Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"...I must hurry."

A little maid with chestnut hair was going through the corridor of a great manor, her apron was stained with dirt and her forehead sweaty, yet she didn't stop to fix her uniform as she hurried through the halls.

"I must find them" the brown haired girl muttered as she arrived at a certain door, before reaching for the doorknob she patted her lap and knocked on the door, only after hearing an affirmative reply from inside she entered the meeting room. "Excuse me, Emilia-sama and everyone."

"It's ok, Petra-chan." said the silver haired half-elf, as she rested her teacup on the table in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"Uhm, I just finished cleaning the floors on the eastern wing and...hm." Petra fidgets blushing shy under the gazes. "I, I wanted to ask if Beatrice-sama wanted to play with me!"

"I think you should go ask Frederica fiiiiiiirst~" said a clownish man comically "I think I saw her with Garfield a whiiiiiiile~ ago"

Petra gave a small glare towards her lord, then begrudgingly bowed. "Then I'll be leaving, Emilia-sama." she before leaving and closing the door, having omitted her Rosswal's name on purpose

"She's such a sweetheart, don't you think" Said Emilia towards the couple on the other side of the table

"I agree, Miss Emilia" Said a purple haired knight as pulled his hair back "I'm sure she's been waiting all this time to play with Beatrice-sama"

The group had just came back from their adventure on the Pleiades watchtower and everyone was resting and planning on what to do next

"I think she's also worried about... y'know" said a petite merchant in Kansai dialect as she gently patted her fox scarf

"That's truuuuue~, knowing that our knight has been taken to a rival nation also chills me to the boooooones~" said dramatically a blue haired man with clown makeup

"Yeah, if it were Kararagi I might be able to cash in some favours, but Vollachia? It will be hard to get him back with the borders closed we might even incur a war…" the petite merchant pondered while petting her fox scarf softly, there was no doubt this might have make them be on her debt if she played her cards right, but a any gambler worth their name new when a bet was dangerous, and trying to set foot on the land of the wolves as indeed dangerous

"That's right, besides we need to deliver the dragon blood to the capital and Priestella" said the knight of knights as he remembered the goal of their journey, while rescuing Subaru Natsuki was definitely important they also needed to cure the sleeping beauty sickness caused by the gluttony archbishops "Besides, there's also the luggage we brought here"

"Yeah, and we also need to deal with the archbishop we brought" affirmed Emilia as she remembered Roy Alphard, one of the Gluttony brothers and the one they captured after their fight on the tower "Maybe he can help us find Subaru"

"If we guess that his sister is still with with our Natsuki-kun then maybe they could be conneeeeected~" the court magician offered as he turned around to face his pink haired maid "What do you say, Ram?"

"..."

"Ram?"

"Huh?" *CLANK* Suddenly, Ram dropped the silver tray she was carrying *I'm sorry, Rosswaal-sama, I wasn't paying attention" apologized the devoted girl as she kneeled and picked up the tray from the ground

"You seemed distracted, what were you thinking about?" Inquired greedily the head of Hoshin trading "I'm kinda curious, y'know?"

"It's nothing, Anastasia-sama, just..." The pink haired maid mumbled as she looked at the door that the new maid just opened. "Don't you all think that Beatrice-sama has been acting a bit weird lately?"

That question left everyone frowning as they remembered how the great spirit was behaving after her contractor was taken to Vollachia by the shadow

"You're right, Beatrice-sama spent whole days in the Taygeta library" said Julius as he remembered bringing her food up the stairs to turn it into mana for sustenance... curiously she was always on the same spot in the library...

"She took it upon herself to make a detection spell and try to communicate with Subaru-kun" said Anastasia as she visualized how hard it would have been to connect them through this distance... this only made her eventual failure of such a link even more pitiful

"Yeah, and she didn't even say a word to us on the trip back home" said Emilia as she recalled how awkward was the travel as she just hugged her and Subaru's luggage, probably thinking about him "I'm sure Beako reaaaaaaally misses Subaru"

"I wasn't talking about that..." Interrupted Ram while pondering the suspicious behavior that the contracted spirit had displayed recently "Did anyone notice her... gaze?"

""Gaze?"" Asked everyone at the same time

"... it must have been a mistake then" said Ram as she corrected herself "Excuse me for being suspicious"

"It's ok, Ram-chan" said Emilia as she tried to calm down the seemingly worried maid. "I'm sure she's just concerned for Subaru."

"... Ram hopes you're right, Emilia-sama." Mumbled Ram as she thought back upon how Beatrice had looked at her a few days ago during the trip back home, with pure hatred and spite... almost as if she was looking at a villain who killed her parents, it only lasted a moment but it still sent chills down her spine the sheer bloodlust that those eyes portrayed. Before Ram could ask what happened Beatrice walked away leaving her with no explanation... and since that day Beatrice always looked at her with disgust and every interaction between them was short and unpleasant... "...I hope you're right."

__________________________

Petra hurried down the stairs as she found the 'parkour course', as Subaru called it, *thump* just as she arrived at the last step something heavy landed at her said, as the maid slowly turned around to see

"That was a record! I'm sure my amazing self
Is gonna do it even better next time" Said a sharp toothed blond haired youth as he stretched his limbs, after all that training it was surprising that Garfield still had the energy to run a hundred laps around the mansion and then some. "Hey Petra, didn't notice you there, how are you doing?"
"Ah, I'm ok Garfield-sama, I wanted to ask where Fre-"

"Garfield!" Said a platinum haired boy as he tried to run by the side of the parkour course, only to stop a couple of steps away from Garfield to catch his breath. "Huff, I'm, huff, done with this."

"I'm sorry, Otto-sama, this is what happens if you tried to match Garfield in speed" said a sharp toothed blonde maid as she walked towards the group. "Oh, Petra, what are you doing here?"

"I-I finished doing my tasks and now I wanna play with Beatrice-sama please." Asked Petra as she bowed to her senior maid

"Hmmm, alright" answered Frederica "But make sure to come back for dinner, understood?"

"Understood, Frederica-oneesama" said Petra as she jogged back into the manor

"Beatrice, huh?"

"Hm? Something wrong Otto-bro?" Asked Garfield, seeing the quizzical look on one of his best friends made him worried.

"No, it's just that… I feel something odd with Beatrice." Replied Otto as while thinking

"Something odd about her? Besides not being with the Cap'n?" Garfield said grumpy, knowing that Subaru had been taken into Vollachia was quite a shock for the impressionable youth, he wanted to go rescue him but no one on the camp would let him go and storm into Vollachia, so he would need to wait to fulfill his goal of saving Cap'n and fighting one of Vollachia's divine generals, well, one a bit more alive "I wish you would all just let me go for him, it's not gonna take us a month, me and Cap'n are invincible together"

"I'm not talking about Natsuki-kun, at least not directly, have you all noticed how weird Beatrice is behaving?" Said Otto as he thought deeply

"What kind of behavior? Otto-sama" asked Frederica curiously "I haven't noticed anything"

"Maybe she just misses Cap'n or something? Everything is awesome with him" said proudly Garfield

"I'm talking about how she doesn't talk to anyone, spends all day on Subaru's room and then there's that weird stare she has sometimes, like looking at something… and how she ignores everyone around here…" mentioned Otto as she recalled how Beatrice had acted once she arrived at the manor. "And then there's that chest she's been carrying…"

"Chest? What chest?" Asked Garfield quizzically

"Beatrice-sama has been carrying a big old chest since she came back from the tower." explained Frederica. "And she hasn't let me or anyone else in the manor touch it, let alone carry it for her…"

"Yeah, when I tried to lift to help her she just slapped my hand away and screeched at me to never touch it again…" muttered Otto. "She didn't even apologize."

"I'm sorry, Otto-sama, but you should know better than to touch a lady's luggage without asking." replied Frederica. "You should go apologize to her later…" the maid then thought back to the mysterious trunk, she could understand a bit Beatrice's overprotective behavior towards it, after all… "That was Subaru-sama's luggage, after all"

"Oh, I didn't know." Otto suddenly felt guilty, surely Beatrice felt as if he was trying to take it away from her… "Wait…" but then he noticed something curious about it. "Didn't Subaru take only some clothes and provisions in his personal luggage?"

"That is correct, Otto-sama, why?" Answered Frederica as she remembered how she helped Subaru pack his things

"I mean, I could be wrong as I only held it for a second but.." Otto thought back to the sensation he had in his hand… "I swear it felt like there were books in it.."

"Books…?" Frederica asked curiously. "Why would there be books on Subaru-sama's luggage?"

"Hehehe, you two seriously are clueless…" laughed Garfield mocking the pair. "Those are surely Cap'n's own epic stories." The cat boy was certain of these as he knew that Subaru was a legend himself, so his legends must have been documented someway. "She must read them to sleep or something."

"Garfield, why would Subaru-sama hide something like that? Or Beatrice-sama keep it away from everyone?" Doubted the sharp-toothed maid.

"Aneki, it's obviously embarrassing for a man like Cap'n to have your stuff read by someone else, and Beatrice must also have some secret books." Replied Garfield with a smug expression "It's bad manners to read someone's adventures without asking permission"

*Sigh* "I guess you're right, Garfield, but I hoped they would trust me with just some old books" muttered Otto as he remembered that Beatrice didn't let anyone near her hidden treasure "Not like I would have broken it or anything"

"What kind of stories do you think there are? I would love to read how he hunted down the white whale." said Garfield as he remembered the legendary battle that he unfortunately couldn't witness.

Seeing the optimistic behaviors of his friend, Otto shakes his head and replies. "I bet there's something about Priestella, although they must have forgotten about my participation…"

The group then kept talking among themselves about the adventures they would have loved to read about, with their favorite nasty-eyed knight as the hero.

_____________________________

"Beatrice-sama must be in Subaru-sama's room" said Petra as she walked towards her destination, she spent almost a month away from Subaru and the rest of the gang after they went to the sage's tower and while she loved accompanying her Frederica-oneesama at work living with Rosswal was, honestly, a pain in the ass, she had a newfound respect at Ram for being able to love him.

So when she heard that Emilia-sama was coming back she hurried towards the entrance hall to welcome them properly, yet Subaru was somehow tangled into some mess in Vollachia... so only Emilia, Ram, Meili, Anastasia, Julius and Beatrice... the latter seemed particularly shocked after losing her contractor

"If Subaru isn't here then I'm gonna be the one to cheer up Beatrice-sama" she wanted to help Subaru when he needed her, and while Petra couldn't go to Subaru's aid she would at least go help make beatrice happy for him. As much as Beatrice likes to deny it she really enjoys teaching Petra about the past and magic, they were really good friends and playing together might lift their moods. She was almost arriving to Subaru's room, just around this corner and...

"...not dangerous, I suppose" Petra suddenly heard someone talk from inside "Don't worry, Betty will protect you in fact" guessing by the voice and mannerisms it was probably Beatrice, but... who was she talking with you?

"Betty will allow you to take her hand to calm you down, I suppose, so stop crying and calm down" Petra was surprised for many reasons, first whoever she was talking with was, apparently, in a bad shape. Second, Beatrice was allowing them to take her hand, only Subaru was allowed to hold Beatrice's hand, even Petra received a scolding each time she tried to lead her through the halls while pulling her hand.

Petra was a bit curious so she leaned against the slightly-opened door and tried to find who else was there, but all she could see was Beatrice's back as she argued towards whoever was accompanying her "About Clint and Annerose? Don't worry, they're not as troublesome as the rest, in fact." Troublesome? For who?

"Betty doesn't like being here anyway, in fact, if it weren't for you then Betty would have already left this hateful manor... It only has bad memories..." Bad memories? Leaving them? Why? They just spent a year here and Beatrice seemed really happy during that year, especially with Subaru... could it have been a lie? Nah, she wouldn't.

"It's tiresome to try to act nicely towards those bugs, in fact, Betty wants to give them payback for everything they've done to you, I suppose." HOLY SHIT, IT WAS A LIE! Petra was shocked to hear that, to know that the cute and innocent Beatrice was just acting nice left her gaping, she thought back to poor Subaru and how much this would hurt him.

"What do I honestly think about everyone? Well Julius is a hateful womanizer who's pushing just pushing you around, Anastasia tries to manipulate and use you like a chess piece, the maid older sister is honestly unbearable with her abuse towards you, don't get me started with that Rem you so much love, she even left you alone to die against that hunter, I suppose! Don't even get me started on Rosswal and his schemes, half of your troubles were his fault, in fact. And then there's your so loved Emilia-tan who not only takes your love for granted but leaves you behind to DIE WITH THE BURDEN! Uggghhhh!!"

Beatrice was hissing with exasperation, her hatred was evident in her words as she argued how despicable everyone, why was she so mad with everyone? "I suppose the only ones worth saving are Otto, Frederica and Petra-chan, although that tiger boy is growing into something more useful to you, I suppose. In fact, I don't understand how you keep trying to save them and make them happy... even at the cost of your own life, in fact they don't deserve you..." Beatrice muttered as her anger slowly calmed down, Petra was shocked by how deep Beatrice's feelings went, she would start to cry if Beatrice and her unknown companion listed her as unforgivable too. Who was there and why did they hate the Emilia camp so much?

"And where's Betty on this list you ask? It's obvious, I suppose... she's unforgivable too in fact" wait, what? "Twenty... more than twenty times did Betty fail you on that damned tower... And all you did was keep trying and save her and everyone else... Betty-... I don't deserve you, in fact!" Beatrice's voice now was heavy with self-hatred, it surprised Petra to hear the prideful spirit say all this...

As Petra notices the water drops falling down the floor in front of Beatrice, she swore to herself wouldn't forgive the one who made her friend cry like this. But what did she mean with twenty? Who was she trying to help so much and why? Did Subaru know of this? Petra leaned closer, trying desperately to find the one responsible for her friends misery, if she could just see their face then she would have answers, or at least she could help Emilia and the other know about it "But Betty will make up for this, in fact, Betty will make sure that no one will leave you behind again, in fact, Betty won't let you di-" *creak*

Petra held her breath as she watched the door slowly open, she could swear her heart stopped right there and then for a second as she waited for Beatrice to do or say something... She knew that it lasted just a couple seconds, but Petra could swear it was an eternity until finally

"How much did you listen, I suppose?" The coldness on Beatrice's voice ran a chill through Petra's back, she was still facing away from the door and she could swear that her left hand was shaking wildly "I asked you a question, in fact"

"Uhm, I just... I just got here and didn't hear anything, so now I'll just silently leave..." A sharp purple Cristal flew past besides her face, cutting a lock of her hair and even leaving a small and thin cut on her cheek, once she noticed what just happened she fell down on her butt and trembling "I-im so-sorry, B-beatrice-sama"

"Betty's doesn't care about your apologies, I suppose, they may work wonders on HIM but Betty has room in her heart for one person, in fact, now answer" Beatrice's hand was now being stretched, she didn't bother to turn around or even look at Petra

"I-i heard you said so-something was d-dangerous, and I just wanted to know who you were t-talking with so..." Petra was starting to cry now, watching the girl she considered her friend like this hurted her deep into her soul, she didn't want to be here, why did she have to come with Beatrice to play? She should have just stayed alone... like she was for the past few months

Beatrice's arm was now raised to the said with the fingers stretched apart, and Beatrice slowly turned her head sideways "This is troublesome, I suppose, Betty needs to think about how to deal with you, HE won't let me hurt you and I don't have more chances, but Betty can't let you run your mouth and ruin her act, in fact, not until everything is ready for HIM..." Beatrice stayed there pondering her options for a bit as she held Petra's safety on the tip of her extended fingers

"Uhm, if you let me" Petra calmed herself down and tried to talk some sense into Beatrice, she didn't know if this was something that happened in the tower or Priestella, or if she was like this from before... But there was one way to answer all the questions that were in her mind "I'm sorry, but can I thank this HIM, Beatrice-sama, I dont know why they spared my life but I want show my gratitude." Obviously, Beatrice, seemed to have a really high esteem into whoever HE was, and as Petra was apparently also on good terms with this unknown benefactor, she believed that if she asked it to HIM, then Beatrice might not do anything to him, there was just one tiny issue "I'm really sorry, but I can't see this 'HE' you're talking with, if you show me where he is I'll bow down and apologize"

"..." Beatrice finally turned around and looked properly at the scared girl on the floor, her eyes were cold, almost like she was watching an insect

"..." And Petra felt like an insect being dissected by those cold blue eyes with pink butterflies, maybe she was the butterfly being opened slowly by Beatrice

"Huff, seems like you do have some hope for the future" Beatrice sighed as she looked down on Petra "I will need to ask you to keep the secret, I suppose, do a pact with Betty just to make sure anyways, there's no hurry at all for no-" *THUD*

Suddenly, a black book fell down on top of a chest at the end of the room, and before she could even blink Beatrice had already moved to look at the dark tome, almost instinctively, Petra's breath was caught on her throat as she watched Beatrice slowly lift it in her hands, with extreme care as if she was treating something more precious than her life, the only black books she knew like this were the gospels the witch cult used, but that didn't make sense, Beatrice wasn't part of the cult, right? Right?! Her urges to turn around and run for her life were growing stronger each second

"Change of plans, I suppose" Beatrice said as she opened the chest in Wich fell the tome and opened it, taking off another book like it, why did she have more?! Petra noticed that they had some illegible drawings and a number on top, the one she took of the chest was 13 and she couldn't see the number on the other as she held it to her chest "Betty doesn't have time to deal with you, in fact" Petra slowly crawled backwards as she watched Beatrice walk closer to her with the books, one hugged tight to her chest as if to not let go and the other on her hand as it slowly approached

"P-please, y-you don't have to do this" Petra almost begged with tears in her eyes, as she felt a wall behind her back her despair only grew stronger "I'll just leave and forget this, I never met you or heard anything, just let me go..."

"Betty won't let go, in fact, Betty won't ever let go of the one who's important to her" said Beatrice a she opened the book on her hand and pointed her towards Petra, who closed her eyes in despair "Open your eyes or Betty will open them for you, I suppose"

As Petra held back a sob, she frowned her eyes closed

*Step, step, step*

Surely all this was just a joke, something that Subaru teached her...

*Step, step, step*

This must be Beatrice's idea to lift her mood or something....

*Step, step, step*

Subaru must be doing this all the time with Beatrice and they would laugh after it...

*Step, step...*

There was no way Beatrice would hurt her...

*...*

Petra took a deep breath, as she silently asked for someone to come fo- "Shamac"

"..."

Suddenly, the whole world lost shape for Petra as all her senses were shutted off, she couldn't hear anything, she couldn't feel anything, she tried to scream but even her voice was muted, recognizing Subaru's signature spell she prayed that the knight might have somehow saved her, she opened her eyes, ready to see the black, inky cloud around her but…

"..."

All Petra could see was a book practically shoved in front of her face, and as she slowly loses consciousness her last thought was I'm sorry, Subaru… I couldn't help Beatrice…

*Thud*

"..."

Beatrice looked around and searched any presences on the corridor that might have seen or heard what happened, as she didn't find anything she left both of her almost sacred tomes on the ground carefully and took Petra's ankles to drag her into the room, if anyone asked she was unconscious for a yin spell gone wrong, it was partially true as she used a variant of shamac that didn't blind the sight, nothing strange or dangerous

"You shouldn't have done that"

"..." Beatrice kept carrying the unconscious girl and rested her on the bed, normally just her and Subaru were allowed to use but this was an exception

"She was just scared, she wasn't gonna tell anyone"

"..." After making another Shamac variation to keep all of Petra's limbs tied together in case she woke up early she walked towards the book and took 13# to put it into the collection, making sure it didn't have even a speck of dirt on it before saving it. Then she walked towards the bed and lied lifting the book over her face to see it carefully

"Beako, please, don't do this to Petra-chan, don't do this to yourself"

"...Subaru"

"..." The black haired youth with sanpaku eyes stopped as he thought of finally talking some sense into his Beako, maybe she would apologize to Petra-chan and explain everything to everyone, and she wouldn't need to suffer so much, he might finally sav-

"Lend Betty a bit of your strength, I suppose"... and she opened the book

Chapter Text

""There was a third one?!""

After the initial shock of seeing the black shadow engulf the green room and both Rem and Subaru, only to be driven away by the divine dragon Volcanica, Emilia and the rest of the team were left gaping at the revelation that the third and last gluttony was spirited away with them, Subaru fighting skills were almost none and Rem was comatose, they would be easy picks for the fiendish archbishop of sin.

"What should we do?" Asked the silver-haired semi-elf, voicing the doubts of the group towards the inconceivable event that just took place. "Subaru seems to be in a looooot of danger right now."

"If Barusu doesn't protect Rem then he'll be in even more danger," said the pink-haired oni maid, threatening the safety of the troublesome butler if he was incapable of using his own body as a shield. "thought Ram can still feel her sister so he shouldn't have screwed up too badly."

"Don't badmouth him too much, remember that Natsuki-kun protected you from whatever happened there," said the petite merchant while petting her fox pelt scarf, earning a pink-eyed glare. "I think you even owe him some thanks once he's back."

"I don't think provoking miss ram is wise, Anastasia-sama," said the purple-haired knight, he looked tired and hurt from his recent fight yet still retained the energy to keep his mistress on a leash "I'm also worried about Subaru and Miss Rem but fighting among ourselves won't help anyone"

"Not like we can do anything to help onii-san, you know?" Said the child assassins while playing with a tiny red scorpion "If what you two said is correct he's really, really far"

"He's probably in Vollachia, I suppose," said a petite girl with hair styled on twin drills "Betty can try to pinpoint her contractor's position, in fact"

"That would be reaaaally helpful, Beako." Emilia said warmly.

"Hmph, only Subaru is allowed to call Betty like that, in fact," Beatrice said while looking away. "Although I'll need some peace and silence for this, in fact."

"Understood, Beatrice-chan," Said the cheeky killer. "We'll go and eat something, please do not exhaust yourself too much."

"Ram will also help find them." said the oni maid as she tried to stand up but failed to.

"I don't think it's wise for us to push ourselves," said the fox scarf as it rested against Anastasia's shoulder. "we're all tired from the fight in more than one way."

Eridna was right, not a single one of them was fit to be awake, especially now that the helpful green room was gone, they would need to take a good sleep to get back in shape

"Alright, then we'll go for some provisions" said Anastasia as she turned around and walked through the corridor "Will you be ok here by yourself"

"Betty won't stay here, I plan on going to the library." After spending four hundred year surrounded by the smell of paper was oddly calming, she didn't like it as much as Subaru's scent but it helped her focus.

"Alright, good luck beako."

"I told you that only Betty's contractor was allowed to call her like that, in fact!" Beako said as she puffed her cheeks and walked towards the stairs leading to the Taygeta library

"Please, allow me to follow you, beatrice-sama" said Julius as he followed behind her.

"Betty doesn't need anyone's protection but Subaru's, in fact!"

"I know, but I can't rest soundly if I know that a maiden is staying all alone in that damned library" Julius said with some grief on his voice, he experienced what one book of the death could do and he didn't want it to happen to anyone else.

"If you want to help then just give me some rations for mana, I suppose." Beatrice said remembering her spell to turn food into mana now that her contractor was away she needed to find a way to supply herself

"Isn't it a breach of your contract to take any mana that's not coming from Subaru?" Said Julius, as a spirit knight he knew how important were contracts for spirits, especially now that he broke and remade his own contract with his beloved maidens.

"It's ok as long as it doesn't come from anyone else, in fact." said Beatrice, it was true that her rules were a bit bothersome but if it helped Subaru she was willing to push herself a bit, at least that's what she told herself…

"Alright, I'll see what I can find in our reserves." They had around a month of food left, and as now there was no one stopping them from leaving they didn't have use for much of it, so if the great spirit needed some to pinpoint Subaru and ensure his friend's safety then Julius would be overjoyed to give it to her.

As Julius walked down the stairs Emilia stared at Beatrice with a quizzical look "Are you sure that Subaru isn't hurt at all?"

"Hah?! Betty's contractor is tougher than you think, in fact." Beatrice said "Although I'm sure he might get worried if he doesn't sleep with his Betty, I suppose"

"Sorry, it's just that Subaru is such a dunderhead he might get into some trouble if left alone" Emilia said as she turned around and walked off with Ram and Meili, leaving the great spirit the quietness she needed to find Subaru
Beatrice closed her eyes and focused, being alone made her able to concentrate better on her link with her contractor, all her thoughts were centered around finding Subaru now, so she used what she had left of mana to keep follow Subaru's red string, it was one of the spells Subaru had helped her create, different from their defense trump cards this one was made for them to find each other, the idea came from her brilliant contractor's "red string of fate" and she used it to visualize Subaru's as a puppet made with bright red strings, and one of those strings connected him to beatrice.

"Regardless of distance, place or circumstances the string may tangle or stretch but it will never break, at least that's what the story says." Beatrice remembered her contractor's sweet words as he told her about it, they planned on using it if they ever lost each other in a maze, and indeed it was helpful when Shaula went to the tunnels to look for him. Now Beatrice would use her mind to follow the string and learn about her lost contractor's current whereabouts as she would be able to share his senses to a certain degree. Truth be told they never tried it with that much of a distance between themselves, but that would not stop Beatrice from trying it.

"Hm?" As she delved deeper and deeper into their connection she felt some 'strands' drifting off from her connection and going somewhere else. "This is strange, I guess..." their contract connected their souls, and this was a sacred link that no one else could touch so seeing that a bit of her string was going somewhere else made her suspicious "That wasn't here the last time Betty used this spell, in fact."

It was true, when she gave Subaru's position to Shaula their string was as strong as ever, but now it was as if a third, weaker force was also pulling.

"What could this be?" She thought about the options for this anomaly, it couldn't be another spirit as their contract forbade that, and she would never contract anyone Subaru, so who was this third party that dared to steal their sacred connection?

She decided to follow the strands first to learn about where they led to, it might be some leftover mabeasts cursing him like that one time in the manor, Beatrice knew how much they hated her unfortunate contractor's smell. Luckily the trail led to the same place she was planning to go to, it was somewhere on the third floor of the tower, she walked up the stairs watching her surroundings carefully, she couldn't risk dying until helping her hopeless contractor.

As Beatrice got closer and closer to the end of the stairs she thought more about this weird connection, if these were mabeasts then the assassin brat would have been able to keep them in check, and she didn't notice any curse after the whole conflict was over. The only possible subject could have been Shaula but Beatrice doubted she could even try anything with her current form, besides she was with Meili on the other floor…

Beatrice's thoughts shifted towards Shaula and her love for her supposed 'master', Flugel was without a doubt an unforgivable scum, leaving her like this all alone waiting for hundreds of years, for some rules that she didn't even understand, expecting someone, anyone to come rescue her... It reminded Beatrice of herself... Maybe if Subaru had never come around she would have ended up like her... She needed to repay her selfless contractor in some way…

After arriving at the door Beatrice shook off her needlessly troublesome thoughts as she entered through it, she expected to find some sort of trouble on the extensive library, dirt or scratch marks on the floor that the mabeasts might have left behind, she pondered about another intruder like the gluttony brothers but if they didn't act during the fight then they weren't smart enough to keep hidden with a curse draining her clueless contractor. As she kept walking Beatrice noticed that all of the strands went to the same place, a small corner of the library... What could have been there that was reeling in her connection with Subaru? In Beatrice's mind there was nothing here that could affect their sacred bond, almost as untouchable as their souls, the only thing that was in Taygeta's library were books, in fact, books of the…

"...Wait a sec... Could it be?" Beatrice sped up her pace, almost running to follow the threads towards a small shelf in this immeasurable library, she almost crashed onto it "Impossible..." She immediately looked at the source of the strands and sure enough, there stood a group of black tomes, all of them organized in a single line, and all of them wearing the same symbols "This... It can't be...." The scared girl muttered as she took one of the books in her hands and studied the language covering the top…

"Why don't I know how to read or write? In my home we use another language than here." she remembered her knowledgeable contractor's voice as she traced the lines with her shaking fingers "You want me to teach you about it? Well this is how you write my name" just remembering her lovable contractor's sweet words was enough to make her voice start to falter and her eyes were watering, it took all of her willpower to finish the last character... "Natsuki Subaru, the one and only"

"It can't be, I suppose... Betty's contrac- BETTY'S SUBARU COULDN'T HAVE DIED, IN FACT!!" Betty couldn't handle it, so instead of crying and despairing over the loss of her innocent contractor she chose to rely on anger to stay standing "BETTY CAN STILL FEEL HIM, IN FACT, HE'S STILL ALIVE SOMEWHERE, I SUPPOSE...he must be..."

*Thud*

Suddenly, Beatrice felt another strand tugging at her soul, she didn't even notice when it came into being until it was already there, she slowly got up and walked unsteady towards the end of the new strand, she checked her connection with Subaru again, and again, and again. Each step felt heavy and slow, luckily (or unluckily) the strand didn't lead far from where she stood, it was only a couple turns away, and there it was!

"...Natsuki Subaru... I suppose," Beatrice quickly noticed the new book with her ALIVE contractor's name on it... She knew how this library worked, someone died and their memories were left in the book, but Beatrice was a hundred percent sure that Subaru was alive, she could feel him alive.... How could this be... He couldn't have died.... He wouldn't.... He said he hated people who said they wanted to die…

She thought about more options, it could be someone else with his name, maybe his family, like Rosswal's, inherited the name from their parents... Maybe it was another Natsuki Subaru, someone else from a forgotten time... Or someone who tried to use his name... A kid that got named as him... It could be anything... ANYTHING! Anything but…

"He couldn't have died in fact, Betty's Subaru is stronger than this..."

Her mind was full of thoughts, doubts and questions, none of them led anywhere and none of them made sense, she couldn't wrap her head around the idea of Subaru dying... Especially when she could still feel his connection with her…

"I suppose there's only one way to find my answers..." Beatrice muttered softly as she looked at the heavy book in her hands, it contained the answers to her questions and she would need to open it to understand what was going... She was afraid, scared, ashamed, she didn't want to see what was inside this accursed tome, she wanted to throw it away and forget it ever existed... But she needed to open it, she needed to know so many things: what happened? What did Subaru do? where was he? And most important of all, was he alive or...?

So Beatrice sat down, rested the book on her lap, touched the drills her… contractor loved and "Subaru... Lend some strength to your Betty, I suppose" opened the book...

Chapter Text

So, how do you think Beako is doing?" Asked the silver-haired half-elf as she ate some soup from her provisions "Can she find out where in Vollachia is Subaru?"

"Lady Emilia, if someone can find out where Subaru is then that's Beatrice-sama" Answered Julius Euclius as he sat upright with excellent manners "She has both the knowledge and the means to find him, just give Beatrice-sama some time"

"Yeah, it's not like we can hurry her or anything." Argued Anastasia as she ate a bit of jerky, she made sure to taste every bite as this would be her first meal after waking up. "We'll need to give her some food and space though, she must also be exhausted."

"...I don't understand.." Pondered the child assassin as she scratched her chin. "Why do we need to know Subaru's precise location? Isn't knowing that he's in Vollachia enough?"

"It's not just that the pathetic Barusu and Rem were taken into Vollachia, the issue is that the borders are closed and going in or out is hard." Replied a pink-haired maid as she remembered how the pitiful butler disappeared with her sister. "If he's too far away from the border things might get messy, but if we can pinpoint the city he's in we might deal with this diplomatically"

"Uhmm, I see." said Meili before chewing a dried appa.

"Yeah, and I bet that Beako is also trying to use her door-crossing to connect with Subaru..." Explained Emilia. "But I don't think she'll be able to do it with so much distance."

"Even then, it's worth a try to find a way to help Subaru." Said Julius to lift a bit the mood "I'm sure he's also doing what he can to come find us"

"He must be having it hard there." Pondered a worried Anastasia as she stroked her fox scarf "He just suddenly blinked and found himself in a new country, anyone would be surprised"

"Especially if that country is the land of wolves, Vollachia." muttered the scarf Echidna. "They eat the weak alive, and Subaru isn't precisely strong"

"You're right, I'm worried what might happen if he does something stupid... then Beako and I won't be able to save him from danger" said a worried Emilia as she thought how often her knight got into trouble, it would be a miracle if he came back home without even a scar

"..."

"Its ok, Lady Emilia." The knight of knights said as he thought about the friend who remembered him. "If someone can get out of this that would be Subaru, it's not like he's already dead, both Beatrice-sama and Lady Ram can confirm this"

"That's right, Emilia-sama." Replied Ram after drinking some water. "Even if Barusu isn't able to eat alone he'll at least bring my sister with him, or Ram will send him off to Vollachia again."

"That said, we'll need a lot of energy for the trip back home, we should sleep now and start planning to leave in a few days." Offered Eridonna.

"Wait, but what about Beako?" Asked Emilia worried "She's all alone now"

"Beatrice-sama can take care of herself, and I'm sure she's dealing with Subaru's disappearance on her own" expressed Julius "I tried to go and deliver her some food but couldn't find her. Maybe we should leave her alone until she's ready..."

The group then kept eating and chatting before going to rest, in a few days they would all leave the tower, that would bring a lot of trouble on its own, so everyone made sure to enjoy the peaceful day they were having.

______________________________________________________________

"...hm..."

They opened their eyes, one at a time and tried to mumble her name as they knew she was in danger.

"......hm...."

Yet all the noise that came down their throats was dried and tired, like after waking up from a dream.

"......hm....."

They felt the cold wall that they were pinned to... wait... a wall?

".... em...."

They were sure it was a tree before, after all they were in a jungle just seconds ago, how could there be a wall there?

".....em...."

They looked down on the hole made by the hunter's arrow, only to find nothing at all except her clothes.

"........em....."

Wait, her? Who was her? What happened to the hunter? And where was she? They? Them? And more importantly.

"........em...."

.....where was S̶u̶b̶a̶r̶u̶ Rem?

"......Rem....."

They tried to look around for clues bit all they saw were bookcases, maybe they were in Taygeta.

".......Rem....."

But that wouldn't be possible, they were taken in by ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶d̶o̶w̶ Satella just a while ago... Maybe Louis did something to them...

".....Rem....."

No, Louis was with. S̶u̶b̶a̶r̶u̶ Rem, they needed to find Louis so they could find S̶u̶b̶a̶r̶u̶ Rem.

".......Rem......"

But Louis was in one of the books... Didn't she read a book a while ago?

"......Rem....."

Again that she, who was she? Theywere travelling with a few girls, like Emilia ̶t̶a̶n̶, Anastasia, Meili, ̶E̶c̶h̶i̶d̶n̶a̶ and B̶e̶a̶k̶o̶ Betty

"......Rem......"

They looked down at her dress, that was definitely ̶B̶e̶a̶k̶o̶ Betty's clothes, no doubt about it, then she was ̶B̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ Beako?

"......Rem....."

Yes, she was B̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ Beako and she was looking for someone... Who was him?

"Rem....."

He must have been with R̶e̶m̶ Louis after the shadow took them, who it was?

"Rem...."

Rem was also taken away from them, and that made his heart ache... Wait, his?

"Rem....."

Who was he? Was he with Rem and Louis after S̶a̶t̶e̶l̶l̶a̶ the shadow took them away?

"...ru....."

They tried to remember everyone that came, he couldn't be a girl so it had to be a boy.

"...aru....."

There was only Julius and him, but who was him? Where was him? Why did he leave her?

".....baru...."

They looked down on her lap and noticed a black book, with some weird symbols: 菜月• 昴, they tried to read them one by one.

".....Subaru....."

Yes! That's what it read, Subaru Natsuki, his name, so he was Subaru?

".......Subaru...."

She had to find Subaru, but Subaru was her, but if B̶e̶t̶t̶y̶ Beako was here then, where was Subaru?

"Subaru....."

Subaru was looking for Rem, and then the hunter came and killed them...

"Subaru...."

Wait, they were dead? No.

"Subaru..."

Subaru was dead.

"..."

Subaru had died and B̶e̶a̶k̶o̶ Betty was now alone...

"SUBARU!"

She screamed her lungs out as they tried to move her head around, trying to find her s̶a̶v̶i̶o̶u̶r̶ contractor as fast as possible.

"SUBARU! SUBARUUUU!!"

She screeched, unable to move anything but her head, they were still pinned after all.

"SUBARU! SUBARU! SUBARU!"

No, he was pinned against the tree, she wasn't, Subaru died pinned by the hunter.

"SUBARU! SUBARU! SUBARU! SUBARUUUUU!!!!"

She focused all of her strength in standing up, she needed to look for Subaru, he couldn't have died because...

"SUBA-...ru?"

She still felt her link with Subaru... and it was stronger than before.

"Subaru?"

She focused on Subaru's soul, they could almost see his position now, it was weird...

"Subaru?"

As she stood up she remembered what happened, she was B̶e̶t̶t̶y̶, B̶e̶a̶k̶o̶ Beatrice, Subaru's Beatrice.

"Subaru"

They came to the library because Subaru had... something... here.

"Subaru..."

He had a book of the dead, several, and she read one...

"Subaru."

So that's what happened, Subaru.... had a book of the dead and Betty read it.

"Subaru....."

How could this be... Subaru had died pinned by the hunter, but he was still connected to Betty...

"Subaru..."

She tried to walk limply towards the exit, maybe Emilia ̶t̶a̶n̶ knew something...

"Subaru...."

The walk took an eternity, every so often she would fall on her knees, fearing that the hunter had found him.

"Subaru...."

But eventually after an eternity, they got to the door.

"Subaru..."

And just as she was about to open it... *THUD*

"..."

Another tug at their link.... another book.

"....Subaru....."

She thought about leaving it, about running away and asking for help, but...

"Subaru...."

Subaru was alone and in danger, and s̶h̶e̶ he needed h̶i̶m̶ her.

"Subaru..."

So as she kept crying on her way to the book, h̶e̶ she thought about who h̶e̶ she had to save.

"Subaru"

R̶e̶m̶ Subaru was alone in the woods, s̶h̶e̶he needed ̶h̶i̶s̶her help and h̶e̶ she would help h̶e̶r̶him.

"Subaru"

R̶e̶m̶ Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed h̶i̶s̶ her help and h̶e̶ she would help h̶e̶r̶ him.

"Subaru"

R̶e̶m̶ Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and h̶e̶ she would help h̶e̶r̶ him.

"Subaru"

R̶e̶m̶ Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and h̶e̶ she would help him.

"Subaru"

R̶e̶m̶Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and she would help him.

"..."

As she turned around the corner she immediately found the book she was looking for, the only way to help R̶e̶m̶ Subaru...

"..."

Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and she would help him.

"..."

Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and she would help him. Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and she would help him.Subaru was alone in the woods, he needed her help and she would help him. Subaru needed her help and she would help him. Subaru needed her help and she would help him. Subaru needed her and she would help him. Subaru needed her help and she would help him. Subaru needed her. Subaru needed her. Subaru needed her. Subaru needed her. Subaru needed her. Subaru needed her. Subaru needed. Subaru SubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaru...

"..."

She looked at the black cover with Japanese writing on top... Subaru's writing.

"Subaru, lend Betty a bit of your strength, I suppose" and she opened the book

Then she opened the book

Chapter Text

"HUAphuh" a small blond head got out of one of Priestella's waterways, inhaling a mouthful of air before swimming to the side and pushing up a platinum haired man. "OTTO-BRO! Wake up!"

"Puahgh." Coughed up said merchant, as he threw up all the water he swallowed during their 'tour' for the Priestella Waterway… He wasn't so excited anymore about the city of gates… "I'm, *cough, cough* I'm fine Garfield, and the others?"

As if to answer the question a body clad on brownish fur jumped off the water carrying two more people, once he rested his petite partners Ricardo shook off himself to get rid of the excess water "AGHH! I'm not taking a bath again in a long time."

"Puehhh, talk for yourself, Ricardo-san." Complained the brownish haired dwarf. "I can still taste the water in my mouth…"

"Uweehh" a pigtailed girl with tamed body muttered. "My head goes spinny-spinny."

"Well, that seems to be everyone…" pointed out Otto after checking that they all got out of the troublesome trial… he never wanted to swim again after all that.. yet "At least we got what we looked for" he said after showing of the reward for their bitter task…

An extremely old and frail arm, it was a miracle that Ezzo's magic prefected it after the water got them…

"Is that, huff, really why my amazing, hah, got into so much trouble?" Complained Garfield between tired breaths, trying to swim against the current without knowing where they were going exhausted him, besides he carried Otto who was still hurt from his fight against gluttony. "I feel like it wasn't really worth it…"

"A wild beast like you, huff, wouldn't understand the importance, uph, of an old relic like this." Ezzo argued yet even he didn't understand what made that old, rotten arm so valuable, whatever magic it once had was gone a long time ago.

"Whatever it's used for, the witch cult doesn't have it and we do" replied to everyone Ricardo, he looked at the side to the passerbys who were interested in them, it wouldn't take long for other groups to know they had Typhon's remains, he understood how information networks worked. "I think that the important part is who's gonna keep it."

"If it's not an instrument then count me out"

"Who asked you?!" Said Ezzo to Liliana, already tired of her attitude "I offer that the Felt camp safekeeps it"

"HAH? And why would you get to stay with it?" Argued Garfield.

"Both of your leaders are away on a mission, and if we give it up to the Emilia camp then it's obvious that the witch cult will come for it." Explained Ezzo towards the rest, yet his main reason for having it was. "Besides, we have Reinhard."

"Don't talk as if we would just let the witch cult take it away! You midget!" Growled Garfield as he dizzily tried to stand up, but...

"Garfield, wait." The green clad merchant stopped him. "It's true that wherever Reinhard goes is probably the safest place on Lugunica." Subaru once told him how much of a 'cheat' Reinhard was, Otto didn't think anyone alive could beat him, yet… "but your camp doesn't have the tools or knowledge to investigate it, am I right?"

"Well, that is…" muttered the mage, it was true that while their faction had him and the strangely knowledgeable Rom their info about witches was severely lacking in comparison to the Emilia camp that had Rosswal, the court mage.

"We have some clues about how to research the arm properly, so while it would undoubtedly be safer with you, it's us who can investigate it properly." Explained Otto as if to finish his argument.

"As far as I see it, the grey midget is right…" finished Ricardo. "Every weapon is useless if you don't know how to use them"

"Hahaha, it's as they say 'The sage is always one step ahead.'" Laughed Garfield as he said another weird quote from his books.

"Arrgh, alright. But I'll send Reinhard for it once you're all done researching it." Stated Ezzo as he gave up.

"Good, now that this is all done…" Exclaimed Liliana as she stood up stretched "I'm gonna go sing all my new songs to Kiritaka, Bye!~" She said before leaving.

"Oy! Come back here, you brat!"

"Let her go Garfield, it's better this way" said Otto as he grabbed the arm and wrapped it in his clothes, he didn't want anymore to do with the troublesome bard girl. "We should be going…"

"Oh, you got somewhere to go? Grey midget"

Otto stopped right on his tracks, he knew that the 'book of wisdom' was more or less a secret in his camp, he couldn't let Ricardo or Ezzo find out as it would be a source of trouble, so he breathed in and did his best move... "Nothing too important, I just have a date later…" lie his ass off, thankfully neither Reinhard nor Crush were here..

"Otto-bro, I knew you had it you!" Exclaimed Garfield quickly, the merchant knew that Garfield would get emotional for it making it harder for the rival pair to question him. "Now, let's go. "Reid never lets his enemies wait" Garfield said as he grabbed Otto by the shoulder and carried him off, leaving behind both Ricardo and Ezzo.

"Thanks Garfield, but I think I can walk by myself now." Argued his friend as he tried to break free from the tiger's grasp.

"So, you're going for the book now?" Muttered Garfield quietly once they went far enough.

"Wait, Subaru told you?!"

"Don't yell, he told me to keep an eye on you after you received it, just if the witch cult attacked again…" It was true, while they repelled the attack easily there were still witch cultists somewhere and two archbishops ran away.

"Well, if Mr. Darts has it ready then we should be able to go back to the Annerose house, I wonder how long it'll be until Subaru and the rest come back from the Sage's tower." explained Otto as he remembered his friend. "Knowing him there's probably some problem that will take them a while so we got time."

"Alright, then let's hurry for Cap'n!" Exclaimed Garfield as he lifted Otto as a barrel and jumped off to a roof.

"Wait, Garf, nononONONONO!" We're the last words of the platinum haired merchant before being carried off.

______________________________________________________________

They opened their eyes again, and breathed in their surroundings no smoke, no ash and most importantly, no poison. That allowed them to calm down a bit, it felt like coming out of the water after sometime diving, it was certainly more relaxing than the last time... Wait, last time of what? What were they doing?

Right, they were shot by the child, they slightly lifted their head to see if the hunter kid was still there.

"..."

Seeing no one nearby made them breath in a sigh of relief, and the fact that the girl who shot them before wasn't staring at them anymore made him relax a bit.

As they looked around a bit more they noticed the book on their lap, it had「Natsuki Subaru」 written on it, his name on it so maybe it was his, they took it up and noticed her hands holding it, why were her hands holding his book?

And who was she? They knew he was Subaru, after all it was his name on the book, but who was she?

After looking at their side a bit they noticed the big blonde swirls of hair at their side, they only knew one person with those drills…

"Beako ̶t̶t̶y̶..."

Then was she Beako? What was she doing with his book?

They needed to remember... Backtrack a bit...
She then recalled how she got a hold of Subaru's book of the dead, experienced his death at the hand of the hunter and then read another…

In this one he was also killed by an arrow but the circumstances were different, for starters…

"Rem!"

Once he remembered the newly awakened girl they looked around with hope of finding her again, yet she was nowhere to be seen, after all they were in the Taygeta Library, where she read his book…

As they tried to stand up her legs failed them, almost as if they didn't know how to use them anymore…

*Step, step, step*

Then they heard someone walking closer to them… he froze in fear that it might have been the hunter or the girl coming to finish the job, yet she calmed herself down, knowing that it must have been one of her companions…

"BEATRICE-SAMA! WHERE ARE YOU!" And sure enough, it was the voice of the ̶p̶r̶e̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ knight.

"No need to scream, I suppose." Replied Beatrice as she tried to at least sit down more comfortably

"Beatrice-sama! I was looking everywhere for you..." Said Julius as soon as he found her. "I'm glad you're unhurt, did something happen?"

"Hmph, nothing important I suppose, what time is it right now, in fact?" Beatrice asked, they needed to know how long they were out.

"It's almost lunch time, Lady Emilia is worried about you so I offered to come and pick you up." explained the troublesome knight of knights. "If I may ask, what were you doing sleeping here?"

"That doesn't matter to you, I suppose" answered the great spirit dismissively. "I'm fine, in fact, so go help the other girls"

"I know it's rude of me, but I need to ask.." the yellow eyes stared at the small girl with genuine concern "Were you reading a book of the dead?"
That question sent a chill down their spine, they suddenly felt cornered, almost like being interrogated for info... They couldn't talk about it…

"Don't jump to conclusions, in fact." They were thankful that her voice was haughty and hid all of their panic.

"I know it's not my place to ask, but then what were you doing with that book in your lap?"
They could feel a bit of sweat on her back, they had to think fast.."I was just gonna return the ones that fell off during the battle, I suppose." Yes, that was a good lie.

"Oh, right... The library rules..." While a lot of stuff was happening on the tower Shaula ended up turning into a small scorpion, so there was no immediate threat of breaking the rules, but as none of them knew exactly how the tower worked it was decided to keep them up or something worse attack the group... Od knew they didn't need more fights.

"Then would you kindly allow me to help, I can't leave a damsel here alone and without protection" offered Julius selflessly.

While the smile made her heart skip a beat it also made them hold their breath, they couldn't keep hiding this secret from Julius if he stayed in the library... He had to leave.

But maybe asking him for help might be a good idea after all, he could help her solve the mystery after all of Subaru's books…

But they couldn't trust him, he could use them like Todd used him, they couldn't risk telling anything to anyone.

But that was then and this was now, they needed Julius to help Subaru.

Even if Julius was trustworthy there was also Anastasia who would no doubt use the situation for her own benefit, he was sure about it.

But Emilia ̶t̶a̶n̶ would be helpful, she always was on Subaru's side.

Yet he couldn't afford to have her feel their grief and pain if it failed…

"Beatrice-sama, are you ok?"

Hearing Julius talk to her snapped them out of their thoughts "Betty is fine, this was the last book after all, in fact" she replied as they stood up slowly "Just go back to your bothersome lady, I suppose"

"Well, about that..."Julius looked nervous about something as he scratched his back "She went to the top floor with Lady Emilia to draw some blood on the holy dragon, and while it may seem shameful I can't bear witness to... its present state..."

They understood what he meant. It must have been a shock for Julius to see the legendary being of his country acting like an old man with Alzheimer's, yet just his presence around them made them want to scream…

On one side, she wanted to tell Julius about the books and ask for his help at finding out what happened to Subaru

On the other hand, he couldn't trust anyone with what they said, it could cause endless trouble and hurt people…

Beatrice knew she could trust Julius, Subaru trusted him before and his divine protection made her feel calm when talking to him

This info may be used wrong and hurt the ones they care about... and make Rem hate him more...

It was her only way to help Subaru, and she would do anything to lift a bit of the load of his shoulders

The worst was that whenever they did try to say something they could feel S̶a̶t̶e̶l̶l̶a̶something wriggling around their insides.... It made made them sick, as if there was a tug of war on their head

"Beatrice-sama, you look bad" Julius observed as he worried more and more about the wellbeing of his friend's contracted spirit "Is this a byproduct of your contract or may you be lacking some mana."

The slight blush on her cheeks while seeing Julius made him feel jealous, after all Beako was his daughter... And she felt ashamed of her own weakness towards Julius's divine protection, after all she was Subaru's contracted spirit...

"Yes, in fact" they said, finally in agreement of their distaste of Julius. "Betty is missing some mana from her contractor, I suppose, nothing serious." Technically it wasn't a lie, as their contract said that they had to hold hands at least once per day Beatrice expected to be punished by the terms of it... Yet, since she read the book they felt strangely comfortable... As if Subaru was still with her in some way…

"U-uhm, I would offer myself to supply with my own but..." Julius knew how important it was for spirit and contractor to share mana, it was a proof of their bond and trust. He knew that none of his maidens would accept mana from someone else, even if it was in a life or death situation, and he knew that his friend would boil in anger at the thought.. "I apologize for my inadequacies, if there's anyway I may help with this issue I promise to do my best to assist you, Beatrice-sama"

"Then bring me some food, I suppose." Answered Beatrice coldly, now in a more stable state of mind than before. "I created a spell to turn food into mana centuries ago, in fact"

"As you order, Beatrice-sama." replied the gentleman as he helped her stand up. "We still have weeks of food left and I certainly hope we won't be staying for long, so I don't think Anastasia-sama would mind if I give you some."

"Good, now get going, snobby knight"

"Hm?" Julius was dumbfounded by the silly insult, he might have expected it from his rough friend, but hearing the great spirit say it so dismissively surprised him, Subaru's antics must be contagious, yet there was another question in his mind at the moment... "Beatrice-sama, aren't you coming down?" He asked.

That made them nervous again, if they went down they would be away from the books, and without the books she couldn't help Subaru, help Subaru, help Subaru, Subaru Subaru SubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaruSubaru.... Uh? What were they thinking about just now...? Oh, right! Stay in the library. "Hmph, Betty still has some business to do, in fact" she finally answered

"Beatrice-sama, if you're still feeling unwell then I may carry you down to the fourth floor." offered the arrogant knight. "I don't mind at all and you don't seem to be doing well"

"Hah!?" They were still nervous about what to do with the troublesome knight, they wouldn't be able to lose him if they tried anything... Without choice but to give up they resolved to come down and revisit the library later... "Betty can come down the stairs alone." She said as she walked behind Julius.

The fact that she was still being affected by the arrogant divine protection made them uncomfortable…

They thought about what happened during the quiet walk to the library. She read the book and lived Subaru's life, which meant he was Subaru, and she was Beatrice. It might seem something obvious but it was important to differentiate him and her as their thoughts kept fusing together.

She wanted to help and tell the group about his problems so they may offer a hand.

He wanted her to forget the whole issue, not share his grief and stay quiet.

She thought about telling Emilia ̶t̶a̶n̶, she would help Subaru surely.

He didn't want to show his weak side to Emilia-tan anymore, even if it hurted him a bit more.

She reminded herself that this was her body and mind and Subaru was just a guest in it…

He and she kept arguing mentally for a while, neither side getting the upper hand, maybe once they got down she could ask someone for help and show off the books she found, even if he didn't want to she wouldn't stop... After all, Subaru couldn't win against her four hundred years with just one or two books.

Now that she calmed down and her thoughts were more clear she thought about talking to Julius a bit, he was quiet and clearly uncomfortable during the walk so it might help her focus even more, and she felt they were just passing the perfect topic to talk about…

"Jul-"

It was then that... *Fwish* A small orb of light came down to meet Julius, probably one of his recently evolved spirits.

"What's happening In?" The spirit leaned in Julius's ear and told him something. "That Volcanica did what?!" it must have been important because it drained the colour of his face with pure shock. Beatrice started getting chills again... "My deepest apologies, Beatrice-sama, I'm required by my lady with urgency"

"It's fine, in fact" it wasn't fine, it wasn't fine at all, they had stopped at the worst place possible…

"I would accompany you towards the fourth floor but time is of the essence, so if you would excuse me" Julius started to sprint towards the exit quickly.

Beatrice thought about calling out to him but he was already out of sight…

"Haaaahhh." She sighed before turning her head towards her left "Is this some kind of joke, I suppose?" Sure enough, there were the accursed black books.

"Is this some kind of message or something, I suppose?" Obviously, none of the books answered her question, at least not directly "You won't let Betty tell anyone and we're literally a country apart, in fact.." She said as she grabbed the last book on the bookcase.

"Then this is Betty's only way of helping you, Subaru, I suppose..." She could feel that now her thoughts were calmed down, yet she still had the need to help from the first book and the paranoia and cautiousness from the second, she wondered how this one would twist her mind now... yet

"If Subaru suffered this then Betty will also suffer it with him, in fact" she sat down and rested her head against the bookcase as she rested the book on her lap, she knew that it would only hurt her mind more but if it could help Subaru then she didn't care anymore…

"Subaru, lend Betty some of your strength" and she opened the book…

Chapter Text

"Good morning everyooooone~" said comically a clownish man as he entered the dining room "I hope you're all having a nice breakfaaaast~."

"Tch, we were" a petite maid clicked her tongue at the sight of her lord being so cheerful, she still held a deep grudge against him for the troubles he caused in the sanctuary.

"Hmm, Petra-chan..." a blonde, tall maid muttered as she glared softly at her apprentice, warning her about being mean to the lord they were serving, even if said lord doesn't care about their attitude.

"It's alright, Frederiiiiiica~" allowed the theatrical court mage of the manor "No harm done at aaaaaall~" before winking an eye to Petra, making the latter even grumpier by it.

"Uncle Rosswal, I would certainly appreciate it if you ceased trying to poke fun at your staff while in my household" argued Annerose. "While I will always appreciate an interesting talk while eating, seeing it be ruined by your comments and disputes upsets my appetite, reason why I suggest we may eat and then converse freely"

"In other words, eat now and talk later. Explanation" explained the butler of the house as he sat with impeccable form and manners. Eating with the maids and butlers of the house had become common after Subaru suggested it as a way for everyone to sit and chat together, they were lucky that the servitude was reduced.

Rosswal grinned a bit before saying "Soooo~, I take it as if none of you are iiiiiiiinterested~ on how Subaru-kun, Emilia-sama and the rest aaaaare~?"

"You have new info about Subaru-oniichan?!" Exclamed Petra before covering her mouth quickly, Fearing her senior may criticize her again.

"It's ok, Petra-chan, I'm also curious about how it went." Said Frederica calmly.

"So, Ross-boy, we're all now expecting your big news." said the small pink haired loli-baba that was quiet until now. "Just get it out and say how are Su-boy and the rest."

"Sooooo~, in view of your curioooosity~ towards the matter, I'm glad to announce that the group headed to the Sage's Tower iiiiiiis~" said the clown overdramatically before pausing a few seconds. "Still in the tower."

"Ugh."

"Seriously?"

"This is not time for jokes, uncle."

"Overhyped."

"If that's all the info you found that's really disappointing, Ross-boy."

"Now, before you start throwiiiiiiing~ tomatoes at me, that in itself is quite the valuable piece of informaaaaation." Rosswal explained calmly. "What did you all knew about the group yesteeeeeerday~?"

"That they were still in the Pleiades watchtower, so?" Answered the young maid as she didn't have more contact with them after left to find the sage Shaula

"Not precisely, Petra-chan" argued her senior maid and mentor. "We didn't know if they made it there."

"Precisely, all the information we were certain pertained that Emily and her companions travelled towards the Auguria Sand Dunes, with their sights focused upon reaching the Pleiades Watchtower of the Sage Shaula." Explained the young heiress of the Milord household

"As all our last information was that they were in the desert we were unsure as to whether Su-boy and the others reached the Tower." 

Continued the present Lewes as she saw where this was heading to "Which means that the fact that Ross-boy knows about their current presence on the Sage's tower certifies that..."

"Certifies that the group achieved their goal of entering the tower and contacting the sage. Conclusion." Finished Clind as he gazed at Roswaal while still eating, how did he manage to eat and talk at the same time and not commit a mistake? No one present tried to even ask. "Would that be correct, Rosswaal-sama? Interrogation."

"Youre all riiiiiight~" Exclaimed happily the margrave before extending his arms. "Until now, something's been preventing me from locaaaaating their exact whereabouts, yet reeeeecently~ that fog has been clearing up and todaaaaaay~ I can confirm that Emilia-sama, Beatrice, Ram and Meili are insiiiiide~ the tower."

"Wait, how did you know that?" Asked curiously the younger maid, "there's no way to track people from across the country, right?" Petra was half certain of this as she had some training about magic recently, she didn't even hear about an spell like that

Rosswaal just smiled and took off a weird metal disc, it was painted white with black lines across the middle, it had some black kind of stick on the middle that moved towards the side. "See this needle? It points towards the owner of the hair, it's a tracking metia, I have one for eeeeeeveryone~ in this camp." (N:imagine a pocket watch or a compass)

"So we can safely deduce that as the interference is gone their arrival is imminent? Seeking confirmation."

"That's right, Clind-kun" answered the clown happily.

"That's good, Garf-boy should also be arriving around these days if Otto's letters are true..." Muttered the small grandma as she thought back to who she considered her grandchild, Otto had written to them that their business was over and they would soon head home with them.

And while everyone was either grimacing about the serious violation of privacy that the metias consisted of, or celebrating the coming of their companions, Frederica scratched her chin wondering about something.

"Rosswaal-sama, forgive my rudeness but if your statement is that everyone has their own tracking device then..." She glanced quickly to her side to see her apprentice's face, yet she shook off the unease of her head, she also deserved to know. "Then what about Subaru-sama? I don't think you listed him with the others."

Everyone then stared intensely at Roswaal, it was excusable to not have the whereabouts of Anastasia and Julius as they were not part of their camp, yet Subaru was a vital member and companion for them, so it was impossible for Rosswal to not have a 'Subaru Detector' somewhere.

"Thaaaats~ the curious part, because Suuuuubaru-kun isn't with the others in the tower" Explained Rosswal as he took off another device that pointed in a different direction. "He is surprisingly somewhere in Vollachia." 

The last statement made everyone in the room freeze from shock, they knew that Subaru wasn't the luckiest man alive, yet getting to the salvage land of Vollachia from the Sage's tower? It was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Now, now, now, I know what you're all thinking, but Subaru-kun is alive and well." he said as he rested the metias on the table. "If his life happened to be cut short this would also show it, so he hasn't died yet, I can promise that."

Petra shook off the sweat on her forehead, wondering how the nasty-eyed boy was doing in the next country, then she thought back about the great spirit that always accompanied him, if she was still in the tower then they weren't together anymore, the realization pained the little girl's chest. "I'll make sure to play lots and lots with Beatrice-sama once she comes back." She sweared to herself as her resolve towards helping her friends grew stronger in her heart. 

___________________

At the same time, in another place

"I'm tired..." [And I'm bored...]

Beatrice sat at the table with the rest of her companions on the tower, it's been three days since Subaru was taken by the shadow to Vollachia and the group was facing a new problem... 

While Emilia had won the last trial and conquered the tower, there was but one issue that didn't allow them to leave yet [just one? I had to face off against five!] and that was…

"By Hoshin, I wish'd that damn'd dragon wu'ld just drop some blood and let us go!" Said tired Anastasia as she remembered the last obstacle between them and freedom. 

It was true, while the dragon wasn't able to talk, speak or even think for a while it sure did know how to fight, and everytime they tried to take a bit of blood from him he started fighting back against them, not really hurting anyone but it was still incredibly troublesome. [What do you expect? He's doing it in self-defense].

So the return to the manor was postponed until they could extract some blood drops from Volcanica for the people affected by the Archbishops of lust and gluttony like Crusch and the others on Priestella. 

"How is onee-san going?" Asked the blue haired girl, [my] murderer. "Is it just like yesterday?"

"I'm afraid yes, lady Meili" answered the [snobby and glorified] knight as he ate slowly, he, Ram and Emilia were busy fighting during all day, and while it was certainly tiring Volcanica never attacked back so they weren't hurt, so they had infinite tries against Volcanica. [If they keep trying it must work someday, right?] Emilia in particular spent almost all day fighting him.

Meili and Anastasia weren't fighting so they thought of ways to trick the dragon or explore around the tower. Beatrice was also in support as she couldn't receive mana from her faraway contractor.

"I'm done." Said the great spirit after finishing her plate, then she stood up and [hey! It's bad manners to leave without washing your plate] she stopped right on her steps, then turned around to grab her plate and carried them off to wash, they had limited tableware, after all.

On her way out she meet a pink Oni carrying some water.

"Beatrice-sama, how are you feeling?"

"Hmph, Betty is fine, even though my hopeless contractor is so far away, I suppose."

Ram gave a sharp breath before shaking her head. "That pathetic Barusu couldn't bring Rem back to safety before being kidnapped to Vollachian, how shameful" [Nee-sama is as harsh as usual, although Rem is also now acting like her... Wait, do I have two abusive Nee-samas now? What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment] *Snap, snap* "Beatrice-sama, you there?"

"Huh?" Asked Beatrice as she shakes off her dizziness.

"Beatrice-sama, I was asking you if I could wash your tableware for you, it seems you're more tired than I thought" asked Ram clearly concerned.

"Thanks, but Betty will wash her own dishes. I suppose. It's just good manners to wash one's own mess. In fact." [That's my Beako, cute and diligent!] Answered Beatrice as she suddenly blushed a bit.

Ram frowned her brow, thinking that it might be mana insufficiency, she knew how it felt and how shameful it was, so she chose to not pursue the matter anymore, after an elegant bow she offered her bucket of water and helped Beatrice wash the plates she used.

After finishing they both went their separate ways, Ram towards their improvised dining hall and Beatrice towards her room... but

"Oh? Beako-chan, how are you?" Asked Emilia[-tan!] towards the great spirit, still looking a bit messy from her recent attempt at taking Volcanica's blood. [She looks a bit messy, but she's still lovely. EMT!]

"I'm doing fine, Emilia-ta-, thanks for asking." Replied Beako as she almost bit her tongue.

"Oh, Beako, do you want me to carry you to your room?" [You better surrender now, Beako, Emilia-tan is, besides crazy cute, crazy strong and crazy determined] 

"Humph, it's ok, I suppose." Conceded quickly the small girl as she lifted her arms to let herself be carried, Emilia expected a bit more of resistance from the prideful great spirit yet she wouldn't doubt of doing a favor so simple. [I wish I had my cellphone to take a picture of my angel carrying my daughter in her eyes.]

"It's here, girl." Beatrice said after arriving at a door down the hallway. "Just let me walk by myself now, leave, in fact." [Wait, I still want to have Emilia-tan princess carry me!] "Altho-"

"Alright, you're off" said Emilia[-tan] before dropping Beatrice unceremoniously on the floor in front of her room [OOF, that hurts] "Oh, sorry Beako-chan, are you ok?"

"I'm fine I suppose. just a bit dizzy, in fact" said the girl on the floor as she shook her head. "You may leave now Emilia-tan..."

"Beako, just now you..." Muttered Emilia as she noticed what the blonde drill haired girl just said. "No, it doesn't matter." then shook it off as just a mistake point "I'll see you later at lunch"

After Emilia left Beatrice on the ground and walked off, the latter extended her arm towards the door and disabled an [house alarm] small spell placed on it, then opened the door.

[OOOOFF, we're finally here, now it's time to cuddle with Beako!] As Beatrice blushed profusely she walked besides the bed she was using, there stood a chest that once carried Subaru's clothes. [It hurted seeing all my outfits being thrown away, but if it's for my Beako then I don't mind.] After opening the chest she glanced at it's content... [I'll never get used to them, you know...]

Subaru's [my] books of the dead... Beatrice then softly brushed her hand against their covers, caressing them one by one... during her time with them she started to learn many things about the books and how they worked...

The first thing she addressed was. "Subaru." She said to [me] no one in particular. "What book is next?"

[I think we passed the one were Emilia-tan saved me from the shadow, I didn't like the whole murder and paranoia part but that scene with Emilia-tan was a 10/10, EMT!... Which means that next is the third one on the left]

Beatrice grabbed the book that the voice in her head [I] told her, since the tenth book she started hearing it talk to her. She recognized the voice as [mine] Subaru's... She knew better than anyone that the real Subaru was in Vollachian [Somewhere in the forest, hopefully not in Todd's camp anymore...] So she understood that it was just a fake illusion made by her mind and the books [Hey, I'm very real... at least I feel like I am...] Yet she still listened to it and liked to talk with him, even if it was just a lie she created to keep her sanity... [Beako...]... 

Beatrice shook off her head and took off the next book, unluckily the voice didn't remember well the "books" that she hasn't read [It's like watching an anime backwards, I know how it ends but not how it begins] so Beatrice was still reading all the books she could to know more about Subaru's pain [complete my memories].

After sitting and resting the book on her lap she closed her eyes and muttered the same sentence she always said before reading a book.

"Subaru, lend Betty a bit of your strength, I suppose" [Always, you don't even need to ask] then she opened the book and read it...

....

...

..

.

They... [Wakey, wakey Sleepy head! Dream time is over]

"How long was I out this time, in fact?"

[Around two hour, same as the last one] 

"Good, I suppose." That was another change since the voice came, it [Hey, I'm not an 'it'.] managed to help her wake up more easily and organize the memories from the book without confusing herself with 'them' [I just do what I can, I did manage to live all of those books before... although I also died but that's besides the point].

That made it easier for her to read the books one by one, she still felt some of the influence from them whenever she thought about someone finding out the books, each time she remembered the content of the book or when talking about [me] Subaru

Now, each book felt shorter than the one before it, especially if the "chapter" only lasted a day, longer chapters were harder to digest... She was getting used to it... [It reminds me of some bad memories...] She knew what the voice was talking about, after all she lived those same memories a while ago.....

"[Killing becomes a habit...] I suppose."

If killing became a habit then that must mean that before killing was a habit it wasn't something natural, which meant that whoever had adopted the habit of killing started killing not out of habit but of need or duty, being pushed into it. [My first murder experience wasn't comfortable, it wasn't even me who did it...]

Then [a parallelism] some similarities could be drawn between dying and killing, as both took out a life and both experiences started as something you "don't want to repeat" she remembered the book she just read [Yeah, that book was pretty shameful for me... my fear of dying got all of us killed after all].

Yet while for both Subaru and her dying started out as an horrible torture it had slowly became a tool for them to use... For Subaru it meant [If I had my memories at the time I might have been able to do more...] Yet he sacrificed himself more than fifteen times while still trying to beat the [five obstacles] enemies he faced...

Beatrice understood this as she was going through the same change in her mind, the books weren’t a danger or something to fear anymore, but just a means to an end... Saving [everyone] Subaru... so, in conclusion:

"Dying becomes a habit, in fact"

She wouldn't stop reading, so she would get used to it as much as she could, thankfully the voice made it easier to read books and each time it took less to wake up [I would work faster if you weren't such a sleepyhead, Beako. Also, you look the cutest while snoring so I can't help it.]

"Shut it, I suppose" shouted Beatrice while blushing red.

The downside was that for each book she read the voice became more [complete] 'lively', while before it was easy to just ignore it [Hey!] nowadays she found herself agreeing more and more to whatever it said. [It's good that you see things from my point of view, Beako] although it was good tha- no, it wasn't!

After shaking her head a bit Beatrice hoped that her mind would at least resist the last books, she was getting close to the midpoint after all... [So, should we keep going?]....

Beatrice grabbed the next book from her storage and muttered her usual [you know what, it almost seems like a prayer all the time you do that... What do you think?] Prayer to Subaru... "Subaru, lend Betty a bit of your strength, I suppose" [Ok!] And she opened the book