"

Favor? Yeah. No.

This isn't that world, Barielle-san. Please refrain from doing anything that might disrupt the viewing session.

"Excuse me, why would you show us something like the life of someone else? Why are we seeing Subaru-sama's specifically? And why do you keep calling him a sage candidate?" Crusch sternly took the chance to ask her most important questions as to save time and to keep attention on the subject at hand.

Anastasia stayed standing with her cheeks puffed in fury.

This is a viewing for you all to see.

Subaru Natsuki's life has a special element to it that you all need to learn from.

As for the sage candidate part… well…

You all will learn what that means in time, dear audience.

As my screen has finished loading the episode for you, I don't have time to allow you to meet the newest additions to our audience.

As he spoke, the lighting from the screen's confines stopped flashing randomly and began creating a clear vision.

Emilia and the crew looked behind them in confusion as they heard the voice of a shocked girl.

"Wha! What's happening?!" A cute adorable girl in a small maid outfit looked around in shock. Her eyes slowly fell on Emilia and everyone around her. "Emilia-sama?!"

"Petra-chan?"

Before the small girl could speak about her confusion, another light showed beside her and disappeared as soon as it came, leaving a confused blonde lady with sharp teeth and a maid's outfit.

"Wha?"

"Sis!" Garfiel shouted in shock and maybe some relief that his sister was here.

The busty woman replied with a stern look towards her brother. "What did you do this time, Garf? How did you create this mess for Emilia-sama?"

The boy looked betrayed for a moment, before turning furious. "Eh! Oi! I didn't do anythin'!"

Before the blonde girl could argue some more, she stopped herself and looked around at the filled theater room. Noticing so many powerful and well known individuals around her.

"Frederica Baumann, a maid working under his grace Roswaal L. Mathers. This is Petra Leyte and she is my understudy. Please excuse our intrusion."

Garfiel snorted at his sister's polite introduction, finding it unnecessary to be a suck up to these people. As far as he was concerned, he had his sister and his two friends with him here. He didn't need to worry about anyone else.

"What is going on? Why are we suddenly here?" Petra asked while looking around in confusion, her childish gaze wandering until she noticed a certain someone.

"Subaru!" The little girl moved to hug the hero she trusted so much but was stopped in her seat by her mentor's grip on her hand.

"You can't move towards them yet." Frederica whispered sternly to the little girl. "Something really important is happening…" Petra didn't know what that meant but she trusted her mentor dearly so she sat back in her seat and looked at the back of Subaru's head in worry.

Frederica noticed the tension in the room almost immediately as she focused. This wasn't a normal circumstance.

Now that everyone is finally here.

The two maids jumped in shock at the voice speaking through their heads as if he was a part of their conscious minds.

"Wha?!"

"Ew!"

The other members of the theater simply glared at the screen with distrustful expressions.

Let me start the session.

Enjoy.

At the voice's dry tone, they knew not to expect something hopeful from this screen.

Emilia and her camp watched with worried gazes falling between the screen and the sleeping boy sitting amongst them.

Others were watching in annoyance or interest as this all confused them.

So they watched, as the screen stopped flashing for a moment….

And then went dark.

Season 1 Episode one Director's cut.

Begin.

The window showed a dark void with flickering lights. Heavy pained gasps could be heard as somebody struggled to breathe.

"Who's…" Rem immediately caught the sound and her eyes widened as she recognized the voice.

" This is bad… Very bad…"  The person called out as they struggled and gasped in pain.

Emilia and her camp quickly leaned in attentive worry as they recognized what the blue-haired girl had.

"Subaru!" Emilia called out to the screen, worry painting her face for the struggling voice of her knight.

"He sounds like he's in pain." Felix was quick to point out, further worrying the Emilia camp and his own mistress for the well being of the boy.

"Subaru? What's wrong?" A much softer, silver-bell like voice cut in, seemingly filled with worry.

"I'm there with him?" The silver-haired lady asked in worry and confusion.

"Emilia-sama will protect Subaru! She is strong!" Petra voiced out in frantic worry as she held her hands together to relieve her nerves.

T he darkness briefly dissipated and revealed a hand with a pool of blood,  growing  beneath it.

"Wha?!"

"No!"

Emilia and Rem gasped in horror as they recognized the trademark threads of the boy's tracksuit. The two ladies holding expressions of disbelief and anguish as they clearly saw him in a desperate position.

"Where am I?!" Emilia asked as despair filled her at the thought of being unable to save the boy from suffering like she always does.

"Seems like he's bleeding out on the ground." Anastasia mused in a serious tone as she analyzed the screen.

"Cap'n's gonna need help!" Garfiel grunted, leaning forward and preparing to prance at the screen incase his captain needed him. It looked really bad and the blonde couldn't handle watching the bloody hand of his captain without doing anything.

Beside him, Otto wasn't doing much better either. The merchant-turned-minister is barely holding the fear and extreme concern overwhelming his expression as he watched on the edge of his seat like the many members of his camp.

The window changed scenes to show a series of square buildings with lights all over them. One of them in particular is displayed. Isles of assorted metal cylinders and small paper books were arranged inside. Next to one of these isles, a familiar young man with nasty sharp eyes and black-hair is shown reading a book with pictures on it.

"Ah, I see. This is where they suck you in," he said as he flipped through the book with an amused expression.

"What… just… ?!" The fiery-haired, Priscilla uttered softly as she blinked in confusion at the jarring change. She didn't notice how the one-armed knight beside her went rigged at the scene. "Damn… bro…" Al muttered under his breath as he watched through his helmet.

"Look at them builds!" Ricardo whistled in awe at the architecture.

"What is this place? Why does Subaru move so normally as if it's not an unusual environment?" Reinhard found himself asking while his expression showed nothing but awe at the foreign land.

"This must be his home… " Julius mused as he inspected everything in the room Subaru was in.

Emilia's eyes widened as she glanced back and forth between the screen and her sleeping knight. Feeling a little happy that she is able to learn more of the boy's origin.

"Look at all of these appliances! Those fancy decorations! All of those small towers!" Anastasia gushed in surprise, her serious aura gone as her greedy need for knowing everything about this foreign place and use it for her business.

"This looks like a noble's district. Is Subaru-kyun a servant there too?" Felix questioned the black-haired boy's placement in such a fancy looking nobles district.

"Subaru-kun mentioned that he hails from a place where everyone lives as equals. He might be a noble in this place as well. I never knew that it looked so… unusual." Rem looked at the scenery with a wide eyes. Feeling the need to learn and understand everything present on the screen because it might make her understand her beloved more.

"So Natsuki-sama is a noblemen from where he comes from?" The green-haired duchess sitting in the back inspected everything around the boy with great interest and fondness, wanting to learn more about the items around him and why this architecture was shaped in such a compact yet clearly advanced way.

"Where does Nastuki-dono hail from exactly?" Wilhelm asked politely of the boy's camp members as he showed interest in the aspect of Subaru's home as well but didn't show it.

The Emilia camp members looked at one another, expressions of confusion present on their faces.

"Barusu never spoke of his home to us. He only told us that he wasn't allowed to go back there again and that it was a small island nation to the east of Lugunica."

Emilia's eyes dimmed slightly in sadness for her knight as Ram recited his words spoken long ago when he was still the new butler working in Roswaal's estate. She always found it heartbreaking how Subaru wont speak about his family or home to them. She always wanted to learn about him and how he lived his childhood. He was such and interesting kid with so many cool and genuinely progressive ideas that it made her truly invested in understanding his culture and traditions more and more.

She was quite amazed by the scene before her. This city, this advancement… it was all so fascinating and mystifying to her.

"Subaru's home is really cool!" Emilia couldn't help but stare in wonder and awe at what she was seeing. Happy to finally be able to understand something about the enigma that she proclaimed her knight.

She wasn't the only one however.

"An island to the east?" Reinhard repeated with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "But that's…"

"...It's not possible since there are no island nations to the east." Anastasia mused unconsciously as a growing smirk found its way across her face.

Her suspicion was correct.

This boy… was truly from beyond the ends of their world.

Many in the audience looked at the screen in confusion and awe.

"Hmmm, Subaru-kun may not be as exactly described by the gospel." Roswaal whispered while staring at the scenery with wonder and surprise. Not being able to understand why this information was left out of his book of knowledge when he was still following its foreseeing ink.

"How arresting…" Priscilla's scarlet eyes honed in on every aspect around the boy as if she was truly interested in his world. She had her chin resting on her upturned palm and her face held an expression of boredom but her eyes were wide and awake as she looked at this world that held so many things she didn't understand or believe to exist.

And yet this black-haired commoner is pacing around reading weird looking picture books as if it was just another day for him.

Who was this kid?

The scene changed once again to the hand with the increasing amount of blood beneath it, now twitching in place as the person clearly lost consciousness.

"No… Run! Hurry!" The boy crowed out with trouble as pain overwhelmed him.

*THUMP! *

Another body suddenly fell right beside the hand with the blood-pool beneath it.

The body of a silver-haired girl with white and purple robes.

"Emilia-sama?!" Petra gasped and held her hands to her mouth in shock. The look of horror and surprise showed across the respective camp members and their allies from Crusch's faction, while Reinhard, Julius, and Felt looked angry and apprehensive at what the screen was showing as they were distrustful yet still deeply effected by the sudden death of a good friend such as Emilia.

Others like Roswaal, Priscilla, and Anastasia simply watched with either boredom, interest, or amusement as they all were just interested in how this relates to the boy and didn't care for the naive girl's death.

"Wha…" Said useless girl found herself uttering as the scene before her deeply disturbed and shocked her to the core. She was dead. She had died.

Fear and confusion suddenly filled Emilia's heart… and she began breathing heavily because of it…

"Emilia-sama." A speaker sounded firmly from behind the panicking half-elf. Making her turn to face whomever was calling.

Crusch was suddenly standing behind her chair and her hand was placed firmly on Emilia's shoulder. The green-haired duchess was the first to notice her allied camp head's distress, therefore, she was the first to comfort the silver-haired girl as a curtsy of the alliance they were in.

"We need to keep watching this to understand. I doubt this is real at all." The duchess nodded her head with a stern expression that filled everyone with determination. Crusch's commanding aura filled some of the weak hearted in the room with a little comfort as she challenged the screens showings.

"Princess wouldn't die that easy… " Garfiel growled with a hand on his chin as he watched with screen with narrowed eyes.

"Emilia-sama… Forgive me." A soft yet very passionate voice spoke from beside Crusch, making Emilia turn to face the blue-haired maid.

"Subaru-kun's struggle has always been to help you… I doubt he would've let you die that easily… He's always managed to get out of pressing situations on his own and help everyone. I think this is fake… or a future vision maybe… But you shouldn't let this effect you."

Finding encouragement from both, the politically apt Crusch and the apprehensive Rem as they both didn't believe in the screen's authenticity, Emilia found herself compelled to ignore the shocking sight of her own death and carry on watching with the same sense of suspicion. Her heart remained heavy in her chest as something told her that this is all wrong… something was so wrong with this.

Her only source of comfort was the fact that she had Subaru sitting beside her and so she calmed down after swiftly taking his arm in link with hers.

Her heart remained heavy.

"Useless…" Roswaal whispered boredly and looked up towards the screen with more interest than he had for the girl he sponsored.

"What a wonderful thing to happen… I can finally see what your power truly holds…" The clownish lord whispered gleefully as his multi-colored eyes shinning with merith and excitement at the events playing.

He can finally learn how this boy's road was shaped by the gospel… and eventually how the boy broke away from that path and instead made his own path instead of letting the gospel… his teacher… decide where to go.

"It's the answer to my frustration… this viewing is an immense gift." Roswaal thought in his head once more. Not showing anything on his face but the same eccentric smirk he always wore.. he could feel the eyes of a certain noble woman scanning him suspiciously.

"Such a filthy cricket." Priscilla snorted as she turned from the clown that's been setting off many annoying instincts within her and watched the screen to see why the world was showing her these events.

What's required of a goddess such as herself to be here? Why would this boy be worthy enough for her to care?

She didn't even know the useless child!

The scene changes to Subaru picking up colored cups and plastic bags of food from one of the shelves.

" N ah, Natto."

"This is becoming a bit too jarring…" Reinhard mused while watching Subaru's environment with interest.

"I do agree that this is becoming a bit redundant if it's not gonna explain what's going on." Julius nodded as he found himself agitated at the desperate tone shifts the screen was pulling as if it was using Subaru's pain for an entertainment purpose.

The scene cuts back to the now limp body of the lady as blood suddenly filled the area beneath her.

The struggling hand scene from the beginning slowly moved towards the limp one of the girl's.

"Wait there…" The boy gasped, clear determination filling his voice.

Many, including Emilia, Otto, and Beatrice were full on glaring at the screen as it showed this entire struggle of Subaru's without explaining anything. They didn't believe in it nor cared but an explanation would still be nice.

A little blonde girl was suddenly wide-eyed as she noticed… that place looked really familiar.

Felt's heart started getting heavy as well…

Something wasn't right.

Again, the scene changes to Subaru at a counter speaking with another person.

"Ah.." Ricardo groaned as he was getting enticed by the previous scene but then it got changed back to this weird place which he understood nothing of.

"That'll be 363 yen."

Subaru picked up a metal coin and stopped to look at it.

"Oh, a grooved-edge ten."

"I guess that would be his home's currency?" Anastasia mused, more to herself than to anyone else as she watched with great interest. While everyone was waiting for the screen to change back to the struggling Subaru, Anastasia was actually the one person that didn't car about that part of the viewing… her focus was only on one objective that's been nagging her for the past few months… Subaru's origin… and the more she looked at it, the more she wanted to learn about the boy and his home.

She must know what everything was there and if she can use any of it to her own advantage. She had an urge to learn it. To use it. So she will take whatever she can of this viewing… it was the only reason why she invited the useless half-devil and her camp anyways… That boy's origin is a goldmine that she was trying to reach since the very first report from her network about him… Since the moment she learned that her best agents couldn't find a single thing about him from before he showed up at the palace halls that embarrassing day.

Anastasia's eyes were focused to the maximum as she analyzed every single object and shape on the screen.

Having paid for his items, Subaru exits the building.

He stops short of a road and watches a metal box speed past him.

The sight of the speeding vehicle shocked many in the audience.

"What was that?!" Otto asked as he saw the cube passing Subaru. Garfiel gaped beside him after he saw the machine.

"You wouldn't know what that machine is, I suppose."

Everyone turned their eyes to the small blonde twin-tails sitting beside the unconscious youth's side, a hand on her chin as she looked to be thoughtful of everything around the boy and the machine that had just passed him.

"So you were actually telling the truth, huh. I never doubted my contractor's stories but I never thought that… I'd ever see them, I suppose." The small elegant girl muttered while staring at the screen with great deal of interest and analytic focus to learn everything she could from Subaru's home.

"Telling the truth? Beatrice-sama," Otto suddenly turned to the little girl spirit with a look of understanding as everyone around him followed his lead. "Have you… heard of this unusual place before?" The merchant boy asked with his eyes shining with interest.

"Why would the little lady know anything relating to Natsuki-kun's residence?" Unable to hold her humor at how lost all of them were upon realizing Subaru's origin, Anastasia decided that this little girl should be a source of some nifty pieces of knowledge about the boy. According to Joshua's report at least, from when he invited the Emilia camp to visit.

The merchant wasn't going to waste a chance to squeeze the great spirit for information. Especially, when it comes to this kid.

"You'd do better to understand your place when talking to a spirit much older than you, girl."

Anastasia's eyes narrowed as her potent smile thinned once the blonde girl spat her response from the front row without even looking back at the people behind her. As if none of them were worthy of talking to her.

But Anastasia wasn't about to quit now, especially when this arrogant little twat took the road of insults.

Before she could press on more, a firm hand was placed on her gloved one…

"I would suggest not, milady." An elegant, smooth, yet worry-filled voice spoke in her ear, gesturing that her trusted companion finally found it appropriate to intervene.

"Oh, Julius-kun? Your lady was insulted by some little child and you're just gonna let it go?" Anastasia mused cheerfully and a little snidely from her seat.

The knight simply bowed his head and removed his hand from hers with a look of seriousness overcoming his expression.

"My apologies, Anastasia-sama. But that is no mere girl you were trying to finesse."

Anastasia's lips thinned once more, her expression calmed, her eyes softened.

"Ah, I guess it's true then."

Julius nodded his head to his lady as she muttered in melancholic acceptance.

"The rumors and my brother's reports were all true. Natsuki Subaru is a spirit knight. And that little girl is a great spirit." Julius said in a firm way required by any knight reporting to their master. Anastasia had to believe him, he was the only one in this room able to sense a spiritual entity since he had the protection to do so… maybe Reinhard could do that too but she couldn't have him in her camp… unfortunately.

Her eyes trailing back to the elegant spirit girl, Anastasia could only bite her lip in frustration as the need for information wasn't quenched within her. Making her mind run through hundreds of ways to get anything so she could end her greedy thirst to know more about this fascinating world of the boy's.

Luckily, she wasn't the only person who was curious about the subject.

"Betty-san… Do you know this place? Do you know anything of Subaru's home?"

The grand spirit only snorted at Emilia's innocent question. The amusement that this girl, hogging her contractor's arm as if he is precious to her while not knowing what Beatrice knew, truly delighted the spirit.

"I doubt Betty's Subaru would tell any of you, in fact. None of you have the same connection as his spirit does."

Emilia and Rem looked a bit taken aback as they both felt personally attacked by the small girl's proud tone and smug smirk as she continued to stare at the screen.

"So… Subaru told you about his home before?" Emilia asked her question with disappointment and hurt appearing on her expression.

"Hmph, of course! Betty's contractor would spend many nights telling Betty of his home and the many fantastical concepts his people have achieved, stories of wonder and pure creative imagination that Betty wouldn't believe had it not been my contractor telling them to Betty." As Beatrice crossed her arms and held her head high, she wore a dignified and proud expression, one telling of her elegant stature, as she noticed most of the people around her were looking at her with extreme interest.

"If I may, great spirit-sama." Beako turned to meet the questioner behind her, a polite, curious, yet stern, noble lady that sat far away behind Emilia's camp yet had her eyes firmly focused on them.

"I would like to know more about where this place is and why Subaru-sama left it for a country much less advanced."

Beatrice simply snorted at Crusch, her response completely deadpan at the duchess's demand.

"Betty's contractor told her of things you and these other ones around us wouldn't even comprehend, much less believe. A year's worth of tales every night only made Betty thirst for more knowledge and understanding of what he explained to me. He's special origins and way of life stays with no one but Betty because she's his spirit, in fact."

"B-But Beatrice-sama! We only want to know more about Subaru-ku-"

"I won't nudge on this matter, maid. It's Subaru's stories to share, in fact." Beatrice, completely shutting down everyone's questions about Subaru's homelife and refuting the hurtful Rem, sat in her seat with her face focused on the screen and a hand tangled with her sleeping contractor's arm. He's special. That's why she chose him.

"Could you at least explain what that metal carriage was, Beatrice-sama?" At the soft, curious, and innocent voice of the small maid sitting in the back and asking her nervously, Beatrice sighed and shook her head in annoyance.

"I can explain that, I suppose." Everyone, from the ever curious Reinhard, and the interested Julius to the excited Garfiel and anticipating Otto to even the quite upset yet still curious Emilia was now looking at the small spirit as she held her head high to explain Petra's question.

The small maid jumped in her seat with excitement.

"That metal box you saw moving on wheels was a new way of transportation that Subaru explained to me as the upgrade to what we call Dragon-drawn Carriages, I suppose. Subaru's people call it a 'car'."

"Da fuck's a car?"

"Garfiel!"

"What?"

Ignoring the reprimanding Frederica and the confused Garfiel, Beatrice continued to explain to the ever, curious, excited, and jealous crowd with a stern expression of nobility and pride.

"It's what people in Subaru's home use for faster travel. They don't have ground dragons at all on his island so they created a metal box with wheels on it that drives faster and much smoother than a dragon, in fact." Beatrice explained to the amazed crowd.

"Subaru's home achieved travel faster than dragons?" Reinhard asked with astonishment and childlike awe at the information.

Julius, Anastasia, and Crusch all started scheming of a way to get their hands on such designs and information, finding such inventions to be revolutionary.

Garfiel and Otto were just wondering how cool it would be to drive one and race with it. Or that was the case for Garf… Otto wanted to know if there was a cup holder in them or not.

"Wow, Bro's home is for smarty pants huh." Felt mused while holding her hands behind her head and watching the scene with an amused smile.

Priscilla simply raised a single brow for a moment but then carried on fanning herself with disinterest, since she couldn't care less about inventions that didn't give her power to fight her wars.

After her explanation to the crowd, Beatrice held her contractor's arm dutifully and held a small smile of pleasant happiness… Not noticing how Emilia was glancing between her and Subaru's sleeping face with heartbreak in her eyes. The half-elven girl appearing heartbroken that her knight wouldn't share such details and cool stories with her.

"Does such a country exist on our world, Roswaal-sama?" A stern, yet truly surprised pink-haired maid asked as she turned to her clownish lord, who was watching the screen with nothing short of an awestruck expression.

"Hmmmm…" The man hummed as his multi-colored eyes were set around the boy. "Teacher would've loved this… or did she already know about this? Why hasn't she inscribed her gospel with this knowledge for me, I wonder… Could she have been looking for Subaru's world this whole time?" The clown remembered of days where his teacher spent most of her lifeline, looking for a Sanctuary, suited for her thirst for knowledge and the safety of everyone she loved.

Could this be Echidna's long desired destiny?

"We might have to start making Subaru-kun shaaaare his storytime with the rest of us… Please note this once we get out of here, dear Ram."

"Understood, Roswaal-sama." The pink-haired maid bowed to her lord's serious order.

The scene changed back to the slow-moving hand as it finally reached the limp one of the girl's.

Subaru's revealed to be the owner of the hand with his mouth bleeding and his face grimacing from the pain.

"Going to… "  He voiced out through blood sprouting throat.

"I feel as if this is foreshadowing an event."

A great deal of confusion settled amongst everyone watching, whilst seeing the young man they cared for in such a dire position, the huddled camp of his closest friends only watched with baited breaths and disenchanted eyes as if the event truly held no form of emotion within them, except for bewilderment.

"If this is all fake, we can simply ignore it. If it's a telling of a future unforeseen to us, we might learn from it to stop said events from happening."

Seeing the huddled camp members of the bewitched and worried half-elf do nothing but stare at the screen with expressions raging from confusion, to disbelief, to sheer hurt and anger for Subaru's state, Julius Juukilius took it upon himself to fulfill the noble duchess's query with his own theorized answer as he watched with an apprehensive face.

If nothing could be explained to them, they shouldn't take this event seriously, though it hurt to see his dear impulsive comrade in such pain.

He would learn to stop this memory from existing. All he needed was to watch and understand what this warden was trying to show them.

"This all must be shown for a reason… But why is it about Natsuki-san… Why is he always the one dying…" Like Julius behind him, Otto Swen; the official head of the interior for Emilia's camp, has been staring at the screen with his blue eyes shining with determination to understand the entire cause of this. His hands gripped a small, hidden pocket that was malformed in the shape of a decent square thing. His fingers sliding across his cloth and touching the object in his pocket with varying brevity and hesitation. A need for this object to answer his frustrations and questions. As he watched his brother bleeding on the ground, not understanding a single thing happening either on the screen or in the real world, the merchant boy held the burnt gospel in his pocket and wished for it to tell him all of the answers he needed to save his dear friends from this warden and maybe explain what the screen was trying to tell them.

Alas, he wasn't in the water gate city and he had no way to turn this useless chunk of burnt crisp sitting in his pocket into the grand tome of foreseeing it used to be… Otto had no other way to help his friends but to keep a strong face and not break down emotionally from whatever they were seeing… He'd already seen Subaru die once… this was another time where his friend was bleeding out again. They were before all of these important and dangerous personalities that were considered to be virtually their greatest rivals for the throne.

Whatever this will show, Otto needed to keep this camp together and hide anything that may be revealed to the other scheming characters less they use such information against Emilia or Subaru.

He had to list all of these problems and start finding ways to instantly fix them while complying with the person placing them here. It wasn't really helping that his friend's origin was being revealed to all of the opportunistic and shrewd schemers sitting behind him. He had no power to face down Anastasia once she starts scheming to get her hands on Subaru's origin… He can see Roswaal's eyes shining with interest and that on its own set extreme red flags in his mind. The nasty noble lady in the back had such an intense glare as she watched the scene of Subaru's bleeding face, Otto couldn't help but feel disgusted that she maybe annoyed that she had to sit and watch his friend's death… like he wasn't significant.

Otto didn't like this at all… and his frustration was driving his desperation to get any sort of upper hand through this mental cold war that suddenly sprung up as soon as this warden guy picked Subaru as his subject.

The scene returned to Subaru as he walked out of the building's parking lot with a white plastic bag in his hand.

"Looks like it changed again…" Emilia said as her face held a very apprehensive expression towards the screen, not liking how she had to see Subaru bleed out while she was beside him as a corpse once again. The very first time was enough for her to vow that she will protect this boy at all costs, hence why she was holding his arm with both of hers while watching the scene in discontent. She didn't like how useless she appeared in both visions.

But she carried on watching with a strong facade to understand why this window always showed her knight in a horrible situation.

"We must find a way to free Subaru of this curse and get out of here!" Rem whispered harshly as her blue eyes shined with determination throughout the darkened theater, looking and scanning the room for any notable detail that might aid in her escape.

Deciding that he's had enough from standing there, Subaru began walking across the wide street with his hand in his pocket...

And then…

A sharp-clawed hand, coated in a mist of darkness was shown cutting out of a white wall of space and reaching right towards Subaru.

A fearful scream was heard from both, Petra as she held on to Frederica with her face displaying fright, and Hetaro as he held on to his oppositely excited twin, Mimi.

"What was that?!" Felt shouted as she stood in alarm at the sight of the claws coming for Subaru.

The sense of alarm filled most of the knights as Felix, Julius and Reinhard glared with varied descriptions of alarm, desperation to jump in and help, or fear of what may come for this version of the boy.

"Why is it coming for him?! Subaru-kun is just walking to his home!" Rem seethed as she let her search for an exit cease for just a moment. She really didn't want to dwell on anything this screen will show them since it was all fake with a hint of truth like Subaru's home and such, but the sheer fact that a subaru would be hurt in front of her was enough to make her heart clench in guilt and vengeful fury.

Beatrice and Emilia looked at one another with their eyes wide, and then glanced towards the boy beside them. Just to make sure that they both were holding his hands and keeping him strapped between them.

"Whatever, this is, it will not touch Betty's contractor, I suppose!" The small girl grumbled while holding the boy's hand and glaring at the hand in anger. Memorizing and looking for any information related to such magic inside of her brain since she knew the contents of her mother's library by heart… To her shock, she couldn't find anything relating to such a hand.

Something that made Beatrice tremble a bit as she saw another threat that she wasn't familiar with attacking her Subaru once more.

"If Subaru gets attacked here… If he… If he doesn't make it, how did he leave his island home and come to us?" Emilia's soft voice trailed as she thought back to all three visions that showed her knight either bleeding out to death, or now attacked in his own town. Her thoughts were jumbled and confused as she couldn't make sense of all of this, her only comfort was to attach herself in his warmth as she hugged his arm while watching with wide eyes.

"I'd advise not getting emotionally invested yet, Emilia-sama." Crusch spoke, monotonously, as she rubbed her chin while watching calmly. "This could be a hoax made by our captor."

Once again, the same sentiment filled everyone's mind.

This could all be fake.

Yet a certain clown in the back only watched with narrowed eyes and a slight frown as he was the only person knowing of the truth.

This was a reality. And it was the story of the looping fool that refused the path of a sage.

And he started feeling sick to his stomach for a simple reason…

"Ah… He won't be able to see his home anymore, will he?" Roswaal whispered to himself as his expression changed to that of pity.

A weird force of wind ran through the world  around Subaru  as if it was a scanner.  Sensing  this, Subaru looked around before shrugging.  " I guess anyone's eyes would be tired after holing up in their room, gaming all day."

"Just… what was that…" Frederica squinted her eyes and muttered as she was effected by the sudden force of magical energy.

"Why is it quiet now all of a sudden?" Julius questioned as he eyed the screen with his heart heavy.

Everyone else looked on in fear that the dark claws might jump at the boy from any place while he was too busy rubbing his eyes.

"Subaru-san…" Petra's childish voice whimpered with worry and sadness filling it.

Subaru rubbed at his eyes for a bit. As he was rubbing them the scene began to change. He struggled to force his eyes open at the sudden brightness.

Emilia and Beatrice looked worried as they felt a sinking feeling invading their chests as the bright light consumed everything around their beloved friend.

A sinking feeling that was felt by the increasingly frustrated Otto, and the insanely fidgeting Garfiel as he watched with gritted teeth, worried for his captain.

This feeling was felt all across the theater that it turned the stomachs of all watching, even the distanced characters like Anastasia and Priscilla felt a sudden pull of dread as they held serious stern expressions towards the screen's events.

Everyone watched with the foreboding feeling of a wrongness coming closer to the boy…

and they all understood what was wrong with this as soon as…

Once he opened them…  And looked at the city before him with a haunted expression.

Everyone single one of them, watched with wide, disbelieving eyes.

And some even grew horrified.

"No way…!" Felt whispered breathlessly, as she dropped in her seat with her expression raging from confusion to pity at what she had witnessed.

Horror was all that could be seen on Subaru's friends however.

"Oh… Oh this isn't fair… THIS ISN'T RIGHT!"

"Oi, Oi, Oi! This wasn't making sense anyways, but ya have tah explain what the hell happened to Cap'n here, ya hear me!"

Otto and Garfiel shouted their own outrage as they understood the sheer immorality of the scene before them.

And it was for that same reason why Emilia, Beatrice and Rem held hands to their mouths or let their jaws slacken in shock and hurt for what had happened before them.

He looked around,  slowly and  emotionlessly , not registering that he had just been transported from his home.

"Oh this makes so much more sense noyw." Felix said and facepalmed at all the times he couldn't understand the boy's speaking habits or had to explain to him much simple concepts about their world when he was healing his gate.

"Ah!" The old man beside Felix held an expression of wide-eyed surprise, even the Sword Demon was in awe at the reveal.

Their lady, sitting beside Felix, let her hand drop from her chin and couldn't hold her jaw in place as she was astonished as well at Subaru's predicament.

"What's going on?" The boy's lips voiced with his eyes still looking around him as if he was in disbelief.

"I thought he was lying when he said he was from far away." Mimi said in shock. Her brother could only sputter beside her while Ricardo's face showed just how much he was surprised as he was dead quite and wide-eyed for once.

Julius, and Reinhard both leaned foreword with their eyes wide and their breathing heavy.

"No…" Julius whispered and facepalmed softly in despair as he remembered how ignorant and stupid he thought of the boy before meeting him again through the expedition… it all made sense!

"No wonder he didn't show good etiquette and manners in Lugunican form… I always thought it was because he was from far away… I didn't think it would be something like this." The red-headed swordsman spoke with his voice showing utmost pity for the black-haired youth on screen.

" T his stuff obvio us ly i s n't  fak e.  Which means… "  The boy slowly blinked as his thoughts finally found coherence and the reality had finally hit him.

"Oh!" Emilia gasped with her hands grasped together as grief filled her heart for the poor kid. The silver-haired girl swiftly turned to the sleeping Subaru beside her and then looked back at the screen, her heart tugging painful at how lost and confused Subaru looked as he blinked in confusion.

Crusch just stared at the screen with shock. "Th-This should be impossible!"

"Yet it isn't." Wilhelm shook his head solemnly at the boy's misfortune.

"It would explain many of Barusu's… anomalies." Ram said from the back, holding sympathy in her eyes for the boy on the screen.

" I've been summoned into a parallel world!"  Came the shout from the chosen hero as he finally realized his situation.

Title card:

Re:Zero Life in another world from zero.

"B-But… " The silver-haired half-elf stuttered as her face showed confusion and pity, "what about his home? His parents and friends?" Emilia questioned, finding it incredibly painful how Subaru wouldn't speak of such a dramatic moment or any of the people he missed in his older life. Was he alone all this time in the other world? Was he unable to talk to her about his older life or confined in her to comfort him?… Did he not trust her?

That thought made Emilia's amethyst eyes dim a little as she glanced at the ground in sadness, her heart bleeding for Subaru's predicament. Never would she have imagined her precious friend and knight having such a heavy burden. She didn't have a clue about what she would've done had she been transported into a different world from hers, much less with how amazing Subaru's original seemed in comparison to theirs.

Thoughts of how he took to coming to their world played in her head, does he intend to go back? Will he be able to go back and leave them? Does he love someone else in his own world?…. Emilia was only getting hurt more and more as her imagination ran wild about her knight's secrets.

"Couldn't he have told me?" The silver-haired royalty whispered while clutching her dress tightly.

"It would seem he's a waterfall survivor just like you, Aldebaran." A cold sounding beauty in red mused behind her fan while staring at the screen with a bit of apprehensiveness as the boy's entire summoning felt off to her. It bugged her.

Her helmeted knight simply looked down, assumingly closing his own eyes in respect or grief to Subaru.

"Subaru-kun's knowledge of our world is pretty lacking, and his clothes and items all came from unusual places we've never seen or heard of before… " Rem held a hand to her mouth as the shocking revelation made her think of the moments where she couldn't understand Subaru's antics or quips.

"It must be that shadow hand, in fact. Someone grabbed Betty's contractor from another world, I suppose." Beatrice showed her anger by simply glaring towards the screen with hatred for the confusion that was caused to her dearest partner… but she would be lying if she wasn't grateful for having him in her world. A confusing feeling to have for someone that clearly looks evil.

"Natsuki-san is from another world… Woah…" The softly gleaming merchant breathed out in awe, amazed for being close friends with such an amazing person, only for his amazement to turn into cold-blooded panic as he remembered his set mission to help Subaru from being exposed to these other people. He had failed before the mission even started.

That fact about his failure already proved itself once a smooth, cheerful lady mused loudly from her seat.

"That does explain why I couldn't find anything about him."

Otto's back stiffened in place, which was noticed by Garfiel as the blonde was looking at his friend while he was talking about their captain's origins. Both he and the merchant minister turned slowly towards the highly amused Anastasia.

The merchant queen of the widely known Hoshin Company was smirking cheerfully as she watched the screen with glee filled eyes.

Otto and Garfiel were not the only people looking at the lady in alarm, as Emilia and Rem swiftly looked at the candidate with startled and protective gazes. Hearing that competition were searching about the boy they both cared for dearly set off many warnings that their heads and hearts couldn't ignore.

And these two were not the only ones, as a small blonde spirit swiftly took to side-eyeing the merchant queen candidate with a cold and malicious stare, as she tried to prepare a swift corporeal attack from above Anastasia's head, to to make her spill all of the shrewd intentions she had for Beatrice's contractor, or spill her life-blood instead… but to her dismay the blonde immediately discovered that her powers seemed to be stripped completely from her in this Theater.

From beside Anastasia, there was also the royal duchess that had gotten over her shock immediately and quickly glanced at the merchant royal with a bit of hostility shown in her amber-colored eyes. The duchess feared what Anastasia may have planned to do with these background checks she had on someone as important and vital to the election as Subaru. His name alone has grown to legendary stakes across the world because of his great deeds, now that he's revealed to be a great waterfall survivor and with the influence to effect fate directly, Crusch knew for a fact that this young man would be in very grave waters as soon as they all left this predicament.

Not to mention the small bit of him being a sage candidate… Crusch needed to know what that meant. She can not allow this situation to give her enemies the chance to slip the throne away while she was distracted.

"If I may show some disrespect, Hoshin-sama." Ram, the pink-haired maid who had a small frown on her face and narrowed eyes as she faced the merchant sitting in front of her row, was the first to announce her thoughts on the matter, "Why would Barusu's origin concern you or your camp?"

The purple haired candidate giggled with a gloved hand on her mouth as the others around her looked apprehensive, even Felt was staring at the lady with suspicion, her scarlet eyes running back and forth between the sleeping boy and the smirking merchant.

"He intrigued me after he made the brilliant plan to subject the great calamity. I needed to know everything about him since he was my rival's knight. But sadly, there was next to zero information on his origin and previous associates. Which surprised me since my merchant network is the best in regards to unraveling information. But Natsuki-kun was practically an empty slate everywhere I looked." Anastasia had a faint gleam of glee covering her eyes as she now possessed a great amount of information that she didn't have before, that revelation would've made anyone panic since the boy was serving under one of her rivals… but Ana knew exactly what she could do to make this work. She need more information on the boy, needed to know how this kid that had nothing in a world he knew nothing about became one of the side pieces to this royal selection… perhaps he was even more important than a side piece.

It all thrilled the master merchant to the her core as she rubbed her scarf with excited smirks being thrown towards the screen in front of her.

It also made her feel good how much she was worrying and angering the people she purposely ignored.

Rem and Emilia slowly looked up at the screen with worried frowns covering their faces, Ram kept a small glare aimed towards the girl but was quickly forced to look away as the elegant Julius tilted his own head to give her a warning glance.

The scene changes to show a little blonde girl running with swift speed on the rooftops of the city. A weird jewel with a blood red ruby in the middle was shown in her hand.

"Huh?! This thing is showing this?" Felt shouted in surprise as she saw herself on the screen, all thoughts of Subaru slowly trickling away as she focused on the showing much more clearly.

"That means… Subaru's first day in Lugunica was… the day when we met." Emilia whispered with a disbelieving yet delighted expression. Her heart warmed at this fact, he wouldn't have to struggle long for this was surely her insignia Felt was running with on the window, meaning it would be the same day she comes into the loot house where this sweet dumby comes and….

Saves her…

"How did he…" The silver-haired girl looked at her sleeping knight with astonishment and confusion, before glancing back at the running girl on screen. She needed to watch this and learn, it already told her of a morbid fact about her tragic hero of a knight, she could learn more this way.

"Isn't that a dragon stone, Felt-sama is carrying with her, nyan?" Felix muses with a surprised look, making Julius narrow his eyes slightly.

"Hm? Why would a gutter rat be holding one when the knights didn't even know of her pathetic existence, I wonder?" Priscilla muses with a small smirk of amusement at the pathetic attire the girl wore on screen.

Fearing for his lady's reputation, not wanting them all to learn of what was happening on screen as he immediately recognized the situation, Reinhard forced the delight he held for Subaru's first day after getting summoned into their world being the same day they both met to stay hidden behind a large, proud smile as he breathlessly complimented in a loud voice so everyone could stay focused on him. "The speed my lady runs is truly amazing! What a sight to behold!"

"Kiss ass." Was the sarcastic muttered response from the small girl as she glanced at him with annoyance. Reinhard's forehead sweated a little from the embarrassment he put himself through to help his lady. But it was worth it for him, he would do anything to help his lady no matter the co-

"She was running because she was stealing my insignia." Emilia pouted up at the Sword Saint with disappointment and anger lush in her amethyst-eyes.

Reinhard slumped in his seat and couldn't help his jaw falling at how utterly ruined his plan was…

Awkward situations were not his strong suit.

"She stole an insignia, nyan?!" Felix shouted in shock and looked at the little girl with a glare for her treason.

"Just calm yer butt and watch." Garfiel muttered with a calm approach as he understood that it wasn't his place to intervene but things were cutting him off from watching his captain's origin story, his upcoming, and Garfiel would be damned if he loses this chance to watch this thing, fake or not. He was starting to think that this window has some merit to it, even though it should still be taken with a grain of salt.

"Fitting a usurper like you would lose something of such importance." Anastasia sighed in disappointment as she delivered a jab towards the unsuspecting half-elf lady with her insult.

Emilia simply grimaced and looked at her front without facing the merchant princess. Anastasia gave a little shake of her head while looking back towards the viewing.

Felt looked at the interaction with guilt filling her.

The scene changes to Subaru walking on the street with his plastic bag still in hand and a thoughtful smile present on his face.

"He doesn't seem all that concerned that he's been summoned far away from his world." Ram muttered instantly as she found the boy's smile a bit concerning to her.

"Could be… that Natsuki-san's life wasn't very good in his original world? That's the only reason why he wouldn't be distraught over this sudden situation thrown on him." Otto theorized with a grimace, making Garfiel stare at the screen with a more saddened expression.

Emilia, Rem and Beatrice gave the same sad frowns for the boy's disenchanting attitude towards his own home, worrying if he was treated well there or not.

"I guess I can assume this is a fantasy world. With typical  medieval-style  culture. "

Some in the cast, stared at the screen with confusion and perplexed faces not being able to understand the concept the boy was saying.

"Subaru always said the strangest of things." Emilia said while frowning slightly as she tried to remember what the boy said so she could think about the meaning behind his words properly.

"I would love to understand what Natsuki Subaru's words mean, it may help us in understanding him or where he comes from." Julius proposed with a hand on his chin, thoughtfully, looking at the screen with a glint in his eyes.

"Medieval, is a word that is used in Subaru's home to describe a long lost culture from the past. In his time, the culture is called 'modern times' in which there are machines or mechanical contraptions that make the normal everyday life convenient for humanity, much like those cars." Unexpectedly, the small loli blonde interjected over the confused cast and explained to them boredly from her seat beside the unconscious boy, secretly enjoying how almost every person in the room was looking at her with surprised and curious glances. Beatrice hid a small smirk behind her cold bored facade of an expression.

"Long lost…?" Rem whispered as she wondered if this culture was forgotten for a similar reason to how her clan's ways were wiped out because of their race dying out.

Others started thinking of what the information truly meant in terms of differences between Lugunica and Subaru's world.

"So that means Subaru-sama's world grew to be more advanced than ours, the young man seems comfortable enough to know about our world just from present clothes and surroundings in the capital. Are we truly that backward to Subaru's time?" undoubtedly, a green-haired duchess sitting cross-legged sternly analyzed all of the information she had heard and inspected Subaru's behavior and easy going attitude to being summoned into their world. Fascination filling her gaze at the prospect of the situation. A boy from an advanced society getting dropped into theirs, her mind couldn't stop thinking of the infinite collection of questions she wanted to ask about the boy's world and its history. Could there be another dragon where he comes from as well? Did his people manage to break dragon covenants and be free?

"It seems Barusu is smart enough to have learned of his world's history, surprising." Ram muttered frigidly while inspecting the walking boy with her cold expression.

"Of course! Betty's Subaru has shared enormous knowledge about his world with her! My contractor was very well versed in history and was very happy to gain as much knowledge as he could, that's what Betty loves about him, I suppose." The cute little girl, proudly held her head high with a satisfied smirk on her face after rubbing Subaru's greatness into their faces.

Emilia and Rem softly shook their heads and gave small smiles to the girl sitting beside the boy they cared for… frigid smiles.

Otto and Garfiel only looked at the little lady with amazed expressions on their faces, not being able to comprehend just how different their brother from another mother truly was.

"What would warfare look like in such a society, I wonder?" Julius asked with his expression showing how completely engrossed he had become in the subject, as if a man on a mission to climb the highest of mountains.

Anastasia's smirk softly grew an inch wider as she sat back and absorbed the information she's been thirsting for ever since she saw how many people were trying to find out about the young boy throughout her network. All of this information could earn her a lot of favors and coins, having this magnificent origin for the empty slate that was Natsuki Subaru, the legendary commoner that defeated so many calamities and evils with breezing ease. Alot of people would like to have the information she has at the moment, they may even pay a leg to get it.

The merchant queen was eating good.

"They don't use swords, in fact." Beatrice shook her head firmly, confusing and surprising many in the room.

"What do they use then, magic?" Crusch asked with great interest, "Have they managed to advance the use of magic so much that normal warfare was affected?"

At the noblewoman's words, most of the knights in the room and Anastasia looked at the spirit with hungry eyes, wanting to know what became of the art of war familiar to them in the other world.

Beatrice shook her head. "In Subaru's home, there is no knowledge or use of magic."

"What?" "Pardon?" Felt and Julius asked in astonishment while the rest blinked in surprise, even the bored looking Priscilla suddenly looked taken aback by the information, Roswaal was just hearing this all with a shocked expression. None of this was in his master's gospel… his mind wandered to the thought of how his teacher would take to a world where her favorite subject didn't even exist…

"That explains why he couldn't use his gate properly." Emilia's feminine voice was filled with pity and sadness at how unprepared the boy was for their world, he lost his gate because he cared less about it than he cared for his friends.. "Honestly, his world sounds amazing! Why wouldn't he tell me about this stuff as well…?" Beatrice glanced at the downtrodden Emilia with an annoyed look.

"Because I'm his Betty, in fact!"

Emilia couldn't help but feel more down at the spirit's answer, knowing that the boy trusted someone more than he did her was just hurtful for some reason.

Behind them, a blue-haired silent maid was contemplating all of the differences between the versions of everyone present she had left before falling to Gluttony and the ones she was seeing now…

When did they become so caring and close to Subaru?

Rem was pouting slightly in the back seat.

"What do they fight with great spirit-sama?" An excited red-head couldn't help but ask with hope-filled eyes, "Have they achieved peace within themselves?" his question was asked with relative innocence.

He was instantly disappointed as the great spirit before him looked serious and stern.

"Warfare in his home is much more ruthless than ours, in fact. Often are laws of war ignored and there is no conduct of honor to their fighting, just a 'kill everyone on enemy lines' mentality that spread inhuman ways of destruction aimed to maximize casualties, civilians included. They have a 'modern' version of a bow and arrow that they call 'guns'. Only they are much more cowardly. They shoot metal projectiles from long distances at tremendous speeds. They can seriously injure, or kill instantly within a second of firing. They have versions of those cars with guns on them, only they are armored as to take a beating, being almost unkillable. They also have flying metal boxes shaped like birds that can drop metal rods that explode upon contact with the ground, killing scores of people within the blink of an eye. There have been many cases of these weapons being used on civil regions and hospitals and churches. They've developed many more gadgets and weapons for the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible, in fact. Subaru looked to be in great pain when he spoke about them to me, I suppose."

To say that a chill ran down everyone's spine was a gross understatement, even Roswaal seemed distraught.

Reinhard quickly shut his lips and looked down, devastated. Felt was silently looking at him with worry.'

Anastasia and Julius looked beyond shocked to hear this information, as did Crusch and her camp including the now wide-eyed Wilhelm.

"What an inhuman way of fighting… they have all of this brilliant knowledge and they use it to kill innocent bystanders?!"

At the sound of the agitated shout, Priscilla nodded her head. "It's horrible for mineself to admit this… but the half-wit earns my agreement."

The scarlet-eyed Barielle and the amethyst-eyed half-elf both looked enraged by such a cowardly ways to fight, placing the lives of the innocent just to win was simply hated by both, the kind heart Emilia possessed and the extreme pride and honor Priscilla held.

"H-Horrible…" Petra whispered as she gazed towards her shoes in an attempt to hide her fearful expression. Subaru's world was now the last on the girl's vacation destination list.

"Hmm, that place seems terrifying~! I want to go there!" Mimi energetically jumped up and down.

"I'm not even sure we have a combat ability that could defeat most of their grounded attacking tactics… much less aerial attacks from flying boxes!" Mimi's tactician brother, Tivey, said while holding his chin in his hand with a dire expression aimed at the floor.

"I can take 'em!"

…

…

Otto slapped the back of Garfiel's head.

The cast tried to overcome the swallowing dread from the horrible description of Subaru's world.

"A place were demi-humans are commonplace and probably stuff like wars and adventures, as well."

"I don't understand… are there no demi races in his world as well?" Felix asked the only person willing to answer such a question.

Beatrice simply shook her head with a firm expression that said this subject should be dropped instantly… She wouldn't want to delve into why Subaru's world was still even more racially broken than theirs… Nor the stupidity of his race for choosing such pathetic excuses to go to war.

"Why does he speak as if he can predict our history by just glancing around a city?" Julius asked with his chest raised and his eyes glaring towards Subaru for his disrespecting attitude; not liking how the boy was lumping all of Lugunica with the rest of the world by just saying, 'wars and stuff'.

"He says the truth." Priscilla mused sighing while half-glancing at the screen with a bored expression. She had agreed with Subaru's statement.

" WATCH OUT!"

Suddenly turning to see what the shouting was about, his sharp eyes quickly fell on a situation causing panic through the crowed of civilians around him. A young boy had fallen right in the middle of the pathway and a big carriage, pulled by a giant reptile creature, was speeding right towards the kid, seemingly uncaring if it crushed him.

Petra gasped at the scene and looked worried for the boy.

"This is surprising." Crusch muttered at the sudden situation and looked intrigued to see how Subaru handles it.

"I hope he won't hurt himself." Emilia sighed tirelessly, thinking that her dumb knight would be the one to save the boy somehow. She couldn't help but feel fondly for him, though knowing how reckless and idiotic he can be.

"This is it! Its my chance! This must be where I produce my first magic! "  Subaru yelled out in excitement and started posing in place while the crowed grew horrified for the kid.

"That's not how a person should act when seeing a crises." Julius muttered, finding Subaru's excitement kind of cringeworthy and unnecessary.

Garfiel also frowned slightly at seeing his captain's strange behavior… the captain he knew would instantly jump in and pull the boy out of harms way. "Cap'n's weird 'ere." The blonde said, glaring at the screen with sharp disappointment in his eyes.

Shouting with all his might, Subaru posed with his hands held in front of him as he attempted to cast magic so he could help the kid.

It did nothing, the boy was about to be crushed to death as the cart continued to speed towards him.

"He doesn't know how magic works…" Beatrice shook her head and hid her red-face behind her palms as she couldn't watch her contractor's stupidity while many of the cast were chuckling and giggling goodheartedly at Subaru's mishap.

Everyone watched with horror and sheer panic as the sight of the dragon coming closer until it neared inches over the boy's form. Luckily, an armor-clad knight jumped over the road fences and rolled on the ground until he reached the kid, saving him and holding him in his arms as the carriage sped away.

The crowds cheered for the brave hero as the knight held his thumbs up to them.

Subaru slowly retreated, looking embarrassed. "Guess I am not ready to use magic yet."

"Stop laughing, I suppose! He didn't know how to use magic yet so this is an expected reaction, in fact!" Beatrice pouted dangerously while shouting at the silver-haired girl sitting beside her contractor, the half-elf that was currently holding her stomach as angelic giggling came out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Betty-san – Gasp – It's so funny! Subaru's such a dummy!"

As Emilia continued to laugh at the boy's inexperience and embarrassing antics, Beatrice glared heatedly at her with crossed arms.

Being one of Subaru's many victims, Otto decided to take his revenge and enjoy this failed moment of his best friend by laughing his heart out.

The blonde beside him only pursed his lips over his sharp teeth and pouted like a child, or growled like an angry kitten. "That pose was nowhere near as cool! It must be why Cap'n looked so lame!" "Hahahaha!"

Otto fell over, laughing out loud more then before as he heard Garfiel's justification for Subaru's idiocy.

Felt, the twins, and Petra were all laughing and giggling childishly.

Priscilla, Anastasia, and Crusch all shook their heads in disappointment or boredom.

Felix, Ricardo, and Al all chuckled while Julius took a more serious stance and shook his head disapprovingly at Subaru's childishness that could've cost a boy's life.

Reinhard simply chuckled alongside the rest of them while looking at Subaru's attitude as that of an excited child that in a toy shop. He wondered if he would've looked the same had it been him that were summoned into another world...

The screen shows the lost boy walking through a marketplace,  looking through the multiple shops and stands around him. He stopped at a stand and inspected the fruits on display, seeing foreign  writing on one of the signs.

" I can't read this,"  he muse s  as he inspected the sign with a thoughtful look.

"Hm," Ram hummed while looking at the boy with narrowed suspicious eyes, "Barusu had extremely lacking knowledge of our language and glyphs, but he knew the basics well enough. Better than a child… If he was from another world…"

"He wouldn't know anything about our country's writing system and so that's explains why he can't read this sign." Frederica caught on with what the pink-haired maid was saying.

"That doesn't seem right." Rem spoke in a hushed tone, unconsciously making both Emilia and Beatrice glance at her with worry and curiousness.

"You there, maid." Beatrice pointed towards Rem with a look of authority, "Why would Betty's contractor knowing the basics of our language be so thought provoking, I wonder."

Rem reluctantly bowed her head to the little loli before her and answered softly and politely, "My apologies, Beatrice-sama, but um… Subaru-kun was brought to us on the same day when Emilia-sama's stone was stolen from her. That would be the same day he was summoned so suddenly to us from what we've seen of Felt-sama's earlier part."

"So… that means the boy managed to learn the language right before meeting with you guys in the same day?" Tivey asked while staring at the bunch in confusion.

"That is…"

"Unlikely." Reinhard affirmed with his head nodding for Felix, thinking of the first day he met Subaru… it was in the middle of the afternoon… Subaru wasn't learning anything back then.

"Hm, I suggest we continue to watch for now. This matter is being pointed out by a suspicious window, don't forget. We have to take whatever we see with a grain of salt or else we might be expected to fall for some trick this warden is pulling."

Everyone heeded Crusch's warning and looked at the screen apprehensively, dropping the whole discussion.

Except for one named, Roswaal, as he sat with a blindingly focused stare, pupils shrunken to the extreme as he watched.

"It's gonna be shown! Finally!"

" Th ese  are some weird clothes you're traveling in boy."  A gruff looking man grunted from behind the stand with his eye narrowed at Subaru.

S ubaru looked at the merchant and pointed at the red fruits.  " What are those?"

"Those are appas."

"So they can understand me huh," The boy mused once more in a whispering tone to keep his thoughts to himself.

Taking a few coins from his wallet, Subaru placed them on the appa man's opened-palm.

"You can't use that stuff in Lugunica. That means you're flat broke, huh? Get outta here! Don't interfere with my business! "  The man yelled at Subaru and threw the coins in his face.

Subaru is looking distraught as he walks along.

"Meanie pants!" Petra shouted and even went as far as blowing a raspberry at the screen.

"He didn't need to be so rude!" Emilia huffed with soft resentment of the man's ruffness with Subaru, even if he was in the right to do so, it wasn't nice to be mean! She wouldn't have believed her knight went through such a harsh start where he was lost with no money or friends to help him!

"Oh Subaru-kun…" Rem softly shook her head with a soft smile, knowing that after this harsh treatment her hero was facing he would make it to her in the same day one way or another, like a trick of destiny.

"There's no other way, I'll just have to go around gathering information first. "  The young man sighed helplessly and continued to walk along his day.

"I do wonder," Crusch mused rigidly with a hand on her chin, "how would a lost young man find himself serving a royal candidate on his very first outing in this world?"

"That is a question I've wondered myself. Considering how almost nothing about our world is known to him except for some minor information like magic and races, he doesn't seem the type to con his way into a royal camp for leverage." Anastasia weighed in with a hint of honesty in her tone. She wasn't saying the boy wasn't smart, he's just a bit naive and trusting.

"Natsuki-san really met you on this day, Emilia-sama?" Otto questioned, slightly sweating as he noticed some of the knights, namely Felix and Julius, narrowing their eyes and thinning their lips for a moment. He needs to understand the start of Subaru's rise inside of Emilia's camp and it looked like this day was where he started… he didn't want to let the people think of his friend as some con that took advantage of Emilia's kindness to gain a leg up in this new world.

"Yep yep! Subaru's meeting with me was the first time he saved my life as well~!" Emilia excitedly and warmly held Subaru's hand and smiled at the boy with passion clear in her eyes. She wanted to learn everything that happened to make him suddenly come and save her, her chest heaved with excitement since she will finally get to understand what her knight did to get to her and keep helping her throughout all of their time with each other.

"He never tells us anything about himself. He just jumps in and does whatever he wants." She said while turning her smile into a thinned frown of disappointment as she gazed at the sleeping boy.

"Barusu's idiocy shouldn't be seen as mistrust on his part, Emilia-sama. He's just a fool with pride as constipating as his ego." The pink-haired maid regally spoke out against Emilia's visible worries, making sure to get a few jabs in to amend her favorite hobby of verbally abusing the boy.

"Please stop being mean to him, Sister." Rem whined to her unconcerned looking twin sitting in the back bleachers.

Subaru is shown to have various misshapes and messy situations that lead him to set in an alleyway with his clothes wet after dropping in a canal.

Adherence to the eleventh chapter of the bro code, no matter how embarrassing or mundane, it was a duty placed upon brothers to point, hold a hand to your tummy, and laugh as loud as your heavenly given voice can when your brother is embarrassed. It was a way of life. It was the strongest of bonds.

"Hahahahaa!"

"Haaaahaaaaaaaaa!"

And here we are, with Otto and Garfiel, breaking the floor with their fists as they laughed at all of Subaru's mishaps. They were not the only ones.

"Pffft…. Pffft… Teheehheheheheh!"

"*Snickers*…!"

"What are yo - pfftt – u l-laughing at, I suppose?!"

Beatrice stuttered as she tried to keep her laughter hidden deep away while unable to hold a glare towards the giggling half-elven princess and the blue-haired Oni behind her.

"I'm so sorry, Beatrice-chan! Pfft!" Emilia failed to stop her giggles as she held her hands to her mouth, "S-Subaru's journey was r-reaaaally hard! We shouldn't be – giggles – S-Shouldn't be laughing at his poor choices because he was new to our w-world… Tehheheheheheh!"

"Stop lying, I suppose!" Beatrice shouted in outrage as Emilia fell into uncontrollable guffaws.

Rem was better at holding her laughter in, wishing she was far away from the small spirit so she can laugh all she wanted at the silliness of her hero's journey. It seemed like her twin was faring much better at containing her own laughter as Ram sat beside their lord with a simple sharp, yet fond smirk on her face.

"Barusu's luck truly keeps him and his ego in check, even Ram-sama feels a tiny bit of guilt for his sorry state." Roswaal couldn't help but chuckle at the maid's words, watching the screen with nothing but amusement, no hidden intent.

None at all.

Other candidates simply either giggled and laughed at Subaru's reckless way about learning of their world, like Anastasia and Priscilla. Or shook their heads with smiles of amusement like Crusch and the little blonde thief sitting beside the Sword Saint.

As a break through, Wilhelm finally gave an amused smile at the young man's determination to learn and settle in a world foreign to him. A boy with such will should be expected to do the great deeds Subaru Natsuki had accomplished since his coming. Wilhelm believed wholeheartedly that this was no mere dream or illusion, even if it may be a fake world… yet he can only feel a pit inside of his stomach. Not knowing the reason why.

"It's not funny!" Petra childishly muttered while glaring at everyone making fun of the boy she admired most because he accidentally entered a ladies restroom. He didn't know! He wasn't from here!

The pouting amber-haired girl was met with a soft palm, patting her head. A blonde beast-woman with emerald-eyes smiled warmly and proudly.

" This is how its supposed to be? Wasn't I summoned into a parallel world?! Where'd my protagonist status go?!"  Subaru whined as he held his head in both hands in despair.

"Subaru-kun's been having it hard since the beginning, huh…" Rem whispered while frowning a bit, having laughed her fill out, now she can see Subaru's unfortunate situation and how it must be affecting him. It seemed the giggling half-elf also thought the same, as her heavenly laughter had stopped completely. She was now watching the screen with a small frown filled with sympathy but letting her belief that all of this would get better soon when he meets with her temper her sadness with some cheer.

He picks up his phone and start looking at his contacts.  His mom's and dad's numbers are shown. "Looks like it still works. But whats the point in having it!  My starting gear sucks as well! I need more than this stuff since I haven't trained for anything yet. Where's my Excalibur?!  Where's the cute girl that summoned me? Did she summon me and leave me here?"  He asked as frustration filled his tone.

"I don't understand this child." Priscilla glared as she felt incompetent for the first time in her life trying to understand this commoner's words.

"He's basically asking why he was summoned into this world with no one to meet him or guide him, I suppose." Beatrice translated the Subaru language.

"Does he expect everything to be handed to him?" Julius muttered while holding a disappointed expression.

"Hm, he seemed like a privileged boy, if what we've seen of his world is to be believed." Anastasia mused, thinking about ways to use the boy's spoiled self for more information.

Emilia placed a hand on her chin and frowned in thought, "His hands were soft like a baby's, hmmm." Even though the boy was a hard worker ever since she had met him, she always knew that he was doing what he could to make up for a lazy lifestyle, "He's been striving to better himself ever since we've met," she whispered, giving a little pout and a shake of her head, showing her gripe with how hard her knight was on himself, she must put a stop to that.

"That metia…" A certain green-haired, noble duchess muttered with her eyebrows raised in surprise, "it's the one he used to coordinate the expedition against the White Whale." Crusch's triumphant grin split her face as she remembered the harsh battle against fate, her troops had won even though the entire army collapsed to its knees, only one thing made them pick themselves up and face the demon beast of fog that night… the lone black-haired young man, yelling and screaming for them not to give up as he escaped and carried the weight of being a distraction for the beast on his own to save the army.

Garfiel's emerald eyes shined with curiosity at the noble lady's words, he wanted to know everything about that legendary battle, he heard so much from the village children and noble knights that were present in Costule about Subaru's deeds against both the Calamity and the Sloth Archbishop of the cult. He could never get his Cap'n to tell him the full story, as Subaru would always deflect his accomplishments to the knights and fighters around him and would tell the story in a way which made him almost non-existent in the events of these great feats..

It was mind-boggling and frustrating for the rough blonde boy. He wanted to learn why so many people thought of his Cap'n as a legend! Why so many exaggerated his power and abilities? He wanted to know what made Subaru so cool in all of their eyes so he can be just like him one day…

But Subaru would always shoot down any praise and would say that he was too weak to help in any of these events.

"… ya think we migh' see Cap'n's adventure?"

"Hm?" Otto, focusing on his friend rather than continuing his analyzing of the metia before him, looked at Garfiel with a bewildered expression, "What was that, Garf-san? We need to keep any info that slips noted or else Anastasia-sama's camp may take us by surprise once we get outta here. Don't forget what they did to get us to join them in the water-gate city."

The blonde youth simply shook his head, "Nothin' it's nothin', ya just keep an eye out for these fucks."

Shrugging, Otto turned to the screen while keeping his solemn expression, "He does look happier here… There aren't any bags underneath his eyes," the merchant whispered, his lips turning thin.

Sudden footfalls sounded out from the front of the all e y opening he was sitting in, making Subaru quickly look up with curiosity to whomever was walking towards him from the depth of the shadowed space.

" Hey, is she finally here? The cute girl who summoned me…" He stops talking as the scene reveals three ragged looking young men smirking down at him.

"Who are these meanies?" Petra pouted with a worried look in her eyes, not liking where this was going.

"Hm? These three are the same ones I took in!" Felt pointed with a suspicious expression.

"These people are in your camp?" Emilia asked with her face turning sour, she did not like how her knight's luck was carrying him through this world at the moment, these people did NOT give her a good impression from their hostile looks. The half-elven girl rubbed the boy's cheek with her palm and stared at him pitifully, "Poor Subaru, he's facing hardships already."

"Barusu's luck has got to be made by the most despicable of spirits." Ram muttered dryly, remembering an encounter of her own with these same three hoodlums, knowing exactly what they specialize in, she held nothing but anger towards them when seeing them smirk at the black-haired youth.

She was feeling sorry for Subaru.

" What are you blabbing on about?"

"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!"

Subaru is picked up from his shirt by the leader.

The blonde-spirit girl growled and kept close to her sleeping master, "They better not hurt Betty's Subaru, in fact!"

Rem and Emilia looked ready to jump in and punch these three, and knowing how weak Subaru truly was, Garfiel and Otto looked just as ready to do the same.

"What an unfortunate path these three young men took." Wilhelm sighed grimly and held a neutral expression as he watched, his belief that this was all fake starting to waver a tiny bit but still present all the same. Subaru should be fine enough to come out of this situation and meet him in the future. The boy was stronger than most would believe, he could see it in his eyes.

"I want you to count every thing these little shi's will do to big bro. They won't get away with hurting 'em!" Felt growled to her present knight.

"I like that lil' one." Garfiel nodded and glared at the three boys on the screen, already wishing he was in there to beat them up.

The redheaded charming youth simply smiled warmly at his mistress, delighted, "I think that may be redundant since it will be here where I meet with Subaru for the first time. It was… unusual, how we met. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You look like you treasure that memory dearly, Reinhard-san?" Julius asked with surprise at the emotion his powerful friend showed when speaking of Subaru.

The redhead gave a beaming smile, "You wouldn't know unless you see it for yourself, Julius-dono. Which will be right about…" Reinhard turned and almost pointed at the screen with excitement… Until.

"CRAP! "

Suddenly a voice shouted from behind.  " Move it, move it! You guys outta my way!" A blonde girl ran through the alley,  shouting in a panic.

"… now." Reinhard looked at the screen with confusion and bafflement.

Everyone stared at the small blonde loli sitting beside the shocked knight.

"Huh?! I never saw those four in the ally that day! That's not me!" Felt shouted as everyone just looked at her with confusion and curiosity.

"Is that the cute girl who summoned me?!" Subaru looked behind the group of thugs with a delighted smile, only for his expression to fall to confusion as soon as the blonde blinks at him.

" Summoned? I dunno what you're talking' about, but I'm busy! Sorry, live strong!"  The blonde girl  blurted out in a hurry and shot Subaru an apologetic smile and an encouraging thumbs up as she  jumped over the wall  to the ally's end , leaving Subaru to be mugged.

"Wh-Whao now!" Felt waved her hands around as Emilia and Garfiel looked at her with betrayed expression, while Beatrice and Rem glared at the girl, even the silent Ram was shooting daggers at the small blonde for leaving the boy defenseless and helpless.

"I promise you, I promise, I never met Big bro until waaay later right outside of my secret hideout! This isn't what happened at all!" Felt pleaded with the people glaring at her, mainly Emilia's group, since Emilia was the only one that Felt truly cared for after saving her and showing her kindness. She would hate it if the half-elf's opinion of her soured after seeing something not even true.

"If what you say is correct…" Beatrice hummed suddenly from her place beside Subaru, Emilia's eyes softened a bit and she turned back to the screen, staring at it in confusion.

"It seeeems we've found our first wrinkle in this little telling of eveeeents…" Roswaal disposed with a mysterious hollow smirk, stretching to his cheeks.

"It seems this truly isn't a reality, nyan!" Felix hummed cheerfully from besides his lady, almost relieved that they've found some base to the entire viewing being a wrong foretelling of events that may never come, therefore making the first part with all of the deaths and horrors void since it was clear how useless this all was now.

Some did not share this relief with the catboy.

"Subaru-kun's still in trouble!" Rem growled heatedly, not being able to hold her worry for her beloved even if this was a simple fake vision.

Emilia and Beatrice held their breaths and stared at the screen with worried looks. They too couldn't help but feel attached to this poor version of their Subaru.

" Hey that didn't make you decide to be less hostile toward me, by any chance did it?"  Subaru asked as he now found himself alone with the other three angry looking thugs.

"Actually, it rained on our parade and made things worse."

"Yeah of course hehe…" Subaru laughed nervously.

"Ah crap!" Mimi shouted while holding her head in frustration. She couldn't tell if this was funny or tragic! She didn't want to watch the poor boy get hurt like this.

Crusch leaned back and watched the kid with pitying eyes, "He is honestly just a kid," the duchess shook her head uncomfortably feeling nothing but sympathy for the situation said boy found himself in, "He has no business being in our world at all."

"What's that supposed to entail, if I may ask, Crusch-sama?" Otto, having heard her, couldn't help but ask for a clarification since it sounded like the duchess was implying Subaru wasn't meant to stay with them.

The noble lady gave the young man an acknowledging grin, "Fear not, Otto-kun, I'm not implying any wish for Natsuki Subaru's banishment or return to his original home. He's a treasured person to many in both, Emilia-sama's camp, as well as my own." Wilhelm and Felix gave rigid nods at the duchess's words, remembering all of the sacrifices the boy had made to win hard fought battles with his best effort.

"That is a relief, Crusch-sama. Natsuki Subaru has become dear to many in this new world he found himself in, not just the two mentioned camps." Julius elegantly and respectfully bowed his head as he interjected on the conversation, sending a fond smirk towards a certain black-haired boy and wishing he would be awake to be taunted with this moment.

It was clear that almost every camp looked fondly towards the black-haired youth, Priscilla's being excluded for the lack of interactions.

Just calm down, Natsuki Subaru.

Its a long time rule since Ancient times that a person summoned into a parallel world will display supernatural powers!

The nervous young man's expression suddenly turned serious as he prepared himself before the three stooges.

"He's acting on arrogant impulse." Julius shook his head and let his gaze harden for his friend's delusion, his worry over-shinning his disappointment as he watched what many in the room have taken as an altered event.

"Why does he think that he will somehow get special abilities just because he's been summoned from his home?" Crusch asked curiously, eyeing the small blonde loli sitting in the front.

Beatrice simply shook her head, "It would take too long to explain to you, just know that Betty's contractor had some… misguided beliefs from his old world that entitled him to some form of power because he's been chosen by someone. Betty never learned who or what that was…"

As Crusch and the knights continued to dwell on Subaru's flawed thinking, the Emilia camp looked on with worried glances.

Garfiel was the only one who watched with a manly grin, hoping to see his captain kick these thugs' asses.

And in a moment, the black-haired boy delivered a swift hook towards the tallest thug standing on the right.

" Lumps of XP!"

"Wah?!" Emilia gasped as her eyes widened in surprise, not comprehending that her knight can be so violent yet impressed with his choreography.

"Seems he can fight at least." Priscilla muttered in boredom, looking dead inside as she loathed every second she wastes in this theater.

T urning around  with haste , he delivered a kick that knocked the short guy on the ground.

" That's the first time I ever hit someone, I didn't expect it to hurt me that much… but this world is set up so that I'll be strong!"  He said with an excited smirk.

"Show 'em who's boss!" Garfiel shouted with excitement, liking this version of his captain and the guts he showed more and more. His form could do with a little perfecting, but these were still good strikes for someone who'd never fought before.

"Man, he's world must've been boring if he didn't fight before." Felix gaped with surprise at the information.

Emilia and Rem's eyes widened as they realized just how weak Subaru truly was. Their worry increased exponentially.

"My adrenaline is surging! I've got this. "  Confidently, Subaru turns  towards the third guy with a smirk  and starts running towards him.

"You can take 'em, Cap'n!"

"Be careful, Natuski-san!"

Otto and Garfiel hollered in cheer as their friend's confidence forced a will of excitement to fill them.

Emilia and Rem grew restless as they started thinking of how many times the boy placed himself in dangerous situations even though he was powerless.

"Stop! Don't get anymore involved, I suppose!" Beatrice on the other hand, was already aware of the boy's weakness and already understood that this could turn bad for her contractor any second.

The last thug didn't even flinch as Subaru bulleted towards him with confidence, he kept his calm and revealed two blades that were hidden from view and got ready to fight the sharp-eyed young man.

"Subaru!"

"Subaru-kun!"

The two girls finally let panic overwhelm them.

"Ah, shit!" Al yelled while slamming a fist on his armrest.

"You said that you were there to save him!" Felt yelled out, panicking as she faced her equally grim-faced knight.

"I'm not sure this screen is showing us the events that I'm familiar with anymore. If you say you weren't there and this screen showed the opposite, I don't think my telling of what happened is going to come to pass." The knight said forlornly.

"We just have to watch then." Anastasia muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, her expression one of humble boredom like nothing happening on the screen was effecting her.

"Maybe the boy will grow a superpower or somethin' we can use." That, she whispered under her scarf.

"Will this be the time… the first usage of your ability, Subaru-kun?" Roswaal whispered with his eyes manic with curiosity as he leaned forward to inspect the truth of what his book had foretold.

Priscilla simply sighed and rubbed her temples in anger at this waste of time.

Seeing this prideful thief stand his ground and reveal his weapons to fight back against him, Subaru decided to honor both, his pride, and the thief's own, by employing a genius technique, one invented by some of the greatest martial scholars of his world,

Everyone watched with their breaths held to see if their outcomes happen or not.

Natsuki Subaru surprised all as he halted his charge and met the ground with his forehead before the criminal's feet.

"I'm sorry! It was all my fault! Forgive me! Spare me! "  Said the honorable hero as he bravely pleaded for his life.

"Yeah, we have no connection to this man." Otto simply stated as Garfiel hid his face behind his upturned palm. The blonde shed a single tear after watching his captain's pathetic nature, in his imagination he could see a small ensemble of violins playing sad and tragic notes to accompany the shameful moment.

For some reason, Julius and Ricardo looked away as well.

"Hmph! This weakling is disgusting." Priscilla spat out as this situation began to anger her more and more, finding the lack of pride this boy held to be more infuriating than his first suicide.

"Subaru… " Emilia looked at the screen with pity, she never realized how hard it was for someone as weak as him to live in this world. In comparison she's always been blessed with power to protect herself.

"He's doing the clever thing, surrendering is the best option when the alternative might be a pointless death in an alleyway… Although, I honestly can't help but find disgusting how he was so quick to throw away his pride, even if it was necessary." Crusch spoke in an aggravated tone, not liking what Subaru was doing to himself but absolutely understanding his inability to fight.

"Nya! This was expected from someone like him after all~!" Felix muttered cheerfully, not noticing the angered looks he being sent his way.

Julius showed a bit of disappointment and anger at the way Subaru prostrated himself, seeing the boy as a close ally and companion, the knight truly wanted to berate and correct Subaru's action in giving up so easily, "To throw ones own pride for someone as petty as a mere thieve, Subaru shouldn't be forced to do such-"

"Don't forget that he's a mere common boy, plucked from a spoiled, almost peace oriented world, Julius-kun. Natsuki-kun quickly realized his inability to fight here and has chosen the best course of action to survive," Anastasia cut her own knight's words with her own, her gaze hardened and showing no emotion, strict, "Pride's nothin' without a body to wield it, Hoshin-sama was forced to do many unsavory things to achieve his own greatness, and from what we've known of Emilia-sama's knight, the boy understood his lackin's and quickly worked to fixin' himself."

Many of Emilia's camp, the ones that were present during Subaru's grueling hours of tireless training and work, widened their eyes in shock as the revelation finally explained to them why the boy was so hard on himself.

"Subaru's been dealing with so much!" Emilia muttered with a heartbroken expression, not able to look at her knight, for a feeling of guilt within her was eating away at her conscience at this moment.

Beatrice looked away from the half-elf and breathed deeply, "You don't even know the half of it, in fact…" The noble spirit whispered, holding her contractor's hand and keeping her eyes on the screen, trying to keep some of the tears in as she remembered the horrible things she saw him committing in secret from all others…

The spirit kept silent.

Anastasia's own mind was filled with unsavory memories that forced her to sympathize with the weak boy on the screen, these memories were ones she wasn't proud of but wouldn't let go for they made her who she was today, memories that her knight was made aware of.

"I'm sincerely regretful, Anastasia-sama, I didn't intend to make light of what you've been throu-"

"It's fine, Julius-kun." Anastasia sighed and patted the knight's shoulder with a fond smile, "Ya were angry for your friend, I understand."

Julius bowed his head apologetically and moved to turn in his seat back towards the screen.

Subaru was kicked in the face.

As he writhed around in pain, the two men he had knocked down started getting up and walking towards him, making an expression of pure fear cover his face.

" Play games with us you die! Scum!"  T he three hooligans kicked and beat the boy down as he tried to protect himsel f with his naked arms.

"Damnit!" Garfiel growled out, blood boiling at the scene of his captain's first moments in this world.

Rem and most of the knights wanted nothing more than to jump in and make these thugs taste the cobbled floor of the alleyway for doing this to Subaru, especially the small blonde candidate as she felt responsible for leaving this Subaru alone to suffer, now knowing of his true origin and how unprepared he was for life in Lugunica.

Emilia looked away from the screen, unable to see this scene for the guilt was too heavy on her heart, she wished and whispered prayers that this Subaru can be saved… Someone save him…

" That's enough!"

Everyone's eyes widened, Emilia slowly turned her head back to face the screen, an expression of bafflement and wonder covering her face.

An order of authority and firmness echoed throughout the alley, making all three thugs as well as the down-beaten Subaru that had one of the thieves' f ee t on his head  look to the speaker .

A ll 4 men looked towards the person now standing at the entry to the alleyway.

A beautiful silver-haired half-elf  with skin as white as snow and eyes so beautiful as they shined with their purple color through the ally while the lady frowned sternly and glared at the thugs beating the young boy where no one can see him.

"I-I don't remember this… I've never been to that alleyway… I didn't meet Subaru in such a place at all!" Emilia quickly voiced out her shock as this was all overwhelming her.

"See?! I knew something was up with this thing!" Felt seethed as her anger at the three hoodlums continued to push her buttons and unnerve her.

"What the hell is going on?" Otto, confused and desperate to understand what was happening, asked, voicing out his and Garfiel's own thoughts as the blonde was glancing at the screen and those different factions spread around the theater bewilderment painting his face.

"This person that brought us here managed to return Rem-san to us from the Sleeping Beauty sickness, I doubt that they would waste our time with such a petty joke," Finally speaking since a long time, the old man clad in a butler suit spoke from his spot beside the noble duchess, "Whatever this is, it must be watched till the very end for us to come to a rightful conclusion."

"But… why would we watch such an estranged telling of events? Emilia-sama and Felt-sama both don't know what's going on so how could we possibly relate to this viewing or understand anything out of it?" Tivey told his own conclusion, with Mimi nodding her head.

"Let's jus' watch this and see where it goes." Ricardo muttered and patted the tiny Tivey on the head with his giant hand.

"Who the hell are you?! "  Shouted one of the thieves in hostility.

" Stop this now and I'll let this slide, so just graciously return what you stole."  The royally dressed lady firmly assessed the thugs with a no-nonsense tone as she glared at them with her beautiful eyes.

Witnessing her beauty, Subaru's eyes were almost sparkling as he looked at her with admiration and awe.

"What we stole?" One of the thieves tilted his head in confusion.

"This Emilia thinks that they stole her insignia… that's almost too good of a coincidence." Felt sounded bummed out as her past self would've loved to get such a chance to escape, but then she remembered what could've happened had Emilia and Subaru not come and found her that day… and that got her thinking…

How did Subaru know so much about Elsa? How did he know and understand Emilia?

"This isn't an altered showing, is it?" The young girl muttered wistfully, unable to understand what the hell was happening, what this was, why they were seeing it… only trusting her gut as it spelled out the answer for her.

This was not fake. No matter the evidence against it.

Emilia held that same feeling in her chest, keeping her eyes on the screen to watch this other her interact with Subaru for the first time.

"Is… Is this what he told me… " A distant memory of a crying begging boy telling her, 'You saved me.' a confusing thought. A sentence without merit or base since she couldn't remember a time where she did anything remotely close.

"H-How…" Emilia asked as her confusion made her want to pull her hair apart, was this what he was talking about? Was it here where Subaru was saved by her?

"Now please. It's important to me. I'll give up on the other stuff but I can't let you have that. Be good and hand it over, please." The lady reasoned with grace and kindness yet still kept a stern tone that left no questions to the criminals before her.

"You didn't come to save this kid?" One of the thugs pointed at the beaten Subaru with a raised eyebrow.

"Glad someone remembers Betty's contractor at least." Beatrice mumbled with her glare raging furious intent to all of the thugs and the other Emilia with them for forgetting about her dearest Subaru under their feet.

" What strange clothes he has, if you asked me if I had a connection with him, I'd have to say no."  The confused girl shook her head and directed her eyes away from the pathetic sight of the downed kid and back to the thugs standing over him.

Priscilla couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sudden rejection this Emilia had shown to him.

"That's just nasty princess," Garfiel shook his head in disappointment, he would've helped any kid he found that was in such a situation.

"That was very cold of you, Emilia-sama." Petra muttered softly, not liking the way Emilia dismissed Subaru so easily.

Frederica didn't stop her because she agreed.

The half-elf in question was trembling with confusion and rage, "H-How could she say that?! He's in dire need of her help!" Emilia stuttered in rage, unable to know if she should be angry at herself or at this version of herself.

"It seems even Emilia-sama doesn't agree with this event, maybe this is telling us of a world where Emilia-sama was different somehow?" Julius kept on theorizing the nature of the screen's showings, trying to provide an answer to please his lady as she silently watched with a small hidden smirk.

"It seems Emilia-sama's treatment of the boy is poor no matter the time or situation."

" Then you have no  business  with us! If someone stole from you then it might be that brat who just ran by!"

" Ohh they don't seem to be lying, I need to go after her."  The white-robed girl swiftly turns her attention to the end of the alleyway and lets her long legs carry her forward, passing the thugs and the bruised up boy.

"Just how many people will abandon him, I suppose?!" Beatrice shouted in outrage as she watched Emilia abandon her contractor like Felt had done.

"I'd never do that! What is wrong with this me?!" Emilia, now completely sure this was not her, decided to shout her anger with a cold glare aimed towards… herself.

But then suddenly, she stops in her tracks and turns to the group of thugs and broken boy. Her  expression morphing to one of anger.

"I can't let this slide either. "  Emilia raises her hand and shoots ice chunks into each of the  thieves  faces.

"Magic?" Subaru asks weakly from the ground.

"Go, Emilia-sama!" Petra shouted for joy as Subaru was free from the thug's foot because of Emilia's help.

"Finally, something good happened to my hero." Rem sighed with relief as she held a hand to her chest, unable to contain her gratitude for Emilia's intervention.

The half-elf herself, stayed silent, looking at the screen with a wide-eyed expression.

'Because… you saved me!'

"How…" Emilia whispered, not understanding how she could not remember such a real event… How could Subaru remember it?

The half-elf only watched with a silent stare, afraid of what she might see.

"Mess with us you die! You think just because you have magic you'll win?! Three against one is still to our advantage!"

"You're right. Three against one may be unfair."  Emilia smirked as she opened her palm revealing a cute little cat.

Emilia's eyes shrunk back as her chest heaved with excited emotion, the sight of her eldest companion and adoptive father spirit brought tears of joy to her eyes.

And just like her emotional reaction, Beatrice gave a small excited 'Bubby!' from her seat while staring at her older brother with a joyous face.

"That's the Great Spirit of Fire, Emilia-sama used to contract." Tivey explained to his confused sister as Mimi had no idea why the cat got such a reaction.

"I would like to know how lower members such as you have learned of Emilia-sama's loss of Puck-sama." Ram quickly capitalized on getting information out of Anastasia's camp, her eyes seething with cold-blooded contempt to show her hate for this camp's manipulative ways.

Anastasia quickly patted Tivey's head and faced the maid herself, "Ya got a problem with the information passed down to us, then you have to take out the entire merchant network since that's where we got tha goods."

Not satisfied with the answer, the pink-haired maid turned away from the ever smug merchant queen as Julius turned his head to deliver a warning glare for her not to push further.

Ram got a small pat on the leg from her lord, giving her a sign that he approved of her action to protect the camp, but his eyes remained glued on the screen before him, unlike all of the others, he believed each and every scene had happened to the poor boy and his curiosity and maybe even something like guilt were making him watch with a heaving chest.

"You're right, maybe two against three will make it a bit more fair." The cat chirped suddenly as if it was normal for cats to speak while smiling innocently towards the three thieves.

" Y-You're a spirit's arts user!"  T he big  thug spoke  in a terrified tone.

"These guys are screwed when I get home, make a punishment fit for the worst of the worst, Rein."

"Yes, Felt-sama."

"Correct. Back off now and I won't come after you." Emilia smugly threatened while placing a hand on her hip as she carried her cat spirit on the palm of her other hand.

"Emilia-sama is too kind." Rem softly spoke with a small grin on her face, enjoying the way Emilia scared them off tactfully.

The half-elf herself was still looking at the screen with a thin-lipped expression, trying to understand what was happening.

"You bitch! Next time I see you, you're dead!" The blade wielding ring leader shouted but took a step away from Subaru and began lightly backstepping with his brothers.

"Do anything to her and I'll hunt you and your kin forever," the gray cat said as he growled with his jaws changing into a vicious form that made him look like a beast, growling at its prey.

Said prey all ran screaming out of the alley after the Great spirit's threat.

"Poor fellas didn't have a choice." Al chuckled and shook his head at the boys, his lady only shook her head and sighed in annoyance.

"Mineself is already disgusted enough with that boy, I don't need to dwell on mere cowardice-worshiping swine." Priscilla spat, thinking about the three thugs and how gross they were.

Now free of torment and abuse, Subaru managed to sit upright and look up at the  robe dressed girl with grateful eyes. " Thank you for saving me-"

Emilia's eyes widened in awe and recognition, her breath withheld as she wanted to consume the moment with her very soul.

"Betty's Subaru should recognize how she was about to leave him at first, I suppose." Beatrice grumbled from the side with crossed arms.

"Don't move!" Subaru looks startled as Emilia stares him down intensely, which made Subaru blush a red hue on both cheeks as he tried to avert his eyes away.

"See?  You averted your eyes because you have a guilty conscience! Looks like my  judgment  was spot on."  Emilia nodded her head and smirked in satisfaction for being proven right.

"I think the boy's got a crush." Al bemusedly said from the top while some in the theater chuckled at his notion.

Emilia ignored it and kept watching silently.

"I think it was just an instinctive male reaction. I didn't  sense  any malice at all."  The small cat reasoned with the girl with a confused expression.

" You be quiet Puck. You know who stole my insignia from me, don't you?"  Ignoring her spirit, the suspicious Emilia glared sternly at the bruised Subaru and questioned him.

"Can't she see how beat up the boy is?" Felix whispered his question while shaking his head, making Crusch nod her head as her frown deepened at Emilia's ignorance in this scene.

" S-Sorry but I don't have the slightest idea."  He answered  in a hoarsely unclear voice and shook his head.

Setting her eyes right into his a bit more to see if he was lying, Emilia pouted and stepped back from the boy's personal space,  turning  her eyes away as worry began to fill them. " Did I really just come the long way around?"  She whispered in a panic-filled tone that  makes Subaru smile  in amusement  as he starts to get up.

"Oh, Emilia-sama…" Otto face-palmed in pity.

"Shouldn't have wasted time on some cur!" Priscilla spat, finding pleasure in insulting and berating the camp that got them into this annoying situation.

Rem pursed her lips and kept herself from jumping up and slamming her knuckles against the lady's cheeks.

"You should probably hurry after her, miss. I can help…"  The boy stops his sentence as he suddenly  faints on the ground.

"Aw, you shouldn't have tried to get up.  What should we do? "  Puck looks at Emilia.

" None of our business. He won't die so we'll just leave him here."  She said sternly as she turned her back to the fallen kid.

"What?!" Beatrice shouted once more while holding her contractor in outrage, Otto and Garfiel where looking at the screen with looks of disgust and disbelief.

"W-Wait, now hold on… that's not something big sister would do!" Felt stuttered but came strong for Emilia's defense, most of the people that knew of the half-elf's kind nature understood what she meant and nodded their heads.

"Emilia-sama isn't this harsh," Frederica nodded along with Petra for the half-elf's defense.

Emilia kept staring at the screen, wondering if Subaru had remembered this part about her as well… if he remembered her leaving him to bleed out in an ally.

The silver-haired girl was pursing her lips hard.

"Really?"  Her cat questioned with a raised brow.

"Yes, Really." She nodded firmly and started to walk away from the boy's unconscious form.

" You say that, but I bet you'll still help him."  The spirit cat bemusedly challenged, not at all floating away from the boy.

"I'll not!" Emilia stopped in her tracks and turned to face her cat with a look of authority… which turned into a pout.

"Yeah, right." Puck snorted and crossed his arms together.

Neither noticed how the beaten boy struggled to open his eyes for a few seconds, witnessing Emilia yelling at a smirking Puck with a flustered glare on her face.

"I'll absolutely not save him! "  Subaru heard the silver-haired girl shout at her smug cat as his world suddenly turned dark.

"Who bets she saves him?" Anastasia called out and laughed as everyone raised their hands with deadpanned looks, more than understanding why the Great spirit was teasing the girl, she was too kind to let Subaru stay like this.

Knowing she's been had, Emilia couldn't help but flush her head a little, blaming her dearly missed father for being outed like this.

She's even super cute when she's mad… that's a parallel world fantasy for you.

The boy thought as he saw one last image of the beautiful girl arguing furiously with her spirit above him before his eyelids closed and his world went dark.

"Yep, crush." Al nodded and laughed loudly as some of the knights and the candidates chuckled at this.

Emilia held her ears and hid her face on Subaru's chest, she was full on blushing from the boy's words.

"Even when he's being left behind by her, he can't stop thinking about her, such a tiresome contractor, in fact." Beatrice sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration… and jealousy.

"Subaru-sama never seems to think of himself when he needs to." Rem softly chuckled as she watched this little scene with a warm heart, remembering all that he said to her the last time he was speaking.

A memory she loved to replay, over and over.

As his eyes began to open and adjust to the dim lighting of the alleyway, Subaru's head was shown fully laying on a person's… furry lap?

"This seems… interesting?" Reinhard tried to say without chuckling as he noticed right away along with the cast just how much fur was on those legs.

"Poor Cap'n. I'm never letting him live this down." Garfiel chuckled with a gruffish smirk.

"I don't understand." Julius looked at the blonde boy in front of him and the merchant.

He would've been ignored had it not been for Otto silently pointing at the three girls sitting around Subaru.

Julius noticed Emilia and Beatrice were red in the cheeks as they held their hands to their mouths, while the blue-haired maid kept her composure but her trembling lips clearly showed how badly she needed to let something go out of her system.

The knight was still confused.

"Is my head on someone's lap? "  He asked with a sudden blush blooming on his cheeks.

"S-Sure is! Pffft!" Emilia choked out before falling into a fit of angelic giggles.

Beatrice and Rem soon followed, making all three girls lean on their tummies and laugh.

"You're awake?" He heard a soft voice ask from above him, making the blush bloom further across his cheeks.

"I didn't know cute girls could be this hairy… Wait! That can't be right!"  Feeling the sheer amount of soft fur his head was resting on, the boy immediately stood up and jumped away to see the just  who  it was that his head was resting on… To find a humanoid over-sized cat sitting on the alley's stairway with an innocent smile.

"Oh!" Crusch voiced out with a small grin as she understood why the girls found this all humorous.

" AAAAAHHHHH! " The  boy's terrified scream filled the alleyway as he jumped back and glued himself to a wall while staring at the human-like Puck with petrified eyes.

"Hahaha!" Emilia, Beatrice, and Rem were soon joined by the twins, Al, and Ricardo.

"Never living this down!" "Never!"

Garfiel and Otto, did what was expected of them… preparing to be dicks to their brother once he awakes.

"It's just a thoughtful arrangement we made, so you could at least feel happy until you woke up." Puck explained thoughtfully with an expression of mischief.

Subaru glared at the giant cat,  " First of all, don't talk in that high voice! No sane guy confuses a cat for the main heroine! "  the boy shook his head with a look of despair at his honest mistake.

"He looks so horrified… Pffft!" Felt finally exploded into her own fit of giggles, her bro's facial expressions were just too much!

"Aw, seeing you so happy was worth making myself bigger." The cat giggled while kicking its long legs to further tease the boy.

"I'm not happy!" Subaru shouted, pointing at the criminal cat with nothing but hatred and anger.

Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice all calmed down from their hysteric fit and watched the scene with beaming expressions of delight.

No one understood Subaru like those three did, they all learned just how much sanctum Subaru holds for his lap pillows, and seeing how that was defiled by Puck was so humorous and comedic to the girls that had lent their laps to the black-haired knight.

Subduing his anger for the moment, Subaru's eyes suddenly turned to the person sitting right beside the demon teasing cat… The silver-haired ice-using girl that had saved him sat behind her spirit's form and had her eyes squinting at him in distrust.

"You seem a bit too distrustful of him here, Emilia-sama." Frederica muttered as she found this behavoir to be very unusual from the kindhearted and monotonously shy half-elf.

"I don't know what's wrong with her." Emilia whispered, bitterly, her expression one of held back cringe as she hoped that whatever this reality was, Subaru wouldn't remember her treatment of him here… "If he even lived through this that is…" Emilia whispered, not knowing what she should trust out of all of this, but wishing she could atleast be in this other version of herself's stead so she can provide all the comfort and help Subaru needed and deserved instead of being a distrustful brat.

" I'm sorry about this, you stayed with me the whole time I was unconscious…"  The boy's guilty plea was ignored as Emilia sternly cut him off.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I had to stay because there are things I want to ask you. Healing your wounds and making puck your pillow until you woke up  were for my own  benefit  so you need to repay the favor. "

"That doesn't sound exactly…." Al was cut off, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

"Genuine." Julius said, having the same thought about the half-elf's way of phrasing things.

" For such a normal favor, you're making it sound like I really owe you big."

" No such thing. You have some idea who stole my insignia, right?"  Emilia asked with a raised brow.

"Insignia, you mean one of those badge things that shows your affiliation?" Subaru questioned back with a confused expression.

"It has a jewel in the center and it's this big." The girl explained with her fingers measured together in the shape of her desired item.

"Sorry but no matter how many times you ask, I have no idea. " The boy shook his head with a guilty expression.

"There's no helping it then, but you've given me the information that you know nothing.  So you gave me my  answer  for h ea ling you."  Emilia sighed with a bit of relief and turned away from the boy, who just looked confused.

"Well, I'm in a hurry, so I'm going now. Next time don't wonder into alleys like these alone. I'm only warning you because if it happens to you again, saving you won't be of any benefit to me, so don't expect me to help. "  The girl left no room for the bewildered boy to respond as she began walking out of the alley.

"Emilia-sama is really bad at playing stern and tough, isn't she." Anastasia mused humorously as the twins giggled beside her.

Emilia simply blushed and hid her face in embarrassment.

The spirit cat hovered closer to the boy and shot him a small smile.

"Sorry about her, she's so insincere. don't think badly of her. "  Puck said as he watched  Emilia's back disappear around a corner with Subaru .

"I miss Bubby." Beatrice muttered, pouting as she watched her older brother floating on the screen.

Emilia just smiled through her reddened face, feeling the warmth she had missed all this time since Puck had broken his contract with her.

"Me too." The princess whispered, fondly.

Subaru looks at Emilia as she's leaving, "Insincere? I think its beyond that. She was in such a hurry to find what was stolen from her, she stayed to help me and came up with a lame excuse for a favor so I wouldn't feel I owed her, even though I'm a total stranger. Anyone who lives like that…"

Subaru picks up his things and runs after Emilia with a smile, "… is gonna end up wasting their whole life!"

The cat spirit simply let his lips turn upwards as he watched the boy run after his master.

"He had Emilia-sama figured out from the start, ha!" Ram snorted, grinning as she enjoyed the two's innocent interaction.

"Of course he did, Emilia-sama wasn't really good at her facade." Otto sighed and shook his head exasperatedly.

The elven princess herself only pouted and looked away from everyone to hide her face, she was glad that this Emilia wasn't being mean without purpose and she was even more thrilled that Subaru didn't hate her for it even if this wasn't her Subaru… But it was shameful to think so many people have her figured out, even a boy from another world!

"S-Stop talking about it, please!" Emilia pouted, making a few chuckle at the scene.

"Did something like this happen with our Subaru's meeting with Emilia-sama?" Julius asked Otto, curious as to how this screen's events and the real ones differed.

Otto's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing that whatever he may say will be used to Anastasia's advantage, "I don't really know, Julius-sama, the meeting happened way before I came into Emilia-sama's gracious servitude."

Julius slightly grinned, knowing why the boy was nervous, and gave a short nod of his head, "Whatever may be the case, we will see what's the difference anyways."

Otto cursed under his breath at the smug prick of a knight above him.

"No matter how it was, I'm sure the way you've met our Subaru-kun is what made him hold you so dear to his heart, Emilia-sama." Rem softly encouraged the princess sitting in front of her, telling the truth from the bottom of her heart because she wanted the princess to see how much the black-haired youth cared for her.

The half-elf just caressed her knight's unmoving hand, an unreadable expression on her face.

"You guys keep talking as if this isn't something that happened…" Emilia whispered while feeling the boy's hand in her own, her mind replayed the very first moment she came across this wonderful person that was her knight…

The way he smiled brightly once he laid eyes on her, as if she was familiar to him, as if she was someone he deeply worried for…

The way he saved her from a danger she herself didn't anticipate…

Subaru looked and acted like he had met with her before, but she couldn't remember any previous meeting with him so he just confused her with his amazingly accurate knowledge…

The half-elf princess was deep in thought now. Thinking of this entire viewing and its relation towards her own Subaru.

"It could be why this screen is showing you this, I suppose."

"Beatrice-san?"

The small spirit sitting beside the boy held a forlorn gaze, giving the elf a nod, Emilia understood what it meant.

'This is not a fake. This is not unrelated. Keep watching.'

So many questions filled her head, but Emilia kept watching with a dreaded feeling slowly crawling over her.

"Hey, wait up!"

A voice stopped her walk into the marketplace and made her turn back to meet the caller's gaze with her own impatient one.

"What? Just so you know, I can only spend a little more time with you. "  The pointy-eared girl said firmly yet a bit hesitant.

" I sense you'r e  being a tiny bit lenient… forget that. You lost something important, right? Let me help you."  Subaru pointed at himself with with an excited smile.

"But you said that you knew nothing-" Emilia was cut off by Subaru.

"But I remember her face at least! If I see her again I'll know!"

Emilia appears to be thinking  as she looked him over .  " You'r e  strange… I can't repay you if you help me."

"I don't need you to. I want to thank you that's why I want to help you." The black-haired youth smiled sincerely towards the hesitant Emilia.

"I didn't do anything deserving of thanks. I told you that I already received compensation for healing your wounds." The half-elf refuted sternly, unable to understand why this kid wants to help her so much.

Subar u's smile widens as he holds a finger up .  "Then…  I'm going to help you for my own sake… let's see… yeah! One good deed per day!"

"This Emilia seems adamant on doing this on her own." Crusch noted absentmindedly while watching, earning a small interjection from a stoic pink-haired maid.

"Emilia-sama's probably distrustful that someone would be trying so hard to help her. She doesn't get that type of charity from the common citizens usually," At Ram's words, some of the people in the room, like Anastasia as well as members of Crusch's camps all looked uncomfortable, admitting silently what the Oni was saying was true, Emilia's half-elven traits would not have made for a good impression to interact with.

"Big sis is put off by Bro's efforts to help her?" Felt simply registered with a confused look, allowing a small maid to come to Emilia's defense.

"Emilia-sama's just nervous because she doesn't talk to many strangers and she didn't know Subaru would be her friend!" Petra weighed her own opinion in, innocent and yet mature at the same time, ready to defend the kind princess that helped her and the village so many times.

The silver-haired girl looked surprised by this but held a small trembling smile towards the two maids, "Yeah… I think that's something I would've done, too." Emilia admitted sadly, keeping her smile on.

Otto and Garfiel simply looked at her with worry and sympathy.

Priscilla rubbed her temple once more, fucking bored to her wits end with all of this, wondering why the world would send her into this shitshow, "Mine royal self should not be wasting time hearing about a Half-Wit's deserved treatment!" Many in the crowed, especially Rem and Garfiel, glared at the furious royal.

Emilia looks away with a confused look on her face. Puck shows up and smiles at her.

"I don't sense any malice. I think you can just accept his offer," he looked at Subaru with a smirk as he teased, "After all, the more shields between you and ruffians, the better."

"That's what you want me around for?!" Subaru glares at the cat in outrage.

"I mean it, though. I can't do anything to thank you." Emilia affirmed one more time, trying to convince him to stay away.

"No problem, just leave it to me."

S ubaru and Emilia are shown in many different scenes where they look all over to find Felt. They end up sitting on a high area in the city and  looking over the sight.

" I  ta lked b i g but this town is too huge to find one little girl huh?"  Said Subaru as he slumped on a ledge with disappointment clear on his face.

"Man, sorry for causing you so much trouble again, sis." Felt, feeling shameful for causing the two to go through so much, apologized awkwardly, only to be met with a small smile and a nod from an absentminded Emilia.

"It's okay," she said, her eyes quickly returning to watch the interactions between the Emilia and Subaru on the screen, her face thin-lipped and emotionless as she was deep in thought…

Not liking that she didn't remember any of this time she had spent with her Subaru. Or maybe she did…

"It's the capital of Lugunica. You didn't even know that… umm…" Emilia pauses and gives Subaru a sheepish look.

"That's right. We haven't asked your name yet. Should we introduce ourselves?" Puck asked the boy.

"Oh, yeah right. I'll introduce myself first then."

Subaru does a weird pose with his finger aimed at the sky.  " My name is Natsuki Subaru. Not only am I clueless, I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet you."

"As hopeless as ever, I suppose."

"That is just how shameless Barusu is."

"So he's always so rash, huh?" Felix asked.

Crusch shook her head with a smile of amusement.

Emilia smiled at the scene but with a pain filled squeeze from her heart, knowing that she couldn't witness it when he was just a normal boy and not some savior she needed to feel indebted to… She had to admit that he looked adorable when he did his pose to her…

"Cap'n's pose is cool!" Garfiel shouted with star's in his eyes.

"I guess so, yeah." Ricardo agreed with the demi human boy.

"When that's all you say, you really do sound hopeless. And I'm Puck! Nice to meet you!" Puck floats really fast towards Subaru only to be met with his hand and begins shaking it. Emilia looks at how Subaru and Puck are shaking their hands with a surprised face.

"It's very unusual to see someone who can touch a spirit so casually.  Where are you from? "

"Subaru does have a high affinity for spirits." Julius spoke calmly remembering when his own spirits were easily able to contract with the boy, he was absolutely not jealous or envious of the boy's blessing, he was merely pointing out an amusing fact-

"Stop being jealous, Julius-kun." Anastasia gave a knowing smile at her Knight as he huffed and looked away.

"Doesn't matter, I suppose. Betty is the only spirit for Subaru, in fact." Beatrice looked proud at the fact… Until Ricardo came in and ruined said fact for her.

"Of course, he wouldn't be the Lolimancer without you!"

Everyone laughed at Ricardo's joke.

Beatrice simply puffed her adorable cheeks at the disrespect both, hers and her contractor's names were subjugated to.

" Well, following the usual pattern, a small island nation to the east."  Answered the clueless boy as he played with the small gray cat.

Emilia looks to be in thought.  " Lugunica is the easternmost nation on our continental map.  There is no island nation to the east."

Subaru looks surprised at this.  " No way, really? there's nothing east of here?"

E milia looks at Subaru with pitying eyes.  " You have no idea where you are, you have no money, you can't read, and you have no one who can help you. You might be in an even more precarious position than I am… um, Subaru, was it?"

S ubaru blushes red as he looks away from her,  " Yes, that's my name."

Puck floats around the boy.  " Hmm you look really well built from where I'm looking."

Subaru opens and closes his palm,  " I  do work out every day. Even for a shut-in like me, I still need to be ready to guard my house."

"What does Shut-in mean?" Crusch raised a brow, asking the expert in speaking fluent Subaruios.

"It's what you call a person that wastes their life doing nothing but sit in their room or house. Not wanting or needing any interaction with the world outside, I suppose." Beatrice mumbled in a low voice, not liking the way her contractor always referred to himself with something so degrading… even if it did make her feel more closer to him, for she had been in that same position for eons herself.

"So Subaru is someone who wastes his life?" Reinhard asked, a little concerned for his friend's laziness.

"So… he was just a normal boy with no friends and nothing to live for in the outside world." Rem looked at the sleeping boy with sympathy.

"No wonder he doesn't feel that attached to his own world, if I had been summoned into another world from my own… I wouldn't be taking it so cheerfully like he did." Petra's mature outlook made many look at her with surprise.

"Not to mention how unprepared he was for this world and how much worse things started off for him here… " Emilia muttered sadly, thinking of how Subaru preferred to keep smiling even though this world was clearly not better for him just because he had nothing to live for in his old one. A prospect that made the girl really think about how sad her knight's life truly is, "Oh, Subaru…"

"That explains his mannerisms… Dear spirits this feeling is getting worse and worse." Julius waved his hair in frustration as Subaru's weak and pathetic nature was getting revealed more and more.

"I mean, it's not the true Cap'n, righ'? Maybe the details are different in our Cap'n's story." Garfiel calmly theorized, still thinking about this screen's showings as untrustworthy, not noticing the many downturned heads of the people that started to doubt these events being nothing short of reality, Felt, Emilia, and Beatrice being the most prominent.

"I don't know what 'Shut-in' means but you sound like you come from a respectable family."

Emilia moves and picks one of Subaru's hands to inspect them, ignoring the boy's blush.

" Your finge rs  too, they're pretty.  T hey're evidence that you don't live the peasant life."

Subaru steps back from her and changes the su b ject. "U-Uh anyway, I know your cat's name now, but I haven't heard yours yet."

E milia looks away as she appears to be thinking about something.

"I'm… Satella. "  Emilia looks at Subaru sternly awaiting his reaction. Puck looks at her in shock.

"What?!" Felt shouted ludicrously.

"What's the meaning of this Emilia-sama?!" Julius was next to call for an answer, not expecting something so rash from the half-elf and needing something to calm the situation down immediately less some of the candidates call for a fight against the elf and her camp.

Everyone looked at their Emilia in shock waiting for an explanation. The girl herself was just staring at the screen with shock. "I-I don't know what this 'me' is doing! I wouldn't use the name of the witch like this!"

She could only look on helplessly as the rest seemed to calm down and watch with her, they too wanted to find out what was going on.

Anastasia however only looked a bit apprehensive with the backed-up girl, "You don't know how dangerous what ya'r doing is to both you and the boy-"

"She's not responsible for this version of herself's actions, Anastasia Hoshin. We've still yet to determine if this is even relevant to our own Emilia, so I don't think lecturing her for something she didn't even do would help us."

The merchant queen relented and gave a small huff towards the preying duchess, "Fine, I just wanted to make it clear."

Crusch stayed silent and continued to watch with a look of stern suspicion, needing answers of her own as well.

Priscilla simply clicked her tongue, the facade annoying her more and more, the only thing holding her back from just up and killing the half-elf was her intense feeling telling her to calm down and watch this to the end.

"I have no family name. You can just call me Satella."

"I see… Satella… That's a nice name." Subaru smiles at her.

"He doesn't know what the name means." Felix shook his head at the boy's stupidity.

"He's not from this world Felix. He has a good excuse." Reinhard interjected, slightly reprimanding the healer's mistake of their friend's name.

Felix just shrugged, letting out a sigh as his shoulders fell.

Emilia flinched hard, not liking the way Subaru said that name so softly and so fondly, loathing this version of her for ever giving him the chance to say that name. In all of her days with Subaru, her greatest fear was that he would start seeing her as the Witch of darkness… Hearing him call her by the Witch's name was something Emilia absolutely hated and was disgusted by…

"Wait.. Wait…" Emilia silently whispered as her eyes began widening…

"Your name. I want to know your name."

"…"

No doubt about it, the evidence was too much… This was all a real happening of events that Subaru somehow still remembered…

"What is going on with you, Subaru?" A sense of relief filled her even though this brought on more confusion than anything else. Emilia continued to watch, this time, knowing that this is all true and something she couldn't remember for some reason. How else would Subaru work so hard just to know her name? He must've found out she gave him a fake one, Satella isn't that well received of a name after all.

"What is going on?" She whispered once more, watching with a pained look.

Emilia looks shocked at his reaction as if she  w as waiting for something else. Puck floats closer to her ear and sighs in disappointment.  " You have terrible taste."  He whispers before disappearing into her silver-hair.

The elven princess flinched, her father's disappointed tone filling her with regret.

"Hmph! Indeed." Priscilla snorted in agreement with the cat's words.

" Th e n,  time to get back to asking around!"

T he scene changes to show Emilia pointing at a crying girl.  " Hey Subaru, does she look lost to you?"

"Hm!"

"What's the matter, I suppose?"

Emilia only blinked with surprise as she answered the spirit's question, "That girl, I've met her before, almost in the same exact way… just without Subaru." Many gave the silver-haired girl a questioning look.

"So far things have gone according to what happened with our Felt-sama and Emilia-sama with a certain difference," Julius mused skeptically as he thought how weird this version of events was, "Subaru's presence is the only varied constant."

Emilia, Felt, and Beatrice all looked at the screen with their faces pursing in silence.

"But what about our questioning? "  Subaru asked as he looked between the lost child and Emilia with an apprehensive face.

" That's also important, but if she's lost, we have to do something."  Emilia pressed brashly.

" I'm in no position to talk since you save d  me but do you understand the position we're in?"

"But… she's crying! Is she not, Subaru?" Emilia had a look of conviction on her face. Subaru looked surprised for just a moment at Emilia's abrasive attitude.

"Ha! He just looks like a lovesick pup~!" Mimi teased excitedly, making Ricardo and her brother chuckle at the boy's expression.

"Emilia-sama's kind heart never ceased to amaze my Subaru-kun." Rem softly whispered while looking at the scene with an air of fondness.

Emilia just looked at the scene with curiosity, wondering how different this interaction will be since she will have Subaru with her… She wont be on her own this time.

The half-elf's lips quirked into a small downward circle.

"Thank you for all your help, Subaru. After I help that little girl, I'll handle it on my own from here." Emilia spoke firmly and walked away from him without leaving a chance of argument.

Watching this firm stance, Emilia shook her head at her counterpart and looked on to see what her knight will do now that he's been let free… almost like a natural habit, a feeling of warmth filled her as she quickly theorized what he will do now that she had left him.

"Bet number two, he doesn't leave her side." Anastasia announced cheerfully with a raised hand, laughing as almost every single person in the room raised their hands with deadpanned or fond expressions.

Even Emilia herself was chuckling softly as she had her arm raised, fondly touching the boy's limp hand with her fingers rubbing the soft skin, reminiscing about all the times she tried to force him away only for him to return right back to her side and berate her cheerfully when she was being a dummy.

T he girl noticed Emilia standing in front of her with a  soft smile on her face . She noticed Emilia's features and recoiled in fear.

"Oh… Emilia-sama." Rem whispered in a gentle pitying tone.

Julius and Reinhard just looked down away from the screen, not wanting to watch such a displeasing moment of one of the royal candidates to their throne.

"Mineself thinks this child is smarter than the rest of those bumbling buffoons." Priscilla stated about the people surrounding Emilia with a cold smile, enjoying the slight flinch the silver-haired candidate gave.

Ram and Rem both narrowed their eyes from their respective seats.

Emilia ignored this and knelt with a gentle smile aimed at the kid.  " I'm sorry I'm not who you were looking for. So what's the matter, aren't your mom and dad with you?"

Although she was gentle with her, the small child seemed to be frightened of Emilia and began shedding tears.

"Uh….um…  please don't cry alright! I won't do anything to you, all right?"  Emilia  started to panic and  tried to calm the girl down to no avail.

"Can't even stop a kid from crying, some leader you are! How can you lead a nation if you can't stop a child from whining!? Haha!"

"I would like to see how you deal with a distressed child." Crusch came to Emilia's defense and glared at Priscilla.

Suddenly, Subaru's hand was in front of both girls showing them his ten edge coin.

"What I have here is one grooved-edge ten-yen coin. I will now clutch it tightly in my hand. Tight, tight, tight… like that! And now imagine that! "  He opened his palm to reveal it was empty when it should have had the coin in it.  The girl looked amazed at Subaru to which he gave a gentle smile.

Petra's eyes sparkled with joy as she saw one of Subaru's many magic tricks being preformed on the screen, "Whoa!"

"How'd he do that?!" Garfiel was just as amazed as the child.

He moved his hand to her hair,  " And this… is where the coin was hiding." He gently showed the kid his coin. The girl smiled with awe and astonishment but looked up at him with an asking look.

"You can have this. Its rare so take good care of it." Subaru chuckled and extended his coin to the girl.

The little girl smiled brightly and took the coin.  " Thank you!"

"I see. You got separated form your mom, huh? it'll be fine! Just leave it to me and this young lady here.  We'll find them for you in no time. "  Subaru assured the little kid with a charming smile as he walked her throughout the marketplace.

"Subaru seems really good with kids." Frederica smiled at the sight of the happy girl.

"Yeah, everyone in the village loves Subaru-sama," innocent and cheerful, the smaller maid sitting beside Frederica praised with a beaming expression.

"Did ya deal with this the same way without big bro?" The ex-thief asked the girl with silver-hair and white-robes sitting in the front curiously.

Emilia only shook her head silently, keeping her expression hidden behind locks of silver hair as she watched the way her knight would've handled the child had he been there to help her during her time.

The scene showed Subaru and Emilia, walking alongside the girl with each holding one of her hands as they looked around the marketplace. " When they see us like this, people who don't know us probably think we're a married couple and child, huh?"

"Barusu can't keep a handle on his pervy intentions no matter the difference in worlds, Ha!" Ram laughed humorously at Subaru's clear abysmal attempts at flirting while her own sister was just pouting sadly while watching the scene.

Beatrice only huffed and glared heatedly at the small girl, finding herself extremely disliking the way he referred to her as his child.

"The young man wears his heart on his sleeve." Crusch found herself chuckling softly at Wilhelm's fond musing, liking the relaxed-state the old butler seems to have sunk into as he watched the lovely scene.

"What a disgusting image, tck!" Priscilla spat haughtily in disgust, not finding the showing of Subaru, Emilia, and some random child from the streets in such a close manner comfortable enough for her standard.

"At best, I can't see you as anything more than her older brother." Emilia scoffed and carried on walking over the crushed pieces of the young man's heart.

"What makes you think I'm that much younger than you?!" Subaru cried out in misery.

Julius and Otto chuckled loudly at the comeback, finding Subaru's expression to be amusing.

"Ooooh," flinching back, Mimi sounded with sympathy after seeing Subaru's crushed expression.

"That's so cold, big sis!" Felt laughed heartily and tapped her knee in approval.

Blushing madly with the embarrassment, the royal half-elf could only find it appropriate to slightly pinch the limp hand beside her while muttering, "Stupid Subaru," pouting in displeasure.

"Wake up already…" Rem whispered sadly, wanting her hero to see these scenes even if they weren't a reality. She knew that he would be more than overjoyed to have seen this with them as well, Rem always knew what made her hero happy, her best efforts went into making him smile even if a little.

"Mommy!" the girl suddenly let go of their hands and ran into her mother's embrace.

"Looks like she found her."

Emilia smiled at him.  " I'm glad."

The scene changes to them sitting on a fountain ledge.

"I think we took a pretty long way around, but what benefit will you insist that you got out of this? "  Subaru asked as he watched the water flowing below his ledge.

" That's easy. Now we can continue our search with our minds at ease, right? Anyway why did you help me? You were against the idea."  Emilia inquired as she kicked her legs on the ledge.

"I could say I just wanted to show off my magic trick,  but that would be a lie. I told you that finding your insignia is my good deed for the day!"  Subaru charmed with a pose and smile but Emilia instantly refuted him with a raised brow.

"Then, since you helped the little girl isn't your one good deed over?"

"The com e back was way too logical!  Come on it isn't bad to do more than one good deed for a day right? I just got tomorrow's out of the way. My plan is to get a week's worth of good deeds taken care of early!"

"Subaru, you're the type that basically wastes your whole life, aren't you?" Emilia refuted again with a look of pity aimed at the boy.

Subaru slum p s,  " You're the last one I want saying that to me."  He moaned.

"He's just trying to help you, Emilia-sama." Chuckling along with the others, Rem warmly told the girl sitting in front of her.

"I was not in that place though, I can't recall a reason for why this me is treating Subaru so uncompromisingly-"

"I think this Emilia is just suspicious of Subaru-sama's kindness toward her," calmly interjecting on Emilia's thoughts, Crusch firmly attested her point of view, sharing what she had been theorizing in her mind for a while, "It was the reason why this copy of Emilia-sama used the Witch's name."

"To scare him off?"

Crusch gave a firm nod at her healer's assumption, "A boy that came out of the blue with kindness and pure intent should be very suspicious to someone of Emilia-sama's status," staging her amber irises towards the half-elf, the duchess formed an expression of pity, "Not to mention Emilia-sama's appearance may cause her a lot of trouble so she probably was trying to get Subaru-sama away to not involve him."

Hearing the duchess' theory, Emilia flinched a bit while holding her head down, wondering if she really would do these things, using the forbidden name of the Witch, trying to leave the injured kid behind at every turn…

She couldn't deny the feeling deep inside of her that compelled her to believe there was a chance that she would indeed to these things had she met Subaru the same way this she, did.

"That seems plausible." Anastasia affirmed with a surprised look, nodding her head in approval now that she actually agreed with the way this Emilia had conducted herself by using the witch's appearance she resembles to her advantage.

"To bad big bro is from another world, he has no idea about the Witch." Felt muttered with her hands behind her head.

"You aren't a bad boy though." The royal-robed girl said with finger on her chin.

"Why are you treating me like I'm younger than you again? I doubt there's much difference between us." Subaru asked, turning to face the girl sitting on the ledge beside him.

"I don't think making guesses on that will help you. I'm a half-elf." Emilia looked down with a dark expression suddenly covering her face. One of sadness and frustration.

Not many gave an outward reaction to this, most of the people that understood the girl's tragic treatment because of her appearance only gave slight frowns of displeasure, like Julius and Reinhard, others opted to bring forth the nastiest of glares towards the invisible forces plaguing the half-elf's life with sadness, or just glared at the screen furiously, like Garfiel, Otto, Rem, and Petra. The little maid specifically has grown to like the princess quite a whole lot compared to the days before Emilia started coming out to the village every week with an excited Subaru hopping beside her.

Subaru looked up at her in surprise as he noticed her ears for the first time.

" Now I understand… "  He whispered in an astonished tone as he noticed her pointy white ears…

Emilia gripped her knuckles tight as she waited for a certain reaction once more.

"She's really nervous…" Petra whispered anxiously, feeling bad for what her royal friend was going through because of self doubt and hesitation.

"This is the first time she's been beside someone that liked her for more than a few hours." Pity filled the many faces across the room at Emilia's saddened explanation, no one able to look at her, her tone being the only thing telling of just how much the girl was isolated because of her appearance.

"… No wonder I thought you were so cute! Elves are always beautiful huh? "  The boy quipped with a shining smile once more.

"...E-Eh?!"

Ricardo and Al gave a hearty laugh, the pitiful expressions for the girl turned to ones of hope as the silver-haired half-elf blushed to her ear tips, slack-jawed, and embarrassed at the screen's showing.

"Smooth, Subaru-sama." Frederica commented while giggling happily, giving a smile of approval to the boy for cheering Emilia up.

"Thatta boy." Wilhelm commented silently, making sure no one was to hear him as he let his stoic face drop for a moment and quirked an amused grin at Subaru's wooing of the lady.

"What? "  Subaru asked in confusion as Emilia stared at him with a slack-jaw.

"Well…  I mean… I'm a half-elf…"  She stuttered.

"Yeah I heard you."

Emilia stood up from the ledge and looked away from the confused boy. She held her head in her hands as she lowered herself to keep him from seeing her blush.

"Dummy!" Petra and Rem both giggled as Emilia muttered under her breath with an embarrassed pout on her face, not liking how everyone else was enjoying this tender moment between her and Subaru.

Subaru was even more confused when an angry Puck flew out of her hair and punched Subaru in the face softly.

"What'd you do that for? "

" I just had to do something about this unbearable tingle I feel!"

Subaru touched Puck's nose with the tip of his and smirked.  " I can't accept being hit for a reason like that. Though I forgive you because it was squishy."

"I didn't hit you out of anger or anything. The opposite in fact."

"Subaru, you're such a dunderhead!" Emilia turned around and glared at him with her cheeks still archiving a tingle hoe of red.

"Who says Dunderhead in this day and age?  And why are you insulting me? "

Emilia's eyes dimmed a bit, feeling a painful tug in her heart after hearing that phrase she had grown so fond of being said to a different version of herself… or perhaps her own self.

She stayed silent on that matter and watched with a heavy heart, her only wish was to have the sleeping boy that had been placed beside her wake up and explain everything.

" Hmph! Whatever! We have to get back  to  our search."  Emilia turned with an angry pout.

"Hang on! Running around without a plan never ends well. That's a basic rule of searches?"

"Rule of…."

"Yep. You revisit the crime scene a hundred times. Where was your insignia stolen?"

The scene changes to Subaru standing with the appa sales men behind him.

"Has he knowledge of elves in his world? I thought it was only human kind that populated Subaru's home."

Scrunching her nose, annoyed that the screen paused once more when she was ingrained in the scene because of Julius' query, Beatrice sighed and held her head high as she answered without glancing back, "Subaru's world has always relied on imagination and hard work...rather than relying on the gifts of powerful entities like the spirits and Od Laguna. They had none of those things so they had to be creative to advance their societies using the elements around them. Since they've learned all they could of the world around them, some humans got bored with their world, so they started writing and fictionalizing worlds of their own in books, I suppose."

"You mean elves are just some fictional race that's used in made-up fantasy stories from bro's world?"

Beatrice blinked and nodded her head with surprise showing on her face for a moment, "You've got it right, I suppose. You seem to have a good head, in fact."

As Betty looked away to the paused screen, the knight receiving her praise simply shrugged and silently stared at the screen in wait, the helmet on his head hid his anxious face as he watched, seemingly more interested in this showing than the tales of Subaru's world.

Al was never one to dwell on a world he'd lost long ago anyways.

"That seems… a bit too coincidental to happen but thank you for answering me, great spirit-sama." Julius bowed his head towards the blonde girl, showing her the respect her rank as a spirit demanded even if she didn't give him a second glance back as her butterfly eyes bored through the screen.

"You see, it seems the crime happened right around here, so I returned to this fruit stand after valiantly telling her to leave it to me."

"What? I thought I had a customer but it's just that broke kid?"

"Haven't you noticed I'm not who I was before?"

"What?"

"Just look who I brought with me, she's someone that might become a regular!" Subaru pointed at Emilia but he didn't notice that she looked slightly embarrassed.

"Um, Subaru. You seem to have some weird expectations of me, but I don't have any money either."

"Huh? Seriously?"

"You're both made for one another, in fact." Beatrice muttered with a hand on her face at the two idiots on the screen.

"So, what did you want to say to me now that I have two broke customers?"

"We're looking for someone and we hoped we could ask you some questions… "

"That was a sarcastic way of telling you I don't have time for losers with no money! Get outta here! "  The salesman shouted at the two in anger.

"He's a nasty one, that's for damn sure." Felt chortled with her face set on an annoyed glare.

"He should be warned how he speaks to you next time, Emilia-sama. You're a candidate to the throne, even if having Barusu with you made you look less than that."

"But Ram-sama, Emilia-sama wasn't the one to live through that." Petra intervened on the lecturing pink-haired maid's statement, reminding everyone of the weird circumstance around the actual showing of the screen.

"Why's it giving us weird different events from ours? My head's hurtin'" Ricardo sighed in annoyance, getting patted on the arm by his lady's gloved hands.

"Let's jus' watch and see," The merchant royalty ruminated, her face set on an amused smile.

Subaru was closing his eyes to defend himself from the man's yelling.

"Mister! "  a cheerful  and  child ish  voice called out.

Everyone looked  to  the side to see the little girl and her mother from  earlier waving at them.

" Hi there."

"What brings you back here?" Subaru asked the mother.

"It's my husband's shop, so we were just stopping by."

"Husband?" Subaru looked at the salesmen.

"Daddy!" the girl hugged her father

"That's my little girl. Wait, you know these broke losers?"

" She got lost and they found her."

The man glared at the sheepish Subaru.

"Here lady, take it. "  Emilia looked down at the smiling girl as she presented a flower in her hand.

"She wants to thank you in her own way so please accept it." The wife smiled proudly at the scene.

" Thank you." Emilia smiled gently as she placed the flower on her dress.

Emilia smiled fondly, remembering how she had gotten that same flower in her time… wondering if this showed what it would've really been like if she went through that with Subaru by her side, not liking the fact that she would've missed so many tender moments with the boy.

"If I wasn't with him… then who had saved him from those thieves?" Emilia pondered with her eyes glancing towards the sleeping boy, her frown deepening at the thought of him getting hurt without her around to help.

The Appa salesmen  coughed  to gain their attention.  " Sorry about that, you helped my daughter, and I want to thank you. You can ask for anything."

"That was convenient!" Otto smiled happily at the good turn of events.

"Hopefully Barusu's luck won't mess this up," Ram remarked with her arms crossed and her expression stoic.

Otto shook his head at the maid's weird way of wishing the boy good luck.

The two smiled brightly at one another but Emilia's smile turned into a proud superior smirk.

"There, you see? That came back around and worked in our favor! "  S he held her head high in smugness.

Pouting, Emilia looked around at her camp as they chuckled, "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing, Emilia-sama, you're right to be proud. Helping that girl earned you a favor from the appa seller."

Emilia nodded her head proudly at Crusch's amused words.

She gets it!

T he scene changed to both Subaru and Emilia walking in a very run down and unpolished neighborhood, nothing like the rest of the capital. People with worn out clothing and nasty glares were staring at them both as if they were food.

"The atmosphere, air, and the attitudes of the people living here are awful. Are you sure she's here?"

"That might be that Felt girl, a nimble little blonde, right? She's well known in the slums. Dunno where she lives, though." A flash back with the salesmen was shown.

The scene returned to Subaru and Emilia.

"Maybe someone will tell us if we ask."

"No one would sell out one of their own, so I don't think that would work." Puck answered Emilia.

"Maybe we should come back later."

"My lady's efforts shall lead to a salvation for these unfortunate folk." Reinhard took to praising or more so embarrassing Felt with a faithful grin on his charming face.

"Shut up about that!" The little blonde kicked the man's shin in embarrassment but then turned her head towards the half-elf in the front row, "I'm sorry I caused you the trouble, no one should come into the slums at such an hour… or ever really."

As per every apology the guilty blonde has been giving ever since they've met, Emilia responded with a soft smile and a nod of acceptance, "No need to fret at all, Felt-chan shouldn't be apologizing all the time, it was the moment where we both became friends afterall."

The little girl only grinned at Emilia's kindness, "Yeah, it was a really messy time! I remember how you saved us from that….

….

….

…

….. Th-That murderer."

For one single second, Felt looked just as white as Emilia's ghostly skin.

"What's the matter, if I may ask?" Julius spoke what the other observing crowd was thinking internally as the two girls' expressions showed nothing but horror and fear.

"Me and Subaru aren't there right now!" Everyone blinked in confusion as Emilia yelled with a distraught face.

Roswaal silently raised a brow of surprise and grinned.

"M-Maybe the lady left the place? I would've sold her the jewel if nothing disrupted the meeting!" Felt struggled to hold her stutters in as she recalled the horrible memory of the distant killer almost gutting her and the only person she cared for before her.

"Felt-sama…" Reinhard bit his lip for a moment, not knowing what to say, calculating how different these events were. Subaru and Emilia weren't with Felt at this moment in the viewing, he hadn't met with Subaru yet so he had no incentive to come to the slum district that night…

Felt was facing Elsa on her own right at that moment while Emilia and Subaru where still lost in the slums and Reinhard was nowhere to be found.

The knight's face turned grim, fists clenching as he recalled his lady's body amongst those around the poor wounded Subaru.

"What is this entity showing us?" Reinhard grimaced with a pained look as he tried to use many of his divine protections to understand or analyze the screen's showings like he did a hundred times before.

The others just looked at the trio with bewilderment.

"What's wrong with 'em?" Garfiel asked, turning to the serious looking Otto beside him.

"That is a very dangerously kept secret that wasn't revealed to many since it was illegal for Emilia-sama and Felt-sama to have met during that time. The council of elders forbade any of the dragon maidens to come close within each other's presence until the royal selection had been officially started, this is for fear of assassinations and or manipulative means being used. No one knows that Emilia-sama and Felt-sama had a really close connection before the election had been announced… The rumor is that… They came into contact with the Bowel Hunter."

Otto's blue irises stared into Garfiel's emerald own, showing the serious dark expression on the merchant's face as he explained to his brother what the situation was about.

"Yer saying that… the blondie over there could be facing the vampire bitch alone?" Garfiel asked simply, his expression stern and stony, showing his rigidness as soon as he learned of the name.

"Yes. From Emilia-sama's sudden realization just now, it seems that this is another difference in the world's events; where Emilia-sama has yet to meet Felt-sama and so Elsa could be… "

Garfiel slowly turned to the screen, his expression turning to a hardened warrior look as Otto trialed off and stopped talking, both understood what could be shown next.

"Whether you stay or leave, you should decide quickly. I'm almost out of time."

"Bubby won't be with you both once you find that girl, I suppose." Said Beatrice, biting her lip and narrowing her eyes as the situation became more dangerous for her contractor.

Emilia placed a hand on her chest, clutching the broken jewel she kept on her at all times, fearing what might become of her and Subaru now that Puck is out of commission.

"Reinhard, you should be near them during this time, right?" Knowing of the circumstances of when the blonde candidate was found, Julius asked with hope for some relief from the greatest swordsman to have lived.

Only to receive an unsure expression from the Sword Saint as the redhead continued to stare at the screen with pursed lips.

Subaru looked at Puck, confused. "You're what? Out of time?"

"I have a cute appearance, but I am a spirit. It takes a ton of mana just to maintain a physical appearance. So at night, I return to the crystal I was summoned from and prepare for the emergence of the sun. On average, my ideal staying time is from about nine to five."

"Nine to five? You sound like a civil servant. Employment conditions for spirits are severe."

"We'll be fine without Puck. We have to move forward." Emilia looked serious.

"Yeah. But sorry… I'm at my limit… " Puck yawned and began to disappear.

"It's almost like he's dying." Subaru whispered as he watched the spirit fade-out before him.

"Sorry to work you so hard, Puck. We'll handle things from here so rest." Emilia smiled at her spirit.

"Don't do anything reckless, if it comes down to it, use the Od to summon me again." Puck warned to the girl as he rested on her opened palms.

Emilia nodded her head. Puck turned to Subaru and gave him a smile.

"Alright! See to the rest, Subaru. "  With that, he went into the crystal.

The scene changes to Subaru holding his jacket while blushing as he and Emilia walked through the slum.

"Hey, I haven't been alone with a girl since I was in grade school! "  He whispered flusteredly while breathing heavily.

" Don't get any weird ideas. I know magic."  Emilia warned instinctively and narrowed her beautiful eyes at him.

"I won't! The bigger issue here is how we find Felt now." Subaru changed the topic immediately.

"What an interesting change in attitude, hmm… " The royal matriarch sitting in the back fanned herself as she looked on towards the distinctive cast reactions below her, she waited for them to comment on the scene between Subaru and Emilia but it seems the distress Emilia and Felt showed began spreading towards everyone in the room.

All of them were on high alert.

Priscilla couldn't help but be interested now.

"I'll ask the lesser spirits." She answered while stepping on a bridge.

"Lesser spirits?" Subaru tilted his head.

"Lesser spirits are beings that haven't become spirits yet. They grow over time and when they gain strength and self-awareness, they become great spirits like Puck."

Subaru stares in amazement and awe as tiny flashing lights surround Emilia. He's completely mesmerized by her as it's shown how he was blushing deep red on both cheeks while staring at her glowing image.

"You say that Subaru-sama saved you once… was it from this danger you and Emilia-sama seem distressed over?" Crusch suddenly asked, not beating around and wanting everything laid out before them to understand what they will see better.

The blonde girl she was speaking to only nodded her head with a worried glare, "Big bro's intervention was what had saved me, he showed up out of nowhere and alone without big sis, it was also way earlier in the day…"

At blonde girl's words, Crusch and Anastasia began widening their eyes.

"D-Did Subaru-sama seem to possess knowledge that shouldn't have been accessible to him?"

Seeing the duchess's serious demeanor, Rem quickly interjected not liking this situation at all, "What do you mean, Crusch-sama?"

"It means, we might be seeing something more revealing about our Natsuki-kun rath'r than this all being a different vision of another future." As Anastasia weighed in, Otto and Ram quickly understood the sheer hunger in the merchant queen's foxy eyes. This wasn't boding well.

"Revealing?" Rem repeated as Petra and Frederica looked on at the candidates discussing.

"Bro did know stuff he shouldn't be aware of…" Felt muttered with a baffled look on her face as she remembered Subaru's first meeting with Rom and Elsa…

Crusch raised a hand to her chin and thoughtfully glanced between the blonde and the screen, "This may be more important to us than we thought… Subaru-sama's intuition could be shown here."

Felix pursed his lips and nodded his head with his lady, knowing full well how much confusion and worry Crusch had been filled with ever since Subaru managed to out her plans and disarm her in person to person negotiations to fix his deal with her. The boy had saved them and helped with the expedition, but that did not solve Crusch's issues of getting outed just like that by some random boy.

"Subaru-kun…" Rem whispered, now worried to her hearts end, feeling that her love was hiding something dangerous, something all of these powerful people in the room suddenly were interested in.

"This is getting tense all of a sudden." Ricardo whispered while patting Mimi's head to keep her quite.

Garfiel simply looked on with confusion plastering his face, not understanding a single thing all of these people were saying.

Beatrice simply held her head low and kept a strong grip on her contractor's hand.

"Do you know, Beatrice-sama?"

The spirit girl elegantly glanced to her left, finding a sweaty yet stern looking Otto gazing at her, his blue eyes shining with worry.

"Beatrice-sama," The boy was almost begging, "If there's anything you know of what will be shown next, please. We can't let them find ou-"

"I know nothing in fact." Beatrice denied sternly, "Betty does not know why her contractor seems to know things he shouldn't, in fact. Betty and everyone else usually just 'roll with it' as Subaru would say."

Otto slumped back with a hand on his forehead, not liking the Anastasia's grin and interesting focused glare Crusch shot towards the screen, even Priscilla was now glancing at the screen with a look of curiosity. This was bad, "What are you hiding, Natsuki-san?"

The spirit girl simply held her contractor's hand and gave a stoic glance towards it. She had an idea as to what made her contractor so special, he had the ability to use all witch factors of course, he was from another world with no magical connections, she can sense it all… But the one thing Beatrice was not allowed to learn about was the thing that haunted her contractor most, the reason for his nightmares at night.

The ability that he keeps hidden so close to his chest that his heart may almost burst from the burden and darkness he hides.

Beatrice glanced towards her contractor's sleeping face and held a firm glare, "Time to understand you, I suppose." The spirit held a tone of contempt as she remembered all of the countless efforts she sacrificed to help him and try to learn of this thing he kept muttering about in the midst of the night.

She had a feeling regarding what this screen would show, and from the looks of things everyone was starting to pick up on that idea as well.

"May I intrude on this discussion?" A loud eccentric voice earned everyone's attention, the clown dressed lord of the Mathers name took a moment to show everyone a mysterious grin with his eyes dimmed before he spoke, "This interruption is a bit pooooointless. Emilia-sama and Felt-sama's worries shouldn't be denied at aaaall. But this discussion should be held way later until we've leaaaarned enough."

Thinking over the clown's words, everyone worried, confused, excited, interested, and otherwise simply looked back towards the screen with impatient looks.

Roswaal's grin widened and his dead eyes shined with a light of initiating excitement as he watched what may be the power that will lead to his destiny.

The silver-haired royal princess was the only one who had her eyes stuck on the frozen screen for good since before this discussion was started, her eyes were unmoving. She gazed at her knight as he blushed from just staring at her other self with a bundle of spirits zooming around.

Such a tender moment, a moment she wanted to share with him.

She had no idea what this was, power, intuition, or whatever else.

Emilia has a very very strong feeling this is a part of a much larger truth, it's a true reality, one that Subaru remembered full well. Her Subaru.

So the half-elf could only sit there and ask herself, why couldn't she remember that moment? Why couldn't Felt or Rienhard? Why is this all happening differently than what she lived through?

What the hell was all of this?

Emilia could only watch with worry filling her lungs.

The scene changes to show that it was night time and they were both walking alone in the empty streets  throughout the eerie atmosphere .

"This place is getting lonelier and lonelier. Does she really live in a place like this?" Emilia asked while holding a hand to her chest, keeping her guard up.

" Sure looks like it."

"The lesser spirits said they saw someone who looked like Felt coming in this direction… "

Subaru looked at a passing man and stopped.  " Hey Bro! Does a girl named Felt live up this way?"

"Huh? Felt? Nothing that way but Old Man Rom's loot house."

The man laughed as he understood.  " Did Felt steal something from you guys? Well, go try negotiate to get it back. Live strong."

"Why do I have to pay money to get back something stolen from me? "  Subaru muttered as he watched the laughing man walk away from him.

"That's just life, pal." Al shrugged and tried to say something to cut the tension in the silent theater as almost all of the camp heads including Felt were watching with anticipating looks.

"What the hell is the matter?" Al muttered beneath his helmet in frustration, not liking all of this confusion.

S cene change…

" Well, at any rate. We're here." Subaru looked from the dark loot house to Emilia.

Seeing the foreboding look on his lady's face, recognizing how late it was and just how silent the loot house appeared, Reinhard quickly held his lady's hand and spoke in a delicate yet, firm tone.

"My lady, please don't watch if you don't feel compelled to-"

"I need to watch this Rein!" Felt shook her head, a look of determination breaking through her fearful trembling, in need of answers yet in cowardice of what those answers may show.

"I need to see if Old Man Rom's okay…" The knight flinched, expression falling swiftly at the heartbroken and worried mutter his lady gave, her scarlet-eyes filled with childlike panic, fear for her only family member.

"What could possibly be the reason for showing this?" Reinhard asked once again, giving a sigh as he felt helpless for the very first time to help his lady. The knight sat back with his hand moving away from Felt's own, but he was surprised when the little girl subconsciously grabbed his moving arm with hers.

"My lady?" Reinhard widened his eyes, Felt gave him no reply, staring at the screen with anticipation to see what had become of her and her only family if they both faced off against the cold-blooded sadist on their own without Emilia and Natsuki Subaru's help.

"Live strong, my lady." The knight whispered into the blonde's ear, supporting her decision to watch and cementing his place to always be by her side.

Felt gave him a soft nod of her head.

Reinhard smiled as he felt the girl give his hand a squeeze, seeking comforts in his presence.

"I'll negotiate with him," he said, seeing the menacing look of the dark loot house.

"He's going alone then…" Julius muttered, his expression one of unease.

"All right. I'll leave it to you." Emilia instantly nodded her head and gave him a smile.

"You agreed to that quickly. The way you've been acting I thought you'd say, 'Leave this to a useless boy like you?! That's so ridiculous, I'm laughing my head off!' and I'd be hurt, but still decide to help you all over again."  Subaru posed and imitated Emilia with a ridiculous voice.

"I wouldn't say something that mean. Of course, I'd be lying if I said you haven't been holding me back… "  Emilia smirked at him and crossed her arms together.

He turned away with a disbelieving look.  " It'd be a lie?!"

"But… I'll try believing in you. "  Her smile turned sincere as she watched him step up the front porch.

"They both seem so comfortable with each other," the half-elf whispered jealously as the pleasant interaction between this Subaru and Emilia was more playful and equal than all of her own interactions with Subaru combined, it was a moment where she found herself thinking about a single time where it was her teasing Subaru or being the party to joke around.

But her jealousy soon turned to worry the same as the blonde little girl behind her, "Wait… He's going alone?!"

"It appears he will." Wilhelm affirmed stoically.

"If it actually goes well, I'll consider it a bonus. "  Subaru said as he found her smile  worthy of awe ... " If you'd look up at me and say 'Do your best for me' I'd feel a lot more motivated."

"I can't force myself to say such a thing. But do your best." Emilia shook her head at the boy's antics and nodded her head to him.

"Yeah. I will. I won't be back too late, but you can have dinner without me."

"Stop being dumb. Be careful."

"Don't go!" Rem whispered, watching the screen with her lungs clogging with unease.

She did not like this.

"Sure, sure.  Don't come in until I say it's all right, Satella. "  Subaru stopped his ascent towards the loot house's door once he realized the apparent flinch Emilia gave  once he said her name.

" What?"  He asked the girl before taking the final step up the porch.

Emilia looked away.  " N-Nothing. Never mind. If you can get my insignia back, I'll apologize." Emilia smiled at him  with a hint of guilt and remorse clear in her eyes .

Everyone watching understood what the girl was gonna tell him, but the feeling of dread filling the room forced them to stay silent in anticipation to see what's been building up never to touch on the girl's wish, as if they all knew that it would never come to pass.

The boy shrugged and turned to the door with a wary look on his face.

"Here goes nothing," Tivey muttered, earning nods from Otto and Garfiel, watching with battle ready expressions.

S ubaru opens the door and looks around the dark room with the light in his hand.  " Excuse me."

"Now,  a m  I walking into a demon nest or a snake pit? In a fantasy world, either is totally plausible… "

Subaru is looking round the dark house, aiming the light at various bookshelves and cabinets filled with valuable looking objects.

"This isn't right. Old Man Rom wouldn't let anyone in the loot house, that place was our sanctuary!" Felt shouted more and more on edge.

"M-Maybe you both ran away as soon as this killer showed up?" Otto spoke, trying to find reason to comfort the agitated Felt.

"I wouldn't run away…" Felt whispered chillingly, "I wouldn't have ran away on that day… if not for him."

Emilia closed her eyes and tried to drown everyone out…

...opening them again to watch with her confusion burning through all of her patience.

She needed to understand, now.

"This is all stolen loot and why isn't there anyone here? "

Subaru looked around the dark place and pointed his light in the direction where he needed to see.

"A place that handles stolen goods can only afford to be so careless. "  Subaru walked in the darkness…

*  Squirrr! *

The sound of his foot stepping on some liquid…

Everyone's breathing hitched, their eyes wide and looking at the screen with worry, none made a single sound, not even the proud and confused matriarch or the emotionless looking clown sitting beside her.

It was a crimson colored trail…

"Oh no!" Petra screamed at the sight, immediately grabbing for the her older mentor's arm and clutching for comfort.

"Felt-sama breathe!" Reinhard gritted his teeth and shook the small girl but he got nothing but her catatonic, horrified face as she watched the sight.

Blood...

Felix flinched, already wanting to jump and heal the body, "Who'd do such a thing, nyan?!" The healer knight growled in anger.

"A fucking bitch…" Garfiel silently seethed through grounded teeth, his expression one of absolute fury, "Tha' fuckin' bitch!"

Blood!

"What a horrible sight!" Crusch shook her head with a shocked look as she watched.

More blood.

… The scene shows Subaru discovering Rom's mutilated body. Bleeding from his neck as it was cut open, missing his arm and blood coming out of it's stump. Subaru stepped back with a look of pure horror at the sight.

"Old Man Rom! NOOOOOO!" Reinhard had to hug his lady to calm her down, the little blonde immediately broke down into a meltdown, thrashing and jumping all over the place to escape his grasp so she could jump into the screen, her scarlet-eyes widened to the extreme as her tears ran down her cheeks, sobbing, crying, screaming for her only family's corpse on the screen.

Many gave her looks of sympathy and sadness, others simply ignored her and looked on with shock at the sight or fear for the screen's version of Subaru that was alone in the darkness.

"Poor girl," Al whispered, shaking his head. Priscilla didn't give the girl a glance, far too occupied by the pulling feeling of the world, telling her to watch what will happen next and be wary of what the screen will show.

"What's the meaning of this, I suppose?" Beatrice whispered, the sight of the body greatly disturbing her yet setting a deeply rooted fear in her.

She wasn't the only one who watched with fear filling her, a half-elven girl and an Oni maid had the same look of worry aimed at the black-haired boy as they watched in confusion.

It was worry,

And it was fear… But then…

"Oh, dear, you found that? "  A smooth womanly voice sounded from within the darkness, surprising the boy.

Now, it was outright horror shown on the faces of Emilia, Rem, and especially Beatrice.

"Subaru!"

"Subaru-kun!"

"Run, I suppose! Run!"

The three girls screamed, Emilia fearing for the boy's life and not being able to handle the stress of this all, kept her hands entangled with his sleeping arm and hugged it closer to her chest, her teeth biting into her lip from how scared she was.

"It's her! That's the scary lady's voice!" Petra called out, remembering Elsa's voice from back when she tried to kill her in the old mansion.

"Who?" Crusch looked at the maid with confusion, the army commander expressing worry for her comrade that was fighting a hidden killer. "Who's responsible for this?! Who's talking to that Subaru-dono?!" Copy of their version of the black-haired boy or not, this was still a Subaru that had no business inside of this loot house and didn't deserve to die in it.

"The Bowel Hunter," Everyone turned rigid at that chilling answer from Reinhard, the knight simply lowering his head in shame while holding the crying blonde tightly in his arms, comforting her as best he could.

" Well, I have no choice, then." the voice sounded closer and more excited.

"No, Run! Cap'n!" Garfiel desperately wanted to get in there and save his captain. He knew how weak Subaru was physically and he fought Elsa by himself before so he knows just how tenacious she could be.

Subaru didn't stand a chance. He was dead the second he entered the loot house. And the blonde boy was downright petrified of seeing what the black-clad witch will do to his captain.

Otto, Rem, and the twins shared the same looks of fear.

Subaru slowly and frigidly looked behind him.

"Don't you dare touch him, I suppose!" Beatrice screamed with fury, Emilia and Rem widening their eyes in horror as they watched.

"Yes, I have no choice. "

Subaru was kicked to the floor, making him drop the light.

"Poor boy…" Frederica gasped with tears filling her eyes, she wouldn't want anyone to face that killer on their own, and now that she's come to learn of the black-haired boy's origin and life, she understood how unprepared he was to meet this fight and fate.

He struggled to stand as the room was dark once again.

"It burns… "

The boy looked down at his body and noticed through the dimly lit room that…

He was bleeding.

Is this… all mine?

"I-Is this the same one at the start?!" Felix's eyes widen in recognition of the same event playing before this at the start, his worry for Subaru completely unnerving him as he watched the boy bleed out.

"Wha…" Emilia gasped, horrified, shocked, eyes wide and hands up to her mouth.

Subaru couldn't stop himself from puking as the blood started gushing out of his mouth.

T his is bad… this very bad…

"Wait.. that's!"

"The very first moment of this apparition," Anastasia affirmed for Julius and Felix with her glare analyzing the screen's showing

The pain forced him to drop back down and struggle on the floor as he bled from his wide opened guts.

The door to the house opened and in came a worried Emilia.

"Subaru? What's Wrong? "

"No…  Run! Hurry!" Subaru spoke through his bleeding mouth and pleaded that she he e ds him.

But the scene changed to Emilia walking through the dark house and looking back at something.

The scene showed Subaru's hand with a pool of blood under it. A sound of flesh being slashed by a blade was heard… Moments later... Emilia's dead body was shown dropping and bleeding right beside Subaru's.

Emilia didn't have the strength to scream as she watched with her hands covering her mouth and tears running over her face.

Not only was she killed. She was watching Subaru die.

Was this real?

Then how… was he… Emilia looked at the sleeping Subaru with wide horrified eyes.

"No… Please don't let it be true!"

Emilia started to understand, this was something Subaru had lived through.

S ubaru's face glared with determination as he moved through the pain and ignored the blood gushing out of him from his exposed guts and his mouth.

" Wait  there… "

Beatrice and Rem sobbed, watching with wide eyes as the boy amazingly held on to his last thread of life.

He reached for her hand.

Emilia shook her head and looked away from the screen, her breathing growing faster and intoxicated.

"I'm…  "  His eyes were starting to lose the light.

Reinhard and Julius grimaced and looked away as well, their faces stricken with grief for their friend's life.

"Going to… " He held Emilia's hand and squeezed it.

"It's useless now," Ram muttered, saddened for the boy's hopeless attempt to help.

"Save you… " The window moved closer towards their hands and shook.

"Cap'n…" Garfiel shed a single tear of heartbreak, not imagining he would see such a sight in his life, the death of his captain was bad enough when it was a suicide, yet this was so much worse because his captain was clearly not able to understand that he was dying beside Emilia too… Subaru thought he was gonna live through that wound…

Why does he keep making promises like that through each death?

Then… darkness…

Subaru Natsuki, was dead.

Sounds of bated breathing filled the now silent theater, the death of the boy simply aggravating and confusing all of the watchers.

"What the hell was that?!" Ricardo howled, his anger flaring after what he had seen and his confusion only nagging him further.

"H-He died? Again?" Mimi gave a sniffle as her expression dropped to one of heartbreak for her friend's suffering.

"What the hell is the meaning behind this?!" Otto shouted suddenly, surprising all in the room as he stood up and demanded an answer out of the hidden entity that was running the show, "Why is it always him dying?! Why aren't you showing us what truly happened?! Natsuki-san isn't dead! He's alive and well. So why are you showing us these fake apparitions?!"

Many nodded their heads along with Otto's furious statements, sick of the screen's silence and agitated beyond belief with the sight of the boy's death.

"This is some sick joke!" Felix muttered in agreement, not liking the sight of bodies and blood Subaru keeps getting surrounded by at all.

"I do agree that this is just time wasting at this point, we don't need to watch fake realities, I don't even know why we should watch the true events of our world since this warden has yet to explain what we are watching anyways." Julius weighed in with a disgruntled expression gracing his noble features, silently cooling his anger down after seeing his friend die once again.

"I'm going to break that fucking window!" Garfiel hollered furiously, his glare was feral and his teeth where grounded in a shattering way, displaying anger and solidarity for what happened to his captain and how this screen made him watch without letting him help out.

As the blonde boy jumped up to punch the glass screen, straps appeared, pinning Garfiel to his chair.

"Let me go!"

"Garf!" Frederica shouted for her brother as he was tied to his chair forcibly.

"This is just ridiculous! Give us answers and stop forcing us through something so absurd!" Ram yelled in anger, her features settled on a furious gaze aimed for the window before them as soon as the blonde boy was getting tied to his seat.

Clenching his fist, Reinhard softly patted Felt on the back as she finally calmed down and started wiping away her tears, giving short sniffles here and there but looking well enough to assuming a glaring expression toward the screen. She wasn't happy with the viewing either.

Reinhard was not in disagreement.

I want those of you that took a 'stance' against what I'm doing here to look around for a moment.

Everyone blinked in confusion while some glared at the window in anger, the voice of this warden filling their heads with sarcasm filling his tone.

Look at the walls, at the ceiling, and the ground even…

What do you see, guys?

"What…" Petra blinked in confusion, wiping away her tears and looking around at the dark blue colored walls of the room in bewilderment.

"I don't see nothin'…" Anastasia muttered with a raised brow and an unimpressed look.

"Just tell us what ya wan' damnit!" Garfiel screamed in bloody anger, fighting against his straps.

No escape route.

That is what you see when you look at this room, no escape.

I won't be able to explain why I'm showing this to you, but I promise it's all important to what I'm trying to expose.

"Expose?" Rem muttered in confusion, wiping away a tear.

Emilia and Beatrice perked up in interest.

Just watch this… To the end…

Everything will be explained then.

"So there is a reason for these fake worlds we keep watching." Crusch mused with a hand on her chin, "I suppose we must watch to the end."

"Crusch-sama…" Felix tried to argue but found himself ignored by the ever interested duchess having already honed her stern glare right at the screen.

"Hm," Al suddenly perked sideways towards his lady, finding her humming to herself while her eyes gazed toward the black void of the window with something akin to curiousness.

"I would've thought this was going to be infuriating for ya princess."

Priscilla simply ignored her knight's musing and kept her interested stare towards the one thing her senses told her to focus on.

"The boy's death didn't feel right to mineself," the matriarch muttered with all sense of annoyance now gone from her features as she began actually thinking about the possibilities of why they watched Subaru die once more and what the warden was trying to expose.

The lady in red already had an idea of what this boy's focus is… She just couldn't believe it was possible yet, so she will have to stay patient and watch this through to the end.

"S-Subaru died… and I wasn't even able to help him…" Emilia almost sniffled through her whispering, the shock and horror wearing off all of her senses as she stared the ground with a heartbroken look.

"It's not the real Subaru tho, Big sis… I'm thankful for that…"

Emilia couldn't meet with Felt's gaze, the blonde's tone was hushed and rough, her grief and heartbreak bled through her voice.

"What if… this was the real Subaru… if he livid through this too-"

"Don't."

Emilia kept her head down, the anger in Felt's voice couldn't hide the panic she was displaying.

"I-If… If that was real… then old man Rom…"

"It's okay Felt-sama," Reinhard held the girl's hand and patted it, trying his best to calm the hyperventilating little girl sitting beside him.

I want you to continue watching this and carefully focus on what's happening with Subaru.

"Are you saying that our Subaru had something to do with the one that had died," Julius instantly inquired, his face showing how uncomfortable and worried he was though he tried to keep a cooled tone.

Just watch with your mind open.

Please.

The warden wasn't asking… he was almost desperately begging.

"This can't be real though! Subaru is alive!" Otto shouted, agitated beyond belief

"Whateve'! We'll play this game o' yers! Untie me!" Garfiel was unlatched from his restraints by an invisible force.

"Let's all be calm and continue with whatever Warden-dono has to show us," the old butler sitting beside Crusch intervened with a sense of calmness as to resolve everyone's anger and affirming their need to carry through with the viewing.

"Emilia-sama?" Rem softly called out, seeing the silver-haired girl looking down at her lap with a grief stricken expression biting her lip in guilt.

Emilia didn't reply to the maid's call.

As everyone gathered their will once more, to watch and observe…

One person out of all of them was simply looking at the screen with slackened jaws and a flash of remorse showing in his multi-colored eyes.

"Oh no…" Roswaal whispered in horror, the image of Subaru's death playing in his mind over and over again…

"I didn't know it was like this," the clown whispered breathlessly, signs of guilt appearing on his covered features.

Let us watch then

A voice could be heard. A shape could be seen but it was blurry.

Slowly.

"What's the matter, boy? You look like you've seen a ghost. "  The Appa merchant was shown beneath the blur, holding an Appa and speaking with Subaru as if it was his first time meeting him.

"What's going on? Why are we starting back here again?" Felt asked in confusion.

"I was expecting to start another world from anew, not back to this moment." Reinhard analyzed contemplatingly.

Subaru slowly looked up at the man in confusion.  " What?"

"I asked you about the appa. The appa! Do you even have money?"

..." What?"  He blinked once more and uttered in deep confusion.

"This Subaru looks kind of frightened…" Felix pointed out as he began having a slow burning feeling of dread claiming his senses.

"Why would this one be frightened like that?" Tivey asked with deep interest.

Beatrice and Emilia were rigid… their eyes wide…

Roswaal was now holding a trembling hand on his face… hiding himself from everybody.

"Don't 'What' me! The appa! Are you buying it or not?" The man asked while glaring furiously at the boy.

"Oh…  No, like I said, I'm broke beyond compare…"  Subaru shook his head and explained in bewilderment at the sudden turn of events and environment.

"The hell? If you're just browsing then move along. I run a business here I don't have time for window shoppers." The shop's keeper yelled and waved Subaru away.

Scene change…

Subaru stands in the middle of the street with dark creepy music playing around him as he checked his bag and his surroundings and at the beautiful market in the midday.

Call of the Witch plays.

"What's going on? wasn't it nighttime just a minute ago?" Subaru had a haunted look on his face.

He looks down and raises his clothes to find his belly uncut and perfectly healthy.  " The wound on my belly is gone… "

A flashback plays reminding him of Emilia's death beside him. His eyes widen and his fists shake in panic.

"Oh, right! Satella! Damn it, didn't Puck ask me to take care of her? I have to get back to that shop! "

…

…

…

"What the…" Julius whispered breathlessly, his jaw and eyes wide open in shock and horror.

Emulating him, Anastasia kept a firm grip on her scarf not bothering to hide the unlady like horrified expression she had at this moment, "D-Did Natsuki-kun just return back in time?" the merchant princess found herself stuttering for the first time in forever, her sway and will to earn useful knowledge in this situation completely gone as her mind and senses took a moment to register what the hell this implicated.

"This could still be fake… " Ram muttered, unsure and disturbed.

"But Ram-san… this Subaru is referencing the exact things that happened to the one we've seen get butchered… this is the same Subaru from before… which means… "

"That migh' be Cap'n…"

Otto and Garfiel looked at one another for a moment, expressions of shock and fear, before turning and looking at the boy sleeping in the center of the front row with confusion.

"This doesn't make sense tho! How can he turn back time?!" Mimi shouted while rubbing her head as all of this was hurting her and forcing her to think too much.

"I don't think it's that absurd," ever the tactical one, Crusch held a hand to her chin and immediately started coming up with theories on what she had been observing for the past hour, "It appears this Subaru has no way of knowing or understanding what happened, meaning that he was brought back into this spot in time a precise second after he breathed his last breath in the loot house… I don't think I see any signs of fatigue or pain on him at this moment…"

"Meaning that he wasn't feeling any pain when he died… or else he would've been screaming in pain right at this second…" Crusch nodded her head and patted Felix on the head, her eyes focused on the viewing…

"There's no way for an ability like that to exist I suppose… turning back time… It's improbable, in fact!" Beatrice suddenly growled out from her seat, her shock and understanding wearing off as the implications to what Subaru had shown to possess settled a dark twisted knot that filled the spirit with anger inside, "Subaru would've told Betty about such a power. No. Betty would've sensed such a humongous mastery of magic in her contractor's soul, in fact!"

Gazing at the angered spirit, Emilia slowly looked up at her sleeping knight with forlorn eyes, "I don't know what this is… but Subaru does not look alright after… his death… it's taking a toll on him… I don't like it."

Shaking her head at Emilia's words, Crusch coughed loudly to gain attention, "That's not what I just said, Subaru-sama clearly is effected, yes. But he can't have been feeling the pain of death and then suddenly be summoned back in time without showing signs of his pain… "

"What are you saying?!" Felt shouted from her seat, frustrated with the way the duchess was speaking vaguely and wanting to get to the point

Redracting back, the duchess slowly spelled it out for everyone, "I'm saying that it may not be him going back in time, more so it can be him seeing a vision of the future in which he is going to be killed," Crusch's stern tone overlapped with her serious expression, "Subaru-sama has always been in the know of very convenient information… "

"He could be a fortune teller?" Otto whispered in awe as he understood what the green-haired royal just implied.

"Rem's hero…" Rem recalled back to the time he had saved those in the mansion by using extraordinary knowledge he managed to accuire out of nowhere, "This might be true… But I feel it isn't for some reason," Rem softly argued, unsure if this was useful to say.

"So, Subaru doesn't feel the pain of his… D-Death?" The small maid sitting on Frederica's lap stuttered in an attempt to ask her question, fearing for the boy's life.

"Visions and apparitions that can tell the future, Subaru does not seem to have any inclination of pain or fatigue over his at this moment," Julius wieghed in with rapid interest as he analyzed the on-screen Subaru, "It could be his 'superpower' somehow, given to him by either the Od or … Whatever that shadow hand was."

"Subaru doesn't have any divine protections… " Reinhard softly interjected making everyone widen their eyes, "I can't sense them on him…"

"…"

"I think his power comes from his summoner, whomever they may be." Al forlornly spoke up, his head down.

"Let's all watch some more and observe this 'power' of his if it even exists… I think we're catching up to what the Warden-dono is trying to show us…" Crusch cut in one final time and settled her eyes towards the screen.

Many of them where amazed by the possibility of a fortune seer in their midst, but some where just potentially on edge.

"I don't like that," Beatrice glanced at the half-elf curiously, "Subaru shouldn't live through such a horrible thing as death, be it a vision or… otherwise… " the elven girl said dryly with an apprehensive look clear on her face.

"You think there's something else, I suppose."

Emilia didn't acknowledge the spirit's accusation… She kept her worried eyes honed on the screen above them, wanting nothing but to sate this crushing feeling around her heart, a feeling she doesn't understand.

Beatrice simply looked up, her frown deepening as well as her tight grip on her contractor's arm growing tighter.

Subaru runs from the street and into an alleyway where…

...he finds the three same thieves from before.

"Again?" Felt questioned in a soft tired voice, having calmed down from her previous breakdown.

"Or it could be the first time they're meeting… to the thieves at least." Reinhard weighed.

" H ey, why do you look so spooked?"

"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!"

"You guys… did you see I was alone and decide to get revenge?" Subaru growled out with a nasty glare on his face.

" Huh? What're you talking about?"

" Are you nuts? Don't worry about it. Just leave everything you've got on the ground and we'll let you go."

"Alright, fine. Everything I've got, huh? I'm in a hurry so I don't even care." Subaru puts his bag on the ground for the three.

"He's in a real hurry," Tivey mused while observing.

"It makes sense if he wants to save Emilia-sama and the loot house occupants," Felix was now getting into the vibe of the theater and observing everything he could to help his lady, this power of Subaru's could be a game changer for everyone, they needed to understand what it was.

One of them gets cocky and smirks.  " Now act like a dog. Get on all fours and howl,' Help me!'"

Garfiel, who had been silently watching just to understand this entire time, growled in annoyance and anger, "Don't get cocky ya bastards!"

Subaru glares at the three and attacks.  " Don't get cocky you bastard!" Subaru punch the one standing in the middle, knocking him out. Without hesitation he kicks the shorter thie f  so hard that the wall he slams into forms cracks.

The larger man begins hurling punches towards Subaru but he manages to dodge and grab the man's arm in both hands.

"Don't underestimate a truant kid with too much free time. Afte r  swinging a wooden sword around all the time for no reason, my grip strength is over 70 kilograms! "  Subaru is shown squeezing the man's arm and burning his skin.

Then Subaru kicked the man where his family's future was.

The poor thief held his crotch and tried to hold the wall beside him to keep from falling from the pain.

"I'm in a hurry! Don't get in my way again!"

"Hehe," Garfiel gave a small chuckle and looked happy to see his Captain actually fight for himself this time.

"Not bad," Julius noted bemusedly, "Much better than his first run," the knight nodded his head in approval, happy that his friend didn't resort to unsavory means against his dignity.

The scene changes once again and shows Subaru standing in front of the loot house. This time it was in broad daylight so he could see all of it.

"Don't freak out… don't freak out, don't freak out!"

Subaru psyched himself up and knocked.

"There's no doubt about it." Crusch looked on with a shocked look.

"He can see the future!" Frederica whispered in shock as she and many others were starting to believe the notion.

"Fools." Priscilla whispered in disgust, seeing everyone around her just keep thinking about the ability and forget the notion behind it, "That pig won't be the same again." The matriarch noted under her breath, referring to the black-haired boy she was watching.

The prospect of a time seer in her rival's team wasn't worrisome for the lady, she had the world serving her after all.

It was more so the annoying pull that this world was trying to place on her, a pull to keep watching for some odd reason… as if she had something to do with this power of the boy's.

"Is someone in there? Please answer me! Please!"

As he knocked and banged on the door in panic, it suddenly opened up revealing the same man he once saw bleeding on the ground.

"Shut yer trap! You tryin' to bust down my door, when you don't even know the signal or password?! "

"He's alive… he's alive… " Felt watched with heavy breathes, the shock of her big bro's death fresh on her mind and the idea of him returning in time not coming into her mind yet.

"Old Man Rom's okay! They're all alive!" The blonde felt like crying once more but kept her focus on the screen, the sheer relief and happiness washing over her where almost visible to the eye from just her tearful happy expression.

" You!?" Subaru remembered him as that same man that had his neck and hand cut and wounded.

The window shows Subaru and Old Man Rom sitting at the bar. The boy was looking all around him as if spooked by something.

"What're you all fidgety for? Are your balls chafin' ya that much? "

" I'm not worried about the position of my privates! Don't start the conversation with potty humor!"

"Y ou're already interrupting my evening booze."

" Don't drink while the sun's still up. You'll die young."

Subaru looked down and then back up with a look of conviction.  "Actually…  this is gonna sound dumb but… have you died recently?"

Old Man Rom started laughing at the boy.  " Well I admit I'm an old man at death's door but I ain't dying yet."

" Okay. Then have you seen a girl with silver hair?"

"Silver hair? I ain't seen anyone that conspicuous."

Subaru looks surprised at this.  Was it all a dream?

Then exactly how much was a dream? And why am I in this world?

"He doesn't seem to be in the know about this situation either," Felix noted observantly, "I don't think this was normal in his world either."

"Subaru-kun is just as confused as all of us." Rem frowned at the notion that the boy was dealing with this on his own, but she understood that he couldn't confide in anyone since he was alone in this world from the start. Rem couldn't hide her pity from covering her features.

"So what are you doin' here, anyway? "

" O h…  I'm looking for an insignia. It belongs to a silver haired girl that helped me out. I don't know why but it's important to her."

"An insignia. Sorry but I ain't got anything like that."

"Are you sure? Try to think! You're old and senile!" Subaru pressed with a desperate look on his face.

"If I can't remember it when I'm at my best, with booze in me then the only explanation is that I don't know. But… I've got someone bringing in goods later. I'm told its some fine loot. There is a chance its what you're lookin' for."  Rom smirks at the boy.

"Is the one bringing it in a girl named Felt?"

Rom seemed surprised.  " What, you even know who swiped it? Of course, whether you'll be able to afford it is another matter."

"Ha! It's no use trying to size me up. I'm broke as they come after all." Subaru pointed at himself proudly.

"There ain't no use talking about it then." The old man shrugged and sighed in disappointment.

"No, there is the option of trading." Subaru clicked his tongue and wagged a finger at the man.

"Oh? He seems to still go by the plan he made in the vision." Anastasia hummed carefully, starting to like the power more for this advantage in trading goods.

"He's using what he saw to his advantage," Reinhard noted with a bit of a saddened look.

He didn't get to meet Subaru this time…

Wait…

"Wait, Felt-sama!"

Looking at the desperate knight, the little blonde raised a brow at him, "What's up?"

"Did Subaru meet you inside of the loot house?"

Felt blinked in confusion, "Uh… No, I met him when he was rummaging through my hideout."

Perhaps the little girl was too focused on the lovely interaction between Rom and Subaru, her happiness and relief for their lives not being taken was clouding her senses of judgment, so the only one who saw exactly the frightening outlook of this entailed notion was none other than Reinhard alone.

The knight looked back at the screen with a terrified face, he must be wrong about this or else… his lady may not be able to handle it.

Rom looks at Subaru's bag with interest.

"Now that you mention it, you've got some unusual stuff there. "

" That's right, for example this is a corn potage snack." Subaru picks a small bag and points at it.

"It's super tasty!"

"That's the prize he gave me in the snow festival!" The little maid shouted in outrage, not wanting anyone else to take the treat away from Subaru since it was a special gift given to her.

"Was it tasty?" Mimi asked innocently.

Petra nodded her head.

"Tha's food?" Subaru hands him the bag and Rom pops it and eats the weird yellow pieces coming out of it.

"I see! What an odd flavor! These would go great with booze!"

"Right! Right!… Hey! don't just start eating them!"

"We l l, I dun n o what you plan to  t r a de bu t  you'l l  hav e  to  com e  a f t er  Felt ge t s he r e, m m, t hat' s  g oo d! "

T he screen shows Subaru sitting on the steps of the loot house waiting as the sun was setting. He was looking at two poor kids that were eyeing him up from afar.

"I guess, in any world, there are people with money and people without. It sure is easy to see here."

Julius and Reinhard flinched a bit at this, now that the boy's fantastical origins were understood his words held a bit more merit to how broken their country actually is.

"Easy to see… Anastasia-sama will make this much harder, I assure you, Subaru." Julius nodded his head firmly, placing faith that his lady's rule would bring prosperity to remove the slums and elevate their peoples to the middle class.

"Hey what're you doing there? You're in my way."

"Felt!"

"You know me?"

"Of course I do! I've been waiting for you!"

"What for?"

"Wait, are you saying you don't remember me?"

F elt looked to inspect him.  " Have we met? You know I'm a busy woman so unless they leave a good impression I don't remember most people I meet."

"I'd say that was a pretty huge impression… well, forget that. I want to negotiate for the insignia you have."

Felt smiled at that.  " Oh so that what it is huh? Alright, I'll hear you out."

"I don't remember this happening… This didn't happen!" Felt suddenly exclaimed in anger, her face contorting to panic.

"I-It's okay! I can still be on my way and help," Emilia hurriedly spoke out.

"You weren't much help in the vision, and I doubt that you will be now." Anastasia shook her head as she shot the half-elf down, Emilia felt that sinking feeling again.

She didn't understand what it was…

"The boy's in this situation just because he wants to help ya." Anastasia drove her point in firmly, wanting to make the half-elf see how incompetently she was handling all of this.

"For a rat…"

"Posion."

"For a white whale…"

"A harpoon."

"To the noble dragon lord, we are… "

" Shitbags."

Subaru watched as Felt and Old Man Rom recited the password in front of him. Opening the door was the old drunk.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Old Man Rom. "

Felt is given a glass of milk to drink.  " Hey Old Man, did you water down this milk? It tastes nasty."

"Hey, I give you something outta the goodness of my heart and you call it gross?" Rom ruffled her head.

"You two are closer than I had either hoped or expected.  I'm feeling left out, over here."  Subaru sigh ed  from the side as he watched the two.

"Don't talk like a wuss, when you have a face almost as scary as Old Man Rom's." The little blonde said as she drank more of the milk.

The screen moves from Felt to Subaru as he twists his face into an insane expression.

"Revolting!" Priscilla couldn't hold her tongue at the distaste.

"That's a scary look!" Petra shrieked over the blonde maid's lap.

"People have said many things to me, but you say I can compete with this old guy? "  Subaru growled out as he  adopted  an intense expression to show off the sharpness of his features.

" Okay I went too far that time. Sorry, bro."  Felt  smiled and bowed to Subaru.

Rom was just looking at them with a deadpanned stare.  " You two aren't in some conspiracy to try to piss me off, are you?"

Many chuckled weakly at that.

"Old Man Rom asks about him from time to time you know?" Felt meekly told the group.

"When we go back to the capital, we'll make sure Subaru-kun has the opportunity to play with you and Old Man Rom." Rem gave her some reassurance.

"T-Thanks." Felt seemed to perk up a bit.

Rem smiled towards the girl as she rubbed Subaru's hair, wanting nothing but for the boy to see how effective in bettering people's lives he was.

"Okay, well, why don't we get down to business? How much will you pay for it?"  Felt suddenly  asked  as she turn ed  to the boy.

"You don't waste time… before I answer, you do have it right?" Subaru asked in suspicion.

"Of course I do. There." Felt showed the stone with its ruby glowing in her hand.

" This one's got a jewel on it so I had to work really hard to get it. If you pay me enough to match my effort, we'll both be happy."

"I have no money." Subaru shrugged while eyeing the jewel.

"Then we have nothing to discuss!" The girl yelled out while stomping her foot on the stool.

Subaru waved his finger smugly at the girl.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don't have money, but I have things worth money."

Subaru showed his phone to them.  " What I have here. Is a magical device that can stop time for everyone, everywhere… A Cell Phone!"

"He's giving up the metia?!" Anastasia shouted in outrage while eyeing the precious item in the boy's hand.

"He did offer it up for negotiations when I met him, this seems a little different though…"

"Betty's contractor is giving up one of his only home bound items for something stolen from a stranger… what a fool, I suppose." The blonde spirit loli shook her head with a small protective glare on her face, knowing how much Subaru actually misses his home and how hard selling this item must've been for him… She did recall that he sold it way later in his time as a servant in the mansion tho, during his stay in the capital shortly after Emilia returned alone to the mansion.

Emilia couldn't help but recall the words spoken to her by the merchant queen, that feeling seeping through her and filling her with small pricking nails all over her heart.

Guilt.

"What is that?" "I've never seen anything like it."

Subaru tapped the phone and aimed at them.  " Take this, nine continuous shots!"

The phone flashes at them and blinds them.

"Whao! Hey! What's that sound, and that was too bright! "

"Are ya tryin' to kill me?!"

"No, hold on." Subaru showed his phone to them and on it a picture of their faces.

"Those are our faces! What kind of magic?" Rom exclaimed in astonishment.

"I told you, it's a mystical item that can freeze a moment in time. With this you can capture moments in time and store them in here."

"Oi! Tha's so cool!" Garfiel exclaimed truthfully with a wide smirk.

"Are we even close to creating such magic?"

Beatrice scoffed at the small child sitting beside his twin and Ricardo, "That's not even magic, in fact. Betty's contractor has superior knowledge in science, nothing mystical."

"Which do you think is more useful, Spirit-sama?" Julius asked politely, wanting to be enlightened.

"Magic was hard to come by in Subaru's world, so you won't be able to use your information of the mystical talents everywhere you go… Science however… that's just in the fabric of everything everywhere." Beatrice smugly delivered her answer, making a few people ponder the true difference between science and magic.

"That's amazing!" Felt exclaimed as well.

"Is that one of the metia I've been hearing bout lately?" The old man mused while eyeing the device in Subaru's hand with great interest.

"Metia?" Subaru blinked.

"It's the name of the devices that let people who haven't the gate to use magic like real magic users." Felt explained from the side as Subaru turned to the old man.

"What can I get out of this metia?" He asked.

"No doubt more than that insignia." Rom answered firmly and with a nod.

"Then that settles it! This cell phone for the insignia!  Negotiations complete!" Subaru reached to take the jewel but Felt took it in her palm.

" Nope. Not yet."  Felt closed her palm and swiped her arm away.

"Why not?" Subaru fell and stared at Felt in disbelief.

"You're not the only one I'm negotiating with for this."

Felt winced and looked away, realizing that the events were too similar to what happened in reality. She will make Subaru stay until that vampire comes around. The blonde was hyperventilating again.

"Felt-sama!" Reinhard held her in his arms once more, looking worried and concerned for his lady.

"You were contracted to do this?" Julius sternly called, his eyes hardened. "We must find who sent for Emilia-sama's insignia at once!"

"Relax, Julius-kun. It's probably one of her many haters, and besides, the Sword Saint himself couldn't find out who sent this assassin, right?"

Stuttering under Anastasia's shrewd smirk, Reinhard looked confused for a moment, "Y-Yes, Anastasia-sama. You're correct. I tried my best to find who laid out the attack but I've never been able to track them. Elsa's organization is more invisible than the Witch's Cult itself."

"That is very concerning, Roswaal-sama." Ram jutted in with firm lips, earning a nod from the lord.

"Indeeeeed it is."

Roswaal's tone was empty.

"How did you know that the Sword master couldn't find out who attacked Emilia-sama?" Turning to the merchant princess, Crusch asked with a surprisingly tame expression of curiosity.

"Hmm, it's obvious from the lil' ones reactions." Anastasia mused while pointing at Felt's trembling form as the girl held onto the red-headed knight.

"Ah, that's a good point." Crusch relented and looked back at the screen.

"It's gonna be okay, Felt-chan. You don't have to worry!" Seeing how heartlessly Cursch and Anastasia ignored Felt's pain even though they were conversing about her, Emilia took it upon herself to comfort the poor girl.

Felt's scarlet eyes stared into Emilia's brilliant amethyst, "This isn't something that happened to me! Elsa could be on her way and she could hurt all three of us since neither you nor Reinhard will come to save us!"

Emilia immediately shook her head, "I'm sure it won't come to this, I've made it to the loot house on my own, remember? And Reinhard-sama as well! I'm sure things will go slightly different but they will be okay since we're coming."

"Subaru will be hurt tho… He might be seeing another vision where something bad happens… that's what the pattern of these has been showing us since we came here."

The half-elf lost her hopeful smile at Otto's interjection, the merchant head of the interior stared at the silver-haired lady with stern acceptance.

Emilia's face changed to a determined pout, "I'm sure nothing bad will happen… and even if it did… "

Beatrice narrowed her eyes at the girl as she paused…

"Even if Subaru was to go through a bad vision once more… it will only be just that… a vision… He won't feel pain at least." Emilia whispered waveringly, trying her best to rationalize that her knight wouldn't be going through actual death because of her idiocy.

"You're just disgusting, I suppose." Beatrice seethed under her breath, not letting anyone hear. The little spirit kept her grip on her contractor's arm strong yet tender, thinking about all of his nightmares and clearly hidden trauma that she's been wanting to help him with for the longest time.

The half-elf's deliberation away from the boy's suffering was infuriating to Betty.

"Huh?"

"Besides, I nabbed this insignia because I was asked to.  My client told me I could get ten holy coins for it. "

" You already have a deal with the one you stole it for? I don't know what ten holy coins would be worth, but… "

Rom  interrupted  Subaru.

"That metia you've got is worth at least twenty holy coins…  no, there are probably fanciers out there who'd pay more for a thing like that."

"That means we can get away with overcharging for it!" Felt shouted with an excited expression.

"So when is the client coming?" Subaru shook his head and asked.

"Don't worry. Negotiations will be held here. If I tried to handle them alone, I'd be sunk if a client decided to bilk me. But with Old Man Rom here, I don't have to worry."

As Felt nodded in satisfaction, a knock on the door sounded, gaining everyone's attention.

"She's here… " Otto winced as Garfiel held his shoulder and unconsciously gripped it too hard from how nervous he was.

"It might be big s-sis tho! There's hope Old Man Rom will be safe after all of this!" Felt tried to sound positive and optimistic…

Felt went to check who it was. Leaving Subaru and Rom together.

"Are you okay with letting her use you like this? "  Subaru whisper ed , as Felt left them to check the door.

" I've known her for a long time, so I'll help her out."

Subaru chuckled at the sight of Old Man Rom holding a giant Bat.

"You know, it dr ie s chuckles when someone looks like such a barbarian. "

" Well, look at where we are. Eve r yone around here is just as desperate to survive. It's common for youngsters to join forces with other s  in similar situations, to keep themselves alive. But Felt ain't cut out for that.  T hat's why I gotta look out for her."  The old man spoke  wistfully  as he stared at the little blonde.

"That's what the old man thinks?" Felt whispered with heartbreak… though it made her more fond of the old man.

Reinhard nodded his head in respect to Rom, he had helped Felt through so much and for that, Reinhard would always regard him as part of his own family.

"How horrible… the conditions of those people…" Frederica couldn't help but whisper her sympathies for the slum dwellers.

Subaru looked at Rom with pity.

"I was right. It was for me. "

Felt entered and with her…

Was….

"There seem to be several outsiders here. "

A  seductive, smooth womanly voice spoke pointedly as the owner of it entered behind the little blonde…

A black-robed lady with violet eyes and jet-black hair stood before the three with a stretched smile.

"Well, I'd be in trouble if you bilked me. We weaklings have our own brand of smarts."

"I know this older fellow, but who is this young man?" The lady inquired swiftly and smoothly as she stared over Subaru's form.

"This is your rival. He's the other person negotiating with me." Felt answered sternly and introduced the two.

A chill ran down his spine as he stared at the smiling Elsa.

"That's that bitch!" Garfiel writhed in anger. He wanted to transform and rip her face off the screen. He wanted to avenge his Captain. More importantly, he wanted to save his Captain.

"The Bowel Hunter..." Reinhard had a noticeably angry tone. Not only did he let her get away, he now had to watch her kill his friend, and his master, for the second time.

Garfiel gave a low and venomous growl to agree with Reinhard's disdain for the woman.

"He's going to die again…" Julius was the only one in the room who could voice the upcoming truth. Bracing the others for the force of the wave that will soon hit them.

"Run, please, just run." Felt began to tear up as she watched the insane woman of her nightmares once again enter the loot house.

Felt grabbed a hold of Reinhard's loose clothing for comfort, he sat still beside her, his eyes fixed on the screen laced with worry for both the old man and Subaru, but his heart was wrenching for what might happen to his lady.

"I-I'm sure I'm coming in this vision as well… I'm sure of it!" Emilia desperately begged that her words were true.

Elsa is shown to be drinking a glass of milk while the other three sat at the table with her.

"I see. "  The lady muses as she licks her moisturized lips.

" So that means you two will be bidding against each other.  I don't care who gets the goods, as long as there is a highest bidder  t he y  will be the winner. "  Felt finished explaining.

" I think I like that personality of yours. So how much did this young man bid?"  Elsa nodded her head and decided to take her place in the game.

"I'm putting up this metia. Its the only one of its kind in this world. I'm told that its worth more than twenty holy coins."

" Metia? Hmm, as it happens my client provided me with some extra funds so I'm prepared to sweeten the deal."

"The client… so you were asked to fetch it, too?"  Subaru inquired with narrowed eyes.

"I wonder who that may be." Ram seethed inwardly as she glared at the crowed below her to identify any suspicious reaction from the candidates or their camps. They were first suspects when an assassination attempt is carried on lord Roswaal's domain, ever since he began harboring... the most hated candidate in all of Lugunica.

"Things seem a bit too chilled out 'ere. The lady doesn't give off any killer vibes," Ricardo noted with his arms crossed and a confused look grazing his bestial face.

"Not yet." Garfiel growled in correction while glaring at the screen.

" That's right. The client is the one who wants it. Would you happen to be in the same business."  Elsa asked with her own narrow-eyed look aimed for Subaru.

"Being in the same Business as me would mean they're unemployed!"

….

….

…

..

"Hahaha, okay that's funny, come on." Mimi laughed along with Petra at Subaru's idiotic nature.

But the adults just watched quietly. Sweat on the back of their necks. Waiting for all of this to go horribly wrong.

"So this unemployed guy has named a price that puts him far in the lead. What price is your master putting on it?" Felt decided to move things along and passed Elsa the ball.

E lsa dropped a bag filled with holy coins on the table making everyone look at it in shock, Rom counted the coins.

"Twenty holy coins exactly. "

" These are all the coins my client sent me  with . Are they enough?"

Subaru looked down in disappointment, assuming that he had lost.

"You're a man! Don't make that pathetic face! I told you, your metia is worth no less than twenty…  "

Subaru looked at Rom with a hopeful expression.

"As I see it, victory in this deal is leaning toward the boy. Sorry for you and your employer, but you'd better bag up those coins and leave. "

" Yes!" Subaru jumped up in excitement, making everyone look at him weirdly.

" Wh-What? What's wrong with a little v i ctory pose? I'm psyched!"  He defended himself with an insecure look.

"No one said anything. Go as crazy as you want. I don't care as long as I get my profit." Felt shrugged and looked bored.

"Uh, sorry, Elsa-san. You'll probably get in trouble, huh?" Subaru smiled sheepishly at the lady and rubbed his head.

"It can't be helped. It was my employer's fault for trying to underpay." She sighed in disappointment and shrugged her shoulders. Standing up, and drinking the last of her milk, the dark-clad woman placed the glass on the table and sighed once more.

"Is she… actually going to let it go?" Frederica exclaimed her shock, not liking how comfortable this interaction with the person that had tried to kill her seemed.

"Well, this deal ended in disappointment for me,  but I shall take my leave now." Elsa licked the milk on her lips  and glanced at Subaru .

"By the way, what do you intend to do with that insignia?" She asked the boy.

Subaru simply smiled and opened his trouble hole,  " I'm going to return it to its owner. "

…

…

...

Rom and Felt looked at him  with shock and distress.

No.

"Stupid Barusu!" Ram was the first to shout her belittlement of his actions.

"Idiot!" Emilia screamed as she finally broke into tears and hugged her Subaru tight.

"Run, please just run! You'll die!" Felt screamed.

"Come on, Cap'n!" Garfiel roared. His breathing started to pick up. He couldn't take the death of his Captain again. Despite his demeanor, he didn't like watching people die.

Especially not the man that saved him from himself.

Subaru realized what he just said and started panicking as Elsa pitched a sinister smile of twisted madness on her face.

"So… You're with them, then. "  Elsa' s voice oozed  darkly.

"Ah, there it fuck'n is! Shit!" Ricardo yelled, grinding his teeth in anger.

F elt pushed Subaru to the ground. As he was focused on the dark grin the evil woman was giving him he didn't see the blade the was aiming for his stomach.

" Wh-What?"

"Do you want to die?!" Felt shouted at him in anger.

"Oh, my. You dodged my strike." Elsa is shown holding a blade to where Subaru once was. Her attention was caught when Rom picked up the bat and started smashing the place where she once stood. Elsa jumped high and in the air to dodge the strikes, leaving Rom to crush and break the chairs and tables she would jump off of.

"This is my first battle to the death with a giant!" Elsa giggled childishly as she avoided all contact with the heavy strikes the giant was giving.

"Quiet, little girl! I'll grind you up and feed you to the rats!" The man shouted gruffly.

"Run, Old Man Rom! Please just run!" Felt screamed in panic, the events of Subaru's previous vision showed her just what to expect as an outcome of a fight between her old man and Elsa.

"Emilia-sama, you're close to the loot house right?" Rem asked, her tender voice filled with fear yet her expression displaying a hardened look of anger, she wanted to jump in and help them so badly.

"I-I'm supposed to be close! I reached the loot house without Subaru right when the sun began setting which is now!" Emilia stuttered as her nerves flared with panic for her knight.

S ubaru and Felt watched as Rom and Elsa engaged in a battle of strength versus speed as the dark dressed woman dodged and jumped out of the way of the old man's impressively strong hits.

"This is bad! "  Subaru looked worried as he knew that Elsa was merely toying with the old man.

Felt, however, was confident.  " Don't worry.  T here's no way Old Man Rom will lose."

A s she said this, she watched in horror as Old Man Rom tried to attack Elsa with another aimed strike.

"TAKE THIS! " But  before he could land the hit, Elsa attacked him with her blade, cutting his arm clean off his shoulder.

"NO!"

"Hold me close Petra-chan, don't focus on anything else!"

Petra nodded and obeyed her teacher's orders, hearing nothing but the heart wrenching screams of Felt echo through the theater.

"Weakling." Priscilla commented dryly but a look of pure distaste could be seen clearly aimed towards the assassin on the screen by her beautiful blood-red eyes.

"Old Man Rom!" Felt shouted in despair as his arm fell near her.

The old man struggled with the pain as his blood covered the floor.

"Damn it! "  Rom charged at the lady, "At least I can take you with me!"

He was met with a smile and raised hand that held a broken glass.

Elsa stopped his charge by merely stabbing the old man in the neck with his own glass.

"Thank you for the milk, "  Elsa smiled sadistically as the man bled from the wound on his neck.

Rom fell on his back, dead.

"By the Od glass." Julius grimaced and balled his fists in anger, vowing to avenge this killer's cruelty.

"NO! NONONO OLD MAN ROOOOM!" Felt screamed and cried while holding both hands to her knight's arm, never realizing that she would be seeing her own last family member die in such a way when she had woken up this morning.

Elsa bowed and placed the broken cup she stabbed him with on the floor,  " I shall be returning this."

Felt stood up from beside Subaru with a glare so heated and scary.  " You bitch… How dare you?"

"N-No… Don't get involved too Felt-"

"I WILL FUCKING KILL THAT BITCH! KILLHERKILLHERKILLHER!"

"W-Where the hell are you, Princess!" Garfiel shouted in distress, begging to have someone capable of fighting her off to show up.

"I-I… don't know." Emilia choked out in grief, slowly looking away from everyone in shame and staring at the screen with a pleading expression.

"Oh? It seems you have more courage than your friend there."  Elsa pointed at Subaru in clear amusement.

Beatrice growled with gritted teeth, wanting nothing but to fill Elsa with Minya spears until she becomes nothing but a crystal statue.

" But if you resist then you might as well get hurt."

Felt wiped some of Old Man Rom's blood from her face as she glared at the killer.  " Like you don't intend to kill me either way, you psychopath!"

Elsa is shown toying with a purple blade.  " If you move around, my hands might slip. I'm quite rough at handling blades you see."

"You're a brave young girl," Crusch noted gravely, her expression forlorn.

Wilhelm nodded his head but held a firm frown, "Yet quite reckless."

"Sorry you got caught up in this." Felt whispered with a look of remorse aimed at the trembling boy behind her.

Subaru uttered out an, "I…"

But Felt didn't hear him as she unsheathed a dagger and dashed at Elsa with insane speed, she could barely be seen.

"What the…?!"

"Is that a divine protection?!"

Otto and Garfiel shouted their surprise over everyone's at the girl's ability.

"It won't be enough, gutter rat." Priscilla clicked her tongue as her glare hardened on Elsa.

As the girl turned into a gust of whirling wind around her, Elsa  only  smiled with amusement.  " Blessing of the wind."  She muse d  as she watched the wind turbo, spinning around her.

Felt stopped and swiftly derived a downward slash at Elsa….

But the killer simply avoided the blade by a hair's width with a smile.

"How wonderful. I can see you are loved by this world. I envy you! "

Elsa simply turned around and  made  a slash that cut the little Felt in half right before Subaru's eyes.

"No…" Whilhelm slowly looked over towards his grandson. He watched as he winced in pain and a tear appeared in his left eye. He wanted nothing more than to hug Reinhard and console him. The boy has been through too much because of his mistakes.

Reinhard just hid his lady in his embrace and kept her from seeing the rest. He failed. He failed… I failed... I failed.. I failed!

The blonde girl simply sobbed relentlessly into the knight's chest.

Anastasia and Crusch glared hatefully at the assassin, this could've been any of the other candidates, any of the candidates' friends or family, they couldn't help but feel wrathful for the little girl's death.

"N-No… No… This has to be nothing but an apparition too! This is only a fake!"

"Emilia-sama please calm down!" Ram tried to comfort the silver-haired lady from the back but she couldn't get to the firghtened princess.

Holding Subaru's arm tight, Emilia had the most horrified expression anyone can muster as she realized that Subaru was now on his own against Elsa.

"Subaru-kun!" Rem screamed in fury for the boy she loved so dearly, her fists balled up and her breathing heavy, trying to find a way to get in there and protect him at all costs from the assassin's blade.

"The old man and the girl have fallen, yet you aren't moving. "  Elsa  turned around  to meet the cowering boy.

" Have you given up?"  She mused in a smooth yet pitying tone.

Subaru is shown struggling to stand  with a look of pure fright filling his face .

" D-Damn it…"  He gritted his teeth and gathered up the courage to stand on his feet.

H e glared at the killer, though a bit of fear was shown  clear in his eyes .

"No, wait Subaru, please!" Beatrice yelled with tears appearing in her eyes.

Roswaal closed his eyes and balled his fists with his lips pursed.

" Ah you finally stood up. It's less fun since you took so long. But still, not bad."

Elsa and Subaru stand off with her smirking and him scared out of his wits.

That's when he suddenly yells and charges at her with his fist raised.

Elsa simply hits him with the hilt of her blade breaking his nose and kicks his stomach making him roll away from her for a few feet.

"But it's no use. I can see you are a novice, and your movements are rough. You have no blessings or techniques. I had hoped to squeeze wisdom out of you, but you lack that, too. "  Elsa snorted as she completely destroyed the boy's charge without using a flick of effort.

Subaru starts to get up.  " Shut up! I do have my pride! After you've put me through all this…" Subaru lets his nose bleed and glares hatefully at the killer.

"Barusu, you idiot! Run! This is no time for such a useless thing like pride!" Ram, once again quick to belittle him, began to shed tears surprisingly enough.

"He's a gonna get butchered, nyan!" Felix called in distress, not being able to keep his cheerful facade with how serious this has become.

"The boy can't face her alone," Wilhelm narrowed his sharp eyes striaght at the assassin, wanting to help the young man who helped him avenge his wife yet knowing how useless it all was to try.

"Subaru-sama must have something up his sleeve, he must!" Crusch distressed, not giving up and nervously believing in the boy's capabilities.

A certain merchant boss hummed thoughtfully, "I wonder if he does, he looks to be desperate… yet I don't see what he could possibly do to delay such a vision any further."

Elsa notes this.  " I do acknowledge that you have extraordinary determination. If only you could have  found it sooner , things  might've  gone differently for these two."

Elsa looks at the dead bodies of Felt and Old Man Rom.  She then licks her lips as she stares into Subaru's rag e-filled  eyes.

"It doesn't matter about me! Run!" Felt uselessly screamed.

But then he remembers the past time he was here. When it was night. When Emilia died beside him. He remembers where he was bleeding last time.

His expression lights up as he gets an idea.

"What're you doing now Subaru?" Crusch noticed his look and watched carefully.

"Oh? He got something from the obscure death?" Anastasia raised her brows in surprise and leaned in to see what the boy had noticed that could help him here from his last death in the darkness.

"I think it's time to end this. "  Elsa excitedly spoke as she charged at him.

"I shall send you to meet the angels. "

"Subaru!" Petra screamed as the scary nightmare woman attacked him.

"Bitch!" Garfiel screamed in fury.

Otto, Beatrice, Rem, and Emilia watched with shocked expressions and withheld breathes.

Subaru readies himself in a fighting stance with a look of patience on his bleeding face.

Elsa charged and swiped her blade in a sideways slash towards the area of his guts.

Subaru changes his stance before she hits him and narrowly misses the blade that was about to cut him in half by an inch.

Before she could react, Subaru spins and delivers a really hard kick that actually lands and pains the killer.

"He used the previous life to attack her?!" Anastasia watched with wide open eyes at the scary situation this useless boy got in.

"He managed to remember where she struck first during his first vision… I don't think I would've seen that as useful either," Ricardo admitted with dry humor covering his voice.

"It won't be enough…" Julius closed his eyes, an expression of withheld anger.

He wanted to jump in and save him too.

"Ah… I certainly felt that one." Elsa smiled with a creepy blush on her face.

She stares. With a smile.

Subaru… looks down.

His bowels. They were cut open.

"My god…" The old butler simply looked on with a heated and wrathful glare. If Elsa wasn't already dead, she'd be Wilhelm's next hunt. He would put her in more pain then he did the Whale.

"Subaru!" Beatrice and Emilia shouted at the same time, holding on to the sleeping boy's arms for dear life as if he would disappear any second. Both girls completely shattered by the vision of the boy's wound.

Rem simply her hands to her mouth and couldn't contain her furious mutterings, "I'llkillherI'llkillher!"

"Are you surprised? I opened your belly when we passe d  by one another. This is the one thing I excel at. "

Subaru tries to hold his guts in place as he falls on the floor and bleeds out of the cut belly he now possess.  As his blood forms a pool on the floor around him, Elsa takes delight in stepping closer and kneeling beside him to watch as his soul was leaving his body.

She removes a piece of his cut clothing just to see his innards.  " Ah as I thought. Your guts have such a lovely color!" she smiles sadistically.

Subaru struggles to stay conscious as he looks up at her through pain filled eyes.

It hurts… it hurts… it hurts… it hurts

"I-It's hurting him?!" Reinhard shouted in distress, now finally realizing that this couldn't be a simple vision Subaru was living through after all.

"Shit!" Al was the one to shout out as he too caught on to what this meant.

"The boy's truly dyin'!" Ricardo howled while slamming a fist on the armrest in rage.

"It… doesn't hurt? In pain? Do you want to die? "  Elsa teases.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" Beatrice screamed in blinding rage, her twin-tails flaring with bursts of mana she let loose by her anger, now completely understanding what Subaru's ability truly was.

"That's his ability?" Roswaal asked softly with nothing but shock showing on his makeup-covered face.

"No...No… It's not supposed to be like that… Teacher…"

"W-What the hell is going on anymore?" Otto cried tears of anguish for his friend's struggle with his shoulders slumped in tired defeat.

Die? Am I dead? Am I still alive? When will I die? When will I die?

"Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly… "  Elsa is smirking down at the dying boy.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Rem screamed with all of her power, wanting to rip the whore on screen apart for torturing the boy she loved so much.

I' m scared… I'm scared.

"Barusu…" Ram gave a painful mutter for the boy, her fists clenched.

I' m gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!

"What is this… what the hell is this…" Garfiel chocked with tears running down his face as his nerves gave out and he slumped in his chair with his face looking up, watching. Seeing how his captain was dying and begging for help.

" Yes, you're slowly losing body heat… You' re  slowly growing cold… "

Emilia simply stared at the scene with her jaw slackened a small bit and her beautiful purple-eyes widened… no tears, no other facial expressions… She just stared and took the scene in… Watching the boy who'd save her time and time again bleed out on the floor, crying from the pain and panicking in confusion, desperately trying to understand what was happening but simply unable to do anything because of his wound, dying, dying… all while the killer sadistically made fun of his predicament in his last few moments…

"S-Subaru…" Emilia whispered softly… before her face contorted to one of pure anguish and horror, held under her palms as she covered her mouth and sobbed the sobs of a heartbroken widow.

As the window shows Elsa's smirking face, memories of all the previous events that lead him here played out. It was as if his life flashed before him.

Until…. Darkness.

Oh… I'm dead.

Emilia cried. She just cried.

Hugging her Subaru and crying like a little child.

The other Camps were either crying with her, or looking at her in pity.

Rem and Beatrice simply remained frozen with tears and stunned expressions staring at the black screen.

What were they watching? Why were they being shown these things? Exactly how much suffering did this boy endure?

A faint voice. A blurry image.

"What's the matter, boy? You look like you've seen a ghost. "

"It's…" Otto began to realize what was going on.

Subaru is shown to be in the same place as before. in front of the fruit stand with the same man saying the same thing.

His eyes blinking in confusion and his skin yellow in nauseousness… Subaru's frozen face only showed a great amount of confusion and bewilderment towards nothing at all as he gave an unfocused stare.

"Boy? You okay? "  The shop keeper asked in a worrying tone as he noticed Subaru's state.

" A h… "  The boy uttered as his unfocused eyes rolled into his head.  " I have no idea what's going on anymore." Subaru fainted as the man looked on with shock.

Scene change…

Subaru was splashed with water in the face. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at the man.

"Are you okay, boy?  Here ,  forget the money. Just take these. "  the man was worried for Subaru as he handed the boy an appa and a cup of water.

Subaru was about to take them but then he noticed someone walking behind the merchant…

A silver-haired girl…

His eyes widening, he stood up but fell on his knees from the weakness. Gritting his teeth, He stood up again and ran after her, ignoring the appa man.

"Wait! P-Please wait! "  Subaru shouted as he ran after the silver-haired girl, gaining the ire and attention of the many people standing around him in the marketplace.

" Wait! Satella! "  Subaru didn't notice how everyone looked at him in complete shock and horror as he ran after the silver-haired girl.

"NO! Please no! Why did I tell him to call me that?!" Emilia looked at the screen in shock, tears running down her cheeks for the boy and what he's been through because of her actions.

What did she do to this boy?

How many times has this happened?

"Please don't ignore me! Dying and not doing what you said were my fault! But I was desperate! "

Everyone was looking at him with wierded out looks and shocked expressions.

Emilia stopped walking and kept her head down. Subaru caught his breath and continued to ramble.

"I went back to the loot house after that, but I couldn't find you… "

Everyone was looking at them. Emilia didn't turn to him.

" I'm sorry for only thinking of myself. "  Subaru said as he regained breathing and smiled sincerely  to her.

"Thinking of yourself?! You just died, in fact! How's that not effecting you?!" Beatrice shouted in despair, trying to understand why her contractor wasn't trying to think of himself in this moment.

Emilia shook her head and sobbed while holding it with both hands, "I'm so sorry!"

Emilia didn't turn to him… keeping her head down.

"I'm glad you're all right, Satella." Subaru spoke softly with a tone of happy reminiscence and gratitude… But his expression changed to one of hurt and confusion as soon as he saw the way she looked at him.

"Poor kid…" Al just looked away from the scene. The boy didn't even know that he was earning the ire and hatred of every demi-human on the street.

"I told you it was a bad idea!" Anastasia snarled, her shock overplaying her emotions quite a bit and making her more bitter towards the half-elf's idiocy.

The silver-haired, elven beauty finally turned and looked back at him with an intense glare filled with hatred.

"What are you thinking? "  she  asked pointedly, rigidly, and  in a heated tone.

She was completely furious with him.

Subaru recoiled in surprise. What?

Everyone was looking at them as she spoke with him.

"I don't know who you are but don't call me by the name of the Jealous Witch! What are you thinking?! "  Emilia spat with an angry tone,  staring at Subaru with focused hatred and surprising fury.

Subaru just looked confused now.

His reflection in her eyes.

Her reflection in his.

Title card:

"The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End. "

Credits song: Stylix Hylix (Acoustic Version)

Episode 1 Directors cut end.

Emilia just stared at the black screen in shock at the situation she had put Subaru in.

"I wonder why he still helps you after all that?" Anastasia asked softly as she wiped some tears away.

"So this is how he accomplished all of his achievements… what a disgusting power." Priscilla looked away in distaste.

"Subaru-kun… died." Rem simply looked catatonic at the screen.

Beatrice hugged her Subaru's side as tightly as the little spirit could.

The Emilia camp was in shambles. Words could not express the various emotions filled with pain, anger, and regret looming around them.

Crusch's camp was defeated as they saw a very dear friend in such a situation. Felix may not have shared the same sentiment as Crusch or Wilhelm. But, it still hurt him to watch someone go through that pain.

Felt's camp was just broken, Felt was still crying into Reinhard's embrace while he sat there stoic, clearly hiding his shock.

Anastasia's camp was simply… deeply saddened by this. Subaru was a hero in the eyes of Ricardo and Mimi. Julius stood there as elegant as ever, trying to hide his anger. While he would be the first in line to chastise Subaru for his idiocy, he was still a knight. His instinct to protect those who could not protect himself was tarnished with his inability to help a victimized Subaru.

And the Priscilla Camp wasn't affected at all, save for Al who felt remorse for his bro.

"Let's see where this power takes him." Priscilla glared at the screen in disdain finally understanding what this power of the boy's truly was. And the lady was never more revolted at someone's existence than she was of the boy at this second.

You must believe me.

It's all for Subaru's own good that you watch everything.

Let me show you some more just to make it more clear what he's been living through underneath your noses.

Beatrice, Emilia, and Rem only hugged the boy from every direction available to them tighter, sniffling and sobbing.

The screen activated once again.

Episode 2…. Arc 1 continuation….

Start.

God. Please end this.

I need a few hours of rest. It took me ten hours to right the episode. the ten hours were just for the episode. JUST THE EPISODE! I couldn't even write the reactions yet. I think i fucked the characters up.

HOW THE FUCK DO I WRITE GARFIEL! HE HAS A SEXUALLY ASSUALTED SPEAKING PATTERN.

Episode 2 coming next. be patient with me.

Please.

*Falls off his chair after hitting the uploud button* Sweet dreams, me.

Man, I was cringe back then, huh.

Anyways, I hope you all see why I'm taking so much time with these reworks and why I think this story needs them. Old readers well understand just how monotonously different this chapter 2 is from the og one.

Special thanks to my bros, Bobdoorman(writer for Shattered Kasenaru), ArcherfromAnor(Writer for RE:MW, Prisc if, Dragon's Candidate, and Karma's revenge), Kensu (Writer for Senku IF)

And last but not least, my hero Broseph.

Thank you guys so much for the help with this chapter's typos and awkward phrases.

I hope I can deliver good stuff for you guys.

I really want this reaction fic to be the best I can make it.

Please leave me a review, or a comment, or go to my discord server and tag me with your criticism.

I upload this on Reddit, FF, Ao3, Wattpad, and Discord server.

The link to my server is right at the end of chapter one's note.

It has focus on many other authors even readers who use it to become better writers and release their own fanfictions…

I would've never felt so proud to write something in my life… but seeing how this community has grown around me into… well… this….

I'm fucking thankful man, I really gotta give you all an upvoting note after the depressing one of 14's…

But I will work on this story until I finish it. Don't worry.

Cya in the next rework.

PS: this is now my biggest chapter.

The og chapter 2 used to be only 17k words long…

this one is over 47k…

Damn, I love myself.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Ep 2 Director's Cut

"W-What in the hell just…" Ricardo couldn't summon a true end to this question. More so anyone from the people sitting around him in the theater. A placate sense of inability and confusion settled amongst those who were to rule the greatest kingdom someday. Even the so-called great knights and hands beside them were just looking at the darkened screen with a sense of helplessness at the previous scene.

"That is impossible!" A purple-haired young knight shouted in confusion, breaking the silence filling the room as the other royals voiced their own outrage over the past death of Natsuki Subaru.

"It should be impossible for him to be able to do such a thing! Defying death is one thing… but outright going through it and getting back is another power entirely." The glasses-wearing twin known as Tivey contemplated with fear etched on his face.

"It seems your little prediction was wrong, Crusch-sama." The soft-voiced merchant queen lamented rigidly, owning a soft glare towards the screen as she conversed with one of her far away rivals to the throne. "The boy seems to have more going on with him." Anastasia said with an enchanted widening of her eyes, gleaming from what was a small glare of focus into a look of pure curiosity and enlightenment. "This boy has something about 'em… Something to be wary of." She thought to herself in silence as her mind tried to make sense of the boy's sudden revival back to life before her eyes.

Her curious thoughts and question didn't seem to resonate with the royal Duchess she had invoked, as the green-haired lady clad in a blue-military uniform wasn't exactly as entranced by Subaru's death/revival state and was more so immediately making mental checks in her head to come to a passable conclusion…

"He… His death." Felix whispered beside her with a long look of horror that stretched from the screen to his own master sitting beside him.

"His death was too real not to be true, Crusch-sama." The knight spoke as if he was shivering, clearly disturbed from the scene.

"Not to mention that the boy seemed to have memorized things that happened to him before he was murdered." Wilhelm suddenly added in, his eyes narrowed to their highest form. The old man looking ahead towards the sleeping young man with sympathy and commiseration.

"There's no doubt about it," Crusch cut her two knights off with a completely self-indulged tone as if she was in her own world looking at her knees with clenched fists and a focused glare. "Natsuki Subaru is somehow returning through time with every instance of death he encounters." the duchess' words loomed over the room, making all glance at the boy in fear.

"This… Shouldn't be real… It can't be!" A gray-haired boy wearing green robes and clothing announced his own disturbance with a shout of disbelief, standing and turning to face the limp body of his own brother in arms, "Natsuki-san!" Otto called scrupulously with a look of expectation on his face. As if he was expecting a clear answer to suddenly come from his brother. "This cannot be it! We have been through so much together, he can't just have gone through that and not tell us about it!" As the usually cool-headed Otto turned towards the rest of his group, he was only looking more and more agitated as if he was on the edge of breaking. Fists by his side and teeth pursed, he was clearly losing control over the entire situation.

"S-Subaru-kun's death… It must've been real… his pain was too… real." A blue-haired girl clenched herself around the back seat to the one Subaru was laid on. Her head turned away from everything and facing a wall as her tears dried after a long cry. Her own voice whispered in grief. The state of the girl clearly indicating that she had lost faith in holding up any appearance or conversation with the people around her as she was lost in her own world, one where she was killing a certain cruel cold-blooded assassin over and over and make her scream.

"It was all real, I suppose." A rigid, emotionless person spoke from the collective audience.

The people of the theater all had their eyes on the loli-looking great spirit, sitting beside the boy everyone was so focused on with her small arms wrapped dearly around his own limp one. The expression of lifelessness made her melancholic voice seem more fitting since she was clearly in shock.

"Beako-chan?" Silver-bell voiced and completely broken, the other person sitting parallel with Beatrice on Subaru's other side. "Did you know about any of this?" Emilia, looking more shaken than all of the auditorium's occupants. Her eyes, red and streaming lines of miserable tears with bags beneath her amethyst oculi. "Did Subaru tell you about what happened to him?!" Emilia's hoarse voice grow loud as she leaned towards the silenced spirit girl sitting beside her knight. The half-elf now more agitated than distraught couldn't help but let go of her knight's side for one moment and start wiping away her tears to find them replaced as the memory of his cruel death repeated in her head. The thought of her constantly having to fail him all alone. "No…. No… I can't be someone he doesn't trust… He must've told me if it was real or not…". Clearly hyperventilating, somebody decided to take hold of the conversation for the still shocked half-elf.

"Beatrice-sama…" Otto called from his position at the front of the cushioned seats, his eyes fiercely focused on the girl. "If you know anything about this, please!" The merchant pleaded with the silent spirit.

An air of pressure built up around his general area, seething with oversizing heaviness and aura. Otto looked up to find that the blond twin tails Beatrice owned on her head were twirling chaotically with no direction and in all ways. As Otto focused he could see… Her bluish eyes were now fully narrowed with breathed hatred on the screen he was standing in front of.

"I SAID IT WAS ALL REAL I SUPPOSE!"

And before Otto could blink, he was almost grazed by a bolting magical attack that forced an entire force field of energy to explode where it had impacted on the glazed black glass behind him.

As the merchant fell on his front due to the aftershock of the great spirit's attack on the great black panel, Otto could hear Beatrice scream in fury things that sit his heart as cold as ice. "YOU'RE THE REASON WHY BETTY'S CONTRACTOR DID THAT TO HIMSELF! YOU ARE THE REASON HE CAN'T LOVE HIMSELF MORE, IN FACT! BETTY CAN'T HAVE FAILED HIM BEFORE HE'D REACHED HER…. He… He can't die… "

Finding that her attacks when landed… had no value on impact whatsoever and in fact made the screen shine only brighter instead of shattering to a million pieces because of the spirit's rage, Beatrice lowered her arm and stopped her charged-up state. Her head lowered down as her small shoulders slumped. The proud girl sniffled slightly.

The sniffling spirit kept silent to herself as she slowly sat down in her seat, balling up her knees and hiding her face.

"...What do you mean by that…?" Otto asked. Hand on his heart, breathing for his life. Determination making him feel forced to push the clearly broken girl to answer him. Maybe it was the entitlement he felt because she had almost killed him with her magic charge.

More importantly, he understood exactly what the girl was saying, and he wanted to learn more about the context. Had his friend really been suffering alone with dark memories such as these deaths all this time? Had he not told anyone even his trusted spirit about this trauma?

Otto's need to know everything made him quickly get up, and face the sniffling Beatrice with a look of bafflement, his hand roamed over the heavy pocket with the charred book of mystery that he had been obsessing over for months. Losing control over a situation was never good for him and right now he was losing all advantages. The candidates and their camps were all uncovering a completely frightening truth about his best friend and probably the heart of the Emilia camp. Not to count the horrifying meaning of this power. Subaru's been dying over and over again and they had no idea about this!

Otto's hand clenched and faced the girl with his heart open, he needed to FORCE AN ANSWER!

But a firm grip on his arm stopped him in his train of thought, "Ya won't getta answer. The gir' is damaged, man."

Otto faced Garfiel. The blonde boy faced him with a glum expression. "I don't think Cap'n told her anything… He didn't trust her either."

Garfiel's eyes dimmed slightly.

Otto's clenched fists shook in rage.

"Looks as if the boy has more to him after all." The fiery-haired lady in red tittered behind her fan, unbelievably bemused by the sights below her. In her eyes was nothing but red-filled curiosity and amusement. As if this entire display of tragedy was nothing but a step stone to leading her where she desired. "Mineself is most curious as to why you are all in shambles after watching the fool fail once again in such a pathetic way? Have you not seen how things have been going well for him since he came to our realm?"

As this statement had outraged most in the room including all of the other candidates even Emilia herself, a surprisingly much more swift tongue responded.

"Barusu's journey through the capital has been nothing but hardship after hardship and at the end, he got killed twice from what we saw… How could you describe this feature-poor luck as 'well' for him? It seems to me you must open your eyes some more and lose some of that clearly outdated eyeliner, Priscilla-sama!"

Fiery outraged scarlet eyes met with icy pink ones that didn't flinch back. Priscilla faced the brat that dared insult her in such a manner of speak even though her dress indicated clearly where she belonged. A peasant that had the audacity to question her. A belligerent maid dared to stare her down without a change of expression from her seat and talk to her with such insolent sarcasm.

"How dare you?! Mineself will burn your very soul to ashes for this insolence!"

"Don't you touch my sister!" A frighting shout of fury sounded as A figure was shot out of their seat. And immediately before Ram's enemy.

Priscilla now faced Rem with a nasty foreboding snarl as fiery embers filled with air around her as she charged her magic to fulfill her whim and burn the hog-twins before her. The fiery princess in red kept her posture regal and relaxed on her seat while the entire atmosphere turned intoxicating for everyone as her mana charge overpowered the room.

"You filthy animals should be eradicated no matter how pitiful your existence is!" After the princess spoke this, someone immediately overturned her powerful mana charge that had been ready to unleash a fire hotter than the glowing sun a hundredfold.

"My apologies, Priscilla-sama. But we need each other to get through this." A voice smooth and confidant cut through the silence as Priscilla found her power had been canceled out for some reason. And that reason was immediately known once the furious matriarch settled her eyes on the figure standing between her and the two maids, appearing there in a second.

"Once more, you prove yourself a mere mongrel." Priscilla spat out her abuse, not relenting her glare but clearly stopping any more attacks since she knew it would be useless. The Sword Saint stood between her and the two filthy maids that had insulted her with their defiance.

"Priscilla-sama, please care to see the ramifications of such actions." Wilhelm spoke from his seat, meaning nothing but respect for the royal princess but still holding a reprimanding tone for her actions.

"You seem to have forgotten that we are still trapped together under the force of an entity we know nothing off. Ya better be careful where ya shoot that magic of ye'rs, Priscilla-san~." Anastasia ordained bemusedly while glancing up at the seating arrangement that held the fuming matriarch.

"You… !" Priscilla's lips were snarled as she was faced with the merchant princess' sarcasm.

"You've failed to consider the fact that your magic could've covered innocent lives inside of this room." Crusch entered the mini lashing of wits with a serious glare aimed at the red princess.

Priscilla simply clicked her tongue and rested her chin on her knuckle, looking completely miffed out. "Worthless trash. Mine divine flame only crisps those I deem a waste of life. It is a power only for those higher than the gods to use."

Crusch wasn't impressed one bit as she narrowed her own eyes towards the haughty-looking royal on the seats above.

"Wait a minute… how can you two use magic in here?!" Felix suddenly sprung out of his chair and looked between Priscilla and Beatrice. Those that were listening suddenly widened their eyes in recognition.

"Can anyone feel the link to their gates restored?" Crusch inquired hurriedly as she suddenly realized what this meant.

Felix quickly overturned his hands in front of him and closed his eyes with determination, with one simple flick of his soul, he suddenly felt the warm comfortable energy that was Mana covering his palms, making them shine with white light. "My magic is back!" The healer shouted in shock.

"How did we get our powers back?!" Mimi asked in confusion, not understanding what was happening but clearly feeling her powerful aura coming back to her.

"That means we can break outta 'ere!" Ricardo shouted, his beast mouth shaped in a massive grin.

"It won't work, Ricardo." Julius quickly intervened on the twins and the beastman's excited chatter.

"What do ya mean?" The mercenaries looked at the knight in confusion.

"The walls are still enchanted to keep us inside. Our magics are simply non-existent to them."

The cheerful twins lowered their waving arms with frowns of disappointment.

"Can't we at least try?" Frederica asked the forlorn knight, afraid to give up hope of escaping from this confusing theater.

"I'm afraaaaid our magic is less than useless." Everyone was caught on the eccentric speaker, glancing towards the makeup-wearing man sitting on his lonesome since the last death scene. His face was focused on a preconceived glumness that gave to his posture of defeat. Shoulder's slum and head resting on his upturned knuckle, the Margrave kept a bored glance to the crowd below him.

"Lord Roswaal-sama?" Reinhard questioned his tone hinting at his displeasure with speaking with the man.

The lord focused his eyes on the young man standing in front of the two maids. "Thank you for protecting my deeeear staff members, Sword Saint-samaaaa. I would've been able to quickly knock back any of miss Braille's fire without much trouble but your presence is more than comforting enouuuugh."

Reinhard's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the man. In terms of perspective, Reinhard had never liked being around the clown-faced lord. The weirdly dressed man always seemed to have a unique feel to him, an aura of disturbance covering him. Unusual and weird. But right now… something was more and more apparent to Reinhard's eyes as he faced the lord.

Roswaal's eyes seemed more empty than they had ever been before.

It's bizarre. The way this lord was more dead than alive before him.

"Is sooomething the matter, Sword-Saint-sama?"

"Nothing at all, Margrave L. Mathers-sama."

"Hm," Roswaal's eyes glanced from the knight's gaze towards the distant black ceiling, "These walls… they were maaaade with the expectation to hold us allll."

"What do you mean?" Crusch inquired, now invested along with everyone else in the room as to what the weird man was doing.

Pointing his finger up, extended arm, towards the ceiling of the theater he now stood in.

"There is no magic any of us possess that will break these walls." Saying it without his usual distorted accent in the coldest and most hopeless voice ever heard from a man, Roswaal's finger sparked on a moment with embers of pure blood… and then…

An explosion of high fire that burned so hot it was a constant stream of pure raging red as his attack collided with the theater itself. Filling the entire theater with burning hot air as the stream of fire blazed into the ceiling and emblazoning the walls with a radiant lava-like texture that provided just as much of a burning sensation as the glowing tower of blazing fire that the magic lord commanded.

"What the hell?!" Garfiel quickly jumped over to protect his sister and the scared little girl sitting beside her from any flames that might catch them.

"Stop this at once!" Crusch commanded while putting her arms in front of her to protect her from the surging heat coming off of the tower of flames.

As the entire theater glowed from walls to ceiling, the single line of luminescence that was the raging tower of flames immediately disrupted, and in its place was only a single man that did not look the tiniest bit affected by the sun fire he had produced.

Unlike the other occupants which were all sweating and breathing heavily because of the radiation-filled fumes of the magical Goa.

"My dearest apologieees. I needed to give it my all so that we can be suuuuure." With a dispassionate tone, the lord looked at the people below him with an expression that showed not a hint of remorse for almost turning the entire room into an oven.

"Oi! The hell ya think yer doin'?!" Garfiel's shout riled up the melting texture of the walls and echoed across the theater. Standing with his fists clenched, the blonde demi was more than ready to pummel the uncaring Margrave lord before him for endangering every one of his friends and his sister.

"Margrave L. Mathers. Do you realize the grave danger you caused the five royal dragon maidens to our throne?" Julius, standing right over his lady with his cloak covering both him and most of the camp he served in case the fire had reached them, called in a chivalrous voice.

Seeing the angry faces aimed at him, the clownish man finally showed a hint of caring on his face and smiled slyly while waving his arms around.

"Now, noooow… You just need to look at what I've done to understaaaand."

Confused as to why the infuriating makeup-wearing lord was pointing upwards, the candidates and their knights stared at the red glowing walls that had been touched by Roswaal's burning fire.

"What is… Oh no." Otto uttered softly under his breath as it became apparent to him exactly what had been the meaning of Roswaal's spectacle.

As Otto and the others watched, the decomposing walls of the room that had been meting like a candle's wax this whole time suddenly turned into hardened stone once more without a single scratch of the magic user's attack to be seen on them.

Roswaal's most powerful Goa or so he says had failed to break the Warden's walls.

"This is bad… very very bad." Tivey lipped as his own tactical mind was stumped in thinking for a way to escape now that it was proven that everyone's magical powers were next to useless.

"So unless we wanna kill each other, any form of magic is ineffective against this prison." Anastasia mused dryly, looking half disappointed and half relieved that she would still be able to watch these interesting viewings still because she was trapped by indomitable walls.

"I wonder who made such a place… Is this a form of magic?" Ricardo inquired to his friend Julius with a straight face, making the knight place a hand on his chin and thoughtfully glance away.

"It doesn't maaaatter what or who made this." Roswaal captured their attention once more as he sat down on his chair and comfortably enjoyed the new fresh air that suddenly filled up the theater after the walls were reversed back into a stable state. "It's very cleaaaar this prison was made to last us for a loooong time~" He maturely extended both arms with a gleeful expression. None of the people that were looking at him with rapt attention noticed the hint of sarcasm and spite in the man's tone so he was only left to look weird and creepier to them.

"This isn't the time for yer jokes!" Garfiel's growl sounded like a tiger that was about to pounce on its prey.

"Garf!" Ram interrupted sternly not wanting the blonde boy to insult her master further.

Garfiel only growled, eyes sharp on the uncaring clown. He hated this man with all his being and he would rather not trust him enough to even have Frederica or his captain's friends sitting inside of the same room as this monster.

"Please calm down, Garf-sa-" As Otto held his friends' shoulder to stop him from bouncing away. As he reached him and grabbed onto his shoulder, Otto heard the sudden sound of a loud click from behind him.

As the darkness of the theater illuminated so suddenly and the clicking increased, the merchant and his blonde friend turned and looked at the enormous wall of glass that had been transcribing a world of darkness to them all that had suddenly activated once more.

The window started flashing again.

Images, memories, moments… It didn't matter. The screen started flashing and loading.

"It's going to show us more…" Beatrice whispered hoarsely. The little girl wore a glassy expression as she didn't know if this was her loyalty to Subaru or her mere curiosity that made her feel relieved that the screen is going to show her more of what her contractor has been through.

Opposite to the girl, the silver-haired half-elf was more in fear than anticipation. "I'm not trusted by him… Do I even deserve to watch any of this?" Emilia's whispers fell on deaf ears as the rest of the people around her had different reactions to the screen's reactivation.

"It's happenin' again?!" Garfiel shouted with displeasure as he looked up at the wall.

"It is. It's doing the same thing as last time." Otto answered helplessly with a growing anxious frown.

"Let us just… take our seats for now… This is all we have to do."

Anastasia raised a brow towards the steadfast duchess, "You seem pretty complaint, princess-sama~"

Crusch did not dignify the merchant queen with an answer, letting one of her own knights to answer for her. "If we watched more of this… We might find a lot more answers about Subaru-dono."

Anastasia shrugged, the old man sitting beside Crusch had a point. The shrewd princess wanted to know more about the boy now, it was too abnormal to let go now.

Her curiosity was peaked ever since her contacts and networks failed to find or understand him. Watching the evidence come to her without any effort is most pleasing.

Behind the duchess and the mercenary commanding merchant, the Sword Saint bowed respectfully to the lady in red. "Priscilla-sama, please remember that we are in this together."

The princess didn't even acknowledge the redhead with a glance as her eyes stuck on the flashing images thoughtfully.

Reinhard simply raised his head and nodded towards the two twins in respect before walking down the bleachers towards his own seat beside the lady he served.

"Are ya really jus' going to let him get away with tha'?!" Reinhard had already sat down beside the unresponsive Felt, Garfiel had stayed up the bleachers where his sister sat behind the first row and shouted in outrage at the Sword Saint.

Reinhard didn't know what to do in this situation, he clearly understood why the young man was furious but the knight couldn't do anything to punish the Margrave since he hadn't actually hurt anybody. Reinhard remained lamented on what his response should be for a moment until someone else cut into the conversation.

"Let's just sit down, Garf-san."

The blonde suddenly found his gray-haired brother walking him back down towards the front seats, a look of apprehensiveness filling his expression.

"But...".

"We have nothing to do now except to watch this again. We need to learn more about this entity and the nature of these viewings before causing a big fight… besides, Natsuki-san wouldn't like it if we ruined all of our plans for the camp by fighting with our sponsor."

The blonde relented after hearing the merchant's points and growled through his razor teeth, stomping towards his seat.

After the young men had taken their seats, Rem kept her eyes on the blazing princess for a moment longer, making sure everything was safe. With a nod to her dearest, Rem walked away to sit back in the second row behind the sleeping boy her heart ached for.

Ram was saddened that her sister left her but she felt a hand on hers that filled her with comfort. A gloved one that was steeply caressing hers.

"Roswaal-sama…"

Not acknowledging her, looking into the flashing images of the loading visionary window that loomed over them, Ram could tell many feelings were present on the man's seemingly expressionless face. But the one that made her heart soar the more, was the look of sadness and deep depression that stayed for one moment before becoming a fake smile to hide insurmountable pain, "Glad you're fine, Ram."

For one moment, Ram's face turned undeniably red as Roswaal whispered his words with a tone of truth he would never show to anyone but when he was in private.

Reinhard was contemplating all that he had seen here. He was watching everyone fall into different sides of an argument that should not exist. He could see it. Subaru's painful death and apparent revival were as shocking as the day his father stopped giving him proud smiles.

The young hero wasn't as naive as to believe that his friend wasn't going to be abused because of his power. Different excuses filled his head as soon as the idea of Subaru abusing this disgusting curse himself to get what he wants filled his head. Reinhard wanted his friend to be a good person. He could see it in Subaru's eyes! The black-haired boy was so much more a hero than Reinhard was to himself. He wanted to believe that Subaru wasn't using this dark power to twist their beliefs and ideals into something he wanted.

"It's a dangerous one… " Reinhard thought of the power itself… He made excuses.

Maybe it was a fluke?

Maybe Subaru found out how much Death hurts and he never did it again?

But the reason why the knight was really troubled, or the main one anyways…

"Maybe Subaru stopped using it because I helped him."

Reinhard wanted so badly for his meeting with Subaru to be a thing of destiny. Something poetic and not just something Subaru manufactured using this death returning ability that allowed him to control time. The thought that Reinhard might have met with Subaru many times where he didn't save him was just too cruel to bear. That Subaru may have needed to return through his death multiple times because their meeting wasn't correct enough.

Always selfish, always thinking of himself and how everything affected him.

That's what was going through Reinhard's head, as he kept his silence and watched the flashing images with a drowned expression.

Beside him… An ever silent Felt had been keeping her head down and her arms crossed into her chest this whole time. As if the little blonde was on the verge of breaking apart and she's been holding herself from shattering. Her face a sight to see as tear stains kept their tracks on her cheeks and her expression showed just how despaired she's become after watching the two failed attempts by someone she had considered a big brother and a hero to save her and Uncle Rom.

Seeing the old man die was one of the things she always believed wouldn't happen once in her lifetime. The man was a tough guy in all stretches of the term.

And yet, she saw it happen twice. And on top of that, she saw the kind boy who she respected and admired fall victim to a damn bitch's blade because of herself.

Dying on the ground of her loot house.

Bleeding and crying as Elsa laughed at him.

"What did ya mean by what you said?"

Everyone, every single individual turned to the speaker of the question. How could they not? Felt had delivered that question in such a tone so dark that even Roswaal's attention was demanded.

And more so because the little girl that had been dead silent this whole time, chose to speak in this serious demanding manner to the royal matriarch herself at the top row.

Priscilla looked down at the child that dared to attempt a hold on her throne with nothing but boredom and annoyance. "Learn how to refer to your betters, filth." Priscilla snarled haughtily towards the hardened-looking Felt as if speaking with a street mutt.

"I said, what did you mean when you spoke about big bro like that? Why did you think he was having it easy?" Felt reiterated her point coldly without hesitation or acknowledgment of Priscilla's bitchy attitude.

"Felt-sama, we may have to stop enraging other-"

"We need to do this, Rein!"

The redhead shut his mouth after his lady gave him the most commanding tone he'd ever received from her. It was clear that Felt had a fire in her eyes, but he didn't understand what she was doing by engaging with the princess in red above.

"You wish to understand a point so widely apparent? You truly are dumber than a child."

"You said that big bro 'had it easy' or well or whatever! What do you mean by that?! How the hell do you think that his pain and death were a good thing for him?!" Ignoring the insults, Felt caught straight on to her point against the matriarch and shot her the most serious glare she could.

It was a challenge between the little blonde and the fiery princess.

"If you wouldn't mind, Barielle. I have to agree with lady Felt that this point must be explained." Felt was surprised to find that the Duchess was suddenly pointing support to her side and in such a demanding manner as well.

"I believe all of us want to be involved here~" Anastasia cheekily smirked upwards to the bored-looking Priscilla.

Three to one. Emilia stayed silent in the back, not focusing on anything but the screen.

"Hmm, I suppose this is a chance for you all to see how superior mineself's knowledge is comparing to yours~" Priscilla closed her fan and smirked down with a level of smugness so high it felt crushing to the others that were caught in her eyesight. Which was the entire room, so her commanding ego was literally over everyone else.

"That boy simply got lucky at every turn of his 'journey' here." As soon as she mouthed this out, there was fierce refusal.

"But he didn't have anything on him at all! You saw how much abuse he had to take because he knew nothing of the capital, and he got mugged right on the first day of his arrival had it not been for big sis over there! Not to mention the fact that he died!"

Priscilla simply let the little blonde shout her points with an expressionless face before finally seeing her chance once Felt stopped to take a deep breath.

"Are you done? Now listen like a good dog or else never dare speak in mineself's direction again." Priscilla took a moment to enjoy the growl from the girl and the slight frown on Reinhard's face before continuing without care, "The boy's start here could've been much worse. He could've been thrown in the middle of a mabeast hunting ground. A snake's pit. A battlefield of gladiators. The frozen wastes of Gusteko. The filthy fighting arenas in Vollachia. Yet all he got was a random street in the safe capital."

"B-But he got into a lot of trouble when he roamed around-" Priscilla cut Rem off with a chuckle.

"Fufufu~ A moment of embarrassment for a shameful pig like him is much better than a beast's claws sinking into his bawls, or am I wrong? A slap on his face for not being able to read a new language is simply better than starving in the middle of nowhere."

Rem's mouth had shut immediately, not believing that she was agreeing with the bitch sitting high above.

Otto took the stand this time, "It's not as if he was still safer! He was mugged immediately!"

Priscilla scoffed at this, "You're letting emotions fool you. Situations like this happen more commonly to peasants and mongrels and I'm not surprised this one managed to get himself in one so soon."

"But he could've been killed!"

At this, Priscilla smirked triumphantly, Otto's eyes widened as he lost yet another match in wits. He had realized what she was driving at.

The lady in red played him.

"Precisely, you peasant boy. He was almost killed… but all of a sudden, he was not." Priscilla settled her eyes at the silver-haired lady sitting below her at the front with a hint of disgust showing on her expression, "He was saved by her. A royal 'contender' to my throne."

"Are you saying he somehow planned such a thing?" Anastasia asked with amusement at the ridiculous idea.

Priscilla huffed in annoyance, "Mineself is saying that he was lucky. Everything that happened to him was just improving his chances of survival in our world since the start. I find it wasteful to feel so saddened for him."

"But he died!" Felix was the one to announce his fury with the princess' logic, unable to believe that everyone was playing over the fact that Subaru went through something so horrible and walked it off.

"And?" Was the princess' smug reply, enjoying the way everyone looked at her ludicrously.

"He… Died…" Julius couldn't help but emphasize the fact the princess was so egregiously skipping.

"And he came back, did he not? Not only this, but he also apparently turns back time with him. He's been blessed with a power that saves his life no matter what happens to him or the people around him." Priscilla scoffed the knight's emotional words away and hit the crowd hard with her point.

"He has to die to get this power working though!" Mimi couldn't handle the way this woman was meanly bullying the others over Subaru's death, and she hated how disrespecting she replied to Julius, so she interrupted as well.

"None of you know this. From what's been shown, the boy clearly doesn't even understand what's happening just like we do. He may not know how to control it, but he still didn't try other ways to use it other than dying." Priscilla was done talking with these gremlins below her and started fanning herself while glancing back at the screen again.

"Hmm, that is very true." Tivey held his chin as he thought about it statistically, "Maybe that power has other ways to activate other than death?"

Many people hated the way this kid spoke about the subject as if the owner of the power and what had already happened to him wasn't important. Especially the girl that looked just like him.

SMACK!

"Ouch! Mimi?!" Tivey cried out while holding his head in pain from his sister's punch.

"Don't forget that big bro died!" Mimi staunchly reprimanded her brother. But the boy looked fed up for a moment.

"Could've fooled me." He whispered which was caught by most of the demi-humans in the room.

"What the hell did ya say?!" Garfiel shouted in anger as he didn't like the tone this boy spoke about his captain's death.

"Tivey, man. What was that?" Ricardo inquired with a serious voice that scared the kid into talking.

"I-I mean… He didn't look in pain at all! He seemed to be over his demise really quickly… as if the pain was gone the moment he closed his eyes… Isn't it possible that this power erases pain or trauma or something?"

At this, a new voice timidly spoke in protest.

"He… He didn't have the time to cry… He's whole life played before him… and all he could think about was how much pain he was in…". The girl's audible small cries shattered the hearts of the most jaded men in the room. "How isn't that… How isn't that proof enough for you that his death meant something?!"

Petra heatedly glared at the pinnacle-wearing boy, and if she could've… She would've aimed it at the haughty princess sitting above her.

"Amusing." Priscilla could feel the girl's intent a mile away. It made her smirk.

Tivey simply looked down from the girl's eyes. He couldn't think clearly with so many emotions involved in the discussion.

But he was suddenly replaced with another soft-spoken speaker, "Subaru-kyun seemed more concerned with what was happening than his actual deaths though. He should be much more disturbed than shown. For a guy that died twice already… that's not normal. He might be uncaring towards death-" Felix's ramble was cut off.

As the disturbed healer rambled, before any of his outraged friends and comrades shout at him yells of protest, the sound of laughter filled the entire theater.

The laughter that stopped Julius and Reinhard from refuting their friend. One that had placed Crusch and Wilhelm's disappointment in their member on hold. Laughter so loud and hardened it set both Emilia and Beatrice out of their hypnotized state and made them both look at the background they've been so detached from.

Even Priscilla and Roswaal looked completely off settled by the man that was holding his stomach with his one arm as he guffawed.

"Are you okay man?" Felt asked with a tilt of her head, looking concerned for the helmet-wearing dude in the back as he stopped his hysterics.

"Aldebaran. Explain yourself." Priscilla ordered her knight immediately. Not liking the unexpected behavior from the usually apathetic man.

"I- hahaha- I'm so sorry, pal. *wheezes * Y-You just said something really funny to me."

Felix raised a brow at this man. A person that unsettled his nerves with how offish he was. "What was that?"

The helmeted knight went dead quiet at this. He seemed to be staring at the entire crowd from above through the slits of his helmet.

For a moment, the tension reached a high end as everyone felt intimidated by the man's silence. Priscilla continued to wave her fan while watching what her knight was going to do with all of this attention.

Al finally made a response after what seemed like long minutes to Emilia and the others when it was just a few seconds. He moved his arm up with one thump pointing upwards.

"Remember one important thing bros. Something so important it may just save you from looking this fucking dumb again." Suddenly hostile and agitated, some in the crowd couldn't help but blink at the man's complete turnaround in tone.

"Yeah? What's that big man?!" Garfiel immediately decided to respond to this jackass since he was getting on Garf's nerves.

Al lowered his arm and leaned down to the crowd, although his tone was cold and hardened, it was aimed with compassion and care which was confusing to everyone. As if he lived and breathed the next few words he spoke.

"Dying is something no one will forget. Never. No matter how many times it happens to you, no matter how painless it is… You never escape the darkness it brings. The nightmares. The voices.

It will never be something to grow 'uncaring' about, pal."

Felix had to flinch back as Al's confusing tone cleared up at the end when it was aimed toward him with clear seething and hatred.

Tivey and the rest of the crowd below Al were disturbed by the words but the message started being clear to them all.

"Be careful of your outbursts, Aldebaran. Don't forget that dogs are owned." Priscilla warned her knight with a dangerous narrow of her eyes, clearly seeing through his attempt to argue with her for saying what she did.

The one-armed man simply leaned back with his shoulders shaking for a moment, before inflating back to a calm posture that showed a man at peace instead of the spiteful rage-filled person one second ago.

"Sorry, princess. Just had to make it clear." Al shrugged and spoke in his normal uncaring tone as if the entire thing was behind him.

"Just remember not to do this again. You are lucky that I know why this conversation concerns you so much." Priscilla decided to let this go and continue to wave her fan as she watched the others muse over her knight's advice.

While also mulling over them herself…

It appears even she, his owner, didn't know what Al truly is thinking.

The helmeted knight himself just kept his eyes focused on the screen, his face expressionless under his helmet and his lips thin.

His eyes would flicker once in a while to the mop of black hair at the front and he would frown when he would notice the slight bangs that had manifested beneath Subaru's eyes. They were from stress and trauma not from tiredness. Al knew this very well.

He kept his silence. He already said way too much.

Hm ,  Al… helped.

The entire crowd looked up as the voice of the person that captured them played once more in their minds.

"You're back?!" Ram yelled as she felt disgusted that this man was speaking inside of her head.

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I had to -Cough- take care of a few troubles h-here.

"What is happening?" Julius clearly questioned, confused why this entity sounded so… tired. Exhausted.

"He's nothing like when we first spoke with him." Anastasia mused her thoughts in suspicion. She remembered how outright scary this Warden seemed when he introduced himself… Now though.

"He sounds beaten up," Ricardo noted to his mistress. Anastasia nodded her head.

Everyone in the room held similar whispers and thoughts as Warden's tired voice confirmed to them that he was struggling with something from the outside.

It's nothing to worry about you lot.

Just get pas

t  this one and we will rest easy. And please, don't try to argue with me to get out. It's not happening.

Otto looked disappointed at this.

Hm. You are all… waiting?

As if most of you genuinely want to continue watching this.

At this, the merchant looked shocked. Otto looked back and scanned everyone with his stare. He noticed how many of them were just staring at the screen with patience as if they were okay with watching now.

"Oh no… They are all curious." He cursed under his breath. The fear in his heart expanding.

This may be easier than I thought! Alright, gotta go.

Watch.

And the screen stopped flashing random images for a moment, glowing white before turning into one coherent image that was paused in time.

And then the image started moving.

Season 1 Episode 2 Director's Cut

Begin.

The scene shows a confused Subaru standing in the middle of a huddled crowd, with an angry Emilia glaring at him.

"We are starting right where the previous one stopped?" Anastasia whispered dryly with an uncomfortable look on her face. Just because she was anticipating more out of these viewings it didn't mean that she wanted to see the poor boy's embarrassing situation that happened to him only because of his demise.

"It seems like so," Crusch noted with her focus fully placed on the show before her now.

Felt is shown to be looking at the scene from the rooftops. She looked like she was waiting for something as she watched Subaru and Emilia from above.

"Felt-sama is watching them?" Petra innocently asked as these events were all confusing to her.

"It seems I haven't made my move to steal from Big sis yet." Felt muttered with a dry look.

"I'll ask once more. Why did you call me by the name of the jealous witch?" glaring at the boy, Emilia asked.

Subaru just looked at her with a baffled look.

"Because you told me to," Subaru answered in a confused tone.

"Ah," Ricardo flinched in distaste at the situation, "The fella is in a real bad spot here."

"Who's fault is that, I wonder," Anastasia muttered again in the same dry tone.

"Oh, Subaru… No." Emilia whispered passionately as she recognized the hurt and confusion on the boy's face. Watching the crowd surround him and stare at him like some sort of deviant when he was completely innocent. This harsh treatment by her and the crowd around them was only because he was trying to be nicer to her.

"I didn't need to lie to him! Stupid, stupid, idiot!" The half-elf hid her face in her palms and muttered insults towards her previous self's insecurity and the situation she unwittingly placed Subaru in.

Beatrice simply glanced at the guilt-ridden girl with a little bit of spite clear in her eyes for what Emilia's mistake forced on her contractor.

"You can't blame yourself for this, Emilia-sama." Crusch spoke in a soft yet stern tone.

The half-elf wasn't convinced as she lured her eyes on the screen once more, severely disliking the look of fear on Subaru's face as he stared at her angry variant on the screen. She wished so much to replace herself and give the poor boy the tightest of hugs and tell him that he'll be alright.

"How will he get out of this one?" Rem questioned tiredly, eyes looking grieved and holding an expression of pity for the boy. She too was imaging herself in place of Emilia here. Thinking about all of the sweet things she would say to him as he cried over and over again.

The blue-haired Oni wanted nothing more than to erase that look of pure confusion on the lost boy's face. The man she loved never looks like that, he never should!

"I don't know who told you that, but they have terrible taste! The Jealous Witch is the epitome of taboo and you call me by her name which most dare not even say!" Emilia is shaking with anger as she stared angrily at him.

Around the befuddled Subaru, the crowds began nodding along with Emilia and glaring at the boy.

"That's right!"

"That's going too far, boy!"

Emilia looked away from the shaking Subaru with an upset look.

"If you have nothing to say, I'm leaving. I have things to do."

Emilia turned to leave and ignored Subaru as he tried to speak.

"I really feel bad for him here." Ricardo grimaced at the raging crowd surrounding Subaru.

Mimi and Tivey nodded their heads at watched the scene with grimaces of pity.

"They don't know who Cap'n even is!" Garfiel growled to himself while glaring fiercely at the screen.

"I get what you mean. But you can't blame them nonetheless. They don't know what we do." Julius answered the blonde demi's growls with a small frown painting his lips.

"Sounds like you have somethin' to say," Garfiel asked pointedly, not liking the knight's attitude even if he admired everything about them.

Julius kept his gaze on the screen an expression of thoughtfulness covering his face. "I'm just thinking why he hadn't used such power after what I did to him… He could've saved himself so much humiliation."

The knight didn't reply to the blonde's query out loud. These were the thoughts that plagued his mind as he thought about Subaru's position in their world and how he got to them.

'Could it have been a plan… to earn everybody's trust at the end?'

Garfiel knew something was up with this purple-haired guy just from the distasteful thinking expression on the knight's face.

Felt is shown, smirking as she jumped down and ran into the now resentful crowd that was busy glaring at Subaru.

Subaru noticed the girl and immediately set on stopping her. "Felt!"

"Ooooh, no!" Felt exhaled, deeply ashamed of her next move since she realized what her thief-self is doing using Subaru's commotion as bait to steal the jewel.

"Please don't make him come over there again…" Even though the blonde candidate wanted nothing but for the boy to be safe from another death, she still held the memories of her Uncle Rom dying twice in her mind. She knew that if it wasn't for Subaru's intervention, she wouldn't be alive much less the overprotective giant.

Subaru watched as the blonde girl ran through the crowds and passed right by Emilia.

Emilia gasped as the little girl passed by her and ran away. She checked her pocket and looked for something.

Only to find nothing in her dress.

Upset, she turned to glare at Subaru. "Were you stalking me? Are you working with her?"

"So he was an accessory to your crime in this one." Anastasia found herself chortling in fascination. This chain of events is so different than the last one it was surreal to her.

Felt flinched as she saw what her other self did. "I guess it was a perfect opening to steal it." She agreed as she herself would have done the same back then.

"There's a contrast between how this Emilia is taking her meeting with Subaru because of his flawed beginning with her," Wilhelm mumbled to himself, finding the whole interaction unbelievable from what he's seen of the boy and the lady in white so far himself. They would never treat each other in such a manner.

"That's the power of going back in time. You can get many differences if you do things a certain way." Felix… grumbled? As he stared emotionlessly towards the screen.

The duchess between them looked conflicted with focus pulled on what she was watching on the screen. "There must be something else at play here. No such power exists." She muttered stubbornly while keeping her wits about her.

"N-No!" Subaru tried to speak through his confusion and defend himself. But Emilia was already running after Felt.

"H-Hey wait a minute! You've got it all wrong! I'm…" as he tried calling out for her, he stopped and noticed the glaring crowd around him.

"Damn it!" Knowing he couldn't stay here; Subaru ran after the two.

"Subaru-kun's been having it so hard…!" Rem squeezed her skirt in frustration, wishing to be there for her hero after seeing him struggle so much.

"I find it commendable that he still tries to help you after the embarrassing position you've put him in," Priscilla noted to Emilia with a bored tone.

Which surprised most people since that's not normal fucking behavior from this cunt.

Emilia took it as an insult to make her feel bad more than a complement to her sleeping knight.

But everyone's focus on the screen was broken for a moment, as it went dark.

"What's going on?" Otto asked in confusion while staring up at the giant inactive window.

"Is it malfunctioning? I thought this was a magical device." Tivey mused with interest.

Slowly… the screen emitted loud noises that sounded almost rhythmic in nature.

"Is… that music, I suppose?" Beatrice asked, finally kicked out of her depressed state and into one of bewilderment as the sound beats grow louder through the darkness. Wondering what the change was for and what did this weird form of composition had to do with her contractor.

Opening Theme 1: Redo

"Wh't?" Asked Garf as he looked at the merchant beside him for an answer to this confusing change of pace.

"What's this weird music?" Julius asked, really upset that his entire thought process was broken by the melody. Which he hated.

"Hey, I like it," Petra called as she focused her mind on something other than the previous events that will for sure haunt her for life. The little girl bobbed her head softly enjoying how coercing.

Droplets of blood are shown as the scene changes abruptly.

The blood in black and white begins to move on its own along with a familiar plastic bag. Flying through the air.

"What is this?!" Felix yelled in frustration as the music and the sight of blood got on his nerves.

"Natsuki Subaru's bag."

"Wha… that's true!" Emilia noticed what Crusch noted immediately as soon as she looked at the screen more clearly. That was indeed Subaru's bag.

Subaru's body is shown laying on the ground with his stomach cut open. He was dead.

Emilia's eyes widened in disbelief while the rest of her camp watched in horror.

"What the hell?!"

"No…" Petra whispered in despair, no longer infatuated with the music.

"This is sickening! Who plays songs over such a scene?!" Felix shouted, not understanding the tension-breaking change but not loving any of it either. His confusion clearly added to his agitation.

"I think this is showing us something else!" Felt shouted over the panicking crowd with her eyes hardened on the wound Subaru's corpse held.

Suddenly, like the blood and the bag, his body flies in the air and the screen shows how his blood is returning into his wounded stomach.

"Do you think that's what happens when he…" Anastasia left the question incomplete as he watched with interest.

His bag flew and returned to his palm as he was standing up after his stomach was seemingly returned to normal.

"I'm more worried about why the story seems to have stopped and now we're watching this… weird music show?" Otto asked bewildered yet relieved that Subaru wasn't actually dead and it was just… some weird manipulation of reality that played music over his friend being in precarious positions.

Subaru is shown walking in a dark mist with his face glitching around him.

"This looks a lot more akin to that distortion that happened during his transportation." Ram rattled, her sharp gaze catching every glimpse inside of the glitching effect easily since her clairvoyance had these same distorted effects when she uses it, so she's very used to this.

"So it's the making of whoever took Subaru from his home, ya reckon?" Ricardo asked the maid above him, interested as everyone else.

Ram simply shrugged. "Possibly."

Emilia is shown with the same sequence.

The half-elf in question refused to stare at the screen longer than a second as soon as she came up so closely. She didn't like seeing herself in the webs of the dark glitches for some reason. And she hated the fact that her knight was dealing with most of them by himself.

"If only he had trusted me enough with this," Emilia whispered to herself with a frown as she gazed at the floor.

Felt is shown with the same sequence as well.

"This is so weird." Felt didn't break her focused glare on the window above her but she did grimace at the way her face broke off into chunks and came back in seconds, the glitching effect hurt the girl's eyes since they were unexpected for her.

Elsa's face is shown over all of them.

"Why is she in there?" The red-headed grand knight asked himself with a small glare pointing at the assassin.

Beatrice is shown flying in the mist with her face glitching.

Rem and Ram are shown standing together with the same effect. Roswaal's face is shown over the two.

A scene where Emilia and Subaru are standing in front of each other with many lesser spirits around them is shown.

"I'm with him now…?" Emilia's confusion would be followed by horror as she watched the next scene.

A dark hand attacks and Emilia's body pops out of existence. Subaru recoils in fear and looks around in confusion.

"It's definitely a hostile entity. We know that for sure!" Tivey shouted and recoiled in surprise as soon as the familiar black hand showed up.

"It's still not attacking the boy… hm." Wilhelm muttered as he noticed how the shadowy hand lunged only for Emilia… as if it was jealous of her.

"You noticed that as well." Crusch nodded her head while keeping her focus on the playing scenes as well.

Another Subaru taps him on the shoulder and smiles.

"This is just weird…" Al commented curiously, surprised by the sight of two Subaru's at once as everyone watching.

"This is annoying!" Felix commented with a small huff, his confusion increasing every second since this started playing.

"Why are there two now?" Petra asked in shock.

"I don't know, this is all just too fast." Frederica answered the small maid with a pat on the head.

The smiling Subaru continues walking, leaving the first one behind him to pop like Emilia.

A scene where Emilia is standing in a white mist while multiple Subaru's are walking around her. Everything disappeared out of existence and only one Subaru remained screaming in frustration.

"That's fucking creepy." Al shivered at the sight.

The music begins building up as Emilia and Subaru are facing their backs to one another while they spun around. The screen shows the many characters in the story and then stopping at the title as the music builds up.

"Hmm, it seems it's an introduction, I suppose."

Rem looked at Beatrice. "To what?"

"To Barusu's story." Ram answered her sister.

Subaru is shown running away from the dark fog and trying to reach another smiling version of himself.

Another Subaru is shown running behind him and trying to reach the happy ending before the first one.

"So he just keeps running and dying for a happy ending?" Reinhard asked in a glum voice as he watched Subaru trying as hard as he can to step into the light.

Subaru runs through the black foggy mist and closes his eyes from the shining light.

Standing in the light are the figures of Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Felt, and Emilia, standing on a ship.

Most of the girls blushed at being objectified like this.

"Pervert, Barusu."

Subaru smiles and begins walking towards his happy ending, but a dark hand stops him by penetrating his back.

"Who is that?" Petra asked in fright as Subaru screamed on the screen.

"A witch cultist… maybe." Anastasia shrugged as she knew that the question will be answered sometime during this story.

Subaru stands between the mist world and the happy ending filled with light, screaming as the hand kills him. The screen spins around him as he tries to fight through the pain.

"It's hostile to Natsuki Subaru as well." Crusch widened her eyes to Wilhelm beside her, the old man gave her a look of disillusion.

The final shot is of him having his guts cut open and falling on the ground with his blood all over the floor and his bag right beside him.

"… This is morbid." Felix looked away from the sight as the music died down.

The screen showed the same droplets of black and white blood from the beginning and the music stops.

End of the opening.

As the screen turned completely dark, Emilia couldn't help but stare at the face of her sleeping knight for the one-minute darkness that took reign over the room.

The scene changes to show Emilia running after Felt through the same alleyway from the first episode. Subaru is running tiredly after her, exhausted.

"It continued where we left off!" Al sounded relieved for some reason. Something caught by the fiery-haired lady that raised a brow at him.

He shrugged to her, "What? I wanted to see what happened after that."

"Here we go…" Felt whispered encouragingly to herself. Trying to make sure nothing else is going to shock her into tears again. She needed to be strong here.

"Could someone just treat me a little nicer? Why was I even… summoned to this world?" Subaru asks exasperated while trying to catch his breath.

"Good question." Anastasia mused shrewdly; her lips thin.

Crusch found herself pondering the specific reason why Subaru Natsuki was chosen… she found herself amazed at the fact that she had no knowledge about the boy's talents or strengths… She was more than impressed that such an average kid made it so far.

And then the duchess' eyes went wide open, "The power…!"

As the green-haired lady in blue fought a downhill battle with her mind, wanting to believe that Natsuki Subaru hadn't been fooling all of them while using such a dark power just to gain glory and power. Those eyes, the ones that showed her pure determination and constant perseverance must not belong to someone she was suspicious of.

"Jeez, big bro really hasn't had a break since he came to our world… Feels really weird to say that." Felt tried to calm her nerves by lightening the very damp mood a bit.

Emilia and Rem frowned when they heard what he said about his treatment. Feeling incompetent in a sense.

"You all are useless, I suppose." Beatrice mumbled hatefully while watching the next scene with a glare.

Subaru turns around finding that Emilia and Felt had jumped over the alley's dead end, planning on rerouting around the house but he was stopped by…

"Th's is pissing mine amazin' selfs off!"

"You gotta be kidding!" Felix facepalmed.

"Aahhhhhh!" Petra groaned loudly in frustration.

"What're you blabbering on about?"

"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!"

Subaru finds the same three thieves blocking his way.

"Would you stop it already?! No one is this damn persistent!" Subaru shouted at the three clearly tired of them.

"You think you can mouth off to us?" the leader of the group brought out his blade as he glared at Subaru.

"You're in my way! I have somewhere I need to go!" Subaru is upset and, in a hurry, as he walks past the blade-wielding thief.

"He won't beat them up like last time?" Tivey asked, secretly disappointed.

"He's confused about what's been happening with all these dreams or previous lives, not to mention he needs to catch up to miss 'I'm a Witch but don't call me that' over there, so he doesn't have the time or the right mind to think clearly," Anastasia said the last part in a snide tone aimed at the half-elf girl.

Emilia just looked down and accepted this.

"I advise you not to start hostile interactions with the candidate sponsored by Roswaal-sama." Ram glared at the greedy girl.

"Know your place, maid. You are not allowed to speak such wisdom after what you said to Priscilla-sama." Julius reprimanded sternly. He will not accept anyone bad-mouthing his lady.

"Emilia-sama won't be insulted for something she never did. Even if it happened in Barusu's previous lives or not. So please take care how you all speak with her in the future." Emilia looked surprised as Ram defended her.

"Hmph!" Anastasia just looks at the screen with a small scowl on her face.

Subaru suddenly stops with his eyes wide in shock as he falls over with the three thieves looking at him with wide eyes.

"Oh shit!" Ricardo yelled out as he understood what happened.

"E-Eh?" Otto looked with shock.

"Surely not!" Julius grumbled in disdain.

"W-What's wrong with Subaru?" Emilia asked in fear, not understanding the disturbing look on the boy's face all of a sudden. She wasn't as fast-paced as the other candidates and knights around her.

"Damn it!" Felt shouted, immediately remembering hundreds of other situations like this.

"Man, now you've done it."

Subaru's back is shown and it appears that he's been stabbed in the kidney by the blade.

Subaru looks at his bleeding back in shock as he struggles to breathe.

"You stabbed him?"

"N-No! He walked right into my blade!"

You've got to be kidding me!

It hurts… it hurts…

"..."

Emilia and everyone around her watched with wide-open eyes. Her hands covered her opened mouth as every word she heard him speak in his dying breaths forced a painful feeling in her chest.

"Poor kid…" Ricardo shook his head again, "He just keeps losing." The mercenary said in sympathy for the dying boy, knowing the fear of death that was overcoming the kid very well himself.

Beside him, Mimi and Tivey nodded their heads with their palms together. They wished they had their favorite third twin with them.

As Subaru is dying on the ground, the thieves were arguing above him. The shorter thief pulls the blade out of Subaru's body, making him spit blood.

"What're you doing?" the larger thief asks the shorter one.

"No sense in wasting it," the short guy replied as he pocketed the blade with Subaru's blood on it.

Subaru is shown with blood coming out of his mouth and bleeding a pool of blood.

"Do they have no honor?!" Crusch seethed in her seat. A dangerous expression honed on the screen dictating exactly who the royal duchess was going to hunt down as soon as she was out of this prison to take revenge for the innocent boy. Her gloved hands were twisting on her armrests.

"Hooligans like these should be kept out of everyone's sight!" Frederica couldn't help herself from commenting with passion and anger. She too felt disgusted at the sheer inhumanity these three treated Subaru with.

"Take anything on him worth selling."

"Otto-bro… I'm going to be killing those three once we are outta 'ere."

Otto turned to his tough friend with an empty expression, "Alright." was all he answered with.

Garfiel nodded his head calmly and glared towards the screen with a border-on bloody glare aimed towards the screen, his entire body tensing and showing blood vessels and veins about to pop out from how much strength he was putting to stop himself from turning into a raging beast and attack the screen with all that he had.

"Don't…Try to stop me when I get t'ere, bro. I'm going to KILL THEM ALL!"

"Go for it," was all the merchant had replied with after seeing the three kill Subaru and having his brother fuming with explosive anger beside him. "I'll even help you. For Natsuki-san." Otto coldly whispered; his eyes filled with hatred towards the three. Yet there were still a few tears in the corners for his fallen friend.

"Whoa! Wait, guards will arrive here soon."

"They should've arrived sooner!" Julius slammed his armrest as hard as he could.

"If only I could be there to heal him!" Felix grumbled in frustration, feeling useless and hating the fact.

The redhead that was silently watching the scene with a mix of emotions finally decided to lower his head in shame at his late arrival.

"Subaru died." Reinhard said this in an empty, haunted voice once again. Never able to believe this fact and the hand he had in achieving it. The knight was more than aware of his failure to save his friend here.

The blonde sitting next to him had another expression on her face entirely, one of furiousness and brutal promise. Like she was holding over the gates of hell and waiting to unleash whatever was behind them onto the thieves in front of her.

"Rein," the youngest candidate called whisperingly, her voice cracking from so much anger. "Make sure these three never show themselves to me again. I don' care about their existence anymore."

Reinhard could only bow his head and register his lady's command in his head for later. Felt's entire aura was dark he feared this may change something in her. He couldn't really place blame for she was doing this to herself out of anger and compassion for her friend. One he failed.

Subaru is struggling to stay awake as he looks up from the amounting blood around him and to his dropped plastic bag.

He looked at the bag in confusion as he cried tears of pain.

Huh?

The screen aimed closer to the small package of chips. Unopened. New.

But… Old Man Rom ate those.

How… C-Could… this be…

"Oh? He has yet to understand what his power did?" Priscilla found herself unable to contain her silence as the sheer shock and surprise the boy showed over the evidence of his time hopping was truly worthy of study to her. "How foolish must one be as to not understand they had returned through time?" she asked with clear mockery and disgust in her voice.

Beatrice was the only one that delivered one twisted burning glare to the red princess above, her tears slowly fading as her eyes shined purple with her mana charge. The small spirit was the only one that hadn't ignored the candidate's words about her dying contractor, and she was more than pissed towards the haughty girl sitting cross-legged above everybody.

Before she could do anything, however, Al suddenly interjected. "See that's the thing…"

Priscilla turned to her knight with a look of unpleasant surprise on her face as she found him speaking out of turn once more.

The knight carried on speaking in his usual uncaring tone without seeing the burning anger in his lady's glare.

"See, poor pal over there had been so focused on saving the silver hairs life, he had completely forgotten about his death and experience."

"That's… That's mad!" Julius coerced his shock into a slight gasp that sounded like a growl.

"N-No! Subaru mustn't forget about himself for my sake! We talked about this a lot!" Emilia shouted in refute, not believing that the boy would forget something like death just because she had walked past him.

Crusch looked more than horrified at this prospect and stared at the two as they held their grounds.

Al simply shrugged Emilia's words off and replied coldly, "You all thought that the boy's painful death got forgotten easily because of an assumption about his power you don't even know was true. I'm out here telling you that this kid was so messed up in the head, he actively made himself busy with something or someone else to forget about his own trauma and not think about what happened. He's only forced to confront this issue now because he is dying a hopeless, painful, pathetic death in a simple alley with no one that he could hold on to and worry about this time. It's why he started seeing things more clearly and instantly made the time travel connection when we had done it twice as fast as he did. Because we weren't running away from thinking about the pain."

Everyone looked at Al with astonishment and horror, a mix of both as his words explained why this idea about Subaru somehow getting through his deaths without issue was wrong and misguided.

Even Priscilla found herself accepting this explanation.

"Of course, Betty's Subaru would care about someone else's farewell rather than his own deaths, in fact." Beatrice grumbled heatedly. Hatred for his habit filling her.

"B-But… I told him… I-" Emilia's panicked rambling was broken once the soft-voiced Rem countered sadly.

"Emilia-sama… This Subaru didn't have those conversations with you. This Subaru is the one who doesn't even know your name… That doesn't even know Rem's name."

By the maid's broken words, Emilia sat down in her seat and watched with a haunted face whiter than the snowy color usually paling her skin.

She could not believe how utterly broken Subaru was. He didn't even care about his own death just because he wanted to make sure his friend was alright first! This… This was more than him being kind… Subaru has a real problem and she was now just learning of it.

"Run!"

"We're in trouble!"

The thieves run away from the scene as the screen zooms on Subaru's eyes as he freaked out in pain.

His wide shocked eye suddenly lost the light.

And so did the screen.

Darkness….

Emilia just silently hugged Subaru's chest to hear his heartbeat.

She just needed this. Nothing but his warmth and his rising chest.

He's okay. He's okay. He's okay.

Subaru's jacket was getting wet.

From her tears.

Rem simply hugged Subaru's sleeping neck and rubbed her face in his hair as she breathed heavily, trying to calm her nerves and not get angry.

"My hero… My love." she whispered through her tears as she smelled his scent.

"Once we're back, I want you to give them the cruelest punishment you can think of and keep them employed so I can make them suffer for the rest of their lives!" Felt growled out as she felt disgusted with herself for ever helping these three find a better life.

Reinhard nodded solemnly. Oh, he will see this through. They were orders after all.

"Dying in an alley all alone and by a simple wound… Subaru-kyun's weakness knows no bounds huh?" Felix was starting to get really agitated the more blood and horrific deaths he saw.

"It's not weakness Felix-dono."

The cat boy looked up at the butler of the Karsten house.

"Old man Wil?"

"He is strong." The old man nodded solemnly at the screen. He saw the boy's defeat with his own eyes. The fact that he proved himself and remained firm against the world that mocked him was a testament to this kid's well.

"Strength…"

A whisper came from someone way in the back. Someone that had their fingers intertwined dearly and their heads down, wallowing.

"Does he really have so much strength to escape all of my sins?" Makeup-covered lips uttered as the tone of the speaker mirrored the dead glass reflected in the usually bright pupils. A man sent into a vortex of a thousand guilts. A man with nothing to say for his judgment had already been concealed for him.

"I-I didn't think it was like this… Teacher's book wasn't clear about the intentions…"

"She wasn't wrong. She wasn't wrong. She wasn't wrong. My teacher was not wrong!"

A man that was already shattered.

A faint voice. A blurry image.

"Well, boy? You want this appa?"

"I'm tired of this guy!" Mimi shouted.

Many of the emotionally tired nodded with her.

They wished that it would be the last time they see him. Not that he was hated, but because that would mean Subaru is safe.

Subaru found himself right back where he was, in front of the salesmen.

The boy appeared calm as he stared into space. "Hey, mister… "

"Huh?"

"How many times have you seen me now?"

"What do you mean? I've never seen you before. Well? Are you buying it or not?"

"How many times will he be stuck at this moment?" Frederica looked genuinely upset and sympathetic for the poor boy.

Emilia, Beatrice, and Rem all had frowned as they all noticed in their own ways how much Subaru was getting used to this.

Subaru appears to be disturbed for a second but then smiles and holds some excitement in. He points to himself and smirks proudly at the salesmen.

"Sorry, but I'm broke beyond compare!"

"Get the hell outta here!"

The scene changes to Subaru sitting somewhere looking at his bag filled with noodles and chips while he held his wallet and phone.

"Wallet, cell phone, corn potage snack, cup noodles. My tracksuit and sneakers are intact, too. And naturally…"

Subaru raises his shirt to inspect his back where he was stabbed finding nothing but flawless skin.

"Thank god. A wound to the back is a warrior's greatest shame."

"He doesn't seem fazed by his death… it's disturbing." Otto voiced out, which made everyone a little unsettled as they all looked at the sleeping boy that was being hugged by a tired Emilia.

"He's clearly hiding it. Look at the shrunk pupils in his eyes." Reinhard pointed out what any normal person with no divine protection can see.

"Subaru's not caring for himself at all, I suppose." Beatrice growled.

Otto nodded with the spirit's statement, tone and all. He wanted nothing more than to come down there and punch him to break this weird act he puts on to hide his pain.

Garfiel was the one who was shocked most… He never noticed it. His captain's eye bangs. He wasn't looking at the on-screen Subaru but the Cap'n that was currently closer to him in the theater sound asleep. Those were bangs that hid abnormal amounts of stress and suffering.

Subaru looks up at the royal castle with conviction.

"Well, with so much circumstantial evidence, there's no denying it. It's hard to believe but this has to be… a time leap. And each time, I return to my initial state. I'll call it…."

The screen showed his face with a disturbing grim look.

"… Return by Death."

"Is that what he calls it?" Anastasia asked the Emilia camp if they ever heard that phrase before.

"Barusu has never said that phrase before." Ram firmly denied, not liking that she had nothing to say for the boy's sake.

Rem's eyes widened. She did hear that phrase before. No one noticed the shaken Oni.

Except for the man sitting above her, rows away. Roswaal just went thin-lipped at this development.

"Rem knows something… No one was supposed to know anything about him…"

A seller was looking at Subaru with a look of revolt as the boy spoke like a nonsensical madman.

"I actually got a time-leap ability, and it only activates when I die. The precondition being pitiful is so typical."

"He's speaking about it as if it was one of his games, In fact!" Beatrice shouted in even more frustration aimed towards her contractor.

"This is so wrong! He needs to show a little bit of empathy about his deaths!" Felix yelled out in anger.

"Looks like he just wants to ignore it for now. I think Al-kun's words are true tah form since the boy clearly lost a lot of his early cheer of being in another world now." Anastasia mused above them with her eyes still watching intently on the screen. Voicing her opinion without glancing at anyone.

The audience learned to hear the merchant lady's words out so most of those disgusted with Subaru's nonchalant attitude towards death kept it to themselves.

The merchant just looks away from Subaru.

If I've gone back in time, Satella hasn't helped me in this fourth life.

Meaning the debt, I owed her for saving me is gone.

In that case, I should forget everything, sell this, save some funds and use my knowledge of the modern world to live in luxury!

"That's a good plan and I would have loved to make him work for me, I would have provided workshops and funds for all his projects." Anastasia started coming up with plans to make a contract with the boy when he wakes up. If he truly came from a place of pure convenience and luxury then he must be a political mine.

"Sadly… This didn't happen, did it."

Amethyst eyes quickly sprung on the blonde demi woman sitting in the second row, "What do you mean by that Frederica-chan?! Why would you be sad that Subaru didn't live another life away from us?"

The maid couldn't answer Emilia's accusing question as it was too controversial for her position in all of this, especially with the betrayed-looking Petra that was staring at her with tears in her eyes.

But luckily for the blonde, there was someone who considered themselves above such controversy as they cut in, "It's because he would've been far off better than being with your ungrateful selves, in fact!"

Emilia looked hurt for a moment as she received the harsh response from a very furious-looking Beatrice.

"B-Beako…?!"

"Betty's Subaru would've ended up a wealthy merchant or a restaurant owner with his smarts and amazing knowledge from his world, in fact," the spirit's points were not exaggerated or made to just compliment needlessly. Beatrice truly did believe in what she was saying because she knows what none of these people do about the boy. "He would've been far off better living his own life than wasting away for nothin-"

"That's faaaar enough, Beatrice-saaaaan."

The enraged blonde turned to the far away clown lord in the back, her frown clear.

Roswaal met her glare with a look no one expected out of him… A look of anger and disgust.

"Please sit down and let us watch what haaaappens next, Beatrice-san." Roswaal didn't sound amused one bit, it unnerved everyone in the room.

Beatrice gave him one glance and sat back down with her hand on Subaru's.

Emilia was still frozen in her seat registering what the spirit was saying to her.

"Subaru would've had a better life… without me?"

"Yes."

Beatrice replied without glancing at the elf. Just keeping her tiny head up to look at the screen.

Subaru smiles at the sky like a fool while the merchant just looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was at currently.

"My dream is taking shape before my eyes! Right mister?" Subaru smiles at the surprised seller.

Not knowing why he was dragged into this, the man looked away from the boy. "Why are you asking me? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Aw. that's cold…"

"I don't wanna get caught up in other people's problems. Don't talk to me."

"It's… kind of true. If the boss says so, he would be a fine merchant." Tivey nodded his head in agreement, further damping the Emilia camp's mood since they all agreed that Subaru would be better off without them.

Even Garfiel.

Well, I guess the saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie," applies in any world.

"Had he been a simple merchant, we wouldn't have beaten the White Whale." Wilhelm reminded in a hardened voice. Refusing to let them forget the great debt he owed the kid.

Crusch nodded her head firmly and glared softly towards Emilia, "See your faults and work to be better. For both yours and Natsuki's sake, Emilia-sama."

Subaru is walking with a conflicted look on his face.

But still, there are always softies...

"Yes, there is…" Rem hushed out with a slight smile filled with recollection for the day he saved her and the way he smiled to make her stop worrying.

"Softie.." She giggled angelically.

Subaru thinks back to when Emilia saved him.

People who help others, even when they really can't afford to…

Subaru thinks back to when she looked worried about her insignia.

She'd just had something precious stolen. She didn't have time for me.

Yet she saved some useless stranger and even healed him.

Then she let that useless stranger be pleased with himself...

"I really didn't…" Emilia shook her head, afraid that if she heard anymore, she would actually start believing Subaru's justifications of her actions and how she robed him into a mess with no end.

No matter how happy she was to hear it, she didn't want to believe his reason to forget his pain.

Subaru stops…

He notices a couple holding their kid's hands. His memory flashes to the time he held the little girl's hands with Emilia.

"Please… Go back and save them, Subaru." Petra whispered, believing in the boy since she saw him save everybody first-hand many times.

He notices the mother smiling warmly at the girl. A tomato fell out of her shopping bag.

He remembers Emilia's wide smile as she held the lost girl's hand from before.

The tomato drops on the road and gets squished by a carriage wheel, filling its spot with red paint as if mirroring a bloody scene.

Subaru stares at it disturbed as he remembered Emilia falling beside him in the loot house.

Julius looked attentive for a moment, his expression one of pleasant surprise.

Wilhelm full-on smirked as he understood what was going to happen.

"Hm, looks like he is going away… no way a person would go through that and still return." Felix calculated loudly, thinking that surely this recollection of horrors would force the boy to go on and leave the situation with Elsa and Emilia alone.

He forgot, however…

Even if Satella doesn't know me, Felt stole her insignia. And Elsa will…

He remembered the time Elsa sat over him with a cruel smirk as he bled on the ground.

No matter how many times I repeat this, that won't change.

Emilia winced when she heard the name of the forbidden witch being called instead of hers. She outright looked away into the far-off wall as to not see the horrible scene of the boy bleeding on the floor because she was too late to arrive at the loot house.

And she wanted to close off her pointy ears more than anything to stop hearing his voice as he tried to convince himself to leave her and live his life away.

It was selfish of her to think but she couldn't imagine a world without the boy. And if he left her alone… She wouldn't even be alive to feel alone.

Subaru slowly touches his stomach in fear.

They say history repeats itself, right?

Garfiel looked at the scene with worry… His Cap'n seemed to have turned into a coward somehow. His true captain would never leave innocent people to suffer, even if he would die trying… Or else he did try and he did eventually die… many times. But the point stands.

His Captain wasn't one to wallow in self-righteous misery.

An image of Emilia smiling brightly flashes.

Slowly,

Subaru's feet turn.

And he runs.

Yeah. If I have the knowledge that people, I used to know will be killed,

Images of Emilia, Felt, and Old Man Rom smiling at him play in his mind.

I can't just ignore it!

"Man, he's cool." Otto admitted as he watched with a smile.

Garfiel just nodded and tapped his brother's shoulder with his fist while looking at the screen with wide star-filled eyes.

"YES! Cap'n is still there!" The blonde rejoiced in his thoughts, happy that he got to see such a fairy-tale like moment of his hero.

"He's an honorable young man." Julius let his lips quirk upwards for a moment. Subaru might have some stupid embarrassments, but he had his moments.

"So he's just running into the fray knowing he might die? What a depressing way to start a journey in another world." Al shook his head in disappointment. "He could've had a perfect way out. A life of peace."

"He would've eventually gotten roped into trouble. Barusu's ability to cause chaos is astounding." Ram retorted needlessly with a small grin on her face.

"At least he is helping innocent people." Felix grumbled silently, not liking how unprepared the boy was and knowing this fact might lead to him being injured and killed again.

Beside the cat boy, Petra was celebrating with her fists going up in the air.

"Settle down, Petra-chan!"

"S-Sorry, Frederica-sama!"

Meanwhile, the candidates had their own reactions to this scene.

One silver-haired half-elf, in particular, looked mortified and happy at the same time for what she had seen. She was worried about the boy, but her happiness that he chose not to leave her because of his goodwill to save others made her extremely admire and love the scene even more. "Subaru's coming back!" The half-elf happily chortled, looking tired from all the doubt and despair this showing had induced on her.

"At least he will meet Betty, I suppose." Beatrice kept her head resting on the limp arm beside her, feeling the boy's warmth to make sure he's alive and not cold and lonely. She held a smile on her face since she secretly still wanted him to return with the elf. Sadly enough, it was the only way she would get to meet him.

Anastasia herself looked like she was disappointed for a moment, "I woulda wanted ta see him grow his own business. But I get that he needed to be the hero for the lil' princess." At the end of the day, the merchant queen sighed and let her frustration go. After all, she probably would've never met the boy had it not for these chains of events.

"There he goes again." Crusch was thin-lipped as she watched with absolute focus. "He goes head first without thinking about himself again." The duchess muttered pointedly, not liking how troublesome this habit of the boys was.

"Big bro's the best." Felt warmly uttered with a shining smile. Feeling hope returning to her full force as the determination shown enlisted her to give him confidence.

He will save her! And everyone else in that damn loot house damn it!

Above all of them, the lady in red waved a leg in annoyance. "He passed trails with a power given by devils; all he can say is self-sufficient justice to make him appear in a better light. What a pig!"

Many glared at the red lady but she didn't give them the time of day as she waved a fan over her and kept her head high. Ignoring them all.

"Nasty lady…" Frederica muttered, not caring if her little protege heard her disrespect nobility or not.

Subaru ran until he was back at the ever-so-familiar appa stand.

"Hey, mister!" Subaru stopped to catch his breath as the salesmen looked at him with an unimpressed stare.

"What do you want, broke kid?"

"There is something I want to ask you. Have there been any pick-pocketing incidents around here?"

"Asking questions without buying anything? You really do have guts."

Subaru looked worried at this but the man sighed, tired.

"Incidents like that aren't uncommon at all. Though, the last one was unusual… "

Subaru perked up at this.

"They threw some magic around in the streets a few times. Things that looked like icicles flew around and lodged in the wall. But they disappeared fast."

Subaru looked at a house beside him that had holes all over it as if something burst through the concrete.

"I'm too late? I thought if I could keep the insignia from being stolen, then maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Oh, just talking to myself, but… thanks, mister… for telling me, even though I didn't buy anything." Subaru smiled sincerely at the appa man.

The salesmen shows some compassion at this and chuckles. "It's no big deal! A broke kid, like you, just helped my daughter after she got lost earlier."

Subaru smiled as he thought about Emilia.

Emilia blushed faintly and caressed her knight's hand.

"I guess fate is a compelling force, too… "

"What're you smiling about?"

"Nothing! I'll buy an appa next time!" Subaru turned to leave.

"Sure. Buy one, and you'll be a customer. Get to work, broke kid!"

Subaru raised his thumb in the air as he ran away from the man.

"That means there's only one way! Before Elsa comes to the loot house, I have to buy the insignia from Felt, and return it to Satella."

"He's already got a plan. Perfect." Mimi rubbed her hands evilly getting excited by the boy's determination.

Emilia winced one more time when she heard him refer to her as Satella once again.

"Wait…"

Subaru is running through a few alleyways as he thought about something.

"'Satella' was just an alias, wasn't it? Then I've gotta get her to tell me her real name this time-"

Subaru stops as he finds the exit to the alleyway blocked by the same fucking thieves.

"This is seriously boriiiing!"

"Come on, In fact!"

"T's is a joke!"

"What are you babbling about?"

"If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you got."

Subaru looks at them, deadpanned.

"I'm getting sick of seeing your faces, Larry, Moe, and Curly. After doing this four times I've learned my lesson!"

The thieves appeared to be taken aback by him as he took a deep breath.

The three looked at him as he readied himself.

"Beat their ass Cap'n take rev'nge!"

"Yeah!"

Otto and Garfiel stood with their brother. To the very end.

Subaru kicked the ground.

And screamed like a bitch.

"Guard!"

"What the hell, you bastard?!" The three looked around in fright.

Subaru smirked.  My memory from before was right.

The time he was killed by them was shown as a flashback.

This world does have some kind of police force!

"Someone! P-Please, I need a man!" Subaru imitated a woman as he screamed for help.

Garfiel was laughing his ass off while Otto stood beside him to face the crowd.

"We don't know this man." with a deadpanned delivery he sat down beside the dying Garfiel as he cried tears from the laughter.

The people in the room chuckled and giggled at the way Subaru sounded.

Even Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice couldn't help but let a few silent giggles at the boy's display. Fond as it is, they were still under the influence of the heavy show they watched.

A little happiness by laughter goes a long way. Even if the watchers were only relieved for a few seconds…

But no one was happier than…

"This is it." Reinhard whispered as he remembered the situation clearly.

"Damn it, shut up!"

"No, don't touch me… stop. I can't hear you, you're not being sincere enough. Police… Huh?" Subaru stopped screaming like a bitch and looked around nervously as no one came to his rescue.

"Don't scare me like that! I might have freaked out, just a little." the larger thieve got his barrings together and smirked uneasily at Subaru.

"Just a little bit."

"Just a tiny little bit."

All of the thieves quickly took out their weapons, revealing that all of them had blades and knives all along.

"Trying to run won't help you."

Julius looked genuinely displeased, "He will have to go through them by force again."

"It may be another false endin' for the poor lad." Ricardo pointedly added.

"I swear…!" Felt gritted her teeth with absolute hatred as she waited to see if she actually should imprison those three and torture them for a lifetime.

Subaru glares at them as he prepares to fight.

Rem did not like the look on his face. She was displeased that the boy she loved would constantly be fighting for his life even after the horrible endings he's met. The maid's only hope was the fact that she knew he would eventually reach her. She would take care of him. He was her Subaru-kun.

But for now, she would have to watch as the boy struggled against obstacles he didn't deserve to face alone.

Then…

A voice sounded out.

"That's enough."

Emilia looked more than thankful that someone came by to help Subaru this time. She also recognized who's the voice was.

"Yes!" Petra, the smart little girl whisper shouted to herself as soon as she saw the figure and realized who it was that came to her hero's rescue.

Everyone looked behind Subaru to find an imposing figure standing in the light.

"Red hair."

"And a knight's sword, with scratches made by dragon claws."

"It can't be… Reinhard?"

"The master swordsmen Reinhard?"

The charming knight smiled at this.

"Seems I needn't introduce myself. Though, that nickname is a bit much. I don't know how much my modest strength could aid him. But if you wish to resort to extreme measures, as a knight, I would have to fight back." Reinhard stood side by side with Subaru and faced the goons.

Slowly, Reinhard moved his hands over his sword handle as if he was about to unsheathe it.

"S-Screw this! It's not worth it!" The three thieves ran away scared from the Sword Saint's glare.

Reinhard smiled as he let his hands fall at his sides and looked at the bewildered Subaru.

"I'm glad we're both safe. Are you unhurt?"

Reinhard charmingly asked.

"Is this…?" Rem glanced towards the red-haired knight sitting to the side of the front row with near hope filling her blue irises. "Is this something you remember, Sword Saint-sama?"

The knight couldn't help but shoot the quivering maid a small pleasant smile as his own excitement and happiness nearly filled the air around him contagiously, "Yes. This is exactly how I met Subaru."

It didn't dawn sooner on the others around him what that had meant. Not until the small blonde sitting beside the affirming knight quickly took his collar in her fists and made him face her standing glare.

"Rein, does this mean what I think it means?!"

The powerful knight smiled reassuringly at his desperate yet hopeful plea from his lady.

"This I remember clearly." he affirmed their question with a nod and a bright smile, "Subaru and mine's meeting was exactly like this."

By now, people started to catch the meaning of the knight's words, "This means…"

"That he might not meet his doom this time around." Julius carried through Otto's sentence. Seeping surprise painted both their faces as both young men couldn't help but feel relief for their black-haired friend's safety.

"Oh~" Anastasia's eyes lit up with rapid curiosity, "This means we're gonna see him deal with the assassin for the last time. I'm more than curious to see how he plays it right this go 'round."

As the merchant queen sounded her own excitement to see how Subaru succeeds this time, a pair of blue looked upright toward her with surprising bewilderment, "Assassin?"

"Why deary you must've noticed that the Bowel Hunter was paid by someone to steal your sponsor's insignia, ain't she? Meaning that she's a hired help to another shadowy figure that has it out for yer princess." Anastasia answered Rem's faint question, reminding both, the maid and the silver-haired half-elf sitting in front of her of the true issue Subaru was trying to stop.

It wasn't just his deaths and constant reworking of time he was dealing with. Both Rem and Emilia realized what nearly all of the other candidates, knights, maids, and the great spirit sitting beside them had been in the know of since this all started.

Subaru was also dropped in the middle of a great conspiracy that held the royal throne as its interest and he was unwillingly dying tortuously because he didn't have a single idea of what was happening around him.

"W-Who could this contractor be?" Emilia whispered brokenly, her guilt seemingly increasing by the second as she realized how much her involvement caused Subaru so much pain. The silver-haired girl hadn't also forgotten that there was someone out there actively trying to kill her.

"As much as I wish we have more to tell you, Emilia-sama, I can't help but disappoint. We don't know anything about the people who sent Elsa after you."

Emilia nodded her head, thankful for reassurance yet still at her wit's end with the knowledge that nothing has been found of her would-be murderer… or successful murderer… had it not been for Subaru's cruel power.

"I have so much to make up for…". Emilia whispered in staunch determination, vowing to help put these people to justice and give them the punishment fitting for the pain they've caused this random kid that did nothing but get kidnapped into their world.

She did not see how the pink-haired maid that had answered her turned towards the silent lord of their camp with a look of desperation.

"R-Roswaal-sama…". Ram's voice quivered in fear, her eyes wide as she soon figured out exactly who placed Elsa to perfect his robbery that caused Subaru literal lives.

She couldn't believe it… Was this what the book's gaol had entrusted her master to do?

Was her beloved really that cruel?

"Let us just watch, Ram." Roswaal shocked her with a tone of a broken, haunted, downright child-like confusion as he too wanted answers to receive but couldn't have them from anyone in this room.

"Let me watch… Please." He begged silently with no accents.

The maid relented… afraid and worried about what her master had done to both himself and the boy sleeping on the other side of the theater.

Subaru smiled and straightened his back with his hand on his heart.

"A-Allow me to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for saving my life! I, Natsuki Subaru, deeply admire your selflessness!" trying to act cool and respectable in front of Reinhard, Subaru spoke in a grateful tone.

Reinhard just smiled at this. "No need for such formality. Once it was three against two they lost their advantage. If I'd been alone, it would have been different."

Subaru just looked at Reinhard in disbelief.

H-His nice-guy index is off the charts.

Reinhard smiled and rubbed his head, sheepish and embarrassed that this was his friend's first thought about him. A little flattered even.

"So humble~" Felix sang from the back, making a few chuckle at the knight's overall attitude.

"You seem to have hit it off better than I had," Julius noted monotonously, looking a little displeased with the scene yet not wanting to overturn his happiness that Reinhard managed to have a normal friend that did not know of his power or status.

Reinhard smiled innocently at him.

Subaru just sighed in shame that he wasn't like him. But had a look of conviction on his face as he looked up at the knight.

"Uh… Reinhard-san, right?"

"You may just call me Reinhard, Subaru." Reinhard replied cheerfully.

Subaru looked a little nervous.

He closed our distance like it was nothing…

"Sounds like you just wanted a friend!" Felt looked at the knight beside her smugly, as if this was a recurring thing between them.

Reinhard himself gave a graceful apologetic smile, "Subaru was just too interesting to not converse with, Felt-sama."

"I told you to go outside and get some friends already." The blonde replied smugly and turned away from the embarrassed hero.

Wilhelm watched the entire interaction with an unreadable look in his sharp eyes aimed for his grandson at the front. The old man's frown was clear on his lips, however.

"Well thanks again Reinhard, You're the only one who heard me shouting and came to help… talk about lonely." Subaru looked defeated at this.

"For most, it's too risky to face off against people like them. As far as it goes, you were right to call for the guards."

Subaru looked at Reinhard's attire.

"Are you a guard Reinhard? You don't look like one… "

"How ironic." Felix chuckled heartily while Julius and Reinhard just smirked at the situation. A normal person calling the greatest Sword a 'guard or something'.

This wasn't lost on the candidates either as most of them reacted with small chuckles and smirks of amusement while Emilia just pursed her lips in displeasure as Subaru's lack of knowledge about their world's mythos reminded her that he's still calling her Satella instead of his loving Emilia-tan.

"It is really convenient that Natsuki-san ran into the all-mighty Sword Master on his first day of being in the capital," Otto noted thoughtfully.

"Mhm! Right when he needed help as well!" Petra chirped cheerfully, on clouds of relief since she thought Subaru would ask for Reinhard's help to deal with that scary woman.

Frederica patted the girl's head affectionately, happy that the little one was strong enough to forget about the dark endings her hero faced to get to this point.

Frederica's golden-haired brother, however, didn't have the same compacity for relief as his sister as his thoughts were waning a harsh reality on him.

Reinhard must've not succeeded in stopping the black-wearing vampire… If he had, then why did his Captain enlist Garfiel's own shields to stop her in the mansion?

"This is trippy…" Garfiel growled in disgust as he realized that his captain must've dealt with way more than just these two deaths… The blonde looked hardened enough to take this fact that Subaru must've died somewhere else but his heart sang a different tune of despair and remorse that he wasn't good enough to help his hero.

"Sorry, Cap'n." The boy whispered dryly and continued to watch the legendary meeting between his heroes on the screen with a grim expression.

"I'm off duty today, so I'm not in uniform. And I realize that I don't appear particularly intimidating." Reinhard shrugged sheepishly.

"Come to think of it, didn't they call you a master swordsman?"

"My family is fairly unique. Every day I feel I'll be crushed by their expectations. "

Subaru looked at Reinhard with pity as he noticed the glint of sadness in his blue eyes.

"R-…"

"What was that, Wilhelm-dono?" The duchess inquired of her servant.

"... Forgive me, Crusch-sama. A slip of the tongue." the older butler kept his tone of dinginess and carried through watching the screen with no more to add.

The Duchess glances at him before shrugging and watching with interest how Subaru will enlist the help he needs here. This formula for dealing with things seems very familiar to her. It looked just like what he had done when he enlisted her to help him in his fights after all.

She wanted to see if the boy had actually believed in this power of his yet. If he actually started using it in ways other than his own death.

The duchess was more than interested now. She wanted to know more about this journey of his just like the merchant beside her and bemused red princess above.

The swordsmen killed his sadness and turned to Subaru. "Anyway, Subaru… You have quite the unusual hair, apparel, and name. What nation are you from?" Reinhard sounded excited as he asked this.

Subaru looked down at his clothing.

"At the moment, Lugunica is a bit more restive than in peacetime. If you have a problem, I'd be glad to help you."

Subaru's face lit up immediately. "Would you come to the loot house?!" Subaru asked filled with hope.

"The loot house?"

Flashes of when he held Emilia's hand as she died beside him played, spooking him and making him rethink this decision.

"N-Never mind… Forget it. I can't trouble you with that…" Subaru looked a little spooked by something as he shrugged his worries off.

"Why didn't he…"

"It's because he thinks he can save everyone before Elsa arrives," Julius answered for everyone in a disappointed tone at his friend's pride.

"I think he just didn't want to involve any more people. He probably thought Reinhard-sama was not so strong as to battle Elsa." Surprisingly enough, Ram was the one to retort on Subaru's behalf this time.

Reinhard noticed this and stared at the boy unconvinced.

"I'll handle the rest on my own, somehow."

"Absolute fool…"

Beatrice was surprised to hear this right before she said it herself to insult her own contractor's idiocy. And more so from the person who spoke it.

Roswaal grits his teeth silently, his fingers intertwined in a death grip as he seethed in place at the boy's stupid mentality.

"Ah, shit. This is going to go south isn't it?" Ricardo shook his head knowingly as soon as he heard those fatal words.

"Yeah, something gonna go wrong… If it does go without backup." Tivey murmured beside him.

"Thankfully it didn't happen since this idiot was there to help us when we needed him!" Felt, now encouraged by the fact that Subaru wasn't about to die again, had no problem with displaying her confidence in the knight beside her.

"So you went there even when Subaru brushed you off?" Julius asked with surprised gratitude.

Reinhard shuffled in his seat while muttering, "I just felt something was wrong with him and had to check for myself."

"Thank you, Hero-sama." Rem said without hesitation, smiling brightly at the man. Felt nodded her head with pride, glad her friend was being acknowledged.

Subaru smiled and waved at the knight as he walked away, but stop for a moment.

"But… I'd appreciate it if you could deliver a message."

"I'd be glad to, of course. To whom? And what?"

"Well, I don't know her name, but… have you seen a girl with white robes and silver hair nearby?"

"White robes and silver hair?"

Subaru suddenly turned around and pointed at Reinhard with a wide smile.

"She's also extremely gorgeous!"

"Suuuubaru!" A sweet bell-like voice squeaked in embarrassment as one lady with extremely red-tipped pointy ears hid her face from the others around her.

Rem couldn't help but giggle at Emilia's reaction even though it hurt hearing him say that a bit.

Crusch was also smiling at the girls with amusement as she remembered a few words spoken on a moving carriage between her and the blue-haired girl.

"This is amusing, I have to admit."

"No, I haven't"

"Then, if you do see her, tell her not to go near the loot house, no matter what. I'll find what she's looking for and bring it to her myself." Subaru smiled confidently

"Very well. If I see her, I shall relay your message."

"Thanks. I'll repay you one day!" Subaru quickly turned and ran to the loot house.

"Yeah. Take care." Reinhard continued to look at Subaru as he ran.

"So that's why you were near the slums that day," Felt concluded.

Reinhard nodded. "I knew something was going to happen with Subaru from the divine blessing of emotion-sensing and all I sensed was intense fear."

The scene changes to the rooftops of the slums.

"Felt's den?" Subaru is seen talking with the same guy that pointed him and Emilia to Rom's loot house in the first loop.

"Yeah, just two streets down that way."

"Thanks so much! I appreciate it, bro!"

"Don't mention it, bro. Live strong."

"Damn snitches! Can't have garbage in these slums!" Felt facepalmed as she learned how Subaru got to her secret hideout.

"Even privacy is not welcome in the slums huh." Otto laughed nervously, thinking of how him and the camp will go about fixing such piracy places in the kingdom if Emilia should take the throne.

When she took the throne…

"You don't even know…". Felt's tone was one of pure warning and seriousness. Nothing to joke about.

It truly made the merchant boy wonder what gave him or anyone else the right to rule over such a place… Shouldn't people who actually lived through these struggles take the lead into fixing them?

The head interior shook his head and kept a firm grip on the object in his pocket. His desperation to fix it and see what help it could offer increasing even though he knew it was wrong.

Subaru sped up his walk as the sun began setting.

"The question is whether Felt will return there… I'd rather catch her before she goes to the loot house and trade her the cell phone for the insignia-"

BUMP!

"Whoa!" Subaru bumped into someone while he was walking with his eyes on his phone.

"He's still planning on giving up such a valuable thing, I suppose," Beatrice grumbled disappointingly.

"He is doing so for my sake." Emilia admitted with increasing guilt.

"Betty should be there to smack him on the head, in fact. So don't start wallowing in shame now." The spirit surprised Emilia with a few detached words of comfort. Not even glancing at her but keeping a firm grip on Subaru's arm while she glared at the theater with her butterfly-shaped irises.

"He's clumsy with that thing." Frederica winced at the harsh bump he received for his inattention.

"It's not his fault, he's trying to make a plan to help!" Petra defended softly even though Frederica wasn't refuting the notion. The older maid found it adorable how quick to defend him the little one was.

"Hold on!" All eyes turned to the shouting shocked looking, Felt. "That cloak!" she pointed with a horrified expression, making the rest of the cast turn and see what she was pointing at.

"Oh, hells!" Ricardo grumbled loudly, already distasteful towards the person on the screen.

"Oh, Dear! I'm sorry. Are you all right?" the person called as Subaru was about to fall on his ass.

"Oh no!" Petra screamed in fear as soon as she recognized the voice.

Everyone was now leaning in since confusion began to fill them.

"I thought ya' said that this was the one?" Anastasia inquired seriously of the shocked Sword Saint.

"It's supposed to be…" Reinhard muttered silently, watching with worry clear in his eyes.

Subaru managed to regain his footing and smiled at the person.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't look it, but toughness is one thing I… have… "

Subaru opened his eyes and noticed just who it was standing before him.

Flashes played of the times she smirked at him. His hand instinctively held the area on his stomach as of protecting his bowels.

Before him… was Elsa.

She giggled a bit. "What is the matter? You don't have to be scared; I won't do anything to you."

"I… I'm not scared… what gave you that idea?"

"Your scent. When people are scared, I can smell their fear. Right now, you're frightened. You are also angry, yes? At me."

"Hmph. The fool couldn't even mask his emotions. Worthless." Priscilla tutted while swinging her fan in boredom.

"He's a kid, princess. Of course, he wouldn't be able to do anything." Al shrugged his shoulders without seeming to be retorting his lady's words.

Subaru looked at her with wide frightened eyes with his body shaking. Elsa giggled and licked her lips as she stared at him.

"It's fine. I am a little curious, but this is not the time to start a commotion." Elsa smiles and walks to leave Subaru behind.

"That's not a very nice thing to say… if you're too scary, that beauty will go to waste-" Subaru turned around as he spoke in confidence. But then he stepped back in pure fear as he found Elsa standing right behind him with a smile on her face.

"Oh, very good. Conceal your hostility, and you will be even better." Elsa stood with her nose touching his and her hand holding the one he had on his belly.

"She can even smell his anger and fear!" Otto broke out in a whimper as he watched helplessly.

"Barusu is in a bad spot." Ram nodded from above.

"Well, I shall be going now. Something tells me we shall meet again."

Subaru remained frozen as he watched her walk away, once she was far away from him, he quickly let out the air in his lungs.

"Thank the spirits!" Ricardo breathed the same way Subaru did.

"I didn't know Subaru went through such a situation on his own… He was reeeally lucky. I'm so thankful and relieved!" Emilia couldn't help but ramble with heavy breaths as her worry and stress for the boy sleeping beside her made her lose all forms of emotional dignity. She didn't know how he dealt with it himself!

Rem just nodded to the lady's words while letting out a sigh of relief herself.

"Thankfully she seemed more focused on her mission rather than her bemusement of Natsuki Subaru." Crusch doted in a relieved sigh.

"Too close!" Felt shook her head and looked at the screen with a brave face again.

"Cap'n can handle it." Garfiel surprised them all by his cool attitude towards the scene even though his friend looked like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. The blonde had an easy, confident smirk on his gruff face, displaying a lot of belief in the man he called captain.

Subaru walked up to a broken house that had a tree covering it.

"Someone actually lives here?"

Subaru stepped closer with a worried look on his face.

"Elsa hasn't already been here and trashed it, has she?"

"I-It's fine, I'm sure… I don't smell blood."

Subaru got in and sniffed the air. "But it does smell like garbage."

"Hey!" An angry blonde girl blew a raspberry at the screen.

He looked around the small broken dump and was startled by an angry Felt glaring at him from behind.

"What do you think you're doing, peeking into someone's house? Sorry but there's nothing worth stealing in there."

Felt sheathed her blade and aimed it at him.

"Beat it!"

"This is your home?" Priscilla chortled with laughter.

"It's still cleaner than your personality, your bitching grace." Felt retorted easily without even glancing back at the outraged royalty she had insulted in the back.

"Forget it, princess… She's only a dumb kid. Please be a little cautious here, we don't need more enemies."

Priscilla just forced her knight's helmeted head into the floor between the seats with a simple shove with her hand. "Mineself didn't allow you to bark!" She raged haughtily at her fallen knight.

"..Argh… Sorry princess."

"W-Wait that's not what I was doing!"

"Shut up! Don't argue!" Felt began slashing at Subaru with her blade.

"Whoa stop… Calm down! This is no time to fight! Before it gets dark."

Subaru continued to dodge her strikes but fell after stepping on a rock. Felt trapped the sword over his head and looked down at him.

"Before it gets dark, you'd better be gone."

"I told you, you have got it all wrong!"

Felt looked upset that he would argue with her so she grabbed her sword and prepared to attack again. Subaru rolled away from her and dodged the strikes aimed at him by her.

He rolled until he managed to touch a table. Throwing it up in the air and jumping to catch it, Subaru used it as an effective shield against Felt's strikes.

"You don't give up, do you? I told you to get out of here!"

"Just listen to me!"

Felt continued to slash and stab at Subaru as he blocked her blade with the table.

Subaru stepped on another rock and fell into the small house. Felt quickly broke the pillars supporting the house, making it collapse on top of Subaru with his body pinned beneath it and his head sticking out.

Stepping on his pinned body, Felt pointed her blade in his face while looking down at him.

"Sorry about that, but you can never trust someone in that part of th-"

"We understand don't fret." Otto smiled at her.

Reinhard frowned at the way his lady was living before he came along.

Before Subaru came along.

"It's like fate brought us together…." Reinhard smiled a little, thankful that he had met the boy. Subaru was the reason he found Felt-sama after all.

"Please! Just hear me out, Felt! I came to see you on important business."

"How do you know my name? You want me to steal something for you? You should have said that first!"

"You attacked right away! You know this is a greedy business you're running. Do you pride yourself on sticky fingers?"

"It's all a matter of how to stay alive. If not for this, I'd have no choice but to sell my body. So, what's your business with me? Spit it out."

Reinhard's eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought before he closed them and shook his head. "Ya alright?"

"Yes, Felt-sama. Something in my eye that's all."

The blonde girl shrugged uncaringly and continued to watch with interest. "It's so weird to see this happen from the outside eyes. I can remember it happening but it feels… different to watch me talking to him like this." Felt sounded more than astounded as she explained the surreal experience the theater was providing.

Subaru looked up at her with pleading eyes. "There is one thing I want, here and now, I want to buy the insignia you stole!"

"Getting ahead of the curve. Making her cough up the goods before the meeting is initiated, such a good technique." Anastasia gave a few claps of approval.

"You aren't associated with my client. Are you a business rival?"

"Yeah, but I'm still a stubborn gal." Felt winced painfully as she knew where all of this would lead, "I won't let a good deal slip even if there was danger involved."

"Can't blame ya'." Anastasia shrugged easily and sounded almost accepting of the girl's habit.

It was one of the ways of being a good merchant she supposed.

"Call her a rival, or call her the one who killed my parents… or even the one who killed me!"

"You make no sense. Well, I'm only interested in selling to whoever pays most. If you have an offer the might be profitable, I'll listen."

"Very shrewd… I have something worth more than twenty holy coins. I want to buy your insignia with it." Subaru got his hand out of the rubble and showed Felt his phone.

"It's what everyone wants these days, a metia." Subaru took a picture of Felt and showed it to her. The scene shows Subaru out of the rubble and standing while holding his phone to Felt.

He was explaining how it works to her.

"It does hold qualities like our Metias. I guess he was in luck that he was transported at a time where those things became noteworthy yet were still so rare to find." Julius noted with surprise at the fantastic luck Subaru had with regards to his device and the timing of its arrival here.

"I think his timing got a lot more things right other than the metia's rise as a luxury, Julius-kyun~."

"Right." Julius nodded his head to the amused healer. He shouldn't forget the royal selection and Subaru's entanglement were all so perfectly put together by his transporter's timing as well.

"You don't seem to be lying. But that's supposed to be me? I'm way prettier."

"If you look this good without makeup, you're doing fine… "

"Nah, I look better than that. His cellifine thingie isn't as amazing as I'd hoped." The little blonde boasted with a prideful turn of her head.

"Well, it is unusual. I'll give you that. But twenty holy coins? Not likely. I'm not so stupid as to unquestioningly believe everything a prospective buyer says."

"Well, of course not."

Felt nodded and looked up at Subaru, her mind made up.

"At the far edge of the slums is a loot house. The fair thing is to have the codger who lives there, Old Man Rom, appraise it."

"He still needs to go into that place." Petra sounded disappointed for a moment.

Felt slammed a hand on her face for retribution.

"It's okay… It went well…" Emilia weakly responded, not knowing if having the boy fight till exhaustion, and end up unconscious after losing half of his blood from a gut wound a good ending or not.

But hey! He ended up with her after it so it must've been the good end!

Subaru curses under his breath. "So, it still comes to that…"

"Facing death and an uncertain chain of events, pal. What will you do?" Al inquired inside of his helmet. The one-armed man was clearly disappointed with the next scene.

Subaru quickly took Felt's hand and pulled her with him as he walked. "Alright, let move. Come on let's go. On the double quickly! We'll have him take a look and get out of there!"

"Hey! Hey!"

"Course you woulda chosen the fight." Al sighed uselessly and watched as the boy squandered himself in a petty fight for some roach's life.

"He's just not selfish enough, I suppose." Beatrice muttered, conflicted.

"Would you have had it any other way, Beatrice-sama?" Ram questioned rigidly from atop, curious to the Spirit's hypocrisy.

"I wouldn't, in fact."

The scene shows Subaru and Felt walking together.

"What's with you? Why are you in such a hurry? "

Felt looked at the hurrying Subaru up and down. "You're soaked with sweat."

Felt looked away from him and glared.

"Live strong."

"Course he is! He's running against time itself!"

"I didn't know that here, okay?!" Felt shouted at Mimi's disappointed jeers.

Subaru looked at her with a questioning look. "Everyone in the slums says that. Is it some kind of slogan?"

"Don't lump me in with those guys! they're all talk! they're not strong at all! They're a bunch of stingy losers at life."

"One thing we agree on, slum rat." Priscilla hummed with amusement.

"That's a bit harsh…"

Felt runs ahead of him and stops to glare in his way.

"I'm not like the people here. I have no intention of living out my life in these back alleys!"

"And you think twenty holy coins will make your dream come true?"

"It's true that'd be a huge leap toward my goal. Even if I were alone, it isn't as I couldn't get by with effort."

Subaru looks at her with surprise. "If you were alone…" memories of her and old man Rom playing flashed through his mind.

"Never mind…"

Subaru smiled warmly at her.

"What are you smirking about? You really piss me off!"

Felt was startled when he stepped closer to her, his smile never faltering. "Don't worry about it." Subaru smiled and patted her head softly.

"H-Hey, what're you doing? Stop!"

"It's the secret Lolimancer technique!" Ricardo fake gasped as he pointed with fake awe in his eyes. The twins laughed at their captain.

"Julius-kun, write that down!" Anastasia joined in the fun making fun of Subaru's name.

Everyone laughed, while a blushing Felt told them to shut up.

"That was Betty's I suppose!" Beatrice huffed heatedly, extremely jealous.

As Felt tried to get his hand off her head, Subaru smiled wide as his spirit was full with determination.

"Just gotta make it work, huh?"

"I said stop! don't get all sentimental and blabber nonsense, I'll bite you!"

Subaru kept his hand on her head and thought about the times he spent with Emilia.

I'll change the fate that's waiting for me!

"I told you to cut it out!"

And to do that, I'll…

Felt then actually made good on the promise and bit him.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Subaru screamed into the sky.

Once again, the bro code shined through as the head of the interior and the Shield of the Sanctuary fulfilled their solemn duty to laugh at their brother.

"You two look like siblings ta be honest." Anastasia called out the small blonde with a messy smirk.

Felt simply huffed and crossed her arms, a hint of a smile shined back to the merchant.

Emilia and Rem couldn't help but nod along with the boy's words, smiles of trust and love aimed towards both versions of him.

"Well… He has his mindset." Crusch grinned, feeling the short bit excited at the boy's clear determination.

The scene changes to Rom holding Subaru's phone while he and Felt waited for him to judge it.

"So, this is what a metia looks like?"

"It's fairly delicate, so handle it with care. Think along the lines of, if you break it, you have to die, as in no do-overs."

"Yeah, I'm definitely impressed."

Felt looked surprised.

"If I were to sell this, I'd take no less than fifteen… no, twenty holy coins. It's worth at least that."

Subaru took the phone and raised his fist in satisfaction. "All right! Negotiations complete! Now if we're done talking then let's get outta here and have a celebration drink."

As Subaru tried to lead the two out of the loot house, Felt instantly caught on.

"Hold it! Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Ah, crap… why you so stubborn?!" Mimi shouted.

"..Hrghn…" Felt growled in frustration as her idiocy forced the entire fight to happen.

"He was trying to get you both out of the house as well. Granted his excuse for a 'celebration drink' wasn't the best. His heart was still set on saving you two." Julius sounded impressed and a little fond of this little detail.

The other girls surrounding Subaru and Felt looked wide-eyed at the boy's continuous habit of thinking about everyone.

"Life doesn't last forever. Make every second count-" Subaru tried to bullshit his way out of her suspicion.

"Yea, yeah! I don't care about any of that. Why do you even care about the insignia anyway? The insignia is worth a lot more than it looks. That's why everyone wants it."

Felt showed him the jewel and looked convinced.

"In other words, this would sell for more than your metia-"

"Hang on, Felt! that's a dangerous way to think! He appraised it for more than twenty holy coins! Just sell it for that! don't ask for more!"

"El- The woman who asked you for it can't go higher than twenty, either. She won't pay more than that!"

"How do you know that?" Felt asked

Subaru is looking terrified. "You just admitted that you're with them."

Subaru looked at the door in a panic and back at her. "I don't have much time! Please Felt!"

"Begging won't help. I acknowledge you as a negotiating party. But not hearing what my client says wouldn't be fair."

Rom looks at Felt with a thoughtful look.

"The reason I want that insignia is so I can return it to its owner."

"Huh?"

"I want to return it to its owner so please hurry! that's all! So please!" Subaru bowed his head to them.

"Felt, it doesn't look to me like the boy's lying."

"Don't get taken in by him. He's obviously joking. Return it to its owner? Ridiculous! If you're gonna lie, make it believable!"

Rom begins to glare at her.

"I won't be fooled!"

"He really wants to save you! But you're just making it harder!" Petra moaned as she saw Felt's stubbornness.

Felt just looked down and clenched her fists in anger and guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Big bro."

"Gutter rats and their greed. Their filth knows no bounds." The red princess threw more abuse towards the teen candidate below. This time she was glared at by both said blonde teen and another candidate that was wearing a fur scarf on her neck.

"I'm surprised… You seem more reasonable here." Wilhelm whispered in slight contempt towards the playing image of the old giant. Wilhelm clearly remembered this Rom. He was once on a battleground against him as a matter of fact, and the old butler's shaking fists demanded an end to that battle after he'd discover the giant had lived through the ceiling fall.

Wilhelm must admit that the giant was a lot less hostile since the last time they'd fought. Clearly, age had helped the rebel calm down his instincts a lot. Maybe even taking care of the little candidate may have been a motivator.

(Read EX novels)

Subaru slowly raises his head in despair.

"Felt…"

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Who's that?" Rom asked as he looked at the door.

"It might be for me. it's a little early though."

Subaru was shaking with fear as memories of when Elsa slaughtered everyone flashed in his mind.

"Don't open it! W-We'll be killed!"

"This is gonna be the same ending as last time if the wench was the one knocking." Al calmly speculated in his offish tone.

"I highly doubt Elsa would come this quickly. It's still yet time according to the sunset." Crusch devalued the statement sternly.

Felt ignored him and opened the door, slowly. Like a little bitch.

Subaru stared at the opened door with despair, afraid and shaking in place.

The door opened to reveal…

"Kill you? I wouldn't do something so terrifying."

Subaru and Felt gasped in shock and surprise.

For in front of them was…

The silver-haired half-elf and the true owner of the insignia.

Emilia smiled and intertwined her fingers with Subaru's "This is the one." she said to Rem and Beatrice, making them smile as well with relief.

"So here's the first 'meeting' between you two?" Otto asked with fascination in his tone. No matter where he is, Subaru can always manage to have sheer chaos happening around him everywhere. And the fact that Subaru had met with half of the members of this room under threat of danger or death was an assessment of that.

"Thank you for reaching there quickly enough, Emilia-sama." Rem breathed in relief, knowing the powerful princess can help protect Subaru with her magic.

Title card:

Reunion with the Witch

The Scene changes to an angry Emilia scolding Felt in the corner of the loot house.

"I'm glad you're here. This time, you won't get away."

Subaru was confused as he watched from the side with Rom beside him.

Why is she here? It's still light out. Wait, if she hadn't been with me, would she have arrived this early?

"Striking thought to be sure." Crusch winced in sympathy by how much his abilities or lack thereof always seemed to show up in his face.

Priscilla snorted as if this was a comedy. Seemingly taking pride that she was proven correct about him being a hindrance.

"I guess that's true huh?" Al thought about it and found himself agreeing with the idea.

"That must've hurt his pride." Ricardo shook his head sympathetically.

Emilia only looked more guilty because she didn't make it on time the last time he was here and needed her.

Subaru realized that he really did hold Emilia back and made her arrive here later in the first loop.

"You never quit, do you?" Felt tried to move away from Emilia.

"Sorry, but this is something I cannot give up on. If you do as I say, I won't hurt you." Emilia raised her hand and summoned six icicles all around her and pointing at everyone in the loot house including Subaru.

"I have only one demand. Return my insignia. It's very important to me."

Everyone tensed at Emilia's glare as the ice shards floated around her.

"If she were just another magic user, I wouldn't back down but this one's trouble…"

"What's with you Old Man Rom? Admitting defeat before we even fight?"

Rom ignored Felt and looked at Emilia.

"Young lady, you're an elf, ain't ya?"

Emilia slowly closed her eyes as if she was annoyed.

"Not exactly. I'm only a half-elf."

Felt started to get scared.

"A half-elf… and with silver hair… wait, are you… "

Emilia waved with annoyance at the cowering girl.

"It's an accidental resemblance! Really, it's bothersome to me."

The blonde winced and moved to attempt an apology but she was met with a slight shake of the head from Emilia. "It's alright." She whispered and smiled warmly at the girl.

Felt shook her head at the older girl's kindness and turned to continue the watch as well.

Subaru looked between Emilia and Felt not knowing what to do.

Felt pointed at him while glaring. "You set me up, didn't you?" she accused.

"Huh? No, I didn't do anything…"

"After you said you'd return it to its owner, I thought you were suspicious!"

Emilia looked at Subaru, clearly baffled. "What do you mean? You two aren't working together?"

Subaru looked between Felt and Emilia with a hysteric gaze. He was sweating and panicking, trying to find something to use in this situation….

Then he noticed a small flower placed on Emilia's white robes.

The same one…

from the first loop.

Her nature never changes, no matter how many times I start over in this world.

Subaru smiled warmly as he remembered his first loop.

Emilia seemed to be more downtrodden by this scene. Maybe because she hadn't lived it with him like the first time. Remembering that only Subaru remembered such a memory and wondering why he wouldn't share it with her so he wouldn't feel so alone anymore…

"Subaru…". Emilia whispered warmly with a bit of hurt in her voice.

"Hey what are you laughing about?!"

"Come on, isn't that enough? Return her insignia." Subaru said to Felt.

He turned to the magic-powered Emilia and smiled at her.

"And you Sat- You, hurry and get out of here. Try not to let anyone steal again."

Perplexed, Emilia stared at Subaru with a hand on her hip. "Why are you suddenly being so nice? I don't understand at all."

Felt stomped her foot down and yelled at him. "I don't understand you, Either! what's up with you?"

"We were so confused back then!" Felt facepalmed as she understood the reason for his weirdness now. Emilia nodded her head and glared as she knew what comes next.

Subaru smiled at the two confused girls and looked at Emilia.

He noticed something shining behind the elf girl.

"Puck! Shield her!"

Emilia's back was covered by an ice-made shield that blocked an oncoming strike from a blade.

"Nice, quick thinking." Crusch nodded in approval.

"How'd he catch that, nyan?!" Felix shouted in shock as that wasn't a normal reaction speed.

"More so, how is he going to catch the next ones?" Al jousted seriously.

Emilia looked back in surprise.

"That was a bit closer than I expected. You saved us." Puck held his thump to Subaru in gratitude.

Subaru smirked. "Nice one Puck. Thank goodness it was before five, while you're still on duty. Thanks!" Subaru held his thump to the cat on Emilia's shoulder.

Everyone in the room looked at the crouched attacker as she got up.

"A spirit. that's a spirit, right? How wonderful."

Elsa giggled as she faced them. "I have never dissected a spirit's stomach before."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Felt asked in confusion.

"If the item's original owner is here, we can hardly negotiate. So, I have changed my plans. I shall slaughter everyone here. You failed to see your job through to the end. You talk a big game but you do terrible work. You really are just another slum dweller."

Elsa tilted her head as she insulted Felt.

"What a BITCH!" Garfiel growled hatefully wanting to get inside and punch this lady again with all of his might.

The little blonde glared at the killer with her body shaking in anger.

"You bitch… " Felt looked at her side to find a growling nasty eyes boy.

"Don't get your kicks from picking on a little kid, you gut-loving sadist! Felt is doing her best to live strong… just because your plan was thrown off, you think it's over and flip tables? Are you a kid? You should value life more. Do you know how much having your belly cut open hurts? Well, I do!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm in the process of letting the justice and chivalry I never knew I had to denounce all the world's unfairness! And what I consider unfair is you this situation, and… "

Subaru quickly turned around and smirked at the camera.

"Stay tuned folks..."

"What a pathetic display." Priscilla spat in disgust, not liking how the boy interrupted the fight to jest.

"W-What's he doing here?" Anastasia couldn't help but let a small giggle out at the awkward boy's stance. Some like Mimi and Petra laughed as well.

"You'll see." Emilia answered quietly, not sure if she was on friendly terms with the merchant or not.

He looked back at Elsa with a smirk and clapped his hands, confusing Felt.

"Done buying time for you, Puck! Get her!"

"Nice~!" Ricardo put his thumbs up to Subaru's way of doing things.

"At least his tricks work unexpectedly, nyan!" Felix sighed as he calmed himself and his worry for Subaru and the others.

"A brilliant display of awkwardness, which I hope survives through the ages. I better live up to your expectations!" Puck powered up and faced the  Bowel Hunter .

"We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name's Puck. Remember my name after you die." Puck shot a bunch of ice shards at the killer as he cheerfully spoke about her death.

Elsa covered herself in her black cloak and let herself be encased with ice.

"Did they get her?"

"Don't trigger that flag old man!"

"Stupid old man!"

"Old Man Rom is NOT stupid!"

"He was distracting the killer for the great spirit to charge up? That's a half-decent trick to be truthful." Julius took notes of what Subaru's intuition is like in most of these situations where his wits were the only thing he had.

The dust settled to reveal Elsa encased in ice and immobile.

"One should always be prepared." Elsa's voice sounded from beneath the ice as her jacket glowed and destroyed the ice around her.

Her cloak disappeared and revealed her smirking form as she ran towards Emilia while licking her lips and holding her blade.

"Enchanted cloak. Only a few people make such things in this world." Otto mused glaringly, knowing that this lady must have someone powerful behind her.

"We can run a search for people with required skills that could confess to building such a thing." Julius nodded towards Reinhard and settled their knightly code to blow the fire of determination to stamp out this organization.

Roswaal simply watched silence. No expression on his face at all.

"Teacher's plan. All according to her plan." He repeated in his mind to numb the sense of guilt and long-running hatred for what he did. Nobody in this room understood exactly the magical skill required to create such a nullifying cloak… He would know.

He's the one the created and distributed it to the sadist a morning before this day after all.

"Don't underestimate a spiritual-arts user." Emilia did a pose with her hand and manifested a shield of thick ice in front of Elsa's attack.

Elsa began cartwheeling away from Emilia while dodging Puck's ice shards as he shot at her from above.

"For a girl, you're well accustomed to battle." Puck said as he was shooting at the cartwheeling killer.

"My, it has been a while since I've been regarded as a simple girl."

Elsa jumped on a table and began swiping her blade against icicles being shot at her by both Puck and Emilia.

"Well, from my perspective, all opponents are basically babies. Still, you're so strong. I almost pity you."

Elsa jumped from corner to corner and all over the walls as she dodged the ice shooting due.

"Being praised by a spirit, I am deeply touched."

"It's as if the fight doesn't mean anything yet it does at the same time." Tivey exclaimed, making Petra and Mimi stare at the screen with amazement as they understood the severity of the fight but they were astonished as to how the spirit and the lady were conversing normally while trying to murder each other.

"Bubby can win this, in fact! He's the best spirit around!" Beatrice shouted support for her brother on the screen, wishing to see him shatter this vampire to shards of ice before her eyes and forgetting that this killer had already been to the mansion once under her nose.

As Elsa fought with them, the window showed Rom, Felt, and Subaru huddled in a corner to take cover from the ice.

"If it turns into a battle of attrition, we should have a chance."

"No, fer a spirit, the real battle is how long they can stay corporeal."

Subaru winced. "That's right, it must be almost five… " he looked at the window and found the light of the sun had been snuffed as Nighttime fell on the land.

Elsa continued to swipe at the ice shards shot at her as she spoke.

"Oh, and just when we were having such fun. What a bore."

"That's what sucks about being a ladies' man. The girls just won't let you sleep. But you know, staying up late is bad for your skin, so we should wrap this up!"

Elsa dodged a strike and tried to jump away but she found her foot stuck in some ice that prevented her from moving.

"I wasn't just randomly throwing those around." Puck slowly flew down and sat on a smirking Emilia's shoulder.

"Does this mean I've been had?" Elsa shrugged not at all afraid.

"Goodnight!" Puck shouted as Emilia prepared a powerful magic attack with both hands.

The attack left a trail of oncoming spiky ice shooting swiftly straight at the stationary Elsa. It looked like the end for the lady.

"YES!" The children celebrated amongst themselves, but Frederica and Ricardo stopped them shortly.

"Something is off…" Felix muttered as he scanned for expressions about what was going on.

"Wonderful cooperation with a great spirit, Emilia-sama." Julius had to hand it to the candidate since the sheer magical prowess required to do even half of what Emilia and Puck had done in one battle was far superior to his own by many levels.

"But… I'm afraid it wasn't enough."

"Indeed it wasn't." Wilhelm agreed with Julius grimly.

But Elsa managed to free her foot and jump out of the way of the trial attack.

"My how lovely. I thought I was going to die." The screen showed Elsa's barefoot completely mutilated from the attack, blood was pooling beneath it. Elsa just looked at Emilia with an excited smirk, completely unaffected by the pain.

"Yuck!"

"Ewww!"

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"But you're a girl, so I don't find that sort of thing very impressive." Puck cooed as he yawned.

"Puck, can you keep going?" Emilia asked the cat on her shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm really sleepy… I underestimated her a bit… My mana's gone, so I have to disappear."

"No! Mr. Cat was supposed to win!" Petra shouted in shock that the grand spirit was taken down very early in the fight.

"Bubby!" Beatrice muttered in disappointment and fear now that Subaru was alone without her amazing brother's power to protect him.

"Welp, back to panicking for bro's life, I guess." Al offishly unconcerned shrugged the spirit's leave off and continued to watch.

"I'll take care of things here, so you can rest. Thank you."

"If anything happens to you, I'll act according to my contract. If it comes down to it, call me, even if you have to squeeze me out of my od." Puck whispered to Emilia before disappearing into thin air.

"You're going away?" Elsa pouted. She took a piece of ice and placed her foot sole on it. Her foot let off some steam as it started to stick to the ice healing around it.

Elsa tapped the new ice shoe she had made and began walking.

"Well, that is very unfortunate." Elsa quickly charged at Emilia.

"She's just so persistent!" Tivey ruffled his hair in frustration.

"She is annoying! I want to shoot her!" Mimi growled bombastically beside him.

Emilia manifested a shield and an Ice shard and protected herself from the  killer  as she ran circles around Emilia and swiped at her.

Subaru looked really anxious and uneasy as the battle continued with him huddled in a corner, unable to move.

"Wasn't he supposed to be a knight, he should stand and fight for his lady, nyan!" Felix muttered as well, feeling annoyed at Subaru's shaking and hiding while Emilia was pinned down.

"No! He mustn't intervene no matter what!" Emilia firmly refuted already settling her mind to keep the boy as far away from danger as possible the next time a situation arose.

"He can't do anything at all, Felix. Natsuki is a mere civilian at this moment no matter the boasts he's made in the future of this viewing." Julius surprisingly defended Subaru diplomatically with a little dim in his eyes as he remembered just how weak Subaru truly was.

At the front, the blonde sitting beside a deathly worried merchant scoffed dryly at the words spoken around him, "Jus' ya wait. Cap'n's got this!"

Flashes of images from his failed loops showed him the corpses of the people he couldn't protect.

Subaru's leg began shaking in place as he found it harder and harder to intervene in the fight.

"I think I understand now, why you fight and work so hard." Emilia and Rem looked at the boy beside them in sadness.

"How many times did you go through this, Subaru-kun?" Rem asked with fear filling her eyes and desperation coating her voice.

Subaru did not answer.

"We can't keep watching, Felt." Subaru looked up at Rom as the old man stood from his place.

Felt stood up with Rom and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. If we're going to run, we should get moving now. About before…."

Felt looked down at the still sitting Subaru. "Well… I guess you kinda saved me."

Subaru looked surprised by the bashfulness Felt was displaying.

"But just a little. Also, don't call me a little kid! I'm fifteen, you know! That can't be much younger than you!"

"I'll be eighteen this year… "

"No way! you're totally a kid! You need to live a life that shows more on your face."

The screen shows Elsa still beating on Emilia's shields. Until finally, the killer managed to land a kick on the half-elf.

Emilia quickly landed on her feet on the bar and jumped out of the way of a spinning Elsa with a blade aimed at her. Emilia slammed against the shelves behind the bar and fell to the ground with all of the objects and collectibles on the shelves falling on top of her.

"What a weakling. Taken out before saving any of the other rats." Priscilla clicked her tongue in disgust and thought of all the ways she would've handled Elsa herself in place of the silver-haired witch spawn sitting at the front.

"I think princess over there is holding her power back to keep the other's safe." Surprising Emilia and everyone in the room, Anastasia defended easily with a self-conscious smirk.

Seeing Emilia out of commission, Rom decided to be the next opponent.

"Here I come!" armed with a bat, he charged the killer.

"Ah, but isn't it a bit boorish to cut in on a dance?"

"If you wanna dance, I'll show you the best dancing you've ever seen."

Elsa and Rom trade blows one after the other. Elsa lands in front of the Ice trial left by Pucks' final attack.

Rom charged at her with his bat.

"Here we go roun' and roun'"

Rom delivers a hit so strong it breaks all of Puck's ice.

"Eh? What in the-"

Rom looks up to find Elsa standing on his club.

"You are so strong; I was able to do this." Elsa smirks as she aims a swipe to cut his head off.

"Goddamn, she's tenacious!" Ricardo yelled out as he watched Elsa smoking them one by one.

"That giant is really packing some power eh?" Al whistled in acknowledgment of the old man's strength.

Everyone was at the edge of their seats as they watched the intense fight.

"Not happening!" Felt quickly throws her blade in the air, hitting Elsa's own, making the killer miss Rom's neck and cut deep into his shoulder instead.

"Old Man Rom!" Felt screamed in shock as Rom fell on the floor bleeding.

Elsa dropped on top of his body with an annoyed stare.

"You bad girl… " Felt recoiled in fear.

"You have neither the resolve nor the strength to fight. You should have at least stayed in the corner, making yourself small." Elsa cooed at Felt teasingly.

Subaru is shown still in the same position as he watched with an uneasy grimace.

Damn, we're done for… there's really nothing I can do.

I guess I'll have to Return by Death and start over.

"What?! Don't ever think about that, in fact!" Beatrice damn near screamed into the sleeping boy's ear. Her face was red with fury. Her need to go into that loot house and crystallize the damn wench that dared make her contractor think about killing himself a thousand times stronger than anything she'd ever felt.

"He's really starting to think of his own death as a tool." Felix sounded disgusted and disappointed.

Petra looked horrified at the notion.

The images of his death while bleeding his guts out were shown as Subaru clenched his shirt in frustration and nervousness.

No, I don't want to feel that pain again.

I don't wanna die…

"My poor Subaru-kun."

Emilia nodded with Rem's words and squeezed his hand as she watched the screen with a grimace of frustration that she couldn't hug him then.

Felix's anger relented and he breathed a sigh of relief, "Subaru-kyun is still there, nyan. He's not a monster, yet."

Elsa charges at Felt.

I g-guess, as long as I have a life all I can do is fight with all my might.

Elsa is shown to be standing over the cowering Felt. The killer was about to drive a final strike to cut the little girl in half.

She struck.

And missed.

"Hiadara!" Just like that knight that saved the young boy from the carriage, Subaru jumped and held Felt in both hands out of the way of danger.

Elsa turned around and blocked an ice shard.

"Nice!" Garfiel cheered with approval since he knew how fast her strikes were.

Reinhard was just glad Subaru was there or else his lady would've been lost… again.

Emilia got up from the bar and weakly shot more ice at the black widow.

"Are you okay?" Subaru asked the fallen Felt.

"Why did you… "

"Listen Felt. I'm going to buy us some time. I'll give you an opening somehow. So, when I do, run as fast as you can!"

"What? You're telling me to tuck my tail and run?!"

"Yes… stick out your butt, tuck in your tail, and run. You're fifteen, and I'm eighteen. That means you're probably the youngest one here. So, it's a given we'd pick the method most likely to keep you alive."

"Give me a break. A minute ago, you were cowering in fear!"

Subaru smiled.

"That was then. This is now. I'm not cowering now, so it's fine."

Felt looked down and sighed. She's so grateful for him, and after what she saw today, this was a simple understatement of what she owed him. She would've loved to have him spend time with her again, he seemed more fun than the boring old hogwashes in the mansion she lived in.

The camera shows Emilia blocking Elsa with her shield when the killer suddenly turned around and dodged the bat coming down on her by our lap pillow-loving cunt.

"Take this!"

Elsa quickly stabs her blade at Subaru's face but he manages to block it narrowly.

"Now! Go, Felt!"

Felt ran towards the door while Subaru held Elsa off.

"He is very reliable." Frederica smiled at the way this boy worked hard to save everyone. But then frowned when she remembered the Sanctuary incident.

How many times did he die to save everyone then?

Her blood froze.

"You think I'll let her go?"

Elsa suddenly manifests a small dagger out of fucking nowhere. And throws it at the little girl.

As the dagger flew towards Felt, Subaru kicked a table blocking the path, stopping the dagger's momentum.

After the dagger fell Subaru smirked as he managed to stop Elsa from hurting Felt.

"Yeah, I'm awesome!"

"But that hurt the tips of my toes more than I expected-"

Subaru was kicked in the face.

"Worthless Barusu!" Ram shouted with no actual malice but more panic and worry than anything.

The loot house is shown with slashing and breaking noises coming out of it. Felt is running away from the house with a scared look on her face.

Subaru fell but he smirks at the killer.

"You let one getaway." He mocked her as he tried to stand with the bat acting as a stick.

"For once, I do feel a tiny bit annoyed."

"Bitch!" Garfiel and Otto were cheering Subaru on. All of the candidates fell silent as they watched the proposing one-sided battle with curiosity as to how the boy would live through this.

"Don't forget about me." Emilia quickly shot another shard at Elsa. But the killer blocked it like it was nothing.

"By now, I have quite tired of that game. Do you think you can still keep me amused?"

Subaru looks over at Emilia. "If you've got some hidden power, now would be a good time to use it."

"I do have a trump card. But if I use it, I'll be the only one left standing."

"No exploding yourself, please… don't do anything hasty."

"I won't use it. Not when you're still here… Doing your best."

Subaru remembers the last time he saw Emilia in his first loop. The last words she gave him.

"Just now, I didn't see anything… " Subaru slowly got up straight on his legs without leaning on the bat.

"Huh?"

"None of that entire conversation ever happened! I finally remembered why I'm here to begin with."

Emilia widened her eyes as Subaru glared determined at Elsa. "I'll kill you shitbag! I won't let you play your trump card!"

"I'll blow you away."

Subaru's eyes lit up with conviction.

"I'll live."

He aims his bat at Elsa.

"I'll get my happy ending." Emilia stared at him, eyes wide.

"So this is the will that burned my way of the future." Roswaal softly looked on with a frown and no speech pattern. Ram looked at him with a thoughtful gaze.

"Seems you have a bit too much energy." Elsa mocked as she swiftly charged at the smiling boy.

"You black widow!" Subaru began trading strikes and blows with Elsa.

"Well, there's no doubt you'll be the first caught in my web." Elsa was about to strike him but an Ice shard ruined her aim.

"Nice cover!"

Emilia is trying to aim at Elsa but she is afraid of hitting Subaru instead.

Elsa begins cutting and slashing Subaru's hands and face, wounding him and making him bleed.

"Ouch, damn it! How do you like this?!"

Subaru yelled a cry of war as he held the bat as high as he could over his head to strike her.

Only he was duping her as he let the bat go and spun around to kick her in the face…

"Woah!"

"Nice, Trick!"

but Elsa swiftly caught his ankle in one hand.

"I caught you."

"F'ck!"

"This is bad!" Otto was at the edge of his seat. Reinhard only grinned.

Elsa smiles while Subaru glares hatefully. She giggles as she held her blade high.

Subaru glared and waited for her to cut his leg off as she was holding it firmly.

Suddenly… a loud voice echoed.

"That's enough."

Everyone looked around to find the source of the voice.

Suddenly, something fell through the ceiling of the loot house filling the room with dust.

Subaru quickly pulled his leg out of her grasp and ran into the dust cloud.

Elsa was faced by the source of the interruption.

A red-haired knight slowly emerged from the fog and commanded the air around him to clear the area making his coat rustle in the air.

"It looks like that was a close call, I'm glad I made it in time. Now…"

"You're… "

"Shall we put an end to this?" Reinhard smiled at Elsa.

"And the hero is finally in!" Ricardo laughed out loud as a new feeling of hope rushed through everybody.

"Reinhard-sama's here!" Petra cheered dutifully, believing the legends people were saying about him in her village.

"No one can run away from Reinhard Van Astrea." Garfiel spoke out in a dark satisfied tone. "yer fucked, bitch."

The knight himself stayed irrelevant to the cheers and echoes in the theater. He already knew his responsibility and what was expected of him. This is just a reminder of what people see when he is near them. Hope.

The scene changes to show Felt running around the empty slums in distress.

"Anyone! Is anyone here?!" Felt looked around pleading for help but she was met with people closing their doors and shutting their windows in her face.

"Damn it! Please… please, someone… someone help!" Felt ran with tears in her eyes.

She ran with her eyes close calling as loud as she can.

She then bumped into someone, falling on her behind.

Felt looked up.

"Very well… I'll help." Reinhard gave a charming smile.

The scene changes back to Reinhard standing in front of Elsa with a bleeding Subaru staring at him from behind.

"Reinhard?"

"That's right Subaru. We meet again. Sorry, I'm late."

Reinhard observed the woman before him.

"Black hair, black clothes, and a blade unique to the northern provinces. There is no mistaking those characteristics. You are the Bowel Hunter."

"What kind of evil nickname is that?"

"It was derived from her unique killing style. Her name is known, even in the capital, as that of a dangerous individual.

"Reinhard… "

"Yes, a knight among knights, born to a line of master swordsmen, correct? How remarkable, having all my opponents be so much fun."

"There many things I'd like to ask you. I insist that you surrender."

"You expect such a starving predator to resist such a choice, juicy prey?"

Reinhard just chuckles a bit and looks back at Subaru,

"Subaru, stand back a bit. If you stand next to her that would be appreciated." Reinhard points at Emilia as she was healing Rom's wound.

Subaru smirks and nods. "That woman is like a monster so don't lower your guard… "

"As luck would have it..." Reinhard looks Elsa in the eye. "Hunting monsters happens to be my specialty."

"Badass!" Garfiel had stars in his eyes for the hero's line and posture against this vampire of a woman.

Subaru kneels beside Emilia and notices Rom breathing in pain.

"Old Man Rom is still alive?"

"He isn't out of the woods yet. I have to heal him now."

Subaru looks at her in surprise. "You really want to? He's part of the gang that stole your insignia."

Emilia starts working on the healing spell.

"That's why I need him to recover, so he'll repay the favor by giving me information."

Subaru stares as Emilia speaks softly. "He wouldn't lie to someone who has saved his life. This is as much for my own sake."

"You're a really bad liar, ya'know that?" Anastasia shook her head with indifference to Emilia. The half-elf didn't give a response since she really thought what she had been doing was correct.

The scene returns to the fight between Elsa and Reinhard. The Bowel Hunter (Gay ass name) charged at Reinhard with sonic speed.

"I would rather not use violence on a woman."

Reinhard kicks his foot on the floor emitting a shock wave around him breaking the wood he was standing on and killing Elsa's momentum, forcing her to stand before him unguarded. Reinhard swiftly kicked her in the side making her roll a few feet away.

"Just as the rumors say… No, you're even better."

"I'm not sure I'll meet your expectations."

"Aren't you going to use that sword at your hip? I would love to experience its legendary sharpness."

"This sword can only be drawn when needed. The fact that it hasn't left its sheath, means that this is not one of those times."

"I do believe I have been underestimated."

"It's an upsetting judgment for me, as well. Therefore, "

Reinhard picked up a sword from the ground.

"I shall take you on with this instead. Do you object?"

"No, it is wonderful. Wonderful! Do entertain me please!" Elsa smirks manically and charges.

Reinhard simply activates his power and the sword glows. He blocked the strike and made Elsa drop the blade from her grasp.

Catching the tip of the blade with his two fingers, Reinhard looked at Elsa.

"If you've lost your weapon, I strongly suggest you surrender." Reinhard threw the blade and made it stab into a pillar.

Elsa looked annoyed and threw the broken handle of her weapon behind her as she charged hands empty.

"She's got a second one, Reinhard!" Subaru shouted from the side.

Suddenly, she pulled a second blade from behind her back and swiped at Reinhard. She would have almost cut his stomach had he not been fast enough to step back.

Elsa kept her eyes on Reinhard but spoke towards Subaru. "I'm impressed you knew."

"Well, I've personally experienced it… "

"But I don't have a mere two fangs, would you mind if we start again?"

"If I divest you of all your weapons will you be satisfied?"

"If I lose my fangs, I'll use my claws. If I lose my claws, I'll use my bones. And if I lose my bones, I'll use my life." Elsa began jumping all over the loot house at demonic speeds that turned her into nothing but a blur.

"This is how a Bowel Hunter fights." Reinhard manages to block various speedy attacks with ease.

"Surely Reinhard won't fail to land the decisive blow, will he?"

"Because I'm using my spiritual arts, he cannot fight at full strength."

"What do those have to do with each other?"

"If he was truly intent on fighting all the mana in the atmosphere would turn away from me. I'm almost done healing him. When I give the signal, let him now."

Subaru looks down to find Rom's wound fully closing up.

"Whoa!"

"Now he's all right. Go ahead."

Subaru quickly turned to Reinhard. "I don't really get it, but do your thing, Reinhard!"

Reinhard nods and activates his blessings, soaking up all the mana in the air around him.

"Oh, what will you show me?" Elsa asked as she watched the mana being sucked into his sword.

"The Swordplay of the Astrea family." Reinhard readies sword.

Elsa smiles and prepares two blades in both hands. Wait. How the fuck did sh-

"The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."

"Reinhard Van Astrea, of the line of master swordsmen."

The two faced off as Reinhard's sword glows so bright it blinded everyone around him.

Reinhard raised his glowing sword, emitting Whale noises, and struck Elsa with a blow so strong it made the entire loot house explode.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"

Subaru looks at Reinhard in shock as the entire Loot house was blown to bits.

"This is excessive!" Otto yelled in astonishment.

Reinhard smiled sheepishly.

Garfiel just looked at the screen with a frown. During this whole fight, the blonde warrior was reminded of how much weaker he was to someone like the Sword Saint. Reinhard had been in total control of this fight from start to finish, it almost seemed as if he was the one toying with Elsa. While in Garfiel's take on fighting the wench, it was messy and foreboding for both sides.

And the sheer power displayed by Reinhard's one swing showed it all.

"Reinhard back at it again, nyan! Saving the day once more."

"Thank you, Felix. But I'd not be there had it not been for Subaru." Reinhard smiled honestly and humbled himself to his friend. Felix simply shook his head but grinned nonetheless.

"Hunting monsters is your specialty, my ass! You're a monster yourself!"

Some laughed at this, but Reinhard smiled warmly. He genuinely cared for his friendship with Subaru. He treats him like any other person.

"Even I'm a bit hurt by a comment like that, Subaru."

The Sword Saint looks at the Sword in his hand as it vaporizes into dust from the sheer power it used in the strike.

"I'm sorry I asked too much of you. Rest well now."

"How stro'g is tis guy?!" Garfiel asked in shock.

"Marvelous, it's done." Priscilla stated with boredom.

Subaru stood up and looked around. "There isn't a shadow left, let alone a body… this is all that's left after just one sword swing?"

"It's over now?" Emilia stood up and tried to walk but stumbled and almost fell as she held her head in her hand.

Subaru caught her immediately. "Yea, somehow or other. Literally."

Emilia notices something and steps back from him. "Why are you staring at me? That's quite rude."

"It's just, you still have your arms and legs, even your head… "

"Of course, I do. Don't say such scary things."

"Yeah, you're right. It's obvious huh? I still have my arms, too. And there's no knife in my back or a gaping hole in my gut."

"You talk as if you've experienced those things before."

"There was a time when I did."

"It's morbid to see him talk about it like this." Rem spoke softly.

Emilia nodded as she glanced at her knight with deeply saddened eyes. "Poor Subaru." The half-elf muttered as she wished he would give her another one of his stupid smiles.

"He did experience all of that… I can't believe this power of his… It's too much." Otto answered with depression. Unable to think about anything less than the grand reveal that his best friend apparently time travels through his death.

Subaru looks at the standing swordsmen. "Oh, yeah, Reinhard… I haven't thanked you yet. You saved my ass! Back in the alley too. I guess you heard my heart's cries for help, friend."

Reinhard appeared to be really happy,

"If I did do that, I'd certainly be proud… Friend."

"You guys seem chummy." Julius huffed softly and narrowed his eyes a little.

Reinhard just smirked at him.

Reinhard looks at Felt as she entered through a broken wall. "She was desperately running around the streets, and asked for my help."

"That's… " Emilia glared at the girl but Subaru waved her off.

"Now, hang on… if she hadn't brought Reinhard, we'd have been destroyed. Just look at this face and spare me the ice statue punishment?" Subaru pleaded with his hands for her.

Emilia looked away with a pout. "I wouldn't do something so violent!"

"And what does your face have to do with anything?"

"Subaru!"

Reinhard quickly called out for his friend as Elsa emerged from a bunch of debris.

"How did she survive that?!" Felix shouted

"Oh no! Emilia-sama!" Petra held her hands to her mouth in fear.

The Bowel Hunter ran with a nasty glare on her face and a blade in her hand towards Emilia, preparing to kill.

Reinhard ran towards her but he wouldn't be fast enough.

"She'll go for the gut!"

Quickly picking up the bat he was fighting with, the battered Subaru pushed Emilia away and stood before Elsa with the bat in front of him to shield his own guts from the blow.

"He got in my way again!" Elsa growled as she glared at the boy.

"Close!" Al whistled, impressed that he survived that.

"Marvelous knockback." Julius' approval was given as well.

"That's enough, Elsa!" Reinhard ran in front of Emilia.

Elsa threw her blade at him but she missed. Everyone stared as the killer smirked with blood running over her ragged face.

"Soon enough, I'll disembowel everyone here." she jumped and landed on a broken pillar.

"Till then, take good care of your bowels."

with that, The Bowel Hunter climbed the wall and disappeared into the night.

(And we will never see her again.)

"And we saw th't bitch again." Garfiel glared hatefully, understanding that this slimy woman had already attacked his captain many times before Garf come into the picture. Which angered him more than anything that he didn't know so he couldn't hit her as hard.

Reinhard ran to Emilia's side in a hurry. "Are you unhurt?"

"Whether I'm unhurt doesn't matter! More importantly, " she pushed Reinhard outta the way and walked to the beaten Subaru's side.

"Are you all right? That was far too reckless!"

"Oh, it was no problem."

"I sure took the long road, but I finally reached this point."

Subaru quickly pointed at the sky and did his pose.

"My name is Natsuki Subaru! And I just saved your life from a heinous villain! Are we okay on that?"

"Okay?"

"It means are we clear on that? So… Okay."

"O-Okay…"

"I, your rescuer, saved your life. And you are the heroine I saved! So, wouldn't that mean you should repay me in kind? Wouldn't it?"

"All right, I get it. Only if it's within my power of course." Emilia glared at Subaru thinking that he will take advantage for some gold or something really gross.

"Pervert Barusu."

"Let's see how he uses this. Will he ask for money? Or fame? Maybe even a home!" Anastasia looked on with intrigue as she wanted to learn how this boy thinks.

"In that case, I have only one request!"

Emilia steeled herself and glared at him. She was ready.

"My request is…"

Emilia stared at him with anticipation, gulping.

"Tell me your name."

"That's very disappointing." Anastasia sighed deflated.

"He has his heart out on his sleeve." The old swordsman sitting beside Crusch smiled warmly at the screen.

Emilia stared at the boy for a few seconds. Then she giggled softly.

"Emilia."

"Huh?" Subaru looked at her with surprise.

"My name is Emilia. Just Emilia." Subaru stared as she smiled under the moonlight. As if she was an angel.

Emilia smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Subaru. For saving me." Emilia opened her palm for him.

Subaru looked at it. Memories of his past loops played.

All those times I got hurt, all the crying I did, all the pain I felt, all the fighting with my life at stake… and my reward was her name and a single smile.

"Jeez… talk about unequal compensation"

Subaru took Emilia's hand and shook.

"You asked for it you fool." Julius chuckled softly, loving the way Subaru handled himself here.

"This is something out of a storybook. Not fair!" Petra fumed childishly about how romantic Subaru and Emilia's 'first' meeting was under the moonlight with him representing himself as a hero.

"Anyway, Subaru, I'm impressed that you're unhurt."

"That thing protected me just in time. If not for that, I'd be in two pieces right now."

"True, if not for this…" Reinhard picked the bat from the ground.

But it was cut in half…

"Eh?"

All three of them slowly turned or looked down at Subaru's belly.

Where his clothing was cut.

"Uh-oh. I should have seen this coming."

Subaru's guts burst open and blood spilled everywhere as he fell down fainting.

"OH NO!" Petra took back all the curses she had said about him, please don't let him die again!

"What the hell happened here?" Ricardo rubbed his head unable to think of a way this would continue without Subaru being awake.

"Emilia-sama is still there to heal Barusu's most surely toxic body," Ram answered from her chair rigidly.

"Subaru?" Emilia worriedly knelt by his side.

Subaru looked up at her as she looked down at him.

Man… she's so cute when she's panicking… A parallel world fantasy...

"Subaruuuuu!" Emilia blushed beet red but had a smile on her upturned lips as she liked the way he complimented her even when they first met.

Knowing the circumstance behind their meetings together made her happiness deflate, however.

Darkness…

"There. His treatment should be complete. He should be over the hump now."

"By the way, Emilia-sama, what is your relation to Subaru?"

"A passing acquaintance? I don't recall ever meeting him before. I thought our meeting today was the first time."

"No, he was looking for you. He said he had something to give you."

"That's why it's so strange… "

"What shall we do with him? I would be glad to take him home as a guest."

"No, I'll take him home with me. That way, I can learn what's really going on."

"I guess, we know now." Reinhard frowned. But he looked to his side to find Felt glaring hatefully at him.

"Lady Felt-san?"

"You mean to tell me that we could've had Subaru on our team! Why didn't you take him with you?!"

Reinhard sweated in worry.

The Emilia camp huddled a little closer to protect their member.

"No one is gonna snatch him, commoners." Priscilla laughed at the group's idiotic antics.

Emilia looked at Felt and Rom.

"What would become of them?" she asked.

"Officially, I cannot overlook what they've done. But… unfortunately, I'm off duty today."

Emilia giggled. "You're a bad knight."

Emilia slowly sat next to Felt, the little girl trying to look away from the guilt.

"Is this old man your family?"

"Something like that, he is the only one I have… he's like my grandpa."

"Hm… Maybe he's really changed." Wilhelm silently regarded the once terrifying demi giant he battled years ago until the ceiling itself caved upon them. He'd sworn to kill the giant if he ever saw him alive again.

And yet this girl's words were putting hesitation into him.

"I've grown soft." The old man muttered to himself, although not joylessly.

"I see. I only have one family member, too. But he's always asleep at the most important times."

"I thought you'd be a lot harsher on me. I'm sorry. You saved my life and I can't let a debt go unpaid. I'll return what I stole, keep it hidden so no one can steal it again!"

"It feels funny, having you give me that warning."

As Felt opened her palm to Emilia revealing the insignia, Reinhard looked at the jewel with wide eyes.

The stone… was glowing.

Felt gasped as her wrist was grabbed roughly by the Sword Saint.

"Reinhard!" "You're hurting me! Let go!"

Reinhard glared at the jewel shaken. "H-How could this be?"

he looked at Felt and asked sternly. "What is your name?"

"So that is how the final candidate was found, huh." Felix noted in fascination.

"It all seems so tight together," Julius muttered with a look of forlorn interest. "It's like destiny and fate were at play here. Not only with Reinhard and Felt-sama's meeting, but with Subaru's arrival and his meeting with Emilia-sama as well."

"Not to mention that power o' his as well." Anastasia's rough accented words cut in on the knight's marveling and soured the mood around her.

"Huh? It's Felt…"

"And your family name? How old are you?"

"I don't have anything fancy like a family name! I'm… about fifteen, I think. I don't know my birthday. Just let me go!"

"Emilia-sama, I am afraid I cannot keep my promise to you. I shall be taking this girl with me."

"May I ask why? If it's for stealing my insignia… "

"That is, indeed, no small crime. But next to the gravity of overlooking the crime unfolding before me, it's trivial."

Reinhard stood up with the struggling Felt as he kept a firm grip on her wrist.

"I need you to come with me. I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to refuse."

"Get over yourself! Just because you saved me-"

Reinhard just sucked all her mana out making Felt fall unconscious into his grasp.

"That wasn't very courtly, either."

"Man thinks himself a lolimancer." Al snorted from above, making a few chuckles bounce across the room.

Reinhard rubbed his head and apologized to the lady he'd semi-nap. Felt simply looked away from him, too pissed off that he wasted a chance to get Subaru just to fulfill some stupid duty.

"I was careful not to use too much. Emilia-sama I'll be calling upon you soon shortly. I hope you understand." Reinhard carried Felt princess style and handed Emilia her Jewel back.

"Please take care of Subaru."

The moon behind them both glowed brilliantly, startling them both and making them look up at it.

"Today might be our last chance to gaze calmly at the moon."

The screen stopped at Subaru's sleeping face.

"That's nooot worrying at aaaall." Roswaal sang out in sarcasm as the screen was obviously eluding to some rough times for Subaru that most of these people didn't even know of.

Second title card:

Starting life in another world from zero.

Credit song: Styx helix acoustic version

Episode 2 Directors Cut end.

"...First Arc. End."

"The Chaotic First Day…"

"So… What happened after that?" Felt asked in a seething manner. Still miffed that her stupid knight did not take the chance to have Subaru under their roof.

"Ram came into the loot house a short while after Reinhard had taken you. She helped me carry Subaru to the carriage and… we left." Emilia counted from the top of her head.

"So… This is how the boy came to be in your camp, huh?" Al questioned mysteriously off-putting.

Emilia nodded her head hesitantly.

"Damn… I don't know if he got it easier than mine or got it harder." Al joked to himself and laughed without letting anyone in on the joke.

"But is that it? Are we done watching this now?" Felix finally asked the question awaited by most of the people inside.

And then suddenly…

You all have questions. You have theories. You have debates.

Every single one of these will be solved.

I doubt you will trust this, but we are not done watching Subaru's 'Journey' as you put it.

The viewings are still not over.

Before the cast could even breathe what they had just seen.

The screen went active again… and the Warden left in what his voice sounded like was… a rush?

The man was clearly being panicky about something following him.

"What the hell do we do?" Ricardo asked, wanting any of these leaders to lead out of this situation.

He only received silence as the others were just as stuck as he was.

And then the screen turned on again with flashing images…

"What's going to happen next...?" Emilia questioned dryly, keeping her arm on his while hoping he would be fine.

"...Second Arc. Begin "

Episode 3….Second Arc's intro…

Start.

I am speed.

Okay guys, I want to seriously thank all of you. everyone is warning me to keep my health and safety my main focus and I was really touched by that. I hope I can post a reply to all your reviews. I can't believe how big this fic blow up.

wait for me... as I finish Episode 3. Where the fuck is that pillow? WE NEED SLEEP!

Here it is. Reworked 3.

I'll be honest, it does seem rushed. I just couldn't be asked to add more to the reactions at the end. Too much repeating of older reactions over and over again for each character. The only thing I'm proud of in this chapter is the big ass intro and the Al scenes.

Sorry, this didn't satisfy the wait.

:P

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Ep 3 Director's Cut

As the screen flashed rapidly with images from unknown events at a fast-paced speed, the rest of the watchers were left to ponder the question Emilia had uttered to herself.

One such person couldn't help themselves.

"You think there could be more things your knight is hiding from you, Emilia-sama?"

The half-elf sitting to the side of the sleeping boy couldn't help but flinch at the question coming from the judging Crusch.

"He… He never told me about any of that. I did try to question him for everything he seemed to know at the loot house… But he was just too injured after saving me..." The half-elf was looking at her clenched fists with a deep frown of confusion. Her heart couldn't help but feel heavier with each thought of Subaru not trusting her enough with these horrible memories.

"Oh? So you do recognize that since Natsuki-kun didn't reveal any of this to ya, he might be hidin' more than jus' that power of his,' Anastasia asked with a bit of a curious gaze towards the saddened half-elf.

"I… I don't know-" Emilia's voice cracked as she kept her hands to herself, "He didn't trust me enough to tell me about this so I'm sure there's more he wouldn't want me to see."

"Ah…" Anastasia shook her head and backed away from the half-elf. Clearly, the girl was in the middle of a crisis on her own, the merchant queen did not have to intervene.

But she wasn't the only one as the blonde silent spirit sitting on the other side of the half-elf was found frowning deeply as well.

"Neither did he talk about it with Betty, in fact."

Emilia glanced at the small drill-haired girl beside her sleeping knight with a look akin to one of deflation as the spirit's last interaction with her still kept the half-elf in a frenzy of hurtful emotion regarding Beatrice's words to her.

"A-Are you sure, Betty-san?" Emilia's silver bell voice sounded hesitant to speak with the girl, even going as far as to change her honorific for the loli. A distant, cold, and professional one.

"Yes, I suppose," Beatrice replied simply.

"I mean… It would make a ton 'f sense if the boy didn't talk about this with anyone. I doubt anyone would believe 'em."

Some in the Emilia camp stared at the shrugging dogman in outrage.

"N-No way. He had to have told at least Otto-kun and Garfiel-san! They are his most trusted friends!" As she said this while refuting the dogman, Petra's blue desperate eyes wandered to the two boys sitting in the front seats. She only saw one grim look and dimmed stares from both Otto and Garfiel.

"Y-You, guys?" Petra's eyes widened when all she received from the boys were shakes of their heads.

"Cap'n didn't share this with me," Foregoing any of his pent-up frustrations and questions, the blonde muttered rigidly with conflicting emotions showing on his face. The merchant beside him didn't find it appropriate to blow up a second time so he just settled for fixing his hat with a grim frown.

"I didn't have any idea about this either, Petra-chan."

Petra's eyes widened, wondering over Emilia, Beatrice, and Rem in desperation.

"None of us knew, Petra-chan," Frederica whispered from behind the girl with a hand on her shoulder. "Sit down."

"B-But…" The little one sat down with tears in her eyes that had yet to flow down her cheeks. "He can't be keeping that to himself… Not on his own!"

Rem and Emilia looked even more heartbroken when they heard that shriek from the little maid. The guilt was filling both of them for not being aware enough of Subaru's constant disruptions and mental scars.

But the blonde sitting to the right of the sleeping boy was showing signs harsher than mere guilt. She was biting her lips harshly as she held on to her contractor's hands. Tears still not slipping by but the tortured look on Beatrice's face explained how shattered the little girl was feeling after seeing her only one having such a bad beginning.

"It seems Natsuki Subaru has the ability to go through time. This is all but confirmed to us now," Crusch mused loudly, finally gaining attention as she felt it was the right time for a discussion about… things, to start.

"So…," Felt narrowed her eyes at the duchess, feeling a bad wash growing over the room.

"He must've used it against the Whale and Bishop of Sloth, Nyan~, It seems we've been played," Felix growled halfheartedly while thinking of all the ways Subaru had exploited Crusch's camp by using his time traveling power to gain her loyalty. No wonder he was so good at the negotiations table! The boy was a threat.

"Oi! You think I'd let that slide, ya bastard?! Cap'n always does what's best for oth'rs even more than mineself! Don't go around calling him a trickster for no reas'n, ya hear me!"

"Garfiel, calm down!"

"Calm down now, fella. That's not a good way to go 'bout this."

Frederica and Ricardo tried to calm down the absolutely furious-looking Garfiel, ready to bounce on Felix for accusing Subaru and displaying no sympathy for his Cap'n's pain.

The catboy knight held his tongue but delivered a scathing glare towards the rough blonde in the seats below.

Garfiel met him with his sharp teeth gritted.

"Felix-dono, please take care of your tone," Wilhelm firmly admonished, starkly surprising the healer sitting beside him.

"But Old Man Wil, this is all too dangerous for us to ignore!"

"It doesn't matter now. Keep those thoughts to yourself until we have actual evidence to speak in such a way of Subaru-dono," the old man assessed rigidly, earning a look from the green-haired duchess.

"You still think Subaru Natsuki is to be trusted, Wilhelm-dono? Even after what we've seen of the boy's abilities?"

At his lady's curious query, Wilhelm only provided an answer that was loud enough for everyone in the theater to hear, "We've only watched a boy die and realize how scarce his fortune is in our world, Crusch-sama. I fail to see how that makes him our enemy."

As the old swordsmen bowed his head to her, Crusch's amber eyes only narrowed.

"Hmm, it seems like you've forgotten that this boy isn't exactly serving yer lady, old man," smoothly and amusedly, Anastasia took the words from Crusch's lips and delivered them to the old man and those hearing her.

"He may use this ability to gain popularity for the candidate he serves~."

Anastasia and Crusch looked at the old man with their own gazes of mischief and firm hardened amber eyes.

The old Demon of the sword arts met both his mistress and one of her rivals with a look of compassion and confidence, "Fighting beside him gave me all the answers I need, my lady."

The two candidates seemed struck by this, making the duchess lose herself in her thoughts and the merchant queen backed off to stare at the chair in front of her.

"You might be wrong, Old Man Wil," Felix muttered smoothly, earning a shake of the head from the old man.

"Damn, the old man is really cool, huh," Al grunted chillingly as he rubbed his stump. Feeling a bit happy at the display below.

"I have no care for the rattle of dogs happening beneath us, Aldebaran. Use that tongue of yours for something useful to me instead of mangling useless words," the red princess beside him cruelly cut him off by forcing his body to the floor of the theater at her feet with a simple grab of his helm by one hand.

"I know you are thinking about it too, Princess," the stumped knight said with humor in his tone as he inched his face closer to the lady's raised foot.

"Shut your mouth, worthless grime!" Priscilla shouted, pinning his head beneath her shoe like usual.

Ignoring him, Priscilla's scarlet eyes were honed on the black screen, frustration overwhelming her as she tried to figure out what someone of her divine provenance was doing in a room like this? Why did the world that served her summon her here? Surely it can't be just about that pathetic boring boy and his useless journey.

The thought that her time was wasted for someone so worthless made the Vollachian matriarch fume with rage.

"Princess, please… The carpet doesn't taste so nice…"

Ignoring the helmeted knight in the back, Julius moved his sharpened gaze towards the silent redhead. He gave an inquiring look.

"I do wonder… How did you not see the discrepancy in Subaru's message about Emilia-sama when he hasn't even met with her? Shouldn't you have taken that into account since she's a candidate, Reinhard?"

The redhead knight looked baffled for a moment before his expression changed into a thinking one, "I really… Thought it would be better for Emilia-sama to take care of it herself. She wanted him in her care and I couldn't feel any malicious intent from Subaru at all. I'm sure Emilia-sama's great spirit could tell her that as well."

"So you found it appropriate to just leave some random civilian that got involved with a royal candidate in a dangerous situation and had knowledge he shouldn't be able to… by themselves?"

"..."

Julius stared holes at the back of Reinhard's head, the redhead looking away in embarrassment and shame.

Felt simply snorted at the man.

"I suppose you were preoccupied with the fifth candidate, but that was a truly grave mistake you might have made there, Reinhard."

Felt found herself rolling her eyes at Julius' constant admonishing of her knight.

"Jeez, does he ever shut up and stay in his own business?"

Reinhard just gave her a small smirk.

Back to the purple-haired knight, he looked towards his lady with an apprehensive stare.

"Staring is quite rude from ya, Julius-kun~"

"My lady… Do you really believe Subaru is a threat?" The young man sounded protective, as if he was hurting himself just asking this question but he was still trying to hide it all under a thin vale of lavish elegance that he was so good at naturally projecting.

Anastasia's eyes easily saw him for what he was at this moment.

"Ya know, yer friendship with him is quite a valuable thing, Julius-kun."

"My lady…"

"No, I do not believe Natsuki-kun is a threat. Not until he loses the will to live anyways."

This answer surprised the knight greatly.

"Then why did you agree with Crusch-sama's words?"

Anastasia chuckled and patted her knight's shoulder, "Simply playing a small game with my competitors, dear Julius-kun~ A lady has to have fun from time to time."

Julius's eyes widened as he realized what Anastasia was doing, "You were… playing the Karsten camp?"

The merchant queen was full-on smirking as she rubbed her scarf smoothly.

"They are so set on thinking about the bad outcomes. They would rather fight each other than think differently. But what we've seen of him, this boy, it's all ripe with so much potential. He could be a great asset, Julius-kun."

Anastasia's eyes filled with mirth and enlightenment which made the knight beside her realize something. This was an entirely new game with rules beyond him or any of the other knights. These screenings showed them all something darker than he would've ever liked to believe anyone he liked dealt with. Especially not the boy he called a friend.

And now the candidates were all starting to notice how closely they should've been focusing since the beginning.

"This will not end well…" Roswaal muttered without an accent since no one could hear him. Ram was currently focused on staring at the back of her sister's head with a look of guilt.

The clown-dressed man was sitting in the back by his lonesome with a frown of frustration shown behind his gloved hands.

This was very bad. Very very bad.

"Not only has my gospel not mentioned that cruel detail… Now that all of them knew about it as well, in time, it might show something about me-"

"E-Excuse me!"

Roswaal's thoughts and worry fell as his focus was placed immediately along with all in the room on the blue-haired maid that had her arm raised.

"Excuse me, Screen-sama!"

What is it?

Everyone waited with bated breath, to see what the young girl was going to say to the entity she so bravely called upon.

Rem's face looked a little ghostly for some reason. She was frightened to speak but her fist remained over her heart as she forced through.

"D-Do we need to see more? Is there more that Subaru-kun… is hiding from us?" Me.

"Rem…" Ram's eyes narrowed as she noticed the slight tone of fear and dread in her sister's voice. She was hiding something.

Yes. There's more to see about this kid, of course.

I just thought you all needed a moment of rest before we got to the real beginning of his story.

At this, many eyes widened, especially Rem's own fearful ones.

"Wait wait wait! You're saying Natsuki-san went through more?! And he refused to speak about his deaths?!" Otto asked in outrage, saying everything that was on his camp's mind.

The other candidates and camps watched with great interest and sympathy unlike the Emilia one. Where everyone close to Subaru just felt betrayed and worthless with each passing second they find out that Subaru was just going through his own story without them even knowing about it.

Oh… I mean…

Fuck. They're following me.

Look, just watch this, alright?

It will explain what I mean and what you need.

"Not again!" Garfiel shouted while slamming his fists as everyone realized with the screen's flashes stopping so suddenly and the light dimming that another viewing had begun.

"I guess all we have to do is watch then," Frederica whispered with a really uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

"Yeah… Watch…" Rem's voice whimpered softly, her hands clenching the hem of her skirt as the fear inside of her was sending all sorts of thoughts into her mind.

If Subaru truly can live through painful deaths and go back in time… This meant… She might've done something regretful.

Oh, how her heart ached at the thought.

"Sister…" Ram called out in a voice above a whisper. Her seating in the back didn't allow the blue-haired girl to hear her. Ram didn't like how insignificantly her sister treated the sadness around her heart, it was like the blue twin was focusing more on someone else's pain rather than herself. Ram could see this, feel this cold negative feeling coursing through her dear family from the other side of the theater. And yet she couldn't help but feel… That it was Rem's fault she felt this way.

"What did you do, Rem?" The pink-haired maid whispered to herself one more time, with her heart beating fast from fear. The older twin wasn't stupid. She can feel it through her connection with her sister, she can see guilt.

Realizing that, Ram's eyes were the last to turn up to the screen.

She needed an answer. Who was best to answer her, than the placate window of flowing visions stuck on to the wall before her?

And then the screen lit up.

Season 1 Episode 3 Director's Cut

Begin.

The dark screen lights up on Subaru's sleeping face as he laid on a massive bed wearing robes.

He slowly opened his eyes and commented on the first thing he saw.

"I don't know that ceiling."

"It must feel surreal for 'em, huh,' Anastasia commented a little bemusedly, earning the attention of Crusch and her own camp.

"What's that, boss?" Ricardo inquired of the shrewd merchant queen.

"Hm, can't you see? This was the first time he opened his eyes to somewhere other than that appa stand." She pointed out a simple fact that shocked the people listening in.

"That's…" Oddly enough, Frederica was the one to try and respond to the thought with coherence and it failed. Much like the stunned blonde, her little student sitting by her side was also stunned by the thought. Mature enough to feel the corruption of being finally able to find yourself in a mansion room instead of the place where your death restarted the world around him. Petra was slowly beginning to feel the horror beyond just dying. A horror her beloved hero is subject to and forced to explore all alone. The little girl was more than hardened enough to watch more of Subaru's journey, but it gave her comfort that he was at the very least under Emilia-sama's and Ram nee sama's protection for the time being.

"He can take it on." The little maid firmly spoke, having a surprising assurance and assertiveness in her tone which surprised her own sensei." Subaru-sama has all the help he needs now!"

Emilia, Ram, Frederica, and even Beatrice glanced at the little girl with surprise and disbelief.

Subaru sat up straight and moved his robes to look at his naked belly.

"The wound is gone. Considering all this, it must've been her… Emilia's healing power, huh?"

"He thought it was me who helped heal him?" Emilia had a soft smile of amusement on her expression while Beatrice just raised a brow at the screen. Unimpressed.

Subaru got up and started walking out of the room, he looked at a weird forest painting on the wall next to his door.

"Well, at any rate, it seems I got out of using Return by Death this time… still, isn't it normal to wake up and see a girl by your bed. Asking, 'Are you awake?' after she'd cared for you the whole time? Feels kinda flawed, for a story about being summoned into another world."

"In his world, stories usually cater to a male audience so they make the protagonist a girl magnet. I suppose." Beatrice immediately explained while secretly marveling at their confused faces.

"So he thinks that girls should fall all over him since he was summoned from another world?" Julius snorted at the stupid thought.

"What a jackass," Tivey nodded along with his sister.

"I mean… he grew up on such stories so he's inclined to believe them ideas."

Crusch nodded slowly with Felt. "Yes, Natsuki's world had stories about heroes summoned from another reality. Like us, they thought it was impossible."

"So when Natsuki-kun was transported here, he immediately began following the tropes and cliches of his world's fantasy stories," Anastasia kept looking at the screen as she concluded Crusch's thought with ease.

Emilia was silent throughout this discussion about what her knight was thinking and felt entitled to because of his circumstance. Stuck was she on having to cut this entire chat these candidates were having about her own knight. As if they knew him as she did. As if they had fought with him because of this mentality he had at the start of his journey as she did.

And she was stuck for one and only one reason. It was her guilt that broke any confidence of projecting her relationship with Subaru against the others. Of standing up for him.

Emilia was ashamed that everything these other girls were saying about her knight's unflattering way of thinking about her as a doll was indeed very correct.

"But I'm so much more than that to him. He said it himself."

Emilia's thoughts slowly cooled down her conflicting storm of guilt and anger, "He said he loved me. He was wrong to think of me like that," she whispered calmly to herself as she managed to calm down again.

Her heart didn't calm down as another thought struck her.

"Why did you not trust me with Return by Death then, Subaru?" Emilia's thought was cold, calculated, furious, and uncaring to the name of the curse her knight had to suffer from. The Silver-haired girl was beyond furious with the boy's self-indulgent habits.

Subaru continued walking and stopped when he noticed the same painting on another door. "A looping hallway? Is this one of those things where I can't get out until I find the right room?"

Subaru quickly moved to the door beside him. "The typical pattern dictates that the first door is likely the goal!"

"Hmph!" Priscilla snorted haughtily at the logic.

Honestly, he amused her greatly even if he was a buffoon.

Opening the door, Subaru was met by a little girl sitting on a stool.

"What profoundly aggravating man you are, I suppose."

Nearly everyone in the Emilia camp showed absolute shock with this scene, prompting a few of the other people around them to ask why Emilia, the maids of the Roswaal mansion, and even Roswaal himself had their mouths ajar.

"Wha's wrong? Cap'n's meeting with the lil' one is basic," Garfiel asked, surprised how shocked his own sister looked and finding it hard to see what they were so shocked about.

"I think I might have an idea, Garf-san."

"Hm?"

Otto failed to notice how he earned the attention of both Garfiel and the other occupants in the room as he muttered with a thoughtful face, "This must be related to what I was told about when I was welcomed into Roswaal-sama's estate for the first time by Natsuki-san and Emilia-sama. Beatrice-sama never left her great Library and no one in the mansion could find it since it's magically hidden or something of that sense."

"How come the boy managed to find her on the first go then?" Anastasia breezily asked from above the young man, her eyes filled with interest. Her own knight kept his gaze on them with a glint of excitement showing in his gaze.

"I… Did not know that Subaru-sama found the great Library right from his first day in the estate. Truly fascinating!" Frederica spoke breathlessly in amazement.

"Seems like Barusu manages to sniff out his own likings on accident, hm."

"How do we take that?" Ricardo sweated at the rigid pink-haired girl's statement.

"It seems you two have been connected since the very beginning then, Beatrice-san. That's amazing!" Emilia voiced her own amazement and happiness for the little girl, finding the entire situation foreshadowing Beatrice's link with Subaru.

Oddly enough, the little blonde spirit was silent throughout this. Emilia almost thought that the girl was still angry with her and was ignoring her again.

"Subaru-kun really is close to Beatrice-sama," Feeling closed in on herself and awkward, Rem couldn't help but express in a sad voice. It didn't feel good to be left out and seeing everyone talk about how foretelling this moment was for both the spirit Rem had scarcely met in her years living under the same mansion and the boy she loved with all of her heart.

"Betty and her contractor are always connected, in fact," The great spirit herself spoke in an affirmed confident tone. However, there was no cheer in Beatrice's voice or eyes.

"First NPC found! You're gonna ruin your cute face with that cold attitude. Come on! Smile! Smile!"

"The only smile worth giving you is a derisive sneer."

"Are you mad because I guessed it right on the first try? I've always been a pretty lucky guesser. I can understand why game masters would want me in all the events, but sorry!"

Beatrice grips her book harder as he continues to talk. "So, what is this place, anyway?"

"Hm, did you feel it at such an early moment, Beatrice?" The magic savvy lord whispered slowly. Roswaal's eyes were narrowed on the way the little girl was gripping her book.

"Hmph! It's Betty's multi-purpose room, which serves as a library and bedroom, I suppose," she replied in anger.

"Talk about a typical response. Are you one of the manual girls everyone's into now?"

"He doesn't realize he was in the presence of a great spirit inside of her domain nonetheless," Shaking his head in disappointment, Julius couldn't help but let frustration show on his expression as he saw Subaru disrespect a great being that any knight would bow before.

"He's not familiar with that stuff, pal. I think he gets a pass on this one," Al shook his head as he thought back to the last time Subaru did something wrong in front of the regal knight. "Such a stick in the mud this guy…"

"I have assessed that thank you. Natsuki Subaru is from a different world than ours…" Julius' eyes lowered in thought.

"Still feels unreal, huh?" Al chuckled from above as he noticed the knight's confused state. Julius mainly gave a nod before trailing back on the screen. "Still… To meet with a great spirit and be contracted with her even with his attitude… His spirit attraction must've been higher than my little buds had told me."

"Cease your pointless theorizing. Betty's Subaru didn't need something so insignificant to earn Betty's loyalty, in fact," her voice cold and firm, Beatrice reprimanded the foolish spirit knight sitting in the rows behind her. Her eyes bored at the screen as her tiny hand found itself on the sleeping one of Subaru.

"This meeting was nothing short of fate, in fact," she whispered to herself, "Even with how rude Betty turned out, I suppose."

Beatrice chuckled desperately to herself. Feeling shame at this first meeting between her and the boy beside her.

Beatrice closed her book and jumped down from her stool. "Betty has had just about enough."

The girl walked closer to Subaru until he was pinned to the door. "Time to teach you a lesson I suppose."

"Hey, what are you gonna do?" Subaru was startled when Beatrice glared up at him.

"Don't you dare move! Anything you'd like to say?"

"D-Don't hurt me."

"Wimp!" "Scaredy cat!"

"Be a man!"

Garfiel glared at the trio of Ricardo, Mimi, and Tivey.

"Is he going to be alright?" Reinhard found himself asking in worry what the great spirit might do to the boy.

He found his answer from the stretched accent of the clown lord above, "She wouldn't actually huuuurt him regardless, Reinhard-sama~ Please be at eaaaaase," Roswaal was staring intently at the screen, trying to find out why Beatrice was giving the boy the time of day, unlike the hundreds that came to her in the past decade of this generation period. She would throw out anyone that didn't satisfy her noble words. Yet she's interacting with this random human with no problem expressing herself.

"Intriguing…"

Beatrice looked unimpressed and raised her hand at his belly.

Subaru looked confused at first.

Then he screamed as Beatrice sucked his mana dry.

Subaru fell, paralyzed and in pain.

He looked up at Beatrice as she looked down at him.

"What did you do to me, you drill loli?" he asked in pain.

"I only collected the mana from your body, I suppose. It confirmed that you are not an enemy."

Subaru slowly looked up and smirked in exhaustion. "You're not human, are you? I don't mean your personality."

Beatrice is smiling smugly at him from above. "It took you long enough to notice, I suppose."

The girl in the theater was not smiling as her screen counterpart as she witnessed her faulty beginning with her contractor. She couldn't help but apologize under her breath for the little spell she had forced on him back then. "Betty will make those up to you, I suppose," Beatrice whispered under her breath while holding Subaru's arm tightly.

"Just come back and I'll give you all of the hugs you need you, foolish contractor, in fact," Beatrice held a small smirk coming through her desperate-looking eyes as she faced the unmoving form of the sleeping Subaru beside her.

She vowed to give him this.

"Beatrice-sama used to be so mean!" Petra yelled at the distasteful attitude Beatrice was showing.

"Yes, I don't think I have ever seen Beatrice-sama smile in all my years working for Roswaal-sama." Rem said as she recalled the very scarce times she had interacted with the spirit.

"Beatrice-sama always was lonely in her library. Her attitude changed since she started going out more." Frederica explained to the two maids. Petra was a new maid so she didn't know anything. But Rem was already VERY familiar with the spirit since she's lived years with her in the same mansion.

"Beatrice-sama… started going out of her library?" Rem asked with piqued interest.

"It's because of Barusu's moronic plans."

Rem looked at her sister even more interested. "What did Subaru-kun do to Beatrice-sama?"

Otto and Garfiel laughed suddenly.

Rem looked at them in surprise, she was more confused when Emilia and Petra started giggling.

"What?" The frustrated Oni asked.

"Hehehe, Subaru-kun kind of forced Beatrice to contract with him." Emilia giggled at the conversation she had with him about it. She was happy to take her mind off his secret power so the giggles just came out from the distress.

"How did Subaru force a great spirit to contract with him?" Julius asked with great interest and a smile as he knew that the boy did something genius and equally reckless at the same time. He loved that trait in Subaru.

"Simple! Subaru-san knew that Beatrice-sama wasn't going to leave the library. So he decided to get rid of it." Otto explained with a tired smile at the memory.

"What do you mean get rid of it?" Crusch asked interestedly as well.

"Barusu had to deal with many threats at the time, one of them was that someone put a hit on the mansion and everyone in there was to be killed by the Bowel Hunter," Ram explained, omitting some details about who it was that put the hit and what dangers Subaru had to fight. She didn't want everyone to start thinking about how the boy dealt with the threats.

They didn't want to think about him dying again.

"So how did he deal with Elsa?" Reinhard asked with a guilty frown. He shouldn't have let her get away.

"Cap'n made my amazing self hold dat bitch off while he did his thing," Garfiel smirked at the memory while his sister shook her head in annoyance.

"You actually left the Sanctuary Garf?" Rem asked in surprise. The boy found himself shocked by the relative warmth the normally cold Rem gave him.

"Barusu was responsible for that too."

"Yep, Cap'n held off in a fight against me and managed to impress me enough to join 'em." Garf still had pride not to admit losing to his Captain. Not with that Sword Saint dickhead sitting around.

"Yeeees Subaru-kun managed aloooot of feats while you were in a coma, my dearest Rem-chan. It's why he has been officially declared Emilia-sama's Knight." Rem looked at her employer in shock. She smiled proudly and ruffled her hero's head.

"I knew you could do it." she softly said.

"Don't derail the conversation! What did big bro do to save Beako-chan." Felt asked annoyed that they changed the subject.

Everyone in the room was now looking at the Emilia camp with interest as to how the boy managed to save the mansion's residents.

"Hmph! He burned the mansion and the great library, Betty was protecting, I suppose! Coming into my library with tears in his eyes, begging Betty, in fact! Asking for my help with one hand while burning the library with another. A sad sight of a pathetic boy, I suppose," Beatrice yelled in frustration which made those around her laugh harder since she started yelling the unfairness she was subjugated to by Subaru's rash decisions.

Julius and Reinhard just stared with shock at the laughing camp, their knightly code always taught to give the great spirits the utmost respect.

"Why am I surprised?"

"Yeah, that's something Subaru would do."

The two knights calmed down when they thought about the nasty-eyed boy's personality.

Manhandling a spirit into a contract to save her was something expected from him. Both smiled at the image of an angry Subaru throwing books into a raging fire while screaming how he will save the girl. It was hilarious.

"Subaru burned the mansion, contracted Beatrice-sama, became a knight, and freed Garfiel?" Rem looked around sadly as she missed so much.

She forgot that the screen was gonna show her potentially hurting… him.

The maid just prayed that nothing bad would happen to him… even if she knew that wouldn't be the case. But her weak heart forced her into a state of denial. This discussion with her hero's camp made it easier to forget the thought of…. What she might have done to him. But it did make her upset that so much happened in the short time she was in a coma.

"Damn, Gluttony."

"I take it back. Your personality isn't human, either."

"Do not measure a proud, noble being by your standards, human." Beatrice walked away from him as he fell into unconsciousness.

Darkness…

"And that… is how Sir Natsuki caught his second loli." Al chuckled.

Ricardo laughed along with the twins.

"Who's the first?… Why are you holding me so tight Reinhard?" Felt asked as the Sword Saint looked at the screen with determination.

He will beat the Lolimancer! Felt-sama was his lady!

Opening theme 1: Redo.

"Again? This seems like a play more than a telling of Natsuki-kun's story."

"Well, it does make it more enjoyable to watch," Crusch spoke to Anastasia.

Garfiel and Ricardo started nodding their heads along to the music.

Everyone began enjoying the music even though the disturbing sight of their friend running for his life was playing.

They knew more distressing things were gonna be shown so they took the chance to rest and enjoy something.

Theme end.

The screen shows Subaru's sleeping form once again on the same bed.

He opens his eyes and comments on the first thing he sees once again. "I know that ceiling."

"Wow, you did a number on him Beatrice-san."

Otto shivered at the glaring girl.

Beatrice looked at the screen in sadness. She was thinking about something...

"How did you know about the curse, I wonder?" Beatrice softly asked. Her eyes dark from despair, she watched with a brave face. This was her contractor's burden. The thing that made him hate himself and hurt himself before he slept beside her every night.

It's my duty to watch and live through this for him, I suppose.

Beatrice watched and waited... for the person she chose shall die before her once again.

"Oh, he has awakened, Sister."

"Indeed, he has awakened, Rem."

Two voices spoke off-screen as Subaru smiled to himself.

"Me, a denizen of the night, waking up in the morning? I'm getting all emotional. I'd better go to sleep a second time. No, I woke up earlier, so this makes the third."

"My, what deadbeat thing to say. Did you hear that, sister?"

"Yes, truly the words of a loser. I heard him, Rem."

As the voices mocked him, Subaru quickly sat up and looked around with a glare.

"Alright! Who are these two voices that keep criticizing me in stereo?!"

Some of the watchers laughed loudly at the interactions.

None of them noticed how the twin's faces were growing cold…

They had confirmation now. Rem had a few tears in the corner of her eyes and steeled herself to watch in silence. Her heart pounded. She wished to the gods that she didn't… do it.

Ram watched with a stern glare. How much will this boy suffer? There was nothing about good timing here. She couldn't help but feel anger at the thought of the boy suffering once more with her under the same roof as him.

"It must've been the mabeasts," She suddenly thought to herself in a split second as her mind finally found a matching timeline that made sense. He must've died to those dogs in Alram village. That's how he managed to navigate through that situation so well!

The twins watched and waited…. For Subaru to die, for they had noticed that these interactions were all wrong.

The screen shows two cut maid twins with pink and blue hair posing with each other.

"N-No way… Maid costumes exist in this world too?! Maids were always the very personification of elegance in my mind… "

Rem blushed a little and wished she would have been told this by her Subaru-kun.

Frederica giggled in delight while Ram glared at the screen. Stupid Barusu.

Petra smiled happily as she knew that choosing this job was the right way to earn her hero's attention.

Subaru looks away from the two and raises his fist in happiness. "This ain't so bad, either!"

"How terrible. You are being violated in the mind of our guest, sister." Rem said.

"It is terrible. It is terrible. You're experiencing the ultimate shame in the mind of our guest, Rem." Ram hugged her sister.

"We should talk like that!" Mimi told her little twin. Tivey sighed in frustration.

Subaru wiggled his fingers while looking at them with a creepy smirk. "Don't underestimate my capacity. You're both fair prey in my fantasies!"

"He's very gross." Julius grimaced at the disgusting attitude he saw on screen.

"Oh calm it, he was just joking!" Anastasia hit her knight on the shoulder.

"Is he though?" Felix frowned, agreeing with Julius on the matter. He also hated Subaru's mannerisms.

They were knights, he was not.

A gentle knock on the door sounded and made him focus his attention elsewhere.

A beautiful half-elf was standing in the doorway. "Can't you wake up more peacefully, Subaru?"

Subaru smiles warmly at Emilia. Then he looks at her outfit in surprise.

"Whoever picked that outfit totally gets it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but the fact that I know it's something stupid is disappointing."

"She's got the Cap'n figured!" Garfiel chuckled along with Otto and Al at how quickly Subaru was shot down.

They didn't notice Emilia's eyes widening in horror. "But… H-How?! Subaru…" Emilia never felt so shocked and broken… She gripped her knight's hand and hoped that it wouldn't be too painful for him… She needs this. The half-elf prayed that this wouldn't be another false end. That her memory was flawed somehow.

"Listen to this, Emilia-sama. My dear sister was just violated by that man." Rem pointed at Subaru.

"Please listen to this, Emilia-sama. Rem was held prisoner and shamed by that man." Ram pointed at Subaru.

"My, what a cruel prank to play," Felix commented with a smile.

The twins remained silent…

Emilia smiled and walked towards Subaru's bed. "And you two, don't tease him too much."

Emilia closed her eyes in despair. She realized it. This wasn't what happened when she met him in the mansion.

"Yes, Emilia-sama. My sister is very sorry."

"Yes, Emilia-sama. Rem's sorry as well."

"Are you feeling alright? Does anything feel off?" Emilia asked Subaru as she smiled gently at him.

"Huh? Oh, I'm just a bit groggy from oversleeping. It was you who saved me wasn't it, Emilia-tan?"

"Huh? Tan? What does Tan mean?" Emilia tilted her head cutely.

"Uh, you can just ignore that one." Subaru looked away as he blushed then he bowed his head in gratitude. "Still, thank you for saving me."

"No, I'm the one who should thank you. You barely know me, but you risked your life to save me. It's only natural I'd heal your wounds after that." Emilia smiled warmly at him. Subaru nodded and smiled back.

"It must be so cruel for her to watch this," Ram whispered while slightly glancing in pity at the silver-haired girl.

Rem was also giving her own expression of sympathy and pain for the half-elf princess.

"You must've realized it by now too, Emilia-sama," Rem whispered.

"I have…", Emilia whispered back without a follow-up. Her entire expression was hidden from view. This interaction seemed heartwarming and happy she wanted to be the one who receives it. But it was only wasted on a past version of her that would end up failing Subaru once again.

"Well, then, It's time once again. I guess it's time to start a new day!"

The scene changes to Subaru and Emilia looking over L. Mather's garden. "This place is huge! The yard isn't so much a yard as a field."

Subaru was doing warm-ups on the grass while Emilia watched with a perplexed frown.

"What is he doing?" Julius asked as he watched the weird movements with perplexed eyes.

"That looks like the new tradition all the villages around the Mathers domain seem to be taking up, they say that it's become a national pastime in the cities of Costuul and the capital," Reinhard answered. He too wanted to learn more about these sudden dances that got popular. He hadn't seen anything sweep the nation's culture like this before.

"Those are Cap'n's train'ng warm-ups," Garfiel slightly smirked while stretching his arms over his head.

"Warm-ups?" Felix asked.

"Those are unusual movements. What are you doing?"

"My homeland's ancient practice of warm-up exercises." he stood up straight. "Come on, Emilia-tan, join me!"

Emilia looked up from her despaired state with sad tearful eyes.

"Radio calisthenics, number 2! Bounce on both feet to loosen your body!" Subaru began bouncing in place while Emilia looked embarrassed.

Why hadn't she protected him?

"Huh? You're kidding! What is that?"

Subaru began stretching his arms in circles. "Just do what I do."

Emilia began moving her arms along with how Subaru is moving his.

"Damn those look fun!" Ricardo commented.

Emilia clenched her hands on her knees.

She brought him into the mansion and couldn't even save him.

"I'll drill the essence of radio calisthenics into you!"

Beatrice watched from the window as Emilia and Subaru moved their bodies in sync.

"Now, raise both arms and shout, Victory!"

"V-Victory!"

Puck suddenly flew out of Emilia's hair and shouted. "Victory!"

She lost Puck because of her weakness.

Puck looked at Subaru and winked. "Hi, Subaru! Great morning, isn't it?"

Subaru smiled at the cat. "Well, for me, it's been nothing but chaos since the wee hours of the morning. Looping hallways and a mean little girl on a rampage… and then shedding the sweat of passion with Emilia-tan."

She couldn't protect the boy that saved her…

That died for her….

That will die for her…

Emilia shook with frustration and anger as she watched with determined eyes, the memories that were taken away from her.

Memories no one but her knight remembered.

"You must've been so alone, Subaru." She softly whispered as she watched how happy he was with her.

How did he die? Why did he stay?

Emilia watched to understand her knight. To at least see his pain and sacrifice. But she was just a selfish girl, wanting to know the unknown about the boy from another world.

"Don't make it sound so scandalous! Good morning Puck, sorry I put you through so much yesterday."

Puck landed in Emilia's open palms. "Morning, Lia. I almost lost you yesterday. I can never thank Subaru enough. I must do something for him."

Subaru smiles cheekily, "Okay, then… "

A certain merchant princess perked up and hummed with a smirk on her face. "Hmmm, let's see how this goes. I hope that he asks for somethi-

"Let me pet your fur whenever I want!"

"-g valuable this time." Anastasia glared at the screen. She needed to teach this kid some life lessons about ambition. "Oh, how I wish to have him wake up and unleash Julius on him again." Anastasia giggled at her joke that no one heard.

Emilia's face changed with surprise. "Huh? That's all?"

"He is a simple man." Priscilla snorted.

"A simple man that did great things." Crusch snorted back and watched with a smile of amusement at Natsuki's interactions.

"For a first-rate fur master such as myself, being able to love on the object of your petting affections at any time is worth just as much as a multimillionaire's riches! Oh, man, these ears!"

"I wish Bubby was here," Beatrice was happy to see her brother again… she was happy that something was taking her mind off what's to come.

Emilia nodded silently and stared at the two on-screen. What a cruel joke.

The two she had failed the most.

Subaru is shown rubbing his cheek with Puck's while Puck enjoys the attention. "I'm in love with how soft you are!"

"I know you feel that way since I can somewhat read your mind, But I'm amazed you can actually say it! it's okay Lia. I can't find any malice, hostility, or ill-intent in Subaru."

"It's so cute how you call her Lia too."

"Not as cute as your Emilia-tan!"

"Man, he gets along with spirits fast huh?" Al asked, a little jealous of his affinity.

"Subaru-kun gets along with everyone he meets. Even if they hate him at first." Petra said with a smile.

"He does warm up to ya, eh Julius?" Felix bumped the huffing purple-haired young man.

Emilia looked at the two with an unreadable expression.

"You really are strange, Subaru."

"Huh?" Subaru looked at a warmly smiling Emilia. He blushed.

"Oh? What brings you two here?" Emilia looked at the two maids.

Rem and Ram bowed down and spoke at the same time.

"Emilia-sama. Our lord, Roswaal-sama, has returned."

"Please come inside."

The scene changes to show Subaru entering through a doorway into a room with a big table at the center.

"I was watching you from upstairs, and you know what? It would seem you are quite dumb, I suppose." Beatrice greeted Subaru as she stood from beside the door.

"Awwwe, Beatrice-sama is jealous." Petra cooed from the back which made the spirit huff in denial.

"Why would I be jealous? He's already Subaru's Betty, in fact," Beatrice shot back at the little maid for the sake of formally meeting her teasing back. In reality, her eyes scanned the screen for 20 different angles or reasons he could end up dead in any way shape, or form.

"He must've found another way to rewind time other than death if there are no possible dangers around him."

"You were even leaving your library for him…" Roswaal was aghast with how quickly Beatrice had actually taken with the boy. She never left her Library to observe people. Never.

"Where do you get off saying that, you loli?!"

Beatrice looked annoyed. "What does that word mean? I've never heard it before and it irritates me!"

Beatrice realized how much she missed arguing with him.

No one noticed how the little girl took his sleeping hand in hers.

She kept watching and waiting… for a dark story to unfold… for this happy Subaru on the screen to change into the broken kid she saw every night when she pretended to sleep on her spot beside him on the bed. "There must be another way to activate the rewind ability. Other than death. But then he would have to still stay alive and watch his friends die in front of him, I suppose. That would explain his fragility to nightmares and trauma, in fact."

Emilia came in with Puck on her shoulder. He waved at Beatrice with a smile.

"Hey, Betty! I haven't seen you in four days. Have you been staying ladylike?"

Beatrice's face changed into an excited cute smile. "Bubby! I've been waiting for you to come home! Will you stay with me today, do you suppose?"

"Sure, no problem." Puck jumped from Emilia's shoulder and into Beatrice's open palms. "Let's finally relax together today."

Beatrice spun around with a happy smile, giggling as she held Puck and sat down on a chair.

"Yay!"

Subaru watched the scene with a confused look. Emilia giggled and smiled at him.

"Bewildered, aren't you? Beatrice is so taken with Puck."

"Who even says Bewildered nowadays?"

Emilia's heart gave a tug… she missed hearing him say that.

Subaru's other hand was held by a snow-white one.

Subaru and Emilia's conversation was interrupted by a man suddenly entering the room.

"My, my! How unusual to see you here, Beatrice! I'm so happy that you decided to dine with me." Subaru looked at the weird man that dressed like a clown.

"In comes the truuuuue hero of this stoooory." Roswaal declared as he saw himself in the window.

"The only thing you're a hero of is those creeps that think clown makeup is cool!" Petra shouted in anger at her employer. She hated this clown.

"Ooof!" "Godamnnnn!" "Hahahahaha"

"…. That huuuuurts."

Frederica didn't have the heart to correct Petra on her behavior.

The clown almost killed all of them…

Likely killed all of them if what she was seeing on this window was any indication.

"That boy is more than an addle-brained fool for me, I suppose. Betty was only waiting for Bubby." Beatrice's glare at Subaru and the clown turned into a smile aimed at Puck as she held him against her cheek.

Subaru looked at the clown in confusion and smiled nervously.

"You guys hired a clown to entertain you before each meal? I'll never understand how rich folks think." Subaru patted the man's back and smiled.

"Oh, this guy is an idiot!" Felix shouted in shock.

Julius frowned at the screen and sighed. "He didn't know… "

Priscilla gave a mighty chuckle and watched with a crooked smile.

He's amusing… But what interested her was something else entirely now… Her eyes glazed over towards the eccentric clown sitting in the same row as her.

Emilia looked at him with shock visible on her face. The clown just remained frozen and silent.

"Um, Subaru, that man is… " Emilia nervously spoke.

"Oh, no, it's quite alright, Emilia-sama," The clown assured her.

Subaru looked at the two confused. "What's going on?"

The clown smiled and glanced at Subaru. "Only that I am the lord of this maaaaanor, Roswaal L. Maaathers, Natsuki Subaru-kun."

"Hmmmm, I guess this is a failed loop," His eyes hardened, Roswaal watched with the silent two maids, the guilt-ridden half-elf and the crushed spirit girl below him.

But his whisper was heard by the scarlet princess that had taken him as a much rather interesting anomaly to keep her eyes on instead of the screen. Priscilla glared through her scarlet eyes, her mind fully focused on the clown she was suspicious of.

"... He even acts the same as her," Wilhelm commented softly while gazing at Roswaal on the screen with the warmth of nostalgia in his eyes. He noticed the way this generation's Roswaal was clothed and accented in the same manner as one of his dearest friends.

Subaru stepped back in shock as the clown stepped closer to stare into his eyes.

The scene changes to show the residents of the manor eating food with the maids sitting at Roswaal's sides.

Subaru sips the soap in front of him and his face lights up with delight, "This is way better than normal food!"

"Mhhm, Despite her appearance, Rem's cooking is quite impressive," Roswaal said.

"What does that mean?" Crusch asked the clown. But she stopped demanding an answer when she saw the narrowed look in his eyes.

What was up with this guy?

Crusch just looked at the screen and tried her best to keep her shiver from showing.

"So this was cooked by the one with blue hair… um… Rem-chan, right? You made this?" Subaru asked as he looked at the standing maid.

"Yes, sir. I do the cooking in this house. My sister is not very good at cooking."

"Ah, twins who are good at different things! Is your sister good at cleaning, then?"

"Yes, that is correct. My sister excels at housework, especially cleaning and laundry."

"So, Rem-rin, you're good at cooking but bad at cleaning and laundry?"

"No, I am generally good at all household tasks. I'm also better at laundry and cleaning than my sister."

"Does your sister even have a purpose?!"

"Harsh!" Otto trembled and looked at Ram, the pink-haired Oni no doubt will be smacking the wannabe knight for such a comment, so he was prepared to jump in her way and protect his sleeping friend.

What he saw… was a calm, thoughtful-looking Ram watching the screen with no reaction.

She's waiting for something.

Otto concluded and watched the screen with a skeptical eye.

What if… Nah no way with Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama around… Roswaal is there too!

Otto slowly sat down and calmed his nerves. He wouldn't see his friend die again and he was happy about that.

His panic made him forget that Ram was still waiting for something.

"You are truly a strange young man. You come to the mansion of Margrave Mathers, in the Kingdom of Lugunica, aaaand you saaay you don't understaaaand a thing."

Subaru looked perplexed at The lord of the manor. "Is something bad happening in this country?"

"Well, it is not in an agreeable state. After all, Lugunica's king is currently not present."

Subaru stopped eating and looked at Roswaal with surprise.

"No, there's no need to be concerned… Everyone is quite aware of the reality already."

"Really? I expected a 'Now that you know my secret I can't let you leave here alive' thing."

"Margrave-sama."

"Hm?"

Julius faced the weirdly dressed man with a hardened face, "Why is it that you didn't put more suspicion on Subaru Natsuki? He clearly didn't know anything about the kingdom's state which is suspicious to say, not only this but also the fact that he managed to save your sponsored candidate from an assassination attempt."

While stating his reasons to suspect the magic lord, Julius failed to see how those in the Emilia camp were flinching hard except for Rem and Petra.

Roswaal only met the knight with a small crooked upturn of his lips, his multi-colored eyes held no color as he stared down at the knight.

"My my~ I was just grateful for this stranger's kindness for saving my Emilia-samaaaa. I had not foreseen any wrongdoing from the boy nor did I sense danger from someone with his… deficiency."

"Deficiency?" Ignoring Julius' stand on the matter, Emilia cut in rigidly with her eyes filled with confusion.

Roswaal's expression softened into a warmer smile as he received Emilia's attention, "I had already asked Beatrice-san to discover everything about Subaru-kun's abilities through her mana reeeeeading when she healed him on the first night of his staaaaaay,"

Emilia's eyes briefly fell on the little girl sitting beside her. The little girl stayed silent.

"You could say that Subaru-kun's state and condition in both magic and physical prowess were… assuring in a sense."

"A-Assuring of what?" Petra asked, not liking how the strange clown-dressed man seemed to revel with the hawk-like glares coming from everyone around her.

"Assuring Subaru's weakness if he was to be an enemy spy of coooooourse!"

This made Emilia and Rem's eyes widen, Otto and Garfiel simply stayed silent with their eyes glaring at Roswaal.

"You already thought of him as a spy?" Julius inquired with a straight face. He received a nod from the lord.

"Indeed! I mean there were too many variables to ignore but what surprised us is how extremely low his knowledge waaaaas of our world and situation politically, not to mention the way his magical gaaaate seemed to have been locked which made him more vulnerable and useless… It surely was interesting to learn about him but that was as close as our relationship would've gooooone."

"Don't speak about him in that way!" As Julius started to narrow his eyes in suspicion, a girlish shout filled with authority cut through the air.

Roswaal was met with two purple irises of ice and fire, equal in their fury and wrath to the sheer innocence they displayed.

"Emilia-sa-"

"Do not bring up Subaru as useless or weak again!" Surprising everyone, the timid half-elf was outright ordering the strongest mage of the kingdom with an expression of firmness and anger as if she was speaking to a servant that had failed her.

Roswaal simply bowed his head with another one of those smiles of which Emilia didn't like, "As you wish, Emilia-saaama~ My deepest apologies. I didn't mean to insult our Subaru-kuuuun, not at aaaaall. I merely was stating how we analyzed the boy back when we didn't make any ties with our friendshiiiip."

"Friendship my ass…" Garfiel snorted with his arms crossed and his nose fuming from fury. A warning look from his sister made him stand down.

Julius, on his part, had noticed all of the Emilia camp's strange attention to detail on the clown, unlike anyone else, select few in the Emilia camp held outright hatred and mistrust with the clown instead of the usual skepticism the other occupants showed toward him. There was something more going on here.

"Julius-san… Please sit down."

"What?"

Otto firmly attested to the knight once more with a strange look in his eyes that looked like the merchant was begging the knight to stay out of this.

"We don't want to delay the watching any further. I'm sure whatever it is you are looking for will be answered."

"Will it?" Julius firmly questioned the merchant head sitting below him.

Otto's hand was firmly placed on his side, his eyes were dim for having to take the heat off the eccentric persona in the back of the theater, but he couldn't let this camp fall just yet. Not when Subaru entrusted him to keep it intact. Holding the reason that explained Roswaal's every strange habit and occurrence in his pocket, Otto knew every answer needed to expose this clown Magi to the greatest knight and his allies right here and now. But the merchant never reveals his or her trade unless there was a price on the line.

And he did not see a good price in having his team break out of losing their one and only sponsor in this race.

While Otto and Julius both stared off against each other, the knight was surprised to see the drippled, fearful boy was suddenly a bit more assertive and steady in his stand. It was determination of sorts.

And when about to speak on this matter more fluently, the knight was stopped by a fur-coated hand.

"Julius-kun~ You're making an embarrassin' scene out here."

"Anastasia-sama?"

The queen of the Hoshin company simply grabbed her knight's arm and pulled him to stumble back in his seat with an innocent smile plastered on her face.

"Shush now, I'm sure whatever it is we need will be shown anyways," Anastasia giggled briefly while keeping an innocent facade going, her eyes briefly glanced between Otto and Roswaal, from the bottom row to the very top one where both were seated individually. She can't help her amusement from showing.

"You guys look so different but still act like one. T's truly exceptional. Clowns all 'round~"

"Hey no-"

"That's alright, Garf-san!"

Otto, clearly struck by Anastasia's comment, still had the foresight to stop his friend from saying or doing anything insulting the smug royal candidate.

Roswaal seemed to be intrigued by this as his eyes lingered on Otto briefly.

Priscilla's own eyes narrowed at the man.

Uncaring for all of this, Emilia turned around and waited for the viewing to continue and show her what happened to Subaru here and if he had managed to control this power of his.

Rem was watching all of this with the most confused of faces, barely being able to keep up with what was supposed to be a brief moment.

Why didn't my sister defend Roswaal-sama?

Beatrice is feeding Bubby with a smile on her face as Roswaal is talking.

"Around the same time, the king went into hiding. An epidemic began to spread throughout the castle. The king and his children are the last of his line. The nation is currently being managed by a council of wise men, and they are now in the process of selecting a new king."

Subaru seemed to be in thought.

"I see. I'm starting to get the picture. On top of the king's absence, the royal selection is causing confusion in the kingdom. Then suddenly, I appear from another world-"

"Wait, I'm totally suspect here!" Subaru's face contorted to one of pure panic.

"It does seem a lil' suspicious that he would appear in such times and make contact with a candidate t' the throne immediately upon arrival." Anastasia mused.

"Yeah, but we saw how he arrived 'ere. He had no say in coming to our world and he didn't know big sis was a candidate," Felt answered, uncaring towards the entire ordeal previously displayed since she cared little about all of them. Heck, to her, she considered everyone here a clown.

"Yeah, we know that Subaru-kun didn't have a say in coming here at such a crucial time. But we don't know who planned for those events to happen." Anastasia submitted with a thoughtful glance behind her where a certain clown lurked.

"I don't think it's the Witch's Cult," Crusch voiced out suddenly, having been silent and observing the whole time.

"Why is that?" Priscilla asked, clearly interested in taking her eyes off of the scum sitting beside her.

"Subaru Natsuki has been a very troublesome thorn in their side. I don't think they would put him here and give him such a powerful ability just to give themselves a challenge."

"And what if the boy wasn't given his power by the fiends of the cult?"

"Calling him boy now? What happened to a commoner?"

Priscilla remained silent and looked in thought with Crusch's musings.

"Mineself merely noticed a few more things happening around this mortal that it interested me,"

Al recoiled in shock as he had never heard her speak this softly before.

"Pardon me for speaking without permission, Crusch-sama, Anastasia-sama, Felt-sama, and Priscilla-sama." The conversing candidates looked at the knight that held the title of Sword Saint as he gazed thoughtfully at Subaru.

"Speak," Felt ordered.

He bowed. "Subaru has been given this ability by some evil means. I can't find such a divine blessing in The Od, in fact, I can't create it so it's not a blessing or usable magic. Someone powerful and trained in ancient dark arts must have done this to him." Reinhard sat down and looked at the screen to let the room think about what he said.

"How utterly disgusting," Priscilla spoke softly as she watched the window's events with her mind in thought.

"Aaaand on top of aaalll that, you made contact with Emilia-sama, thus becoming connected to my household."

"Wait, why would the lord of the mansion call her Emilia-sama?" Subaru asked in confusion.

"It's only natural to address someone of higher status with due respect." Roswaal casually clarified.

Subaru looked nervous as he turned to the girl beside him.

"Um, so Emilia-tan would be… "

Emilia smiled sympathetically. "My current title would be a candidate to become the Kingdom of Lugunica's forty-second ruler, with the backing of Margrave Roswaal."

Subaru recoiled back. "What!?"

"Sorry to surprise you. I wasn't trying to keep it a secret." Emilia slowly placed her insignia on the table.

"Hey, it's that insignia."

"This qualifies one to be a candidate for king. It's a touchstone for determining if one is worthy of the throne."

"Wait, Emilia-tan, you lost an insignia that qualifies you to rule the kingdom?!" Subaru looked at the half-elf ludicrously.

"Don't put it like that! I didn't lose it! It was stolen from me by a thief!"

"Sorry, again." Felt rubbed her head softly and tried not to remember that she had caused so much pain to Subaru.

She felt better when the half-elf girl smiled warmly at her.

"It's forgotten."

Felt frowned at her reaction. Emilia wasn't herself and she was looking distant.

"That's the same thing! And what happens if you lose that thing anyway? Will a government office issue another one?" Subaru almost fell off his chair.

"Oh, my! If you'd lost it, then there would be no doubt. If it's believed that one who can't even protect a tiny insignia can't be entrusted for the nation's rule, that would be the end of it." Roswaal explained, still smiling.

Subaru looked satisfied with himself.

"Now that I think about it, I did a damn good job. This totally raises my expectations for a reward!" Subaru wiggled his fingers creepily.

"What a child," Julius snorted at the excitement shown on Subaru's face.

"I actually think it's a fair trade. Subaru Natsuki did no small thing by helping Emilia-sama and her sponsor," Crusch mused with a raised brow.

"Anyone could do it if they had the power to turn back time…" Felix thought inwardly, biting his tongue as to not initiate any problems for his lady just yet. The cat boy could feel himself on the verge of exploding from his anger, however.

"Yeah, you're right. You're a true savior to me. So ask for anything." Emilia smiled at him, not at all detoured by his finger wriggling.

Roswaal raised his hands wide, "You may have any reward you request. Just name your desire."

Crusch smirked and turned around to face the crowd. "Bet number three, Natsuki will ask for something small and stupid. The residents are not allowed to bet."

Everyone raised their hands while chuckles were heard.

Except for Anastasia. "I'm sure that Natsuki-kun will ask for a hefty reward and be clever enough to use this carefully."

She didn't notice the warm smiles on the manor's residents.

Subaru chuckled darkly.

He stood up.

"In that case, I have but one request." as he smiled to keep them in suspense. Everyone in the room waited.

"Hire me to work in this mansion!"

Silence.

"Achoo." Ram sneezed.

Silence.

"When he wakes up… I need to talk with him."

Julius honestly felt scared.

Anastasia was rubbing her fur coat with such a nasty glare on her cute face. He noticed that the fur coat was moving very fluently underneath her caressing hand… As if it was moving on its own beneath Anastasia's hand.

Julius shook his head and focused on the important matter before him.

His lady was angry with Subaru! It was his duty as a knight to whoop his ass!

Sadly, he was asleep.

"You're safe for now Natsuki."

"I'm starting to think that he's an idiot," Felt spoke in shock at the stupid request.

Crusch just chuckled softly.

Priscilla snorted behind her fan at the boy's lack of ambition.

"That's how Subaru ended up working for Emilia-sama?" Petra thought out loud with her mouth agape.

"It's an informal way to be initiated into servitude… But then again Roswaal-sama was never one for tradition."

"Myyy you make me sound so scandalous, Freeederica-chan~"

Petra and Frederica were not the only ones that were fascinated with the way Subaru ended up serving in the manor, but also the two young men sitting at the front as well.

"Yer kiddin' me! Cap'n chose to serve the clown?!" Garfiel blew his nostrils in anger and growled in outrage.

"You shouldn't be that angry Garf-san, it's because Natsuki-san worked for Margrave-sama that we all met." Otto recalled with a smile.

Garf simply let out a huff and crossed his arms.

The scene changes to show Emilia and Subaru in a dressing room.

"That's not quite right…" Emilia stared at Subaru as he wore unfit clothes. "Wasn't there anything else that fits, Subaru?"

"Oddly, some of the girls' stuff fit me, but…"

"Our deepest apologies, sir… I mean, Subaru-kun." Rem said deadpanned.

"You look ridiculous, sir… I mean, Barusu."

"Um, Nee-sama, you just turned my name into a blinding curse."

"Huh! You didn't take time letting him settle before starting to pick on him!" Otto couldn't help but point out with delight.

"That's hilarious!" Al and Ricardo laughed at the twins' dynamic with the boy. Even Emilia and the candidates were amused by the trio.

"So I still called him Barusu in this one, huh," Ram thought to herself while leaning her chin on her knuckle to examine her past-on-screen self closely.

Rem was watching through sad, guilt-ridden eyes. She didn't know what would happen in this future, she just hoped that her hero would forgive her if she would've done something… Wrong.

Roswaal watched them both with a keen eye. His own glints of guilt were not lost on one red princess watching him, however.

"What could you be doing…?" Priscilla mused under her fan, her mind totally uninterested with whatever was being shown on the screen, and settled on looking at one of the few things that bothered the princess since being placed in the theater.

Why does that clown look so empty?

Ram ignored him and looked at her sister.

"Rem, do you notice anything when looking at Barusu's ridiculous appearance?"

"His shoulders are shaped funny, his legs are short, and his eyes are scary?"

Subaru pointed at Rem, glaringly. "Two of those are things I can't do anything about!"

"We can't allow you to work here in such shady-looking attire. People would question Roswaal-sama's dignity. Let us alter the jacket at least. Rem, if you please."

Emilia started leaving the room and waved at Subaru. "All right, I gotta go study for the royal selection. Good luck with your work, too, Subaru."

"Yeah, leave it to me, Emilia-tan!"

Rem stepped closer to him and extended a measurement cord. "I will take your measurements. Stand still, with your back straight."

Subaru is standing while Rem is measuring him from behind. He yelps when she has her arms around him.

"Please don't make strange noises. It's unpleasant.

"That was beyond my control! This is awkward for a guy in various ways!"

Rem pouted a little and wanted more than nothing but to get in there and smack her other self in the face for wasting such a wonderful opportunity with her hero.

Garfiel, Al, and Ricardo found it appropriate to laugh at him while Crusch and Anastasia chuckled at the flustered boy.

Even Julius and Reinhard seemed to be taken in by the laughter.

Wilhelm simply curled a side of his lip in amusement at the hijinks.

Subaru is walking with Ram now as she showed him around the mansion.

"In a mansion like this, the restroom must be huge."

Subaru stopped to open the door and take a peak but all he found was a little girl playing with a small cat on a bed. Definitely not a bathroom.

"Again?! How is he doing that?!" Frederica shouted in jealous surprise as Subaru astounded her once again.

Those who were outside of Beatrice's circle just looked confused at the older maid's outburst.

"I guess Natsuki-san was always connected to Beatrice-san, huh?"

Beatrice didn't smile or react, she just looked at the screen with an unreadable look.

What are they waiting for?

Otto asked. His mind was denying reality. His soul was forcing him to stop listening to the truth. His heart was trying as best it can to make him realize…

His friend is going to die.

"You're so great, Bubby! Your fur is the best!"

Beatrice stopped hugging Puck and looked at Subaru in alarm.

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul. The feel of that fur would make anyone-"

Beatrice growled and sent him flying out of the room, closing the door behind him as he fell on the carpeted hallway floor.

Subaru growled and got up to open the door. "Hey! Let me finish!"

Once opening the door, Subaru was faced with a small bathroom instead of the library and bed he expected.

"That was Beatrice-sama's Door Crossing."

"So it's a spell that can connect any door in the mansion to her own room?"

"Once Beatrice-sama has eliminated her presence, there's no way to find her without trying every door in the mansion." Subaru smiled at Ram and looked around.

"Bet number four, he fails miserably!" Felt called from her seat. No one raised their hands. Even Reinhard.

Felt pouted.

He quickly had his sights on a closed-door down the hallway and ran to it.

"She's in here!"

"Aahh!" Beatrice screamed in fright when a smirking Subaru burst the door open.

Puck waved at the boy with a surprised look. "That was impressive, Subaru!"

"You picked the right door again?!" Beatrice growled at him.

"That is impressive. But how did he do it?" Julius asked with an impressed look on his regal features.

"Is it really not his affinity for spirits that allowed him to counter such a fascinating spell?" Reinhard couldn't help but inquire in greed for knowledge.

The little blonde simply scoffed, "You two don't seem to have heard me. Affinity's and Attraction do nothing to counter Betty's magic."

"So, the boy found you all by himself?" Ricardo whistled in surprise.

Roswaal was staring at the void with a frustrated glance. Had his master's magic really failed to counter such a simple man as Subaru even back then? It seems anything his master makes only gets broken by Subaru's mere presence. Books, libraries, tomes, spells, and all.

Subaru pointed at himself with a smug smirk. "What did I tell you? I'm a flag crusher who makes game masters cry."

"I don't understand your words, I suppose."

"I don't know who you are either, Ros-chi's little sister?"

Beatrice recoiled in disgust. "I'd never want to be his sister, I suppose! Hmph!"

"Awe, I thought we were cloooooser than thaaaat."

"Hmph!"

"Betty is the librarian who oversees the Roswaal mansion's forbidden library," Puck explains.

"Roswaal-sama is the greatest magic user in the kingdom. He has many books that mustn't be seen by others. Beatrice-sama is contracted to protect them." Ram explained from behind him.

"And Natsuki Subaru just burned all that knowledge!" Felix shouted in horror while the others looked conflicted about whether to feel angry or do nothing about it.

"It couldn't really be helped, hehe," Otto rubbed his cheek nervously as he saw looks of outrage from both knights and candidates. Especially Anastasia and Crusch.

Felt and Priscilla looked like they couldn't be bothered to care.

"If you get it now, then go away." Beatrice closed the door in his face.

Subaru and Ram are now standing outside of the manor.

"This concludes our tour of the mansion. Any questions?"

"I know it's no use saying this after it's over, but shouldn't Emilia-tan be the one with me for the tour event?"

"It's like he only thinks about her…" Petra fumed with jealousy.

Emilia frowned a little but blushed. Why was he so in love with her? It made her feel soooo warm, but she couldn't understand why.

"If you have no questions, let's get to your actual job." Ram walked and ignored him. "You'll help me with my work, Barusu."

"This must be where my hidden skill as a butler reveals itself!"

"He's still under the delusion that this is a game, I suppose." Beatrice sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

"As expected from a fool that has no life. Perfect description for Barusu," Ram rolled the abuse of her tongue without effort as she leaned back in her seat while watching intently.

Priscilla snorted at that.

"My work today is caring for the front yard and garden, helping to prepare lunch, polishing the silver, airing out the futons, laundry, bathroom cleaning, and the mansion's monthly soot cleaning." Subaru couldn't stop his eyes from twitching.

"You two do all of that?! Alone!" Felt shouted as she had seen hundreds of servants at Astrea's mansion.

Roswaal had a bigger Mansion than them so it was impossible for the two maids to be the ones taking care of it on their own.

The maids just stayed silent.

Petra and Frederica looked at them worriedly.

The scene showed an orange sky as the sun began setting. An exhausted-looking Subaru wearing his tracksuit instead of his butler uniform dropped on his bed and breathed heavily.

"I'm exhausted."

Someone knocked on his door. "This is Rem. Do you have a moment, Subaru-kun?"

Rem's blood froze… her eyes widened and her sweat ran down her forehead.

This was instantly noticed by both, her twin and her lord sitting in the back rows.

Priscilla did not give her a single glance. While Ram and Roswaal narrowed their eyes at the girl in suspicion. The man could read the Oni from a mile away, while the pink-haired maid felt distressed through her link with her twin.

"What did you do sister/Rem?"

Her other self is probably planning on killing him in his room. The blue-haired girl was about to break down as the thought of herself killing her beloved was too much.

The only thing keeping her going was the fact that Subaru showed her the world with his smile. He wouldn't smile like that to the one that killed him, Right? So that means she must have not done the horrible deed to the boy.

Right?

Subaru slowly and tiredly sat up from his bed. "Sure, I'm good. I won't do anything weird so please come in."

"Your permission actually makes you sound less credible. Pardon me then." Rem entered carrying some clothes.

"That is true." Frederica giggled along with Petra, and Anastasia.

No one noticed the panicking Rem as she looked on with trembling hands.

"You finished that already?"

"When it's Roswaal-sama's clothing, my priority is to be careful but since this is yours…"

"Did you just imply that you cut corners?"

Subaru quickly put the suit on and looked at himself.

"I hate to admit it, but it's perfect. Well? Do I look good?"

"Combined with the rarity of gray clothes, no one in any kind of strange garment could rival you."

"Okay! Not a compliment at all!"

"So what should we do?" Rem asked as she looked at some cloth.

"This one's easy. Got a needle and thread?"

"I brought them. Shall I repair it now?"

"Nah, I'll do it. Don't underestimate my sewing skills."

Subaru is humming as he threads a needle through the pants.

"Subaru is really good at sewing; he makes some weird but awesome-looking toys."

Felt looked at Petra with interest.

"Toys…." The blonde realized what she had been missing all this time.

Felt was going to punch Reinhard so hard when he's sleeping, he might drop a few blessings.

Subaru could have made her toys in that boring big manor. He could have played with her! Had this stupid Knight not been so noble as to deny Emilia's request of taking Subaru with her, Felt would have been the one to house and have him serve under her.

Od damn it, Reinhard!

"I'm surprised, I give you full marks for sewing skills." Rem is looking at the boy with a mysterious look.

"Like you, however, it does not seem very useful."

"You guys are a bit harsh with him…" Ricardo was taken aback by all the abuse the twins were dishing at the new butler.

The twins watched, their minds worlds apart.

One was breathing heavily, thanking god under her breath for something.

And the other was watching her sister with a cold disappointed look.

Why was Ram disappointed in Rem?

Ricardo shrugged.

The scene changes to Subaru cutting a potato in the kitchen. Actually… he was failing as he cut his finger and began bleeding and screaming in pain.

"You may get full marks for sewing, but you're still useless with a knife, Barusu." Ram is peeling the potato like a pro while Subaru is holding his bleeding finger.

Rem was tasting some food when she turned around and smiled at her sister.

"As always, you make such a lovely image when peeling vegetables, sister."

Subaru glares at Rem. "Your bias is so blatant, it's almost comforting! I'd like a comment on my work, too!"

Rem looked at his plate of poorly cut potatoes. She blinked deadpanned.

"I pity the farmer who grew those vegetables."

"Me too." Julius smiled, liking the way they were treating Subaru.

"You guys are too mean with him," Emilia uttered worriedly but with dim emotion.

Seeing that her sister wasn't going to answer the silenced Half-elf, Ram decided to play off both girls' jarring unfocused attitude and scoffed, "Barusu is so perverted he considers this a fantasy anyways, Emilia-sama."

"Damn, why is she so harsh?" Mimi winced and asked her twin. Tivey simply shrugged.

"Stop! You're breaking my heart!"

"You don't know how to handle a knife, Barusu. You should hold the knife still and turn the vegetable."

Ram peeled a potato perfectly and held it proudly with a smile. "Frankly speaking, my best dish is steamed tatoes."

(Apples are called appas. Potatoes are called tatoes. I'm too lazy to go back and change all the potatoes I wrote.)

"How can you say that with such a triumphant look?! Damn it! Just watch! My favorite blade, shooting star, will show you a thing or two!"