Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a slow waking up for Felix. “Nyaa??” he murmured, feeling disoriented. The bright lights above him didn’t fit his room… had he fallen asleep in Crusch’s office? He pushed himself up, clutching his head, just as he realized he wasn’t any place he recognized before. 

“Where am I?” Felix said, glancing around quickly. He was in a theater-inspired room, clearly sponsored by a wealthy noble (the expensive maroon fabrics on the chairs made that obvious) but instead of a stage for plays or an arena for swordfights, the chairs faced towards a strange reflective screen instead. What purpose it served was unknown to him. 

But more importantly… 

“Julius? Reinhard? Wilhelm!” Several of Felix’s friends were splayed across the floor, unconscious, even though several of them should by all logic be hundreds of miles away. Luckily, they were stirring as well. 

“Felix?” Julius’ confusion was justified. “Where are we?”

“I don’t knyow!” Felix said. The more he thought about it, the worse the situation was. At first glance, it seemed they all had been kidnapped--but who could possibly be powerful enough to overpower Wilhelm van Astrea, the Knight of Knights, and worst of all, the Sword Saint himself? 

“Reinhard, do you remember what happened?” Julius asked Reinhard, who had just sat up from the floor. 

“No,” Reinhard said, sounding disturbed. “Just a few minutes ago, I was with Lady Felt…” 

Julius’s face hardened at the bad news. “I see…”

Felix had to resist the urge to comment on the grimness of the situation. 

“We should search for the exits,” Wilhelm said. 

“Oy! You guys are here too?!” Subaru’s voice called. Subaru along with another member of the Emilia camp, Garfiel, walked towards them. 

“Subaru-kyun?” Felix called. “You woke up here too?” 

Subaru scratched his head. “Yup. A movie theater… have we been isekaied? Er, reverse-isekaied, in this case?” 

NOT QUITE.

They all started at the voice, and several of the knights immediately went for their weapons. Even Reinhard attempted to draw his sword. 

To everyone’s surprise, the Dragon Sword Reid began to slide out of its sheath, the mark that this individual was a worthy opponent. 

WOAH! UM, PLEASE PUT THAT AWAY. THERE’S NO NEED FOR THAT! 

Sensing he had the upper hand, Reinhard brandished the Dragon Sword Reid, despite the fact that he wasn’t sure of the source of the disembodied voice. “Tell us where we are and what you’ve done, or I’ll be forced to take drastic action,” Reinhard threatened. 

Garfiel smirked. “Yeah, get him!” he shouted. 

I’M ON YOUR SIDE! AND I’M ONLY TRYING TO HELP. YOUR FRIEND HERE, SUBARU, HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT--WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON WITH HIM? 

“Eh! That’s a terrible deflection! What do I have to do with this?” Subaru protested. 

“I’m more concerned about the kidnapping, nya!” Felix agreed. 

WELL, IT’S WHY I BROUGHT ALL OF YOU HERE. TO SEE SUBARU’S MEMORIES. 

“You can see the memories of others?” Wilhelm asked grimly. This strange being seemed to have a multitude of abilities, and even if it felt intimidated by his grandson’s monstrous power, Wilhelm worried they might still be in trouble. 

I CAN, AND I CAN PROJECT THEM ON THAT SCREEN. 

“So you brought us here to spy on Subaru’s memories,” Wilhelm raised a brow. 

Subaru seemed to realize something. “Wait, do you know about--” he trailed off. 

YES. I KNOW ALL THAT YOU REMEMBER. 

Subaru sucked in a breath. 

“Subaru, what are you talking about?” Julius asked. 

“I can’t… you can’t put them in danger like that!” Subaru suddenly said. “If you really know what I’m talking about, then you know what she’ll do!” 

“What?” Felix said. 

Garfiel’s brow creased in concern. 

“Subaru, who are you talking about?” Julius asked. 

The environment in the room was still tense and unsure. Reinhard gripped the Dragon Sword Reid, and the various knights still felt tempted to go for their weapons. 

I CAN KEEP HER OUT WITHOUT ISSUE. ACCEPT MY GIFT. 

“You… you can?” Subaru said. He wasn’t sure he believed it, but if it was true… 

“Once again, I must ask you to explain-” Reinhard started. 

PLEASE JUST WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE! IT WON’T TAKE LONGER THAN AN HOUR, AND IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE AFTER THAT, I’LL LET YOU!

“Really?” Felix said cautiously. “How do we know you will?”  

“A contract,” Wilhelm demanded. “Otherwise, we have no reason to trust you.” 

IF THE MONSTROUS SAINT PUTS THE SWORD AWAY! 

Reinhard slipped the Dragon Sword Reid back into its sheath. At the same time, a strange golden light reached toward Wilhelm. “Promise you’ll release us after one hour, and that you will not attack anyone here,” Wilhelm said. 

I HEREBY VOW THAT IF YOU SO CHOOSE, I WILL RELEASE YOU AFTER YOU WATCH THE FIRST PART OF THE MEMORIES. THAT PROCESS WILL TAKE UNDER AN HOUR. I WILL NOT HURT ANYONE HERE.

Once the light died down, Wilhelm relaxed. The other knights followed suit, to an extent.

The projector, an object which only Subaru knew the name of, flickered to life. 

“I see… so we’re doing this then,” Subaru puffed out a breath. 

NOW SIT AND WATCH THE SCREEN! IT WILL PAUSE AUTOMATICALLY IF YOU START TALKING OVER IT.

Subaru was the first to sit in one of the seats. His face was cautious and grim, chewing on his lip in a nervous gesture. Felix couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but followed suit. He sat two seats away from him, with Julius directly by his side. Garfiel nearly bodily climbed over the two knights to sit directly next to Subaru, who flashed him a weak smile. Reinhard chose a spot a few rows down, and Wilhelm one several rows up, as if avoiding him. 

“Do we really wanna be doing this?” Garfiel broke the tense silence. 

“I don’t know if we have a choice,” Julius said. “If we want to resolve this peacefully, that is. Subaru, I’m sorry it’s come to this. I know they’re your memories. Normally, I wouldn’t suggest going along with this, but a battle between Reinhard and an enemy worthy of the Dragon Sword Reid…”

“Could cause massive collateral damage,” Wilhelm murmured grimly. “Destroying entire towns, potentially erasing a country off the map, if this enemy even comes close to Reinhard’s level. We don’t even know where we are.” 

“And they’ll follow the contract, right?” Garfiel said. 

Wilhelm nodded firmly. “The contract was bound to their Od, I could feel it. Though I know not what we’re facing, they should be forced to release us as promised.” 

“Yeah. Well, sorry, cap’n,” Garfiel apologized. 

“It’ll be fine,” Subaru said, before muttering, “At least, I hope so.” 

His words didn’t ease the tension much at all.  

Everyone sat in silence, waiting for the show to start. 

“This is bad… very bad…” a pained voice said. 

“Cap’n?” Garfiel said, frowning. The darkness made it difficult to judge, but Felix couldn’t help but agree with Garfiel. The voice sounded a lot like Subaru. 

“Subaru? What’s wrong?” 

A convenience store appeared on screen, surprising the Lugnican viewers. The architectural style was extremely odd and square, not to mention the glowing lights, presumably caused by some kind of magic stones but still unlike anything most of them had ever seen. The inside of the convenience store appeared, with Subaru there. 

“There’s cap’n!” Garfiel cheered, enthusiastic. 

“It’s an unusual library you’re in, Subaru,” Julius said. 

“Library?” Subaru blinked. 

“The shelves are full of books,” Julius pointed out, gesturing towards the magazines. “It’s not in a script I recognize, though…” 

“Eh… that’s not quite right, Julius…” Subaru said. 

“I’ve never seen that script anywhere either,” Wilhelm mentioned, narrowing his eyes. “It doesn’t look like it’s from Gusteko or Karagi. How mysterious…” 

“Fitting Subaru-kyun himself, then,” Felix said. The boy’s origins had always been unclear. Felix’s theory had always been that Subaru was something akin to a Vollachian refugee, but this didn’t look like Vollachia at all. There was a distinct lack of jungle, for one. Maybe he grew up in an isolated area of Karagi? 

“Ah, I see. This is where they suck you in.”

The screen flashed to another scene. 

“No… Run! Hurry!”

Before the knights could truly comment on it, it flashed back to Subaru, who contemplated between potato chips and natto. 

“Wait there…”

“What is this?” Felix said, frowning. 

More than anything, it was confusing. Why were they cutting between Subaru in this strange locale, and then going back to someone (maybe Subaru?) gasping for help on the floor? It was disturbing, sure, but it also made little sense. 

“That’ll be 363 yen,” the clerk at the counter said. 

“Such strange-looking and fantastical technology,” Julius commented, as more of the convenience store was revealed. “Tell me, is this real?”

“Yup,” Subaru said. “It’s where I’m from. My homeland, you’d say.” 

Garfiel’s face lit up. Subaru never talked about where he was from. “Woah, where are you from, then?” 

“Probably nowhere you’ve heard of,” Subaru muttered. “But considering we’re seeing it, I’ll be more specific. You could argue that I’m from beyond the Great Waterfall.” 

That created some level of surprise and alarm within all the other viewers. 

“Truly… beyond the Great Waterfall?” Julius said, in disbelief. “Is that possible?” 

“Such a strange place being shown seems to support his conclusion…” Reinhard said. “Still, it’s hard to believe.” 

“I know it’s difficult to accept,” Subaru said. “Which is why I don’t really tell anyone. But maybe this thing will prove it if we keep watching.” 

Interest once again piqued, everyone turned their attention back to the show. 

As the Subaru from the store walked outside, a car drove by through the night. 

“Wait, what was that thing?” Julius interrupted. 

“It’s a car, they’re used for transport,” Subaru explained. 

As the two talked, the viewing paused to accommodate their dialogue. The frame it was frozen on had just switched, and treated them to a clear view of Subaru with blood dripping down his mouth. 

“Cap’n!” Garfiel gasped in disbelief. “What happened?” 

“Ah, how unflattering,” Subaru said, nervously. The picture really wasn’t, with the blood and sweat, but that was far from Felix’s biggest concern, seeing the injured Subaru. 

“Is this real, Subaru?” Felix asked. 

“Yes,” Subaru said, before glancing around, as if the acknowledgement was a forbidden thing. “I’m not sure how much I should say, though.” 

Felix nodded, though he didn’t really understand, as Julius decided to hold his questions about Subaru’s homeland until after this violent memory was complete. 

“Hang on… no matter what… I’m going to save you…” Subaru’s pale hand reached out and grasped someone else’s. Blood pooled on the floor. 

The screen switched for a final time. Subaru, standing on the street at night. As he did so, white-and-purple warped his vision. Subaru rubbed his eyes, at first thinking he was just seeing things, but only moments later appearing in Lugnica. 

“You teleported?” Felix exclaimed. 

“I see… so that’s how it is…” Julius said. 

Subaru puffed out a sigh of relief. “You believe me?” 

“It makes sense,” Wilhelm said. “Besides the machinations of this strange being, we have your word, and you always did have such odd mannerisms.” 

“That’s amazing!” Garfiel proclaimed.

“I wonder what his world is like, to have produced Subaru,” Julius mused. 

Subaru gave him a side-eye for that comment. 

“I’d say I was dreaming, but this is obviously really happening. Totally not fake. So does this mean… I’ve been summoned across the universe to another world!?” the screen-Subaru screeched. 

Felix barely resisted a snort at screen-Subaru’s half-crazed expression. 

At least he seemed to realize it quickly, Julius thought. Minimal confusion. 

After the title card, Felt was shown, leaping from building to building in the capital, holding a glowing royal insignia. 

This didn’t create much of a reaction from most of the knights beyond vague interest. Reinhard however grimaced, knowing that the insignia wasn’t hers, but was instead Emilia’s stolen one. He wondered if that would be revealed. 

The screen switched back to Subaru. “Well, from the looks of things, I’d say this is some kind of fantasy world with medieval-style culture…”

“Fantasy world? Medieval?” Julius glanced at Subaru for confirmation. 

“Medieval was a time-period in my world,” Subaru said. He didn’t really want to explain the concept of fantasy. “I was just guessing at what your culture was like, mostly…” 

“I see,” Julius said, though the explanation was bare-bones. 

“A realm where demi-humans are commonplace and there’s always a war or an adventure to go on!” Subaru said, excited. 

An interesting reaction to being teleported, Wilhelm thought to himself. Subaru seemed quite excited by the prospect of adventuring through this new world. Though, Subaru wasn’t the only young lad he knew who had a glorified view of dangerous things like war and adventure. 

“A place where demi-humans are common?” Felix said. “Do you not have many?”

“We don’t have any,” Subaru explained. 

“None?” Felix said, shocked. “Were they all killed?”

“No! No, definitely not,” Subaru said. “We just never had any.” 

“Then how did you know about their existence?” Julius asked. 

“Well, in my world, there are stories about this sort of thing happening,” Subaru said. “No one really believes the stories are real, but it’s a popular concept. We don’t really have magic-users either. The idea of demi-humans and magic are basically considered fiction.” 

“So you were excited to see all these new things. I see,” Wilhelm said. 

“Yeah, of course,” Subaru said. “And the stories all frame being teleported to another world as a sort of coming-of-age thing, so I got excited. I thought it would be really fun.” 

“I'm sure you quickly realized that getting teleported to another realm without any knowledge or resources wasn't going to be easy,” Julius said. 

Subaru huffed. “Bastard,” he said, in lieu of confirmation.  

“I’m sure cap’n figured it out in the end!” Garfiel said. “He ended up being Emilia-sama’s knight, right?” 

"That is true,” Julius conceded. He was kind of interested to see how Subaru went from poverty to knighthood in a single year.  

“Agreed,” Reinhard said, nodding.

Subaru was a bit flattered, but he was also struck with worry that they would figure out the truth of how he did it: Return by Death. What would happen then? Would he die?

“And here, I’m…” A shrill cry could be heard, and the screen showed a child who had fallen in front of a dragon carriage. “This is it!” Subaru said. “It’s my turn!” 

“What do you mean by that?” Julius murmured. Subaru turned bright red, hiding his face in his hands. 

“This must be the event where I produce my first magic!” Subaru said, while doing strange poses. 

Felix burst out laughing. “Subaru! What’s that?!” 

“That’s just how it goes in the stories, okay?!” Subaru exclaimed, obviously embarrassed. 

Felix only laughed harder. 

Julius snorted as well, and Subaru immediately whipped around. “Don’t you laugh at me too!” 

“You gotta admit it’s a little funny, cap’n,” Garfiel said. 

Subaru slumped. “Yeah, yeah…” 

Reinhard pitied Subaru, though he couldn’t help but smile. 

Luckily, a knight saved the child just in time as the crowd cheered. 

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Guess I’m not quite ready to use magic… I can’t read this,” Subaru thought to himself as he came upon an appa stand. 

“You couldn’t read?” Julius said. 

“Yeah,” Subaru said. “I mostly got it now, though ro-glyphs are hard.” 

“Hm,” Julius said. This journey Subaru was on didn't seem to be making itself easy.

Subaru attempted to barter with the appa salesman, but it was clear his money didn’t have much worth in this world. The appa salesman ordered him to be on his way. 

“No money either,” Felix said. 

“How’d you even end up getting anywhere with no money, cap’n? And how'd you join up with Emilia?” 

“I must admit, I’m curious to see that myself,” Wilhelm said. 

“Oh yeah, I suppose most of you guys probably don’t know the story of how I joined the Emilia Camp,” Subaru said. “Who here knows about that, just Reinhard?”

“Reinhard?” Garfiel perked up. 

“Indeed. I met Subaru in the capital, I believe on this very day.” 

“Really!? That’s great!” Garfiel said. 

“It seems like he is in desperate need of your assistance,” Julius said. 

“Okay that's true, but you don’t need to rub it in,” Subaru grumbled. 

Julius smirked slightly. 

“I’m not sure how much help I was,” Reinhard said. “But we shall see.” 

“I’ll just have to go around information gathering first,” Subaru said. The screen showed a few of his misadventures, including him wandering into a woman’s restroom, a demihuman-only bar, and accidentally being shoved into a river. 

The viewers mostly either looked amused at Subaru’s antics, or felt sympathetic to his struggles. 

Subaru sat in an alley. “Is this how it’s supposed to be? Where’d my protagonist status go! Damn it.” 

Subaru pulled out a metia, scrolling through contacts.

“Ah, is that…” Wilhelm started. 

“The device you used to track the White Whale!” Felix finished.

“Eh? How did cap’n get a hold of somethin’ like that?” Garfiel wondered aloud. 

“It must be a strange technology from his world,” Reinhard said.

"That's right," Subaru said, snapping his fingers. 

“My cell phone still works… but what’s the point of still having it!” 

When the others glanced at Subaru for confirmation, he shrugged. “The communication function was disabled.”

“Still, it’s far from useless,” Wilhelm said. 

“That’s true,” Subaru said. “I was just frustrated in the moment.” 

Given he still wasn't sure how much would be revealed, Subaru kept his cards close to his chest. It wouldn't be a good idea to try to explain that the function of his phone had nothing to do with the White Whale if it turned out that Return by Death couldn't be revealed. 

“My starting gear is way too wimpy… you need a more substantial welfare program to satisfy pressure-free generation kids like me! I don’t even have Excalibur or anything! … And besides, if I was summoned, where was the cute girl who summoned me?!?” 

Beneath the unusual words and unorthodox expectations (summoned by a cute girl?) Wilhelm could recognize the underlying feelings of frustration that came with being stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing. Still, Subaru was taking this remarkably well--almost too well. He didn’t seem to be thinking of family members he potentially left behind. Had he already lost his family?

“Someone’s eventually going to nyotice if you keep screeching to the heavens like that, Subaru,” Felix said. 

“I’m sure everyone in the capital thought I was a total weirdo,” Subaru said. 

Julius, though tempted to tease Subaru by saying everyone still thinks that, decided to refrain. He should probably keep antagonizing Subaru to a minimum. At least for now, given what a strange situation they were in. 

“Did she summon me here only to leave me alone? Hey, is she finally here? The cute girl who summoned… me…” Three men came into view. The screen switched to Subaru’s baffled face. 

While there were a few chuckles from the audience at the mix-up, Subaru couldn’t help but be on-edge. This was it. If Reinhard showed up, then the movie (the anime? Was this an anime?) about his life wouldn’t be able to show everyone Return by Death. And if he didn’t… 

Well, hopefully whatever brought them here wasn’t lying about being able to stop Satella. 

“What are you babbling about? If you don’t want to get hurt, cough up whatever you’ve got!” One of the thugs grabbed Subaru by the collar. 

“You got mugged?” Wilhelm murmured. While unfortunate for Subaru, he was curious to see how Subaru would handle the situation. Subaru was capable of great feats, as proven by his success against the White Whale and his rumored defeat of the Great Rabbit, yet his strength level was low enough where the thugs might pose a legitimate threat. Getting out of the situation might require some interesting strategy.

“Beat ‘em up!” Garfiel cheered. Subaru cringed, knowing that wouldn’t happen. Hopefully Garfiel’s positive image of him wouldn’t be completely destroyed by the end of this viewing. 

“Actually, this is where I come in,” Reinhard said, puffing out his chest slightly in a rare display of pride. 

Suddenly, Felt started running through the alleyway. “Move it, move it! Out of my way!” “Is that the cute girl who summoned me?” 

“Is that where you met Lady Felt?” Julius couldn’t help but ask. 

Reinhard shook his head. “I must have just missed her.” 

“Summoned? I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about! Sorry, live strong!” Felt jumped past Subaru and onto the rooftops. 

“She just abandoned cap’n!” Garfiel pointed out. 

“Ah, it wasn’t her obligation to pick fights on my behalf,” Subaru said. “Besides, she’s not like a royal knight or anything. Just a civilian… and she was in a hurry.” 

“Hm, I guess that makes sense,” Garfiel said, despite looking slightly dissatisfied. The other knights nodded, generally agreeing with Subaru’s logic, even though Felt’s actions seemed cold at first glance. 

“Hey, that didn’t happen to make you less hostile toward me, did it?” Subaru asked. One of the thugs crossed their arms. “Actually, it rained on our parade and made things worse.” 

That confirmed Wilhelm’s line of thought. Subaru’s attempts at diplomacy likely meant that the man wasn’t confident in his ability to fight the thugs. 

Almost as if to prove the thought wrong, Subaru immediately started thinking about how it was the destiny of anyone summoned to a parallel world to have supernatural powers. Then, Subaru threw a strong punch, hitting the biggest thug in the face. 

The viewers cheered as screen-Subaru took out another with a roundhouse kick. 

“Fuck yeah!” Garfiel shouted. 

“That’s the first time I ever hit someone!” Subaru said, shaking out his hand. 

“... You truly are a total novice,” Julius said. 

“Well-” Subaru struggled to come up with a retort. “Not everyone spends their whole lives training, Mr. Perfect!” 

“Heh, you’re pretty hopeless, nya,” Felix said. “But if you’ve really never fought anyone before, that was a pretty good hit.”

“I’ll take the compliment,” Subaru decided. 

Reinhard didn’t comment on the situation, though he felt confused. He hadn’t realized that Subaru had entered combat with the three thugs before he’d even arrived. Maybe they’d all gotten back on their feet, and Subaru had called for help then? 

Subaru confidently declared he’d beat the last one, but the moment the thug pulled out twin knives, Subaru panicked and started begging for forgiveness.

“... Aww,” Garfiel said in disappointment, who’d been hoping to see Subaru win. 

“I suppose it’s only natural, if you haven’t been in many fights…” Julius said. 

Wilhelm sighed as well. 

The thug gave Subaru a hard kick to the face, which seemed to cause Subaru immense pain. Then, the two previous thugs recovered, and Subaru immediately began being brutally beaten down by the trio. 

Everyone winced at the sudden brutality.

“Reinhard, are you going to show up soon?” Felix asked. 

“Yeah! You’re gonna help cap’n, right?” Garfiel said. 

Reinhard slowly shook his head. “I don’t… remember this.” 

Everyone whirled their heads around. 

“When I retrieved Subaru in the alleyway, he hadn’t been beaten up at all,” Reinhard said. “Subaru, do you know what’s going on?” 

“Yeah,” Subaru said, deciding to test the waters. “It happened, but… it didn’t stay that way? Sorry for being vague, but this is an alternate timeline of sorts.” Subaru cringed at the admission, even though it wasn’t a complete explanation of Return by Death, but nothing bad happened as he said it. 

“I’m still confused,” Felix said. 

“I would appreciate it if you could be more straightforward, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. 

“Alright. Here goes,” Subaru said, breathing in. “I can… Return by Death!” 

His words rang out across the theater. Nothing happened. 

“Return by Death? What does that even-” Felix started, but he stopped as Subaru suddenly burst into tears. 

“I can… I can Return by Death!” Subaru hiccuped. “I can Return by Death-” 

Subaru dropped to his knees. Garfiel, who was the closest, crouched down in concern. 

“I can Return by Death… finally, I can say it…” Subaru sobbed. 

Everyone was alarmed by the sudden change in behavior in Subaru. 

“Subaru, what are you talking about?” Reinhard asked. 

It took Subaru a full minute to control his tears before he was able to launch into a semi-coherent response. “Every time I die… I go back to a previous point in time,” Subaru said. “Usually…  just a couple of hours or days.” Subaru tried to wipe away his tears, but they just kept coming.  

“That isn’t… possible…” Julius said, before a realization suddenly dawned. “No… you knew everything. You knew the position of the witch cult, where Sloth’s fingers were, that you could be possessed… are you saying that’s because you died?”

“Yeah, I did,” Subaru said. Subaru leaned forward, resting his head against the chair in front of him. “It hurt… It hurt so much, Julius….”

Julius reared back, as if struck. He started pacing through the rows of the theater. 

“It’s unheard of, and yet…” Reinhard was deep in thought. “Perhaps an extension of yin magic, like the Sand Time protection on the Pleides Watchtower, which can distort time and space. Your affinity is yin, correct?”

Though no one else in the theater had studied Sand Time, Reinhard’s logical words made Return by Death sound credible. Not to mention, everyone in the theater trusted Subaru in one respect or another. If he, through tears, had promised this was true…

Acceptance was beginning to sink in. 

Wilhelm was the first to speak. “And so all of that… your conspicuous timing, your knowledge, your strategies…” Wilhelm said. 

“It was all this power. I’m sorry,” Subaru said. 

Wilhelm closed his eyes. “How many times did…?”

“Huh?” Subaru asked. 

“How many times did we fail against the Whale?” Wilhelm’s voice was uneven.

“Ah, not at all…? The first time I brought the Crusch Camp, you killed it,” Subaru said. “In the loops leading up to it, I was killed by other factors. The only information I really knew about the Whale going in was its location.” 

Wilhelm breathed. “I see. Then I didn’t fail Theresia, after all… apologies for sounding relieved, Subaru-dono. To ask after only my own affairs after receiving such horrible news is truly disgraceful.” Wilhelm sounded somewhat disgusted with himself.  

 “It’s fine,” Subaru said. “It’s something to be proud of… I really appreciate that everyone tried so hard and killed it on the first go, so we didn’t have to do it over.”

Wilhelm pursed his lips at that, seemingly disturbed by such an admission. 

“So how many times have you died?” Felix knew he had to ask. 

“Ah, seventeen,” Subaru said numbly. 

“Seven- seventeen?” Felix had expected a high number, but he was still amazed. “I can’t even imagine dying once, let alone that many times.” If what he says is true, it’s a bit of a miracle he hasn’t gone mad… or at least fallen victim to combat fatigue… 

“Subaru, I apologize for failing to protect you,” Reinhard said. “It seems clear to me now that in this ‘timeline’, as you called it, you are fated to die against Elsa.” 

“Unfortunately, yes,” Subaru said. “Don’t worry about it, Reinhard. It’s not like you even knew I existed this time around, or that I was in trouble.” 

“Ya knew stuff ya shouldn’t in Sanctuary too,” Garfiel said. So my amazin’ self wasn’t enough to protect us all… It was a strange thought. For once in his life, Garfiel doubted his strength. Had he only won those fights because Subaru had helped him reach a winning situation? Or had he simply not been around when Subaru died? 

“Yeah, I died in Sanctuary,” Subaru said, with a laugh that sounded broken. 

Wilhelm felt a stab of regret. As much as Wilhelm respected Subaru, even he had to admit that Subaru’s behavior was sometimes very erratic. Maybe he should have paid more attention to Subaru’s fluctuating emotional state… if he had, perhaps he’d have noticed something was wrong sooner. 

“And all this time, you’ve been ensuring the success of the Emilia camp behind the scenes,” Reinhard said, sounding impressed. 

“More like I’ve been ensuring the Emilia camp doesn’t all get eaten by Mabeasts behind the scenes,” Subaru said. “It’s not political like that. I don’t… dying is so awful, I just couldn’t…” 

“I’m sorry, Subaru, that wasn’t what I was trying to imply,” Reinhard said. “Please forgive my callousness.” 

Subaru had finally stopped crying by this point, though the puffy eyes and tear-streaked face gave him away. “It’s fine, no worries. And thank you guys… for listening…” 

“It’s no problem, cap’n,” Garfiel said. He offered Subaru his hand, like his big sister always had when he started crying when he was little. Subaru teared up a little more, and took Garfiel’s hand. 

“We should continue to watch if we want to finish in an hour,” Wilhelm said. “But Subaru, rest assured that the rest of us will be here for you in any way we can. We won’t let this type of thing happen again.” 

“That’s for certain, nya!” Felix added. 

Julius felt a stab of repressed guilt. "Of course. I agree, as well."

“Thanks,” Subaru said. I feel better… yet entirely exhausted. And as though I could sleep for a week… He was so anxious, yet so free. In fact, the idea that Subaru at any time could shout, ‘I’ve been killed before!’ without being hurt felt kind of fake. 

Subaru squeezed Garfiel’s hand, grounding himself. 

Larkins drove a foot into Subaru’s beaten face, smirking as he did it. 

The atmosphere was different now. The conversation that Subaru had just had, in addition to the knowledge that he would soon die, hung gloom over the watching. That didn’t stop Julius from commenting somewhat saltily as soon as the show started up again, however. 

“Aren’t these people now a part of your camp, Reinhard?” Julius questioned. “Yet we see them now beating Subaru…” 

Reinhard sagged. “Indeed. While I was aware they had a criminal history, they had reformed themselves and are quite helpful in the Felt Camp… I had no idea they would do something like this.”

And of course, there was no way for him to know, given the circumstances, Julius thought. So he can’t be faulted for negligence… still, such shady figures being key Felt Camp members… 

“That’s enough.” The screen panned to show Emilia, silhouetted by the light of the alleyway. She demanded that the thugs return what was stolen from her. Once she realized the thief had already gone by, she ran past the thugs, as if to leave. 

“Really? Even Emilia’s leavin’ ya?!” Garfiel said, in disbelief. “After that heroic entrance?” 

“No, just you wait,” Subaru said. Though his voice was hoarse from crying, he sounded legitimately excited.

Emilia turned around. “But still… I can’t overlook what’s going on here!” She summoned ice crystals, quickly dispatching the trio, and then summoning Puck to threaten them into leaving. 

“Now that’s Emilia!” Garfiel cheered. 

“Emilia-sama is quite generous,” Reinhard said. “It makes sense she’d assist you.” 

“T-that’s my Emilia-tan!” Subaru said, recovering with a shaky smile. 

“You saved me… thanks.” “Don’t move.” Emilia stared him directly in the face, until Subaru averted his eyes, blushing slightly with a small smile.

Wilhelm couldn’t help but smile slightly at Subaru’s shy awkwardness as well. The exchange was a good mood-lifter and distraction from the heaviness of the previous conversation. 

Emilia took his averted gaze as an admission of guilt, until Puck confirmed that Subaru didn’t have malicious intent. As Emilia panicked slightly upon realizing Subaru didn’t know where her stolen item was, Subaru attempted to get up and collapsed. 

There were slight murmurs in the theater. 

“Ferris always forgets how delicate you are, Subaru,” Felix said, trying to distract everyone with banter. It worked, at least in part. 

“Delicate? What am I, a flower?” Subaru protested. 

“Nyo, you’re right, the better descriptor is frail, like an old woman,” Felix said. 

“Eh?!”

“Blown over by a stiff breeze,” Felix continued. 

“Like you’re one to talk,” Subaru said. 

“Well, I was locked in a basement in my childhood. What’s your excuse?” Felix said. 

“I… wait what?” Subaru said. 

“You are distinctly weaker than most,” Reinhard mentioned. In truth, Reinhard didn’t want to pry, but seeing this, it worried him how easily his friend could be beaten to near-death by people he knew had extremely below-average combat potential. “Is it a side effect of your summoning? Apologies for my forwardness.” 

“No, I’ve always been like this,” Subaru said. “But most people in my world are nowhere near any of your levels. In fact, I’d say the average person has… hm, maybe Otto-level strength.” “Otto?” Garfiel remarked, surprise. “Wow, cap’n, the people in your world are weak!” 

Wilhelm couldn’t help but agree. A world full of people as weak as Subaru? It was a miracle they hadn’t all been slaughtered by Mabeasts… though, if there had been no Witch of Envy in their world, then perhaps there were no Mabeasts at all. 

“It’s more like all of you guys are freakishly strong,” Subaru said.

“What should we do?” Puck asked Emilia. 

“It’s none of our business. He won’t die. We’ll just leave him.” 

“What?” Garfiel complained. “She keeps flipping back and forth!” 

“A pretty heartless attitude from someone who could heal you right then, nya!” Felix said. He almost seemed to take personal offense as a healer. 

“Don’t worry, she’ll change her mind about this again,” Subaru dismissed. 

Puck questioned Emilia, believing she’d still help him, while Emilia objected to the idea. Subaru, vision going blurry, thought to himself, She’s even super cute when she’s mad… that’s a parallel world fantasy for you…

“Subaru-kyun liiikesss her,” Felix teased. 

Subaru didn’t take that with embarrassment, though his face turned a bit red. He puffed out his chest. “Of course! Emilia-tan is the cutest.” 

Subaru woke up on a hairy lap. He questioned the situation, then got briefly confused, thinking the lap he was on was Emilia’s. “I didn’t know cute girls were this hairy...” 

Garfiel started cackling at Subaru’s mistake. 

“This is so embarrassing!” Subaru said, flushing. “I thought no one would ever know about this!” As excited and nervous as he was at the prospect of someone being able to repel Satella so he could tell his friends, it seemed like they were only seeing his most awkward early-Subaru moments, at least to start. Half of these memories he’d buried forever. 

“How do you even get in these situations, Subaru!” Felix said, though his laughter was a bit forced. He elbowed Julius. “Come on, Julius, laugh. It’s funny.” 

Julius let out a semi-amused sigh. Though, despite the humor in the situation, he had a hard time being amused after learning Subaru had died seventeen times over the course of a year. And in addition, he was also made a bit uncomfortable in the way Subaru kept mentioning cute girls like they were his due after being summoned. Still, Julius was reluctant to nitpick the man’s character after receiving the news he’d apparently been brutally murdered multiple times, especially given that Subaru had likely grown since then, and the screen-Subaru totally lacked malice.

Emilia revealed she’d stayed with Subaru the whole time he was unconscious, then proceeded to argue unconvincingly that she’d done it for personal benefit, so that she could ask Subaru where her insignia had gone. 

“She lost it?” Wilhelm couldn’t help but say in disbelief. How irresponsible.

“Nyo wonder she was in such a hurry!” Felix said. 

“Well, Emilia’s got it now, so,” Garfiel said. 

“Indeed. Subaru and I assisted her in retrieving the insignia,” Reinhard said. 

“Wait… Felt stole…” Felix said. “And you were there--” 

“That’s how you found the fifth candidate, I take it,” Julius said. 

Reinhard could only nod. “The exact method of finding the fifth candidate was kept secret, as this information could potentially be damaging for both candidates if revealed… I hope you can understand.” 

“You’re forgiven by my amazin’ self!” Garfiel shouted, seemingly not realizing that Reinhard was discreetly asking them to not share that information around. Everyone sighed. 

I’ll just talk with him about it later, Reinhard decided. 

Subaru, realizing that she’d spent so much time healing him in exchange for a nothing favor, seemed inspired by her generosity. “Anyone who lives like that… is going to end up wasting their whole lives!” 

Julius couldn’t help but give a wry smile. Though for a moment they’d seen a slightly foolish and awkward side to Subaru, they now bore witness to his virtuousness. Subaru truly was the type of person who would go out of his way to help others.

Subaru offered to help find the insignia, making up a fake reason to help her, just as she had. While Emilia hesitated, Puck assured her that he didn’t hold any malice. The two started to search the capital. 

Reinhard couldn’t help but chuckle at their attempts at ‘searching’, including Subaru trying to pry into an abandoned building and waving around an amateurish doodle of Felt. It was a cute doodle. Maybe he should ask Subaru to draw her again, so he could give it to his Lady.

The two sat on a balcony, taking a short break, deciding to quickly introduce themselves. “My name is Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I clueless, I’m also broke beyond compare!” 

“When that’s all you say, you really do sound hopeless,” Puck commented. “I’m Puck! Nice to meet you!” Puck flew into Subaru’s hand, as Emilia commented it was unusual to see someone touch a spirit casually. 

Julius found the situation fairly interesting. It was an early signal of Subaru’s high spirit affinity… though of course, Subaru, unaccustomed to spirits, wouldn’t have noticed the signs. 

“Where are you from?” Emilia asked. Subaru said he was from an island nation to the east. 

“Is that true, Subaru-dono?” Wilhelm said. 

“Yup, I was being truthful. Not that it really helped me here,” Subaru said. 

Fascinating… Wilhelm couldn’t help but wonder at the geography of Subaru’s world. It looked and sounded fairly alien to their own.

As Emilia explained that there was no island nation to the east, she seemed to realize the situation Subaru was in, seemingly lacking both money and common knowledge. “You might be in an even more precarious position than I am… Subaru, was it?” Emilia asked. Subaru blushed, coughing slightly. 

“Awww this is so cute!” Garfiel said. 

Wilhelm couldn’t help but agree. He’s absolutely smitten…

Emilia began to theorize Subaru was a noble, by judging his fingers. Subaru waved off the question. 

“If you don’t mind, Subaru,” Reinhard asked. “What was your position in your old world? Were you a noble, as she said?” 

“Not exactly,” Subaru said. “My world doesn’t have nobles, everything is structured differently. My dad worked for a big company, he got paid well. So we were pretty well-off economically… though the standard of living in my world is a bit higher than yours anyways…” 

Though curious, Reinhard let the subject go. Subaru seemed to be lost in thought. 

Subaru asked for Emilia’s name. “I’m… Satella,” she said. 

Felix gasped in disbelief while Garfiel shot up from his chair in indignation and confusion. Meanwhile, all Julius could do was gape at the audacity one must have to make such a claim. Did she really mean it? Wilhelm and Reinhard, for once unified, exchanged a grim glance. 

“Woah guys, it’s not like that!” Subaru waved his hands. 

“Then what is it?” Felix asked. “Why would she say something like that?”

“She thought it would be dangerous to retrieve her insignia, so she gave me that false name to try to scare me away,” Subaru explained. 

“Oh,” Garfiel said. He sat back down. The tension in the room eased a few notches. 

“Still… what a risk,” Wilhelm said. “If she’d said that to someone with sufficient power, they might have tried to eliminate her…” 

“I think seeing me beaten up by random thugs assured her I wasn’t a threat,” Subaru said.  

“I suppose that’s true,” Wilhelm said. 

“It’s still nyot a good idea!” Felix said. Most in the room couldn’t help but agree.

“Regardless, I’m glad it was only that, and that there was a sufficient explanation,” said Reinhard. He thought Emilia was a kind woman, it would be sad if she turned out to be a witch cultist. 

“This might be awkward though, since you don’t know what Satella means,” Julius said. 

Subaru gave a short laugh. “You have no idea…” 

“I see… Satella… that’s a nice name!” Subaru said. 

“Baha-ha!” Garfiel laughed. “You have no idea!” 

“Is she going to correct nya?” Felix wondered aloud. 

“You have terrible taste,” Puck said to Emilia, before vanishing behind her hair. 

“Right, time to get back to asking around!” 

“No, she’s not,” Felix said. 

“Hopefully you refrain from referring to her as such in public,” Julius said. 

If only, Subaru thought to himself. 

“Subaru, do you get the feeling that child is lost?” Emilia asked. She pointed out an unsure-looking green-haired child. Subaru questioned if they truly had time for that, but Emilia strongly insisted on helping the little girl.

“Emilia truly has a powerful moral compass,” Julius said, respect for her growing. Previously, he’d seen her as naive, but he could respect someone who held fast to their ideals. That’s what he did as a knight, after all. 

“Indeed. It’s interesting to see this side of her,” Reinhard said.

Felix agreed as well. While Crusch was the best candidate of all, and he thought her significantly more qualified than Emilia, he was starting to see why the Dragon Tablet had chosen Emilia as a Royal Candidate in spite of her heritage.

Emilia attempted to comfort the girl and ask her where her parents were, but the girl only started crying harder. 

“What I have here is a grooved-edge ten-yen coin!” Subaru said. He distracted the girl with a magic trick, cheering her up. 

“You’re good with children, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. 

Subaru grinned. “A magic trick or two will cheer anyone up!”

Subaru and Emilia started leading the girl back to her parents. 

“People who don’t know us probably think we’re a married couple and child, right? How embarrassing,” Subaru said. 

“At best, I can’t see you as anything more than her older brother,” Emilia said. 

Garfiel started laughing hysterically. 

“Oh come on!” Subaru complained. 

“How… how can you flirt with her so confidently after this… when she responded to you like that!?” Garfiel howled. 

“Well technically it never happened!” Subaru said, flushing red. “And you know, most people say that looking young is a compliment!” 

“Not if they think you look twelve,” Felix said. 

“I don’t look like I’m twelve!” Subaru protested. 

Reinhard tilted his head. Subaru did have a bit of a baby face, but it was clear from the eyes of any normal person that he was an adult, above fifteen. “She is a half-elf, correct? Considering most elves have vastly longer lifespans, it is probable that she has difficulty judging the ages of others,” he said. 

Subaru thought on that for a second. “That makes sense. She tends to really underestimate how old people are sometimes…” 

The girl found her mother, causing both Subaru and Emilia to smile. After, the two sat on the bridge, and started discussing the ‘benefit’ they’d each gotten from helping the little girl. Emilia argued she’d done it so they could search with their minds at ease, while Subaru said he was getting tomorrow’s good deed out of the way. 

“Are you both allergic to simply saying you were inclined to something kind?” Julius said, exasperated. 

Subaru scratched his head. “Well, Emilia kept pretending to be selfish, so I just went along with it…”

Julius sighed, putting his head in his hands. 

“You’re basically the type that wastes their whole life, aren’t you?” Emilia said. 

“You’re the last one I want to say that to me.” 

“You’re not a bad boy, though.” 

“Why are you treating me like I’m younger than you, again?!” 

“Hm, before now, I’ve never given much thought to Lady Emilia’s age, but it is possible that she is the oldest out of all the candidates, given her heritage,” Wilhelm said.  

“Kinda,” Subaru said. “Her age is complicated, actually. But emotionally speaking, she’s not older than the other candidates at all.” 

What Subaru meant is that since Emilia was frozen through the past hundred years, her mind hadn’t had the chance to age while her body had, but without context, most everyone else in the room thought he was simply calling her immature. 

Emilia mentioned that making guesses on her age likely wouldn’t help him, because she was a half-elf. As she said this, she hid her face. 

“Now I get it,” Subaru said. 

The theater waited, curious, wondering what realization Subaru had come to.

“No wonder I thought you were so cute! Elves are always beautiful, right?” 

Garfiel gave a half-crooked smile, as did most of the rest of the room. 

“Aw. She’s gonna be so happy you said that, cap’n,” Garfiel said. 

“Ah…it’s a shame she won’t remember, but I appreciate you saying that,” Subaru said. And Subaru felt fond looking back at this, too. At the time, he hadn’t realized what he was saying would be so impactful to Emilia. 

Emilia looked shocked, and repeated that she was a half-elf. 

“Yeah, I heard you,” Subaru said. 

Emilia seemed to be in complete disbelief. 

Felix felt an odd kinship with Emilia. Though regular demihumans weren’t as hated as elves and half-elves in the public sphere, he could relate to the likely discrimination she’d dealt with. 

Then, Puck shot out of her hair and gave Subaru a tiny punch. 

“What’d you do that for?”

“I just had to do something about this unbearable tingle I feel!” Puck said. 

“Ah, you’ve earned the respect of her Great Spirit,” Wilhelm said. 

“Indeed.” Julius found it fitting that Subaru would end up a Spirit Knight. 

Puck and Emilia, though clearly quite touched by what Subaru had just said, didn’t fully explain their feelings. Instead, Emilia just said they should get back to searching.

“Subaru is chronically underinformed,” Julius said. 

“I wouldn’t be if they’d just explained anything!” Subaru complained. 

“I don’t imagine they realized you had no idea about commonplace discrimination or the taboo on the Witch’s Name,” Reinhard mentioned. 

The two decided to go back to the scene of the crime. They attempted to ask the fruit seller where Felt might have gone, but Emilia revealed she didn’t have money, causing the appa seller to tell them to scram. 

“Mister!” a little girl’s voice called. It was revealed that the girl they’d helped earlier was actually the appa seller’s daughter.

“What a happy coincidence, nya!” Felix said. 

“Now he’ll feel awkward for tellin’ ya off!” Garfiel said.

The screen changed to Emilia and Subaru in the slums. A brief flashback reveals that the appa seller had recognized the doodle, and recommended they search for Felt in the slums. 

Reinhard felt a pit in his stomach, knowing that Subaru was walking closer to the potential danger of Elsa. 

“Did he send nya the right way?” Felix asked.

“Yep!” Subaru said. 

“So your favor did come back around to help you,” Wilhelm said. 

As the sun began to set, Puck revealed that he would soon need to go to sleep, as his ideal staying time was 9 to 5. With some encouragement from Emilia, he entered back into his pyroxene crystal. 

Though few understood screen-Subaru’s odd comments about Puck’s time limit (civil servant?) the theater began to notice that night was falling and that the pair’s strongest combatant was out of commission. 

I can already see this not going well… Julius thought. 

Emilia summoned lesser spirits to ask about the location of Felt. Subaru looked on in amazement. 

The night continued to get darker. 

“Does she really live in a place like this?”

“The lesser spirits said they saw someone like Felt going in this direction.”

The two talked to a man in the slums, who pointed them to Old Man Rom’s loothouse and suggested that they negotiate to get it back. 

“Negotiate? When she’s the one that stole it, nya?” Felix said. 

“It likely is the best way to avoid a fight, unfair as it may seem,” Reinhard said.

They arrived at the loothouse. Subaru volunteered to go in first, and Emilia agreed, despite a little bit of skepticism in Subaru’s abilities. “Do your best!” she said. 

“Yeah! You can do it!” Garfiel said. 

Reinhard clenched a fist. 

“I’ll go in first. You stay outside and keep watch.” In a deeper voice, Subaru said, “I won’t be back too late, but you can have dinner without me.” 

“Don’t say dumb things like that,” Emilia said. 

“It is an odd thing to say,” Felix said. 

“I was imitating my dad,” Subaru admitted. 

A few of the people in the room looked at him in curiosity. 

“You’ve never talked about your family much, Subaru,” Wilhelm said. 

“Ah, I’ll tell you all about them later,” Subaru said. Let’s get this part over with…

“Don’t come in until I say it’s alright, Satella,” Subaru said. 

Emilia looked at him in slight shock. 

“Did she forget she named herself that?” Garfiel said. 

Julius just sighed. 

“What?” “N-nothing. If you can get my insignia back, I’ll apologize.” 

At least she’s realizing she probably shouldn’t have done that, Julius said. Though, I suppose she can’t be faulted for Subaru’s lack of understanding about how this world works… anyone else would have chastised her for it already, and so the lie wouldn’t have gone on this long. 

Subaru entered the loothouse, only to find it mysteriously empty. Subaru questioned why there wasn’t anyone there guarding the significant amount of stolen merchandise. Subaru stepped into something wet. Looking down, he realized it was a pool of blood. 

“... Well, that ain’t good…” Garfiel said. 

The camera panned to reveal the bloodied corpse of Rom.

Reinhard bit his lip, feeling a bit sick at the sight. Through the last few months, he’d grown to be quite friendly with Rom, who was wise and also cared about Felt’s best interests. 

Wilhelm blinked, furrowing his brow at the sight. He felt faint recognition upon seeing the corpse, though his main worry was with Subaru in this situation. 

Subaru breathed heavily, looking horrified. 

“Oh dear, you found that?” a feminine voice said. “Well, I have no choice, then.” 

There was the sound of metal tearing through flesh as Subaru was thrown across the loothouse, tumbling to the ground. 

“Oh shit!” Garfiel said. 

“So this is it for you,” Julius said, frowning deeply. 

“...Yeah,” Subaru sighed. 

“Ow, that burns-” Subaru looked to his stomach, which had been sliced open by the blade. “Oh crap… is all of this my blood?” Subaru coughed up blood. 

That’s definitely a fatal wound, unless Emilia and her healing magic come to save him in the next five minutes, Felix thought.

“This is bad… very bad…” Subaru collapsed to the floor. 

The door opened. “Subaru? What’s wrong?” 

“Oh no,” Garfiel said. 

Subaru dug his nails into his arm. He didn’t like dwelling on his old deaths, because he hated seeing what happened to his loved ones as he was dying. And in this, Emilia…

Subaru tried to warn Emilia, but he could only croak weakly. “Run… hurry…”

Emilia didn’t hear him, and she was swiftly cut down. 

At first, Felix had felt somewhat skeptical at Subaru’s explanation of ‘Return by Death.’ But now, seeing this hyper-realistic vision of Subaru bleeding to death on the floor… and Subaru endorsing it as the truth…

Slowly and painfully, Subaru reached his hand out toward Emilia. 

“Wait there… I’m going to… save you…” Subaru grasped her hand. 

Then, Subaru was back at the appa stand.

“So you really can…” Felix murmured. “That’s… that’s horrific! What kind of cursed power…” 

Subaru wasn’t offended by his statement, despite the slight accusatory tone. “I ask myself that every day,” he said. 

“Indeed. Though, at least his power helps him continue to live,” Wilhelm said.

“Death is horrible! Everyone should only die once!” Felix declared. 

“Uh…” Subaru said. 

“We agree, Felix,” Reinhard said. “It would be much better if Subaru received a Divine Blessing that allowed him to protect himself, rather than having to suffer the consequences of being powerless.” 

Reinhard’s easy agreement seemed to deflate Felix’s anger. 

“...Yeah,” Felix said. 

There was an awkward silence. 

“Sorry for making it about me, Subaru-kyun,” Felix said. “I don’t hold it against you.” 

“It’s fine!” Subaru assured. “It is kind of a messed up power…” 

“We’re glad to have you with us, Subaru,” Julius said. “But it is a shame you’ve had to suffer like that.” 

“Never knew you had it in you to be so sincere, Julius,” Subaru murmured. 

“Now I’m gonna protect cap’n so he doesn’t have to die anymore!” Garfiel said, still holding on to Subaru’s hand. 

“Indeed. Garfiel, is it?” Wilhelm said. 

“Yep! Garfiel Tinsel! Don’t forget it!” Garfiel said. 

In truth, while the new Emilia Camp member seemed confident and enthusiastic, none of the others had truly had a chance to evaluate his strength. 

Hopefully he has the power to back up his claim, Julius said. After all, Garfiel is the only one who will be consistently in contact with Subaru after this. But if he’s weaker than we expect, we can simply inform Emilia and others of similar strength, and they can protect him moving forward. 

Subaru looked around the street in confusion. He checked his belly, only to see that the wound was gone. “Oh right, Satella! Damn it, didn’t Puck ask me to take care of her?” 

“And she never told you her real name.” Julius facepalmed.  

Subaru, not realizing the truth about the situation, decided he needed to get back to the loothouse as soon as possible.

“You don’t realize what’s going on, nya?” Felix asked.

“Well, it is a weird situation,” Subaru said. “Time travel by death wasn’t at all my first thought… all I could really think about was how I’d promised to save Emilia…” 

“That may make things significantly more difficult for you,” Wilhelm said.

“Still, cap’n can do it!” Garfiel said. 

“He likely just needs a minute to get his bearings,” Reinhard agreed. 

“All of you have way too much faith in me…” Subaru muttered.

Subaru ran into an alley, encountering the thugs again.

“Seriously?!” Felix said. “Was that even the same alley?”

“I think they might have been trailing me, thinking I was an easy mark as a confused tourist,” Subaru said. “Which I was, if I’m being honest.” 

Screen-Subaru theorized that the three might have singled him out to get revenge for the last time they’d met.

Julius shook his head. Events are repeating themselves, and he still doesn’t realize… well, I can’t blame him too much. This must all be a serious shock.

Since Subaru was in a hurry, he decided to comply with the muggers’ demands instead of fighting them. The shortest one wasn’t satisfied with that, however. “Now act like a dog. Get on all fours like a dog and howl, ‘Help me!’” the thug jeered. 

Reinhard winced. Camberley. A bit vicious, and never knows when to quit. 

The rest of the theater felt similarly disgusted and either glared at the screen, or, in Julius’ case, meaningfully side-eyed Reinhard. 

Subaru’s eyes grew angry. “Don’t get cocky, bastard!” With a quick movement, Subaru uppercut the thug with the twin knives.

“And so, knowing that thug was the most dangerous from your past experience, you targeted him first,” Wilhelm observed. The potential of his power is already coming into play…

Subaru landed a roundhouse kick on the smallest thug, knocking him out. Then, after a semi-nonsensical comment about truancy and swinging around wooden swords, Subaru kicked the third thug between the legs, causing serious pain. The third thug stopped fighting, instead supporting himself against the wall. 

“I’m in a hurry! Don’t get in my way again!” Subaru said.

“That was so badass!” Garfiel cheered. 

“And that wasn’t what happened,” Reinhard said. “Did you-”

“Yeah, I died again,” Subaru said. 

“Seriously?!” Felix said. 

“...Yeah,” Subaru said. 

“Even not knowing that you’d gone back in time, you should have at least called the Royal Guards if you truly thought someone dangerous was still there!” Felix said. 

“I didn’t know the Royal Guards existed, to be honest,” Subaru said. “...Though maybe I should have guessed.”

“...Ah,” Julius said. 

“Yeah, but anyways, there were definitely ways I could have been more efficient or strategic in these first few loops… but I didn’t know anyone, I was totally panicking the whole time… and I didn’t even realize I time-traveled…” Subaru said. 

“That’s only realistic, when you think about it,” Wilhelm said. “You don’t need to apologize for that, Subaru-dono.” 

“Ah, thanks,” Subaru said. 

The scene changed to Subaru at the loothouse. “Don’t freak out… don’t freak out…” Subaru crept towards the door. As he was about to knock, Subaru’s face was full of fear and unsurety. “Am I stupid?” 

“You’re quite brave, Subaru,” Reinhard said. He had a difficult time imagining what it would be like to go into a place like that, fully knowing that you might suffer and perish. For him, that was never a question. 

“Yeah, you’re just tryin’ to save ‘milia!” Garfiel said. 

As much as Subaru appreciated their praise, he had to disagree. There’s a fine line between brave and stupid… he thought to himself. I definitely crossed it. 

Subaru pounded on the door. It was answered by the giant who’d previously been seen murdered. Screen-Subaru looked at the guy in shock. 

“So you showed up before the killer did,” Julius said. “That’s good… it gives you some time to work with, even if you don’t succeed this time.” 

“Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have been able to salvage the situation at all if Elsa had attacked them before I met the appa seller,” Subaru said. 

Wilhelm recognized the giant as his foe from the demi-human war. Frowning, but deciding not to comment on the information, Wilhelm simply filed it away for later. 

Rom drank a few gulps of beer. After some back-and-forth banter between Rom and Subaru, Subaru finally decided to ask how Rom could be alive. “Actually, this is a dumb question, but… Have you died recently?” 

Rom laughed, taking it as a joke. “Well, I admit I’m an old man at death’s door, but I ain’t really died yet.” 

Reinhard smiled half-fondly at Rom’s good humor, but he, like everyone else in the theater, couldn’t help but feel on-edge. After all, they had no idea when Subaru’s killer would be arriving. 

“Okay, then have you seen a girl with silver hair?”

“I ain’t seen anyone that conspicuous.” 

Subaru started to wonder if it had all been a dream. 

“Were nya thinking you had precognitive visions?” Felix asked. 

“I was kinda considering that,” Subaru said. “But I wasn’t sure at all. In this loop I was mostly trying to buy back Emilia’s insignia and then get out of dodge.” 

“You were still trying to retrieve her insignia, even after going through all that?” Wilhelm said, a tad surprised. “Most would have given up…” 

“I wanted to repay her for her kindness in the alley!” Subaru said. “And since I promised to help her, I got really focused…” 

Subaru discussed the insignia he was looking for, and he and Rom came to the conclusion that it would be with the loot Felt was bringing in that day. Subaru mentioned that he didn’t have any money, but that he had things to trade. 

The people in the theater were just as curious as Rom to what Subaru had brought with him. “What kinda stuff did ya bring from home?” Garfiel asked. 

“Just that bag full of snacks, my tracksuit, and my phone,” Subaru said. “The phone being what you would call a ‘metia.’ Since it was the only thing of worth I had on me, I was planning to trade it to Rom for the insignia.”

Subaru truly is like a child sometimes, Julius thought, though he didn’t mean it condescendingly. Proud and naive… but exceedingly well-intentioned. It is only someone like that who would trade away everything of value that they owned, just to help someone else they’d just met… Emilia is certainly lucky she stumbled upon him in her time of need.

Subaru showed Rom the corn potage snack as an example of a unique item he had to trade, and Rom began to eat it.

“You just implied you were gonnya trade that and he started eating it?” Felix protested.

Subaru shrugged. “Eh… it was irritating at the time, but it wouldn’t have been enough to buy the insignia. All of this got undone anyway,” Subau said.

Felix grumbled slightly. 

Subaru waited for Felt to arrive with the insignia. He waited outside the loothouse, observing the area around him in the slums. “I guess, in any world, there are people with money and people without…” 

Moments later, Felt arrived. She didn’t recognize him, but she easily brushed him off by saying she didn’t remember people. Disregarding that, Subaru explained to Felt he wanted to negotiate for the insignia, to her happiness. 

Julius grimaced. The killer is bound to be arriving soon… night is falling, and in the last loop, Rom’s body was found when it was dark out. 

Inside, after Felt and Rom greeted each other and bantered, they got down to business. Felt showed Subaru the insignia, which glowed as she held it. 

“It’s glowin’!” Garfiel said, pointing. “So she’s a Royal Candidate for real, huh?” 

“Was there ever any doubt?” Julius said. 

“Nah… just cool to see, I guess,” Garfiel said, scratching the back of his head. “It really glows, like ‘n all the stories!” 

Subaru told them he had no money, but brought out his phone to trade. He took pictures of their faces. Though the two were shocked by the flashes of light, they were intrigued by the photos of them that Subaru showed them. 

“Them’s me and Felt’s faces. What sort of magic is that?” 

“I told you, it’s a mystical item that can freeze a moment in time.” 

“Freeze a moment in time?” Julius echoed. 

“It’s a ‘photograph’,” Subaru said. “Maybe it’d be better explained by saying that it can instantly create a hyper-accurate portrait.” 

“That’s fascinating,” Reinhard said. “So it has multiple functions?” 

“Yep!” Subaru said. “A phone has many uses, that one was just the easiest to show off.” 

“What can I get out of this ‘metia’?” Felt asked. 

“I’d say there’s no doubt it’ll fetch more than that insignia.” 

“Then that settles it! This cell phone for that insignia! Negotiations complete!” Subaru reached for the insignia, but Felt snatched it away. 

“Nope. Not yet.”

“Why not?” 

“You’re not the only one I’m negotiating with this for. Besides, I nabbed this because I was asked to. My client told me I could get ten holy coins for it!” 

“That’s not an insignificant sum,” Julius said. 

“Nor can it be a coincidence that the insignia was the target,” Wilhelm said. “It seems quite obvious to me that someone was trying to sabotage Emilia’s chances in the Royal Selection.” 

“Oh, definitely,” Subaru said, though he wasn’t sure exactly who. 

Did Roswaal do it? Roswaal hired Elsa to attack the mansion later, but would he really have hired Elsa to steal Emilia’s own insignia when he wants her to win? Well, maybe the gospel told him to. Yeah, that’s probably it. 

“The metia you have is worth at least twenty holy coins… no, there are probably fanciers who’d pay more for a thing like that.”
Despite the fact that Subaru was in the lead in the deal, Felt insisted on waiting for the other client to arrive so they could all negotiate together. As she said that, there was a knock at the door. 

Subaru braced himself. This would be another painful loop.

“Over here. Care to sit down?” Felt said as Elsa the Bowel Hunter walked into the building. 

“So it was her!” Garfiel growled. “I thought I knew her voice, and you kept calling her Elsa, but now it’s clear as day that she’s the one who killed you!” 

Elsa questioned the outsiders present in the deal. Felt revealed that Old Man Rom was there to protect her, while Subaru was there as her bidding rival. 

“Well, this situation is going to go downhill fyast,” Felix said. 

Elsa didn’t immediately attack the group. Instead, she first attempted to negotiate. Taking a drink of milk, she said, “I see… I understand the situation now.” 

Subaru offered up his insignia, saying that Rom evaluated it at twenty holy coins. 

“As it happens, the client sent me with some extra funds,” Elsa said. 

“The client… so you were sent to fetch it, too?” Subaru asked. 

“That’s right. The client is the one who wants it. Would you happen to be in the same business?” Elsa asked. 

“Being in the same business as me would mean they’re unemployed!” Subaru loudly announced. 

“Ahaha! Nice one, cap’n,” Garfiel said. 

“Subaru, no,” Felix said. “She’s going to kill you.” 

“Yeah I don’t think saying that helped matters,” Subaru said. 

“Maybe if you’d pretended to be a saboteur as well, she might have let you go with the insignia,” Julius said. 

“Doubtful. She wanted it bad,” Subaru said. “But I might have been given a better shot if I’d taken that route… ah well, too late now.” 

Elsa pulled out a bag of money. Rom counted twenty holy coins, to Felt’s shock. 

“Don’t make such a pathetic face,” Rom told Subaru. “Your metia is worth no less than twenty… as I see it, victory in this deal is leaning towards the boy.”

Subaru jumped into the air with excitement. 

“I don’t imagine she’ll let you leave,” Julius said, with slight dread. 

“Yeah, no, here’s where things go wrong,” Subaru said. 

Elsa finished her milk. “Well, this deal has ended in disappointment for me, but I’ll be taking my leave now. By the way, what do you intend to do with that insignia?”

Subaru proudly declared he’d return it to its original owner. 

“Oh no,” Garfiel said. 

“That’s the wrong answer indeed,” Wilhelm said. 

Darkness overtook Elsa’s face. “So you’re with them, then.”
“I knew it!” Garfiel said. “Ugh, she’s so evil!” 

Felt tackled Subaru out of the way of a fatal strike. Rom pulled out a club and attempted to attack Elsa, but she dodged and parried with ease. 

“Don’t worry! There’s no way Old Man Rom will lose!” Felt said, confidently. 

“Uh-” Felix started. 

“Yeah, he lost,” Subaru said, grimacing. 

“Poor guy,” Garfiel said. “Fighting a vampire like Elsa ain’t a piece of cake!” 

“A vampire?” Wilhelm said. 

“You should see the way she regenerates, I say ain’t no way she’s not a vampire,” Garfiel said.

Wilhelm’s brow furrowed. Vampires weren’t real. Perhaps the young lad simply saw her incredible fighting prowess and decided that she must be a vampire as a result.

Elsa sliced off Rom’s arm in a gruesome display. Felt screamed as blood spattered across her face. 

Reinhard felt his heart stutter. He didn’t typically feel emotions deeply, but he was certainly developing a distaste for this assassin who tormented his lady. He would never let this happen in this timeline. 

Elsa stabbed Rom in the throat with a broken glass. 

“You bitch… how dare you!?” Felt joined the fight, attempting to strike at Elsa. 

Elsa easily parried. 

“How wonderful… I can see you are loved by this world. I envy you!”

Elsa sliced down, opening up Felt’s organs vertically as blood splattered against the walls. Felt collapsed to the ground.  

“Lady Felt…” Reinhard bit his lip. Felix shot him a sympathetic look. 

He hadn’t thought about how him not being there would have resulted in her immediate death. It was a common-sense deduction considering the strength of the Bowel Hunter, but he hadn’t dwelt on it. Now, Reinhard wished that Felt was here with him, so he could be completely assured of her safety. 

Subaru struggled to his feet as the Bowel Hunter taunted him for taking so long. He cocked an arm and ran towards Elsa, with awful fighting form. 

The theater winced at the sight, knowing Subaru couldn’t possibly survive against her. 

Elsa kicked him across the room. “But it’s no use. I can see you’re a novice, and your movements are rough. You have no divine protections or techniques. I had hoped to squeeze wisdom out of you, but you lack that, too.” 

“Shut up! I do have my pride! After you’ve put me through all this…” 

“I would say that you should’ve run, but I doubt you could have outrun an enemy like Elsa anyway, nya,” Felix said. “There wasn’t much hope, here…” 

“You did face death with dignity…” Wilhelm said.

“Thanks guys…” Subaru sighed. 

“I do acknowledge that you have extraordinary determination. If only you could have done that sooner, things might have gone differently for these two.” The screen switched, showing their corpses. 

Subaru grimaced. 

“Don’t fall for her taunt,” Julius said, seeing Subaru’s expression. 

“Huh?” Subaru said.

“She’s seen your fighting ability. Despite your extraordinary determination, she’s fully aware that no matter how you fought her, that you had no capability to defeat her… and neither did Felt or Rom. She was simply tormenting you,” Julius said. 

Subaru thought back to how tough Elsa was when she attacked the manor. “I suppose you’re right… but on the other hand, I did manage to change fate, even if not by myself. I don’t mind that she said that, because I was given another chance.” 

Subaru squared up again. As Elsa swung her blade toward him, remembering how she always aimed for the belly, Subaru spun around on his foot and jumped backward. 

“Ah hell yeah!” Garfiel said. 

He used the surprise of the dodge to swing his foot around, landing a hard kick on Elsa. Though it shoved her back, it didn’t seem to do any real damage. 

“Getting in a hit on someone like her is no easy feat,” Reinhard complimented.

“Yeah… though at no small cost…” Subaru said. 

Subaru looked down, and saw that his belly had been sliced open. 

Elsa revealed a second blade. “Are you surprised? I opened up your belly as we passed by one another.”

Subaru collapsed to the ground.

The air was solemn and quiet in the theater as Subaru started to die again. 

Elsa crouched down in front of him. “As I thought… your guts have such a lovely color!” she said, sounding thrilled. 

“This is sickening,” Felix growled. 

It hurts… it hurts… it hurts it hurts! Subaru thought. 

“Does it hurt? Are you suffering?” Elsa asked, 

It… doesn’t hurt? 

“In pain? Sad? Do you want to die?” 

“This is so fucked up!” Garfiel said. “What a psycho bitch!” 

“A monstrous woman,” Julius said in agreement, voice full of disgust. 

Die? Am I dead? Am I still alive? When will I die? I’m scared!

“Slowly, slowly, slowly--” Elsa said. 

Wilhelm’s face morphed into a deep scowl. If that woman weren’t already dead, he would have vowed to kill her with his own sword for this. 

Garfiel held tighter to Subaru’s hand. 

Tears streamed down Subaru’s face. I’m scared… 

“Yes, you’re slowly losing body heat… you’re slowly growing cold…” 

Oh… I’m dead. 

Subaru woke back up at the appa stand. 

There was a moment of silence. 

“I must admit,” Reinhard said. “I am glad you struck her down, Garfiel.” 

“Yeah! Fuck that shit!” Garfiel said. 

“Subaru… are you alright?” Julius asked, praying Subaru wouldn’t take it as an insult.

“Well, I suppose I am now,” Subaru said. 

“Can anyone really be okay after that?” Felix said. It was meant to be more of an inquiry than an accusation, but Subaru’s face turned into a frown and he seemed to withdraw. 

“It’s fine,” Subaru said. “I’m fine.” When no one seemed to believe this, Subaru puffed himself up. “You don’t need to worry about me, that crazy assassin lady was squashed flat!” 

Subaru’s always had a lot of bluster, Julius said. And he’s very eccentric. At this point it feels obvious that he uses that to hide his suffering from others.

Still, Julius decided to break the silence, for Subaru’s sake. The longer it went on, the more Subaru’s expression was starting to crumple. “Let’s get back to watching,” Julius said. The look on Subaru's face was that of an animal trying to protect its wounds, and all Julius could feel when looking at it was pity. “The sooner we finish-” 

“The sooner this can end, yes,” Subaru said. “I agree.”

Silence fell once more as attention turned to the screen. 

“What’s the matter, boy? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Boy, you okay?”

“I have no idea what’s going on anymore…” Subaru passed out in front of the appa stand. Moments later, he woke up to the appa salesman splashing water on his face and offering him water and appas for free. 

“That’s quite kind of him,” Julius mentioned. 

“Heh, Kadomon can be harsh, but he’s a good guy inside,” Subaru said. 

“Kadomon? Wait, I don’t remember him introducing himself… don’t tell me that this isn’t the last loop…” Julius said. 

“Well, I learned his name some other day… but uh, no, it’s not.”

“Seriously?!” Garfiel said, growling. “Damn it!” 

“How many times are you going to die against that madwoman?” Felix said. 

“We’re almost done, no worries,” Subaru said, nodding towards the screen. 

No worries? Reinhard thought to himself, frowning. He was very worried, and was barely resisting approaching Subaru from his side of the room. To do what he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure how to comfort or talk someone through something. He just wanted to be closer. 

Subaru saw Emilia passing by. He pushed past the appa seller and ran toward her. 

“Wait! Satella!” 

Everyone grimaced. 

“Uh oh,” Garfiel said. “That ain’t gonna go over well…” 

“That’s probably the rudest thing you could have said to her, not that you know that,” Felix pointed out. “This is why I said it was a bad idea for her to tell you…” 

“What, you predicted something like this would happen?” Subaru goaded.

“It’s just asking for trouble!” Felix insisted. 

Emilia stopped at those words. 

“Please don’t ignore me!” Subaru said. “My dying and not doing what you said were my fault! But I was desperate! I went back to the loot house after that, but I couldn’t find you…” 

The crowd looked uncomfortable as Emilia turned around. 

“Are you gonna get shanked by one of the demihuman’s in the crowd?” Garfiel asked. It wasn’t an unrealistic expectation. 

“Kinda close, but not really,” Subaru said. 

“Well, it seems obvious this is another… unsuccessful attempt. I doubt the relationship between you and your liege would be so close if this had occurred…” Wilhelm said. 

“Heh. You’re probably right about that, though Emilia-tan’s pretty forgiving…” 

“I’m sorry for only thinking of myself. But I’m glad you’re alright, Satella.” 

Everyone winced as Subaru used the name again. 

“What are you thinking?! I don’t know who you are, but don’t call me by the name of the Witch of Envy!” Emilia said, visibly upset. 

As Emilia and Subaru looked into each other’s eyes, the screen turned to a title card reading: “The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End.” 

“Is that it?” Julius said. 

“But what happens next?!” Garfiel said. “I wanna see!” 

“Looks like that was the first episode…” Subaru said. “Are we allowed… to leave?”

The voice returned to answer the question.

PER MY CONTRACT, I MUST OFFER YOU THE OPTION OF LEAVING. BUT ALTERNATIVELY, YOU MAY STAY, AND CONTINUE TO SEE SUBARU’S MEMORIES. 

“I think the answer here is obvious,” Reinhard said. “Despite what we have learned, we should continue to respect Subaru’s privacy. It's no easy thing to have one's memories exposed. We trust him, so unless he prefers us to stay, we should choose to leave.” 

Reinhard’s words were answered by nods all around the room. Though Garfiel was disappointed, he also nodded along, seeing the truth in what he said. 

NOBLE. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT SAY SO. BUT THERE ARE A FEW MORE FACTORS THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED. ONCE SUBARU RETURNS TO YOUR WORLD, HE WILL NO LONGER BE PERMITTED TO SPEAK ON THIS SUBJECT. 

“No longer be permitted to speak?” Reinhard said, confused. 

“Yeah, I’m actually not allowed to talk about it,” Subaru said. “There’s a taboo on Return by Death. Trying to talk about it causes pain so bad it takes my breath away--and if I try to fight through it, I’ll just die and restart.” 

The five in the theater looked at Subaru incredulously. 

“That’s very suspicious… nya. Who’s stopping you from talking? Did you make a contract at some point?” Felix said. For someone to do that without a contract, they’d have to be insanely powerful… 

“No, but the effect is very real,” Subaru said, shaking his head. I probably shouldn’t tell them it’s caused by Satella just yet… it’s not a good thing to be associated with the witch in Lugnica. “So yeah, if we return back early, I can’t tell you anything. But hey, mysterious voice, couldn’t I just talk about it here? Then I can tell them everything before we go.”

FROM HERE ON OUT, YOU WILL BE FORBIDDEN FROM GIVING SPOILERS. 

“What?!” Subaru was slightly incensed. “But I wanted to talk about-” As Subaru tried to continue, he broke out coughing. Instead of speaking words, he coughed up bubbles. Everyone gave him slight looks of alarm. “What the hell- why won’t you let me talk, bastard?!”

THEY ARE NOT HERE TO LISTEN TO YOU EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. THEY ARE HERE TO VIEW YOUR MEMORIES. 

Subaru growled, gnashing his teeth. 

“So if we don’t continue, we’ll never know what else Subaru’s been through,” Julius said. 

CORRECT. AND I HAVE ONE FINAL LAST DEAL TO SWEETEN THE POT. IF YOU AGREE TO WATCH SUBARU’S MEMORIES OF THE PAST, I WILL PERMIT YOU TO WATCH HIS MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE. 

“The future?” Reinhard said. “Can that really be the truth?” 

Like a gospel, or Echidna’s predictions? Subaru wondered. 

THE FUTURE IS IN FLUX, BUT SEEING THIS ITERATION OF IT WILL GIVE YOU INFORMATION ON THREATS, PAST AND FUTURE. THE NEXT ATTACK OF THE WITCH CULT. THE LOCATION OF GLUTTONY. ETCETERA. 

Felix and Wilhelm couldn’t help it--the words location of gluttony caused them both to perk up. Meanwhile, everyone was interested in knowing where the next attack of the witch cult would be, especially Subaru. 

Subaru was torn. He shouldn’t let his embarrassment over his past loops stop him from allowing everyone to get such vital information, but there were other factors and potential harms too. 

The one most present in his mind being Garfiel. 

He wouldn’t forget how Garfiel, in his mindless beast form, had killed Patrasche and torn Otto in two. Their whole group would have to see that-- Garfiel would be heartbroken. Subaru really didn’t want Garfiel to ever have to know.

Not to mention, Felix and Julius would have to see themselves kill him in that Betelguese loop. He still hadn't forgotten their heartbreak at being forced to do that in the original loop, and if he went through with it, it would scar them once again. 

But what if the future information helped him save Rem? And could he really let Felix and Wilhelm down by denying them information that might help Crusch?

“I could agree with this,” Subaru said. “But before you guys agree, listen to me seriously.” 

Everyone turned to look at Subaru.

“If you agree, you’re probably going to see a lot of gruesome things… you’re probably going to see the worst of others, the worst of your friends, potentially even the worst of yourselves,” Subaru said. “And you’ll definitely see the worst of me.”

Everyone was silent in the face of this solemn warning.

“Even knowing that, are you guys still willing to move forward?” 

Garfiel was the first to speak. “We gotta, cap’n!” 

“If you’re alright with it, I must agree,” Julius said. 

“I concur,” Reinhard said. 

“We appreciate the sacrifices you’re making, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. “And on this matter I would like to speak too. Memories are a private thing. We all must remember that there are things we all wish to remain hidden--before you critique Subaru-dono on something that we all previously did not know about him, remember what it would be like for all your secrets to be aired, and that he has generously allowed us to witness his.” 

Everyone nodded at this. 

“Oh, yeah. One more thing. Mysterious voice, if you’re lying to us, Reinhard’s gonna kill you with the Dragon Sword,” Felix said. “Aside from that, I also agree.” 

AHAHA, GREAT… the voice said. OKAY. SINCE YOU ALL AGREE, I’LL BOOT UP THE NEXT EPISODE. IF YOU EVER NEED REST, THERE ARE ROOMS AND SNACKS IN MY BEAUTIFUL POCKET DIMENSION. 

“Let’s just start up the next one, I wanna see what happens!” Garfiel said. There were no objections to this. The screen changed, showing the next episode.

Episode Two: Reunion with the Witch

Chapter Text

Subaru and Emilia faced each other as Felt was shown watching from the rooftops.

“I’ll ask one more time--why did you call my by the name of the Witch of Envy?”

“Well, because you said I should!” 

“I don’t know who told you that, but they have a terrible sense of humor!” 

The tense exchange between Emilia and Subaru continued from the past episode.

“The Witch of Envy is the very definition of taboo. And you call me by her name, which most dare not even say?!” Emilia said. Several demihumans in the crowd agreed with her statement. “Yeah, she’s right kid.” “You crossed the line there buddy!” 

“If I heard ya say something like that and we didn’t know each other, I mighta punched ya,” Garfiel said. 

“It’s a good thing you weren’t there then,” Subaru said. He frowned. “I do feel bad that I insulted her, though.” 

“At least you won’t make the mistake of calling her that name again,” Julius said. 

“If you don’t have anything else to say, then I’m leaving. I have things to do,” Emilia said, turning around. As she did, Felt jumped down from the roof. Just as Subaru noticed Felt, she ran forward, stealing Emilia’s insignia. 

“Aw man! You mighta been able to stop Felt right there, if ya noticed her,” Garfiel said. 

“At least in future loops, he will know the location of the crime,” Reinhard said. 

Subaru had to resist sighing, knowing he didn’t use that information at all. “Yeah, though there's still the problem of Elsa." And the fact that I accidentally missed the theft in the next loop...

Reinhard grimaced. “Indeed.” 

Upon realizing that her insignia was gone, Emilia whirled around to confront Subaru. “Wait, were you a distraction? Are you working with her?!” 

Everyone grimaced at that statement. 

Emilia, luckily, chose to ignore Subaru and run after Felt. 

“Considering you were almost considered an accomplice in stealing a Royal Candidate’s insignia, that was probably the best outcome,” Reinhard said. That could have caused real trouble. 

“Maybe your bad luck balanced out for once,” Felix said. 

Subaru grimaced, running after Emilia. 

The screen switched to a black-and-white scene with music playing. 

“Wait, what’s this?” Felix said. 

“It’s an anime opening!” Subaru gasped, slamming a hand against the chair. 

“A what?” 

“Okay, basically, it’s… an artistic representation of what happens throughout the series,” Subaru said, snapping his fingers. “It’ll give you a hint for what’s going to happen next in an abstract way.” Part of Subaru felt unbelievably thrilled to have an anime opening all to himself… though it was probably going to be about him getting gored in various bad situations. 

“Fascinating,” Wilhelm said. 

“I suppose we’ll have to pay attention, if it gives hints for the future,” Reinhard said. 

A black-and-white Subaru rose from the floor, blood returning to his body as if in reverse. His grocery bag flew to his hand as color returned.

This is so weird, Garfiel thought. It’s like a dream of some kind?

Subaru was seen in a background of black smog. Phantom versions of himself glitched in and out of the scene. The same thing happened with Felt and Emilia, before a phantom version of the Bowel Hunter appeared overlaid with them. 

“So that’s about how the bowel hunter’s gonna target you three!” Garfiel said. 

“Yeah pretty much,” Subaru said. “Though anime openings also introduce all the characters, so it’s also showing us all the people who are going to be there.” 

“Will we appear?” Julius asked. 

“I don’t know. It seems like this introduction might be for my earlier memories,” Subaru said. Part of Subaru got very excited at the idea he got multiple anime openings. 

Beatrice, Ram and Rem appeared in a similar way. Moments later, Roswaal’s face appeared overlaid on the screen as well. 

So that kind of scary introduction is reserved for bastard villains, Garfiel thought, remembering how Roswaal had endangered Sanctuary, though he’d eventually repented. 

Subaru and Emilia were seen across from each in a yellow environment, surrounded by lesser spirits. A black hand rushed forth and Emilia vanished as the background turned red. 

“That hand and purple darkness again!” Felix said. “Just like the time when Subaru came to Lugnica! Was it attacking Emilia there?” 

“Very strange,” Julius said. “It can’t be a coincidence it’s appeared twice now. If my recollection is correct, it appears somewhat similar to the invisible hands of the Archbishop of Sloth… but there’s something different about it…” 

Subaru waffled for a moment, before deciding that if they were going to see all his memories, that he should probably at least try to explain before they pieced together whose hands those were on their own. Even if they didn’t like the fact that it was Satella’s. 

“Well that’s-” Subaru could only cough bubbles instead of explaining. A spoiler? 

Subaru, for lack of physical person to glare at, huffed into empty air. I hate the spoiler restriction. Now I can’t explain anything! “Never mind. Guess you’ll figure it out on your own,” Subaru said as everyone turned to look at him. 

With everyone’s interest newly piqued, they turned their attention back to the intro.

Subaru looked confused, but another Subaru came and walked past him. Soon, Emilia was surrounded by phantom versions of Subaru. 

Could these represent his deaths and resurrections? Wilhelm thought. He still was unused to thinking about Subaru with this new power. It was unsettling, for certain. 

The camera spun with phantom versions of the characters as it approached Emilia and Subaru, who were back-to-back. 

Characters important to Subaru’s time in the capital, including Rom, Reinhard, and the three thugs, appeared in bright blocks of color. 

Reinhard jolted at seeing himself appear, even if only briefly,in the opening. He’d been colored blue with bright yellow eyes. 

Subaru raced forward in fog, trying to reach the light. As one Subaru fell, another would appear from the darkness. 

“So that represents you dying and coming back,” Felix said. 

“Seems right to me,” Subaru said, nodding. He was honestly really enjoying the opening. It was strange seeing his time in Lugnica, which he considered to be far from the ideal isekai experience, incarnated into an anime. The upbeat music almost made his adventure sound epic instead of horrifying! 

Subaru walked away from the darkness and towards the light. Standing in the light were Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Emilia, and Felt. As Subaru attempted to approach them, a shadow hand emerged from the darkness, grabbing Subaru’s heart and stopping him in his tracks. 

“Woah,” Garfiel said. He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to artistically represent, but he didn’t like it. “What the hell! That hand is hurting you!”

“I knew that shadow hand meant something,” Julius said, frowning deeply. 

“Subaru, is this the origin of your hatred from the witch cult? Has something from there been haunting you?” Wilhelm said. 

Subaru was a little impressed with Wilhelm’s good guess. Though it wasn’t exactly true, it was witch-cult related. “I can’t tell you. Spoiler restriction, remember?” 

“Hopefully it’s revealed soon,” Julius said, hand twitching toward his sword. 

The camera circled around Subaru, who seemed to be in pain from the shadow hand. Images flashed before Subaru fell over, blood splattering in the same position it had been in the start of the opening. 

“Back to the beginning again?” Reinhard murmured, unsure. 

“Yep, all comes full circle. Now, back to the show,” Subaru said, intentionally ignoring everyone’s concerned faces at the violent end of the introduction. 

Something about it starting and ending with his death gives it an ominous air, Julius thought. I don’t like this 'anime opening.' It feels like a bad omen. 

Subaru stumbled into the alley, trying to catch up with Emilia, only to find himself face-to-face with the three thugs from earlier. 

“These bozos again?” Felix sighed. “Geez.”

“Guess they really were following me around, huh?” Subaru said. 

“Well you can just beat ‘em up again,” Garfiel said dismissively. 

Subaru visibly winced in phantom pain, remembering the result of the confrontation.  

“Just stop it already! Nobody can be this damn persistent!”  

“You don’t realize yet?” Julius said, grimacing. 

“Nah, I didn’t really have time to stop and think,” Subaru said. 

“Move it! I have somewhere I need to go and you guys are in my way!” Frustrated, Subaru marched past the thugs, pushing through them. Only moments later, the music began to swell as Subaru collapsed, revealing a knife in his back. 

Reinhard’s eyes widened in horror. 

“Holy shit, seriously?” Garfiel said. 

“You stabbed him!? Oh man…” the biggest thug said, as blood began to stain Subaru’s jacket. 

“Subaru- I-” Reinhard was borderline speechless. “I never realized-” 

“What, that Chin stabbed me?” Subaru said. 

“Yes!” Reinhard said. All he could think of now was how he’d trained Larkins in fire magic, and increased his strength. He’d let… a murderer gain strength under his purview! 

Subaru shrugged. 

“A shrug? That’s it?” Felix said. 

“Well, what’s done is done. No one could have known. Not like I’m mad he joined the Felt camp. I mean from his own perspective, he has no idea,” Subaru said.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me… it hurts… it hurts…” Subaru thought as the thugs argued in a panic. He coughed up blood and dropped further as the shortest thug pulled out the knife. It was tinny to Subaru’s ears, but still audible: “Well no sense in wasting him, take anything he’s got worth selling!” the short thug said.

“What the fuck,” Garfiel said. Unlike his previous surprised declarations, this one held a tone of real seriousness. “You’re telling me that guy is a Royal Candidate’s servant now?”

Wilhelm also couldn’t help but feel incensed on Subaru’s behalf. “It is one thing for someone inexperienced to accidentally kill in the heat of the moment, and entirely another to disrespect them by stealing off their corpse.” 

“Oh, what, so the part where he stabbed Subaru was fine?” Garfiel huffed. 

“That’s not what I said!” Wilhelm said, offended. 

Subaru had barely even heard it at the time, and hadn’t really resented the thugs for the experience. But now, seeing himself die on screen, memories of the pain and surprise were flooding back. When remembered abstractly, it hadn’t been that bad of a death, but watching himself collapse brought back all the pain and fear and whywhywhywhy. 

Subaru supposed it hardly mattered now. The three thugs had moved on with their lives. 

Little did Subaru know, with the strong emotions of everyone in the room, that those three were in a world of trouble when everyone got back. 

Subaru, splayed out in the alleyway, looked ahead to see an intact bag of potato chips. “But… Old Man Rom… ate those…”

As the thugs ran away, the life faded from Subaru’s eyes. Moments later, Subaru appeared in front of the appa seller. 

The room braced for another interaction between the appa seller and Subaru, wondering how he would react. 

“Hey mister… how many times have you seen me here before?”

“What’re you talkin’ about, I’ve never seen you here before.” 

“Did you realize your situation?" Julius asked. 

“Yep,” Subaru said, nodding. 

Julius sighed in relief. Finally… Julius took no pleasure in seeing a frightened and confused Subaru repeatedly cut down. Hopefully, now that he understood, Subaru could do something more concrete about his situation. 

Subaru smirked. “Sorry, but I don’t have any money at all! Totally broke!”

“Then get the hell outta here!”  

Felix and Garfiel sighed in a bit of relief seeing that Subaru hadn’t lost much of his typical cheer. 

He sure bounces back quickly, Reinhard thought. His resilience is nothing short of amazing… 

“Cell phone… wallet… corn potage… cup of noodles…” Subaru took stock of everything in his possession. “Looks like my tracksuit and sneakers are intact too. And hopefully…” Subaru checked his back, and saw that the wound was gone. “Phew, that’s a relief. Because a wound to the back is a warrior’s greatest shame for sure.” 

“How can you joke around like that right after you got stabbed?” Felix asked. 

“Well, I was trying to take things lightly and figure out what was going on, not have a mental breakdown,” Subaru pointed out. “And, I was honestly really relieved to be alive in that moment..." Subaru gave a nervous laugh.  

“With this much circumstantial evidence, there’s absolutely no denying it. This has to be… a time leap. And each time, I return to my initial state! I’ll call it… Return by Death!” 

The theater’s mood perked up a bit as Subaru named his newfound ability. The power was extremely morbid, but screen-Subaru seemed to take it in stride easily enough. 

Maybe he’ll survive this loop, Julius thought. Now that he knows, he can actually start to plan… 

“If I’ve gone back in time to this moment once again, then Satella hasn’t helped me. We haven’t even met yet!” Subaru considered forgetting everything that happened, selling his metia, and using his knowledge of his alternate world to make money. 

“You actually could have done that,” Felix observed. “Why didn’t you?” 

“Well, if I’d done that, Emilia and Felt would have died, right?” Subaru said. "So I couldn't..."

“Yeah… that’s true…” Felix said. 

“For the sake of my lady, I sincerely thank you for returning back to such a dangerous situation, especially given the risk to yourself that it incurred,” Reinhard said. He hadn’t realized the magnitude of the debt that he and his camp owed Subaru. Subaru helping when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time was noble, but it was on a whole other level if Subaru had walked into that place knowing he would likely be killed, all in the hopes of assisting the others present. 

“Don’t sweat it, Reinhard,” Subaru said. 

Subaru walked down the street. As he did, he reflected on his first meeting with Emilia. “There are always softies… people who will help others when they really can’t afford to…” 

Subaru realized that if he did nothing, that Emilia, Felt, and Rom would still be attacked and killed by Elsa. 

“If I’m fully aware that people I used to know will be murdered…!” 

Subaru turned around and started running back to where he came from. 

“...then I can’t just ignore it!” 

“Yeah! Go save ‘em, cap’n!” Garfiel cheered. “You got this!” 

Subaru smiled at Garfiel’s enthusiasm. 

The way his thoughts were broadcast and he’d clearly made the choice to save Emilia and the others made him look almost… heroic. At least a little bit. The background music was helping.

“Best of luck on this loop, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said, with a slight smile. 

“Thanks,” Subaru said. 

Subaru talked to the appa salesman again, getting the information that the theft had already happened. Then, he walked into the nearby alleyway, intent on getting to the loothouse. Unfortunately, three thugs stopped him. 

The room tensed. 

“Beat ‘em up like the second time!” Garfiel cheered. Meanwhile, Reinhard waited with baited breath to see if the loop would continue as he remembered it. 

 “After doing this four times, I’ve learned my lesson!” After taking a deep breath, Subaru planted his feet and shouted for the guards to help him. As the thugs panicked, Subaru called for guards in an increasingly girly voice. 

Reinhard let out a relieved laugh. “This is it! This is the one!” 

“This is what stuck?” Julius said, with a broad smile. Besides being amused by Subaru’s typical antics, he was relieved by the news that Subaru wouldn’t be killed by the assassin any longer. And once he was inducted into the Emilia camp, he would at least have allies to fall back upon in the situations where he might die. By that logic, his amount of deaths would hopefully become farther between, right? Julius frowned slightly, remembering the fight against the witch cult. Hopefully Subaru hadn't died too many times there. 

“I still think ya shoulda beaten them up!” Garfiel said. 

“I didn't really want to fight them again, and at least I got to meet Reinhard,” Subaru said, grinning. “So I don’t regret that choice at all!” 

“That’s enough,” a voice said. A red-haired figure appeared at the end of the alleyway. The thugs began to panic as they recognized Reinhard. 

“Reinhard, the master swordsman?!” 

“I suppose I don’t need to introduce myself. Though, that nickname is a bit much for me. I don’t know how much help my modest strength could be to him-” 

“Modest strength?” Julius said, raising an eyebrow. 

Reinhard blushed and looked away. 

“Aw, poor Rein. He’s a humble guy!” Subaru said. 

“-but if you wish to resort to extreme measures, as a knight, I will have to fight back.” Reinhard made a motion towards his sword, and the thugs fled the scene. 

“Yay! Thanks for saving me, Reinhard,” Subaru said. 

Wilhelm felt strangely conflicted at seeing the scene. He’d had no idea this had happened between Subaru and his grandson, and the whole situation seemed odd to him. Despite his heroic actions, Reinhard seemed to have a very understated personality and mild disposition. He’d thought that maybe, Reinhard only acted that way around him, because of their family history… but no. 

Subaru sincerely thanked Reinhard, but Reinhard said it was no trouble. 

“Those thugs lost their advantage on the situation once it was two against three,” Reinhard said. “Things might have been different were I alone.” 

Subaru couldn’t help but giggle at that. Reinhard frowned. 

“Sorry, I’m not making fun of you Reinhard, it’s just funny to hear you say something like that so sincerely,” Subaru said, apologetically. 

“Nya, who knyew our little guy was so shy about taking credit?” Felix said. 

“But seriously, Reinhard, thanks a bunch,” Subaru said. 

“It was no problem, Subaru.” 

Wow, his nice guy index is off the charts! Subaru thought. 

Subaru and Reinhard seemed to make fast friends as Subaru thanked Reinhard for helping, and Reinhard told Subaru that calling the guards for help was a smart choice. 

“They called you a Master Swordman, right?” Subaru asked. 

“Ah, my family is a bit… unique. Most of the time I don’t feel like I live up to their expectations,” Reinhard said, looking slightly pained. 

There was an awkward silence in the theater as Reinhard very carefully did not look at Wilhelm. On his part, Wilhelm was too proud to admit to anything in front of the entire group, though he did feel a pang of regret at Reinhard’s words. Did he really feel that way? 

Reinhard seemed to realize Subaru was a foreigner from his clothes and offered to help Subaru if he was having trouble in Lugnica. 

“Would you come to the loothouse with me!” Subaru asked immediately, before frowning and shaking his head. “No… never mind. I don’t want to bother you.” 

“Subaru, you should have brought him!” Felix lectured. 

“I didn’t realize he was super strong at the time, so I was worried he would die,” Subaru said. 

Reinhard tilted his head at that, a strange feeling bubbling in his chest. It had been a long time since someone legitimately worried over him. After all, when you were invincible, there was no need for others to fret over you. And yet, Reinhard felt guilty for enjoying Subaru’s care towards him, because such misguided feelings ultimately put Subaru in danger. “I apologize for not making my strength clear,” Reinhard said. 

“It wasn’t your fault,” Subaru dismissed. “It was just that you seemed so nice, so I didn’t want Elsa to hurt you.” 

“Indeed. Besides, he should have known that almost anyone who fights for a living would be stronger than him and therefore worth bringing to the confrontation, no matter how humble their attitude,” Julius said. 

“Still…” 

“And Subaru survived this loop, so it worked out, right?” Felix said. 

“I suppose so,” Reinhard finally admitted. 

“And you really saved me towards the end,” Subaru said. “Without you, I would’ve been toast! So thanks for remembering me.” 

Reinhard nodded. Though he felt his actions still had endangered Subaru, at least he’d managed to somewhat help Subaru in the end. 

Subaru changed his request to that Reinhard would tell Emilia to stay away from the slums if he saw her, though his request was difficult to carry out as Subaru did not know her name and could only give a description. Then, Subaru ran to the slums, asking for directions to find Felt. 

As Subaru marched towards Felt’s place, he bumped into a cloaked stranger. 

“Oh no,” Garfiel said. “That’s-” 

“Oh dear, I’m sorry, are you alright?” 

“Yeah sorry, I don’t look it, but-” Subaru cut himself off when he looked up and realized he was standing across from Elsa. 

“Seriously!?” Julius said. “What awful luck…” 

“It makes sense she’d be prowling around in the area, but seriously?” Felix said. 

“That’s what I said,” Subaru sighed. 

“How do you survive this one, cap?” Garfiel glanced over. 

“Likely by avoiding a fight,” Wilhelm said. “He doesn't have anyone with him capable of defeating Elsa, at this moment.” 

“Right on the money, Wilhelm-san,” Subaru said. 

Subaru looked scared, and Elsa questioned his fear, wondering if she knew something about him. When he tried to protest he wasn’t scared, Elsa told him that she could smell the fear on him. There was a long, tense moment as Elsa looked at him. 

“But it’s fine,” Elsa said. “Now’s not the time to start a commotion.” 

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Phew,” Garfiel said. “That coulda gone bad.” 

Subaru relaxed slightly, making a comment about her beauty going to waste if she was too scary. Elsa leaned over at that, praising the way he hid his fear. “But hide your hostility next time, and you’ll be even better,” she whispered into his ear, her hand brushing against his stomach. 

“Dammit, I want to reach through the screen and tackle her off Subaru!” Garfiel growled. “Don’t you touch cap’n you bastard!”

Garfiel squeezed Subaru's ribs in a bear hug. 

“I’m fine, Garfiel!” Subaru wheezed, trapped in the hug. “You killed her, remember?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Garfiel said, letting go after a moment. “Just wish I could go get’er again.” 

“It is nice knowing that she eventually faced justice,” Julius said. “I must commemorate you for that achievement, Garfiel.” 

Garfiel looked happy to be praised by a knight. He puffed out his chest. “Thanks! It was my pleasure, yeah! ‘S a good thing we don’t gotta deal with her anymore.” 

Once Elsa left, Subaru approached the place Felt lived. Mistaking him for an intruder, Felt started wildly swinging her knife at him, narrowly missing Subaru. She continued attacking as Subaru tried to explain, with Subaru dodging each of the attacks. 

“I’ll admit, I’m impressed by that dodging, Subaru,” Julius said mildly. 

“Indeed, Lady Felt is quite fast,” Reinhard said. Especially when she’s angry, he thought.  

Subaru was eventually knocked down into the house, where he finally managed to explain that he wanted to buy the insignia from Felt. 

Even with his debt erased, he’s still selling the only thing of value he has for Lady Emilia’s sake, Wilhelm thought. Part of him wondered what might have happened if he ran into Lady Crusch, first. If he had shown that type of dedication towards his lady, she most certainly would have added him to her camp, just as Emilia did. 

Though Subaru gave a good sales pitch for the metia, Felt insisted that they had to go to the loothouse and get it appraised, so that way she wouldn’t get scammed.

“So it still comes to that, huh?” Subaru said, deciding he’d get it appraised quickly and then leave as soon as possible. 

“Be careful, Subaru,” Julius murmured. 

“Thanks for the encouragement, but I can’t change my actions now!” Subaru said. 

“I’ll take that to mean you weren’t careful, then.” 

“Well, it all worked out!” Subaru argued. If barely... Subaru thought but didn't say. 

Felt explained her reasoning for stealing the insignia, declaring that she wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life in the slums, and that the insignia would help her reach her goals. Subaru remembered her actions in the previous loops, and smiled fondly. 

Reinhard felt a protectiveness swell inside him, though he made sure to keep a lid on it. If she wanted to get out of the slums, then why is she so reluctant to run for ruler? Reinhard thought, frowning. Isn’t it better to live at my house than where she was before? 

Subaru placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. 

“Hey!” 

“I’ll make this all work out, somehow. It’s something only I can do.” 

“Must be a lot of responsibility,” Felix said. 

“Huh?” Subaru asked. 

“When you know something bad is going to happen, and only you can stop it.” 

“Well, sure,” Subaru said. “Return by Death is hard to work with… it’s really painful, honestly. And it means that some things fall to me, since no one else knows it’s going to happen. But I’ll make it work.” 

“And it seems that you have. As expected of Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. 

Subaru smiled, though it was edged in sadness. 

I have… except for Rem and Crusch. 

Subaru glanced at Felix. 

Felix also began to frown at Wilhelm’s words. 

You’re thinking the same thing, aren’t you? Subaru guessed. That I could have saved Crusch and Rem? 

Felix’s frown was tinged with bitterness. 

Subaru opened his mouth in an attempt to correct the notion, but all that came out was a few stray bubbles. Subaru clamped his mouth shut and looked away. Is it that much a spoiler? I guess I can’t explain why I didn’t save them… I guess I just have to hope that's not what Felix is thinking. He's probably not. I'm probably just being self-conscious.

“Don’t get all sentimental on me while you’re babbling nonsense! I’ll bite you!” Felt shouted. When Subaru didn’t listen, she bit into his hand. 

“Heh… cap’n, if she wins the Royal Selection, you’ll get to say that the queen of Lugnica has bitten you before,” Garfiel said. 

Subaru huffed in amusement. “I’m not sure how special that would be. She’s probably bitten Reinhard too, right?” 

Reinhard sighed, unable to correct that idea, as it was true. 

Subaru handed the cell phone to Rom, who confirmed that it was a rare find, and worth at least 20 Holy Coins. 

“Alright! Negotiations complete! Now, if we’re done talking, let’s go out for drinks to celebrate our properly completed sale, alright!” 

Felt, however, was skeptical by Subaru’s seeming desperation to leave. 

Subaru admitted sincerely that the reason he wanted it was to return it to the original owner, but Felt seemed skeptical even of that. 

“I can imagine that’d be difficult to believe,” Julius said. 

“Indeed, but if she keeps dallying, they’ll both run into Elsa,” Wilhelm said. “In this case, the paranoia of her buyer is something she should have paid attention to.” 

A knock sounded at the door. 

“Fuck!” Garfiel said. 

“I suppose I already knew that Elsa was going to arrive before me…” Reinhard commented, despite the tension rising in his muscles. 

“Don’t open it! We’ll be killed…” Subaru said, fearful. Felt dismissed his statement as more of his strange rambling, and began opening the door. 

“At least Rom seems to be taking note of his behavior in the background,” Julius pointed out. “He might be more prepared for a fight than he was before.” 

“We can only hope,” Wilhelm agreed. My old adversary in the Demihuman War… though it’s been over forty years since then, I doubt his instincts would have fallen so far as to ignore such genuine fear. He probably suspects something's wrong.

The door opened to reveal Emilia. 

“I’m not here to kill you. Why would you think I’d try to do something so insidious?” Emilia said. 

Felt gaped in surprise upon seeing her. 

“Emilia got there early!” Felix said, somewhat relieved.  

“But why? How would that change?” Wilhelm wondered aloud. 

“Ah… I think that I slowed her down quite a bit when I was with her,” Subaru said sheepishly. "She's very self-sufficient! As expected of my Emilia-tan!” 

The episode went dark, showing the title screen: “Reunion with the Witch.” 

“Reunion with the Witch?” Julius furrowed his brow. “Is… the screen calling Emilia a Witch?” 

“I’m sure it’s not,” Subaru defended. “There are other reasons it could be called that.” I died in that episode, so I therefore reunited with Satella… 

“I don’t know, I didn’t see any other witches in that episode,” Felix said, a bit skeptical. 

“Perhaps it’s referring to how Subaru mistakenly referred to Emilia by the name of the Jealous Witch,” Reinhard suggested. 

“That seems the most likely suggestion,” Wilhelm agreed. Garfiel nodded as well. 

“Now we have to decide if we should watch the next episode, or take a break,” Julius said. “We have a predetermined amount of episodes to cover, but we can take as long as we like.” 

“I wonder if time is passing out there,” Felix murmured. 

“We should try to get through this as quickly as possible, in case it is,” Reinhard said. "We can take occasional breaks, however."

"To keep our minds sharp," Felix said agreeably. 

"When should we plan our next break for?" Julius asked. 

“Well, I’m kinda hungry, but I can’t take waitin’ on this episode any longer!” Garfiel said. “We can’t just leave when Elsa’s right about to go in and attack!” 

“So one more, then we stop to eat?” Julius suggested. 

With no objections, Julius nodded to empty air. The being controlling the theater seemed to notice, however, and put on the next episode. 

Episode Three: Starting Life from Zero in Another World.

Chapter Text

The group settled in for the viewing as the next episode began to play. 

Emilia stood at the entrance of the loothouse. “I’m glad you’re here. You won’t get away this time.”

Why’s she here? Subaru wondered. Wait, is this how early she would have arrived if she hadn’t been with me?!  

“Your attempt to help her turned into more charity on her part, nya,” Felix said. 

“Yep, unfortunately,” Subaru said, scratching the back of his head. 

“Though if Subaru hadn’t been there, she would have remained dead for certain after the fight against Elsa,” Julius commented. 

“You know, I wonder who had the funds to hire a mercenary of Elsa’s strength,” Reinhard said. “Your true enemy must be very wealthy indeed.” 

Roswaal…. yep, Roswaal’s rich, that checks out… Subaru winced, knowing the true person who hired Elsa. He wondered how these four would react, if they learned the truth about it. Honestly, I’m a bit worried. That information might put Emilia’s candidacy in danger. Though, it’s not like they could prove he had anything to do with it, only allege… 

“Don’t you know when to quit?” Felt said. “Just give up already!” 

“Sorry, but this is something I can simply not give up on. If you do as I say and cooperate, I won’t hurt you,” Emilia said, summoning ice crystals in a show of force. “Now return what is mine. My insignia is very important to me.” 

Rom seemed wary. “If she was just another run-of-the-mill magic user, I wouldn’t back down, but this one’s trouble.” 

“Yeah, that’s right,” Garfiel said. “Big Sis is pretty strong. That Rom must have good eyes.”  

“I wonder what’s putting him off from fighting her,” Julius mused.

“Young lady, so… you’re an elf, right?” 

“Ah, her appearance,” Julius sighed.

“The size and ease at which she summoned her ice crystals could also be an indicator of her strength,” Reinhard said. “All the same, most citizens would fear to fight anyone with even a passing resemblance to the Witch of Envy.” 

“Tonchinkan didn’t seem to mind,” Subaru said, thinking of the three thugs. 

“Well, they are stupid,” Felix argued. Not even Reinhard objected to such a statement.

Emilia explained to the pair that her resemblance to the Witch of Envy was only a coincidence. With that said, Felt turned to Subaru. 

“I should have known better, you set me up, didn’t you!” Felt accused. 

“What? No, I didn’t do anything!” Subaru protested. 

“All that ‘I’m gonna return it to its owner’ crap? That just made you more suspicious!” Felt said. 

“What do you mean? Are you saying that you two aren’t working together?” Emilia questioned. 

“How did you get any of them to trust you? If I were in that room, I would think the most likely case is that you were an accomplice of Elsa’s,” Felix said. 

“Well, in the end Elsa tried to stab me, so everyone was sort of forced to accept that what I said was sincere,” Subaru said. Though… Rem and Ram certainly thought those circumstances were suspicious as well. That ended up causing me a lot of problems later on. 

Subaru tried to encourage Felt to give the insignia back peacefully. “Hasn’t this been enough? Give her insignia back already!” Subaru told Felt. He turned to Emilia. “And you, hurry up and get out of here, and don’t let anyone steal it again, ‘kay?” 

“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Honestly, nothing you’re doing is making any sense at all…” Emilia said. 

“I don’t understand you either!” Felt protested.

“If they don’t move quickly, they’re going to get caught up with Elsa,” Julius said. 

“Unfortunately, Subaru’s efforts to get them out of danger is being impeded by their confusion over his involvement,” Wilhelm said. 

“Maybe I should have thought of a better excuse,” Subaru said. 

“Another interested buyer is a good excuse, it’s just that unknown to you, Felt and Rom wouldn’t let you leave without bidding against Elsa…” Julius said. 

“Ya shoulda stolen it,” Garfiel suggested. 

“I could have tried, but Felt’s pretty quick,” Subaru said. “I’m pretty sure she would’ve kicked my ass. It’s too late now, anyways.”

Subaru saw Elsa’s blade raised behind Emilia. 

“Puck, quick, shield her!” 

With the rapid warning, Puck managed to raise an ice shield, saving Emilia. 

“Excellent timing, Subaru!” Wilhelm said. 

“Did Puck ever get confused that you knew his name, even though you hadn’t yet introduced yourself to him in this timeline?” Reinhard said. 

Subaru shrugged. “He never asked me about it. It was a scary moment, so I think that maybe nobody paid any attention to it. I honestly didn’t notice myself at the time.” 

“Makes sense,” Felix said. “Lucky, though.”

“That was fast thinking. Cutting a bit closer than I expected. You saved us!” Puck said, giving Subaru a thumbs-up. 

“Nice one, Puck. Thank goodness it’s before five while you’re still on-duty!” 

“Puck will be running out of mana soon, won’t he?” Julius said. “If he usually only manifests during the day, he likely doesn’t have much in reserve for this fight.” 

With that observation, the atmosphere became slightly tenser. 

“How wonderful! I’ve never had the pleasure of cutting open a spirit’s stomach before,” Elsa said, her face full of twisted glee. 

When Felt tried to protest, Elsa pointed out that negotiations couldn’t take place while the item’s original owner was there. 

“You talk a good game but honestly, you do terrible work. I was hoping you were more than just another slum dweller,” Elsa said. 

“You bitch!” Subaru said. 

“Subaru, no, don’t attract her attention!” Felix lamented. “You’re the last person in the room capable of fighting her off!” 

“Too late now,” Subaru said, grinning. “It’s my time to shine. Watch and learn!”

“What kind of sicko gets their kicks from picking on a little kid, huh? You should be ashamed, you gut-slicing sadistic woman!” Subaru shouted. “Felt is doing her best to stand her ground and live strong! Just because your plan didn’t go your way you think you can throw a tantrum and flip tables?!” 

Julius watched in slight shock as Subaru berated the on-screen Bowel Hunter. 

“I take back what I said from before, I can definitely see why they thought you were insane instead of working for the Bowel Hunter,” Felix said, swishing his tail playfully. 

“Thank you,” Subaru said, resolutely ignoring that most of the statement was an insult. 

“You should try to value life a little more! Because having your belly cut hurts!”

“What are you babbling about?” Elsa said, looking bemused. 

“I’m in the process of letting the justice and chivalry I never knew I had denounce all the unfairness in the world!”

“Is she really letting you talk?” Julius said. 

“She likes to toy with her prey, I think,” Subaru said. “She wasn’t in a rush.” 

“I think she was perhaps amused by it,” Reinhard added. “She doesn’t look particularly offended. Just interested.” 

Subaru suddenly stopped ranting, clapping his hands together. “There! That should buy us enough time! Get ‘er Puck!” 

“I hope your brilliant display of awkwardness lives through the ages,” Puck said, forming ice crystals. “Here we go, my turn!” 

“A distraction, I see,” Julius said. “A wise choice. In this situation, Emilia and her spirit are the ones best equipped to take on the Bowel Hunter.” 

“A battle between the Bowel Hunter and a great spirit,” Wilhelm said. “I must confess that I find myself excited to witness such a duel.” 

“It was honestly really impressive,” Subaru said, though in truth Subaru had been too scared to actually appreciate it at the time. “Let’s relax and enjoy the show!” 

Puck sent dozens of ice crystals flying toward Elsa. “My name’s Puck! Do your best to remember it on the way to your grave!” 

The ice crystals caused a plume of dust to rise in the air. 

“Did we get her, or what?” Rom said. 

“Don’t say things like that, you’ll jinx it!” Subaru said. 

“That ain’t gonna be enough,” Garfiel said. “Even if that hit, it wouldn’t be enough ta kill her.” 

“Really?” Felix’s ears perked up. “That ice magic looks powerful. If a normal person got hit, they would be frozen solid in an instant!” 

“Unfortunately, I can attest to her durability,” Reinhard said. “She survived one of my blows at full strength.” 

“She what?” Julius said, looking shocked. Even Wilhelm’s eyebrows shot up at that. 

Maybe Garfiel will be fine protecting Subaru after all, Julius said. If he can beat an opponent like that. 

“I can’t believe you had to fight someone of that level on your first day in Lugnica,” Felix said. 

“If I hadn’t run into Reinhard, I don’t know what I would have done…” Subaru said. “Considering what I know of her, it wouldn’t matter how many times I came back, she could defeat me no matter what. Maybe I could have stopped the theft and convinced Felt and Rom to escape the loothouse in time, but who knows how many more deaths that would have taken…” 

“I’m glad I was able to assist,” Reinhard said softly. “Though, you’ve defeated many enemies of Elsa’s caliber through your plans. I’m sure you would have found a way.” 

Elsa revealed herself to have survived the attack by hiding underneath her cloak, which vanished upon taking the impact of the attack.

“A magic-proof cloak?” Felix said. 

“It seems to have completely deflected the attack…” Julius mused. “Fascinating. We should write that down, as it is a very expensive and conspicuous item, likely given to her by whoever hired her. With my lady’s help, it may be possible to track those capable of buying or producing such a cloak, and potentially track down Elsa’s hirer.” 

Garfiel and Subaru shared a glance, both having the same thought. 

Did that bastard Roswaal give it to her?! 

Unfortunately, Subaru couldn’t completely deflect the idea away. It was a legitimately kind offer from Julius, who believed himself to be assisting the Emilia camp, so there was no reason to refuse. 

“We’ll remember that,” Subaru said, reluctantly. 

Julius shrugged but nodded, chalking up Subaru’s attitude to his typical tempermentalness towards him. 

Elsa attempted to stab Emilia, who used an ice shield to stop her. Puck forced Elsa backwards by firing ice spears at her, which she dodged. 

“You’re well-accustomed to battle, for a girl,” Puck said. 

“A girl, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve been regarded in such simple terms!” Elsa replied. 

“Well, from my perspective, all my opponents are little more than babies. Still, you’re so strong I almost pity you!” 

“I’m deeply touched to be praised by a spirit!” 

Their banter continued as Elsa dodged Puck’s dangerous ice attacks.

“I’m somewhat impressed that she can dodge like that, and still carry on a conversation…” Julius said. 

“Though it doesn’t seem Puck is attacking at full power either,” Wilhelm said. 

“Maybe he’s trying to wear her down,” Felix suggested.  

“If this turns into a battle of attrition, I say we’ve got a pretty good chance,” Subaru said, who was sheltering with Rom and Felt. 

“For a spirit, the real battle is how long they can stay in their bodies,” Rom reminded him. 

“That’s right, it must be almost five!” Subaru realized. 

Julius, analyzing the situation through the lens of an expert spirit-user, frowned upon hearing that statement. “Given the situation, Puck is at a definite disadvantage, unless he can come up with a way to defeat Elsa very quickly…” 

“As Puck said earlier in the fight, he is hundreds of years old,” Wilhelm said. “And he must be aware of his own time limits. We can hope that he’s come up with some strategy to counter Elsa.” 

Puck remarked that he’d have to finish the battle quickly. Soon after, one of Puck’s ice spears caught Elsa’s feet, freezing it to the ground. 

“You didn’t think I was just throwing those around at random, did you?” Puck said.

“Heck yeah! Go little kitty!” Garfiel said. He’d joined the camp after Puck had left, so he hadn’t had any idea before that Emilia was partnered with such a strong spirit. 

Reinhard, however, pursed his lips. Felt was still within the loothouse at this point, so he knew that this attack couldn’t possibly kill Elsa, as she’d still been alive after Felt had gone to fetch him. Still, he took comfort in the fact that he’d arrived in time. 

“Looks like I’ve been had. Oh my,” Elsa said, with a half-shrug.

“Say goodnight!” Elsa and Puck threw a massive wall of ice towards Elsa, who at the last minute, flipped out of the way. The camera panned to reveal that Elsa had torn off part of the skin of her foot to escape. 

“Dammit!” Garfiel groaned. 

Julius grimaced as well, knowing that misfiring that attack likely cost Puck the fight. 

“Puck, can you keep going?” Emilia asked. 

“Sorry… but I’m sleepy… think I underestimated her… my mana’s gone, so I’m done,” Puck said. 

“If Reinhard didn’t say this was the right timeline, I would announce that you’re doomed right about now, nya,” Felix said, sounding uncharacteristically serious. 

“I’ll take care of things out here so you can rest,” Emilia said. “Thank you for your help.”

“Remember, 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 said. 

Act according to his contract? Julius wondered idly. He knew it wasn’t his place, but he couldn’t help but vaguely wonder what Puck was meant to do in such a case. 

Meanwhile, Subaru couldn’t help the spike of dread and fear that ran through him, hearing such a thing. So even this early, I was at risk of… He remembered the hulking giant that had frozen over the world. 

Garfiel noticed Subaru’s change in demeanor, and attempted to comfort him with a pat on the shoulder. Subaru gave a weak smile at that. 

Elsa froze a piece of ice to her foot to have even footing. Then, she ran at Emilia, who put all her effort into shielding herself Elsa’s attacks.

Everyone could see how the tide of battle had turned. Where just moments ago Elsa had been the one blocking and dodging, now she wasn’t letting Emilia get in a single attack.

Rom noticed this as well. “We can’t afford to just sit around watching anymore!” he said. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. If we’re gonna make a run for it, we need to get moving right now!” Felt said. 

Reinhard perked up slightly. Felt was attempting to escape the loothouse! If she succeeded, she would find him and bring him back! 

“Oh, and about before… I guess you kinda saved me…” Felt said, to Subaru’s slight shock. “But only just a little bit! Also, don’t call me a little kid! I am fifteen years old! I can’t be much younger than you, jerk.” 

“Well, actually I’ll be turning eighteen this year-” 

“What? Really? Because you don’t even look like you’re old enough to shave yet!” 

“What is it with everyone thinking I look like a kid!” Subaru said aloud. 

“You know, after you told me that you didn’t drink, I worried for a moment that you were fourteen,” Julius said. 

“Not you too!” Subaru complained. 

“I’m glad that you’re older than that. It would have been quite shameful to publicly beat a child, no matter their disrespectful attitude,” Julius said, nodding to himself. 

“But seventeen is fine?” Subaru said. That's only three years difference, Julius. 

"In my opinion, quite so," Julius answered. 

"Ugh, you're the worst, you know that?"  

Elsa managed to get past Emilia’s guard, kicking her. Emilia flew back into the shelves, being thrown into debris. Rom ran forward, swinging his club violently at Elsa. 

Elsa dodged, then jumped on top of his club, attempting to bring a blade down on his neck. 

The room tensed. While almost everyone knew that Rom would be fine as they had seen him at the Royal Selection, for a brief moment, it seemed almost certain he would be killed. Meanwhile, Garfiel had truly no idea whether he would survive, and so was the most tense. 

Felt threw her blade, which hit Elsa’s and redirected it slightly. It still hit Rom, causing him to gush blood and collapse. 

“Dang,” Garfiel said with a frown, believing that Rom might be dead. 

Reinhard frowned. With both Emilia and Rom taken down, how would Subaru and Felt defend themselves or escape? He knew that Felt was small and quick, but… against Elsa…

“You bad girl…” Elsa said.

Felt flinched, looking petrified.

“I wish I’d gotten there sooner,” Reinhard lamented. Then, I might have been able to spare all of them such pain and fear…

“Cap’n can hold out ‘til you get there! Just watch!” Garfiel said, even though he himself had no idea how Felt and Subaru would survive long enough for Reinhard to arrive. 

“You have neither the strength nor the resolve to fight. You would have been better served using your small stature to hide away in the corner,” Elsa said.

“As if she wouldn’t have made sure to finish off every witness in the building after she was done with Emilia and Rom, nya,” Felix said. “What a cruel woman.” 

“Indeed,” Wilhelm agreed.

“Damn, we’re finished. There’s really nothing I can do. I’m going to have to use Return by Death and start over…” 

Felix almost-flinched at that, but he couldn’t disagree. The situation looked completely hopeless, or at least it did at the time. 

“Cap’n…” Garfiel said, frowning deeply. 

“You should try not to give up, Subaru,” Wilhelm said. 

“I didn’t,” Subaru said. “And I was rewarded for it. I don’t throw away a loop unless it’s the last option, or I don’t have any other choice…” 

“Good. At least you’re not taking your lives lightly,” Felix muttered. 

Subaru remembered how painful it was to die. 

I don’t want to die, Subaru thought, squeezing shut his eyes. I guess… if I’ve still got life… Subaru’s face turned from fear to determination. -all I can do is fight with everything I’ve got! 

“Yes!” Garfiel said. 

“Excellent,” Wilhelm praised. “That’s the right mindset.” 

In the case of others, that type of necessary bravery might not have been too noteworthy to Wilhelm, but Subaru was different. Subaru intimately knew the pain of death, the price of failure. It wouldn’t have been particularly unlikely for Subaru to panic or fail to act due to learned helplessness. As such, a success here was worthy of praise. 

Wilhelm quietly believed that whatever brought them here had likely done so because Subaru needed help. He’d already decided that encouraging healthy thinking and keeping an eye on Subaru’s psychological health would be one of his priorities.

As Elsa slashed down at Felt, Subaru tackled Felt out of the way.

“That’s two Royal Candidates rescued in one day,” Felix observed. “Nyot bad, Subaru.” 

“If ya save Anastasia and Priscilla and Crusch, you can save ‘em all!” Garfiel said. 

“Only three left, huh?” Felix deadpanned. “Well, unluckily for Subaru doing that, Julius and I will be protecting Anastasia and Crusch.” 

Emilia rose from behind the counter and began distracting Elsa with ice spears. As he did so, Subaru explained to Felt that he would give her an opening to run. 

Come on, Subaru, you can do it, Reinhard thought. 

Subaru ran at Elsa with Rom’s club, yelling for Felt to run.

“You really think I’ll let her go?” 

Elsa threw a knife at Felt, but Subaru managed to block it with the sole of his shoe. 

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the knife that was meant for Felt was redirected. 

“That was badass,” Garfiel said. 

Subaru was gleeful at the success as Felt ran out the door, but Elsa managed to kick him in the back, stunning him. “Hk!” 

Felt was shown running into the streets as Subaru was flung back into a wall. 

Still, Subaru was smirking. “You let one get away.” 

“For once, I’m feeling a tiny bit annoyed,” Elsa said, dangerously. 

“That’s not good,” Julius said. “She’s going to stop toying with you, soon.” 

Once upon a time Subaru might have acted shocked at that, but he’d since learned a lot more about fighting, and how strong everyone was in this world. He was aware that if Elsa had been going full-power since moment one, they’d have been killed almost immediately. “Yeah, that’s when Elsa gets scary…” 

“Hey, don’t forget about me!” Emilia threw another icicle at Elsa, who destroyed it while barely moving. 

“I hope you have some other attacks because I’ve grown tired of that one,” Elsa said. “Do you think you can still keep me amused?” 

“If you have some ultimate power hidden in your bag of tricks, I’m thinking now might be a good time,” Subaru said.

“Well, I do have a trump card, but if I use it, I’ll be the only one left standing,” Emilia said. 

Everyone perked up at that slightly, unable to help but wonder what Emilia’s ‘trump card’ might be. While Subaru knew it was her Flowers of Ice that she had trouble controlling, no one else, even Garfiel, really knew what kind of ominous ability that Emilia referred to. 

Despite it being slightly underhanded to do so, Julius internally filed it as something he would have to tell his lady later. As it was vague, and not one of Subaru’s secrets, he wouldn’t feel too guilty in doing so. 

“Woah, easy! Don’t do anything that’ll blow us both up, okay?”

“I have no intention of using it while you’re still here… doing your best… fighting alongside me…” Emilia said. 

“That’s sweet,” Felix commented. Despite her scary appearance, we definitely see in this viewing that she’s not a bad person…

Subaru recalled Emilia’s kindness. “I finally remembered why I’m here!" He turned to Elsa. "I’m going to blow you away, so I can get… a happy ending!” 

Even though everything is hopeless… even though he’s destined to lose… Julius watched Subaru stand up tall against the Bowel Hunter. Even considering all that, he’s still… 

“Energetic, huh? Too bad.” 

“You black widow!” 

“You’ll be the first one caught in my web!” 

Emilia threw ice crystals in an attempt to help, but she was having difficulty due to how close Subaru was to the Bowel Hunter. With masterful strokes, the Bowel Hunter covered Subaru in cuts. 

Julius grimaced. He could tell by her attitude and the new damage done to Subaru that the Bowel Hunter was done playing around. 

Subaru dropped the club and attempted a roundhouse kick to surprise her, but she caught his leg easily. 

Elsa raised the blade for the kill. 

“That’s enough,” a voice said. 

“Reinhard!” Felix cheered. 

“Fucking finally,” Garfiel said. 

Reinhard crashed through the ceiling. 

“Ehhh?! That’s one way to make an entrance!?” Felix said. 

“Why didn’t you just walk through the front door?” Julius asked. 

“I wanted to surprise her,” Reinhard admitted. 

“It seems to have worked well,” Wilhelm said. It was the closest thing to a compliment he’d given Reinhard in a long time, and Reinhard perked up slightly like a puppy upon hearing it. 

Subaru ran from Elsa as Reinhard walked forward through the dust. 

“It looks like I cut it pretty close… but I’m glad I made it in time.” 

“I know you…” the Bowel Hunter said. 

“Shall we put an end to this?” Reinhard said. 

“Reinhard, you’re so cool!” Subaru couldn’t help but say. “A parallel world protagonist for sure…” 

Reinhard didn’t know what half those words meant, but he was flattered. “Thank you, Subaru.” 

It showed a flashback of when Felt was running through the streets, crying for help. She ran into Reinhard, falling over. 

“Very well,” Reinhard said, offering her a hand. “I’ll help you.” 

It showed Reinhard, surrounded by sparkles. 

“Ehh? Why are there sparkles?” Felix said. 

“It’s part of visual storytelling in anime,” Subaru explained. “We’re seeing Reinhard how Felt saw him, in that moment.” 

“Felt saw me like that?” Reinhard wondered aloud. 

“Yeah, she was super relieved. You saved her!” Subaru said. “A knight like you is exactly what she needed in that moment!” 

Reinhard gave a soft smile. “I see…” 

Knowing that Felt had truly been able to rely on him for strength, even back then, made Reinhard’s heart feel at ease. 

“Reinhard- but how?” 

“Hello there, Subaru. It seems we meet again. Sorry I’m late,” Reinhard said.  

That epic music-! Garfiel thought. He’d heard from the others that the red-haired one was the Sword Saint, but he hadn’t really acted like it for all the viewing. Was now when they were going to see Reinhard’s true power?

Meanwhile, Julius and Felix had relaxed completely. They knew that with Reinhard in the area, that there was no way that Subaru could fail to win the fight. Subaru smiled fondly as well, remembering the sense of relief he’d felt when Reinhard first arrived.

“Black hair, black clothes, and a blade unique to the Northern Provinces. There’s no mistaking those characteristics--you are the Bowel Hunter,” Reinhard said.

“Seriously, what kind of evil nickname is that?!” 

“It was derived from her unique style of killing those who opposed her. Her name is known far and wide as a menace to society,” Reinhard explained. 

“You better lay out a first-class beatdown!” Garfiel said, cracking his knuckles. He knew this Reinhard guy couldn’t be that good since he’d failed to kill Elsa, but he definitely wouldn’t object to seeing her learn her lesson. 

“Ah, I don’t know about that-” Reinhard began, a bit sheepish.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Garfiel,” Subaru said, dismissing Reinhard’s demurring. “You just watch. It’ll be great.” 

Wilhelm leaned forward a bit as well, interested in the outcome. 

Elsa licked her lips. “Ah, Reinha-” 

“Ew!” Garfiel said. “You know, having fought her, I think pain turns her o-” 

“Garfiel,” Julius said, a bit reproachfully. “That’s enough now.” 

“...Yeah, yeah,” Garfiel grumbled.

“-rd, knight among knights, born to the Master Swordsman’s line. It’s quite remarkable that each of my opponents are so much fun!” Elsa said, looking ecstatic. 

Reinhard warned Subaru to get back, out of range of the fight. 

“Whatever you say,” Subaru agreed. “But that woman is a monster, so don’t let your guard down, okay?”

“As luck would have it, hunting monsters happens to be a specialty of mine,” Reinhard said, turning to face Elsa.  

As those words were said, Wilhelm felt a faint sense of pride for Reinhard. Wilhelm knew that he probably didn’t deserve to feel prideful on Reinhard’s behalf, but it was difficult not to when Reinhard said things like that with such confidence. 

That is such a badass line, Garfiel thought to himself. If I ever end up fighting someone strong like Elsa, I’m definitely gonna say that. 

Subaru went over to Emilia, who was attempting to heal Rom’s neck. When Subaru asked why she was doing it, Emilia stated that it was all for her own sake, so she could get more information about why her insignia was stolen.

Julius shook his head, sighing. “That’s not the real reason. Why lie?” 

“She’s as selfless as it gets,” Felix agreed.

“Maybe Roswaal or Puck told her she needed to be more pragmatic,” Subaru said. And, to be honest, this world is crueler than mine at home. Maybe she feels the need to be harder to survive within it. Though I hate to admit it, kindness isn’t as expected in Lugnica as it was back home.

“I would rather not resort to using violence on a woman,” Reinhard said. As Elsa raced toward him, he kicked her, sending her flying across the loothouse.

Garfiel startled at the ease by which Reinhard countered Elsa’s attack. 

Elsa got back up. “Aren’t you going to use that sword at your hip? I’d love to experience its legendary sharpness personally,” she said. 

“This sword can only be drawn at times it’s truly needed. The fact that it has not left its sheath as of yet means that this is not one of those times,” Reinhard said. 

Subaru thought back to the vision he’d had in the second trial, when Reinhard defeated the Beast of the End. So Puck, in his real form, is strong enough that Reinhard’s magic Sword said that he was needed? 

Puck had still been destroyed in one blow, but that still said something about Puck’s capabilities as an enemy in his Beast of the End form. 

“I believe you underestimate me,” the Bowel Hunter said. 

“Truthfully, it’s an upsetting judgment for me as well,” Reinhard said. 

Julius tilted his head at that slightly. “You’ve never shown a significant amount of interest in fighting powerful foes before…” Julius said. 

“I do not put much effort into searching, because I will usually not find someone that the Dragon Sword Reid will accept…” Reinhard said. 

Or who could pose a challenge to you at all, Subaru thought. 

“...However, those fights in which it has left its sheath have been some of the most interesting I’ve ever experienced,” Reinhard said. 

“Wait, it left its sheath before?” Subaru said. “Against who?” 

“In particular, Cecilus, the Blue Lightning, from Vollachia,” Reinhard explained. “He wanted to fight me, so Captain Marcos was kind enough to arrange a proxy match.” 

“Woah, really?” Subaru didn’t want to ever meet this guy if he even came close to Puck’s level, or worse, Reinhard’s level. “I’ll have to avoid him for sure,” Subaru said, shivering slightly at the idea of it. “Running into someone like him could lead to a hundred deaths…” 

Julius frowned at Subaru’s automatic reflex to class Cecilius as something that could end him, even if it was technically true. “Is that how you see everything in this world? As a potential source of suffering?”

“Only calamity-level threats!” Subaru said. “But who knows, maybe we’re lucky, and he’ll end up being as nice as Reinhard.” 

“He’s certainly… an eccentric one,” Reinhard said, remembering his playful yet slightly bloodthirsty tendencies. “But you don’t need to fear, Subaru. Cecilus is in Vollachia, and similar to me, he does not typically cross the border. Someone as strong as him doing so would lead to a significant amount of attention and unrest. I would certainly be sent to greet him, and if it reassures you to know, I was the winner of our match.” 

“Oh,” Subaru said. He felt slightly better with that statement. “I see, that’s good then.” 

“I will take you on with this,” Reinhard said, lifting a blade off the ground. “Any objections?”

“Of course not. It’s wonderful, wonderful- do entertain me, please!” 

Elsa lunged forward, but Reinhard sliced her blade in half, disarming her. 

“Woah!” Garfiel lit up at Reinhard’s incredible ability. He whipped his head around. “Duel! You’ve got to duel me.” 

“Duel-?” Reinhard said. 

“Yeah, like a practice fight! A spar! You look so cool!” Garfiel said. 

Seeing Garfiel’s enthusiasm was enough to convince Reinhard to agree. “I accept,” Reinhard said. “On the condition that it is only a friendly spar. No maiming or anything of the sort.” 

“Course not!” Garfiel said. “But you better be ready! Because I’m the one who killed Elsa, so I’m no pushover!” 

“Of course,” Reinhard said agreeably.

Julius exchanged a glance with Felix, who shrugged. 

Hopefully that boy’s pride isn’t too easily injured, Julius thought. When I first fought Reinhard as a Junior Knight, mine was for some time…

Subaru thought about the possibility of the two fighting. Besides being a sucker for Garfiel’s enthusiasm, he legitimately thought it might be a good idea. It might be good for Garfiel for him to realize that there are people stronger than him in the world, so he doesn’t get a big head. Thinking that, Subaru nodded. “We’ll just have to have you two fight when you get back.” 

“You approve of him sparring with Reinhard?” Felix said curiously. 

“It’s only practice,” Subaru dismissed. 

“Indeed. You can learn a great many things by fighting stronger opponents,” Wilhelm said. 

Garfiel huffed slightly. He didn’t like that everyone seemed to be talking as if they already thought he was a lost cause. I’ll show them once we actually spar, Garfiel decided, punching a fist into his hand. 

“If you’ve lost your weapon, I suggest you surrender,” Reinhard said. 

Elsa ran forward again. 

“Watch out Reinhard, she’s got a second one!” Subaru shouted. 

Reinhard dodged Elsa’s attack with her second blade. 

“I’m impressed you knew!” Elsa said. 

“I’ve experienced your blades personally,” Subaru said.

“I’m surprised you’ve said things like that this whole time, and yet still no one has figured it out,” Felix said. 

“Well, I guess death by time travel isn’t the first thing on anyone’s minds,” Subaru said. “I mean, it took me a second to figure it out and I was the one dying…” 

“It feels unbelievable,” Julius offered. “And yet…” 

Wilhelm hummed under his breath. “I’m sure all of us missed clues that, in hindsight, make the situation seem obvious. His ‘intuition’ regarding the future, for one.” 

“I have more than two fangs, I’ll have you know. Do you mind if we start again?” Elsa asked.

“If I deprive you of all your weapons, will you be satisfied?” Reinhard said. 

“Y’er just giving her more opportunities to attack,” Garfiel complained. “She’s never gonna surrender, don’t you get it!” 

“I found it important to give her the chance to surrender,” Reinhard said. “And so long as I had my eyes on her, I never would have allowed her to approach Subaru and the others.” 

“Understandable,” Julius said. Julius personally found Reinhard’s repeated offers to be admirable, rather than naive. Because of his strength, Reinhard never risked losing the fight, and so there was no reason for him not to give his enemy the opportunity. 

Subaru internally agreed with Julius. Considering how strong hot-headed people like Rem (and, loathe though he was to admit it, Garfiel) often posed a risk to Subaru as they ended up attacking him when he looked suspicious, seeing Reinhard offer the opponent multiple chances to back down made Subaru feel a strange sense of comfort. If there was one thing Reinhard wasn’t, it was hasty.

Elsa, however, didn’t accept Reinhard’s offer.

“If I lose my fangs, I’ll use my claws. If I lose my claws, I’ll use my bones. If I lose my bones, I’ll use my life. That’s how a Bowel Hunter fights!” 

Elsa attacked him from multiple angles, running quickly on the floor and ceiling. Each attack, Reinhard deflected. 

“There’s no way Reinhard’s gonna fail to land the decisive blow, right?” Subaru asked. 

Reinhard frowned to himself. 

Though he had landed the decisive blow, it still hadn’t been enough. Either her dodging or her regeneration abilities had overrode it. 

I’m sorry for failing you, Subaru. 

Meanwhile, Julius, Felix, and Wilhelm all wondered at how the Bowel Hunter had escaped (or "survived his blow" as Reinhard had said), as it was clear that Garfiel had killed her later. Had something distracted Reinhard? Despite the woman’s strength and speed, the skill gap between the two was obvious from Reinhard’s skillful deflections. 

“Unfortunately, he’s not able to fight at his full strength because I’m using my Spirit Arts,” Emilia said.

“What do those have to do with each other?” 

“If Reinhard were truly intent on fighting, all the mana in the atmosphere would turn away from me. I’ve almost finished healing him, though.” 

The room braced for Emilia to finish. Because as soon as she was done, Reinhard would likely go on the offensive. 

As soon as the wound on Rom’s neck closed and Emilia stopped healing him, Subaru shouted, “Hey Reinhard! I don’t really get it, but do your thing!” 

Reinhard inclined his head slightly as an aura of incredible power began to emanate from him. 

Felix broke into a grin. “Oh yeah, now we’re talking!” 

“What are you going to show me?” Elsa asked.

“The swordplay of the Astrea family,” Reinhard said, getting into a stance.

The Bowel Hunter seemed to sense that this was the decisive moment of the battle. 

“You’re facing the Bowel Hunter, Ms. Elsa Granhiert!” she said. 

“Master Swordsman’s line-- I’m Reinhard van Astrea!” 

Reinhard’s sword glowed blue with incredible power. 

With a single swing of the sword, the entire screen was engulfed in white and blue light. 

“Holy fuck!” Garfiel said. Who the hell is this guy? 

Wilhelm felt a strange mix of emotions at the scene. On one hand, he knew he should be regarding Reinhard better as his grandfather, but he still felt an instinctive anger at Reinhard’s claim on the Astrea family swordplay. Not to mention, while Reinhard’s technique was excellent, the only time he’d made the claim was before an attack based completely on his unnatural power. 

How did the Bowel Hunter even survive that!? Felix and Julius both thought. 

Maybe Garfiel is mistaken, Julius thought. 

The results of the attack were shown. Half the loothouse blew up, while Subaru and the rest were shown being buffeted by the windstorm created by the blow. 

“Was it quite necessary to destroy their home?” Wilhelm said, some of his anger leaking through. 

Reinhard frowned, but before anyone else could speak up to defend him, he answered himself. “Apologies, Honored Grandfather… but even that display of power was insufficient.” 

“Insufficient?” Wilhelm questioned, frowning. There was nothing insufficient about that blow, she should have been vaporized. 

“Actually, that’s my next question, how did she survive?” Felix asked, raising a hand. 

“She has some kind of crazy regeneration!” Subaru said. “She’s the kind of person where even if their head detaches from their body, you’ve still got to watch in case she gets back up…” 

I wonder how that’s even possible. I myself might have been able to regenerate from that hit, but only because of my title of Blue and my intense training, Felix thought. His body was capable of healing itself from almost anything due to his mastery over water magic. But she has no sign of being capable of water magic, and definitely not at my level… she must have some other ability. 

“Head detaches from the body?” Julius said, raising an eyebrow. “How is she killable, then.” 

“You just gotta keep puttin’ her down ‘til she stays down,” Garfiel said, with a growl.

“Hunting monsters is your specialty, my ass! Look at this place, you’re a monster yourself, ya freak!” Subaru shouted from the corner. 

“Even I’m a bit hurt by a cruel comment like that, Subaru,” Reinhard said, though not seeming too bothered. 

“You should be kinder to those who take the time to rescue you,” Julius admonished Subaru slightly. 

“Ah, I didn’t mean it badly…” Subaru said. “He’s just so strong!” 

“Do not worry, Subaru,” Reinhard said. “I was not offended.” 

Reinhard had heard similar or worse than that, and considering that Subaru seemed to still hold him in high regard after this incident, it was easy for him to accept that the comment was one of Subaru’s eccentricities rather than an attack on his character. And even if it were, Reinhard would accept it. Like he'd said, he'd heard worse.

Reinhard looked down at his sword, which crumbled in his hands. “I’m sorry I asked too much of you. Rest well now.” 

Wilhelm frowned, already regretting his earlier words. 

How was it possible for him to learn so much about his grandson in one viewing? Why did it feel like he’d learned more about him from watching thirty minutes of him interacting with others, than in several of the past years? 

He’d never known his grandson was so gentle as to apologize to a sword for breaking it. 

“There’s not even a shadow of her left, let alone a body…” Subaru commented.

As Emilia rose, Subaru started staring at her slightly.

“Why are you staring at me? That’s quite rude, you should know better,” she admonished. 

“Oh, it’s just… you still have your arms and legs, and even your head…” 

Felix choked at the unexpectedly morbid comment.  

“Of course I do! Don’t say such things…” Emilia said. 

“Yeah, pretty obvious, huh. I still have my arms, too! There’s no knife in my back, no gaping hole in my gut, either!” Subaru said. 

“I’m concerned about you, Subaru,” Reinhard said. 

“...Thanks, Reinhard,” Subaru said. 

“Me as well,” Julius said. 

“Shove it, Julius,” Subaru said, puffing out his chest with a grin. 

“Nya?! Unequal treatment!” Felix commented as Julius just sighed. 

“What strange things to point out. You talk as if you’ve experienced them before,” Emilia said. 

“What an accurate observation!” Felix said. “Is she gonna figure it out?” 

“She-” Subaru found himself unable to talk. “Sorry, I can't tell you. Spoiler restriction.” 

“Maybe she’s gonna figure it out!” Felix said, clapping his hands together. 

Subaru winced. It’s kind of a shame I can’t let them down easily by just telling them that nobody from my camp ever ‘figures it out.’ Well, I'm sure once they see Emilia's death to the shadow hands, then they'll know...

“Actually, there was a time when I did,” Subaru said. 

“Seriously?! He just confirmed it!” Felix said. "I don't think Emilia knows what he means, though..."

“Oh, and Reinhard, I haven’t thanked you yet! You saved my ass! Saved it back in the alley, too. Guess you just have a way of knowing when I could use some help!” 

Julius’ gaze softened a bit. It seemed Subaru had made it up to Reinhard, in his own way. 

“If I had the ability to do that, I’d certainly be proud. This friend of yours, I found her running around the streets, quite frightened and desperate,” Reinhard said. The camera panned to show Felt in the doorway. 

“It’s her,” Emilia said, recognizing the thief. 

“Now hang on a second, If she hadn’t brought Reinhard here, who knows if we’d even be having this conversation. Just take a look at this face and spare me the ice statue punishment, alright?” 

“I wouldn’t do anything that violent!” Emilia protested. 

“Thank you for speaking up on behalf of my lady, Subaru,” Reinhard said. 

“It was no problem,” Subaru said. “Emilia wasn’t going to do anything bad, anyway. She’s way too nice for that.” 

The rubble moved behind them.

“Subaru!” Reinhard shouted. 

Elsa burst out of the rubble behind them. 

Everyone tensed at Elsa’s sudden resurgence. They’d all known she survived, but to have survived and be intact enough to attack again only minutes later…

Tch! What a nightmare, Garfiel thought. 

Elsa tried to attack Emilia, but using his past experience with her to predict her movements, Subaru shoved Emilia aside and blocked her blow with Rom’s club. 

“That was excellent,” Julius said, relief coming through his voice, so to disguise it, he added, “-For a novice.” 

“Don’t insult me after I did something that cool!” Subaru protested, shaking a fist in Julius' direction. 

Reinhard frowned deeply, knowing that Subaru had been wounded by the blow but not noticed it immediately. I should have noticed, or at least protected him so that he wasn’t hurt, Reinhard thought, lowering his head in guilt. 

Reinhard ran over and stood in front of the others. Elsa attempted to throw a blade at him, but it automatically redirected itself. 

“Wha? Was that sword a boomerang?” Garfiel said. 

“My Divine Protection of Arrow Evasion,” Reinhard said. “I am unable to be hit by projectiles.” 

Jeez, how much power does this guy have? Garfiel wondered. I’ll have to figure that out in my spar later. And he doesn’t even look scratched up on the screen from his fight with Elsa. 

After giving one last threat of disembowelment, Elsa rappelled up the wall and escaped the area. Reinhard went to check if Emilia was alright, but she pushed past him to get to Subaru. 

“Are you alright? That was far too reckless!” 

“Oh, it was no problem,” Subaru said. “It took me a long time to get here, so-”

Subaru gave a strange pose. “I am Subaru Natsuki-”

Julius felt the urge to facepalm. While his antics could be… endearing, Julius felt that this probably wasn’t the time. On the other hand, maybe after dying so much, acting strangely was his due at this point. 

“You are so bizarre,” Felix said. “Does everyone in your world act like you?”

Subaru flushed slightly. He’d maybe been trying a little too hard to act cool, but, it’s not like anyone in this world had any frame of reference of what ‘trying too hard’ was in his world. Besides, he was coming off the adrenaline high from almost dying to save a pretty anime girl! 

“Not exactly,” Subaru said. 

“Of course not,” Julius said. I don’t think any world could survive more than one Subaru. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Subaru boasted briefly to Emilia about how he’d saved her, and then told her that she owed him something. Clearly on-guard, Emilia said she’d grant a request of his so long as it was within her power. 

Julius frowned deeply. Was this how Subaru had entered the Emilia camp? It was… unknightly, to say the least, but he supposed that this was the old Subaru, before Julius had met him. Clearly, at this point in time, he hadn’t known much about knightly virtues, and that had changed after Sloth. Julius would just have to be patient with the screen-Subaru. 

Garfiel tilted his head as well. It seemed a little out-of-character for his cap’n to put pressure on Emilia like that. What could he possibly want? 

“I have only one request… and that request is…I want you to tell me what your name is!” Subaru said. 

Julius smiled to himself at that. So I had it all wrong, then… to suffer to save someone, and then only request their name after, is quite knightly indeed. 

“Aww, cap’n,” Garfiel said. “The only thing you wanted was her name?” 

“Bwah! What an underwhelming request! You didn’t have to make her nervous like that,” Felix said. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Subaru said, blushing slightly. “I was just really excited, and I didn’t want her to lie to me again and say Satella.”

“She wouldn’t have said something like that in front of Reinhard,” Felix pointed out. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that!” Subaru said. 

The tension broke immediately. Emilia smiled and giggled to herself. 

“Emilia… my name is Emilia,” she said. “Only Emilia. Your price was easy to pay. Thanks so much for saving me, Subaru.” Emilia stood across from him, smiling and illuminated by moonlight. 

Subaru thought about how all the pain and suffering he’d gone through had led to that single smile. Talk about unequal compensation, Subaru thought, but he sounded fond. 

“So you finally got your happy ending,” Felix said, nodding to himself. “Or, happy beginning.”

Now, Subaru probably wouldn’t have to suffer at all, at least until the witch cult attacks. Then, after that, Sanctuary. Felix had no idea how bad those two would be, but he’d be there for Subaru in the meantime. 

Even if he hadn’t saved Crusch. 

Felix didn’t want to admit it, but it was nagging at him.

If it was for the sake of anyone else, I would chastise him for committing suicide to try to undo anything, Felix thought to himself. But for Crusch…I wish he had… 

Felix was a hypocrite, and he hated himself for it. How could he believe that Subaru shouldn’t use this power and treat his life like it was nothing, but still feel bitterness towards Subaru for not killing himself to save Crusch? 

Felix tamped down on the bitter feelings. 

He’d just have to wait until the battle itself was shown. Then he could confront Subaru on it. Even if it was unfair, Felix knew he couldn’t just leave it like this. He didn’t want to resent Subaru forever, so when the topic came up, he’d confront Subaru on it. Hopefully Subaru would have a good answer, or hopefully someone would rebuke Felix’s cruelness enough that Felix’s rebellious feelings would finally put themselves back in check.

“Anyway, Subaru, I’m impressed you’re still able to stand,” Reinhard said. 

“I’m lucky this thing was there to grab for protection,” Subaru said, pointing to the club. As Reinhard picked it up, however, it separated into pieces. 

Subaru noticed a large wound on his stomach. As blood began to spurt from it, Subaru collapsed onto the ground. 

Garfiel jumped up. “Wait, no! You said you survived!” 

“I did, Emilia helped me with healing magic,” Subaru said. 

Garfiel sighed with relief. “Geez… but you can’t catch a break at all…” 

“Maybe not. I’m just glad that didn’t send me back to the start,” Subaru said, puffing out a sigh. 

After Subaru was healed, Reinhard and Emilia talked to each other. 

“By the way, Miss Emilia, what’s the nature of your relation to Subaru?”

“An acquaintance? Honestly, I don’t recall ever seeing him before.” 

“But he was looking for you. Said he had something to give you. Odd behavior from a stranger…” Reinhard pointed out. 

“Yes, it is rather peculiar…” Emilia said. 

“So what do you propose we do with him, then? I’d be glad to take him to my home as a guest, at least while he’s healing,” Reinhard said. 

“Wait wait wait--I could have gone with you, Reinhard?!” Subaru said. 

“It was a possibility,” Reinhard said. 

Oh man… Subaru thought. If only, and yet… 

Going and living with Reinhard likely would have resulted in far less suffering, as if anyone killed him, he would have a very powerful ally in close range that he could run to. Not to mention, he wouldn’t have had to deal with the Shaman, or the oni twins’ hostility. 

But, if he hadn’t been there, Petra and the other village children would have died. He might have been able to save Emilia from the witch cult attack, but on the other hand, he might have been too far away. And then, there was the possibility that his camp could have died at Sanctuary without Subaru to warn them of the Great Rabbit. 

In the end, while I kind of wish I’d gone with Reinhard, I can’t argue with the results of how things went originally, Subaru thought. And besides, if I hadn’t gone with the Emilia camp, I wouldn’t have gotten to make friends with Emilia, Rem, Ram, Beatrice… everyone. 

“Being Emilia’s knight now, I can’t really resent how things have gone,” Subaru decided to announce.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied with how things turned out,” Reinhard said. 

“I’ll take him home with me. That way I can figure out what’s really going on,” Emilia said. “More importantly, what will become of the girl and that old man?”

“In an official capacity, I cannot overlook what they’ve done here,” Reinhard said. “However, as luck would have it, I just so happen to be off-duty today.” 

Emilia giggled. “Well aren’t you a bad knight!” 

“Hahaha! Reinhard, you never do rebellious things!” Felix said. “I’m so proud of you!”

Subaru grinned at that as well. “Never knew you had it in you, Rein!” 

“I was just doing what the situation required," Reinhard said, but he gave a soft smile. 

Emilia went over to retrieve the insignia from Felt. But as she tried to hand it over, it glowed in her hand, which Reinhard saw. 

Reinhard gasped, grabbing her hand. 

“This can’t be possible! What’s your name?” 

“It’s Felt-” 

“Family name!” 

“Woah, Reinhard, you don’t need to be so rough with her,” Subaru said, a bit disapproving. Reinhard was his friend, but he could easily see in this instance that he was scaring Felt. 

Reinhard had been panicking and not really thinking at the time, though he did regret scaring Felt. As such, Reinhard nodded his head. "I apologize for my uncouth behavior,” Reinhard said. 

“I’ll be taking this girl with me for further questioning.”

“May I ask you why? If it’s just for stealing my insignia-” Emilia protested.

“That theft alone is no small crime, certainly. But if I overlook what’s unfolding before me at this very moment, I know it would be the greatest crime of all. I’m going to need you to come along with me. I’m sorry, but I simply can’t allow you to refuse.” 

When Felt protested, Reinhard waved a hand in front of her face, knocking her out. 

“Reinhard!” Subaru said. 

“Sorry, but she had to be taken to the Sage’s Council to be confirmed as a Candidate!” Reinhard said, a bit weakly, not used to Subaru opposing his actions. 

“You could’ve explained that to her,” Subaru said. 

“I couldn’t exactly just explain it in front of Emilia, as she was another Royal Candidate… though she may have deduced what was happening regardless…” 

“Well, you better have been nice to her once she woke up,” Subaru said. 

Reinhard frowned, remembering all of Felt’s escape attempts. He'd tried to be, at least, though Felt hadn't been very receptive. 

“Miss Emilia, I will most likely be calling upon you again very soon,” Reinhard said, handing back the insignia. “I hope you understand. Please take good care of Subaru, he’s been through a lot.” 

Reinhard gazed up towards the sky. 

“Tonight may be our last chance to gaze calmly at the moon…” Reinhard said. 

“That’s ominous as hell,” Garfiel said. 

He wasn’t wrong, Subaru thought.

“He knew the Royal Selection would soon pick up its pace and begin in earnest,” Julius said. “Things have been hectic since…” 

The episode ended, turning to black. 

“Phew…” Garfiel said. “At least you don’t have to deal with Elsa now! You got through it! Now you’re good!” 

Subaru gave a half-forced smile. Even if the spoiler restriction wasn’t throttling him (maybe he could try to hint at it?), he wasn’t sure he wanted to ruin their good spirits. It seemed like none of them expected him to have another death loop so soon. 

“Now let’s find somethin’ to eat around here…” Garfiel said. 

“Look there,” Wilhelm said. He pointed behind them, towards a door that hadn’t been there before. It was labeled KITCHEN in large white font, in both Lugnican and Japanese script.

“I guess that's the power of liminal space,” Subaru said. He went forward, and opened the door. 

Chapter Text

The kitchen looked like a modern Earth kitchen. Due to everyone’s unfamiliarity with the appliances, Subaru offered to cook, despite the protestations of the others. With a little nagging, Subaru finally accepted Wilhelm’s help as a second pair of hands. 

“So, what do you guys want to eat?” Subaru said, rifling through the fridge as Wilhelm put tea on the stove. “We’ve got a lot. Some fruits and vegetables, some meat here--noodles, too, we could make spaghetti. Or hamburgers.” 

“Do you mean hambulgars?” Julius asked. 

“Why is it called that in Lugnica!? It sounds like you’re trying to say burglar!” Subaru protested. 

“Hambulgars sound fine,” Reinhard said, agreeably. 

Subaru sighed. “Fine then, hambulgars it is,” Subaru huffed. 

After around an hour, Subaru had made lots of hamburgers, ensuring there were plenty in case Garfiel’s huge appetite caused him to eat several. This ended up being a good thing, as Reinhard and Julius also (gracefully) scarfed down multiple. Subaru himself ate one and then put out some fruit to have for dessert. 

All in all, everyone seemed to be in relatively good spirits. 

“I wonder how many episodes there are,” Felix mused. 

“We should probably actually ask,” Subaru said. “What if it goes through my life day-by-day for the next year? That would take forever.” 

“Yikes, I don’t think I want to know your life in that level of detail,” Felix complained. 

“I agree, so let’s ask,” Subaru said. 

“Perhaps it’s only showing the most important events,” Reinhard suggested. “It did seem to skip over sections of time equating to several hours to get to the most interesting parts.” 

I mean, it is an anime, Subaru thought to himself. They probably know how to do timeskips. 

“You think they’ll skip straight to the Whale fight?” Felix asked. “I mean, that’s the next ‘death’ event, right?” 

Subaru looked away at that, grimacing as he sipped his tea. 

“Subaru, why are you making that face,” Felix said. “Don’t tell me you die before that?”

Subaru only sipped his tea more aggressively, his frown getting deeper.  

“Oh great,” Felix said. He slumped down in his chair. “This is going to be a disaster.” 

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Wilhelm said. 

“I mean, cap’n’s still here, and he’s like, sane,” Garfiel pointed out. “We’ve just got to remember that no matter what we see, that he’ll be alright. Right?” 

“Not an illogical suggestion, but I’m not sure if Subaru fulfills the basic definition of alright,” Julius said. “Subaru, you’ve been hiding your pain all this time, haven’t you?” 

Subaru frowned. “Well, I have to. I can’t explain where it comes from… and because of that, it’s not like anyone would understand, anyway…” 

“Surely you could explain how you feel to them, even if the events themselves are impossible to describe,” Julius said. 

Subaru shook his head. “They can understand that I’m sad, or upset, but that’s just not the same as them knowing that I was just stabbed several times, right?” Subaru sank slightly lower. “And besides, I have to be careful with the theatrics. If you start shouting or sobbing out of nowhere too many times, then no one will trust me. And then they won’t listen to me when I tell them that everyone is about to be murdered by something dangerous,” Subaru said. 

“Has that happened?” Julius prodded delicately. 

“Not exactly…” Subaru said. “But sort of. I’ve had lots of problems convincing people to listen to me.” 

“In the future, you won’t have to convince us,” Reinhard said. “We’ll believe what you say, and we will never judge your tears.” 

Subaru’s dark attitude seemed to deflate with Reinhard’s assurances. “Yeah… you guys are great,” Subaru said. “Someone in every camp except Priscilla’s knows about me now, huh…” 

“Yah!” Garfiel said. “But I wonder why more of us from Camp Emilia aren’t here… no offense to y’all or nothin’, but we’re the ones who live with him, right?”

“We all have a few questions for this strange entity,” Reinhard said, as Subaru finished his tea. “Let’s go ask.”

Once they were back in the theater, Wilhelm spoke out to empty air. “Hello? Whoever runs this theater, we have questions.” 

WHAT?

“How many episodes are we going to have?” Reinhard said. 

FIFTY. TWO SEASONS. TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES PER EPISODE.

“Ohh boy, fifty’s a lot,” Felix muttered. “Though… I suppose if they’re short…” 

“If we round twenty-five minutes to half an hour, that means two will make up an hour. So approximately twenty-five hours of content to watch.” 

“That’s not too bad,” Subaru commented. “One day of regular time? We’ll probably only have to sleep once, so maybe we can round it to spending two days here, including meals and sleep.” 

The entity controlling the room politely did not mention that this did not include the chapters that showed the future which they were all surely interested in seeing, or how they kept talking over the episodes. 

“Yo, why didn’t you bring more Emilia camp members?” Garfiel said. 

SUBARU NEEDS PEOPLE STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT HIM, WHO WILL NOT BREAK DOWN WHEN TOLD THE TRUTH.

“Break down?” Subaru said. 

THIS KNOWLEDGE MAY CAUSE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. THIS IS UNDERSTANDABLE. IT IS, HOWEVER, COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO THE GOAL OF PROTECTING YOU IF YOUR ALLIES REACT INAPPROPRIATELY. 

“Like what?” Subaru said, almost feeling offended on his friends behalf. 

PANICKING. MAKING YOU FEEL GUILTY. BECOMING FEARFUL. TELLING ROSWAAL. THE POTENTIAL REACTIONS OF YOUR CAMPMATES. 

Subaru couldn’t deny that the other members of his camp would be upset at the news that he’d been repeatedly dying. Still, it pressed something in his heart to know that the knowledge was so bad that it couldn’t even be told to people like Emilia and Beatrice, because their emotional reactions would be so bad. He was just a burde-

NO.

Subaru startled at the word. No? Just no? Was the entity talking to his thoughts?

“But cap’n could use more help!” Garfiel said. “Uh, I may be strong enough to be protectin’ him physically, but, he’s still not gonna have that many people to be there for his spirit! ‘Cause everybody else here are his friends and will do everything they can, but they got responsibilities and don’t live nearby!” 

Reinhard ducked his head at this. Despite his urge to bundle Subaru in Astrea mansion and keep him safe that way, he knew Subaru wouldn’t accept it, and he had to be Felt’s knight. Julius, Felix, and Wilhelm were in similar situations, being too vital for their lieges to leave. 

There was a long pause. 

...NO. JUST GO WATCH THE NEXT EPISODE. 

With that, the entity was gone. Even calling it repeatedly would not cause it to respond. Subaru sighed. 

With nothing else to do, the episode was put on.

Subaru woke up in a mansion. He looked around the room and realized that the wound to his stomach was gone. 

“--all things considered, must have been Emilia, and that healing power she has,” Subaru decided.

“From what I saw of her healing Rom, I didn’t realize that she was that good of a healer, to heal you so quickly,” Felix observed. “Unless you were unconscious for more time than I think.”

“It musta been Miss Beatrice!” Garfiel realized, recalling the mansion’s most prolific healer. 

Subaru grinned. “Yep, my precious Beako-!” 

So I’ll get to see the spirit that Subaru will eventually be contracted to? Julius thought. He’d heard through Anastasia’s information that Subaru had contracted a Great Spirit of Yin, and had been frankly anxious to meet her. It would be interesting to see her on-screen. 

Subaru wandered down the hallway, looking around. He walked for a while before passing the same painting twice, and realizing that the hallway was looping around.

Julius frowned. “A bit of a cruel prank to play on a guest. How are they doing that?”

“It’s probably Miss Beatrice again,” Garfiel said. 

“Spirit of Yin,” Julius said. “I see, that makes sense.” Though I am regretfully inexperienced in it, Yin can be the magic of spatial manipulation at higher levels. She must be a powerful spirit indeed to pull this trick off so casually. 

“Yep, the mansion is- ah, was Beako’s domain,” Subaru said. 

“Oh, it burned down, didn’t it,” Felix said. He remembered hearing something about that. “An attack by assassins, right? That’s a shame.” 

“Yep, Otto ‘n Cap’n caused lots of mischief!” Garfiel said. 

“Hold on a moment, are you suggesting that those two set fire to the mansion?” Wilhelm said. 

“It wasn’t mischief, it was for the greater good!” Subaru protested. 

Felix grinned. “Now that I want to see.” Julius and Reinhard couldn’t help but agree. 

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get the chance,” Subaru muttered, sighing. 

“The typical pattern dictates that the first door is likely the goal!” Subaru announced. He opened the door to a library with a little girl inside. 

“What a profoundly irritating and aggravating man you are, I suppose,” she said. 

“That must be Miss Beatrice,” Wilhelm said. No ordinary little girl he knew dressed or spoke like that. 

“Yep!” Garfiel confirmed. 

“The first NPC found! You’re going to ruin your cute little face with that cold attitude of yours--come on, smile!” Subaru said, grinning at her as if to mime a smile. 

“The only smile appropriate to give you is a derisive sneer,” Beatrice said.  

Subaru broke out into a grin observing the interaction. His Beako was the cutest! Even on his first go of the Mansion, he’d definitely enjoyed their banter. 

“Are you upset because I guessed the right door on the first try? I’ve always been pretty lucky when it comes to stuff like that!” Subaru said, oblivious to the fact that Beatrice was getting more and more annoyed with every word. 

“So, what is this place anyway?” he asked. 

“Betty’s multipurpose room, which serves as a library and bedroom, I suppose.” 

“A library?” Julius wondered slightly. He wouldn’t have expected Subaru to befriend such a bookish spirit, in fact, Subaru only seemed to be angering her right now. 

“Man, talk about a token response. Are you one of those manuel girls?” Subaru said. Now thoroughly irritated, Beatrice closed her book and stood up. 

“Betty has had just about enough of you! I think it’s time to teach you a lesson, I suppose,” she said. 

“Uh oh,” Felix said. “Great job Subaru, awake for two minutes and you’ve insulted a great spirit.” 

“I didn’t know she was one!” Subaru said. “Besides, Beako’s just a bit sensitive… she probably wasn’t ready for my extroverted personality so early in the morning…” 

“Baha, if I didn’t know better, I would say she looks like she’s gonna skewer ya,” Garfiel said. 

For a brief flash of moment, Julius legitimately worried that Beatrice was about to skewer Subaru, triggering a loop. But the moment passed when Subaru shook his head with a wry huff, as if the possibility were ridiculous. 

Beatrice walked towards Subaru, cornering him against the door. 

“Stay right there, and don’t you dare move,” Beatrice said. “Anything you’d like to say?”

“How about… don’t hurt me?” Subaru said, sweating. 

“Hehe, cap’n’s gettin’ intimidated by a little girl,” Garfiel snickered. 

“Technically she’s a powerful spirit,” Julius pointed out. 

“Indeed, Subaru’s instincts in this situation were correct,” Wilhelm said, speaking about Subaru’s obvious unease at Beatrice’s angry attitude. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Garfiel said, waving a hand. “But I ain’t missin’ a chance to tease cap’n!”

“Thank you, Garfiel,” Subaru said, long-suffering. Is this how Otto feels?

“Don’t worry Garfiel, even if Subaru were threatened by a regular young girl, he probably would react like that,” Felix chimed in. “Since he’s weaker than most little girls.” 

Garfiel snickered and held up his hand. Felix high-fived him immediately. 

“Aw, come on, guys,” Subaru said. Reinhard, who’d sat a little closer to Subaru in this viewing session, gave him a pat on the back in apparent pity. 

Beatrice held a hand against Subaru’s stomach. A moment later, Subaru cried out in pain, collapsing on the floor. 

“Wait, she’s actually hurting you!” Garfiel said, eyes rounding. “Cap’n, why would Miss Beatrice do that?”

“Considering she’s a spirit… it looks like she may have forcefully drained Subaru’s mana,” Julius said. “Which, while surprising, would not seriously harm Subaru.” 

“Phew,” Garfiel said, a bit relieved. “Still, that’s mean!” 

Subaru shrugged. 

Not to mention it’s in poor taste to do to a guest, Julius thought privately. Does Beatrice consider herself above social convention, or is there something more afoot? 

Given the situation Subaru had found Emilia in, it was a possibility that those in the Mansion were thinking about him more as a threat than as a guest, in spite of his heroics. 

“What did you do to me… you drill-haired loli…”

“Oh nothing much, I only collected the mana from your body, I suppose. By doing so, I have confirmed that you are not an enemy,” she said. 

“Ah, so she did that so that she could see Subaru’s intentions?” Reinhard said. 

“Understandable, but kinda crude,” Felix said. 

“She hasn’t really been out much, so she hasn’t done a lot of interacting with people,” Subaru said. “Don’t judge her for it too much.” 

In contrast to Subaru’s calm attitude, however, the screen Subaru was quite upset. 

“You little freak, you aren’t human, are you… I mean, outside of your sparkling personality,” the screen Subaru wheezed. 

“Took you long enough to notice, I suppose.” 

“I take it back, your personality isn’t human either…” 

“Do not measure such a proud, noble being such as myself by your standards, human,”  Beatrice said, as Subaru lost consciousness. 

“Great first meeting!” Garfiel said, giving the thumbs-up gesture he’d learned from Subaru. 

“Is that sarcasm?” Subaru asked weakly. 

“Well, at least the Mansion’s Great Spirit did confirm you as ‘nyot an enemy’,” Felix said. “That counts for something!” 

Subaru grimaced at that. If only it did, Felix. If only it did. 

The opening began to play. 

“Wait, pause there,” Wilhelm said. “Look at that.” 

The freeze-frame that Wilhelm had requested the viewing paused on was a flash of what looked like chains in dark lighting. 

Wilhelm-san’s eyes are sharp! Subaru thought. Even having lived through getting ripped apart by a Morningstar himself, he hadn’t noticed the half-second frame of chains in the first two viewings of the opening. It was probably Wilhelm’s increased senses as a swordsman that let him notice the frame. 

“I see what you mean,” Julius said. “And the chains played directly after a clip of the Bowel Hunter’s blades, and right before Subaru collapsed dead in the opening. Do you think Subaru will be in danger or die from a flail-like weapon?” 

“I hope not. Maybe it’s a metaphor for feeling trapped, nya,” Felix suggested. 

“Maybe,” Reinhard agreed. 

Garfiel tilted his head at the sight of the chains. It was strange -- though no one from the Emilia Camp used a weapon like that, he could have sworn he’d something just like it before in Miload Manor where they stored their weapons. 

Garfiel shrugged. Probably just a coincidence. 

Once the opening finished, the screen showed Subaru waking up in the same room as he had before. 

“Oh, he is awakened, Sister.” 

“Indeed, he’s awakened, Rem.” 

Subaru seemed to ignore the voices. 

“Hard to believe a total night owl like me can wake up so early… I’m getting all emotional. I should probably go to sleep a second time. No, I woke up earlier, so that would make this the third,” Subaru said. 

Felix laughed at Subaru’s nonchalance. “Seriously, Subaru? You’re just going to go back to sleep?” 

“He was probably tired from having his mana drained,” Julius said, though he too was amused by Subaru’s complete nonreaction to waking up in a Mansion again. 

“My, what a deadbeat thing to say. Did you hear that, Sister?”

“Truly the words of a loser. I heard him, Rem.”

“Hey! Who are these two voices who keep criticizing me in stereo?!” 

Subaru grinned at the banter. It’d been… a long time, since he’d heard Rem and Ram teasing him together like that. 

Wilhelm recognized one of the voices, recalling meeting Ram briefly. He’d remembered her ruthlessly teasing Subaru then too, but Subaru’s return banter had seemed good-natured. 

Subaru saw the two maids, and his mind immediately went to their short-skirted outfits and how attractive it made them. He said so immediately. 

Julius’ eyes slid over, unimpressed. 

“I’m sorry! I can’t control that it was the first thing I thought!” Subaru said, flushing bright red. 

“And yet, you can control what you say, and your second statement to them was about the sexual appeal of their work uniforms. Do you have no shame?” Julius said. 

“I’m very ashamed!” Subaru said. “I’ve done a lot of work on myself since then!” 

And regardless… those two don’t remember this happening at all, since this wasn’t a permanent loop, Subaru thought. Though, the introduction that stuck wasn’t super flattering either. 

Julius seemed to accept this as an answer, not pressing further. 

“I guess if you’ve cleaned up your act, we don’t need to scold you!” Felix said. 

“Hehe, you don’t need ta scold him. I’m sure Big Sis Ram’s gonna teach him a lesson,” Garfiel said. Besides, I kinda get his reaction. Ram is super hot. And that’s gotta be her sister! It’s so strange to see Rem awake, I’ve only seen her asleep before. 

Neither maid looked particularly impressed. 

“What terrible thoughts this one is having, you’re being repeatedly violated in the mind of our guest, Sister,” Rem said.

“Truly terrible indeed. You’re experiencing the ultimate shame over and over in the mind of our guest, Rem,” Ram said.

Emilia knocked on the door. She was dressed in a semi-revealing dress, which Subaru immediately made eyes at. 

“Subaru, you’re making a terrible first impression!” Felix said.

“I’m sorry!” Subaru said. I watched too many power fantasy and harem anime before I got isekaied… it totally ruined my perspective when I first got here…

“Whoever picked that outfit definitely gets it!” Subaru announced. 

“I’m not even going to pretend to know what you’re talking about, but the fact that I know it’s something stupid is disappointing,” Emilia said, casually. 

Garfiel burst into laughter. “Critical hit! Roasted!” 

Subaru facepalmed. He supposed he couldn’t complain about natural comeuppance. 

Wilhelm was somewhat amused by this turn of events, but he was also surprised. He definitely hadn’t seen this side of Subaru at any point. He’d acted perfectly gentlemanly around Crusch, and hadn’t said anything like that. Maybe Subaru had simply mellowed out by then?

Similarly, Reinhard couldn’t help but find his behavior strange as well, but since he knew that Subaru was too kindhearted to really act on any of his ‘perverted’ impulses, he wasn’t too concerned. And to him, it seemed less that Subaru was attempting to harass the maids and more like Subaru was simply inclined to announce all his thoughts and feelings to the room due to a severe lack of self-control. 

“Listen to this, Miss Emilia. Without provocation, my dear sister was just violated by that man,” Rem said, pointing. 

“Please listen to this, Miss Emilia, Rem was just held prisoner and shamed by that man,” Ram said, also pointing. 

“See, no worries Julius, they don’t need you to defend their honor,” Subaru said, gesturing vaguely at the screen as the maids overdramatically ratted him out to Emilia. “They can do that plenty well themselves.” 

Julius tried to hide a smile. “I see, I see.” 

“That’s enough, you two, don’t tease him so much,” Emilia said. “Tell me, are you feeling alright today? Does anything feel off to you?” 

“Huh? No, just a bit groggy from oversleeping. So you were the one who saved me, isn’t that right, Mili?” 

“Huh? Mili? Why would you call me that? 

Subaru blushed. “Ah, it’s just a nickname. No big deal.” 

Felix and Julius both breathed a sigh of relief as Subaru discarded his brashness to blush shyly at Emilia instead. His crush on her clearly hadn’t lessened at all since the last episode. 

Subaru thanked Emilia sincerely and bowed to her. Meanwhile, Emilia insisted that Subaru had done the saving, and so he didn’t need to thank her. In fact, she said that she owed him a debt. 

“You’d make a cute couple~” Felix said, sing-song. 

Subaru turned bright red. “Don’t tease me about things like that!” 

Wilhelm had to resist commenting, but he couldn’t help but agree with Felix. 

Meanwhile, Julius was thinking more logistically, as Emilia had mentioned her debt to Subaru. It’s honestly a good thing that a noble like Emilia is indebted to Subaru here. Considering he needed to start somewhere and he completely lacked funds and connections, he’s not in a bad place. 

The two went outside, where Subaru began to exercise. 

“Those movements are quite unusual. What are you doing?” Emilia asked. 

“My homeland’s ancient practice of warm-up exercises and calisthenics! Come on, you should try to do them with me, Mili!” 

“What are you doing?” Felix asked, trying not to say that Subaru looked ridiculous. 

“Radio calisthenics!” Garfiel bellowed excitedly. “I’ve done ‘em with cap’n! They’re so fun!” 

“Uh, let me think,” Subaru said. “Do you guys have yoga?”

“Yo-ga?” Reinhard echoed the unfamiliar word. “No?” 

“Ah, okay. Well, you do radio calisthenics in the morning because it’s good for your health! And you can do them before exercise so you’re less likely to injure yourself!” 

Julius tilted his head. “Is that really a significant concern of yours?” Was Subaru’s fragility so much that he might accidentally hurt himself doing everyday things? 

Subaru shook his head disapprovingly at Julius. “You think you’re invulnerable, until you tear your ACL! So be sure to do your radio calisthenics!” 

“What?” Julius said. 

“It’s like a mix between stretching and going on a run!” Garfiel explained. “It looks weird but it’s real fun. Everybody loves ‘em in the village.” Garfiel mostly liked them because he could bounce around randomly and no one would give him strange looks. 

“I see,” Julius said, though he did not really see. 

“Maybe we can do them together some time,” Reinhard suggested.

Subaru’s eyes lit up at the idea.  

Subaru started bouncing on his feet and listening to his routine as he completed the moves. Emilia called them “weird” but ultimately started copying his movements.

“Oh, so it is just like a stretching routine,” Julius said.

The two ran through the exercises together. 

“Now raise both your arms and shout ‘victory’!” Subaru said. 

“Victory!” Emilia said. 

Puck appeared from Emilia’s hair. “Victory!” he shouted. 

“Good morning, Puck. Really sorry I put you through so much, yesterday,” Emilia greeted. 

“Morning, Lia! I came really close to losing you back there, didn’t I? I’ll never be able to thank Subaru enough. I think I should do something for him,” Puck said.

“A favor from a Great Spirit?” Julius said. “I wonder… how would you use it?” 

Wilhelm and the others felt some curiosity as well. He didn’t remember hearing anything about this from Subaru. Even Garfiel wasn’t really sure what this favor had turned into. 

“Okay, let me pet your fur whenever I feel like it!” Subaru said.

Felix choked. “Subaru, did you really say that?” It’s somehow an extremely bold ask and yet nothing at all… 

“Yep!” Subaru said. “It’s what I really wanted, so.” 

“You’re broke in a foreign country, but your only desires are Emilia’s name and to pet Puck’s fur whenever you want?” Julius said. Even though he was from the future, he was mildly concerned that Subaru was going to end back out on the street. 

“Well, Puck didn’t have any money,” Subaru said. “Besides, I don’t regret it!” 

“I’m not critiquing you, I’m just… surprised,” Julius said. 

“More like surprised you survived given you're throwing away all your favors,” Felix added. 

“I’m not surprised,” Reinhard said. “Subaru demonstrates kindness at every opportunity. It only makes sense that everyone else in the Mansion felt a desire to pay him back, even if their formal debts were erased.” 

Wilhelm definitely agreed to some extent. While it may seem foolish to give up on such important favors, it seemed more like Subaru was trading in these favors for their trust. 

“Is that seriously all you want?”

“For a first-rate fur master such as myself, being able to love the object of your petting affections any time you want is just as much as the troves of a multi-millionaire’s riches! Oh man, these ears…” Subaru petted Puck, playing with his ears and cuddling up against him. 

“Subaru’s spirit affinity must be insane,” Felix said. He wasn’t even a Spirit Arts user, but even he knew that much. He himself wouldn’t dare even touch a spirit, let alone cuddle up his face against it and play with its ears. 

“Indeed,” Julius said. 

“I’m so in love with how soft and cuddly you are!” Subaru said. 

“I know you feel that way since I can kinda read your mind, but I’m amazed you can actually say it!” Puck said, mentioning that Subaru completely lacked hostility and malice. 

“You really are a strange one…Subaru,” Emilia said, smiling. Subaru blushed back at her. 

“Aww, so wholesome,” Garfiel said, lounging back. The relaxing atmosphere of the Mansion had permeated the theater, and most everyone was smiling. 

Reinhard especially appreciated the events on-screen. It’s a relief Subaru can finally relax and destress. After such horrific deaths, I’m glad he can get some respite. 

The two maids appeared.

“Miss Emilia, our lord and master Roswaal has finally returned home,” the two said in tandem. “Please, come inside.” 

As Subaru entered the dining room, he saw Beatrice, who’d been waiting there for them. “I was watching you from upstairs,” Beatrice said, referring to the radio calisthenic exercises. “And you know what? It would appear that you are quite the imbecile I suppose.” 

“Just where do you get off saying that, you loli?!” Subaru said. 

“What does that word mean? I've never even heard it before and it irritates me. I think you just made it up,” Beatrice said. 

“What does loli mean?” Wilhelm asked. 

“It means ‘little girl’, but it kind of carries with it that the girl might be a lot older than she looks,” Subaru said. “It fits Beatrice well because she looks like a little girl but she’s actually hundreds of years old.” 

“Wait, then what about your title Lolimancer?” Julius asked. “I’ve heard you being called that in the papers.” 

Subaru’s face turned into a pout. “It means ‘Little Girl User’. Because I’m partnered with Beatrice.” 

Garfiel snickered. “It sounds-”

“Yes, I know it sounds vaguely dirty and that’s why I hate it!” Subaru shouted. 

“It doesn’t sound that bad to the general public,” Julius attempted to comfort him. “We don’t have quite the same interpretation of the word loli.” Though it's somewhat similar... 

“It’s still terrible,” Subaru sighed. “But I guess I’ll survive.” 

As Emilia walked in, Beatrice enthusiastically greeted Puck. When Puck agreed to spend the day with her, Beatrice grabbed Puck and spun away laughing excitedly. 

“Huh, that’s a really different attitude!” Felix said. 

“They’ve been friends for a long time,” Subaru said. “I think they’ve known each other for hundreds of years.” I think they might have been separated when Puck went off to search for Emilia, but I know they were created together and lived together with Echnida. 

“Wow,” Julius said. Two great spirits in the same Mansion… I only suppose it would make sense that they’d get along. If they didn’t, the Mansion would have been destroyed long ago. 

Roswaal came in, remarking on how unique it was for Beatrice to show up in the dining room. Beatrice called both him and Subaru an addle-brained fool. 

Subaru gave Roswaal a hefty pat on the back. “So you guys hired a clown to entertain you before each meal? I’ll never understand how you rich folks think.” 

Julius took a deep breath and put his head in his hands. 

“NO,” Felix managed to wheeze through a laugh.. “Subaru, you didn’t.” 

At least Roswaal doesn’t remember this happening, since I died after this, Subaru thought. 

“YES!” Garfiel launched himself at Subaru, landing in a hug. Subaru wheezed out an “oof.” 

“Cap’n why didn’t you tell me that you called him a clown to his face!” Garfiel said. “Bro, I respect you more than ever!” 

Reinhard attempted to be comforting, ignoring Garfiel’s rebellious enthusiasm. “I’m sure he forgot your slight in time, Subaru,” Reinhard offered charitably. 

He definitely didn’t, Wilhelm said. Though he didn’t know too much about Roswaal L. Mathers, he was at least aware that he was not one to forget a grudge. It was a trait he shared in common with his grandmother. 

“It’s the rule of this world that the first sentence Subaru says to you has to be something profoundly stupid,” Felix announced. “He would be too powerful otherwise.” 

“It’s Ros’s own fault for dressing like that,” Garfiel scoffed. “He does look like a clown.” 

Julius silently agreed. 

“Oh well,” Subaru said, shrugging. 

“Um, Subaru? That man is actually-” Emilia started. 

“Oh no, it’s quite alright, Miss Emilia. I’ll handle the introductions,” Roswaal said. “I am in fact the lord of this manor, Roswaal L Mathers. So very pleased to make your acquaintance, Subaru Natsuki, right?” 

He leaned closely to Subaru, seeming to enjoy making him uncomfortable.  

Bastard villain, Garfiel thought. 

“Well, at least he’s only being passive aggressive about it,” Felix said. 

The group sat down to eat. 

Subaru mentioned that the cooking was excellent, which Roswaal agreed with, complementing Rem’s cooking abilities. 

“So this was cooked by the one with the… blue hair? I think I got that right,” Subaru said. “You made this?” 

“Yes, that’s correct. I’m responsible for all the cooking in this household. My sister doesn’t happen to be very good at cooking,” Rem said. 

“Ah, so it’s the whole twins that are good at different things trope,” Subaru said. “Your sister good at cleaning, then?” 

The theater looked on in interest at Subaru’s conversation with the blue maid. Most of the theater only knew her vaguely as someone Subaru was grieving who’d been eaten by Gluttony. 

Subaru asked if Rem was bad at cleaning and laundry, as if to balance out their skill sets, but Rem denied it, stating she was better than Ram at both tasks.  

“Seriously?! Does your sister even have a purpose?”

Garfiel started laughing loudly. “Ram just took that lying down?”

“Well, it is true that her sister is better at chores than her,” Subaru said. “I think the reason she didn’t verbally lay me out is that I was complimenting her sister in a roundabout way… and that I was a guest at the time.” 

Julius’ lips twitched up, but he still couldn’t help but severely worry for Subaru. With his lack of etiquette he seemed to be offending everyone he met, and he still hadn't gotten himself any money despite using up favors from two nobles.  

Wilhelm knew that Subaru’s loud brashness, while it might not be taken well by some nobles, probably could be excused by Roswaal Mather’s own strange bunch. Perhaps it would be taken as an indicator of honesty, as well. 

“You’re a strange young man. You come to the Mansion of Margrave Mathers in the kingdom of Lugnica and yet you say you don’t understand a thing,” Roswaal said. 

“So what do you mean by that, is something bad happening in this country?” 

“Well, it is not in an agreeable state-” Roswaal began.

“I wonder what Roswaal thinks about your total ignorance of the Royal Selection,” Felix said. “He might think you’re lying…” 

“Perhaps he assumed you were simply from a remote town in Gusteko, or perhaps an ignorant Karagian branch-line noble,” Reinhard suggested. 

“In the best case,” Felix said. 

Roswaal knows more than he’s letting on, Subaru said. I don’t think he knows I’m isekaied, so his questioning isn’t completely fabricated, but he might be putting some of this on for the sake of the maids. 

Roswaal explained that Lugnica was in the process of the Royal Selection after the king and his line died to a plague. 

“I see… on top of the king’s absence, the Royal Selection is causing confusion in the kingdom. Suddenly, I appear from another country-- wait, I’m totally suspect here!” Subaru said. 

“Aaand on top of that, you made contact with Miss Emilia, thus initiating a direct connection to my household. Aah, the dilemma!” Roswaal agreed. 

“You shouldn’t let him push you around too much,” Felix said. “I think he’s just enjoying unsettling you because of your previous insult. Just the fact that you’re a foreigner alone doesn’t make you that suspicious, we have many Karagian immigrants in the capital. And you kind of look like you’re from Gusteko, but you know Karagi’s culture better, so…” 

“At least you didn’t say you were from the South when asked by Emilia for your country,” Julius said. “I think that’s the one thing you could have said that could have gotten you in real trouble.” 

“Yeah. Anway, the main thing that makes you suspicious is your weird appearance at the loothouse,” Felix said. “But the Great Spirits confirmed a lack of maliciousness, so you’re not in too bad a spot.” 

“Hey, wait a second, why would the lord of the mansion call her ‘Miss’ Emilia?” 

“I’m not sure how things are from where you’re from, but here, we address those with higher status respeeectfully~,” Roswaal said. 

“But… that would mean Mili here is-” Subaru started. 

“Officially, my current title is, Candidate for the 42nd ruler of the Kingdom of Lugnica, with the backing of the honorable Lord Margrave Roswaal.” 

“What?!” Subaru looked shocked. 

“I can’t believe you developed a huge crush on and gave your ‘Mili’ a nickname before you even learned she was a Candidate,” Felix said. “Now I can’t even make fun of you for being a gold digger, since you were completely ignorant.”

“A gold digger?!” Subaru said. "You can't call me that!" 

“Well yeah, I just said you weren’t one,” Felix protested. 

Julius nodded along. “Given your actions up to this point, it’s somewhat of a shock you didn’t unintentionally insult her as well,” Julius said. 

“Gah! I don’t need to hear that from you!” Subaru protested. 

“Yeah, that’s ridiculous, Sir Julius. Cap’n is too in-love to do anything except compliment Miss Emilia!” Garfiel announced. Subaru couldn’t even object to that, as it was mostly true. 

Emilia explained that the insignia qualified her to rule the nation. Subaru reacted in shock, asking if she’d actually lost the insignia that qualified her as a Candidate. 

“Now don’t put it like that, I didn’t lose it, it was stolen from me by a thief!” Emilia said, flustered. 

“That’s the same thing!” Subaru said, alarmed. “What happens if you manage to lose that thing, anyway?”

Roswaal explained that if Emilia had lost the touchstone, that she would no longer be qualified to be the ruler of Lugnica. Surprised at how important it was, Subaru said that his expectations for a reward were raised, wiggling his fingers. 

“Subaru, stop looking so sinister when you ask for a reward!” Felix said. “Don’t squirm your fingers like that, it makes you look perverted.” 

Reinhard fully agreed, but was glad he didn’t have to say it. 

Subaru sweatdropped. 

“Cap’n did sound pretty creepy when he said he wanted a reward,” Garfiel agreed. 

“Not you too, Garfiel!” Subaru said. 

“I’m sure you’ll ask for something minor like a bowl of fruit, but still, you should try to look less evil. Your eyes are already bad enough as they are,” Felix said. 

“Your teasing really is brutal, Felix,” Subaru complained. 

“Subaru, after this, we're having mandatory etiquette training,” Julius said. 

“Eh!?” Subaru said, a little offended. “No!” 

“Please?” Julius said, almost begging. “It will make me feel better.” 

Subaru pouted. “Well, I guess since you said Please so nicely, I can agree to do it. But only for a bit!” If Julius could temporarily stow his pride enough to ask him, perhaps he could as well. “And just so you know, I did pick up a few things since then. It's been a long time." 

Julius sighed in relief. "I see." 

“Do not worry, Subaru,” Reinhard said. “Lady Felt is undergoing such training as well, so it is not as if you are doing this alone.” 

Subaru let out a long sigh. That didn't make him feel better at all! What had he gotten himself into? 

Wilhelm could see the benefits of what Julius was suggesting. Subaru definitely had his own charms and his ability to make friendships fast was impressive, but Subaru’s ability to unintentionally offend people was also off-the-charts. But at the same time…

“We can’t be too hard on Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. “This was only his first week in Lugnica, so some faux-pas were inevitable. I’m sure he began to pick things up along the way.” 

"Thank you!" Subaru said.

Roswaal essentially told Subaru that any reward he desired, he could name it. 

“Well, in that case, I have but one request!” Subaru said. “I’m starting to like this mansion. Hire me to work here!” 

There was an extremely long silence. Ram sneezed. 

“Was my request really that weird?” Subaru asked. 

“No, it’s just that most people would ask for money,” Julius said. 

“It’s unconventional, but not unwise,” Wilhelm said. “Considering your circumstances, this may have been a particularly good choice. You develop relevant job skills, keep the connections and friendships you’ve begun, and receive a place to stay and income all at once. Instead of being a stranger in this world, you become a part of it.” 

Julius nodded. “My Lady Anastasia would likely gawk at such a small favor considering the Margrave offered you anything, but if your goal is simply survival in a dangerous world, your choice more than keeps up to the task.” 

Subaru did feel pretty glad that everyone accepted his choice. He’d sort of gotten the impression from Ram that he was being monumentally dumb by choosing to be a butler, but she said that about most things he did, so maybe he shouldn’t have taken it too seriously.

“It is probably safer,” Reinhard mentioned. “So this is how you became a butler, huh?”

“Yep,” Subaru said, ignoring the safer. It would be, if there hadn’t been an attack on the Mansion; because then his witch-scent wouldn’t have increased, and the thing with Rem wouldn’t have happened at all. 

Subaru was trying on clothes, but it seemed that nothing fit him. 

“Our deepest apologies on the wardrobe, sir-- I mean Subaru.” 

“I must say, you look utterly ridiculous sir, I mean Barusu.” 

“Great job, Ram, you just turned my name into a blinding curse,” Subaru said. 

“The origin of the nickname Barusu!” Garfiel said, pumping up his fist. “Man, I really am getting cap’n’s full origin story here!” 

Subaru huffed in amusement. Of all things, he was surprised but not unhappy that Ram’s nickname had persisted across timelines.  

They agreed to alter the jacket for Subaru. Then, they showed him to a variety of rooms. One of them opened up to Beatrice cuddling with Puck. When Subaru started to tease her, he was ejected from the room. 

“A fascinating ability,” Julius said. He could see what Subaru meant now about the Mansion being Beatrice’s domain. “It must be quite useful in the case of an attack.” 

“Yeah! Miss Beatrice could hide people, or jump out and go, hyah!” Garfiel mimed punching someone across the face, despite the fact that Beatrice only attacked with magic. 

“Once Miss Beatrice has eliminated her presence, there’s no way to find her without trying every door,” Ram said. 

Subaru looked around, before zeroing in on one of the doors. 

“She’s in here!” Subaru said, throwing the door open and startling Beatrice. 

“Impressive, Subaru,” Puck said. 

“Alright, how did you get the right door again?!” Beatrice growled. 

“I told you before, remember? I’m a flag-crusher that makes game masters cry,” Subaru said, slightly smug. 

“What does that mean?” Reinhard decided to ask. 

“I basically told her it was a lucky guess,” Subaru explained. That’s the best way to say it without having to explain video games as a concept, which would take all day. Maybe once we get back to Lugnica. 

“If I may ask, how did you get through Lady Beatrice’s door crossing? Was it really just luck?” Wilhelm asked. 

“I could kind of sense it. Probably my Yin or Spirit affinity,” Subaru said.  

“Tell me, how do you fit in around here, anyway? You Roswaal’s little sister?” 

“I would never want to be his sister I suppose!” Beatrice said.

“Betty’s the librarian who oversees the Roswaal Mansion’s forbidden library,” Puck explained. 

“Master Roswaal is the greatest magic user in the kingdom. He has many books that musn’t be seen by others. And Miss Beatrice has been contracted to protect them from prying eyes,” Ram said. 

“That sounds fascinating,” Julius said. My brother would love something like that.

“Be less fascinated, it burned down,” Subaru said.

“Oh,” Julius said, frowning, and legitimately a bit sad. 

“Beatrice probably remembers everything that was in there, anyway,” Subaru said. He looked proud. “She’s a smart cookie.” 

Beatrice slammed the door closed. 

Subaru and Ram were shown outside after the tour of the Mansion was over. “Let’s get to the ins and outs of your job. Basically, you’ll be helping with my route, Barusu.” 

“This must be the moment where my hidden skills as a butler finally reveal themselves!” Subaru said enthusiastically. 

He became somewhat less enthusiastic as Ram listed off the many chores that they would have to complete.

“I think this is Ram’s revenge for you saying she didn’t work earlier,” Garfiel said. 

“It’s a lot for a first day, but considering that those two young ladies handle caring for a  Mansion all by themselves, it’s only inevitable that Subaru as the third servant would have a significant amount of work to complete,” Wilhelm said. 

“Mm, agreed,” Felix said. “You probably had lots to do!” 

“Yeah, but I didn’t mind. Honestly, I didn’t hate my job,” Subaru said. 

“It’s good to hear that,” Reinhard said. 

Subaru was seen looking tired that night after completing the day’s work. There was a knock on the door. Rem arrived, carrying Subaru’s suit jacket. 

“You already finished the alterations?”

“When it’s Lord Roswaal’s clothing, I must be careful and precise, but, since this is yours,” Rem said. 

“Wait, you cut corners because it’s me?” Subaru said.

Regardless, when Subaru put it on, it fit perfectly.

“Cap’n looks snazzy!” Garfiel said. “He doesn’t wear that type of thing anymore.” 

“Yeah, you joined the Emilia Camp around the same time he got promoted, right?” Felix said. 

“Yep!” 

“With this outfit over the bizarre attire you were originally wearing, no one in any strange garment could rival you,” Rem said. 

“Not a compliment at all!” 

“Your coworkers are insulting you, but it seems to run off your back like water,” Julius said. He’s pretty easy-going right now… I wonder what happened that changed his attitude before the incident with the Knights at the Capital. Or maybe, it’s some hidden insecurity that triggered that behavior. 

“Rem and Ram can be tsunderes sometimes,” Subaru said. Or maybe yanderes depending on the situation… and Rem is maybe just tsun until she knows you’re not a witch cultist… 

“Tsun-dere?” Reinhard said. “I’m not sure I’ve heard that word.” 

“It means that they act prickly, but underneath that, they’ve got a soft side!” Subaru announced. 

“Don’t let Ram here ya say that, she’d get annoyed!” Garfiel said. 

Subaru showed off his sewing skills to Rem by altering the pants himself. While she was surprised and told him he got “full marks for sewing”, she wrote off the skill as generally useless. 

“Really? Sewing is useless for a butler?” Garfiel said, a bit skeptical.

“There are more important skills, but sewing is still useful,” Wilhelm said. “I believe that Rem was simply teasing.” 

“Figures,” Subaru said. “Though to be honest, I haven’t done much sewing since I got here except for patching a tear here and there or making dolls.” 

“You can make dolls?” Julius asked. 

“Yep! It’s a Subaru Natsuki niche skill!” Subaru said, doing a pose. 

Subaru was shown attempting to cook but instead cutting his finger open with the knife. “Ow!” 

“You may get full marks for sewing, but you’re still useless with a knife, Barusu,” Ram said. 

“My Big Sis Frederica says, never cut towards yourself!” Garfiel said. 

“I’m surprised you know about cooking,” Subaru said. 

“Kinda. Big Sis made me learn.” 

“I pity the farmer who grew those vegetables,” Rem said.

“Stop being so cruel, you’re breaking my heart!” 

“You should hold the knife still, and simply turn the vegetable,” Ram said. “My best dish is steamed tatoes, if I do say so myself!” Ram said proudly, holding up the perfectly peeled potato. 

Subaru confidently tried again, only to cut another finger. 

“Don’t cut towards your fingers!” Garfiel said exasperatedly, as if he’d expected the Subaru through the screen to listen to his previous comment. 

“It’s too late now,” Subaru said, feeling a faint sense of sadness for the cuts he’d lost during Return by Death. Even though they’d be long-healed by now, he still felt a strange sense of melancholy over them. 

Subaru was seen helping Ram clean and with a lot of other household chores, accidentally dropping things or injuring himself during several of them. 

Despite Subaru’s mixed competence, it was clear that he was helping out, and that he was working very hard. 

It seems you made the right choice after all, Subaru, Julius thought. 

“Nya, if I had to handle a whole Mansion by myself like those two maids, I’d be glad to have you,” Felix said, seemingly of the same mind. "Maybe after the training phase though." 

“Yeah, ‘specially since Big Sis Frederica was on leave,” Garfiel said. 

“Yeah, I like to think I helped some,” Subaru said. “But besides that, I also really valued spending time with Rem and Ram…” 

A scene was shown at night. 

Ram was cradled in Roswaal’s arms.

“How has Subaru been since he started working? Five days have passed since his arrival, shouldn’t we be seeing something by now?” Roswaal asked.

Subaru gasped. “A scene I don’t know about! Eavesdropping!” he said. 

Not to mention, Subaru was seriously curious about what everyone had thought about him in the first loop. Sometimes he wondered if Rem and Ram had really been his close friends in that loop, like he’d originally perceived, or if he’d just been two blinded to notice latent hostility. He’d thought it was possible that they’d legitimately become friends, since his witch scent was lower…

“No way,” Garfiel said, focused on something else entirely. “Ram is on Roswaal’s lap?!” 

“That position doesn’t seem entirely-” Julius coughed politely. “-proprietary.” 

Subaru was surprised, but not that surprised. It made sense that Roswaal and Ram were very close, considering her absolute loyalty to Roswaal. Even if previously he’d assumed that her obsession with Roswaal was one-sided. 

Though, it’s kinda creepy, considering he’s... however old he is, Subaru thought. 

“So I really never had a chance with her,” Garfiel muttered, dejected. 

“Maybe it’s not exactly how it looks!” Felix said. “It’s unusual, but the Margrave is pretty eccentric. Maybe they’re just close like family? They seemed professional during the day.”

“Maybe,” Reinhard said charitably, even as Wilhelm shook his head in skepticism. 

Julius still internally cringed at the sight. While perhaps it was just his noble upbringing, he didn’t find the situation very appropriate. It wasn’t like he disapproved of nobles courting or marrying non-nobles, he himself was the product of such a union, but Roswaal was her direct superior…

“Cooking, laundry, cleaning… he’s useless at all of them,” Ram said. 

“How very harsh of you,” Roswaal said, gently petting Ram’s head. “And? What are the chances he’s a spy?”

“Uh oh, cap’n in trouble?” Garfiel said questioningly. 

“It’s definitely not good that he holds those suspicions,” Felix said. 

Damn, so even in this first timeline… Subaru thought. Well, I suppose that I was the most ignorant in this timeline. I even acted confused when they talked about the Royal Selection. I guess it’s only natural. 

Subaru braced for Ram’s reaction. 

“I can’t deny that such a potential exists, but I think the possibility is slim at best. For better or for worse, for worse in this case in particular, he’s too conspicuous,” Ram said. 

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Subaru’s reckless behavior paid off!” Felix said. 

“It is true, Subaru is far too conspicuous to be a spy,” Julius said. 

“I see, this is definitely good for Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. 

Not long now until the reset, Subaru thought.

“And if he’s too conspicuous, then-” Roswaal made a throat-chopping motion.

“Oh no,” Felix said. “Never mind. Subaru, your reckless behavior was far too reckless!” 

“What? You can’t just take a compliment back based on the result!” Subaru protested. 

“Subaru is in active danger now,” Julius said, gravely. 

“Normally I’d say that since Subaru is alive now, that Roswaal must not have gone through with it-” Garfiel growled. “We all know that’s not true.” 

Little do they know, Roswaal wouldn’t kill me, Subaru said. As far as he’s aware, that’s the only thing he can’t do. Well, actually, I’m not sure if he’s aware I’m looping at this point. I’m not sure when he learned about my ability. 

It was a bit chilling to learn that he’d potentially narrowly dodged danger from Roswaal. 

Still, Echidna’s Gospel probably didn’t predict him dying, so Subaru probably hadn’t been in danger from him. Probably. 

“Well, despite the odds of that possibility, he’s certainly carefree, isn’t he,” Roswaal said. “Personally, as I see it, it would be wise to interfere with things.” 

Roswaal looked down on Emilia and Subaru, as Emilia communed with the lesser spirits in the yard and Subaru looked on. 

“They’re both only children. Even if we let them be, nothing will happen,” Ram said.

“Ram is sticking up for me, huh?” Subaru said. “I should get her something nice when we get out of this theater.” 

Garfiel just heaved a long sigh, melodramatically flopping in his chair. 

“Something wrong?” Julius asked.

“Well, Garfiel just saw his crush cuddling with Ros-” 

“Shut your trap,” Garfiel groaned. “I can’t believe… Ram and that bastard clown…” 

“Don’t worry, Garfiel. I think anyone would be emotionally damaged seeing their crush being with Roswaal like that,” Subaru said. 

Felix involuntarily envisioned Roswaal holding Crusch and his entire body shuddered in revulsion. May I never think of that ever again, Felix thought. 

Emilia finished communing with the lesser spirits. Subaru mentioned they hadn’t had a chance to talk recently. 

“It must have been difficult for you to learn the work expected of you here,” Emilia said. 

“Ain’t that the truth, it’s killing me!” Subaru said overdramatically. “I wish I could be tenderly comforted in your arms, your chest, and your lap in rotation.” 

“If you can go around making tasteless jokes like that, you’re probably fine,” Emilia said, playfully poking him in the forehead. 

Cute, Felix thought. 

Normally, Garfiel would be thinking such a thing as well, but with his own crush destroyed for now, he couldn’t bring up too much cheerfulness for Subaru’s success. Still, Garfiel wasn’t going to keep any spite over it, so he only grunted softly at the exchange. 

Emilia told Subaru he seemed to be lacking in ambition, mentioning the time with Puck and her name. Subaru told her that he took things one day at a time, and in that moment, he’d wanted those things with all his heart. He also mentioned wanting to make a livelihood for himself.

Julius thought it was an odd way of looking at the world. He couldn’t decide if Subaru’s choices were simply a philosophy he didn’t understand, or just short-sighted. Maybe the first. Subaru was an interesting character, and he didn’t seem to be overly interested in things like prestige or money. 

“In that case, why didn’t you simply ask to become a permanent guest at the Mansion?” Emilia asked. 

“I never thought of that!” Subaru said. 

…Never mind, he’s just short-sighted, Julius thought flatly. 

“Hm, I don’t think Subaru would really be satisfied sitting around all day doing nothing… is that right, Subaru?” Reinhard asked. 

“Yeah, not really,” Subaru said. Considering he’d been coming right off his hikikomori days, he’d been too eager to do something, to prove himself, to simply accept living as a guest in a mansion forever without contributing. Even if that’s what he’d done at his parents house, he’d been desperate for a change. That’s why he hadn’t hated the idea of being isekaied. 

“And Syubaru couldn’t have known this at the time, but that only would have increased Roswaal’s suspicion of him, to ask to stay for free,” Felix pointed out. 

“Well, thanks for making me feel a bit better about my rushed choices,” Subaru said, shrugging. He didn’t regret being a butler, but he couldn’t deny he’d said it on impulse. 

“You have good instincts. And while living as a houseguest wouldn’t have been a bad choice, it comes with its own downsides as well,” Wilhelm said. 

Emilia offered to heal the cuts on his hands, but Subaru refused, saying that they were proof of his hard work. 

“I don’t actually dislike exerting myself, you know,” Subaru said. “Learning to do something I couldn’t do before… to be honest, it’s not so bad.” 

Emilia smiled and called him an idiot. 

“That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. Wasn’t I… charming?” Subaru offered. 

“You could never be,” Emilia said. “Well, maybe just a little.” 

Felix couldn’t help but feel the slightest sense of jealousy that his own efforts at courting his liege hadn’t gone nearly as well as Subaru’s, who’d flirted with every adult woman in the Mansion. Subaru was so forward! Garfiel, too, was bemoaning his own failure in love. 

Reinhard and Wilhelm, who had no such current troubles, both happy that Subaru’s flirting had gone over somewhat well. 

“I’m actually somewhat impressed,” Julius said. 

“Ha!” Subaru said, puffing out his chest. 

When the conversation turned to the time Subaru went to the village during the past day, Subaru offered to take her there tomorrow to meet the kids. 

Emilia was nervous that her appearance might cause trouble, but Subaru’s enthusiasm convinced her to agree. 

“Only when I’m able to take a break from all of my studying and your work is done for the day, okay?” Emilia said. 

“Yeah, alright! This is gonna be great!” Subaru shouted, as Emilia giggled.

Even Garfiel and Felix couldn’t help but smile at Subaru’s success now. With such happiness on his face after such previous pain, they couldn’t begrudge him too much. 

Subaru’s heart ached slightly. He’d lost all this… 

Subaru went to go say goodnight to Beatrice. When he tried to reach out for her curls, however, she blasted him out of the room. 

“So even after the spirit drained your mana last time, you still don’t fear her at all,” Reinhard said. 

“I was just shocked,” Subaru said. “But I wasn’t gonna let her frosty attitude scare me away! Besides, she’s very nice in quiet moments, she just tends to… forcefully eject you when she’s feeling tired, instead of asking you to leave.” 

“I see,” Reinhard said. “It’s good you developed a friendship with her. She’s going to eventually become your spirit, isn’t she?” 

Subaru grinned with pride. “Yep.” 

Thinking about his meeting with Emilia tomorrow, Subaru was almost too excited to sleep, but managed to fall asleep by counting Pucks. 

When he woke up in the morning, he sprung out of bed, loudly announcing how he was beginning a new day, but then got embarrassed when he saw Rem and Ram hovering over him. 

While Garfiel chuckled at Subaru’s predicament, Wilhelm’s eyes narrowed immediately. 

While Subaru had gone to bed in his tracksuit… he’d woken up in a robe, like he had on the first day. 

The next words only confirmed it. 

“Sister, Sister, I do believe that our guest appears to be a bit confused, what do you think?”

“Rem, Rem, yes, I agree. It looks as though our guest has gone crazy.” 

“Hey, why are you calling me a guest? You two and your silly little jokes…” Subaru said. When Subaru looked down at his hands, there were no cuts. 

“Wait… but how?!” Garfiel said. 

“His clothing has changed as well,” Wilhelm said grimly. 

“Do you think…” Julius said. “Did he die?”

“But how?” Reinhard said, now distressed. “We didn’t see anything!” 

Reinhard whipped his head over to Subaru, who puffed out a sad sigh in confirmation. 

“Yeah… you guys are right…” Subaru said. I guess since they’ve already deduced it, no need for a spoiler restriction…

“There are only so many methods available, to be able to kill without waking someone up. Even if his head were detached from his body, there would still be a few seconds in which Subaru would be aware, feeling pain. But he doesn’t appear to have felt any pain,” Wilhelm said.

“Mm. Perhaps he was sedated,” Felix said. “A range of poisons could do the trick. Something in his tea, perhaps?” 

Garfiel whirled around to Subaru and picked him up by his lapels. “Was it Roswaal?! Did that bastard clown hurt you?!” he asked, eyes sparking with anger. 

“I’m not sure if we can jump to such a conclus-” Julius tried to start, but Garfiel interrupted. 

“Ros was the one talkin’ about how Subaru might be a spy and he seemed like he might wanna kill him! Who else could’t be?!” Garfiel shouted. 

While Garfiel had heard about the Mabeast attack on Arlam village, he hadn’t paid close enough attention to the dates to notice that it was upon them. Similarly, while the others had heard of such a thing, none of them knew enough about the Mabeasts in the forest to put together that Subaru had been killed by a Mabeast, especially when he hadn’t mentioned meeting one. 

“I’m pretty sure I can’t say it, but don’t worry about that yet, Garfiel,” Subaru said. “The screen will end up showing you more later, anyway…” 

Garfiel slowly let go of Subaru’s scruff, then tackled him in a hug. 

“Damn it… ‘ts not fair…” Garfiel said. 

Subaru put a hand in Garfiel’s hair, sighing. “Maybe not… but it is what it is…” 

“At least it wasn’t painful this time,” Julius said solemnly. 

“The next episode, then?” Wilhelm said. His eyes were dark. He wanted answers. How had it come about that Subaru had been allowed to die in Roswaal’s Mansion? If it was the fault of Lady Roswaal's grandson… 

Felix nodded slowly, seeming put out. “That’s all we can do…” 

Episode Five: The Morning of Our Promise is Still Distant

“That title can’t be a good sign,” Reinhard said.

Chapter Text

Subaru looked down at his hands in horror. 

Why have I gone back?

Reinhard winced in sympathy. While it had only been half-hour for them, it had been five days for Subaru, five days of adjusting and gaining everyone’s trust and friendship. Now, all of that progress was gone. 

“Excuse me, sir, excuse me. You don’t seem to be feeling very well, are you going to be alright?” Rem asked. 

“Excuse me, sir, excuse me. You appear to have a stomachache. You didn’t soil yourself, did you?” Ram asked. 

“Ugh, now’s not the time for dirty jokes! Doesn’t she see how upset he looks?” Garfiel growled. 

“Maybe she was trying to lighten the mood?” Subaru suggested. Through from the deadpan look on Ram’s face, Subaru had a hard time telling whether or not she was joking. 

“Well, she failed,” Garfiel said harshly.

Subaru’s shoulders shook.

“I take it… you don’t remember me?” Subaru asked. “So it’s like… none if it ever happened?”

The two maids looked at each other in confusion. 

“What do you mean, sir?” they asked.

Subaru covered his face with his hand, looking devastated. 

Subaru frowned, trying not to dwell on the days he’d lost. Still, it was difficult, given how lovely and carefree that first loop had been. He felt some negative feelings bubble back up just remembering it. 

So this is the type of pain Subaru deals with, Felix thought, stomach twisting with pity. 

Julius looked on in suspicion, trying to parse the expressions on the maids’ faces. If it truly was Roswaal who killed Subaru, then either of the two maids could have been the vessels for his violence. Especially Ram, who was obviously very loyal to Roswaal. Unfortunately, it was difficult to tell. Both of their expressions were very impassive.

“Well,” Julius said. “If it makes you feel better, now Roswaal won’t remember you insulted him?”

“Honestly, Roswaal’s opinion didn’t matter to me as much as the others,” Subaru said.

Julius winced. 

Subaru got up from the bed.

“Sir, you shouldn’t try to move so suddenly-” Rem started. 

Subaru shot off into the hallway, running past the maids. 

What happened, damn it?! Everything reset! Including my promise with Emilia! 

Wilhelm frowned deeply. It was difficult to see Subaru so distraught. Even though his death had been painless, it had still taken a toll on his psyche.  

Subaru ran into Beatrice’s library, sinking to the ground.

“You entered without even knocking? What a rude one you are!” Beatrice commented, flipping a page. 

“Sorry. Just let me stay here for a bit, please,” Subaru said. 

Subaru smiled, slightly cheered, thinking of how kind it was for Beatrice to let him hide in her library. Saying he’d had nowhere to turn in that first week in Mathers Mansion wouldn’t be true -- Emilia was amazing as always, and Beatrice had been there for him, even if in her own tsundere, loli way. 

The viewers watched the exchange between Subaru and Beatrice differently, however. Garfiel frowned at her impassive expression, and Julius and Reinhard similarly judged her to be excessively stoic, and even potentially dangerous given her power level and acerbic attitude. Wilhelm was more neutral, but no one except Subaru was truly viewing Beatrice positively. 

“There was last time and again now. How are you breaking through my Door Crossing?” Beatrice asked. 

Subaru perked up at this. “You said I broke through your Door Crossing ‘last time’ and ‘now’, right?” 

When Beatrice confirmed that he’d shown up in her library three or four hours ago, the light seemed to reappear in Subaru’s eyes. 

“If this is the second time I’ve woken up in the mansion… then you remember me, right?” Subaru asked. 

“If I could, I’d rather erase you from my memory, I suppose,” Beatrice replied dryly. 

“So your relationship with Beatrice has already been established,” Julius said. 

“Hehe, yep! So that’s set in stone!” Garfiel said. 

“Is that really a good thing?” Felix asked skeptically. 

“Well, he doesn’t have to do a mana drain again,” Garfiel argued. 

“That’s true,” Felix said, tapping his chin. “And it really wasn’t that bad of an impression…”

“It was authentic,” Subaru said, firmly. “I think I’d rather everyone just remember the first time I met them.” 

Felix fell silent, before nodding. “I can’t really say you’re wrong…” 

Subaru took stock of his situation, realizing that his save point had updated from the appa salesman to Rem and Ram standing over him. 

“How did I die?” Subaru muttered. “Everything was normal before I fell asleep. Even after I fell asleep, I wasn’t in any situation I felt might be fatal…” 

“I wondered what you were talking about, and I hear all this about living and dying,” Beatrice complained, closing her book. “By human standards, discussing such things is boring and senseless, I suppose. In the end, all you’ll get is lies and abusive speech.”

“Spirits think differently from us humans, don’t they?” Wilhelm murmured. 

“I think she might be trying to cheer Subaru up in her own way,” Felix said. “If anything, she seems to be trying to stop him from spiraling.” 

“That’s my Beako! Sweet as a strawberry, even if her words are sharp,” Subaru said, a bit fond. 

“Unfortunately, Subaru must contemplate this to avoid facing death again,” Julius said, though he appreciated Beatrice’s efforts. 

“At least Subaru has reached the same level of deduction we have,” Reinhard said. “We might take it for granted that it’s obvious Subaru died in his sleep. When Subaru himself has no idea how his powers work, he might have just thought he went back at random.” 

“And then he’d be helplessly cut down again,” Felix muttered. 

“I did figure it out, thankfully,” Subaru said, trying to be encouraging. 

Subaru didn’t want to get their hopes up, exactly, not when this loop would be a failure. But he didn’t want them to stew in darkness and think about all the horrible could-have-beens. There was enough horrible stuff that already happened as it was. 

“Thanks, you were a big help,” Subaru said. 

“I didn’t do anything.”  

“Somehow, seeing that your attitude never changes calms me down,” Subaru said. 

“Only an ultimate pervert would be calmed by verbal abuse, I suppose,” Beatrice countered. But when Subaru went for the door, she seemed surprised. “You’re leaving?” 

“Yeah, I want to double check something. I’ll wait until afterward to get depressed,” Subaru said. 

“I’m glad to see you’ve cheered up a little, my friend,” Reinhard said. And it seemed like a legitimate cheering up, not Subaru plastering on a fake face in order not to worry anyone. 

“It was reassuring to see that she remembered me,” Subaru agreed. It was one of the reasons that Beatrice’s library ended up being a safe space for him. 

Subaru went outside and found Emilia, who ran up to him in concern.

“I was worried about you!” Emilia said. “Ram and Rem were in a frenzy, saying you disappeared right after you woke up!” 

Subaru blushed slightly at her concern, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry about that… I got held up by Beatrice for a bit.” 

“Again? I hear she played a trick on you before you woke up, too…” 

Wilhelm felt himself relax a little. While it was true that right now Subaru had no friends in this world, there was, at least in this moment, someone who would actively concern themselves with his well-being. 

“Your disappearance caused a bit of a stir, but I’m sure you could still salvage all those relationships,” Julius said, trying to reassure. 

“I believe he already has,” Reinhard pointed out. “Isn’t he friends with these people in the modern day? That is, assuming he survived this timeline…” 

“Ah,” Julius said, looking a bit embarrassed. “Apologies. I just wish I could speak to the Subaru from the past. I’m concerned for him.” 

“I’m concerned for him too,” Subaru joked. “But no worries, Julius. It was… nice of you.” 

Julius was a bit unsure on how to react to that. It was unexpectedly sincere for Subaru. He settled on a quick nod. 

Subaru gave Emilia’s face a long look, clearly admiring it. 

“What is it? Is there something on my face?”

“Yeah, your adorable eyes, ears, nose, and mouth,” Subaru said. Emilia gave him a confused look. Subaru blushed more. 

So cute! Reinhard thought fondly, smiling slightly at Subaru’s reaction. 

And indeed, it was clear to Reinhard and the other viewers that even though Subaru seemed to be mildly flirtatious with other girls, that his infatuation with Emilia wasn’t a passing phase. His crush was very real and much more established than any other attraction. 

“Uh, I mean… I’m glad you’re okay,” Subaru said. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. You protected me, after all,” Emilia said. “What about you? How are you feeling?” 

“I feel great!” Subaru said, pumping his arms. “I’m a little low on blood, all of my mana was stolen, the shock of waking up sapped my strength, and I feel like my mind’s taken a fatal beating with a bat, but I’m good!” 

“That sounds like a completely honest rendition of what you’re feeling, but laced with humor so she’ll think you’re exaggerating,” Julius said. 

“Well, we didn’t know each other super well, and I didn’t want to worry her after she was so concerned about me,” Subaru said, scratching his cheek. 

That’s noble, but still, I hope Subaru finds someone he can truly confide in soon, Julius thought to himself. It’s not healthy to bundle up these feelings. 

“I’m surprised you’re still empathizing with others, given how much pain you went through,” Felix said. “I feel like I’d probably scoff at anyone complaining because what I was going through was so much worse than them.”
“I don’t know, it just doesn’t work like that with me,” Subaru said. Instead, he focused very heavily on his friends’ feelings over his own. Almost the opposite of what Felix had said. 

“I see, that’s g- wait, wouldn’t that mean you’re hurt all over?!” Emilia exclaimed. 

Emilia’s genuine surprised concern pulled a smile out of Felix and Julius, and Subaru as well. 

“Her reactions are so cute, aren’t they?” Subaru said, admiring. 

A sleepy Puck emerged from Emilia’s hair. When Puck asked what favor Subaru would want again, Subaru immediately chose the ability to pet Puck’s fur again without hesitation. 

“That’s all!?” Emilia exclaimed in surprise. 

“So you don’t regret that choice at all,” Reinhard noted. 

“Course not!” Subaru said, puffing out his chest. 

“Miss Emilia looks real shocked at that!” Garfiel commented. 

“Almost upset, actually. I wonder if she feels bad that he got hurt on her behalf and isn’t seeing any true reward,” Felix theorized. 

“Miss Emilia’s super nice, so that’s probably it,” Garfiel agreed. 

As Subaru and Emilia walked into the Mansion together, Subaru remembered the good times he’d had with the residents of the Mansion. 

I don’t know whose idea of a prank this is, but I’ll make you sorry for all of it. Don’t underestimate how vindictive I’ll be, after the smile that charmed me that night. 

While it was clear Subaru didn’t exactly suspect the Mansion inhabitants, his warning about revenge while their faces flashed on screen almost made it feel like they were all suspects, and being warned. The air of the room was solemn as Subaru promised revenge. 

I’m going to keep my promise to Emilia! I’ll get past that night! 

“Now, state your desire,” Roswaal said. 

“In that case, I have but one request,” Subaru said. “Hire me to work in this Mansion!” 

“So you didn’t cut with the money and run, Syubaru?” Felix said.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Subaru said. “I had to make that promise to Emilia again, and then reach the fifth day!” 

“Your stubbornness truly knows no bounds,” Julius said, but in this context, it wasn't exactly an insult. Given he wasn’t willing to abandon Emilia at the loothouse, he wouldn’t be willing to leave her here, either, Julius thought. His loyalty is admirable. 

“Whoever attacked the Mansion, cap’n will kick their butt!” Garfiel said. And if it was that bastard Roswaal, then I’ll kick his butt!

Follow the same path, and you’ll end up in the same place, Subaru thought. As he entered the room with the maids, rather than acting naturally, Subaru started walking over to the outfit they’d given him in the last loop, causing Rem to give him an odd look. 

When Subaru offered to have them take his measurements, as they had last time, Ram decided to take him to do work with her instead. 

“That’s different,” Felix observed. 

“Subaru was trying to retrace his path to obtain the same result, however, his change in behavior is leading the maids to change the day’s plans,” Wilhelm said. “Using a looping power like this to its fullest extent can be difficult when random changes are nearly inevitable.” 

“I wonder why they decided to change stuff around though,” Garfiel said. “Are they just in a different mood or somethin’?”

Or, perhaps, they’re more suspicious of him, Julius worried. 

Retrace the same path I took yesterday… that’s what I meant to do… but… 

Subaru was shown taking a bath, contemplating the changed schedules. 

“Still, it hopefully should not have too much effect on the result,” Reinhard said. “If they strike at the same time, then things shouldn’t change too much.” 

“Unless the assailant comes from inside the mansion,” Felix warned. “In that case, if Subaru acts differently they might strike early.” 

Given it was both Rem and Meili, they’re both sort of right, Subaru thought. If I act suspicious then Rem is much more likely to attack me, but Meili attacks on the fourth day no matter what my actions… 

The door opened, revealing a naked Roswaal. 

“Hi there, may I join-” 

“No, you may not,” Subaru said. 

“This facility is part of my mansion, so it is my property… I shall do with it as I please,” Roswaal said, not losing his characteristic playful drawl.

“Why bother asking, then?! If you want, take a bath,” Subaru said, scowling. 

“I think this is the weirdest interaction I’ve ever seen,” Felix said flatly. “I mean, you wouldn’t think so, given it’s just two men taking a bath-” 

“Roswaal can make anything weird,” Subaru said. 

“My, how harsh!” The camera panned away from Subaru to show Roswaal’s upper half. 

“Holy shit, those abs,” Garfiel said, looking at Roswaal’s well-defined muscles. 

The rest of the room glanced over at Garfiel. 

“What? It’s true, I just had to point it out!” Garfiel said. “Never seen him without his shirt off. Knew he was strong, but… wowza. I still hate him though.” 

The rest of the room tastefully ignored Garfiel’s commentary and continued watching. 

“You seem not to understand. Yes, this bath is my property… but as part of my staff, are you not my property as well?” Roswaal said, bending down to grab Subaru’s chin. 

“Ohhhh my god,” Felix said. 

“Is he serious?” Julius asked. “Subaru, that is not a normal way to treat your servants.” 

“I gathered,” Subaru said, dryly. “Don’t worry about it, he was only teasing.” 

Julius frowned. “Under normal circumstances, I might accept your statement at face value, but after seeing his behavior with his other employee, I can’t find it within myself to view this new behavior as a simple joke,” Julius said, distaste evident in his voice. 

“You could come live at my house!” Reinhard said. “I’m sure Lady Felt would accept.” 

“I’m sure Lady Crusch would love to host you again,” Wilhelm added. 

“It’s fine guys, don’t worry about it,” Subaru said. “He’s just a weirdo.”

“Alright, alright,” Felix said.  Still, what a creepy asshole, Felix thought, shaking his head. Even if he was joking, to flirt with someone like that when you’re contemplating murder! 

Subaru thought for a moment before biting Roswaal’s hand. 

“No hesitation at all!” Roswaal said. 

“This is turning out different than I expected, too…” Subaru muttered.

The scene changed, with Subaru and Roswaal being seen sitting opposite sides of the bath.

Roswaal was speaking to Subaru casually. “I do not know what’s bothering you, but life is full of things that fail to go your way.” 

“Okay, this is a little bit more of a regular conversation,” Felix observed. 

Wilhelm had to admit it was odd to see the Margrave on-screen. While some things were quite surprising to him, other habits of the Margrave… seemed to mirror his grandmother almost chillingly closely. It was slightly odd, given the two had never met, but he supposed that sometimes these things just ran in the family. 

“Speaking of which, do you think you’ll be able to get along with Ram and Rem?” 

“I haven’t spoken to Rem much yet, but I get along fine with Ram. In fact, I think she might be getting a little too friendly. I can’t believe she can work as a maid that way.” 

“Heh, hard to imagine Ram gettin’ too friendly,” Garfiel said. “But you probably think her scary attitude is friendly, for some reason!” 

“I will say, perhaps it was not the wisest to complain about Ram to her superior,” Reinhard said. “While I doubt she’d get in trouble, given their close ties, the Margrave might become offended on her behalf.” 

“If he did, Roswaal would kind of be an idiot,” Felix said. “Doesn’t every master want to assure the loyalty of their servants? He totally can with Subaru, since Subaru wears his feelings on his sleeve. The moment Roswaal starts punishing Subaru for talking freely is the moment he loses Subaru’s unfettered honesty.” 

“Huh,” Subaru said, raising an eyebrow. 

“Personally, it would be my preference that my servants had some tact,” Julius said, imagining trying to wrangle Subaru as a servant. He definitely would rather not. 

“Hehe, well!” Felix’s tail waved back and forth and made a cutesy expression. “Just some thoughts!” 

“By that definition, aren’tcha a terrible servant, ‘cause you’re acting all underhanded and not being honest at all?” Garfiel asked. 

“Eh!” Felix flushed. “Of course not, I’m super honest!” 

“Yeah, he definitely is, Miss Crusch would know if Felix was lying,” Subaru said, before pausing. “Wait, is honesty really a virtue if you’d immediately get caught if you lied? It’s probably not something to brag about…” 

“It still counts,” Felix said, puffing out his cheeks in a pout. 

Subaru offhandedly commented how Rem was always covering for Ram, who easily fell behind during work. “Yet they insist Ram is superior because she’s older. Their nerve is almost scary.” 

“Speaking of nerve, yours is quite impressive, as well!” Roswaal said, giving Subaru a disapproving side-eye. 

“Perhaps I am speaking without cause,” Reinhard started. “But something about Roswaal gives me the impression that he’s quite dangerous.” 

“I concur,” Wilhelm said, surprising the room by publicly agreeing with his grandson. “His power, willingness to dispose of Subaru, and unknown motives make him someone I would be very reluctant to trust.”

“Old Man Wil has good instincts, so I definitely believe it,” Felix said. “Hopefully you can get through this week without incident from him, though…” 

Subaru left the bath but ran into Ram, startling a naked Subaru. 

“Cover up that sorry thing,” Ram said, glancing down. 

“Why are you here?!” Subaru exclaimed, embarrassed. 

“I was only waiting to help Roswaal-sama put on fresh clothes,” Ram said, holding in her arms towels and Roswaal’s undergarments. 

The entire room cringed in tandem, both at the odd interaction between Ram and Subaru and at the sight of Ram with Roswaal’s underwear. 

“They’re together, definitely together,” Felix muttered. 

“I don’t like it!” Garfiel said. “What is he, like fifty? He’s too old for her!” 

“No, the makeup ages him. I think he’s more like… thirty-five,” Subaru guessed, somewhat inaccurately, not knowing Roswaal’s real age. “But still…” And of course for him to be Echidna's student, he'd have to be way older than that...

Garfiel grit his teeth. 

Ugh! Why does someone so cool like Ram settle for someone like Roswaal! I just don’t understand it! I mean, if it was someone amazing I could get it, or even if it was cap’n that she fell in love with, but Roswaal is the worst ever! 

Garfiel shook his head. I guess it’s not my business… but Roswaal is obviously dangerous and I think he was threatening cap’n at Sanctuary. If I find out he’s been that way with Ram, then I’ll just have to intervene! Surely, me and cap’n could think of something. 

“I’m sorry to say I’ve finished my bath, so I won’t be changing,” Ram said.  

“I wasn’t thinking about that! Also, you spoil him too much! Let him dress himself!” Subaru said, referring to Roswaal. 

Wilhelm had to admit that such a concept felt a bit odd to him, even as someone who had been involved with nobility for a long time. He knew other noble families sometimes had servants dress them, especially if their clothing involved complicated pieces, but Crusch had always been far too independent for something like that. His wife had been similar. 

“I will not condone disrespect towards Roswaal-sama. Next time, I will use force,” Ram said. 

“Any more, and I’ll just stir up a hornet’s nest…” Subaru muttered.  

“He didn’t even say anything particularly bad,” Felix said. 

“She seems quite protective,” Julius observed. 

“More like codependent,” Felix muttered, completely missing the fact that he would react the same way if someone insulted Crusch. 

Given that Ram is siding so strongly with Roswaal, that marks her as a potential enemy, Wilhelm thought. The fact that Subaru is friends with her in the future means that her attacking him did not come to pass, however, it is clear that at this point in time that she is an extension of Roswaal’s will. That in itself is dangerous. 

“By the way, Barusu, do you have plans after this?”

“No, just going to sleep.” 

“Then please wait in your room. I’ll come by later.” 

“Woah, what did she mean by that?” Garfiel wondered aloud. 

“Given her, ah, dedication, to Roswaal, I’m certain something harmless,” Julius said, shaking his head. 

“She didn’t mean anything by it… she didn’t mean anything by it…” Subaru said, referencing Ram’s vague comment to come by his room. “Clear my mind, clear my mind! Emilia’s the only one for me!” 

Wilhelm shook his head in amusement but didn’t judge Subaru’s attitude. Subaru was a hormonal teenager, probably not helped by the fact that Ram had told him that when he wasn’t wearing any clothes just out of a bath. 

“Worked up over a pretty girl visiting your room?” Felix asked teasingly. 

“Wouldn’t you be?!” Subaru said. 

“Yeah, can’t blame ‘im, Ram is really pretty…” Garfiel said. 

Subaru tried to calm down by counting Emilias. 

“One Emilia… two Emilia’s… three Emilia’s… am I in Heaven?!” 

Felix snorted loudly at Subaru’s rapidly changing attitude. 

“Subaru is like an entire comedy skit whenever he does anything,” Felix said. 

He’s very high energy. I can’t help but wonder if Subaru’s trying to distract himself from his problems, Julius thought. If he slows down and lets his thoughts linger, surely they must return to his horrible deaths. 

Reinhard personally found Subaru’s attitude very charming, almost similar to Felt’s. However, he chose not to comment on it, as Felt’s words usually became quite stinging when he pointed out things like this. 

“You’re too noisy, Barusu. It’s nighttime. Be quiet.” 

“Eep!” Subaru startled, jumping back comedically. “My heart’s already set on someone called Emilia-tan!”

“What are you talking about?” Ram asked, explaining that she would teach Subaru how to read and write. 

“Oh!” Garfiel said. “That explains it. Cap’n is gonna learn to read!” 

Julius nodded. Perhaps she was told to do this by Roswaal, it wouldn’t do for his servants to be uneducated, after all. 

Subaru’s heart also swelled with fondness. Ram’s attitude could be caustic, but in the end, she had also helped him by teaching him important stuff like this. 

Subaru asked Ram why she would help him learn to read and write. Ram explained that if Subaru was illiterate that he couldn’t read shopping lists or write down orders. 

“It’s good that you’re learning these life skills, Subaru,” Julius said. “Didn’t you say earlier that you were rather far along in the present?” 

“Yeah, I’m pretty good now!” Subaru said, puffing his chest out. His reading wasn’t exactly as good as it was in Japanese, but he was passably literate now and still improving. “All thanks to Ram! She’s a surprisingly good teacher, actually.” 

“We’ll start with this collection of children’s fairy tales. Starting tonight, I’ll help you study every evening.” 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Subaru asked.

“Why else? It’s so that I… no, it’s so that I can get off easy,” Ram said. 

“Ah, it seems she’s somewhat invested in teaching you,” Reinhard said, noticing that Ram had to pause to invent a new excuse. 

Perhaps this is her way of extending an olive branch to her new coworker, Wilhelm said. Subaru tolerates her teasing well, but she seems to have difficulty being sincere. Perhaps she wants to ensure a positive relationship between them without having to say anything? 

“You’re never out of character, are you?” Subaru said. 

“Well, isn’t it obvious? The more you can do, the less I have to do. And when I have less to do, so does Rem. It’s win-win,” Ram said smugly. 

“But that leaves me with piles of work!” Subaru theatrically protested. 

“I can sort of see how you get along,” Felix said. “I think I’d get annoyed at her constant criticism if I had to interact with her like that, but it seems like you don’t?”

“Aw, she doesn’t mean it!” Subaru said. “Uh, most of the time that is. Okay, she usually means it, but it’s just her way of showing love!”

“Don’t let her hear you say that, though,” Garfiel said. 

Ram started teaching Subaru about glyphs, mentioning there were three types. 

“Just hearing that is depressing…” Subaru muttered, writing something down. 

“You don’t have time to waste on doodles,” Ram commented. 

“Are those really doodles?” Julius asked. “They looked like glyphs.” 

“That’s the writing system of my homeland. That on the notepad reads, ‘Natsuki Subaru on the scene!’ ” Subaru announced. 

“I see,” Julius said. “Fascinating. Given you can already write in a different way, you could probably write down sounds and the meanings of glyphs as reference material.” 

“Yeah, but Ram wouldn’t let me,” Subaru said. “For a little while she didn’t believe they were actual writing and not doodles -- eventually I got her to learn my alphabet, though!” 

“That’s kind of sweet,” Felix said. 

“Tomorrow’s an early start, so time’s short. I’m sleepy, too,” Ram said. 

“I can’t say I dislike how you insert your own feelings at the end, senpai.” 

“I do believe honesty is my most charming feature,” Ram said, face pleased. “Now, let’s start.” 

As night fell, Subaru was seen practicing his glyphs by writing them over and over. “It’s so monotonous…” Subaru complained. “But still, even if it’s to make your life easier, it makes me happy. Honestly, I had the feeling you didn’t like me very much.” 

“Oh,” Felix said quietly. 

“Truly?” Reinhard seemed a bit saddened by this. “You seemed to be getting along quite well.” 

“I could brush off her teasing pretty easily, but I didn’t have much of a read on her personality back then,” Subaru admitted. “It was hard for me to tell whether or not she wanted me around. Nowadays I’m used to her teasing and I know where our relationship is at, but I didn’t then. It actually made me happy she reached out.” 

“I’m sure Ram respects ya!” Garfiel said. “She can’t not with how much cool stuff you did!” 

“Thanks, Garfiel,” Subaru said. 

“I’ll probably cause more problems for you down the line,” Subaru said. “But I’ll try to become useful as soon as I can.” 

Subaru looked back to see that Ram had fallen asleep on his bed, completely missing his heartfelt declaration. He snapped his quill in annoyance. 

“Hah!” Garfiel said. “She was sleepy. Shame she didn’t hear that, though. I think it might have been good for her to know.” 

“Yeah,” Subaru said. Not that it matters, I died. His throat tightened slightly at the reminder. Frankly, he thought he bonded better with Ram in this loop than even in his final loop. It kind of hurt knowing that Ram didn’t remember any of these good times together. There was something about watching a failed loop that was inherently heartbreaking. 

 Subaru was seen trying on his outfit the next morning. 

“I hate to admit it, but it’s perfect. Guess there’s no need for my sewing skills this time.” 

“Sewing skills? Do you like sewing?” Rem asked quietly. 

“Kinda,” Subaru said.

“We haven’t heard much from Rem yet,” Garfiel said. 

“She seems more soft-spoken than her sister,” Julius said. “Perhaps more level-headed.” 

Yikes, that’s not quite true, Subaru thought, remembering all the times Rem had acted strongly in emotion, especially in relation to the witch cult. 

“I’m excited to see her and cap’n bond!” Garfiel said. 

Subaru couldn’t help but feel a bit of errant dread for the future. Everyone in the room knew how much Rem meant to him, so surely they would take her killing him as an ultimate betrayal of his dedication to her, even though she didn’t know how much he’d care for her in the future. Especially when they didn’t have any context for it. 

“By the way, it looks like Ros-chi and Emilia have lots of outfits, but I don’t see any for you and Ram. Want me to sew some for you? I’ll take your measurements,” Subaru offered cheerfully. 

“That is unnecessary,” Rem said. “These uniforms are all that my sister and I need.” 

“How can you have nothing but those uniforms?”

“They cause no problems when we accompany Roswaal-sama on business, or when we work in the Mansion. They also eliminate the need to explain our place in the hierarchy, which makes them very logical.” 

“That’s kind of depressing,” Felix said. 

“Their dedication is admirable, but such single-mindedness doesn’t seem quite healthy,” Wilhelm said. While he respected those who worked hard for their masters, not having a single non-work outfit was a little too much, even for him. 

“I personally do not believe that Roswaal has successfully fostered a positive work environment,” Julius said. “Both Ram and Rem’s dedication to him is overwhelming.” 

“The same goes for my Big Sis a little, too,” Garfiel said. 

“Your older sister?” Julius asked. 

“My Big Sis works as a maid for Mathers Mansion too, she’s just on personal leave right then,” Garfiel said. “Her name’s Frederica. And the reason his maids act like that is because he picked ‘em up when they were in a bad place and felt like they had nowhere else to go, so they feel indebted to him.” 

Garfiel couldn’t help but resent Roswaal. His sister had forgiven Roswaal even after he’d left her for dead in the Mansion, citing how Roswaal had given her another opportunity when their family was poor and didn’t have much else to do. 

But couldn’t she understand that was on purpose? After all, Rem and Ram acted the same way, and he’d saved them from near-death after the destruction of their village. People didn’t respect Garfiel’s intelligence at all, and Garfiel knew he could make impulsive decisions, but Garfiel wasn’t stupid. 

Garfiel resisted letting out a snarl. “He’s manipulative.” 

“I must say, I didn’t expect my opinion of the Margrave to fall so far during this viewing experience,” Julius said. “Perhaps we’ll see a more redeeming side of him in the future…”

Fat chance… Subaru internally thought. Especially once we get to Sanctuary. 

“But it’s not about being logical,” Subaru said. I’m trying to say cute girls have a duty to dress up, so they please the eyes of others.” 

“Subaru, I’m pretty sure that’s kinda sexist,” Felix said, squinting. 

“Uh, my bad,” Subaru said. He’d been trying to call Rem cute, but from an outside perspective he could kind of see how that sounded a bit too forceful. He’d still been shaking off his weird anime fixations. “We still made friends?” 

“Well, at least she didn’t drop-kick you,” Felix observed. 

“Oh my god, can you imagine if he said that to Ram?” Garfiel said. “Oh man. You’d be dead.” 

“I would definitely be doing her work for the rest of the week and sent on lots of errands as punishment, while she sat around,” Subaru said, shuddering at the thought. 

“My sister is one thing, but no one would be happy to see me dress up,” Rem said. 

“Well, I would,” Subaru said. 

“There you go, Subaru!” Felix said. “You turned it around! That’s kind of charming.” 

“It seems Miss Rem has some issues with self-esteem,” Julius said, a bit sympathetic. 

“Hopefully cap’n can cheer her up!” Garfiel said. 

“Would any good come from making you happy?” Rem said. 

“Haha! Stone cold!” Garfiel said. “Maybe she does take after Ram!” 

“I might take more pride in my work here, which could boost my productivity,” Subaru said, grinning. 

“I have no idea what makes you say that,” Rem replied.

When Subaru told her he’d be interested in seeing how she and Ram might choose different clothing styles, Rem seemed to grow upset. 

“Does my looking the same as my sister somehow inconvenience you?” Rem asked.

“You love your sister way too much…” Subaru said. 

“There’s some kind of baggage there,” Felix noted. 

Wilhelm nodded. It was quite obvious that bothered her for some reason. 

“I had no idea what exactly I was poking at, at that time…” Subaru commented, scratching his head. Rem had a lot of insecurity about being inferior to her sister. 

The scene changed to a kitchen. 

“Ow!” Subaru said, having accidentally cut himself with a knife. 

“You don’t know how to handle a knife, Barusu.” 

“I know… hold the knife still and turn the vegetable, right?”

“Hey, you learned something from your previous loop!” Felix said. 

“So perhaps your past loop was not a waste, even if you failed to learn the identity of your killer,” Reinhard said. 

“I’m pretty sure I can learn how to cut vegetables without time-travel,” Subaru said, with a deep sigh. “But thanks.” 

“Ah…” Reinhard said. “Though, speaking of your unexplained death, has anyone come up with any ideas?”

“Well, it must be poison or a mana drain, correct?” Felix said. 

“If it was poison, the first candidates must be the maids, of course, given that they are in charge of the cooking,” Julius said. 

“Though on the potential orders of Roswaal,” Wilhelm suggested. 

“What if it was a mana drain?” Garfiel said. 

“Then, of course, the primary suspect would be Beatrice,” Julius said gravely. 

Subaru jolted up in his seat, whirling his head around at Julius. “What?” 

“I’m surprised you never thought of it,” Julius said. “She can instantly teleport to any door, and she has the mana drain ability. She easily could have killed you in your sleep. Though by that shocked look on your face, she is likely not the culprit… unless, of course, you never discovered your killer and are still unaware of their identity.”  

“Man, I wish there wasn’t a restriction so I could just tell you all the answers,” Subaru grumbled. My darling Beako would never do something like that…

“Could the other Great Spirit commit such an act?” Wilhelm asked. 

“Possibly, though we do not know for certain, and Puck seems to be on quite good terms with Subaru,” Julius said. “I don’t see any reason why Puck would kill Subaru.” 

Subaru’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. You’d be surprised at how easily he’d do it… he thought, remembering his three deaths at Puck’s hands. 

“I have a hard time believing either of the maids would harm Subaru, given what we’ve seen so far,” Reinhard said. “We’ve seen how Ram is attempting to connect with Subaru, and Rem seems quite shy and friendly.” 

“Yes, but Ram’s loyalty to Roswaal is absolute, and Rem seems to have loyalty to her sister,” Felix said. “I don’t think we can trust either of them for that reason.” 

“Let’s continue to watch,” Julius said. “We will learn eventually.” 

Rem gave Subaru an intense stare while they cut vegetables. Subaru noticed, and became sheepish at the attention.

“Your unsightly appearance stands out. Especially your hair. It’s very unrefined,” Ram said smoothly, explaining her sister’s odd behavior. 

As the three continued with chores, Ram explained that Rem cut everyone’s hair and that she could cut Subaru’s hair if he liked. 

“You keep looking at Barusu because his hair bothers you, right?” Ram asked. 

“Yes, that is correct,” Rem said. 

Subaru felt slightly saddened seeing these interactions. With his additional context, he knew that Rem was looking at him more because of his witch scent, which was also the cause of her distant, “shy” behavior. And of course, he couldn’t miss how Ram was trying to give her sister an ‘out’ to explain her strange behavior whilst not making Subaru suspicious. 

In fact, given that Ram and him had bonded well in this timeline, it was possible that Ram was trying to make Rem see that Subaru was a good person. 

Damn, without this context, I didn’t appreciate her efforts as much back then, Subaru thought to himself. 

“I think combing it and evening out the ends would make him more presentable,” Rem said. 

“You heard her. You should take her up on her offer,” Ram said. 

“Is she trying to get you two to bond?” Garfiel said, seeming a bit incredulous. 

“Perhaps she wants her sister to gain more friends,” Julius suggested. He himself could understand that logic, as he was sometimes worried about the standoffishness and aloofness of his own younger brother. 

“It is probably beneficial to be on good terms with a new coworker,” Wilhelm said. “Perhaps she wanted to bring that about?” 

“Her hands will take you to paradise,” Ram said. 

“You make it sound so dirty… if you don’t want to, you should just tell her,” Subaru said to Rem. “Not that I don’t want you to, but…” 

“No, that isn’t it,” Rem said. “The truth is it did bother me a little… very much, a little… extremely, a little.” 

“Well, anyway, that proves the point it bothers you,” Subaru grumbled. 

“Rem seems friendly enough,” Reinhard remarked mildly. “I can see how you two became friends later.” 

“Indeed. It’s good to see you getting along with those two despite your rocky introduction,” Julius said. “I was concerned it would be difficult to work with them after that.” 

No one’s noticed that her intentions are off yet, at least not any more off than anyone else in the mansion, Subaru said. If Wilhelm or Julius had been there in-person, their sharp instincts might have picked up on her unease murderous intent, but it was much more difficult to read such feelings by just seeing a face on a screen. 

Subaru could be seen scrubbing and cleaning the bath tiles as Rem entered. 

“What’s up? Here to help me?” Subaru asked.

“No, this is about what we discussed at lunchtime,” Rem said. 

Rem seemed to be somewhat embarrassed, apologizing for insulting Subaru’s hair. 

“We may be colleagues, but as Emilia-sama’s savior, your rank surpasses mine,” Rem said. 

“That’s how you feel? Sorry to put you through that,” Subaru said, leaning on his mop. 

Subaru remembered this happening, but now that he was watching it again, he couldn’t help but wonder at it. He and Rem genuinely seemed to be bonding and getting along, but… hadn’t she still killed him, at the end of this loop?

If I remember the second trial right, she explained my death by telling Ram I’d been dying already and that it was a mercy kill, Subaru thought. I’m not sure if she was lying. Maybe that was the honest truth… but from what I remember, it was horribly painful… 

Subaru couldn’t be sure. It had been painful, but it also had been quick. Maybe her intentions were truly to put him out of his misery? 

The rest of the viewers were ignorant to Subaru’s dark musings. 

“I must also mention, I’m very sorry for your loss, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. “I hope we find a cure for Gluttony very soon. The Crusch Camp is working hard on it.”
“Yeah…” Subaru said. “I miss her.” 

Despite everything, it was true. She’d been a great friend after this incident had passed. 

“Don’t worry cap’n!” Garfiel said. “That weird creature said that we would learn the location of Gluttony by being able to watch the future… plus, maybe we’ll see ourselves curing Rem!”

“Thanks guys,” Subaru said, reassured by that idea. At the very least, he could count on the Crusch Camp’s fervent support in attempting to cure the effects of Gluttony because of what happened to Crusch. This viewing might provide crucial information to that goal. 

Subaru said he’d agree to forget what she said on one condition. 

“A condition? Very well, I shall hear you out,” Rem said.  

“If you comb my hair and even it out on the ends, I’ll let it slide!” 

There was a very long silence. 

“I thought it was nice of you, Subaru,” Reinhard offered in consolation. 

“She did, too, she’s just… taking it in,” Subaru said, resisting a laugh. Despite the situation, he found himself amused by Rem’s baffled face. 

“Oh she’s taking it in alright,” Felix joked.

“When you respond with silence, it actually hurts even more…” Subaru said. 

Rem picked up a mop, contemplating. “It’s just as Emilia-sama said. You have no ambition at all.” 

Felix grinned. Slowly, Subaru was getting everyone to trust him. Soon enough, they’d get to see the dynamics that currently were at play in the Emilia Camp. And here, he could see the budding relationship that would make Subaru willing to put so much on the line for Rem. 

Despite the fact that Felix didn’t know Rem himself, he knew that Rem had tried to protect his Lady, and as such, he owed her a debt. 

“Heh! Rem ‘n Ram just don’t wanna admit how cool you are, cap’n,” Garfiel said. “They’re both real stubborn!” 

“They do share that in sisterly traits,” Subaru said, thinking. “Both of them have a lot of drive when it comes to something they care about.” 

“Isn’t Ram terrible at completing her work?” Julius asked. 

“Unfortunately, Ram does not care about chores,” Subaru said solemnly. 

“Ah. I see,” Julius said. 

“My sister said your eyes take on an obscene look when she’s alone with you. So to be honest, I was prepared to hear you suggest that,” Rem added. 

“She’s killing my reputation!” Subaru complained. 

“I swear my eyes just look like that, you know,” Subaru said. 

“But you totally keep hooking people like that, pretending you’re going to ask for something big and then let them down,” Felix said. 

“The anti-climax is actually rather endearing,” Julius murmured. “It’s kind of cute to see Subaru pretend to be serious before he lets go of the act.” 

“What? Endearing my ass!” Subaru said, fuming. “I can be serious!” 

“Of course, Subaru,” Julius said diplomatically. 

“Now I feel like you’re being sarcastic!” Subaru protested. Darn, now I know how Beako feels… Subaru thought, remembering all the times he called her adorable when she got mad. 

“I am sure that Julius was simply speaking in jest,” Reinhard added, too nervous about conflict to encourage their teasing. Subaru pouted but let the topic go. 

“I accept your condition. I shall do as you wish,” Rem said. 

“Then, after I keep my promise to Emilia-tan would be great.”

“Promise?”

“Well, I haven’t made the promise yet,” Subaru said. 

His focus is absolutely unreal, Julius thought. He could sort of understand Subaru’s intense focus on retrieving Emilia’s insignia before, as it was something important to her and failing to do so could mean Emilia’s death, but a promise for a “date?” 

It seemed entirely unnatural to risk death by staying solely for what Julius had deduced was a romantic outing, no matter how much he liked Emilia. 

It was almost like Subaru was being dragged through fog by a hook speared through his hand. It hurt him, but Subaru couldn’t bear to let go, because he wasn’t sure which direction he would turn afterwards. 

Is his mind already so warped after only a few deaths? Julius contemplated. He’s acting normal enough…

Julius shook his head. In this scenario, abandoning Emilia here could mean her death as far as Subaru was aware, so he shouldn’t jump to such conclusions. 

The scene changed to Subaru scoping out good places to have a date with Emilia. One of the places he searched was near the village, and Subaru was shown with the village children grabbing at him and playing. 

Subaru noted that he’d have to make sure the kids didn’t find him during his date with Emilia for it to go smoothly. 

“What do you mean by find you?” one kid asked. 

“We’re playing hide in seek?” said another. 

“Chill, brats, I played with you earlier!” Subaru said.

“Let’s play more!” “Play, play!” 

Subaru refused, but reached down to pet the dog. 

“I’ll let this little critter play with Emilia, though,” Subaru said.

As Subaru heard his past self say that, his entire being shuddered with revulsion. 

I could have gotten Emilia killed, if Meili’s plan had been any different, Subaru thought. Imagine if she had pet it! If only I wasn’t so ignorant of this world… 

Garfiel froze as well, but for an entirely different reason. 

“That’s Meili!” Garfiel shouted, pointing at the girl holding the dog. The screen froze, showing the girl completely. 

“Who might she be?” Reinhard asked, polite but curious. 

Garfiel frowned, glancing at Subaru for guidance. After all, they weren’t supposed to talk about Meili beyond their camp. 

Subaru shook his head with a sigh. “They’re going to see everything anyway, Garfiel. We might as well be honest with them so they know what’s going on.” 

Garfiel nodded firmly. “Right!” he said. “Guys, Meili is a Mabeast-controlling assassin! Not that we knew that at this time, but she attacked the Mansion at almost the same time as Sanctuary was attacked by the Great Rabbit!” 

“A Mabeast assassin?” Julius said, voice turning cold. “I believe we’ve identified our killer. Subaru’s mana must have been drained by a Mabeast.” 

“A Mabeast?” Felix said. “But Subaru would have noticed himself being attacked by a Mabeast, wouldn’t he?” 

“Not if it was disguised as a regular dog,” Wilhelm said, gesturing to the puppy on-screen. “Notice the bald spot in the fur where a horn normally would be. The girl must have severed it to allay suspicion.” 

I have smart friends, Subaru thought to himself. They deduced it all… if only I could have done so… 

Subaru’s self-depreciation didn’t take into account the fact that the group had only been able to deduce it with the information that Meili was an assassin, and that Rem and Ram, two natives of the world, had fallen victim to the same thing. From his perspective, his own idiocy had gotten him killed several times. 

“Tch…” Felix said. “But Subaru has no way of knowing any of this…” 

As Rem walked over and it was time for them to leave, Subaru reached down to pet the puppy, only for it to bite down hard on Subaru’s hand. 

“Damn it!” Felix growled. “Shoot…” 

“Miss Beatrice can help with curses,” Garfiel said. “Maybe she can do something about this?”

“I guess it all comes down to whether or not Subaru chooses to visit Beatrice before the Mabeast drains his mana later in the day,” Felix said. “And whether or not she can sense a curse without actively looking for one.” 

“Are you alright?” Rem asked, walking over with groceries. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine. All done shopping, Rem?”

“Yes, it went quite smoothly.” 

“C’mon, Miss Rem, notice something’s wrong!” Garfiel shouted at the screen, as if he could change the outcome. 

“What maid would assume a simple dog bite, even by a dog with a bald spot near the horn, would be the result of a Mabeast in disguise?” Julius said. “Especially when the one controlling it is a child. I can’t imagine how effective she is as an assassin.” 

“Excuse me, I hate to ask such a thing, but has she been detained?” Reinhard said. He felt guilty asking this about a little girl, but even a little girl was a dangerous foe when they could keep Mabeasts under their command. 

“She’s in Miload Manor,” Subaru said. 

“Shouldn’t she have been turned in to the knights?” Felix said, confused, but not judgmental. 

“She asked us to protect her from someone who she called ‘Mother’,” Subaru said. “The leader of her group of assassins? And regardless, I don’t think turning her into the knights would have yielded good results.” 

Lugnica, after all, was a medieval country and wasn’t really well-versed in rehabilitation. Though Subaru liked to think they’d go easy on a kid like Meili, he wasn’t so naive as to just hand her over. 

“I see,” Julius said. “Can we trust the Emilia Camp has that situation in hand?”

“Yep!” Garfiel said. “Besides, she’s gotten real attached to cap’n. If anything she’s kinda on our side now!” 

Wilhelm nodded. In the case of a child like Meili, the best situation was to convince them to change sides so they could either settle down normally or rise up to help the kingdom. To arrest them was to foster anger and resentment going forward, and to execute them was the epitome of brutality. He couldn’t disagree with Subaru’s choices. 

“Of course, this too will have to remain a secret, at least for now,” Wilhelm mused. 

“Besides,” Subaru said, eyes twinkling. “I don’t think any of you guys have proof that Meili is a child assassin.” 

“I suppose not,” Julius said wryly. Despite being the most by-the-books of the knights present, he was cognizant that he couldn’t even honestly claim to Marcos he’d met this assassin girl. As a result, he was much more willing to let such a thing slide. 

Rem and Subaru walked back together at sunset. 

Subaru complained that the kids hadn’t treated him well, while Rem suggested that he hadn’t shown them anything worth respecting. 

“It doesn’t seem right to belittle me from the start,” Subaru said. “Ram seems like she’d handle that type of thing well.” 

“My sister is wonderful, isn’t she?” Rem asked. 

“Honestly, I’d think her personality would cause conflict more often than not.” 

“My sister’s self-assured nature is what makes her so charming,” Rem said. “I cannot be that way at all.” 

She seems to have a difficult time maintaining confidence when she is compared with her sister, Reinhard realized. She became offended before when Subaru said she was different from her sister, because she perceives every difference between them to be a result of her inferiority. 

Reinhard had no siblings to be compared to, but he couldn’t help but understand. At every turn, he was compared with his grandmother, and he always came up short. 

Felix winced as well, with an understanding grimace. 

The conversation turned to Subaru’s studies.

“Let’s just say I’m plugging along,” Subaru said. “Ram is actually a pretty good teacher, too. Though I wish she wouldn’t sleep on my bed mid-lesson. It kinda kills my motivation.” 

“My sister only acts that way to stimulate your motivation,” Rem said. 

“Why do you have such absolute faith in your sister?” Subaru said. “That isn’t normal… you’re totally fanatical like a demon.” 

“Good pun!” Garfiel said cheerfully. 

“Oh, that was an accident,” Subaru admitted sheepishly. 

“A what?”

“I didn’t know she was an oni,” Subaru said. 

Garfiel made a distant choking noise. 

“Tell me you didn’t say anything insensitive,” Felix said, half-begging. 

“I don’t think so!” Subaru said. 

“That’s not the type of answer that inspires confidence…” Felix muttered. 

“Fanatical like a demon?” Rem questioned.

“It’s the demon version of divine possession,” Subaru said. “Sounds kinda cool, right?”

“Do you like demons?”

“Well, gods generally don’t do anything, but demons will laugh along when you talk about future plans. Especially for next year and stuff, they’ll laugh their heads off.” 

While Subaru rambled, Rem was shown, her mouth curving in a slight smile. 

“Oh, that’s cute,” Garfiel said, grinning. As a demihuman himself, he knew some of the discrimination that Rem and Ram faced, and knew that their village had been destroyed for being full of oni. Subaru’s casual answer had probably meant a lot to Rem. 

“Go Subaru! He didn’t say anything dumb!” Felix cheered. 

“I don’t say dumb stuff that often!” Subaru protested, but in truth, his heart felt a bit at ease in this scene. He knew, watching… that Rem wasn’t pretending. It was clear her feelings were real. He’d worried, in that one loop she’d tortured him in, that she’d faked her positive feelings about him in the early loops. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. 

The wind blew through Rem’s hair, and she looked truly happy. 

“That smile is a million volts!” Subaru said. 

“I’m going to tell Emilia-sama,” Rem deadpanned. 

“I wasn’t trying to hit on you!” Subaru said. 

“Bonding!” Garfiel said, clapping his hands. 

“And yet, none of it will matter if Subaru fails to resolve the curse,” Wilhelm said. 

Garfiel winced. “Yikes. You know, yer bringin’ down the mood.” 

“We shouldn’t insult Subaru by celebrating these victories when there’s the possibility that he knows but is unable to say that none of it counts,” Wilhelm said. It must be painful to watch us hope if it ends poorly.  

“It’s alright,” Subaru said. “I mean, I guess I’d rather celebrate than stay upset all the time… and besides, even if no one else remembers it, it all still mattered to me at the time, right?” It was sort of true. Subaru had been feeling waves of sadness during the viewing, however… he was sure that dwelling would worsen the situation. 

Reinhard frowned. “Don’t be afraid to tell us if you want us to stop. Your feelings are most important, given you graciously allowed us to view your memories.” 

Subaru couldn’t help but appreciate Reinhard’s sincerity. “Thanks, Rein, but I’m okay. Really.” 

The scene changed to Subaru’s room, with Emilia and Subaru inside. 

“Both Rem and Ram said they wouldn’t be coming to see you tonight, so I agreed to help you with your studies,” Emilia said. 

Subaru’s heart pounded and his face was very red as Emilia stood behind him. 

“I’m afraid I can’t do much, though,” Emilia said obliviously.

“How does Emilia not realize you like her when you’re making that face?” Garfiel wondered aloud. 

“She’s probably not used to people showing romantic interest,” Felix said. 

“Still, cap’n looks like he’s going to have a heart attack!” 

“Hm, I doubt Subaru will learn anything while she’s around,” Julius commented. “The teacher has become the distraction.”

Wilhelm paid careful attention to the brightness of the sky outside the window. 

It was getting darker. 

It was getting to be too late. 

“Right now, I’m writing the basic i-glyphs until I memorize them…” Subaru said, getting more and more worked up, not helped by Emilia leaning down to look at his work. 

Subaru shot to his feet. “Th-the moon sure is pretty.”

“Huh?” 

“No! I mean, um, I have a favor to ask you!”

“Smooth, Subaru,” Felix said. “Smooth. What does the ‘moon sure is pretty’ even mean?”

“It’s a subtle way of saying you’re interested in someone! Because tsuki sounds like suki…” 

“That’s actually rather romantic,” Reinhard said. “It’s a shame she didn’t notice.” 

“When it comes to professing your love to Emilia-tan, you can’t be subtle at all!” Subaru said. Otherwise, it’ll go right over her head!

“Will you listen? Starting tomorrow I’ll work hard, and I’ll study, too!” Subaru said. “Go on a date with me!” 

“Subaru, what is a ‘date’?” Julius asked, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. He could sort of guess at the gist of it, but he wanted to be sure. 

“It means when you meet together romantically!” Subaru explained. 

“Ah, I see,” Julius said. 

“It’s a bit soon to try to court Emilia,” Reinhard said. 

“It’s a lot more casual than courting,” Subaru said. “The idea is you two spend time together to see if you’re compatible.”

“That sounds a lot like courting,” Reinhard said, still confused. 

“Yeah but it’s way more chill!” Subaru said. “With courting the expectation is to end in marriage, right? With dating, there’s a lot less of that expectation.” 

“What does a date entail?”

“When a guy and a girl go out alone together, it’s a date! Only the goddess of love knows what will happen during that time…” 

“Then that means you went on a date with Rem today, right?”

Julius let out a tiny, unknightly snort. Subaru slowly turned his head around, giving Julius a death stare. 

“Augh I didn’t expect that response! That didn’t count! Please don’t count that!” 

“Backfiring already, huh cap’n?” Garfiel said. 

“Well, the point is to spend time together! So long as we both have a good time, it’s okay if she doesn’t see it as something that’s super romantic,” Subaru said. 

“That’s very sweet of you,” Wilhelm said.

“Thanks! It’s a success so long as she has a good time,” Subaru said. Well, when it happens… not this loop, unfortunately. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure we had the snow festival instead because of the magic release period. 

“I understand you want us to go out together, but where?” Emilia asked.

“Actually, there’s this really cute little dog-” 

Garfiel groaned loudly. “Stupid mutt!” 

“I’m kind of surprised the Mabeast ended up being a selling point, too…” Subaru muttered. At least they won’t come in contact. 

“-in the nearby village. There’s a flower field too. I want to see you in a field of flowers, and capture the image for eternity with my metia!” 

Wilhelm didn’t smile, but his face was a touch gentler. 

Capturing her image in a field of flowers on that metia… it was a romantic concept. His wife would have liked that. There was a portrait of her holding flowers hidden away at the Astrea Manor, carefully stored in the attic. He’d have to go look at it once this was done.

“Oh, um, the village huh?” Emilia asked, clearly nervous. 

“The dog is super cute! Let’s go!”

“She must be worried about dealing with discrimination from the villagers,” Felix said. 

“The villagers are well-acquainted with Subaru, aren’t they?” Julius said. “Or at least they were when we arrived to fight Sloth. Perhaps Subaru can introduce them.” 

Subaru smiled. He’d sort of done that -- at least with the village’s children. He knew it meant a lot to Emilia to have people on her side, especially kids who were normally scared of her. 

“But it might cause trouble for you. And the villagers--” 

“The kids are so pure and innocent they’re like angels! Let’s go!” Subaru said. 

Felix giggled. “That’s not what you were saying before.” 

“Children can be angels and devils all at once!” Subaru said, though he spoke fondly as he remembered the village kids. “That’s what’s so scary about them!” 

“Oh, all right. You leave me no choice. I’ll go with you.” 

Subaru seemed astounded it actually worked. “Really?”

“If that will motivate you to work hard from tomorrow on, then I will,” Emilia said. 

“All right!” Subaru said, pumping his arms and sounding overjoyed. 

A bittersweet feeling swept the room. 

While the Subaru on-screen looked overjoyed that he’d been able to keep his promise, and would be able to go out on a date with Emilia, but as the moon rose outside, it seemed increasingly unlikely that he’d be able to survive that long. 

The dog bit him at sunset… so when will-- Felix thought, biting his lip nervously. 

“I bet the weather will be lovely tomorrow,” Emilia said. 

“Yeah… and it’ll be a day I never forget,” Subaru said. 

“There you go again with…” Emilia trailed off as she saw the serious look on Subaru’s face. 

“If it were a direct attack, at least Subaru could come up with an excuse for Emilia to stay longer, and avert the attack that way,” Julius lamented. 

You definitely don’t wish it were that, let me tell you, Subaru thought. 

“Emilia clearly notices something’s wrong. I wonder if she’ll do anything about it,” Felix commented. 

“You were just… never mind,” Emilia said. 

“Guess not,” Felix said, a bit judgmental.

“I only looked a bit serious, it’s not like she could tell anything was really wrong,” Subaru said. 

Felix heaved a sigh, pouting.

Emilia smiled. “Remember to work hard! Only those who work hard are rewarded, so this will be a reward!” 

On that positive note, the screen switched to black with snow falling, as an unknown song started playing. 

Subaru sweated slightly at the realization. Did they really end it right there on that cheerful note? Why was that the cut-off? When I’m going to die like an hour later…

“Hey, what’s going on now?” Garfiel said. 

“Oh, the end credits!” Subaru recognized, snapping his fingers. “They play at the end of an episode, as a sort of wind-down.” 

“That’s it?” Julius said. “But you didn’t… there was no death.” 

“Maybe he doesn’t die at all,” Felix said, hope creeping into his voice. 

“Or that occurrence is the start of next episode,” Wilhelm said. 

“Guess we just have to watch this for now,” Subaru said.

“Oh please don’t let me die, waiting for your touch--” 

“No, don’t give up on life, this endless dead end.” 

The camera panned down to show Emilia and Subaru back-to-back, standing on a black lake. 

“So it’s going to be all abstract metaphor again,” Felix guessed. 

“Yep!” Subaru said. 

Reinhard furrowed his brow. “You should pay attention to it Subaru. I think it’s giving you advice.”

“Wait, what?” Subaru said. 

“It says, don’t give up on life,” Reinhard said. “I think it’s telling Subaru that.” 

“But it also said, please don’t let me die, which sounds like Subaru is the speaker if anything,” Julius said. The intros and outros of the show were confusing to him, but he was no stranger to metaphor in music. 

“I can see what you mean there,” Reinhard said, thinking about this analysis. 

“A twisted clock tracks my remaining life.”

Emilia was seen with her eyes closed, while Subaru’s were open as the snowflakes fell around them. 

I’m not sure exactly what the falling snow means in terms of metaphor, but I think the part about the twisted clock is fairly self-explanatory, Julius said. If this song did, in fact, show Subaru’s true feelings, it would make a lot of sense for Subaru to have an anxiety about death.  

“A sand of memories spilling forth, will even the feeling I developed fade away so easily?” 

Flashbacks of Subaru’s first meeting with Emilia played as Subaru’s mouth twisted into a grimace. 

“I doubt they will,” Felix said. “The memories fading away, that is. If anything, they’ve stayed really strong.” 

“That’s true!” Subaru said. “But still, at this point in the story, I haven’t been able to develop relationships very far yet, because things keep resetting…” 

“You remember, so those things mattered,” Felix said fiercely. 

Subaru gave a faint smile. “Thanks, Felix.” 

“I wish I was there.” The appa salesman’s hand, holding a bright red apple, enters the frame. 

“The lighting is so sharp it almost makes me feel ill at ease,” Wilhelm said. 

“It’s a little surreal, isn’t it?” Subaru said. Though the lyrics sort of made sense, he couldn’t make heads or tails of whatever metaphor was supposed to be present in the images. Perhaps it was just showing the things he’d encountered on his journey. Either that, or Subaru was failing film studies… 

“Maybe,” Felix said, snapping. “The lighting symbolizes the harsh light that your power shines on their behavior?” 

“Oh please don’t let me die, waiting for your touch.” 

Felt was seen in front of Rom, frozen in time as snow fell around them. 

Despite my fight with Rom, he doesn’t seem to be causing any real trouble now, Wilhelm said, pondering on the man as he was shone. If anything, he seems to have settled down. 

“So that I’ll never lose anything again.” 

Reinhard stood, a hand on his sword, with the three thugs faded in the background. 

“It’s me!” Reinhard exclaimed. 

“Yup!” Subaru said. “Look how cool you look!” 

Reinhard appreciated the compliment. 

‘Never lose anything again’ is paired with a shot of Reinhard, Julius internally noted. Maybe that symbolizes how Reinhard helped Subaru overcome his first challenge? 

“I’ll forget myself and Restart from the beginning.” 

Beatrice, Roswaal, and Puck were shone. Beatrice faced away from the camera. 

“Miss Beatrice looks kinda shady in that picture,” Garfiel said. 

“I have to imagine it’s because she still comes across as mysterious to Subaru,” Julius suggested. “Given the fact that we know it is the Mabeast who kills Subaru, we have no reason to suspect Beatrice.” 

“Of the Mansion residents, she does seem to be the most distant,” Felix noted. “At least for now, that is.” 

Rem and Ram stood back-to-back. As the camera appeared in front of Rem, her eyes opened. 

“Okay, but what’s with this eye opening thing? Roswaal had his eyes closed, and Puck’s were open,” Felix said. 

“My first thought is that allies had their eyes open, but Emilia’s are closed, and she is his greatest ally at this point,” Julius noted. “My second thought was that perhaps it represents naiveté, but Ram’s eyes are closed, and she seems rather worldly.” 

“Perhaps it represents some kind of issue with their thinking that they must overcome,” Reinhard suggested. “Rem opens her eyes as Subaru helps her learn that she’s not less than her sister.” 

“Then what does Emilia’s eyes being closed mean?” Julius wondered aloud. 

“Maybe as the events play out we’ll be able to make more accurate deductions as to the meaning of this,” Wilhelm suggested. 

“No don’t give up on life, this endless dead end.” 

Elsa was shown, face just out of frame, with blood spattering around her. The camera panned to show dozens of red eyes glowing in the darkness. 

“What are those eyes?” Garfiel said, squinting. 

“Though I am not the most experienced when it comes to Mabeasts, to me they look like the eyes of Wolgarm,” Wilhelm volunteered. 

“Tch! We don’t have any Wolgarm nearby, not… anymore… ohhh,” Garfiel said, realization dawning. “Damn, that Mabeast assassin can control them, too!” 

“Hoping that the sadness that is crushing you, will someday come to an end.” 

Emilia’s bloody hand laid in frame. Subaru’s hand reached out to grab hers.

“For now, I’ll see you off.” 

Emilia’s fingers curled around his. 

Subaru’s heart seized. “Do… do you think that really happened?”

“What?” Julius asked.

“That… she held my hand back,” Subaru said. “I can’t remember if she did.” 

“I’m sure she did, Subaru,” Julius reassured. “They wouldn’t show it if it didn’t happen.” 

“I hope so,” Subaru said. “I hope she did.” 

Something about it mattered to Subaru, more than he’d ever expected it to. Maybe it was just the idea that, even on his first-ever loop, he'd done something right. 

“And we’ll die waiting for a new day. I might never…” 

A strange purple portal appeared in a white void. The purple engulfed the screen. 

“That’s what we saw when Subaru was transported,” Felix said. 

“And we’ll start waiting for a new day… be with you again…” 

A shadowed hand reached forward, eventually revealing a person’s hand beneath it, before the hand covered the screen as the ending theme finished. 

“The shadow hand again!  From the intro!” Garfiel said.

“That confirms it, then,” Julius said. “Whoever was attacking Subaru in the opening brought him to Lugnica.” 

“Was it the witch cult?” Felix wondered aloud. “Could it have been Sloth, like you said earlier?” 

“I am unsure,” Julius said. “Though there is some evidence suggesting it.” 

The outside of the Mansion was shown, shrouded in darkness. Subaru sat in a chair, alone in his room. 

“The post-end credits stinger!” Subaru realized.

“What in Od’s name is that,” Julius asked, sounding exhausted. 

“We get a little bit of extra episode after the end credits,” Subaru said. “Just watch.” 

“All right, let’s settle this, fate…” Subaru said. “I won’t sleep tonight, no matter what. I’ll stay awake to greet the morning of my promise.” 

As he said this, Subaru clenched his fist, but the Mabeast bite was visible.

Felix only shook his head at the reminder. If Subaru was still ignorant to what was going to kill him, his chances were slim. 

“Damn it,” Garfiel said, voice unsteady. “I knew cap’n didn’t know anything about what killed ‘im, but I was hopin’ that somehow, he’d figure things out...” 

“I almost wish you would go to sleep, so there wouldn’t be any pain,” Julius said, so quiet it was difficult to hear.

“If I did that, I would have been in the same situation,” Subaru said lowly. Subaru was fond of this loop, and he hated seeing it go. But if he’d just gone to sleep, he would have had even less information on what killed him than before. 

Subaru mused about the loop he’d completed thus far. 

“I wasn’t able to retrace the same loop exactly, but I got along well with Ram and Rem. In fact, I did better than last time. If there’s anything I feel I missed, it’s not saying goodnight to Beatrice.”

“Come on!” Garfiel said, slamming the armrest of the chair. The one thing that could have saved him, and he didn’t do it… fuck. 

Reinhard wished very desperately for Subaru to survive, but as the moments passed, Reinhard’s hope began to fade away. 

“Each time I saw her, all we did was insult each other,” Subaru thought.  “But maybe I should have… at least… thanked her…” Subaru said, his words growing slower as he began to pass out in the chair. 

Fall asleep, Subaru, Julius internally begged. Just fall asleep. Just fall asleep. That would be enough. 

Subaru shot awake, knocking over the chair.

“What is this?” Subaru mumbled. 

He fell to his knees, dizzy and sweating. 

“The curse must be active now, nya,” Felix said, identifying the key symptoms. 

Damn it. Julius lowered his head. Now that the curse was active, Subaru’s death was truly assured. The curse couldn’t be removed, and there would be no way for them to hunt one Mabeast in a forest full of them. Not in time to save him. 

Subaru swallowed, honestly feeling a bit nauseous seeing himself on-screen like that. Reinhard, feeling Subaru’s downturn in emotion thanks to his Divine Protection of Empathy, lowered the armrest and grasped Subaru’s hand, trying to distract him. 

That’s pretty uncharacteristically touchy of Reinhard, Subaru wondered, squeezing Reinhard’s hand as hard as he could. Reinhard was invulnerable, so it wouldn’t hurt him. Reinhard let out a tiny sigh of relief as Subaru’s dread was somewhat reduced, though a sense of persistent anxiety remained. 

“I’m so cold. No… could this be…” Subaru began, before gagging and throwing up. 

Subaru squeezed Reinhard’s hand harder.

There was a dead, solemn silence. 

It could be worse, Wilhelm tried to remind himself. It fell flat. As far as deaths went, he might have even called dying from a Mabeast curse as a rather tame way to die, not as bad as many other much more painful options. 

But he was wrong. This was horrible. 

Subaru was confused-cold-sick-sweating, slowly realizing he was dying. 

“Someone…” Subaru staggered out of his room and down the hallway, gripping the wall. He stopped only a few steps later to throw up again. 

Felix’s face twisted in pity at the painful-sounding retching. 

Maybe someone will find him, Felix hoped. There would be no saving Subaru, not at this point, but someone with healing magic might be able to ease the pain, and anyone could try to comfort him before the end. Either way, a flurry of people trying to save him would at least serve as a distraction. But it didn’t seem like that would happen as Subaru wandered the empty halls. 

“Someone… help,” Subaru said. 

Subaru continued staggering down the hallway, throwing up every few paces. 

“Cap’n…” Garfiel mumbled. 

Subaru didn’t want to watch anymore. He knew that soon… Rem would be showing up. 

Subaru buried his head into Reinhard’s chest, clutching at his cape. Protect me protect me protect me protect-- 

Reinhard couldn’t be surprised with what Subaru was doing, given the magnitude of the negative emotions radiating off of Subaru. He encircled Subaru gently and let him clutch at his cape in fear. 

The screen didn’t stop, even though Subaru wasn’t watching. After all, Subaru had been there, and the exact course of events was playing out in his mind. 

Subaru stopped, hearing a strange sound like rattling metal in the distance. 

Wilhelm and Julius didn’t miss this strange detail. That wasn’t the type of sound typically created in a Mansion at night. In a construction zone, maybe, but a Mansion? Charitably one might think it was someone dragging large amounts of metal fire pokers across the ground, but why would one do that at midnight? 

Subaru was suddenly thrown back as blood spurted from him, skidding across the ground. 

“No!” Felix shouted, horrified. “Wait, what the hell? What’s attacking him now?” 

“Cap’n… cap’n was dying of a curse!” Garfiel said. “This ain’t a curse! Shit!” 

“Aggg…” Subaru groaned, laying in a pool of his own blood. “What just…” 

Blood dripped on his face from the ceiling. Subaru looked up to see his own dismembered arm hanging from the chandelier. 

Subaru let out a horrified scream, grabbing at his shoulder and rolling around on the floor in pain. 

“No!” Garfiel said, pulling at his blond hair. “Fuck!” 

Reinhard tightened his protective grip on Subaru, whose breath hitched as he heard his own screams of pain. 

“Why,” Julius said, voice cracking. “He was already… he was already dying!” 

“He was,” Wilhelm growled. His fingers flexed. “But clearly, this wasn’t the work of that little girl." It would be sloppy work for an assassin to lay down a curse only to bludgeon the target to death later. 

“Meili ain’t that strong,” Garfiel thought. “An’ the Bowel Hunter would aim for the stomach, not the arm, so it ain’t her.” 

“A completely unrelated opponent…” Julius said. Damn it… to Subaru, this would look like a Shaman wielding a blunt weapon, so he would have no idea of knowing he’s facing two different opponents… 

“Subaru,” Wilhelm said, his voice dangerous. “Do not worry. If your attacker is not already dead, I will find them, and kill them for their brazen attack.” 

Subaru felt a spike of anxiety at such words. Shit… I didn’t expect Wilhelm to take this so seriously… but what am I supposed to say, ‘don’t worry, we’re actually friends’? 

“Let’s worry about that later,” Subaru muttered, rubbing his eyes. “You don’t even know who they are yet.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Wilhelm growled. 

Fuck, Subaru thought. I’ll have to convince him not to attack Rem later.

The sound of dragging metal appeared again. 

A shadow rushed forward toward Subaru, and Subaru’s head burst into blood as he was attacked with an unknown weapon. 

The screen went black, ending the episode. 

“Holy shit,” Garfiel said. “That was brutal…” 

“Subaru,” Julius called. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah…” Subaru said, but his voice was muffled by fabric. 

“Maybe we should take a break,” Julius said, concerned for Subaru’s mental wellbeing.

“What episode is after this?” Reinhard asked.

Episode Six: The Sound of Chains

Felix grimaced. “It’s the chains from the ‘anime opening’,” Felix said, shaking his head. “That must have been what the metal sound was. You must have been attacked by something like a flail.” 

“Maybe Roswaal did decide to assassinate him after all?” Julius suggested uncertainly.

“If anything, Subaru was significantly less suspicious and made a better impression on Roswaal in this loop,” Wilhelm said. “I’m not sure that’s the situation.” 

“I don’t think we’re going to figure it out,” Felix said. “Maybe we should just watch and see. It seems like we might find out the identity of the attacker in the next loop.” 

Despite that statement, a dread hung over the group. 

All of them were wondering the same thing. Would Subaru be able to survive the next loop when he had barely more information than he’d had in this one, and when some of that information seemed misleading? 

Come on, Subaru, Julius thought. Put it together! I know you can!

Unfortunately, it was not to be. 

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, Subaru was still holding on to Reinhard, to the concern of everyone else. Subaru didn’t want to let go, but he resigned himself to doing so. 

I can’t keep delaying this, Subaru thought. If we have to stop every time I have an upsetting death, we’ll never get through this. 

Subaru took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s see the next episode,” he said. 

“At least wait until you stop shaking,” Julius said. 

Subaru managed to force his hands to release Reinhard’s cape, scooting backwards into his own chair. But no matter how much he clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to keep them still, they kept trembling of their own accord. 

“Reinhard, why don’t you take Subaru into the kitchen to get some water?” Julius suggested. 

“Of course,” Reinhard said. He gentlemanly offered Subaru a hand up, as if Subaru was a noblewoman getting out of a carriage. Subaru swallowed and took it. Maybe walking around would do him some good. 

As Subaru and Reinhard vanished into the kitchen, Julius gave Felix and Wilhelm a disbelieving look. Felix just nodded. 

“This is horrible,” Felix said. “And that might not even have been the worst death.” 

“I’m not sure this viewing was a good idea,” Julius confessed. “I think this is re-traumatizing him.”

“Course it’s hurting cap’n!” Garfiel growled. “He’s gotta watch his worst memories… we shoulda figured out something like this would happen the moment we agreed to the viewing. We knew he was dyin’ back then.” 

“At least we understand what’s plaguing him,” Wilhelm said. “From what the being that brought us here said, before he wasn’t able to say anything on it.” 

There was a brief silence. 

“We should take turns sitting next to him,” Julius decided. “Whoever is near him at any given time can be responsible for making sure he’s feeling alright during the viewing.” 

“That’s probably wise,” Wilhelm said. “We can keep blankets, sweets, and snacks nearby for comfort and distraction. But besides that and supportive words, there isn’t too much we can do for Subaru right now.” 

“Tch…” Garfiel muttered. 

“However,” Wilhelm said. “We can protect him going forward. And if he does end up dying, we’ll know for certain to believe him. Imagine how different that loop would have gone if he’d been able to tell someone that there was a Shaman or poisoner on the loose.” 

“Mew, that’s true,” Felix said, nodding. 

When no one else added to Wilhelm’s statement, Julius rose. “I think I’ll go fetch items while we’re waiting,” he said. Wilhelm nodded in acknowledgement, while Garfiel simply slumped back, clearly still anxiously waiting for Subaru.  

Julius left the theater, browsing through some of the doors that had appeared in the pocket dimension. In one room that seemed to be a bedroom, he found a thick weighted blanket, and decided it would be acceptable. Julius threw it over his shoulder to bring back to the main room. 

When he returned, Subaru and Reinhard had already made it back. Subaru looked much better, less pale and no longer shaking. 

“Here,” Julius said, presenting Subaru with his gift. “Weighted blanket.” 

“Oh, I love these things,” Subaru said, before pausing. “But I’m fine. I’m fine.” 

The way Subaru said it was a bit brittle, like he needed everyone to believe it. 

Julius didn’t believe it, but he didn’t want to press Subaru on it now. “Indeed.” 

Subaru dragged the weighted blanket over him, seeming to settle in. 

“Phew,” Subaru said. “Okay. I think I’m ready for the next episode.” 

“If you’re sure,” Julius answered, with a nod. 

“Cap’n, no matter what happens, we’ll be here for you,” Garfiel said. His voice was firm, and it was clear he was making a promise, not only to Subaru, but also to himself.  

“Thanks, Garfiel,” Subaru said, with a faint sigh. It was hard for Julius to tell, but he thought it sounded relieved. “Thanks.” 

With that, the episode began in earnest. 

Episode Six: The Sound of Chains

Subaru started screaming at the top of his lungs, clutching at his shoulder. 

I didn’t really think about how it’d look when he woke up, Reinhard thought. Though in the last loop Subaru had run away from the maids, and that had caused its own trouble, it had been a result of an emotional breakdown. This was a visceral, involuntary reaction to the death itself. 

Wilhelm frowned. This may prevent the maids from trusting him as thoroughly, Wilhelm thought, thinking similarly to his grandson. 

“That doesn’t hurt, does it?” Julius cautiously asked. 

“Huh?” Subaru asked. 

“Just…” Julius gestured to the Subaru on screen. “You look like you’re in pain.”

“Ahah, no. Not exactly. It’s more like… phantom pain,” Subaru said. “It hurts, but I’m not damaged… it’s just that my body just needs to get used to not being torn to pieces.” 

“I see,” Julius agreed, though still not exactly looking pleased.

Subaru shot out of bed, his scream dissipating and turning into strangled breathing as he realized his arm was still attached. 

“My left arm… I still have it?” 

Garfiel let out a guttural growl. Damn it! Why did my cap’n have to be hurt like that! 

It was so… unfair! This new threat had showed up out of freaking nowhere! Subaru hadn’t even had a chance to prepare…

Garfiel could only really reassure himself by looking over to check that Subaru was alright, looking pensive but tucked under a blanket and right next to the fearsome sword saint. He was safe… right now. 

Eventually, they’d have to go back. And it would be Garfiel who would need to keep him safe. It wasn’t a task Garfiel planned to fail. 

“I went back again… no, maybe I should say I made it back…” 

Subaru looked up, only to see Rem and Ram grabbing each other’s hands and standing far away from him, clearly having been startled by his scream. 

“Ah, you frightened them,” Julius said. It was regretful. But in the last loop, Subaru had managed to form good relationships with them, despite a less-than-stellar introduction, so perhaps this loop would be the same. 

“What’s a good excuse for screaming like that?” Felix said, imagining himself in that scenario. 

“I would tell them that I had a nightmare about the assassin,” Wilhelm suggested. “Given that Subaru was just sliced open by the Bowel Hunter, it would be believable.” 

“That’s actually really smart,” Felix said. 

The screen-Subaru, however, was put on the spot and had no intention of bringing up whatever trauma he had. In fact, the assassin from what was ten days ago for him was the last thing on his mind. 

“Oh, sorry. Good morning,” Subaru said. 

The twins looked at him, confused. 

“Right, I guess you don’t remember me…” Subaru said. 

When will Subaru finally get reliable allies? Reinhard wondered. His relationships with these people kept resetting so often, it was almost like Subaru just didn’t have any proper friends. There was Emilia, but Subaru was obviously understandably reluctant to share his troubles with someone who saw them as a near-stranger. He clearly needs support. 

For not the first time, Reinhard wished that Subaru had just joined him at his mansion. For whatever faults the Astrea household might have, Reinhard had noted a total of zero assassin attacks during the past year, probably because attacking the house where Reinhard lived would be colossally stupid. 

Subaru jumped up, pointing towards the ceiling. “Sorry for the trouble I’ve caused! Natsuki Subaru will now start over!”

Rem and Ram looked at each other, unsure of what to make of him. 

“I’m not sure whether that attitude will help or hurt you here,” Julius said. Friendliness was definitely necessary to bridge the gap formed after scaring the maids, and yet, such overbearing friendliness could make Subaru look borderline insane. 

“Eventually they’ll get used to me and form a more complete judgment,” Subaru said. 

“Is that your way of saying, ‘first impressions don’t matter’?” Felix said. 

“Yep!” Subaru said. Though, in this case, acting so strange certainly hadn’t helped his case given his increasing witch scent... so he supposed in the end it had been important. 

“By the way, what day and time is it?”

After Subaru said this, the opening theme began to play. 

It is my third day in the Roswaal Mansion. That chill I felt… does that mean I died in my sleep the first time, due to physical weakness? But the second time, there was an attacker.  Subaru contemplated his previous deaths, trying to find a solution. 

Subaru is at least putting the basics together, Julius thought. That wasn’t exactly a given, considering pain and panic and all the things that could be negatively affecting Subaru’s judgment at this point. 

So if I was killed, does that mean the others in the Mansion are targets, too? Subaru could be seen walking in circles around Beatrice in the library. Because we’re involved in Emilia’s Royal Selection, like at the loot house? But even if I know that, I have no proof to explain it or any way to avoid it. 

“I have to agree with Subaru-dono’s deductions,” Wilhelm said. “They seem well-founded.” 

“Do you think that whoever it was attacked due to Emilia’s position in the Royal Selection?” Reinhard asked. 

“What else reason would they have?” Felix asked. “It’s not like Subaru’s infamous at this point, he’s just a regular guy. In fact, besides the Bowel Hunter who we’ve already ruled out, you could say he has nyo enemies. It being a political enemy of Emilia makes more sense, nya, unless we think it was Roswaal.” 

“Roswaal does not fight with a morningstar, and we already established that the mana drain was due to the Mabeast bite,” Wilhelm said. 

“Mmm, but maybe Roswaal hired that attacker,” Felix said. 

“I don’t deny how suspicious Roswaal is, but I’m not completely convinced of that assumption,” Julius said. “But let us keep watching. We’ll find out soon enough.” 

Worse yet, I didn’t see the attacker’s face, or their prey. “My death was totally in vain…” Subaru mumbled under his breath. 

“You’re irritating me to death,” Beatrice said. “Either stop it or be blown away.”

“You just talked about how you died!” Felix said, throwing out his arm. “I know it’s not the first thing you think of, but Beatrice really must not be paying attention to you if she doesn’t put this together later…” 

Subaru just shrugged. Well the timeline ends later. She only had a few days to put it together, so I don’t blame her that she never did, Subaru thought. 

“Oh, sorry. But somehow, walking in circles also turns the gears in my head.” 

“So you maintained your habit of visiting Beatrice-sama when you got worried, is that right?” Reinhard said. 

“Hah… it was a place I could think in almost total seclusion,” Subaru said. “And completely safe.” Not to mention, I never had to re-introduce myself to her, so I could avoid painful memories.

Subaru acted very friendly with Beatrice, only for her to remind him that they’d only met twice. Subaru kept up his attitude, leading to Beatrice becoming progressively more annoyed.

“It’s time for you to leave!” Beatrice said. “Your hands have stopped shaking, so you can mask your fear for now, I suppose.” 

“I see,” Julius said. “So you were afraid, weren’t you?”

“Who wouldn’t be!” Felix said. “That was horrifying… it would be unnatural if he weren’t scared of pain and death, nya.”

Thankfully I never got to that point, Subaru thought. In Sanctuary, the witches had called his mindset as twisted as theirs. He sort of disagreed, but he would have to change his opinion if he could survive dying without it being upsetting to him. That trait would truly be monstrous, and that was what Echidna had been trying to bait him into…  

“You could tell?” Subaru said, sweating. 

“You were trying to hide it, I suppose. It’s quite vexing to be treated as a mere convenience,” Beatrice said. 

Reinhard could understand what Beatrice was saying, as to her the situation seemed to be a stranger trauma-dumping on her, but after watching Subaru be torn apart Reinhard felt a little bit incensed at Beatrice acting like listening to Subaru was a burden. 

“She could consider being a little kinder,” Reinhard said.

“The thing is, she says that, but she still helped,” Subaru said. “It’s the action that counts, right?”

“I suppose that’s the case,” Reinhard said. 

Wilhelm nodded as well. Despite Beatrice’s seeming reluctance, she’d still let Subaru stay in her library until he’d seemed to recover, which was nice in of itself. 

“You’re not nice at all… thanks for the help, though,” Subaru said. “I’ll be counting on you again!” 

“I don’t want to be counted on, I suppose. So don’t come in here again! Shoo, shoo.” 

When Subaru idled by the door, Beatrice snapped and sent Subaru flying out the window. Subaru landed in a flower bed, facedown in the dirt. 

The group winced in tandem.

“How unfortunate,” Julius said.

“To think that cap’n ended up contracting her as a spirit!” Garfiel said. Then he snapped. “She’s real spirited, hah!” Garfiel smiled at his own pun.  

“It seems as though Beatrice tends to push people away,” Wilhelm said. “However, given that such a thing will inevitably fail to work on Subaru, perhaps them becoming contracted is more obvious than it first seems.” 

“Because he’s the one who never gives up on her,” Garfiel said. 

“Can I ask if you’re alright?” Emilia, noticing the commotion, walked over. 

“Emilia, your kindness is the one thing that can heal me…” 

“You know, Rem just spread manure in that flower bed yesterday,” Emilia said. 

“...How unfortunate,” Julius said.

“That’s what you said two seconds ago!” Subaru protested. 

“That’s what Julius should say anytime anything happens to you,” Felix deadpanned. Subaru pouted at that.  

“Cap’n gets some wins!” Garfiel said. “Like… uh…”

Felix giggled.

“Such a lukewarm defense just makes me look worse!” Subaru said. “Besides, I saved Emilia’s life.”

“Yeah! Eventually,” Garfiel said. 

“Well, given we’ve only seen a week’s worth of Subaru’s achievements, just saying he saved any lives is rather impressive,” Reinhard said, with a slight smile. 

“Thank you, Rein!” Subaru beamed. 

Subaru panicked and started trying to wipe himself off.

“In fact, they say this type of thing is actually lucky.” 

“Emilia is already shifting into consolation mode…” 

Emilia giggled at Subaru’s antics. “Puck, wake up.” Emilia asked Puck to wash Subaru off, which led to Subaru being hit by a giant water tornado created by Puck. 

“Subaru is gettin’ thrown around a lot by spirits this episode,” Garfiel said. 

“You look kind of funny,” Felix said, pointing out Subaru’s surprised face after being thrown down from the water tornado. Even Subaru couldn’t deny it looked like the type of image he’d make a meme out of. 

“Well, I do think it was rather nice of Puck,” Julius said. 

Julius seemed to have a rather high opinion of Puck. Subaru couldn’t decide whether he was excited or dreading that opinion being unceremoniously destroyed whenever the “Capital” Arc happened. Surely, Julius couldn’t approve of Puck nuking half of Lugnica… 

Subaru, wet but clean, could be seen sitting on the grass across from Emilia. 

“Wasn’t there another way to do that? You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“That isn’t true at all… hmph.” Puck made a pouting face and Subaru flicked his nose. 

“Punch-backs!” Puck said, playfully hitting Subaru on the cheek. 

“I’m not sure if it’s your spirit affinity or your audacity that allows you to behave in such a way,” Julius said. 

“Why not both?” Subaru said with a slight grin, shrugging. 

“You and Puck seem to have a surprisingly good relationship,” Wilhelm said. 

Subaru tickled Puck which led to Puck flicking him with his tail. 

“And I’ll finish you with my paw-pad grind!” Puck said, gleefully shoving his paws at Subaru’s face. 

Emilia burst out laughing at their roughhousing. 

With Emilia giggling like that, as well as getting a sense of her personality, Felix could sort of understand what Subaru saw in her. He didn’t like her, absolutely not, but Felix could kind of see it. Before this, Felix had simply assumed that Subaru had… ah, somewhat hardcore tastes. 

Turning around first impressions seems to be a Subaru tradition, Julius thought. In fact, it could be argued that that’s the case for our relationship as well. 

Julius abruptly realized something. 

Subaru seemed to strongly dislike me even before we first met… did I do something in a different “loop” that he disapproved of? 

Julius had eventually come to the conclusion that Subaru had been acting jealously over Emilia, but given this new information, he couldn’t be sure that was true anymore. 

I guess I’ll have to wait and see, Julius decided. If I’ve done something in a loop that could be called unfair or unknightly, I’ll apologize profusely. 

“Well now that I’ve rebounded from my initial bad impression… thank you for your assistance, Father!”

“Who are you calling ‘Father!’ I won’t be giving you my daughter that easily!” Puck said in a comically deep voice. 

Puck and Subaru both complimented Emilia’s smile, and then Subaru went on to give Emilia the same nickname he had in the previous loop. 

“It’s an expression of affection that shows people’s closeness,” Subaru said.

“I don’t remember getting so close to you…” Emilia said, confused. 

Garfiel snickered under his breath. 

“Emilia-sama’s honesty never fails to endear,” Julius said. 

“You’re just saying that because she insulted me,” Subaru said.

“Of course not! Julius’ compliments to maidens are paid in complete sincerity,” Reinhard added. 

“So Julius is a ladies man? I didn’t hear that before,” Subaru said.  

“I do not know what you mean by ‘ladies man’, but I am almost certain your assumption is incorrect and potentially wounding to my dignity,” Julius said. 

“That somewhat hurts, but I won’t lose heart!” Subaru said. “Think of it as an advance on our relationship. It means I want us to get close enough to call each other by pet names.” 

Emilia blushed. “Alright, I’ll accept that.” 

Subaru gave her a confused look.

Emilia blushed harder. “No… don’t look at me!”

“I expected her to cringe, but I got a positive response. What could this mean, commentator Puck-san?” 

“She doesn’t have many friends, so she craves things like nicknames,” Puck said. “She’s easy to please.” 

“My main heroine is easy to please, huh?!” Subaru said with a big grin. 

Julius couldn’t say the response was too unexpected, at least to him. As a half-elf, she probably found it next to impossible to cultivate friendships due to her appearance, so Subaru’s openness and lack of judgment was probably a refreshing change. 

They’re acting so cute as friends, Reinhard thought, with a slight sigh. Though he didn’t dare voice such a thought, in case it jinxed it, Reinhard was deeply hoping that this was the loop that would stick. 

“Sister, Sister… it’s only been a short time, and now our guest looks like a drowned rat,” Rem said. 

“Rem, Rem, in just a short time, our guest has turned into a dirty, old washrag,” Ram said. 

“I know I’m a rat. You don’t have to tell me,” Subaru said.

“Rem and Ram are at it again!” Garfiel said, barking a laugh. “Seems like they recovered well from gettin’ scared by you, cap’n.” 

“Crusch-san wouldn’t put up with such behavior in her maids!” Felix said. “Do they treat everyone like that?” 

“No, pretty sure just me,” Subaru deadpanned. “Well, maybe Ram treats everyone like that.” Between Ram’s regular attitude and Rem noticing my witch scent, I was doomed from the start. 

“Our lord, Roswaal-sama, has returned,” the twins intoned in tandem. “Please come inside.” 

Subaru’s face got a little more serious. “Here we go.”

“What will be your strategy for the loop?” Reinhard wondered aloud. He himself (if he were a normal person and not semi-immortal) he would have no idea what to do. After all, even if the physical attacker could be rebuffed by standing near Emilia or Roswaal when the attack was going to take place, Subaru had no way of knowing what caused his death by weakness. 

“Subaru lacks information,” Julius said. “But maybe he can deduce he was killed from a curse, and from there…” Julius trailed off, unsure. 

“Miss Beatrice can remove curses!” Garfiel added.

“And from there, Beatrice can stop that Mabeast bite from becoming fatal,” Julius said, outlining a potential way Subaru might discover the truth. 

My third first meeting with the lord of this Mansion. All I know for certain is that someone will attack on the fourth night, Subaru thought. It’d be ideal if I could let them know. But I can’t explain where I got the information, so they might think I’m working with the assassin. 

“Unfortunyately, that’d be the logical conclusion, nya,” Felix said, shaking his head. “Getting involved with two assassination attempts unprovoked, it’d be easy to assume he’s working alongside them.” 

“And so, a simple warning, which would be the most fruitful course of action, is too risky to undertake,” Julius said. 

“This is the issue when Subaru’s power is unknown,” Wilhelm said. “From here on out, Subaru, you’ll have at least one person in four out of the five factions who will believe you in times like this.” 

“That actually is comforting…” Subaru said. Though he didn’t even want to think about Returning by Death, considering he hadn’t done so for a half-year, having friends like these could seriously cut down the number of loops he was dealing with.

Of course, given that he was generally trusted, unlike in this loop, his need for something like that was somewhat decreased, but still. 

If I just knew even the attacker’s physique, it might be a different story. So this time, I’ll use these next four days to gather information and learn who the attacker is, Subaru decided. And to do that… 

“You may have any reward you request,” Roswaal said. “Merely state your desire!” 

“In that case,” Subaru said, standing. “Let me live here as a house guest, and eat and sleep all I want!” 

“You didn’t have to phrase it like that, Subaru,” Felix said. 

Subaru knew he didn’t, but he preferred to lay down all the negativity on the table, rather than have it hanging in the air. Maybe that’s why he had trouble with subtlety.

“Subaru,” Julius said. “When we met, you were wearing a servant’s attire. But in this loop, you’ve requested to stay as a guest.” 

“Yeah…” Subaru said. 

“Well, earlier, you did say you’d be guilty staying somewhere without working,” Julius said, voice becoming more desperate. “Maybe, after staying as a guest for a while, you requested a job at the Mansion instead.” 

Subaru looked away. 

“Stop deluding yourself, Julius,” Felix said. “He dies.” 

Reinhard frowned. “We already knew… that Subaru was working off frighteningly little information. This doesn’t exactly confirm it, but…” 

“I’m… sorry, Subaru,” Julius said. “Forgive me.” 

“None of this is your fault,” Subaru said.

The low energy and lack of protestations from Subaru was the final blow.

It became cemented in the minds of the viewers that this was a failed loop.

“But how am I supposed to gather information?” Subaru asked himself. “I guess I’ll start with some indirect questioning…” 

Subaru noticed Rem at the window, re-planting some of the bushes he’d fallen on. Subaru approached Rem.

“Sorry for the trouble…” 

“Of course. If you’ll excuse me, sir.” Rem bowed and left before Subaru could say anything more. 

“Rem seems colder to you than before,” Garfiel remarked. 

“It’s likely etiquette, in part,” Julius said, recovering a bit from the devastating revelation brought on by Subaru’s choice to be a guest. “Given her demeanor was already shy, she’s likely much more reluctant to socialize with someone above her station.” 

And that my witch scent has increased… Subaru thought, resisting a sigh. 

“Still, it must be difficult,” Wilhelm said.

“Huh?”

“You and her got along so well before,” Wilhelm said. 

“When I loop, I may have to start every relationship over from zero…” Subaru said. “But that’s no excuse to give up on them.” 

There was a strong resolution in Subaru’s voice, one that surprised the viewers. 

I suppose his resolution would have to be strong for him to continue under his current conditions, Julius realized. It’s… admirable. 

Subaru poked around some rooms in the Mansion.

“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary,” Subaru said.

Subaru heard the sound of chains behind him and startled. 

Roswaal walked into view, with some decorative golden chains around his ankles. 

Reinhard sighed in relief. I was worried Subaru was going to die there… 

“Subaru, I was worried you were going to die there!” Felix said, echoing Reinhard’s thoughts. 

“I was worried I was going to die there too, at the time,” Subaru said with a slight huff. 

“What do you not see?” Roswaal asked. 

“Ros-chi… don’t scare me like that! It’s misleading,” Subaru said. 

“Well, we did see the chain, which was silver-colored and used offensively,” Reinhard said. 

“Indeed, Roswaal was not the cause of the sound of chains… did you figure this detail out yourself, Subaru?” Julius asked.

“The sound of chains that killed me was a lot louder, so I knew it couldn’t be that little thing,” Subaru said. 

Subaru was seen scratching his head, looking down at his list of notes, clearly puzzled by his lack of evidence. 

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” Subaru called.

Ram set down some tea for Subaru. “Here you go, sir,” Ram said. 

“Oh, thanks, want to drink it with me?” Subaru asked.

“No thank you, sir,” Ram said, bowing. 

Garfiel winced. To have Ram treat you with such politeness either meant you were Roswaal, or someone she was completely disinterested in getting to know. 

“Hey, you can be a little friendlier to me if you want…” Subaru tried.

Ram closed the door without even answering. 

“Well, it’s my first day. I guess it makes sense.” 

“Subaru’s attempt to recapture the maid’s friendship went a lot worse than Emilia’s,” Felix said. “The maids probably need a gentler touch.” 

“A gentler touch?” Reinhard questioned.

“Touch of friendship! Friendship touch!” Felix said.

“Now you’re making it sound weird…” Subaru said.

“It is only his first day,” Wilhelm said. “Many people need a few days to warm up before they become receptive to offers of friendship.” Wilhelm himself was usually one, with Subaru representing an exception. 

The next day, Subaru entered Beatrice’s library. 

Beatrice looked annoyed, chastising his poor manners of not knocking and threatening to blow him out of the library again.

“Wait! I just want to ask you something. Is there any magic that weakens and kills someone, as if putting them to sleep?” Subaru asked. 

“Excellent,” Julius praised. “A learned spirit of yin will surely be able to provide you with the answers you need. She was the right person to ask.” 

“Thanks,” Subaru said. Most of Julius’ praise towards him was either sarcastic or had a hidden element that could be taken badly, but right now it seemed as though Julius were trying to pat him on the head with his words. Still a bit patronizing, except by accident, this time.  

“If I must answer, then yes, there is. But it isn’t so much magic as it is a curse, I suppose,” Beatrice said, pulling a book off the shelves about shaman.  

Beatrice explained the concept of a shaman to Subaru, finishing with the fact that they were “all quite useless, and not to be taken seriously, I suppose.” 

“I would have to disagree with that assessment,” Julius said. Shamans weren’t typically the strongest types of magic-casters, but their ability to plant curses meant that a single touch from a shaman could be deadly. 

“Well, any type of magic-user is deadly to me, so I’ll take precautions!” Subaru said cheerfully, giving a big thumbs-up. 

“You say stuff like that with so much confidence…” Felix said.  

“Thank you!” Subaru said, giving Felix a thumbs-up.  

Beatrice mentioned there was an easier method than a curse, giving an evil grin. 

“I believe you’ve already experienced it,” Beatrice said.

She put her hand out to mime the way she’d drained Subaru’s mana earlier. Subaru realized that a mana drain was capable of killing someone through weakness. 

“Wait… you’re not the one who killed me, are you?” Subaru said.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m busy,” Beatrice said, reaching for a book too high for her to reach. “I couldn’t even spare the effort to kill you.” 

“That’s not a very strong retort,” Reinhard said mildly. 

“Though it is an honest one,” Wilhelm said. 

Subaru got the book for Beatrice, to which she responded with a “hmph.” 

“She has such a cute pouting face,” Subaru said, smiling. 

“I would tease you with your title of ‘Lolimancer’ at such a remark, but I can’t deny your affection when I feel similarly towards my buds,” Julius said. His spirits were trapped in their crystals right now, but Julius could still feel their contract deep in his Od, which he found endlessly comforting. 

“Honestly, I wish Miss Beatrice was here too,” Garfiel said. 

“Such serious things shouldn’t be kept between spirit and contractor,” Julius agreed. 

“I agree, but I’m also glad,” Subaru said. “She shouldn’t have to see all this stuff.” 

Beatrice was very old, but in some ways (due to her very limited interactions with others) she was a bit more like a child. One thing Subaru knew is that seeing all this would scar Beatrice deeply, in a way she might never recover from. 

“Can anyone do that mana-sucking thing?” Subaru asked. 

Beatrice confirmed that only she and Puck were capable of doing so. 

On one hand, believing the curse comes from within the mansion is barking up the wrong tree, but if he trusts Beatrice, then that statement will likely only confirm his suspicions that the person who attacked him is also a shaman. I don’t believe that to be true, Julius thought, shaking his head. 

Suddenly, Felix made a noise of surprise. 

“Hm?” Wilhelm said, turning to Felix. 

“If Subaru is a guest here, then he’s not going to the village with Rem to buy groceries, nya,” Felix said. “Therefore, Subaru won’t be cursed!” 

“Oh!” Reinhard said. “Though, if Subaru tries to get Emilia to go on a ‘dayte’ with him involving the dog, then maybe he still might run into that Mabeast…” 

“Not to mention that he might die to the other attacker,” Julius said, not willing to get his hopes up again. 

“Still, that’s good to note,” Wilhelm said. “Excellent memory, Felix.”
“Nya!” Felix said, grinning at his accomplishment. 

“Don’t suck up that stuff too much. Especially from me. I’m really short on blood right now, so I’d die in a heartbeat,” Subaru said. 

Beatrice agreed, stating that his organs had been restored, but that blood hadn’t been replaced. “Well, I have no obligation to do so, anyway,” Beatrice said. 

“My organs?” Subaru said. “The way you said that makes it sound like you were the ones who healed my wounds.” He grinned. “Trying to take the credit from Emilia-tan makes you look bad!” 

“Oh, no,” Garfiel said. “Now you’ve done it. Cap’n is about to get his butt kicked.” 

“Even Garfiel can sense it…” Subaru lamented. 

“That silly girl doesn’t have the power to heal fatal wounds yet, I suppose,” Beatrice said. 

“Eh?”

“She and Bubby stabilized you, and I healed your wounds,” Beatrice explained. 

Subaru reacted with complete disbelief at that, before assuming that Beatrice was lying. “It was a lie! It’s not nice to lie! No lying!” Subaru said, sing-song, as Beatrice began to literally shake with rage. 

“How much money do you want to bet that Subaru gets killed and has to go back because he annoys someone so much that they just kill him on the spot?” Felix said.

“It’s not nice to bet on someone’s death, Felix,” Julius said.

“It’d be on him getting beat up, but Beatrice already threw him out a window,” Felix said with a lofty shrug. 

I’d want to bet against that, but that same thing is about to happen again… Subaru thought. 

“Shut up, I suppose. You’re too averse to the truth!” Beatrice raised a hand and threw him out of the library, into more bushes, just as she had that morning. 

“Um…” Emilia said. “Once again, are you alright?”

“Always in front of Emilia!” Subaru said. “You guys see how bad my luck is now, right?” 

“It’s certainly unlike any other,” Julius couldn’t help but agree. “At least she’s not judging you too much." 

“That’s true, she is nice, but it’d be nice for her to have an impression of me that doesn’t involve me getting thrown into the dirt,” Subaru said, scratching the back of his head. 

Subaru was seen in his room, presumably having cleaned up offscreen. He considered his circumstances, realizing he didn’t know much at all. If Return by Death’s conditions are the same, I died three times in the Capital, and survived the fourth time. But that doesn’t mean I intend to treat this as a throwaway life. 

“I’m glad to hear that, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. “I would find it quite distressing if you were to begin giving up on loops.” 

Old Man Wil usually isn’t so open with his feelings, Felix thought. He’s trying to make Subaru understand that this is really important.

“Sometimes, it feels like it’d be more… efficient, to just use loops for information-gathering,” Subaru said. “But… it hurts so much I can’t stomach it, you know? And it feels like by doing that I’d start losing my humanity.” 

“You’re doing the right thing, Subaru!” Felix cheered, supporting Wilhelm’s efforts. “The mental toll this takes might be immense, but you’re still getting the broad strokes down!” 

Subaru couldn’t help but feel a little relieved at their words. In retrospect, the way he’d handled some of these earlier loops (especially with a critical lack of information) was far from perfect, and he’d worried a little bit that his friends would think he was… stupid, or something. Instead, they only seemed concerned for him.

That’s why I asked Puck to keep an eye on Emilia for me, Subaru thought.

A flashback was shown of Subaru talking with Puck.

“Sure. This is all really vague, but I can tell you’re asking out of concern for Lia,” Puck said. 

“Oh! So you did take precautions to protect the others in the mansion, in particular the most likely target,” Felix said. 

Subaru is doing better in this loop than I thought he would, Julius thought. He’s actually figured out a remarkable amount. 

“I couldn’t just leave Emilia unprotected!” Subaru said. And I wasn’t going to leave the others, either… 

On the morning of the fourth day, I’ll leave here, and… 

There was a knock on the door. 

He plans to leave? Julius thought. It was a bit surprising… however, Julius didn’t want to make any hasty conclusions yet, as he hadn’t heard the entire plan. 

“I see you really are studying, sir,” Ram said, entering with more tea. 

“That’s super rude,” Subaru said. “I am a guest here, you know.” 

“You’re a freeloader calling yourself a guest,” Ram said. “That’s how I perceive it, sir.” 

“Is that a good sign?” Felix asked. 

“I think so,” Reinhard answered, though he himself was equally clueless about how Ram functioned. 

“Thanks,” Subaru said as he received his tea. He winced as he took a sip. “Ugh, its still nasty.” 

“You’ll incur the wrath of the mansion’s finest tea leaves,” Ram said, sitting on his bed. 

“Slacking off right in front of your guest? I have no words for that nerve of yours,” Subaru joked.

“You were the one who told me to be more friendly toward you. I am only responding to your demand,” Ram said, kicking out her legs casually. 

Garfiel attempted to ignore the cute look on Ram’s face. He’d already decided he wasn’t going to think about his crush right now until he got a better sense of the relationship between Ram and Roswaal and how badly it needed to be destroyed. 

At least his relationship with Ram is being repaired, Reinhard thought. Still, with the information we have about the loop, I’m not sure that it will come to much in the end. 

Ram asked how Subaru’s studying was going. Subaru said it was going well, pointing out that he could read simple fairy tales now. 

“It’s interesting how the morals slightly differ from those of the ones I know. Maybe I should import a few fairy tales from my homeland. Like, The Red Oni who cried!” 

Ram jumped slightly at the title. 

“You still don’t know that they’re oni, do you…” Garfiel groaned. 

“Don’t say something insensitive!” Felix cheered.

“You should believe in him, cap’n did really well last time when he talked to Rem about Onis,” Garfiel said reasonably. 

“That is true,” Felix noted.

“The Red Oni who cried?” Ram questioned.

“Want me to tell it to you?” Subaru asked.

Subaru took her silence as an affirmative, and began to explain the fairy tale.

“Once upon a time, there was a red oni and a blue oni…” 

“Ram and Rem are literally red and blue oni!” Garfiel exclaimed. 

“Well, Ram is more pink than red…” Subaru said.

“Still, it’s quite the coincidence,” Julius said. “No wonder Ram is a bit startled by the story.” 

Subaru explained that there were two good friends, a red oni and a blue oni. The red oni wanted to befriend the people of the village, but that they were too afraid of him. The blue oni, to fix this, created a plan where he caused a ruckus in the village and the red oni would stop him, gaining the villagers trust. 

The plan worked, however, when the red oni went to visit the blue oni, he had left, knowing that if the red oni was known to be friends with the blue oni, that he would lose the villagers’ trust that he worked so hard to gain. 

As Subaru told the story, Ram’s eyes weren’t visible, and she grasped her teacup. 

“The red oni read the letter in silence, over and over again,” Subaru said. “Tears fell, as he began to cry. The end.” 

“That’s a sad story,” Ram said. 

“Do you think it has some significance to Ram-san?” Julius asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a story,” Felix said. 

“The way she’s reacting, though…” Garfiel said. 

In a lot of ways, it isn’t really reflective of them, Subaru thought. Rem didn’t sacrifice herself for Ram to make friends, at least as far as I know. But the blue oni’s self-sacrificing nature, all to benefit the red oni, now that fits Rem. I bet that’s what Ram is thinking about. 

“Yeah. But I think it’s a sweet story, too,” Subaru said. 

“I think all the characters in it are just stupid,” Ram said. “The red oni, the blue oni, and the villagers, too.” 

“That’s kind of a harsh critique. I mean, I’m not denying it, but… that’s why I both love and hate that story,” Subaru said, noting that the blue oni’s self-sacrifice was appealing, but simultaneously foolish because they didn’t stand to gain from it. 

“You’re really one to say that, Subaru,” Felix said. 

“Well, I get stuff in return for sacrificing myself,” Subaru protested. 

“Like what? More death?” Felix said. 

“Like… a place to live! And friendship!” Subaru said. 

“Simply working like you did before should be enough to earn a place to stay, dying for their sake should not be required,” Wilhelm said. “And such sacrifice certainly shouldn’t be needed to provide surface-level friendship as they are offering you.” 

“Face it, Subaru, you’re the blue oni,” Felix said smugly. 

“Oh yeah? Then who’s the red oni?” 

“Emilia!” Felix said. 

“But I wouldn’t want to leave Emilia, even if I thought it was for her own gain,” Subaru said. In fact, this exact sequence of events had come up at the Capital… “Checkmate, Felix.” 

“Well, maybe not back then, but you probably would now, right?” Garfiel said. “If you really thought it was what would make her happy.” 

Damn you, character development! Subaru thought. Not letting me refute Felix’s point! 

“Maybe, but the fact that everyone else I know also lives with Emilia kinda changes that situation,” Subaru said. “I don’t think I could leave everybody behind. Getting ripped from my home once was enough for me.” 

“That’s rather understandable,” Reinhard said. Though, internally, he frowned. So my plans to get Subaru to stay at the Astrea mansion are probably not going to be accepted… 

“It’s the red oni that I think is beyond help,” Ram said. " He dragged the blue oni into his own desires. As a result, he lost nothing. Only the blue oni lost anything." 

Subaru wondered if she was talking about herself. While Ram would only praise herself directly, he knew she had mixed feelings about her relationship with her sister and their history, the type of mixed feelings that would cause her to critique herself like this. 

“Then what do you think the two oni should have done?” Subaru asked.

“If the red oni truly wanted to befriend the humans, he should have broken off his horns and gone to them,” Ram said, staring wistfully out the window. “He should have done that before the blue oni couldn’t bear to watch anymore.” 

“That’s a pretty extreme opinion, too…” 

“Ram’s horn… it’s broken,” Garfiel said. 

“So she is speaking from experience,” Julius said.

“She didn’t… break her own horn, did she?” Felix asked, now sounding a bit disturbed. 

“No, she lost it when her village got attacked,” Subaru explained. He didn’t like sharing Ram’s backstory like this, but he knew it was going to be on blast in the viewing anyway, and so there was no point in trying to keep it secret. 

“Still, to say something like that… I’d love to know her inner thought process regarding this,” Julius thought. “There seems to be more here.” 

Ram asked Subaru which of the oni he would rather be friends with.

Ram extended both her hands.

“The red oni, who can only wish and be taken care of by others, or the stupid blue oni, who basks in self-sacrifice?”

Now she’s talking about herself and Rem for certain, Subaru lamented. The red oni who can only be taken care of by others, and the blue oni who sacrifices herself? It seemed an obvious parallel.

I haven’t dwelled on these words a lot since she said them, since I didn’t know as much about those two as I do now, but it’s a bit sad if that’s how Rem sees herself, Subaru thought. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why she didn't take her work more seriously if she didn't want to be taken care of by others -- maybe just old habits, potentially? 

“If she is talking about something related to her own past, such as herself and her sister,” Wilhelm said. “Your answer to this question could be very interesting.” 

The viewers waited to see which option Subaru would pick.

Subaru reached out and grasped both of her hands. 

“Oh, that’s cute!” Garfiel said. “You want to be friends with everyone!” 

Wilhelm’s face softened as well. Such an answer was naive… but from Subaru, it was also a true promise. 

“What a foolish answer. If you want to befriend both, you must be the indecisive, adulterous type. You’ll regret it one day,” Ram said.

“I don’t recall it being that type of story!” Subaru said. 

“Putting aside your homeland’s fairy tales, did any of these stories leave an impression on you?” Ram asked.

Subaru said that he was most interested in the one about the dragon and the witch. 

While Subaru was able to ask about the dragon’s covenant, when he tried to ask about the witch, Ram abruptly refused to answer and began to leave. 

“Talking about the witch is a dangerous habit in Lugnica, Subaru,” Julius said.

“I’ve noted that much,” Subaru sighed.

“She may not want to discuss it since her liege resembles the witch so strongly,” Wilhelm said. 

“It is likely a bit of a sore subject,” Reinhard agreed. 

Rem might have told her I’m a suspected witch cultist as well, Subaru thought. Nobody wants to discuss the witch with a crazy cultist. 

Ram left, promising to notify Subaru when dinner was ready. 

“O-okay,” Subaru said, a bit surprised by her sudden exit.

“The story you told me about the oni… don’t tell it to Rem. I’m certain she wouldn’t like it,” Ram said, before closing the door. 

Once Ram left, Subaru laid back in bed, contemplating the fairy tale about the witch.

“Ain’t nothin’ good with getting involved with a witch,” Garfiel said. Subaru knew that Garfiel was talking mostly about Echidna, though the statement was generally quite true for all witches. Subaru knew from his own experiences in the Witches’ Tea Party.

The next day, Subaru could be seen getting ready to leave the mansion. 

“Are you sure about this? We could call a royal car to take you to the capital,” Emilia said. 

“You’re leaving on foot?” Wilhelm asked. “With an enemy around, that seems like a uniquely bad idea… though, waiting for a dragon carriage to arrive would be even worse.” 

“I do have a plan,” Subaru said. Not that it goes well… 

“Indeed, though you were interrupted before you could explain it earlier,” Reinhard said. 

“I’ll be fine. One day, when I’m the kind of smart, rich man who’s worthy of you, I’ll take you away on a white horse!” Subaru promised. 

“Do you have a handkerchief? And water, lagumite ore, and…” Emilia fretted. “Will you be able to sleep by yourself?” 

“Do you think you’re my mom?!” Subaru exclaimed. 

Emilia probably would do a good job taking care of kids, if anyone would trust her to do so, Julius thought. Though I suppose if she ever had children herself, that part wouldn’t matter.

Felix found their interaction cute, but he couldn’t help but note what different wavelengths Subaru and Emilia were on. While Subaru was promising he would become smart and rich and then swoop back in and court her (or something of that nature), Emilia was treating him like a child their first time going to day-care. Despite how well they got along, things like this almost made them feel fatally incompatible. 

“Then, Subaru-kun, be well. And do not lose the gift I gave you. I added something equivalent to our three days’ worth of memories together…” Roswaal said. 

Subaru shook his pack. Coins jingled from inside. “Hush money, right? Don’t worry, I get it.” 

Felix snorted. “He was probably expecting a little bit more subtlety.”

“Talking with you makes any evil scheme seem to lose its purpose,” Roswaal said. 

“Yep, I was right,” Felix said. 

“Unfortunately, if that’s what he wanted from Subaru, he was never to get what he desired,” Julius deadpanned. 

I can’t even say Julius is wrong, Subaru thought. But he couldn’t deny he was a little proud for throwing Roswaal off-guard, even if just a little bit. 

Subaru turned to the maids. “You two helped me out a ton. Especially you, Rem-rin. Thanks for all the great food. And Ram-chi… yeah! You’re good at cleaning toilets, right?”

“You could have complimented her for bringing you tea,” Reinhard said. 

“I realize that now,” Subaru said. 

“Sister, Sister, our guest is hopelessly bad at flattery.” 

“Rem, Rem, our guest has a fatal lack of skill in flattery.” 

“Oh, shut up! I seriously couldn’t think of anything!” Subaru said. He calmed down a little. “Thanks, though,” Subaru said, thanking them a bit more seriously.  

“Yes, sir,” the twins said in tandem, with slight smiles. 

Ram normally doesn’t look that pleased with herself, Garfiel said. Even though she basically got insulted, I can tell she’s not upset. She’d probably actually enjoyed her time with Subaru. 

To Subaru’s judgment, Rem’s face was surprisingly pleasant given that she was going to slaughter Subaru later in the loop, but Subaru supposed that maybe that could partially be attributed to her being satisfied he was leaving.

Emilia walked out of the gates with Subaru. 

“Subaru!” Emilia said. “Thank you for everything.”

“Man, you could have left richer, and on good terms with everyone,” Felix lamented. “Then you could have joined Crusch-sama and everything would have been great.” 

“Except for the Emilia Camp being subjected to that brutal attacker,” Julius said. 

Felix shrugged. “Sounds like a them problem though.”

“Don’t forget the Emilia and Crusch factions are allies now,” Wilhelm lightly admonished. “As a result, their well-being is now our interest.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Felix sighed. Though I was against that alliance in the first place… 

“If you need anything, come visit anytime,” Emilia said.

Subaru smiled. “Sure!” he said. As he walked farther away, he waved behind him. “Thanks, Emilia-tan!” 

Once Emilia was out of sight, Subaru’s face took on a more serious expression. He looked around, before ducking into the woods.

“And now we get to see cap’n’s plan,” Garfiel said. 

Reinhard nodded his head. Subaru sneaking around on the fourth day wasn’t a bad call at all if he was trying to plan for an evil attacker, especially since the attacker almost seemed to target him. If he was attacked because he was Subaru, and not because he was a casualty of an attack on Emilia, then pretending to leave early might prevent it altogether. 

Subaru climbed through the forest, eventually arriving on a hill. “Okay, this is it. From here, I can see Emilia’s room especially well. Now all that’s left is to wait for something to happen…”  

“That’s not a bad idea,” Julius said. “Unless, of course, the attacker comes from that direction.” It was a little better, Julius believed, than sitting inside his room waiting to be killed again. 

Or, if the attacker comes from inside the mansion, and she can sense I didn’t leave because I smell so much like the witch, which is the case, Subaru thought, internally sighing. The plan was perhaps good in theory if one of the mansion’s residents didn’t have a way to track him, which she did, and if it didn’t make him look like an insanely suspicious spy.

Subaru pulled out a knife from his backpack. “... And stop it.” 

“Where did you obtain that knife, Subaru?” Julius asked.

“Stole it from the kitchen in the mansion,” Subaru shrugged. 

“Given that it’s being used to protect the lives of the mansion’s residents, I’m sure they couldn’t complain about such a thing,” Reinhard added. 

Julius appreciated Subaru’s effort, but he knew a simple knife wouldn’t mean anything against an opponent with a morningstar, at least not in Subaru’s hands it wouldn’t. But Subaru could be tricky. Perhaps by fighting dirty, Subaru could use it to buy himself more time. 

“I don’t want to die,” Subaru said. 

Subaru leaned back, thinking about the residents of the mansion.

“I don’t want them to die,” Subaru said. 

Subaru grit his teeth.

“What did I tell you, Natsuki Subaru? Even if no one remembers when things repeat…” Subaru turned the knife over in his hands. “You remember.” 

He’s trying so hard, Julius thought. I hope at least he sees the attacker’s face this time. 

“You got it, cap’n!” Garfiel cheered. “We’re with ya!” 

Garfiel could sense that conflict, and potentially a death was incoming, so he wanted Subaru to feel as good as possible going in. He wasn’t sure how to help with that, though, so he just did his best by giving some clumsy words of encouragement. 

Subaru just appreciated Garfiel’s sincerity. “Thanks, Garfiel,” Subaru said. 

There was a time-skip, and the sky had now turned red for the sunset. 

This is it, Subaru thought, grabbing fistfuls of his blanket. Rem’s about to show up. 

Subaru noted that he hadn’t gone shopping with Rem this time, but dismissed the thought. It’ll still be a while before dark. Focus, focus! 

Something rushed through the forest, towards Subaru. 

Subaru barely managed to get out of the way as a spiked ball on a chain grazed his cheek, sending him flailing off the cliff. 

“Cap’n!” Garfiel said, suddenly fearful that they’d see Subaru splattered on the ground below. 

That initial blow was far too close! Julius thought. Subaru has such a poor reaction time, it’s a miracle his skull wasn’t crushed instantly by that wrecking ball… if that happened, he’d be just back where he started, with no information about his attacker. 

Luckily, Subaru had tied a rope to his waist, allowing him to grapple down the cliff without damage. “Emergency escape!” he said, cutting the rope and running.

Garfiel sighed in relief as Subaru survived the fall without damage. 

“So you prepared for an attack from behind, and engineered a way for you to escape,” Wilhelm said. The plan was more thorough than he’d initially thought. If Subaru had a penchant for anything, it was coming up with intricate plans. Wilhelm hated to even think about it, but it synchronized well with his ability. 

“I saw it! I saw where the sound of chains came from!” Subaru ditched his bag and started fleeing from the scene. Subaru looked back. “But is it coming this way now?” 

Reinhard felt a chill watching. 

Subaru just… ran so slow. 

He knew it wasn’t fair to compare Subaru to himself, as Reinhard was impossibly faster than most, but at that pace Subaru would never be able to escape a professional assassin, especially not one with a ranged weapon. Reinhard’s worst fears were confirmed as the scene continued.

Subaru ran forward, only to be stopped by a cliff face. Does this mean I played right into the attacker’s hands? 

Subaru swallowed. Don’t underestimate home turf advantage… 

Julius narrowed his eyes. Whether or not cornering Subaru like that was intentional or a ‘happy accident’ was the difference between knowing whether or not the killer had been canvassing the area beforehand. 

Wilhelm already knew that the odds of Subaru escaping the situation was slim, but his escape route being cut off like this felt like a death knell. 

Subaru turned around, taking off his jacket.

“If you’re coming, then come!” Subaru said, holding out his jacket towards the forest. 

The sound of chains rang from the forest. 

The entire theater held their breath. 

The morningstar rushed forward, hitting Subaru’s outstretched jacket. It threw Subaru back, but didn’t land a strong enough hit to damage Subaru.  

Subaru grabbed the morningstar’s chain. 

“All right… show yourself, damn it! I’ve gone through all kinds of hell to see your face!” 

Julius’ imagination flared and a vivid image appeared in his head of the attacker yanking the morningstar back and hitting Subaru, his head exploding into gore as it had in the last loop. 

Julius tried to clear his head. The rampant violence was just getting to him a little. 

I need to get myself together, Julius thought. It wasn’t you who felt this pain. It’s Subaru who truly needs comfort. 

Still… Julius wished he had his buds… 

“Come on, come on… cap’n is so close!” Garfiel said. 

Subaru pulled on the chain. It went taut. Something was pulling on the chain from within the woods. 

Then, it went slack, as the attacker walked forward.

Their silhouette became visible as the attacker walked forward. 

“One of the maids-!” Felix said. The dress and the headpiece in the attacker’s silhouette made it painfully obvious that it was one of them. 

“But which one,” Wilhelm said. 

Garfiel was already developing a suspicion. 

Ram doesn’t fight with chains, I don’t think… Garfiel thought, dread creeping up. 

“Then I have no choice,” they said.

“That voice…” Garfiel said, stomach dropping. 

“It can’t be,” Julius said. Surely, it’s not... 

The attacker walked out of the shadows, revealing it to be Rem. 

“Hold on, the sleeping girl?” Felix said. 

“Is this… some kind of joke?” Wilhelm said, voice cold. 

“What kind of joke would that be?” Felix snapped. “The morningstar was aiming to kill!” 

“The one you’ve been working so hard to wake up,” Julius said numbly. “The one who you’ve been protecting all this time… she’s… but why? Why would she kill you? Why don’t you despise her?” 

“You don’t understand the whole story!” Subaru said. Subaru had grown to understand Rem on an intimate level, knowing all of her insecurities, and what caused her to kill. As a result, he still found her sympathetic, despite what had happened.  

“There is no story that could justify that,” Felix snarled. 

Wilhelm opened his mouth to try to ask further, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, “I’ll kill her.” 

“No!” Subaru sounded panicked and devastated at that. “Don’t you dare!” 

“Subaru, she slaughtered-” 

“Shut up, Julius!” Subaru’s voice was feral. “If any of you touch her, I’ll tear you apart!” 

Subaru’s statement held fierce authority. Subaru was weak, but he was clever, with strong allies and the greatest ace of them all. Such a threat could hold true, if Subaru wanted it to. 

“Alright, Subaru,” Reinhard said. “We understand.”

“Does he?” Subaru said, casting a look at Wilhelm that was more hostile than anything Wilhelm had seen from him. 

“... I understand,” Wilhelm relented. “I’ll obey your wishes.” 

Subaru let out a long sigh, burying his head in his hands. 

There was an uncomfortable silence. 

“Clearly, there’s something more to this,” Julius said. “Before we make a judgment on how Rem… should be handled, going forward, perhaps we should watch further so we can understand how Subaru and Rem’s relationship developed under such conditions.” 

“Promise you won’t do anything if I don’t want you to,” Subaru said. 

“We promise, Subaru,” Julius said. 

“You’re the boss,” Felix agreed. Everyone else murmured their agreement.

Subaru shuddered. “Okay. Okay.” 

Wilhelm nodded slowly as well, but... he wasn’t being completely honest. 

He was still strongly considering killing Rem.

I’m sorry, Subaru, Wilhelm thought. Please forgive me. 

Rem had killed Subaru--brutally--while he was weak and helpless and hurt. Rem was asleep for now, rendering her a non-threat for the time being, but Subaru was working hard to wake her up. It wasn’t safe. 

Once Rem was dead, Subaru would mourn, but he would be safe. 

Unless the viewing could prove that Rem wouldn’t behave so brutally again, she would have to go. That was Wilhelm’s decision. 

Despite Rem’s brutal actions, none of the others were having thoughts as extreme as these. Still, everyone was deeply shocked by this new information. 

“She was acting so friendly in those other loops,” Garfiel said. “Damn… I don’t know if I can trust my intuition about people anymore…” 

“She was acting coldly, this loop,” Julius said. “She showed her hand. Yet, I still didn’t anticipate it…” 

“Let’s keep watching,” Felix said. “I want to know what she’s doing this for.” And I want to get this death over with…

“Right,” Subaru said. He was rattled by the possibility that someone would hurt Rem, but felt a little bit better given that everyone promised not to do anything he didn’t want them too. But still, that didn’t mean these next few loops would be pleasant to watch.

Subaru’s face turned horrified and scared as Rem walked forward.

“The ideal scenario would have been to finish this without anyone noticing,” Rem said. 

“You’re joking…” Subaru said. “Right, Rem?” 

The episode abruptly ended.

“Darn it,” Garfiel groaned. 

“Let’s just turn on the next one,” Julius suggested. 

“I would also prefer this confrontation be concluded as quickly as possible,” Reinhard said. “Subaru, is this alright with you? It is okay if you don’t want to continue.” 

“No, I agree,” Subaru said, not wanting the others to dwell on Rem’s murder attempt without having a good explanation, or force them to wait to learn whether or not he’d die. 

“We can take another break after this next episode,” Reinhard said. Despite a desire to speed through the episodes as fast as possible, he would rather give Subaru a bit of extra time to process rather than stress him by tearing through episodes at a breakneck pace. 

“Alright, sounds good,” Subaru sighed. “Onto the next one." 

Episode Seven: Natsuki Subaru’s Restart

Chapter Text

Rem stood in front of Subaru, holding the chain that killed him. 

“If you do not resist, I can make your death painless,” Rem said.

“Why are you doing this? That’s a cliche, but do you mind my asking?” Subaru asked.

The viewers waited in anticipation for Rem to reveal her motives. 

“If someone seems suspicious, punish them. This is the rule of maids,” Rem said.

“That’s her reason?!” Felix said. “Seriously?”

“Tch… what bull,” Garfiel said, clenching his fist. 

"I kind of wondered at the time if that was true to some extent in this world," Subaru said.

"Not exactly," Wilhelm said. "While maids at times may be tasked with defending the lord's property, that hardly extends to executing suspicious guests."

“Maybe she’s working for Roswaal,” Garfiel said, snapping. “That would make him responsible, wouldn’t it?”

“Perhaps. Even so, choosing to carry out such despicable orders is her own choice,” Julius said.

“Does Ram know?”

“I intend to finish this before my sister sees anything.” 

Julius closed his eyes. “So Ram is innocent.”

“I knew it!” Garfiel said. “Ram’s not a bad person!” 

Subaru internally winced at that. Better do some damage control, otherwise they’ll all be in for a bad surprise. “Well, even if she did end up helping Rem, would it really be so-” 

“Subaru, if the next words out of your mouth are asking if it would really be so bad, I’m going to have a stroke,” Felix said, massaging circles into his forehead. 

Subaru closed his mouth. 

“The phrasing of Rem’s words make it sound as though she’s acting alone,” Julius observed. “So maybe Roswaal is not involved after all.” 

“Is that how little you trusted me?” Subaru asked.

“Yes,” Rem said. 

Subaru’s face twisted with grief. “Damn, I’m pathetic… I was so sure we were getting along well.” 

“Don’t blame yourself for not being able to tell,” Reinhard interrupted. “None of us were able to determine she was the killer before she struck, either.” 

Subaru nodded in agreement. In fact, Rem and Ram hadn’t been faking their feelings in past loops, especially in early loops where his witch scent was less noticeable, and as a result it was difficult to tell. Because he knew this now, he managed to feel a little less betrayed by Rem’s actions -- after all, he was certain they were heat-of-the-moment, rather than calculated.  

Subaru sighed to himself. Watching this would have been easier before the second trial, when I didn’t see these past lives as ‘myself.’ Now it’s honestly a little painful… 

“My sister-” Rem said.

“I don’t wanna hear it!” Subaru pulled out his phone. “Take this!” 

Subaru activated the flash option, blinding Rem. 

Subaru roughly tossed Rem aside and started running. 

“Yes, cap’n!” Garfiel shouted. “Go go go!” 

Julius gave a tiny sigh as the tension of the scene released. He’d thought Subaru was about to have his head blown off right then and there when Rem approached him. 

Unfortunately, Subaru’s victory was short-lived. 

Subaru ran at full speed away from the situation. Before he could escape, a blast of wind magic attacked Subaru, severing his leg from his body. Subaru screamed in pain. 

Garfiel resisted a flinch as he listened to the pained screams of his cap’n. He clenched his fists, further vitriol towards Rem building in his body. 

Julius let out a quick exhale. She said she would do it painlessly… and Subaru is still so loyal to you. Just finish him, Julius willed. 

Felix bit his lip. The longer this went on, the guiltier he felt for thinking Subaru was weak and pathetic when he first showed up at Karsten manor. His opinion had clearly been hasty. After all, any person who could act even somewhat sane after undergoing such suffering couldn’t be properly called weak. Felix was ashamed to admit that he hadn’t taken Wilhelm’s statement about Subaru’s eyes reflecting death very seriously at the time.

As Subaru screamed, Rem crouched down next to him. 

“Mana of water, heal this damaged body,” Rem said.  

Subaru made choked noises, looking back at her in confusion. 

“If you die so easily, I cannot get any information from you.” 

“No,” Reinhard said, almost unconsciously. He had never felt significant pain himself, due to his abilities, but Subaru’s screaming was terrible to hear. He didn’t want Subaru to suffer. “Why…?”

“How cruel,” Julius commented. Her actions were truly barbaric. He didn’t understand how Subaru could tolerate being around such a person, even if they were in eternal sleep. 

And worse, Rem was powerful -- to have an affinity for both wind and water magic, Rem would be a formidable foe indeed. She’d used wind magic to cut off his leg earlier, so ostensibly she was at least competent with it. How many loops would it take him to tame her? 

To use healing magic to do something like that… Felix thought, lip curling in disgust. The worst of the worst. 

Rem picked up the knife.

“If you had stabbed me with this, you could have fled a bit farther,” Rem said.

“He didn’t because he’s not your enemy, you dingbat!” Garfiel shouted. “How stupid can you get!?” 

“Ignoring such obvious facts… clear negligence, nya,” Felix said. 

“He shoulda stabbed her,” Garfiel muttered. “Self-defense.” 

Subaru stayed silent at the hatred towards Rem. He would rather they get their feelings out now by yelling at screen-Rem than hold on to them in their hearts. It would be easier for them to forgive her later, that way. 

Rem threw the knife over her shoulder into the woods.

“I ask you this… are you a member of a faction that supports Emilia-sama’s rival for the throne?” 

“Crusch-sama would never treat a political opponent like this,” Felix hissed. 

“Neither would Anastasia-sama approve of such brutality,” Julius agreed. 

“Emilia wouldn’t either,” Subaru said, pursing his lips. “Unfortunately…” 

“Unfortunately Rem ain’t listening to her,” Garfiel said. 

“My heart belongs to Emilia-tan forever--” 

Rem whipped Subaru with her morningstar as Subaru let out a pained scream.

Wilhelm felt a fire being lit under his heart. 

Vengeance… he was familiar with it. He’d gotten it for many things. Petty squabbles, his father-in-law, his wife. And right now, he wanted nothing more than to bury his sword into everything and anything that was causing Subaru pain, regardless of any promises that had been made to Subaru. 

How could any story of Rem’s possibly justify this? Reinhard wondered. I just don’t understand… 

Subaru remained curled up in his seat, trying not to think too hard about the sequence of events unfolding. Rem didn’t mean it. She didn’t mean it, really. Once the show progressed enough, all of his friends would see Rem’s reasons for doing this, and no one would need to question Rem’s loyalties again. 

“Who hired you, and under what conditions?”

“Emilia-tan’s smile, and it was priceless--” 

Rem hit him again, blood spattering across her face. 

Only Subaru would answer like that, Julius thought. Words like that could only be either mockery or an expression of total sincerity, and Rem is too far gone to see that Subaru speaks only the truth. 

How the hell does Ram have a sister like this? Garfiel said. I mean, I haven’t seen their dynamic, but if Rem can act this violently and sadistically towards strangers, then shouldn’t Ram have been aware something like this might happen? 

The whole situation gave Garfiel a bad feeling. Something was off. 

“Are you affiliated with the witch’s cult?” Rem asked. 

As Rem said this, her eyes were filled with sick glee.

“The witch’s… cult?” Felix echoed. 

“I suppose it’s not an illogical question,” Wilhelm said. “The witch’s cult is clearly known to target the Emilia question. But that look in her eyes…” 

“Complete hatred,” Julius agreed. “That question is no coincidence.” 

Garfiel suddenly realized something. It’s just like Ryuzu Shima said -- Subaru smells like the witch. She couldn’t be attacking him because of that, could she? 

“The witch’s cult?” Subaru weakly lifted his head. “I don’t know what that is…”

Julius winced in pity. Subaru was so clearly confused and in pain, but Rem would never notice that part of his response to the question, because not knowing of the witch’s cult would be an unbelievable claim. 

Felix already knew the loop was a wash, but he felt his heart sink. “Well, that’s it…” 

“My family has been secular for generations--”

“Don’t play dumb!” Rem shouted. “Your bald-faced lies can only take you so far, when the witch’s smell lies thickly upon you!” 

“The what?” Julius asked, eyes narrowing. 

“The witch’s scent,” Garfiel said. “I’ve heard about it.” 

The room turned to him, now curious.  

“Ryuzu Shima from Sanctuary told me that people who are related to the witch cult or a witch will smell like miasma,” Garfiel said. “And, she also told me that Subaru totally stinks of it.” 

“What?” Felix said, stunned. 

“Subaru, is that true?” Wilhelm asked. 

Subaru slowly nodded. 

“It made me think that Subaru was an enemy at first,” Garfiel admitted, before his face hardened. “But even I wouldn’ta gone this far!” 

“Related to the witch cult or a witch?” Reinahard asked. “But Subaru doesn’t fit that description whatsoever. He doesn’t even know what the witch cult is.” 

“Doesn’t fit that description… that we know of,” Felix said. 

“Felix,” Julius chastised. “We can see what Subaru is thinking in the show. There is no room here for subterfuge.” 

“Not like that, I mean unbeknownst to Subaru as well,” Felix said. “Maybe he was cursed without his knowledge.” 

Close, but not exactly, Subaru thought. 

“Perhaps,” Julius said. “Though I hope any curse would be mild, if Subaru is still afflicted with it.” 

“Regardless, such a thing would explain why Rem so quickly attacked him,” Wilhelm said. Even if it made Rem’s actions more understandable, it didn’t make the girl any less dangerous. 

“When I watched you conversing with my sister, I felt I would go mad with anger and unrest. Someone associated with the one who has caused my sister so much agony, boldly encroaching on the place in which she and I belong…”

“Someone who caused her agony?” Julius questioned. 

“It seems likely Ram was a victim of the witch cult, from her words,” Reinhard said. “Perhaps she was attacked and wounded.” 

“That doesn’t make this acceptable!” Garfiel said. “Tch…” 

“We weren’t saying it does,” Reinhard said appeasingly. 

Garfiel felt his stomach twist at the slight hypocrisy he was displaying. He, too, had felt strong suspicion towards Subaru upon learning he smelled like the witch. In fact, as a result, their confrontation had ended in a fight. 

Garfiel shook his head. 

This was different. A fight was different from one-sided torture. He was nothing like her. 

“I cannot bear it any longer. Even if I know my sister only acts friendly with, and pretends to care for, you!” 

Subaru looked shattered at the idea. 

“I am sure Rem is lying,” Reinhard soothed. Subaru nodded. 

She’s not exactly lying, but that’s what she wants to believe, Subaru thought. 

I suppose she’s being protective of her sister, Julius thought. He could begrudgingly understand Rem’s perspective -- when it came to reasons for attacking someone, suspecting them to be a witch cultist wasn’t the worst excuse. Yet, Julius still found it unnatural that Subaru could defend this woman with such zeal after experiencing such pain at her hands. Not to mention, mild suspicion didn’t justify such brutality by any means. 

Subaru laid back on the grass, lifting up a shaking hand. 

“I don’t cut my hands when I peel vegetables anymore. I can read and write now, even if it’s just the simple stuff. I kept my word and studied. I was able to read those fairy tales.” Tears began to run down Subaru’s face. “Thanks to you two…” 

“Damn,” Garfiel muttered. 

Julius shook his head. It was clear these small favors had meant so much to Subaru, and now the maid was, throwing all that goodwill away. 

Subaru couldn’t help but feel vaguely embarrassed by the somewhat pathetic emotional breakdown, but no one verbally judged him, so he stayed silent. 

“What are you talking about?” Rem asked.

“I’m talking about the things you guys gave me,” Subaru said. 

“I have no memory of any of that,” Rem said.  

“Is… is she hesitating?” Felix asked. 

“I doubt it,” Garfiel huffed. “She’s probably just dragging out Subaru’s pain.”

Rem’s face looked disturbed, and she didn’t attack right away. It was hard to tell if it was simple disgust at a crazed cultist that painted her face or something else. 

Wilhelm thought it looked like she was maybe second-guessing, but he had reason to doubt his own judgment. After all, Subaru’s severed leg meant that he was doomed to die in this timeline. And who would kill him if not for Rem?

“Why don’t you remember?!” Subaru screamed. “Why do you all keep leaving me behind? What did I do to you? What am I supposed to do? What did I do wrong? Why do you guys hate me so much?” 

“Rem hardly deserves such loyalty,” Felix muttered. 

“Don’t worry, we all agree on that…” Garfiel said in response. 

Subaru choked on a sob. “Even when you said you’d cut my hair… all that time…”

“I…” Rem started.

“I really like both of y-” Subaru’s statement was cut off by a blade of wind magic, which sliced open his throat. 

“So she finally killed him,” Felix growled. 

“No,” Julius said. “The wind came from the woods. Rem didn’t cast it.” 

Garfiel’s heart sank at the words. Wind magic-- it could be, it might be Roswaal--

“My sister is too kind.” 

“Ram,” Garfiel said. “Ram-- Ram wouldn’t do that!” 

“What affinity for magic does Ram have?” Julius asked. 

Garfiel faltered. “Wind, but-”

Wilhelm cut off Garfiel in a growl. “It seems the answer is clear.” 

“But Ram isn’t a bad person!” Garfiel said. “And, she and Subaru are still good friends!” 

Felix scoffed. “That doesn’t mean anything when Subaru still crawls after Rem like… like a begging dog!”

“Felix!” Julius snapped. “Those are unacceptable words. Apologize immediately.” 

Felix stayed silent for a moment, a dour look on his face.

“Now,” Julius demanded. 

“Alright, alright!” Felix said. “I’m sorry. This is just hard to watch, you know?”

“I know, but you shouldn’t take it out on Subaru,” Julius said. 

“I knyow…” Felix murmured. “I’m sorry.” 

“Thanks for the apology,” Subaru said quietly. The judgment made him feel uneasy. Considering that making up with Rem was something he considered a success, how would everyone look upon his most disgusting failures?  

“This interaction is surely difficult,” Wilhelm offered. “Ultimately, it’s Subaru’s prerogative to handle that however he pleases.” 

Wilhelm still saw Rem as a danger to be eliminated, but he wouldn’t have Subaru critiqued for how he survived through unexplainable suffering, and he didn’t miss how Subaru was looking increasingly uncomfortable. 

“Thanks, Wilhelm-san,” Subaru agreed. “Anyway! All of you should get on with your theorizing.”

“Alright,” Reinhard said, allowing Subaru’s deflection. “Given we can be certain that Rem didn’t cast the wind magic… there are three options for the perpetrator.” Reinhard held up three fingers. “Ram, the maid. Roswaal, the lord. A third party, yet-unknown.” 

“Maybe it was Roswaal,” Garfiel said, a bit hopeful. 

“But that line that Rem said… ‘my sister is too kind’,” Julius said. “Do you truly believe that Rem is incapable of distinguishing her sister’s magic from her master’s?” 

Garfiel hesitated. 

“We should continue our observations,” Reinhard said. “Soon enough the culprit will become clear.” 

“Now Subaru’s dealing with three enemies…” Felix murmured. He felt a stab of guilt for what he’d said earlier, but in a way, he stood by it. He hated seeing someone with such a low opinion of themselves that they’d justify their own murder. 

Subaru’s eyes slowly opened, scanning the room. 

“Sir, have you awakened? Sir, you’re awake?” 

Subaru saw Rem and Ram in front of him, and gave a blood-curdling scream in response. 

Another bad impression… I doubt he’ll ever get a good one. Not with how terrified he must be after every death… Reinhard thought sympathetically. 

Everyone was worried for Subaru’s mental state after his torture and betrayal. In each other death, he’d clearly been badly shaken afterwards, and this one seemed to be the worst out of the lot so far. There were a lot of discreet glances sent Subaru’s way, but Subaru kept a poker face, looking forward at the screen. It was impossible to stop their worrying, especially with how screen-him was going to act in a few moments, so there was no point in empty reassurances. 

Subaru was still in bed long afterwards.

“Subaru, Ram and Rem were really worried,” Emilia said. “They were unusually despondent, wondering if they’d been impolite…” 

“No shit they have been,” Garfiel muttered. Ram… I can’t believe that I ever trusted you. If this was Roswaal who killed him, I’ll give you a lot of apologies for thinking you were responsible… but if you killed cap’n just for the sake of your reckless sister-! Garfiel clenched his fist. 

He hadn’t thought that Ram’s dedication to Roswaal--or perhaps Rem, in this case--would extend to killing an innocent. One of the reasons he liked Ram was for her beauty, of course, and he found her strength and caustic attitude to be super attractive -- but he’d also appreciated her strong commitment to her principles. Principles which now seemed to disappear as soon as Rem’s safety or Roswaal’s orders got involved. 

He considered his sister Frederica to be similarly ‘brainwashed’ as the two twins -- thinking Roswaal was good for them when he was awful -- but he knew for certain that she would never pull anything like this. 

“Nothing happened between them and me,” Subaru said, voice flat.

“Grr!” Garfiel snarled. “They should be punished for what happened!” 

“And yet how would Subaru convince anyone that they deserve it,” Julius said. 

“Catch them in the act! Have them arrested!” Garfiel said. 

“Risky,” Julius said. “Rem is impulsive. If he provokes her intentionally, who knows if she’ll attack in the same place? Not to mention, he can’t be sure of who in this mansion he could trust. Roswaal could very well cover up the incident.” 

“He can trust Emilia!” Garfiel said. 

“Look, don’t filet me for saying this…” Felix said. “But would Emilia really be able to handle a sting operation against her maids? She clearly trusts them, and I don’t know if subtlety is her strong suit.” 

“Puck would be able to confirm Subaru’s intentions, at least,” Julius said.

“But how am I going to explain to her why I’m terrified of Rem and Ram?” Subaru asked, rubbing his eyes. “Even if I said ‘trust me, stand behind this bush’ and then provoked Rem into attacking me, she’d ask afterwards as to why I thought Rem would attack me.” 

“And then Rem would explain your witch’s scent,” Wilhelm said. “And the fact that you knew she’d be provoked would indicate you knew about it, which would be suspicious.” 

“At which point, Rem could easily accuse you of being a witch cultist intentionally trying to make her look bad,” Julius said.  

“Subaru, are you alright? If something’s wrong, you’re welcome to talk to me,” Emilia said. 

If I could tell Emilia that it’s no use, that I can’t take it anymore… Subaru thought. 

“That’s it,” Subaru said.

All this time, I’ve been struggling to change things alone, but… 

“Subaru, are you sure you’re alright?” Emilia asked. 

Felix’s ears perked up. Finally! Asking for help! The sign of a healthy mindset! Then, Felix remembered the previous statements about the taboo, and his ears flopped back down. He’s not going to be able to say anything anyway…

Reinhard looked over at Subaru, who was frowning pensively at the screen. 

I’m honestly surprised it took this long for Subaru to ask for help… especially given in the last loop he didn’t believe at all that he was at risk from the Mansion’s residents, Reinhard thought.  Perhaps that’s somewhat worrying. 

“There’s something I want you to know,” Subaru said seriously. 

“Okay,” Emilia agreed.

“Emilia, several times now, I’ve di-” 

The world froze. 

Shadows began creeping in, filling the room.

“This is the taboo?” Felix asked, feeling sudden unease. 

“What’s going on with the shadow magic?” Julius said. “That shouldn’t be how a taboo like this should present. It’s not like anything I’ve seen before.” 

“Certainly not,” Wilhelm said. “Not to mention Subaru lacks any markings on his body for what would be necessary for a contract of such magnitude, from what we saw in the baths. I doubt this is a traditional taboo. It must be something unique.” 

A dark purple hand came from the shadows, reaching toward Subaru.

“The hand from the intro!” Felix said. 

“Shadow magic… and these purple hands…” Julius frowned deeply. “They resemble the Unseen Hands of Sloth, but there’s something distinctly different about them from what I saw with Nect.”

“I believe you’re all missing something,” Reinhard said. “A taboo that Subaru didn’t ask for, in combination with the scent of the Witch? The answer seems obvious.”

“That’s not possible!” Garfiel said suddenly. “She’s sealed away! Has been for ages, so she couldn’t have done something like this!”

“The Witch of Envy is a great practitioner of yin, which could explain some of the odd things occurring around Subaru,” Julius said cautiously. “However, I believe it is far too soon to suggest something like her involvement. We haven’t seen any change from the Pleiades Watchtower.” If the Witch was free… that would be a disaster of the greatest magnitude, Julius thought, suppressing a shiver. 

“If that’s the case, then why did Subaru say, ‘you’ll know what she’ll do’ when the being who brought us here asked to show us his memories? Subaru knows who is responsible for the taboo, and she is female,” Reinhard said. 

Reinhard’s sharp! Subaru thought, surprised he’d managed to put it together with so few clues. 

“Perhaps it could be the work of a female Sin Archbishop we haven’t met yet,” Wilhelm offered. “That would also explain the miasma.” 

“Maybe,” Reinhard granted, dipping his head. 

“Let’s see more,” Felix decided. “Maybe whoever it is will show themselves with time.”

Woah… wait, Subaru thought. This is seriously no joke-!

The shadowed hand slowly approached Subaru’s chest, before reaching in and grasping his heart. “Ak-!” 

Subaru doubled over, gasping for air. 

“Subaru?” Emilia asked. “Subaru! What happened, all of a sudden?”

“It squeezes your heart?!” Julius said. “That’s… terrifying.” 

“Does it hurt?” Garfiel asked. 

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Subaru said. 

“I think maybe Subaru is being haunted by an eldritch evil,” Felix granted. “If it doesn’t turn out to be Witch Cult related, remind me to start researching fairies and wicked spirits when we get back.” 

“I will as well,” Julius agreed. 

“Can Felix check over Subaru for heart problems?” Garfiel asked, concerned.

“I already looked him over after the Whale fight, nya,” Felix said. “And I didn’t see any damage to his heart then.” 

“Still, if he’s broken the taboo many times since then…” Julius said. “Maybe it would be best to check him after the episode completes.” 

“It’s probably fine,” Subaru said. I doubt Satella would damage me permanently… that doesn’t seem to be her goal. 

Subaru reached up and placed a hand over his heart.

My body moves. My voice works. My heart doesn’t hurt. But… Subaru trembled and wrapped his arms around himself. The fear is engraved in me…  

A slight chill ran down Felix’s spine. 

As much as he didn’t like it when anyone disregarded their life, Subaru included, Felix couldn’t deny that Subaru’s life was a living hell. Subaru suffered and died repeatedly, he couldn’t even talk about it, and in this situation he didn’t even know what was going on. It was the reason Felix was backing off on that topic, even if it wasn’t resolved. Some situations deserved a little grace. 

“Did you try writing it out?” Reinhard asked. 

“I didn’t dare,” Subaru said. “And I doubt that’d work, anyway. From what I know about it now.” 

So writing it down wouldn’t work, Julius thought. But Subaru’s been able to mumble hints around others when he’s not thinking about it. Is it based on his intention, perhaps? 

“What’s wrong?” Emilia asked. “You’ve been acting really strange. Subaru, if something’s going on--” 

“I have a favor to ask,” Subaru said.

“Okay,” Emilia quickly agreed.

“Have nothing to do with me,” Subaru said. 

Subaru laid back down in bed.

“Oh no,” Garfiel bemoaned. “Come on!” 

“Could this still be the winning loop?” Julius wondered aloud. “Subaru certainly is isolating himself from Emilia… but he has most of the information now. There should be no reason for him to die.” 

“Despite knowing that Rem is a danger, he isn’t yet aware of the Mabeast’s curse,” Reinhard reminded him. 

“Yeah, but is Subaru really going to be hanging around the village given what’s going on?” Felix asked. 

I can’t imagine it’s likely he goes to get groceries with Rem at this point, even given the eventual result of their relationship, Julius thought. 

“It’s possible that if he leaves, that the Mabeast will bite him on his way out,” Wilhelm said. “I still feel concerned he could run afoul of it.” 

The scene changed. Roswaal could be seen talking to Subaru, but his words were inaudible.  

I can’t tell anyone about Return by Death. I’ve died in this Mansion three times. In the Capital, I didn’t experience a fourth time. If I die again, I might not come back. 

“That’s quite a cowardly look on your face, I suppose,” Beatrice said. 

“Why are you here?”

“That brat and Bubby told me to check up on you,” Beatrice said. 

At least there are a few people we can trust in this Mansion, Garfiel thought, a bit grumpy. Beatrice, Puck, and Emilia…

“Whether or not this concerning behavior remains remembered is all up to whether or not Subaru survives this loop,” Wilhelm said. “But in some ways that would be a benefit. Even if no one can be told directly about Return by Death, perhaps someone could deduce it from a pattern of behavior.” 

“I’m not sure how realistic that is,” Julius said. “I doubt I could deduce that someone is time-traveling by dying just by seeing them display symptoms of trauma.” 

“The idea of time travel itself is something I would have thought impossible, if not for the situation we’re present in now,” Reinhard agreed softly. “Perhaps Miss Beatrice would be able to do something similar to it? Isn’t she a Great Spirit of Yin?”

Julius shook his head. “Beatrice-sama, despite her power, probably would find such a spell impossible. If provided evidence I might be able to believe her to be capable of stopping time for brief moments, but even that’s a stretch…” 

“I don’t think she can do that. Beako tends to have better dominion over space than time,” Subaru said. “You know, with her being able to hide the Forbidden Library.” 

Satella… how powerful must she be to actually influence time like that? And how powerful must Reid, Volcanica and the Sage been to stop her? 

“Puck and Emilia?” Subaru questioned.

“Since you were acting strangely, they suspected I did something to you when you first woke up, I suppose,” Beatrice said. “Talk about rude!” 

“I get it. I’m okay now,” Subaru said. “You came to apologize. That’s enough.” 

“Why should I apologize to you, I suppose!” Beatrice said. “I can’t leave until I correct that notion.” 

More like you can’t leave until you make sure I’m okay, Subaru thought wryly, mouth quirking up in a smile. Beatrice was sweet like that. 

“I suppose Beatrice doesn’t appreciate that her childish prank was blamed for Subaru’s condition,” Julius said. Great Spirits can be rather prideful, though rightfully so. I’m glad that Beatrice is just that and not malicious. 

Beatrice sniffed, then looked repulsed.

“Not only do you look gloomy, but the smell is much heavier now, too,” she said.

“Huh?”

“The smell of the witch. I feel it’s bending my nose, I suppose,” Beatrice said.

“More confirmation that Subaru smells like the witch,” Julius said. 

“An’ she said it was stronger, too,” Garfiel said. “What coulda made it stronger?”

“Well, if Reinhard’s theory was correct…” Felix said. “Then it would be breaking the taboo, right? Because doing that summons… whatever that was.” 

“It certainly points to the likelihood of Subaru’s power being Witch Cult related,” Julius agreed.

Whenever Subaru would use his Mabeast-attracting power, he would grimace and grasp at his chest, Wilhelm thought to himself, realizing something. I thought it was simply that using the ability was somewhat strenuous… but is he activating the taboo?

It seemed to make sense. After all, it was true that Mabeasts were attracted by miasma, which is why there were so many dangerous varieties around the Pleiades Watchtower. 

“Why do you smell her on me?” Subaru asked. 

Beatrice shrugged. “Who knows? Regardless, as someone who receives special treatment from her, you’re a burden.” 

“‘Special treatment’ is ominous as hell,” Garfiel commented. 

“It’s not too comforting to hear that I’m getting special treatment from someone who’s name and face I don’t even know,” Subaru said. 

“Agreed,” Subaru said, gesturing to the screen. 

Something is off here, Julius thought. Is it really a coincidence that Subaru meets and becomes infatuated with a silver-haired half-elf just a day after arriving here, when he’s apparently also beloved by the Witch of Envy? It seemed… suspicious. 

This, and the episode title… ‘Return of the Witch’... 

Julius was finding it difficult to believe that Emilia wasn’t somehow affiliated with the Witch, even if she was entirely unaware of it.  

Julius didn’t dare voice these thoughts, however, lest he inspire the wrath of everyone else in the room. After all, it was these types of thoughts that probably led Rem to killing Subaru, so Julius doubted anyone would be excited to hear out his theories right now -- and Subaru himself would definitely not appreciate the presumed implication that the Witch and his master were affiliated somehow. He would have to watch carefully, and keep a tight leash on his thoughts. 

Beatrice began to leave, but Subaru stopped her. 

“Wait… you feel sorry for what you did to me, right?” Subaru asked.

“I do not.” 

“I’m telling Puck!” Subaru threatened.

“Well, I might feel a tiny bit sorry, I suppose.” 

“If you regret what you did and want my forgiveness, do me one favor that I ask,” Subaru said. “On the fifth morning, the day after tomorrow… would you keep me safe until then?” 

“That maid would never be able to stand up to the power of a great spirit,” Felix said, now beginning to smile. 

“If she agrees,” Wilhelm said. 

“I don’t want you to bring dissension into this Mansion, I suppose,” Beatrice said. “This place is vitally important to me.” 

“I have no intention of doing anything,” Subaru said. “I just want to stop any sparks from flying.” 

“What an admirable motive for one who leaves even that in the hands of others,” Beatrice said, and Subaru looked discouraged at her response. 

Beatrice sighed and walked forward. “Hold out your hand,” she said. 

“It worked,” Julius said, astonished. 

“I’m not surprised that Subaru was able to befriend Beatrice,” Reinhard said, sounding a bit proud.  

“Cap’n and Beatrice are destined friends!” Garfiel cheered. 

The Subaru on screen doesn’t even know it, but he’d be a lot worse off if not for his spirit affinity, Julius thought, thinking of Subaru’s friendly relationships with Puck and Beatrice. Though, Beatrice’s own personality and Subaru’s persistence and openness definitely helped. 

When he didn’t move, she grasped it herself. “I shall grant your wish.” 

“I, Beatrice, on my honor, are henceforth bound by this contract. Temporary or not, a contract is a contract. I’ll grant your nonsense favor,” she said.  

Subaru’s eyes glistened with tears. “Seriously?” 

He put his face in his hand. “I’m gonna cry because of a little girl…” 

“This was an intelligent way of solving the problem,” Wilhelm said. 

“Of the people who would be strong enough to protect Subaru, one of them is Roswaal-” Reinhard started. 

“Who is untrustworthy,” Felix said. 

“-the next is Puck-” 

“Wait, why didn’t Subaru ask Puck?” Garfiel asked. 

“Well, for one, Puck can’t come out past 5pm, when Rem most often chooses to attack,” Subaru interjected. “Not to mention, he wouldn’t like to stay away from Emilia for long periods of time, and I’d definitely already weirded him out during this loop.”

“Oh, true,” Garfiel said. 

“-and the last is Beatrice,” Reinhard finished. 

“The optimal solution,” Felix agreed. “Let’s see how it plays out.” 

“Don’t call me a little girl!” Beatrice said. “And if you tell Bubby, you’ll regret it, I suppose! Hmph!” Beatrice made a pouting face.

“Beako’s pout is so adorable!” Subaru couldn’t help but say. 

Soon after they made their deal, night fell on the Manor. 

“Wait, what night is it?” Garfiel asked. 

“I believe Subaru said that ‘the day after tomorrow’ would be the fifth day,” Wilhelm said. “So I believe that means… it’s the third day now.” 

“I actually think it might have… ‘time-skipped’-” Reinhard said, imitating the foreign word Subaru said. “-to the fourth day when we transitioned to nighttime.” 

“But wait, did you seriously not leave that room for three days?” Garfiel asked Subaru. 

“Well, I did leave it a little bit,” Subaru said. “I went to the bathroom -- and I know I ate things at some point. But I honestly can’t really remember that much.” 

“No wonder they were worried about you,” Julius muttered.

“Yeah, they were kinda right to be concerned…” Subaru said. Thankfully that ‘fugue state’ of sorts wore off. Can’t imagine how hard it would have been to deal with loops if I kept in that state. 

Subaru could be seen sleeping in his bed during the night. 

Subaru’s face was tense. He sweated, tossing and turning slightly as images of his previous murders flashed through his head. 

It’d be weirder if he didn’t have horrific nightmares, Felix thought. He gave Subaru a surreptitious look. 

“Oh, it’s--” Subaru cut himself off.

“It’s what?” Julius asked.

Subaru shook his head. “You’ll see later.” 

In his dream, Subaru could be seen stumbling around a dark forest, breathing heavily. Rem, smeared in blood and with a dead look on her face, appeared in front of Subaru. 

Rem swung her morningstar at Subaru, who flinched away. 

“Do you often have nightmares about Rem?” Reinhard gently prodded. 

“Not anymore,” Subaru said. After Rem proclaimed  I was her hero… these dreams about her stopped. 

“Really?” Julius asked skeptically.

“Well, it’s not like I don’t have plenty of other things to have nightmares about,” Subaru argued. After the Capital, I even had a few nightmares about your beating, Julius. Though, mostly they were about Emilia being disappointed, or Puck freezing me… and then after Sanctuary, it was all Rabbits. 

Subaru shivered at the reminder. He was going to have to set something up before the Rabbits happened in this viewing. Watching himself get eaten by them might literally drive him insane if he wasn’t careful. 

In real life, two hands  intertwined with Subaru’s, making the nightmare disappear. Subaru’s face relaxed. 

“Who’s hands are that?” Felix wondered aloud. 

Subaru broke into a grin. “You’ll just have to find out!” 

Subaru’s face is fond, Julius noted. Could it be Beatrice, maybe? Or Emilia? Those two seem like they’re the most sympathetic to him, so far. 

Subaru woke up abruptly to being kicked in the face by Beatrice.

“You can’t keep sleeping forever, I suppose. I came against my will because it’s the designated time, yet you seem awfully unconcerned.” 

“Falling asleep on the fourth day, what kind of reckless idiot am I?” Subaru wondered. 

“You’re in Miss Beatrice’s library,” Julius said, suddenly feeling relieved. “It’s removed from space. Rem shouldn’t be able to touch you there, and since you never went grocery shopping in the village, you shouldn’t be killed by the curse.” 

“I know Subaru hasn’t become a butler in this loop yet, but I have some hope that this will be the one that succeeds,” Reinhard admitted.

“Not to be a downer,” Garfiel said hesitantly. “But what’s stoppin’ Rem from just killin’ him after the fourth day is done?”

“It’s possible that Rem has noticed Subaru’s declining mental health and will deem him not a threat, and that Subaru will at some point request to be a butler,” Wilhelm granted. “But I am not yet convinced this is the final loop.” 

Right on the money, Wilhelm-san, Subaru thought. But all the same… I’m so grateful Beatrice protected me like this. 

After seeing Beatrice’s destroyed reaction to his death in this loop from the Second Trial, Subaru honestly felt terribly guilty about how this loop had ended. He’d truly shattered her heart. 

Beatrice explained to Subaru that she’d brought him to the forbidden archive. 

“Beatrice, I’m sure I’m wrong,” Subaru said. “But you didn’t hold my hand while I was asleep, did you?”

“You’re wrong, indeed,” Beatrice said. “Even if Bubby asked me to, I would refuse, I suppose.” 

“Haha! That’s ironic, coming from her. Miss Beatrice loves holding Cap’n’s hand now,” Garfiel said. “She always pretends she’s doin’ it for cap’n’s benefit, though.” 

“My cute Beatrice is a tsundere that way,” Subaru said. 

“And that’s one suspect off the list for the rogue hand-holder,” Felix said. “Somehow, that’s even more mysterious than the murder…”  

Subaru tried to ask Beatrice more questions, only to get a book thrown at him. Subaru agreed to be quiet and started reading instead. Time passed peacefully as Subaru idled in the forbidden library with Beatrice.

Beatrice suddenly looked up. “Calling.” 

“Huh?”

“I’ve been summoned, I suppose,” Beatrice said. 

“Oh no,” Garfiel said. 

“Perhaps Lady Emilia or Lord Roswaal have simply grown concerned as to where their guest has disappeared to,” Reinhard suggested. 

“Maybe!” Garfiel said, snapping his fingers. “Especially since they seemed to think it was Miss Beatrice’s fault that Subaru wasn’t feeling good before.” 

“It is interesting to see that Beatrice can be summoned, however,” Julius said. “Who knows how to do it?”

“I think only Roswaal,” Subaru said. “I knew how to find her door, but I never figured out how to summon her. That would have been useful, actually.” Though, she probably wouldn’t have responded to the summons in the time when the Mansion was burning down, so I would have had to find her myself regardless. 

“H-Hey hold on! If you go out there right now…” 

“I don’t care if you want to stay here. You’ll be safe here, I suppose,” Beatrice said.

A strange magic filled the space as Beatrice exited the door, settling down soon after she left. 

Subaru walked over to the door, but hesitated before leaving. 

“Perhaps in this situation it would be better to stay, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said.

“Maybe,” Subaru admitted. “But I had to see what was going on! It’s hard to wait in a situation like that…” 

Even if he knew that he was almost certainly safe, it would probably feel like waiting for something bad to happen, Reinhard thought, frowning. By exiting, he could at least understand what was happening and attempt to take action. I just hope it doesn’t backfire. 

Subaru opened the door slowly. He cringed, but the only thing there was a bright sunrise. Subaru looked at it with wonder in his eyes.

“Did I… make it through the fourth night? And I thought it was so far away.” 

Subaru walked a few steps forward, then collapsed to his knees. 

“... Congratulations, Subaru,” Julius said.

“Thanks, man,” Subaru said. The fifth morning… 

Damn, I wish I knew whether he’d live, so I would know whether it’s okay to celebrate, Garfiel thought. I’m glad he’s got this far, but… 

“I’m proud of you for getting this far, Subaru-dono,” Wilhelm said. “But… it just feels…” 

“Too easy?” Julius said. “I fear I feel the same way. Though, it’s not that, precisely, in my case. Forgive me if this is illogical, but…” 

“But what?” Subaru asked.

“But there’s still twelve minutes of the episode left,” Julius said, pointing at the screen. “I mean, I know it could move on to something else, but--” 

Subaru gave a startled laugh. 

“What…?” Julius asked. 

“Now you’re thinking like a real anime fan,” Subaru said. “Alright, let’s keep watching.”

“Subaru?” Emilia appeared in the hallway, not far away.

“Emilia?” Subaru asked. 

“Subaru, where have you been? No, never mind. Come with me.” Emilia grabbed Subaru’s arm and started to pull him along the hallway, her attitude grave and serious. 

“What’s she acting so serious about?” Felix said, keying in on the change in behavior. “Do you think that it’s because of whatever Beatrice got summoned for?”

“Please don’t tell me there’s another thing that happens on the fifth morning,” Garfiel pleaded. 

“Huh, where are we going? Emilia-tan? Why are you making that face? Everything will be fine now. Right?”

Emilia stopped abruptly. 

“Emilia-?”

Before Emilia could say anything, a wail of grief sounded from the other room.

Subaru startled. Slowly, he turned and looked into the room, where Ram was sobbing over the bedside of a limp Rem. 

“Rem-?!” Garfiel said. “But-- but how! What happened to her? She’s the one who attacked Subaru, right? So it isn’t like anyone coulda got to her!?”

“She doesn’t look injured,” Wilhelm analyzed. “There’s no blood. She’s simply pale. As if--” 

“As if she died in her sleep,” Reinhard finished. 

“Wait--” Felix said. “The Mabeast bite?”

“Without Subaru to feed on, it must have selected a different target,” Wilhelm said. 

“Still, despite Rem’s actions, I can’t help but pity her sister,” Julius said.

“You shouldn’t,” Wilhelm said sharply. “Ram assisted in Subaru’s murder as well.” 

“Regardless,” Reinhard said, attempting to stop conflict from arising. “This is our confirmation that the loop will not continue. Rem survived to see the battle with Gluttony.”

“But what kills Subaru now?” Felix wondered. “All the threats are past, unless he decides to go to the village again.” 

“I’m more concerned about Roswaal and Ram at this point,” Julius said. “Considering only a limited number of people were present in the Mansion, and Subaru is the newest, that makes him the primary suspect. Not to mention, even if there is clear evidence of his innocence, their anger at Rem’s passing could easily be deflected onto him.” 

“Wait, do you think they killed him ‘cause Rem died?” Garfiel asked. “But it wasn’t his fault!” 

“It’d be better not to jump to conclusions,” Julius said. “Let’s watch.” 

“How… why is Rem dead?” Subaru said, stumbling forward. He reached out towards her, only to have his hand slapped away by Ram. 

“Don’t touch her! Don’t touch Rem… don’t touch my little sister!” Ram shouted. 

Subaru turned his gaze downward and walked away from the bed.

“She died of weakness,” Roswaal said. “It was as if she merely fell asleep. The method was more of a curse than a spell.”

I thought it was Rem who used that curse. So Rem isn’t the Shaman? Subaru thought.

Now, Subaru finally realizes that the Shaman and the attacker are different people, Reinhard thought anxiously, but he still doesn’t know that the Shaman is the harmless-looking puppy from earlier, and I fear how many loops it will take him to figure that out… if he does at all. There are ways to escape this loop that don’t involve figuring that out… but then what kills him in this loop? 

“At least we can say Rem didn’t kill him during the first loop,” Julius murmured.

“Honestly, you guys might think my perspective is biased, but I don’t think she would have attacked at all,” Subaru said. “I mean, I was closer friends with Ram than Rem during that loop, but still.” 

“I agree,” Wilhelm said, though reluctantly. “She wasn’t showing many signs of hostility during that loop. Still… you seemed to be getting along decently in the second loop, and she attacked even sooner in that one.” 

Hm. Maybe once we get to the second trial, Wilhelm can give his opinion on Rem’s explanation there, Subaru thought. He might have some good insights on it. 

“My dear guest, have you any idea what might have occurred?” Roswaal asked. “After this has happened to a dear member of my staff, I seem to be a little bit angry.” 

“Subaru,” Emilia said, grabbing his sleeve. “If you know anything, tell us.” 

Subaru grit his teeth and looked away. 

“He literally can’t!” Garfiel groaned. 

“But making a face like that, it’s really obvious that he knows something,” Felix said. “No way Roswaal just lets him go.” 

“Perhaps Roswaal will kill him this loop,” Julius mused darkly. The Court Mage had a lighthearted persona, but it was clear there was darkness underneath his eccentric attitude, and despite everything, he seemed to have some kind of fondness for his staff. With Subaru’s increasingly strange attitude, even if he could plausibly deny involvement, Roswaal might hold him accountable regardless. 

Good guess, Subaru thought. Honestly, he might have, if not for Beako…

“I don’t know,” Felix said. “Anything could happen at this point, honestly.” 

Wind magic whipped by Subaru’s face, opening up a thin cut. 

“Ow!” Subaru said as a lamp behind him crashed to the ground.

The death by wind magic Subaru had experienced in the past loop flashed through his mind, as he realized that Ram was likely involved. 

“If you know something, spill it all!” Ram demanded. She sent more wind magic flying in Subaru’s direction, but Beatrice blocked it. 

“I keep my promises,” Beatrice said. 

“Of course, Beatrice!” Reinhard said. “A Great Spirit could easily defend Subaru from Ram’s wrath.” 

“But perhaps not from the Court Mage’s wrath,” Wilhelm pointed out. “Especially with a handicap like protecting an outside observer.” 

“Miss Beatrice could easily teleport Subaru away,” Garfiel argued. 

“I hope so,” Wilhelm said. “But regardless, it seems like Subaru’s relationship with those in the Mansion is irrevocably breaking down. If he doesn’t come up with an excuse quickly, he’ll either be killed or driven away.” 

“Beatrice-sama?!” Ram sounded outraged.

“Roswaal, he spent last night in the forbidden library, I suppose. So he surely had nothing to do with--” 

“There is no need to further emphasize the situation at hand,” Roswaal said. “However, to guard him with your life, you must have taken quite a liking to him.” 

Roswaal summoned multi-colored balls of light to his hands, his power shaking the room. However, Beatrice was unfazed.

“Save the jokes for your makeup and weird fetishes, I suppose.” 

A powerful aura emanated from Beatrice as well. 

“A battle between those two!?” Garfiel said. “Geez… even I wouldn’t wanna get in the middle of somethin’ like that…” 

“Yeah, might not be a Mathers Mansion even still standing after that…” Subaru said. He couldn’t help but remember the famed fight between Puck and Roswaal when the two originally met, when Roswaal came with his offer to help Emilia in the Royal Selection. If Puck’s claims were to be believed, the maps in the area had needed to be redrawn after their battle. 

Ram was far too distraught to care about their posturing.

“None of that even matters!” Ram screamed. She turned to Subaru. “I must avenge Rem. If you know anything, tell me. Help me. Help Rem!” 

Subaru remained silent, unable to comply with her request. Ram raised her arm to attack again. But this time, Emilia moved in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Ram. Despite all this, I choose to trust Subaru. Subaru, please. If you can save Ram… if you can save Rem, please do.” 

“This is unfair!” Felix said. “If only Subaru could talk about this, the fact that he was the target in the original target is actually pretty significant information. If he could talk to them, and retrace their steps…” 

“They could probably figured out that the ‘Shaman’ is in the village,” Julius concurred. “But I doubt they would suspect the dog. They’d only know where to start searching.” 

“At least Subaru wouldn’t be under such suspicion,” Felix said.

“Subaru, the next time you’re in such a situation, you should swear you know nothing,” Reinhard said. “Staying quiet like that just put you into trouble.” 

Julius couldn’t abide by lying, but in this situation, he hardly felt as though he could speak against Reinhard’s advice. It was sound, and practical, especially for someone like Subaru, for whom everything was a threat. 

“I know, I was just… shocked,” Subaru said. “And I wanted to help. I felt bad for Ram.” 

 “I’m sorry,” Subaru said. 

As Subaru turned around, all their attacks went off at once, causing an explosion behind him as he sprinted out of the room.

“Subaru-!” Emilia called.

“I’m going to kill you!” Ram screamed. 

Subaru ran faster. 

“Oh geez,” Garfiel said. 

So this is how Subaru dies, Wilhelm thought gravely. Ram or Roswaal must defeat Beatrice, or get in a lucky shot at Subaru. Either that, or Beatrice ceased her protections once Subaru exited the Mansion. 

Subaru sprinted away from the Mansion, out into the wilderness.

This looks like the place that I died, Subaru thought, gasping as he ran past it. “Where I died…” Subaru stopped, slowing his pace. “If I die…” Will I be saved from this whole situation?

“No!” Felix said. “Come on, Subaru, don’t do it! It’s not worth it!” 

“Cap’n…” Garfiel said. 

And so it begins, Julius thought. On one hand… to be hated by a Royal Candidate, suspected for murder by a Court Mage, and barely managing to run away in a robe without any money… that situation is even direr than the one he started in. But still… to think about choosing death first…

Subaru’s best bet would have been to flee West to Karagi, both to look for work in its thriving markets and to avoid Lugnican law enforcement. With a little determination he might have been able to make it work, but without any starting money, it was equally possible that Subaru could have fallen victim to Karagi’s vicious system of debt slavery, or simply ended up homeless and out of work, in a similar situation to slum-dwellers like Felt and Rom. 

Wilhelm was also frowning deeply. No matter whether one would call ending his life in this situation justified or not, committing suicide to get out of trouble was a dangerous habit that he hardly wished Subaru to start here.

“Subaru, you’re not going to do it, right?!” Felix asked. Subaru didn’t answer. Felix broke eye contact and turned back to the screen, looking anxious. 

“Of course… if I die, everything will change.” If I struggled and fought so much, only to end up here, then what’s the point? Subaru looked forward at the way the woods parted. “The cliff…”

He’s actually going to do it, Garfiel thought. He actually is. We all wondered if it was going to be Rem or Ram or Rosawal or the Mabeast who killed him, when in reality…

Garfiel didn’t feel any resentment or anger towards Subaru, unlike Felix who practically seemed to be biting his nails off at the idea of Subaru doing this, but something about seeing his captain being brought this low was horrifying. He’d never seen Subaru act anywhere near this. 

Reinhard felt mostly cold and numb while watching this. How could Subaru say that he didn’t regret the outcome when Reinhard not bringing him home had led to this? Three back-to-back deaths in his first week at the Mansion… and who knows what else after?

Julius simply waited for whether or not Subaru would end up making that choice. There was no point in reacting strongly until they knew whether he’d go through with it -- anything could happen, after all.

Subaru walked up to the cliff, looking over the edge.

If I close my eyes and take one step, it’ll all be over. 

Subaru closed his eyes tightly while trembling.

What will happen to me if I die again? 

Subaru tried to move his body towards the edge, but in the end he stumbled backwards away from the cliff. “It’s just one more step… I can’t even…” 

Felix gave a relieved sigh. “Good… that’s good…” 

Subaru bit his lip, unsure how to feel. At the time, he’d felt ashamed for being too weak to go through with it, but more recently, he’d felt ashamed for trying to kill himself simply out of fear and because he didn’t like the outcome. Ultimately, he was glad of his end choice and reasoning, which was to kill himself to preserve the lives of those important with him, but he didn’t think the others would approve.

Felix noticed Subaru’s dour expression. “Don’t be ashamed of it! It’s a good thing,” Felix said. “Your fear is your body’s way of protecting itself. You should be glad that you can’t manage to go through with it!” 

Julius said nothing. Saying Subaru could still kill himself would be callous to the extreme, but it was true -- and he didn’t want to make premature celebrations. That said, he could hardly contradict Felix’s statements either, which held truth. 

“I cannot judge you for your desire to end your life in this scenario, given your ability to restart,” Wilhelm said carefully. “But please, never lose your fear. Though it may be unpleasant, it is healthy to fear harm.” 

“Don’t worry, Wilhelm-san,” Subaru said. “I’m still scared of getting hurt and dying… so you don’t need to be concerned about that…” 

There was a solemn silence. 

“I can’t even do something so simple…” Tears streamed down his face.
Subaru waited by the cliff until the sky turned from blue to orange, and the sun began to set.

“I finally found you,” Beatrice said.

“Why…” Subaru said.

“What, I suppose?”

“Why did you come for me?”

Julius felt suddenly worried. Subaru was outside the Mansion, and he’d made it to the fourth day. Beatrice was no longer bound by her contract. Spirits took contracts extremely seriously -- it was possible that in truth, Beatrice resented him for what happened to Rem, and previously was simply bound to protect him by her word. 

Garfiel, on the other hand, who knew Beatrice better, seemed relieved at her presence. “Miss Beatrice! She’s sure to help cap’n. Maybe she can make things better?”

“But this timeline will not continue,” Reinhard said. “Something has to give, we simply don’t yet know what…” 

Suicide still seems the most likely option, but I suppose Ram and Roswaal could still catch up to him, or Subaru could die in some sort of accident on his way out of the country, Julius thought. Or, he could face danger from Beatrice…

“The contract I entered into was to protect you,” Beatrice said.

“I thought you were only supposed to be my bodyguard until this morning,” Subaru said.

“You must be mistaken, I suppose. I don’t remember discussing a time limit.”

“Miss Beatrice is helping him after all!” Garfiel said. 

She even made up an excuse to help me when she didn’t have to, just like Emilia, Subaru said, feeling his heart warm. Man… I didn’t appreciate her efforts properly back then. 

Julius felt relieved. He hadn’t enjoyed having to suspect Subaru’s spirit. He knew based on Rem’s attitude that just because Subaru liked someone in the present day didn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t attack him, so it was a relief to see that his spirit partner was truly good-natured in her heart. 

But with a spirit guard, how does he die? Reinhard wondered. 

“Clinging to hope only serves your own convenience, I suppose,” Beatrice said. “What was lost cannot be reclaimed. You’ll have no more chances to explain yourself to the older sister. You threw that away. No matter which is lost, those sisters won’t ever be complete again, I suppose.” 

“Beatrice can’t know this,” Julius said. “But that was a terrible thing to say to him at the time. She’d unwittingly reviewed the reasons why dying would be the better path forward.” 

“It seems that Beatrice-sama is meaning to give him a reality check, and ground him in the present, but to someone like Subaru, for whom the past is malleable…” Wilhelm said. 

“Like you said, she couldn’t have known,” Subaru said. She wouldn’t have encouraged  something like that on purpose. Even if I am glad she reminded me of what needed to be done.

In a way, it’s sort of like Elsa saying, ‘if only you’d managed to become determined sooner, you could have done something’, Garfiel thought. She didn’t know it at the time, but she was just goading him!

“But I cared about those two, and I wanted to protect them!” Subaru said. 

“Subaru…” Julius started.

“You don’t get to control who I care about!” Subaru said, anticipating an objection.

“She literally killed you,” Felix said.

“So? It’s none of your business! I can like who I like! No matter how stupid you think I am, it’s only my decision that matters in the end, isn’t it?” Subaru said. 

“Subaru, no one thinks you’re stupid,” Reinhard consoled.

“Coulda fooled me, with how everyone’s acting,” Subaru said. “It’s clear that you guys don’t approve of me hanging out with Rem or using my power to help those two-- but shaming me isn’t going to make me like them any less, it’ll only make me angry with you all! And anyway, how would you guys feel about being badgered over a decision that’s done now that you can’t change?” 

Julius resisted a sigh. “...I agree. We’ve talked about this to death, I doubt any new ground is being covered.”

“Especially given that we haven’t seen how this scenario ends yet. There’s a lot we don’t know,” Wilhelm said. 

While Wilhelm knew he was being somewhat hypocritical in that he agreed with what Subaru said and yet harbored somewhat murderous tendencies around Rem, he justified it in his head by noting that he wasn’t judging Subaru’s choices -- only trying to keep him safe in the ongoing future if Rem proved to be seriously dangerous. 

“Sorry about ‘t, cap’n,” Garfiel said, bowing his head.

“Thanks, Garf,” Subaru said. 

“What do you know about them, I suppose? No matter which is lost, they won’t be restored to what they were. They can’t be.” 

“So in the end, I was just making a selfish, disgraceful fuss, not knowing anything?”

Beatrice extended her hand. “At the least, you’ll need to die where I can’t see you, or I’ll have bad dreams, I suppose.” 

“She really said that?” Garfiel said. “The Beatrice I know freak if cap’n said he wanted to die…” 

“She’s trying to encourage him not to, however,” Julius said. “She’s offering him her hand away from the cliff, telling him he should wait before he makes a decision, discussing how seeing such a thing would negatively affect her…” 

“She wasn’t sure how to encourage me directly, but she didn’t want anything bad to happen to me,” Subaru said.

“She has gone out of her way to help you,” Julius said.

Subaru’s self-depreciation is quite noteworthy here, Reinhard thought, though he didn’t remark upon it. It’s hard to believe he’d characterize his efforts to survive and save others as simply making a disgraceful fuss. 

“So I’ll help you escape this domain,” Beatrice said.

Subaru took her hand, standing up slowly. As he did, however, he remembered how his hand had been held during his nightmare. 

“Come to think of it, back then, someone was holding both my hands…” 

Subaru at that point was able to remember it had been Rem and Ram who had held his hands during his nightmare.

“Those two?!” Felix said. “But… how could someone who would do something like torture… who would kill you for being suspicious… how would a person like that ever end up comforting you?”

Felix seemed legitimately baffled, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

“No person is all good or all bad,” Reinhard said. “Perhaps, in one life, Rem gives in to her suspicion, and in another, she takes pity on a stranger.” 

“...I know Rem never got the chance to be hostile in this life ‘cause Cap’n was with Miss Beatrice, but I don’t think we ever saw her be mean to him in this loop,” Garfiel said. “Maybe seein’ how upset he was, she wouldn’t have attacked him in this loop in the first place.” 

“But-- but she--” Felix frowned. 

“A lot of people who seem cold and indifferent can’t keep acting that way once you’ve built rapport or showed them a vulnerable side,” Subaru said. “I mean, wouldn’t you treat a stranger differently than you’d treat someone who you’d spent some time with? Rem and Ram are the same. And in reality, when they aren’t dealing with people who they think are witch cultists, Rem and Ram truly do have kind hearts.”

“Kind hearts?” Felix said. “I can’t believe this…” 

Ram… Rem… if they couldn’t bear to see me suffer, and held both my hands… if that was the kind of people they are, how can I leave them? 

Subaru remembered how Ram had screamed in anger at Subaru earlier in the loop. I heard a voice filled with hatred, but more than that… Her cries won’t leave my mind. 

This part of Subaru was familiar to Garfiel -- it was Subaru’s iron resolve. And it left no room for imagination in Garfiel’s mind. Subaru would end this loop by jumping off the cliff. 

I’ve always been the type to drift towards whichever path was easiest. Subaru recalled the good times he’d had with Rem and Ram. Hey, Subaru, you’re thinking about something pretty stupid. 

Drift towards whatever path is easiest? Wilhelm thought. That might have been true once… but no. It certainly isn’t true anymore. 

“And after I managed to save this life… that’s right, I saved my life, so…” What’s wrong with letting me take the path that’s easiest, that will let me live longer? I’ll decide how I use my life!

Felix bit his lip. No matter if Rem and Ram had provided Subaru with some measly act of kindness, that doesn’t mean they deserved his death! No, they didn’t deserve this loyalty! 

Beatrice suddenly seemed aware of something. “--You were too slow.”

As she said this, Ram appeared, surrounded by a fierce aura of wind magic. “I finally found you. I won’t let you get away.”

“Stay back, I suppose. As long as my contract exists, I won’t hold back, not even against you,” Beatrice said. 

“And you, Beatrice-sama, seem to forget that we aren’t in the mansion now. We’re in the forest, away from the forbidden library. Are you certain that you can protect him from me?”

“How bold, to imagine she could defeat a Great Spirit,” Julius said. “To discuss a thing not in jest, she must either be very brash, or very strong.” 

“Well, Ram’s pretty tough, though I beat her in a punch-out recently,” Garfiel said. 

“This may be true, but you also managed to defeat the Bowel Hunter, yes?” Reinhard said. “She may not have been worthy of the Dragon Sword, but she was a rather impressive opponent. She managed to get the best of a Great Spirit when he was low on mana, isn’t that right?” 

“Perhaps she was to some extent bluffing, hoping that Beatrice would stand aside seeing her bravery,” Wilhelm said. “Or perhaps she was giving into her anger, and was making such statements with no thought to their authenticity.” 

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Ram fight at full capacity… except that she passed out when she exerted herself too much against those Mabeasts, Subaru thought. If she got knocked out from fighting Ulgarm, could she really beat Beatrice?

Still, Subaru knew better than to assume that just because of that that Ram wasn’t a threat. After all, as Reinhard had pointed out, Puck had essentially run dry on mana against Elsa, but to put his overall threat level beneath Elsa was a mistake -- his Beast of the End form had proved that. It was only the circumstances of the fight that had caused him to lose. Maybe Ram was similar? 

Beatrice seemed unfazed by the threat. Then, Subaru grabbed her curly hair and pulled them sideways, causing them to bounce around like springs. 

“Oh yeah, that feels good!” Subaru said.

“Wh-what are you doing?! Do you want to die?!” Beatrice demanded.

“Don’t be dumb. I don’t want to die in the slightest. I’m fine with dying just once, at the end of a long life. That’s how I really feel.”

Despite Subaru saying that…it seems he means to do the opposite, now, Reinhard thought, feeling sad. 

Despite saying that, Subaru walked closer to Ram.

“You have guts. You finally accept your fate?” Ram asked.

“I wouldn’t call it that. If anything, I’d say I’ve made up my mind.”

Subaru bowed towards Ram. “Sorry… I’ve caused a lot of grief for you guys by being such a loser.”

Ram’s breath hitched. “You really do know something about Rem?”

“Based on her reaction… and the fact that she’s still not even accusing you of killing Rem despite your suspicious behavior and that you ran away… do you think you could have negotiated yourself out of this situation?” Felix said. “It wouldn’t have been easy… but maybe you could have convinced them to let you live?”

“But Subaru didn’t have any useful information,” Julius said. “He could say that the shaman came from the village, but he doesn’t even know that for sure, nor does he have any excuse for knowing it. I feel as though the only way Ram would forgive Subaru at this point is if he provided actionable information, which he had none of.”

“My best chance in that loop would have been to double down and swear I didn’t know anything from the very start,” Subaru said. “But if I’d done that… Rem would be dead.” 

There was a brief silence. 

“Yeah, it’s true. Cap’n isn’t doing this ‘cause people were mad at him or because he looked suspicious and might be in danger… he was doin’ it to protect Ram and Rem. So even if he could have salvaged it, seems like Cap’n wouldn’t have.” 

Subaru didn’t state a response aloud, but Garfiel was right. The only reason why he might not have moved to save Rem and Ram is if he would have lacked the resolve to end himself, which was nearly the case. 

“I see,” Felix said. 

“No, sorry, but I honestly don’t know a thing,” Subaru said. “Frankly, there’s too much I don’t know. But… I decided to learn more about the things I don’t know.”

“How can you say that now?!” Ram said. “Rem is already dead! What can you do by learning anything now?!”

“I won’t make any cool statements about what I’ll be able to do. After all, this is what happened when I couldn’t do anything… I know that my words aren’t convincing in the least. But I do remember… I know parts of you two that you’ve forgotten!”

“What do you know about Rem and me?!”

The group watched the exchange quietly, as Ram and Subaru essentially talked past each other, on different planes of existence. For Ram, getting her sister back was impossible, but Subaru planned to do just that. As such, Subaru’s reckless proclamations seemed like nothing but insensitive words to Ram. Tension was mounting, as what was about to happen became increasingly obvious. 

“You’re right. I don’t know anything that’s really important. But you don’t know either, do you?!”

“Know what?!”

“That I love you guys!” Subaru shouted.

He really means what he’s saying… Felix thought. Did such small gestures mean so much to him? If someone taught him how to cut appas now, would he still love them so much? Does he still have a heart as big as that? 

“Cap’n really is special,” Garfiel said somberly. It was tough for anyone, even Subaru, to know whether or not he meant that positively. 

Special indeed, Wilhelm said. These girls have absolutely no idea how lucky they are. 

As Ram stared at Subaru in surprise and confusion, Subaru turned around and ran towards the cliff. Beatrice reached out a hand towards him, looking shocked. “Wait!” she shouted.

As Subaru ran towards the cliff, he recalled the good times he’d had in the mansion. 

“This is something only I can do!” Subaru shouted, as he threw himself off the cliff. 

He remembered Rem’s torture, and how Ram had promised to kill him. 

“I’m going to save you!” Subaru promised as he hurtled towards the rocks. 

The episode ended as he hit them, the title card appearing: “Natsuki Subaru’s Restart.”

“Then that’s it,” Julius said. He didn’t feel upset, or even angry with Subaru… just sort of hollow. His eyes snapped to Felix, ready to do damage control. 

“Why?!” Felix said, distressed. 

“You know why,” Subaru said. 

“But-- you can’t-- it’s just passing your pain onto others, it’s--” 

“Felix,” Julius said. “I know you have a history with this, and I understand why you would find this genuinely upsetting.”

Subaru watched their exchange with wide eyes, not having known this about Felix.

“But his situation is clearly unique. He did what he did in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of others,” Julius said. “So, I must request… please don’t take out your negative feelings on Subaru.” 

Felix bowed his head. “I’m sorry… please forgive Ferri-chan.” 

“--Thanks,” Subaru said. “I appreciate it.”

They’d butt heads more than once this episode, but Subaru didn’t really resent Felix. It seemed like he had a lot of baggage underneath the surface that Subaru didn’t truly understand. 

“Cap’n… I can’t agree with what you did…” Garfiel said. “But you’re really brave.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Subaru said, a bit embarrassed. Still, he was relieved that Garfiel didn’t see him any differently.

“We should take a break before the next episode, or maybe after it,” Reinhard said.

“What is the next episode?” Julius asked.

Next episode: “I Cried, I Cried My Lungs Out, and Stopped Crying.” 

“Looks like we can give up now on this being the last loop,” Felix mumbled.

Subaru hid a tiny grin. Ah, but little do you know, Felix… little do you know.