Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Words are not enough to represent my determination."

"Just a little more..."

Natsuki Subaru let his forehead fall against the hard floor as he pushed himself forward once again in a painful pulling and dragging motion. Every part of his body was weakening and losing strength rapidly, an unrelenting pain that defied any resolve he still had to continue. Using every ounce of his being, he managed to keep moving forward toward one thing. Subaru looked at the purple crystal in front of him - only a few feet away, lying on the ground - gritted his teeth in a hiss and stared at it with determination, forcing himself forward once more with another movement, trying to reach it as if it would save his life.

The pain he was in was unimaginable, every move he made made made Subaru consider stopping and giving up right there; his wounds oozing and leaving a long trail of blood across the ground as the path got shorter and shorter. "Almost there... I need to get there, I need that..."

Despite the pain, he never stopped. He had been moving like this since he was on the top floor of this place and forcefully went down the stairs that provided the path for that damned crystal to keep falling. He was at the bottom of a deep and sinister place. It was an empty place, of hard white rock on all sides, and with a peculiarly ancient architecture on the walls and around it, like a kind of temple.

His knuckles moved desperately to cover the last few inches of distance that separated Subaru from the crystal, gritting his teeth in distress and his body crying out for immediate rest. His vision was cloudy and shaking, possibly it was his body collapsing after so much damage and injury had been sustained, making it difficult for his consciousness to remain.

He howled in pain, in a last-ditch effort to reach for that thing with all his remaining strength, his muscles burning and failing to properly assimilate the movements he wanted, his fingers almost reaching for that little gemstone. If he could reach it, all would be well, the lust of it would save him; all pain would be nullified and he could-. "Ahh, no..."

It's gone.

As if by magic the crystal disappeared when he finally thought he could touch it, leaving the place empty and with nothing, making his blood boil.

He gasped, in desperation, his mind trying to find meaning in it, his hand finally fell soft in the place the crystal had previously occupied.

"Did you really think it would be that simple?" A voice spoke, mocking and cruel, as he approached, his eyes straining to look up. Bare feet revealed themselves before him, only to step on his hand and leave him in morbid agony as the horrible blisters appeared on his skin, melting, and the bones becoming more apparent all over his hand, as well as all over his body.

"Ca... Capella..."

"Oh, He remembers~. My pet remembers me, his mind seems to be resilient, but there must be a limit to that, right? Everything has, after all. Oh no, except mommy of course, she is eternal and infinite love. Now die~, die, and just die..." Subaru felt himself being patted on the head, a sense of defeat, weakness, and vulnerability permeating his chest. He tried to move, but there was no strength.

"..."

The next thing he noticed with his sleepy eyes was those disgusting eyes staring at him, green hair and transparent skin. A recognizable and incomparable smile from a man who represented laziness.

Petelgeuse?

Why was he here, Subaru asked himself. He couldn't understand, his mind was too confused.

A few moments ago he was trying to reach lust, it in its purest form, and he failed. And now he didn't even know what was happening, or where he was supposed to be.

The world changed before his eyes, the numbing effect giving way to something less tangible and understandable.

Fortunately, the sensations of discomfort were gone, the pain and burning of all the distended muscles; of all the inflicted wounds; of all the openings and holes formed in his body.

He didn't feel anything anymore, because he didn't have a body anymore.

And, this was the sign for him to recognize that everything had changed, the world was a complete darkness.

Whether or not to ask where he was was now pointless. He felt he didn't need any of that, because he was in a place where he didn't feel he should feel hate or anger. He felt safe, and in control.

And, unfortunately, he was also dissatisfied.

Fortunately, he didn't have to think about it too much. There was no need for it, if there was a need for anything, it was that Natsuki Subaru needed to return.

To return to the world of the living.

"There is a limit to how much you can do, Natsuki Subaru."

...

...

.

"Why don't you allow me, the witch of greed, to help you, hm…?"

With a sharp intake of breath, Natsuki Subaru knew: he had returned by death.

"This is getting old..." Subaru said amidst the expected discomfort he felt, his body once again responding with appropriate sensitivity and control, and his mind trying to adapt to the new demonstration of light and environment.

"Oh my," Said a voice that sounded before him, it was feminine and kind of sarcastic. The pink haired girl looked up at him, tremendous curiosity in her gaze as he noticed, "You look like you've come back from a long trip. Which is strange, you know? I don't remember you leaving this room, not for a single second, since we started discussing what evil plans we will make next..."

Subaru sighed, already feeling a headache, as he looked at the girl. "Can you please not include me in this talk of 'evil plans'? If there's anything evil I'm doing, it's having you around, Echidna."

"Gee, how moody we are here, aren't we?" Echidna spoke, in a light, relaxed tone in her voice. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Even I understand that you must have been going through something really hard. How it was?" She asked as she placed a hand under her chin, clear interest in her tone of voice.

"That was... I was unsuccessful in defeating Capella, and," he frowned, thoughtfully. "That other witch showed how terrifying she can be."

"Hmm... I told you that-"

"No." He made her stop, eyes hard and sharp. "Don't you dare say you told me. I have no patience for your nonsense, witch."

Echidna sat back, understanding his request. "Alright, alright... I certainly won't say 'I totally told you so', fufu~"

The white-haired man just stared at the witch with hatred.

Echidna let out a large amount of air, tired of his harshness. "You're not easy to deal with, you know that?"

"Whatever. I don't have time for this, I'm leaving." Subaru stood up from the chair he was sitting in, moving away from the table he and Echidna were sharing in this room, which was a library.

The double doors to the library were pushed hard, him passing through, and she, following the man much taller than her, right behind.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I will go somewhere away from you, Echidna. I don't need a witch by my side while I'm trying to think of how to kill another."

She huffed and looked away from his back, saying slowly, "It doesn't have to be like this, you know?"

"..." Subaru continued walking down the hall.

"... My god, what has she done to you this time?" And she continued at a brisk pace, trying to convince him to listen to her; her words were softer than he wanted to admit they were, when she declared, "I could still always help you..."

"No."

The door leading to an office room opened and then was slammed shut hard in the girl's face, preventing her from entering the room. Beyond that, a loud, muffled voice commanded, "Don't you dare enter!"

And so she sighed again, leaving him alone. She knew that one day he would ask for her help, after all, it was only a matter of time.

"Your highness."

"Alnath."

Subaru looked back to see the man in armor approaching.

"I suppose your highness should already know..."

"The queen demands my presence, I know." Subaru simply stated, a frown on his features. "Don't mind that too much, I have no interest in seeing any Lugnican. Just ignore it."

"Is my Lord, sure about that?" The man asked, sounding surprised and preoccupied. "Despite their absurd demands, the magic power they have to offer could not be dispensed with in our crusade. Our troops, though numerous, are lacking and sorely lacking in magical power..."

"Yes, yes. I know." Subaru explained, calmly and emphasizing knowing that. "It wouldn't work anyway. Then, It's useless."

"... If it is what your highness says..."

Subaru sighed, looking out at the bluish horizon of midday. He crossed his arms, searching his own mind for the definitive answer to his predicament, but unfortunately there was nothing useful.

"... Regarding our internal problems, the situation has been getting worse..."

Subaru snorted upon hearing that from Alnath's mouth. Subaru himself already knew everything the general was referring to; but unfortunately no one else could have had any idea that this was one of the hundreds of times he had repeated this same day. Nobody knew about the return by death, after all.

And, until now, no one knew about the existence of Natsuki Subaru's greatest enemy.

"How has it been?" Subaru squinted asking, only to recall what problems he would have to deal with besides the Cult, which was Natsuki Subaru's main focus.

"The empire is collapsing. The economy is dying. And hunger has been spreading even to the most favored classes." The man with the mustache, looked down, the words slowly coming out of his mouth. "... In short, it's a complete disaster."

"My government has been lousy, hein..." It was a fact he could not deny. The empire, for all those years it had been in power, was succumbing more and more to insufficiency in all areas every day, if it wasn't for the repetitions of Return by Death, the empire would probably just be snow, ice and dust now.

Alnath looked at him, saying in an honest, subdued tone of voice, "It would be a bad government, yes. If it weren't for the fact that other nations are no better off than ours, or that you are trying to mitigate that in the best way, by fighting. It is known to all that, in fact, the world is collapsing. And blaming the emperor, will not change this fact."

"In other words, you don't think this is my fault?" he asked rhetorically, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I don't think so. Your Highness was also the one who fervently encouraged us to fight our natural enemy, against whom we are fighting after so many years. So as long as you continue to fight, I will continue to support you as well. My Lord's effort can't be ignored."

"... Hmph. Well, I thank you for your words..." He turned around, toward the entrance that led off the balcony of the crystal palace. "But, that doesn't change anything."

Alnath just watched in silence as the Emperor of Vollachia left.

It was useless to repeat the same conversation every time, after all.

"What should I do...-"

Knock knock...

It was the knock on the door in the middle of the afternoon that same day that brought Subaru out of his own thoughts. He was sitting in his office, which was more a large, sparsely decorated and simple room than anything else, with his hands between his head, in despair.

There was just enough to call it an office: a desk, a few chairs, books here and there, and at most a bookcase. Nothing much, just a place he visited more often than he should have.

But the sigh that followed was inevitable for him, when, as he allowed whoever was behind the door to enter in a measured tone of voice, "Enter," he had the displeasure of receiving Echidna instead.

Pink hair, elf ears and a sly smile when she saw him.

"I hope you are calmer this time…"

"Yes, yes… What do you want here with everything you carry?"

She ignored him as she took a seat for herself and placed a silver tray on the table.

"Is it not obvious? I want you to drink some tea with me, it might soothe your poor nerves."

"Do you really think I'm going to drink tea made by you, Echidna?"

"Yes!" she said simply.

She smiled at him as she filled his cup with hot, flavorful tea, ignoring for a moment the harsh words he spoke. She heard him sigh when he looked away from her.

"Here, help yourself. This is tasty, I put a lot of effort into making it too. And I know how much you value well-placed effort; so please don't let me down..."

"Fine, fine…" He finally relented taking a single sip.

It was very good.

"So how does it taste?" she asked just before taking a bite of a small cookie.

"Not very good." He said quickly, lying through his teeth.

"Perfect." She smiled, did the same as him and drank the tea from her cup. "Now…" she set the same glass she was drinking from on the table with a little clink from the china when said. "I know that your general situation is not very good either, just like this tea..."

"..."

"And, that you also don't know what else to do…"

"..."

"Then. To be clear, I, the witch of greed, have a proposition..."

"I already know what it is about, and no. That's not a good idea, I'm not going to give in to all that astronomical effort I've put in after all. It would be crazy."

"It's also crazy to try to do the same thing and expect different results. If you listen to me, next time, you will have many more chances than now…"

"Echidna, let's recap your grand plan: you want me to completely scrap everything I've achieved, go back, and try to rebuild it all again! But, at this moment, I have everything I need – I have an empire under my hands, I have an army; I have so much power I would never have dreamed it was possible... And yet, nothing goes right!"

"So how," he looked at her doubtfully, "how does resetting for a world where I have none of these improve my chances of victory?"

She calmly explained, "I recognize your points, that's what I have to say. However, if you go back, you will have much more time to plan, your time limit until the witch's final plan is completed will be longer. Also, you will have the true allies in this game. And finally, the world will no longer be against you..."

"This has got to be a joke… This," he rubbed his face. "Whatever got into you, Echidna. What do you plan, I know you're very smart, but I still can't see the point of it all. Have true allies? I have strong people by my side, isn't that enough?"

"No. It won't be. The issue here isn't about strength or numbers… It's about having the right people on your side."

"You mean…"

"I mean what I said. Take it this way: the witch you're dealing with has an ultimate goal that involves certain things and people. We witches always aim to satiate that... uncontrollable desire within our hearts. The twisted desire of a witch of sin–"

"So you're planning something too, witch…" he concluded with anger in his voice. It was understood that he wanted her to say what was meant for him.

She does not…

"Of course~, but nothing that's too bad for you. And yet, that's our nature as true witches. We don't seek evil, sometimes our goals are aimed at bringing good…"

"I doubt that witch ever intended to bring good in all things. She brought the fucking witch cult into the world!"

"Like Daphne, the Gluttony Witch, who brought forth the three great beasts in order to end world hunger."

He snorted angrily remembering the said witch. "She's different, and besides, she's dead."

A teal blue crystal suddenly sparkled on the pink haired girl's neck.

"She resents it, you know…?"

"Whatever…" The man sighed tiredly with the conversation. "Finish it quickly with your explanation."

"Very well…" she coughed into a clenched fist and spoke again. "Your affair with the Vainglory's Witch, that's what we're talking about. Your desire to defeat her as well. It turns out that you, Natsuki Subaru, are cornered and there's nothing you can do."

"Your empire, your great army and your powers have done nothing to change your situation. That is the truth." She guaranteed.

"Yeah, nothing I've done works. She always has a way of coming out on top of the situation and being victorious."

"Exactly. And therein lies the problem. Your lack of suitable allies to fight in this witch's game and your refusal to play your greatest trump. I ask you a question - why do you think your friends were taken from you, hmm?"

"Tsk. Gluttony, the cult and my own friends." He responded by listing each reason. "What does it matter now?"

"It matters because you lost them and you regretted it, you missed the chance to be with your love and my dear daughter..."

"Look here, don't talk about her that way…" he took a deep breath through his nose, stopping suddenly and counting to ten. "Focus, Echidna, tell me what I need to know, the only important thing!"

"Your situation with your friends wasn't just chance or a cult's side plan. No. Look at it this way: it wasn't them, your friends, who were taken from you. It was you who were taken from them in the end." She drank some tea while waiting for him to absorb the information she said. "And because of that, and because of your desire to defeat her, you'll need your friends and those close to them; the only way to deal with the witch it's getting them back to really being in the game and… win."

"Wh-what…?" His eyes widened. "You want me to go back to them…"

She nodded slowly. "They are important to her, take them away from her and you will break the witch's objective. Retaliation in a war only has an effect when well placed, just as the effort will only bring the desired fruits if it is a well put and placed effort. To attack directly someone that is invincible won't change anything. Having what she wants, yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that!?" He grinds his teeth as he stands up, slamming his hands down on the table. "I never knew they were inherently tied to her plans! You withheld information from me, you can't be trusted..."

"Don't be so dramatic... The reason is due to you. It was you who didn't give me the opportunity to explain all this from the beginning." Echidna explained calmly. "Your focus was getting revenge on the cult and by extension the bragging, and your attention wasn't on me or my 'bullshit' as you put it. Not when you thought you could win with all sure of the world. A little arrogant too, isn't it?"

He stopped, looking at her.

"And unfortunately, it's not just your friends. Those close to the royal selection too, and many others around the world, all part of her little game. If you have them, you could just maybe win…"

"...What does she want with them?"

Echidna shrugged. "Who knows? But now that you know that I could help you, why not let me, hm?"

"For the witch, the world is like a chessboard. And those important to her are like pieces on this board."

"It doesn't matter if you have an army, an empire or one of the most powerful people in the world..."

"As long as you play with the wrong pieces… She will make her move and…"

"You will lose."

"Use your greatest trump—and come back."

"Make a contract with me."

"Now after all that explanation you've given me, why would I in good conscience do that?"

"For me to help you, of course." Echidna smiled.

The general explanation of the Greed Witch's plan had been given to Natsuki Subaru. And after a while he relented and seemed to agree.

But, she talked about a contract and that…

"That's not a prudent thing to do..."

"You're really mean to me. After all this, is this how you're going to treat me?" Echidna said all this pouting and looking somewhere other than him.

He sighed. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Hmph. It's up to you and mostly her, but yes."

"I remember when I spoke to you in the castle of dreams at the tea party. Back then, you told me that you didn't quite understand my ability…" he narrowed his eyes on her. "You lied, didn't you?"

She opened a single eye at him as she had her arms crossed. "I didn't lie, far be it from me to do something like that. I told the real truth. I didn't actually know, but that didn't stop me from trying to deduce it from what little I know."

"Withholding information… And besides it, not even you are sure about anything..."

Subaru stopped in the middle of the garden with his hand on his hip, muttering to himself how crazy it was that he decided to actually do everything that Echidna suggested.

"You can give up on defeating that witch then. Just get on with your life as emperor, maybe bring things from your world into ours, start a family… your perfect ending."

"... Don't talk nonsense, I'm not giving up. All I have is because I never gave up, giving up now is invalidating all my efforts that revolved around my objectives."

She had a shy smile that he noticed frowning. "As you wish."

"Let's just get started with this–"

"Wait, wait, wait right there! Aren't you forgetting something?!"

He looked at the girl with the pink hair that didn't reach his chest and how she had her hands on her hips with an expression of annoyance. In the end, it was still a meaningless decision, so he sighed at it.

"... I won't make a contract with you, Echidna. I don't trust you. What good is a contract with such terms between us?"

"That's valid as long as I can help you. Besides, you can cancel it whenever you want. It won't be something eternal, but temporary; unless you want to…"

"And what's more, after you've done what you have to do, I'm unlikely to survive… are you really going to be so nasty to me?" She offered him a hurt look.

Which he just ignored as he looked ahead at the yellowish late afternoon sky. "We both know that's not true, what I saw in your test was nothing more than an illusion fabricated by your magic..."

"That being the case, I will not insist, but I assure you that everything would be easier for you if I were there as an observer. Like I said I wouldn't interfere in your actions and not even do something you don't want to, just be there as a help to defeat the witch you want to defeat so much."

"..." He pondered this for some time in silence, the pink haired witch patiently waiting for his answer. In the end, he rubbed his face in resignation.

"Get on with it, do what you need to do and no jokes in this damn contract!"

"Of course."

And so they did, with open palms touching one another, the contract was signed. "Then, I the witch of greed and Natsuki Subaru, hereby enter into this contract."

She looked at him suddenly.

He sighed.

"And I, Natsuki Subaru, a mere human, accept this contract…"

The glow of magic that signed a contract between the two individuals wasn't in Subaru's interest, he had his mind focused on something else at the moment.

"Does this thing go with me?" He held up a black colored crystal, similar to the one blue petroleum the witch beside him had around her neck on a simple string. "Is this where you're going to hide, witch?"

"Yes, that's where we'll be hidden from the world's view."

"We…" He frowned. "I did not do a contract with them, you are really more than enough for my horrible situation…"

"Now, don't worry, they have nothing to do with the contract signed between the two of us. In fact, they are contracted with me and my soul. They are effectively accompanying me, no big deal…"

"'No big deal'... You say when you are bringing five other witches of sin with you..." Subaru breathed deep while squeezing the chest area. "But that doesn't compare to the madness which I'm going to do anyway... Echidna, I think it's best to be prepared and hide right away inside this crystal."

"I should be fine… if you're fine dealing with her. So," She smiled as she wished him. "good luck, Natsuki Subaru…"

He snorted as soon as she said that, then turned away.

"Let's get this over with once and for all, by now that old man should be here…"

"Ha, that face of yours: you look older than me; and look, I'm almost in the grave, Huahahaha."

Olbart Dunkelkeen.

Subaru frowned when he saw the old man in person. No longer accompanied by Echidna physically, he just said what needed to be done.

"You want me to use one of my Shinobi techniques against you - and - mess with your Od?" The old divine general asked a little puzzled, testing the words carefully to be sure.

"That's what I said, old man. You can still do that, right?"

The old man had his arms behind his back and adopted a serious look. "But of course I can. Still, to be as eccentric as you are, who knew Your Highness would be so compassionate… Your emperor ancestors must be turning over in their graves, I'm sure."

The old man let out a laugh at yet another of the morbid jokes he always makes. Subaru just rolled his eyes as he asked to hurry up the process.

Olbart's hand touched the white haired man's chest, "Although, I still don't understand what this is all about, I'm going to use one of my more harmless techniques..."

"Do as you wish, only that as a result, you will need to have direct access to my Od..."

"Hmm, let's see... Maybe you'll go back fifteen or eighteen years. Or even longer?" The old man's face creased comically as he flashed a sinister, mischievous smile.

"And maybe you lose an arm..."

And so...

"What did you say?" The old man asked, but he didn't have time to react, as the world was covered in shadows.

"For a brief moment, you will no longer be bathed in her love. This is where your part needs to be played, so – do your best…"

"I won't be satisfied until I come back to win." So he said.

Natsuki Subaru has returned.

Returned through time, that is. He got up from his comfortable down amidst the peaceful sound of night and natureIt isWitha.

When he came out, it was really night. The tents pitched and the slightly weakened bonfire drew his attention. In the middle of a clearing in a not very dense forest there was a kind of camp.

Where was I sent through time this time?

He tried to remember where this loop originated, but nothing came mind from him.

There was the sound of someone snoring loudly…. And by the way, he went back to the tent he came out of and looked inside. "Beatrice…" He mumbled the name of the little blonde girl sleeping inside.

Looking out with the sound still in his ears, he looked around. "So if my memory serves me correctly, that sound must be…" He walked towards the tent where the sound of someone snoring loud enough to be annoying came from.

When he opened the other green colored tent, "Otto…" was inside. "I wouldn't forget how strange the noise of your snoring so early…"

Subaru looked back looking for more signs that might reveal to him what part of the time he ended up in. "The carriage huh… Clearlywe were camping this time, that I have no doubt." The question was, when exactly had he been with all his friends while camping in the middle of the woods.

Click… "Ah, I already know… Hmph, so, this is how things are going to be."

It was obvious that… He was sent shortly before the fateful trip to Priestella.

"... So be it."

"There's something wrong…"

A girl who didn't usually wake up early spoke when she woke up. She rubbed her eyes a little frustrated that she hadn't gotten enough sleep.

It was still night, she managed to notice through the window. It is the one that showed the full moon overhead when she opened the curtains inside the carriage.

The silver haired girl called Emilia got up still wearing the robe she used to wear on nights like this one. Opening the carriage door and stepping outside after seeing something unusual through the window.

"Subaru… So it was you…"

He was sitting in front of the fire just before she called him, looking and apparently thinking about something as he watched the embers that the wood.

"... Emilia." Said the black haired boy with a slightly unusual tone of voice for the half-elf.

"Can I sit with you?"

He shrugged. "Of course. If that's how it's going to be, I'll do what is necessary…" She sat beside him thinking about the words spoken by her knight.

"Can't sleep?"

"Huh?" She blinked and looked at him. "I was going to ask the same thing actually..." She gave a slight smile as she looked away, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. "I'm a little nervous about all of this, you know…"

"I found myself thinking about what Otto-kun has been telling me…" Emilia continued and Subaru just listened to her beside her. "And I don't know what to think about it, it all seems so complicated..."

"Hm."

"Anastasia-san is not someone I'm close to, and I understand she's in it for the throne too, but I don't understand what her motivations would be in all this… Is it wrong for me to distrust her?"

He looked surprised for a moment, she noticed, and then he managed a slight smile, similar to the one she had on her face, which was almost indistinguishable. "No. It's not wrong for you to distrust her in this case. In fact, in policy, it would be something really necessary; not everyone plays fair after all."

A slight, funny snort drew his attention to her.

"Oh, nothing…" She had her fingers over her lips. "You suddenly looked so serious when you said that... By the way, you are right when you say that. I just felt bad thinking about it, but it's something that needs to be done, I can't fail..."

"Yes, something that needs to be done…" He looked up at the moon as he spoke. And Emilia found herself looking too. It was beautiful, the full moon, always watching them in situations such as these.

"Well…" She got up. "I think I'm going to bed, I can't be tired for tomorrow at all, I have some people I need to deal with… Hey…"

"Hm?"

"Don't take too long here, okay? Take some time to rest, tomorrow will be the day we finally arrive in Priestella. Be prepared, my brave knight!" She smiled at him and left.

He just looked at her back walking away.

It didn't go unnoticed then, that the moon continued to watch him.

"This time, I'll make the world go round in my favor."

Chapter Text

Black lightning sliced through the gray skies over the burning city.

Known as the city of water gates – Pristella, it was now under attack. Destruction and chaos, there was that everywhere, fire and smoke.

It was then, in fact, an attack of the evil Witch Cult.

The fiery-haired woman ran in the middle of the large square completely empty and devoid of life; the wind and ash filling the air.

There was, then, absolute stillness in the region of the square. And, through it all, she stepped forward with absolute confidence.

Her purpose: to stop the nefarious plans of a certain despicable someone from continuing.

She, a beautiful lady that she was, with the pretty features of her face, frowned in displeasure when the metallic sound rang out from above where she stood.

Her eyes remained focused and steady, directed to the only place of true interest. Focus on the flames of fire that surround another female figure, who has just landed with a bang in the middle of the square - forming a crater in the ground, and who had, as the disgusting smile of the figure indicated, the interest of continuing to cause chaos in the city.

The long chains held by bandaged arms swing masterfully, opening space to reveal someone unpleasant.

"My my, I see~" Said the cause of chaos, smiling. "Love, what I see on your face is love, is not it?" She said with her finger between her lips. "What a wonderful face of yours…"

"It seems like the more I search, more filthy rats will come out." Priscilla Barielle spoke with blatant disdain.

The other, "Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, Sirius Romanee Contii, representing the Sin of Wrath!"

"Hmph. Just another one that needs to be eliminated."

"Oh. Do you think you can hinder me? Hinder my love and devotion to this wonderful city!?"

"That I don't need to tell you," Priscilla said as she planted her feet on the ground, digging furrows in the stone. She charged forward with sudden speed, almost invisible to the untrained eye. Her intention was to eliminate the Witch Cult's Archbishop of Sin with a single devastating blow to the neck region.

And so, she arched sword in hand, bloodshot eyes focused on the target to deliver a fatal blow. With a howl she finished the spinning motion.

The image of the woman's head cutting itself and falling to the ground never materialized. Instead, the two women were locked in a stalemate, with only the flaming chains and sword as their weapons. Priscilla's first attack had failed, she received that result with a haughty snort as she gained distance by landing with a precise step away.

"In a majestic way, a proud young lady!" Sirius smiled, her eyes focused on Priscilla's ruby eyes. "Well, besides, someone needed to end this, didn't they?"

"Hmph."

Sirius spread her arms wide as she let the chains spread across the floor around her feet. They were long and deadly, encrusted around the crimson of brief death flames.

The archbishop talked and talked, gaining time and space in the struggle that was going on. Priscilla scoffed at the words spoken by the archbishop, it was her words: a narrative that consisted of wild words, surely not worth the time to repeat them.

Until the archbishop tried to understand the intentions of the woman who was a royal candidate. Priscilla didn't like it one bit. "Hmph. It certainly is a sad existence to rely only on delusions and conjecture, if you believe your words so much you are precisely what we call a lunatic."

"Wow, thank you so much! A fitting title for my husband. Yes, a real criminal who couldn't understand how remarkable this person is. A person like you who only hurls wild words of praise, envy and jealousy."

"It doesn't matter. What belongs to me, belongs to myself. Your words represent an insane way of thinking. For people like you, not even the surface of mineself can be scratched and understood."

"Saying it can't even be scratched, that's the epitome of stubbornness... isn't it? Hmm," Sirius adopted a different stance, scratching her chin as he seemed to think, "So, what do you think of 'Iris and the king of thorns'?"

The archbishop smiled even wider when she had a reaction,

"..."

Priscilla didn't move and only slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Or… what about: 'The Pink Knight of Tieros'? Oh, yes... There's also the 'Guillotine of Maglitza', hum~?"

For some reason a shadow of barely contained hatred covered the crimson woman, who was left speechless at Sirius' strange naming choices.

"–Better off dead."

The air around Sirius was suddenly covered in embers that hadn't been there before, as a sudden attack from directly from the direction Priscilla was standing erupted; Her eyes widened and there was little time for her to react, turning to the side and dodging the blade.

As Sirius thought she had escaped, she turned and prepared to add momentum to an attack of her own with her weapons. Unfortunately for her, there was no time when another attack came from an unexpected angle.

With a spinning kick Priscilla stunned the archbishop as Sirius' face moved at a crooked angle and, with a sickening crack, under the force of the tip of her heel that connected with her face. The archbishop's body flew in the opposite direction, piercing the wall of a building and out of sight.

The sword glowed white-hot in Priscilla's hands as she searched for a sign of the archbishop that was no longer visible. That was her Yang Sword, flaming with the intensity of his rage.

"Priscilla-sama! Did you manage it?" Came the voice of the girl hidden in the background.

"Cease the noise at once, the real problem comes now."

Just as Priscilla's words announced, one could see the apparition of Sirius' figure coming out of a building destroyed by the same hole she had created and drilled.

"I see..." said Sirius without apparent harm, although Priscilla's attack was a well-placed blow. "History exists to remind us of our mistakes, you may have learned something from them..."

"Finally some truth came out of your mouth. It's still unfortunate that you didn't learn any of all this." added, Priscilla.

Sirius returned an angry glare in the direction of the crimson lady, who was doing the same. The two glared at each other before anything happened. In the distance, Priscilla did not fail to notice the hidden figure of the girl who had been following her for some time. The one who was prepared and willing to use what divine protection she had to stop this archbishop and her nefarious advances.

Sirius wasted no time and advanced towards the proud woman. Her ability to handle chains wasn't just limited to long or medium ranged attacks, she could also maintain a head-on fight.

The two mismatched weapons didn't exactly connect with each other, it was just that the two were agile enough to hold a fight with pure flexibility.

Priscilla mocked Sirius' choice of weapon as she attacked, Sirius parrying and retorting in equal measure when, to the noblewoman's surprise, she slashed at the ground and pulled, lifting chunks of the ground into the air. A distraction.

It was enough for the stalemate formed by the sheer skill of the two women's body movement to be interrupted by the bandaged foot being connected to the crimson sword lady's immaculate face. Launching, similar to how it was with Sirius, Priscilla backed up with a snap.

"Priscilla-sama!"

And as expected, something happened. The necklace around Priscila's neck changed color and one of the three jewels broke.

There was no physical damage to Priscilla Barielle's body, but still a blow to her pride.

She had a dangerous glint in her eyes, "The reimbursement of my necklace has a cost quite high, you know…"

"There was no damage at all… I'm starting to get tired of you."

"And me of you." It wasn't Priscilla who said that, nor Sirius. The other girl, who Priscila knew to be distant and safe (Liliana), was also unrelated to this one, she would not put herself in danger at that moment.

No. It was someone else who drew their attention.

And, amidst the crimson flames and soot left by his arrival, was a person none of the participants in the fight expected.

His words fraught with certainty and deliberation had the archbishop smiling, Priscilla frowning, and the girl in the distance gaping at the new male figure looming over a pile of rubble. "Well, I suppose you will succeed in this fight, like last time. But without me here, I'm afraid it still wouldn't be a proper result."

The jovial appearance contrasted with the confident attitude and self-imposed pride. Black hair and wearing clothes that are more than unusual by fashion standards. He was strangely carrying a whip strapped to the side of his leg while wielding his real weapon, a flaming sword, in one hand. He assumed the battlefield as if it were his own and understood his own entry as something inevitable; unrecognizable at first, as a person, Priscila didn't know him. He was, however, a familiar face.

"Oooh! It can't be, it can't be! My dear husband has returned to help me in the fight; our futures are indeed intertwined!" Sirius was suddenly struggling. Priscilla looked at the archbishop with a frown. And then she looked at the boy in disbelief and confusion. She wondered if he was an enemy while Sirius wondered if he was an ally.

"Types like you tend to narrate things so annoyingly. And, you always assume things wrongly; can't we have a more common pattern in this world? I'm tired of this." Words bathed in obvious truly justifiable disdain - Priscila would approve. But, more importantly, the sword was by no means provided to a common pattern and not something that someone of the archbishop's ilk would have the right to use.

The sword glowed brightly in the boy's hand, it glowed crimson against the crimson blade's surface. It was powerful, beautiful and majestic. With certain recognizable differences from Barielle's sword, this one shines more brightly; with more strength and sovereignty.

And Sirius looked at him with disillusioned love.

"!?" He drew the sword... towards the archbishop.

A sword that wasn't for the weak, the sword that at its core meant strength.

The Yang sword Vollachia. "So, let's start?"

It was, then, obvious enough to point out; Priscilla Barielle stood before the emperor of her homeland.

… before the... half-elf's knight.

"… Preposterous…" Priscilla said amidst disbelief and sheer bewilderment as he positioned himself beside her to help defeat the archbishop tormenting Priestella.

The carriage passed towards the city of Priestella at high speed.

The coachman who caught a glimpse in the distance of what was a great wall slowly growing on the horizon had his attention diverted by the voice of someone speaking.

"Otto-bro, look. We're coming!"

A blond haired boy with a huge smile on his face spoke in his own excitement as he slapped him right on the back.

"Ga–ouch!" Otto, the coachman boy dressed in green, groaned under his dissatisfaction as he tried to ease the burning in his back. "I see it, I see it!" He complained, gripping his hat tightly in one hand.

Garfiel left remembering something with a smile.

There was a sigh from Otto as he turned back to looking ahead and at the road as he drove.

"I know how excited you are, Garf… But you don't have to be so dangerously energetic–"

Otto stopped, the seat beside him empty. "... And you already left…"

He assumed that Garfiel Tinzel, the new acting member of Emilia's camp, had gone to warn the others of their arrival in the vicinity of Priestella's town.

And while it was exciting, and even somewhat 'suspicious' that a certain royal candidate who for them made invitations too good to be true, there was also a goal authored solely by Otto Suwen.

A goal he had guarded under his own secrets.

"But now that you're gone…" The boy rummaged in his pocket as he kept his attention on the road and also so that no one would notice his attitude as suspicious.

It was then the feeling of holding ashes inside your pocket. Remains of a burnt book.

"I really don't know what the marquis is planning, but now that he doesn't have that anymore, I can at least rest easy..."

Otto sighed deeply, adopting a downcast expression as he remembered the meeting the entire camp had with their sponsor.

"Who am I kidding… There's no resting easy while Roswaal looks and acts so sure of himself… I'm sure the man's resolve hasn't sagged one iota… That's mainly why I set out with such determination to come on this trip."

It was all too obvious that he would have to come on this trip even if he hadn't set out to do it in the first place. Emilia-sama and Natsuki-san insisted on placing him with the 'closed' team as the knight had said to guide them on this trip. He had prior experience with things like the merchant work he had done for years.

And given that Roswaal and Ram-sama were busy dealing with nobles regarding Emilia-sama's campaign...

"I'm the only one left in this case... Someone to make sure this group doesn't do anything too reckless when it comes to negotiations."

It was known, however, that it was an advantage to bring Otto in to handle situations that both Emilia-sama and Natsuki-san could not handle effectively. The politics and foreign affairs that a meeting with another royal candidate demanded, one of which Otto would be better off handling, was more complicated than it first appeared.

"We will then have the opportunity to bring back the great spirit-sama, if the negotiations progress successfully. For some reason, I feel that Natsuki-san will definitely do something in this case… Whether it's positive or not I don't know; worries."

Perhaps it was better not to bring the honorably named knight in this case, something he would have to explain to Emilia-sama more calmly later. She always wanted to be with her knight at any gathering like this, which shows the trust the two share.

Although…

"Joshua-san didn't have the best impressions when he met Natsuki-san..."

For that and other reasons it was wise to take Otto with them. "I've already accepted this position at Emilia-sama's camp imposed on me anyway… Dealing with it doesn't compare to paperwork."

Ah, the wonders of medieval politics, the nobles and the paperwork that goes with it...

And with all that said...

What better opportunity to come here without anyone suspecting anything? It would only take a night out with the excuse that he was going to spend the night drinking in some bar in the city and that would be it. Wisdom book in hand, new and leaf.

"Only after all this will Natsuki-san and Emilia-sama finally know about this. I need to first secure the proper parts that will give us an advantage in this game with the marquis. After all, we don't know how reliable he is..."

He sighed… "It's fair isn't it, to feel such concern towards that clown after all?"

Fru-fru, Otto's dragon made a noise in mid-sprint. Otto raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he understood what was 'said' by the dragon. "Do you really think so, Fru-fru...? Eh, yes, you're right..."

With the use of the divine protection that Otto held since birth, he reformulated his own thoughts with the 'words' of the faithful dragon. It wasn't much, but at least it gave him more confidence.

"For now neither Natsuki-san nor anyone else knows anything. I still feel bad for keeping such secrets from them…"

This was due to the incredible confidence that was formed by the group over the last year. Mainly starting with the friendship that blossomed between him and Natsuki-san, and then it grew into something bigger and involved more people that Otto could truly call friends.

"Although it's a secret and a breach of their trust. It will be to our advantage in the long run, possibly saving us all from a potentially worse situation than the sanctuary... The problem is if it backfires and I actually fail. "

This time, another earth dragon made an interesting sound, Patrashe. Natsuki-san's own dragon.

"But… What if he gets mad at me?" Otto asked as he talked to the two dragons and piloted the chariot at the same time. He turned back listening to what sounded like the commotion of the loud chatter of the excited group at the back and interior of the carriage. The boy's face was lined with concern.

"Do you think he won't mind…?"

Patrasche made an answering sound and focused on the road.

He sighed looking down at his hands. "Right, you know him so well… and yes, I'll do as you ask and keep an eye on him."

Otto took his hand out of his pocket, gripping the reins in both hands. "Anyway…"

"Ah, Otto-bro, here I am."

Otto was startled by the sudden return of the tiger boy.

"Sorry for the delay, I went to tell Cap'n, and the princess of our arrival… Ha? Something wrong with you?"

Garfiel looked at him with a confused expression while Otto sounded like he'd been caught in the act after doing something wrong, nervously babbling the tiger boy's name.

"Please don't show up so suddenly, I'm riding this carriage carrying Emilia-sama!" He said between tightening the reins and shifting nervously in his seat.

An unusual situation for someone so responsible.

"Sorry about that… By the way, who were you talking to…?"

"Ah… Nothing and nobody; talking to myself…"

"Baah, no need to hide your weird habits, I know very well what was going on..." He smiled sympathetically, relaxing on the bench.

"D-do you know?" Otto put his hand protectively over his pocket as he himself leaned to the side as Garfiel had his arm over his shoulder.

"Yes, you were talking about the captain with his dragon. Your divine protection, I know."

"Y-yes. I can talk with animals and dragons. But just forget about it, we have more important things to deal with!"

Partrashe snorted.

"Okay, okay, got it." Garfiel waved dismissively and pointed to the city in the distance. "There is our destiny, I want to meet the great Priestella as soon as possible, so speed up the pace!"

"Well, well, you pretend so well for them... Or is that not the case, hm?"

It was...

It was so uncomfortable.

"Hey, Subaru, look at this!" Emília called his attention, smiling and pointing; and leaning closer to him, "Isn't it a wonderful sight!?"

The water channel the half-elf was pointing to had crystalline water that reflected the bluish sky that contained the midday sun. It was not the only canal in the city, this being just one of which had several boats as a means of transport and locomotion.

Impressively, the canal extended to the other end of the city that rose at an angle, drawing the peculiar shape of the city from the water gates, in Beatrice's words: like a basin, built over an ancient lake.

And along with that, the city that was surrounded by the great walls made everything more inviting to a bad impression - if it weren't for the beautiful view they had to glimpse; and Emilia was grateful for it, pleased.

Like a real trap city.

The city that would serve as everyone's prison and which would serve as the culmination of an evil attack by the witch cult.

Basically, with a body part outside the carriage, through the window; he observed and watched the marvelous city. Beatrice and Emilia did the favor of forcing him to look outside and fit into the small space available to them.

"Indeed, of course it's wonderful..." Subaru couldn't lie as he replied, a tone of disinterest in his voice, his focus on the various towers that were scattered around, those that the archbishop would have to have for them.

Beatrice also admired the view from the window with satisfied eyes. "The outside was not to Betty's liking. That high walls and the shadow that hung over the carriage made Betty imagine the inside as a huge prison. Fortunately Betty was right to expect a surprising view inside, from the books she read."

"Beatrice, it seems you've never had the opportunity to visit Priestella before..." Emilia pointed out as she spoke to Beatrice, who looked away wistfully.

"Betty was hopelessly too focused on her own goal to see anything beyond that, I suppose... She didn't want to give it all up, because she thought all her efforts would be in vain. So visiting these places was never a priority in her life. Betty was a fool..." She muttered her last words so that no one would hear.

"... I understand you." The voice came in a deep tone, reflecting confidence and symapathy..

They looked at him, Surprise marked in each of the girls's eyes at his initiative to add something to the conversation, given the silence he had readily tried to maintain since earlier in the day. It was just a matter of priorities, he hadn't gone back in time to make friends after all. He would only speak what was necessary.

"...Please do not concern yourself with that. You have already made your decision." He crossed his arms, leaned back in the seat as he stared at her with serious eyes. "Or do you still harbor any regrets, Beatrice?"

She seemed surprised by his question and hesitated to utter the next words she didn't know how to say. Did she still regret having locked herself in that library for four hundred years, waiting for something impossible?

The answer could be yes, no; it should be yes. However, should it really? She asked herself. If Beatrice had decided, long ago, to leave the library and choose someone else...

... Would there have been Subaru by her side every day, in this impossible possibility?

No. She looked down. Probably not. But.

"Don't regret anything. You made your decision a long time ago, whether to wait or to fight for something impossible, its right anyway. In the end, to deny that with regret would only be to deny the you of now that is the result of the choices of your self of before. The failure, the regrets, are part of who you are, Beatrice."

Beatrice looked at him, her eyes reflecting a desire to know more about her contractor, and offer words in the same measure of care.

"... Do you regret anything, I wonder? Do you regret choosing Betty in your life...?"

The answer - she felt - was too obvious to ask. What a fool she was, she told herself. But Beatrice still wanted to hear that from him anyway, even that it was obviously.

"No."

Beatrice smiled faintly at that, feeling closer to him than ever.

And yet, he looked away to the window. He continuing to answer she, he tone without so much emotion, "... I really don't regret anything. I will never again deny who I am with regret..."

"... That is why you need to move on. Starting today, whatever happens, whether bad or good. Never regret what you have done or failed to do. Be strong and never look back, justifying your defeat or your failures, whatever they may be. Just learn from your mistakes, be better, be you, be the Beatrice you want to be."

"Ah..." Beatrice looked at him, her eyes sparkling with strong emotions that made the little spirit's heart warm. "S-saying it that way, Betty's Subaru will only make her love him even more..."

"..." Hmph. Accept this as a favor, don't look at me this way, keep this love to yourself - there is no need for it for me now.

Silence spread through the carriage, filled only by the rumble of wheels outside. Emilia looked at each of the pair curiously, her hand reaching to her chest. Beatrice blushed as she moved closer to her contractor. And Subaru looked away through the window, not allowing his face to be seen to any of them.

Which definitely didn't stop Beatrice from hugging him in any way. "Subaruuu..."

"..."

"You know, I have a feeling that you two would love to go for a walk together, it will be a nice change from the atmosphere of the mansion or the capital, won't it?" asked Emilia with a wide smile, and as she gladly put her two hands together, she said, "Tell you what, right after I finish my duties with Kiritaka-san, the four of us will go out and explore this city. What do you think about that?"

"Adequate, I suppose."

"We'll do as you wish… Emilia." After all, their trust was needed, so he would need to act as expected; until at least the fights started. Although he relied on his own abilities to deal with the problems that would arise, he couldn't rule out the help that all of them could offer in battle.

Without fighters, warriors or a proper army, I cannot handle everything myself. However, the biggest problem would be during the battle, I'm sure they will find it strange...

A fact was that his abilities were still totally unknown to the two girls present here, or else to the two boys outside, or to anyone he had available for help. Certainly an unwanted number of questions will be asked, and he would, of course, have a limited number of convincing answers.

But I can't help it, it's the cult I'm talking about. If I falter again, I will fail as I once did in this very city.

It was a matter of maintaining their trust to succeed in his highest goal, for now he would act as if nothing had changed, but he couldn't do that for long. So he would focus on gradually changing himself (showing his true colors) to avoid distrust.

He was afraid this would happen. The formula for failure was in check; the place, the people and the enemies. There would then be one slip or a series of slips left for him to fail.

And past results, Subaru would assure you, haven't been pretty. It was better to succeed this time.

Or Pandora will have one more win on her list.

As Subaru internally monologues, the little spirit girl still had something to say while sitting on his lap, something he still didn't know how to react other than to feel…discomfort?

"You're right, I guess." She was still holding his hand, letting that desirable feeling of closeness envelop him more. He frowned, this would not be like that for long.

It doesn't matter. He ignored the girls and tried to rethink who he was up against in the end. Pandora. She is an evil witch who did her best to wreak havoc in the world in the most scoundrel way possible.

Considering herself the perfect existence, that witch basically worked from behind the shadows and tended to always come out on top of Subaru's attacks on the witch cult, which was by no means an easy organization to find.

I needed the best in the empire to stand a chance. Once I had access to Emperor power, I had an easier time working against the cult.

To be clear, Natsuki Subaru's plan since then has always been to put an end to the witch cult once and for all. Those who took everything from him, and Pandora as their leader had her name at the next place in line.

"It is then, as I said: a personal revenge." Said the voice inside Subaru's head, voice recognizable enough to make him frown and lick his lips in disgust.

The crystal that came with it was still under the clothes he'd woken up from the night before, clothes he hadn't had access to in a long time, the same ones Rem had made based on the first one since coming to this world.

"You have access to my thoughts now too, how convenient of you…"

The contract between Echidna and Subaru allowed for a deep connection between them, followed by the need for her crystal for each use of return by death to be assimilated.

"Only when necessary. I will be somewhat your guide here. I can tell you information you may not know, or else my own opinions..."

"Can you also be silent when necessary?"

"…Yes, I can be silent when necessary." She said with relaxed calm. "But now, I presume my presence is a desirable thing, is it not? You look so uncomfortable, I can feel it, oh it's so bad..."

"Yes, why did I accept this contract anyway…?"

If on the one hand it was good, on the other it was terrible, living with Echidna in the head was not something Subaru would in good conscience consider doing, but it seems that he was desperate to this point.

"That would be incredibly unfair, Beatrice. You can't monopolize Subaru like that, even if I have Puck. I still want to have my time with Subaru, after all, he's my friend too."

"Hmph."

A fleeting little thought occurred to him that brought up a glaring inconsistency in the existence of the relationship between contractor and spirit. It occurred to him that at this moment he was contracted with Echidna and had her daughter right in his lap also contracted with him.

Speaking of which, I feel like I have a signed contract with her; yes, it would be strange if Beatrice hadn't realized this before... I suppose contracts between spirits and witches are different things. So, Echinda, how it works?

"..."

He frowned at Echidna's non-response, feeling tempted to shake the crystal hidden just from the two girls.

"I think this is your time to give me some answers, Witch. Why do I still have a signed contract with Beatrice? I thought my soul would return to how it was before in the future. By the way, my Yang sword, which is linked to the soul, still works, I tested it. Come to think of it, my contract with Beatrice should be broken as well."

Subaru sighed internally. "So, Echidna, how long are you going to stay there silent. Answer: why I still have a signed contract with Beatrice."

He worried that something was wrong, but it couldn't be, couldn't happen, when she finally answered: "Sorry. Besides you, I have to deal with the other consciousnesses inside this crystal… Anyway, it turns out that most likely your contract was never broken in the first place."

"Never been broken!? But how… Beatrice- she, when she noticed me, my situation and especially my smell, she accused me of being an archbishop of sin – an affiliate of the witch cult. She was sure, and so…"

"One would assume she didn't recognize him as a legitimate contractor, yes. However, can you tell me what happened to her and her dear half-elf right after?"

Subaru bit his lip at the way Echidna said things."Very well… They were closer together than ever, as I was taken away, I was never sure what happened to them again… but… oh…"

"Yes, the contract was passed on to someone else. When I saw your memoirs, the most likely assumption was that the half-elf was given that contract. However, his contract was never broken, it still existed and was just passed on to another holder in a clandestine way… Think of it as a well-constructed illusion."

"How is this possible? Are these things not connected to the person's soul, and consequently to the Od Laguna?"

"The authority of gluttony: the effects are differently lethal depending on the wielder's desire. Daphne also held such authority and consequently she had access to powers similar to the current archbishops of the sin of gluttony, but still different enough. At that time it was not possible for contracts to be modified in such a way, they remained inert but still in force, as in the case of the white whale, contracts were never passed on to other people in the hope of plugging the holes left in reality by memory loss. someone. It was ultimately weaker and more limited when it came to memories and names."

"Then there was a change..."Subaru concluded easily."Authorities of sin, as you said, powers that distort reality itself…"

"In fact. Probably this gluttony bearer's desire was so powerful that the authority took on this new effect, thus transferring your contract with her to the half-elf."

"With your daughter." He thought hard at the voice.

"Yes..."

"You're terrible..."

Subaru squeezed Beatrice's hand, feeling the familiar warmth spread. Beatrice leaned further into Subaru's body, speaking in sweet words, "Betty can't wait. Bubby won't believe it when she finds out about the contract I have with Betty's Subaru, we'll have a lot to talk about, I suppose."

"Yes! Puck will be totally surprised by this." Emilia stopped with a smile on her face, she turned to him as he tried to keep looking out the window. "And you, Subaru, what do you think of all this?"

"Well, you need to offer her an answer, don't you? What are you going to say, hm?"

"Cease the racket, Echidna."

He coughed into his closed hand before speaking and turning his eyes slightly to hers. "It's… interesting. Yes."

The two looked at each other, finding his behavior more than out of character.

"You are not being very convincing…"

"Echidna..."

"Sorry…"

Emilia had a finger under her lips with a curious expression on her pretty features. He noticed her curious gaze on him more intensely than before. "Speaking of which, you've been a lot quieter than usual, Subaru. Are you feeling okay?"

"... Maybe it's just your impression, isn't it? We talked just yesterday…"

"I wouldn't call that a conversation, but I'll take it... Maybe you're tired of staying up late for your sleep time...?"

"How kind of her…" Echidna spoke irritably. "She seems to like you so much…"

"Subaru?" She had her face close to his.

"N-No." He responded quickly to Emilia's deduction, ignoring the witch's inner chatter. "That must be it."

"Pftt~"

Subaru closed his eyes tightly, frowning angrily, taking a deep breath as he heard the witch's snort of laughter in the background of his mind. She shut up right away.

"Subaru? Why do you look so angry like that? Do you feel sick?" Emilia asked, suddenly drawing everyone's attention to him, including the witch in his mind, who kept telling him to be more aware of his surroundings.

"This is your fault, didn't I already tell you to keep your mouth shut at once!?"

"..."

"Well, I'm tired…" Tired of hearing Echidna in his mind, that is.

"So Betty's Subaru really didn't sleep well last night? Why didn't he wake Betty up if he couldn't sleep last night, I wonder?"

"You know… You could maybe be more honest with them, you want their trust don't you? Like I said, having their help is vital to stopping the witch's plan..."

"I know."

Subaru felt that dealing with it was more exhausting than he thought, and adding Echidna to the mix made it ten times worse.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He really didn't want to do this, but not because of sleep or anything.

"But don't worry, I can handle it, I guarantee it."

Beatrice suddenly took his hand and squeezed. "Well, if that's how it is, fine, I suppose…"

"But, please, let us know if you need to," Emilia touched him gently once more. "Okay?"

He just nodded.

"The Emperor of Vollachia, pft~"

"Tsk."

......

...

.

It was, in fact, uncomfortable.

"Subaru, it's good to see you here, my friend…"

"Reinhard…"

The greetings of two men from wildly different worlds, each carrying a different story and point of view. One was from the future, another hadn't seen his friend for at least a year.

A friendly welcome would then be expected of him. "It's been a while…"

"Yes, it really does."

It was when their carriage stopped, a few hours ago, at the entrance to the city, that the group descended to walk on the cobblestone streets of the city.

Subaru, Garfiel, Emilia e Beatrice.

Otto, the poor guy, had stayed behind with the dragons at the entrance to the city, dealing with the high number of security checks for the place. Priestella was then said to be concerned about the safety of citizens.

And so they were stopped to have the carriage confiscated.

Which made no sense, Subaru concluded. That was a carriage owned by a royal candidate, so there shouldn't be too much trouble getting in while Emilia herself was present.

Fortunately, Emilia being an actual candidate and having possession of the candidate badge meant a free pass for them to pass on foot. The carriage was still stopped, both by the large queue of carriages and for mandatory verification…

A protective measure, and in simpler words, a complete waste of time. A huge line of carriages, curiously on the day before the big attack.

Coincidence? No, possibly the disgusting witch herself setting up her stage.

Smuggling, kidnapping, generally illicit situations. That's what this security measure was for. Obviously, every guard who made the city's security had no idea of the tragedy that was going to occur the next day, from the flooding of the city, to the people who suffered under the cult's attack.

That's what I'm here for, to put an end to this nonsense once and for all.

Natsuki Subaru's mission. He wasn't just here to seek petty revenge, as Echidna liked to suggest.It is more than that. It was a favor to the world and the people he valued and even himself.

He hated the witch cult with all his might. And there wasn't anything that would make him change his mind.

That's why tomorrow should be the worst day for the witch cult, it will be the biggest loss they will have in a long time.

Of that he was sure, just as he did in the future.

"A job that you dedicated yourself to for a long time, fortunately, it paid off." Echidna said suddenly. True. It was true.

The cult suffered from attack after attack, and with it he got some things he didn't expect."The witch factors, as I had said at the tea party once when you found me, is something you can absorb. You absorbed the 'sloth' factor that time, and since then…"

"Sloth, Greed... Anyway, a total of three authorities at the moment."

"In fact."

Subaru sighed, "Useful powers, it's true. Unfortunately, the others, the other sins, I never got. Wrath has always been under the power, in the prisons, of that arrogant woman - the queen. Lust, tsk, that bitch, I will kill her yet. Gluttony, I have killed them: both of them; but there is a third, which I have never reached. Pride, unknown..."

"We hope that this time, you will be able to obtain more specimens of wizarding factors. For now, you should focus on your current situation…"

What did it mean, Reinhard.

So now, after standing in front of the hotel they were supposed to stay in for the few days they would be in town, they met directly with the sword saint.

Friendly and smiling.

Which was a surprise to some. "I didn't expect you to be here, Reinhard-san…" Emilia spoke.

"That's right, Felt-sama and I were also invited, as I presume you were also invited…" Asked the sword saint more than politely to them.

"Yes, we were." Subaru took the initiative to speak, as this would be a good way to – first, get used to dealing with these people; second – to gain everyone's trust, so that at the time of battle he could issue orders that they could follow. "And not just us, but the other fields as well…" The raven-haired boy had his knuckles, thinking, under his chin as everyone watched him in bewilderment. "Maybe not Priscilla's camp… Yeah, that woman wouldn't be here."

A certainty he knew both from experience and the obviousness when he analyzed the woman's arrogant behavior.

"Wow..." Reinhard sketched a surprise. "Then, I confirm that you are correct, Subaru. Anastasia-sama informed us when we arrived in the city just yesterday. We had some sort of informal meeting yesterday, please don't feel left out, no it was no biggie - other than a nice conversation."

"No no. It's okay that way." Subaru replied.

Meanwhile, footsteps were heard as Emilia positioned herself closer to the two of them to join the conversation more closely. "Um, if I may ask, Reinhard-san… Do you happen to know what all this calling is about? At first I was surprised by the information and the invitation itself from Anastasia-san, but then, knowing that the other camps are also present…"

"Anastasia is not one to miss opportunities, and what better opportunity could there be than to bring all the camps together and get to know each other to get the best advantage in the royal selection? Obviously, to that end, she offered something of value to each one, I am right?"

Reinhard scratched the back of his head, "Actually, you are correct, we received a proposal, something that Felt-sama herself wanted, and Anastasia-sama insisted on getting it - that's why we came here. And to answer your question Emilia-sama, I have no idea – but I think Subaru's assumption is well suited under Anastasia-sama's profile."

"And even…?" She looked at Subaru.

"Hmph. Of course, half-elf. It just goes to show you how amazing Betty's Subaru is. You, of course, would guess all of that if you just thought about it a bit, actually."

"Beatrice…" Emilia whined playfully. "Don't be so mean to me, please…"

Reinhard just laughed. "I see you also have two new members in your camp. Beatrice-sama whom I already had the pleasure of meeting the last time we met in the capital – by the way, congratulations on your newly signed contract, Subaru."

Subaru coughed into a fist while Beatrice looked smug. "Clear." He replied politely. The spirit took his hand and held it tighter.

Reinhard smiled. "And besides Beatrice-sama, there's someone I don't know yet, but maybe I've heard the name." He moved towards the golden haired tiger boy. "Garfiel, isn't it?" He offered his hand for a shake.

"Uh… The sword saint…"

"Yes, a pleasure." He still offered his hand.

"Ah… Yes, pleasure. And," Subaru looked on, as did the others, as Garfiel seems frozen in place, swallowing hard. "Would you fight my amazing self?"

"Eh? Fight you, me?"

"Yes that's right." He flashed a smile showing all white teeth. "It would then be a fight between the sword saint and the shrine's great shield - the one that protects Emilia-sama's camp."

"Ah..."

Emilia approached the red-haired man who only seemed confused by the boy's unusual proposal. "Please Reinhard if you can take it - Garfiel likes fights a lot - he trains daily." She glared at him as he quickly nodded. "I'm sure he would love to test his skills with someone as skilled as you..."

Reinhard turned his gaze to Emilia as she laid out Garfiel's desires and efforts. The knight seemed to take this quite well when she finished.

He turned directly to the boy with a gentle smile.

"Then I will do as you wish, Garfiel." He tightened his grip on the boy's hand, "Later we can have a nice duel between friends and I can offer you some tips as well."

"Yeah! You see Emilia-sama, Cap'n! I'll show off my hard training, so don't pity me, you hear!?"

"Of course haha!" The sword saint just scratched his head laughing genuinely and finding the boy's confidence a nice thing to witness.

And then…

"Well, well… if it isn't the big sister and… and the big brother… Yeah, I remember you man."

"Felt-chan!" Emilia greeted as she turned to the girl with a smile. The crimson-eyed blonde girl looked back as she made a 'V' sign with her fingers and sketched a bright glow. "How long have we not seen each other…"

It was then the entry of another royal candidate. And, next to her, three other people unknown to Emilia.

"Haaa, don't even tell me big sis, this way you'll end up reminding me that this one," She pointed at Reinhard with her thumb while making a sardonic smile, "kidnapped me to be queen of this kingdom... Can you believe that!?"

Emilia snorted, "Yes, I was there… And after all, it's not so bad, is it?"

"There are advantages, I'll admit. But let's not get into that. These are my new members of my camp. Introduce yourselves guys..."

The three seemed torn between obeying or just looking for a way out of their situation. Subaru clearly recognized them as his gaze indicated, but they weren't in his general interest and therefore he didn't say anything.

"Hey." Said the thinnest and middle one.

"Yo." The biggest one who was too big also spoke.

And the shortest one said when the other two from behind pushed him to speak: "We are the new members of Felt's camp... She forced us to do this, help..."

What the hell is this weird presentation?

"Ha-hahaha… Don't mind them," urged Felt as Emilia looked worriedly at the three and then back at the blonde candidate. Subaru rolled his eyes, Beatrice looked bored, and Garfiel thought the three of them were very strange. "They're some that Rein and I are trying to get into some sort of rehab – stubborn beyond measure, but helpful in a way. Isn't that right, guys…?"

She looked at them with a dangerous expression as she asked in a low voice.

"Y-Yes, Felt." The shorter one said again in submission as the other two looked rigid at the overwhelming presence behind them.

""That's what he said…"" The other two said in unison smiling, Reinhard appearing right behind them as he placed his hand on each shoulder with a smile on his face. "Hehe…" All smiling.

"What the hell dude…" Garfiel fiddled with his hair, a little uncomfortable as he watched the overjoyed group. As a whole, Emilia's camp looked at each other nervously.

"So, big sister…" Felt spoke again in front of her camp members. "Are these all your camp members?"

"Oh," Emilia began to introduce them, all the while smiling and answering questions diligently. Even Subaru got his turn to be introduced again to Felt while constantly being mentioned as the now knight of Emilia.

"How cute~ I'll give that to her, she can be adorable when it comes to you." Commented, Echidna, uselessly.

Subaru sighed as he resigned himself to that. He just needed to learn how to interact and keep their trust in him growing steadily. In the future it wouldn't be as dull as it is now...

"Hm, I assume that in the long run your interactions will naturally become more suited to your current personality?"

"It will have to be… There is a limit to this, Echidna. As far as I can be… patient… I guess…"

"Um-hum…"

"I will, after Priestella, remain focused on my goal. For that, I'll need every way to get the biggest advantage possible - therefore - I need Vollachia..."

"Yes…? Oh, are you asking me for permission to rule that country?"

"Don't talk nonsense… I – I just need your opinion – at first I assumed retaking Vollachia so soon would be a bad thing in the long run on this loop, I need… them, don't you?"

Annoyingly, he heard Echidna sigh internally inside his mind."You can do as you like; however, conquering Vollachia will do little to stop the witch's advance. Although, there's no denying that your reach to accomplish more things in the world would be immensely increased… So, say… why not Lugnica?"

"What? No, no, no. I'm not… staying in Lugnica, are you crazy?"

"..."

"Don't raise your eyebrows like that, I can feel you doing it right there inside my mind! Lugnica is not a good option, I–"

"You wouldn't have total domination of the nation like you would in Vollachia… Hm, don't you think it's a little arrogant of you to assume that you always have to be in control?"

"I need to defeat Pandora, clearly I need to be as in control as possible... Look, forget it - this is for the future. Focus! I just need focus. Priestella, then bring them to my side - tame Volachia - then, Methodically, break Pandora's ultimate goal and only then will I achieve victory."

"... As you wish…"

"Well, that wasn't something really unexpected given Anastasia-sama's profile…"

"I understand that we must proceed with caution going forward." Emilia spoke. "I don't know what she plans, but from what we got when we talked to Reinhard and what Subaru's assumption inferred, it didn't seem so bad..."

"Natsuki-san huh…" Otto sighed, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.

It was in the streets of Priestella that their carriage was now on its way, just Otto and Emilia. Subaru and the others promptly decided to stay at the inn to watch Garfiel fight Reinhard.

"I spoke little to him when I met with you. He looked worried somehow, maybe it was just my impression, but…"

"He was different, yes." Emilia, who decided to sit next to Otto in the coachman's position so as not to be alone in the carriage, pointed. "I confronted Subaru earlier, didn't get much out of it, but I thought it was just genuine nervousness. I think he was just worried that I would succeed."

Emilia understood that Subaru was much more energetic and talkative when they interacted, even more so when Beatrice was involved. But since the beginning of the day he didn't follow as usual, which was a surprise.

But the whole situation was a fundamental change in their routine, it could easily be explained by Emilia's still superficial assumption.

"Hmm… Anyway, I think we're here." The carriage stopped next to a building well framed in the city. The headquarters of the Muse Trade Company.

"Yes." Emilia looked at the place, just before taking a deep breath. "Let's get Puck back."

When they got down and actually entered the place, they were greeted by a tidy and well decorated place. There was a reception that gave an air of professionalism to the place, Otto took the initiative to introduce himself.

"You must have a meeting scheduled with Kiritaka-sama." Said the attendant with bunny ears. "If you follow the main corridor you will be taken to the Muse Trade Company's meeting room, soon Kiritaka-sama should arrive."

They were taken to a room that, in order to get there, they had to go through some corridors full of doors and some stairs that led to the first floor.

The chocolate-colored door was finally opened by their guide as they entered the meeting room. Some comfortable seats, papers and a completely business environment; i.e. something Otto would be suitably used to with the new job he had.

With the door closed for just the two of them to remain waiting for Kiritaka, they could effectively work out some rules and strategies to get what they wanted.

"Puck…" Emilia took the crystal out of her pocket, it was broken in some places and it reminded her bitterly of the memories she had of meeting him for the last time a year ago.

She ran her fingers over the bluish surface of the spirit crystal wistfully and sadly. Something she'd been guarding the entire trip since they'd left the mansion, minus the moments when Subaru had stepped in to cheer her up.

She would thank him.

"Emilia-sama pull yourself together, you need to be strong right now. Due to the rarity of this magic stone that we are going to buy, we cannot be at a disadvantage in these negotiations. Much less emotionally unstable."

"Um, yes, you're right, Otto-kun. Sorry about that."

"No problem, the only thing we need to focus on is our goal. We cannot give up now otherwise all the effort put into this will be in vain."

Emilia took a deep breath, agreeing with him and bringing up the logical part of her to finally do the negotiations.

"We have an adequate amount of money, the marquis has ensured that we manage to bring spirit-sama back. So this shouldn't be a concern at first. However… Our supplier, Muse Kiritaka-san, is someone rather peculiar…"

"You didn't say that before, peculiar how?"

"People know him well in this city, apparently every morning he makes an announcement with a special 'metia' at the city hall, related to the city's safety - the shelters and then always Liliana-sama's songs."

"Oh, Liliana-san. Surely the city must wake up in a great mood after her songs every morning."

"Yes… But that's not the important thing; Kiritaka-san's profile is intrinsically related to that woman."

"In what sense?" Emilia cocked her head, trying to figure out how they could be related and even more how it could have a bad connotation, just like Otto's voice made it seem when talking about their relationship. "You make it sound like I would need to be careful after hearing that fact."

"It's because he is apparently obsessed with Liliana, she has a peculiar name in this town and he became known as the singer's maniac. So absolutely never mention her name."

"Oh, this is–"

Emilia and Otto both jumped when the door was thrown open with a loud and unexpected bang. A wounded man, covered in cuts and bruises all over his bloodied body, entered shortly after, clutching his injured arm as he staggered towards them.

"Help me."

To their surprise, it was Kiritaka Muse who had just entered.

"Well, well, what a beautiful city; Too bad it's full of disgusting meat bags."

Chapter Text

The interior of Priestella Town Hall wasn't as interesting a place to look at as the outside. But that fact didn't represent how cozy and well-organized the inside of the building was, because it was.

They even entered the place through the large double doors with Subaru leading the group of three in total. That is, besides him, there were Beatrice and Garfiel. The two people who at the moment were the ones he could at least trust.

It may not be ideal, but it's what I need to do.

Subaru took a brief look at Beatrice and Garfiel's faces, inspecting the wary and tense expressions they were sketching, respectively. Whether those were the only things they felt at the moment, he didn't know; but that it was obvious that such emotions were part of the individuals named Beatrice and Garfiel, this was a fact.

Finally, Beatrice decided to speak. "Betty agreed to Subaru's plan, but she still has her reservations about it, remember that, in fact."

He nodded with a sigh, deciding not to argue. "This way. We can't waste time on this." He made a point of reminding them. Beatrice sighed in resignation and Garfiel showed extreme appeal to Subaru's words with a strong breath through his nose, exhaling shortly afterwards as he opened his eyes with determination.

On the way to the door that would presumably lead them deeper into the large building, they were surprised by a presence that did not match the standard of the other people and officials who occupied the city hall.

"Subaru, Beatrice-sama, Garfiel-san, how nice to see you here. I planned to meet you later at the inn, but it's good to see that you've decided to pay a visit to the outskirts of town, and luckily we ran into each other." The voice sounded elegant and formal as it greeted Subaru and company with joy.

Julius Juukulius. Who struck a pose worthy of a royal knight.

Seeing him, Subaru managed a small smile of satisfaction. "Julius, it's good to see you here too. And, you're right," He confirmed, "Beatrice and Garfiel agreed to my suggestion and here we are."

"Hmm." She narrowed her eyes at Subaru. "Betty's Subaru couldn't stop asking Betty to do it, so she came to please him I suppose."

Garfiel was not left out. "Yeah, we're here for a little tour with the captain, nice to meet you man."

"Then, I am honored by the consideration, Garfiel-san. And since you're Subaru's friend, I suppose I'd be happy to know more about you too." The knight gave him a polite little bow, which in turn left Garfiel flustered and unsure how to act in return. He acknowledged with a little admiration that he was seeing firsthand the ways of a royal knight. The biggest one.

"Besides, Julius." Subaru resumed speaking, hoping to put the matter on other tracks. Julius returned to a position at eye level with Subaru to hear him better. "I suppose you're not really alone, are you? Anastasia would probably be with you, am I correct?"

"Definitely. As Anastasia-sama's knight, I'm always close to her to assist her in the best possible way. Just like you also do for Emilia-sama's sake."

Subaru laughed. "Yes, you're right. In fact, she - Emilia - was the one who recommended that I have a moment with both of them, she wants to accomplish something with her own effort, you know? And now here we are…"

"I see, Emilia-sama–"

"Natsuki-kun. What a pleasant surprise!" The voice that interrupted them came from the region of the large corridor that Subaru and company would have been passing through, if they hadn't been interrupted by Julius. And that meant another smile for Subaru.

And here she is. Subaru pensou.

"Anastasia-sama." Julius bowed again, welcoming the royal candidate in the white gown and good looks. "We were just talking about you, maybe you want to join our conversation?"

Subaru just watched the two interact while Julius was soft and gentle with the lady serving.Man, I had forgotten how polite you can sound and be, it's even irritating on the nerves. Tsk.

Unaware of Subaru's thoughts,Anastasia turned to him smiling smugly, and teasingly. "Is that true, Natsuki-kun? Well, I'm completely fine with that arrangement. I've wanted to get to know better the one who helped defeat the white whale and the sloth."

Subaru opened his mouth to reply.

And before he could start saying it, Julius took the initiative to recommend that they talk somewhere other than in the middle of the hall. "Great suggestion Julius-kun, we have a restaurant nearby where I–"

Subaru held up a hand stopping her. "Actually, I would like to suggest something else. It would be a request I'm sure you can fulfill for us-"

"Oh. I understand." Anastasia stopped mid-sentence as she looked at him more closely. "And what would Natsuki-kun want to ask me, hm? This may come at a cost, I warn you."

"Of course. In fact, I..."

Fifteen minutes ago.

"Aaa–gk-" A sickening crack reverberated through the garden as the wooden sword connected hard against his forehead. Garfiel Tinsel fell to the grass panting and shining with sweat, feeling incredibly defeated.

Even more than that, he was frustrated. After what was the tenth time (he counted), being easily knocked down, attempt after attempt to attack his opponent. His psyche started to snap as he glowed a faint crimson, "... Damn..." He took a deep breath and returned to normal, the aura suddenly fading.

It was bad. And that wasn't even the worst, the worst was the expression his opponent made for him.

"Perhaps we should stop here, Garfiel." He suggested in that concerned and understanding voice of his, his facial expression painted the same as his voice.

It might not be, but it seemed to be, pity. Feather aimed at a weak and tired shield.

"Tsk." Still lying on his back on the floor, Garfiel was bothered by the blinding sunlight. He ground his teeth angrily and refused to stay more than a second on the floor, so he tried to get up.

The legs were shaking and the posture was out of alignment. His hands stiffened with difficulty in the intended position to attack through sheer force of will. His eyes became sharp again and his fang-like teeth were bared.

To that sympathetic face, he could easily just transform into a huge beast and defeat him once and for all. But…but he wouldn't do that. It was against the rules.

"You look tired, I recommend some rest time Garfiel–"

"I don't need it, don't pity me!"

The sword saint, his opponent, looked surprised – not by the attack that Garfiel almost landed suddenly in his face, which was easily dodged – no; Reinhard Van Astrea was taken aback by the anger in the boy's eyes.

One, two, three strikes. All with tremendous strength, to shake the foundations of any lesser opponent. Reinhard was no lesser opponent. To theblessings from himguarantee an advantage, and heif only ensures all the remaining perks.

He was the sword saint after all. Therefore, he…

"It's dodging all, all my punches!"

Another and another, he punched. Two or more consecutive punches, looking for the image of the fist connected against the knight's face. Garfiel didn't use a sword, he used his bare hands or the shields he had on his wrists. Unlike Reinhard who used the wooden sword.

It could have been considered unfair to an outside observer, in fact, the observers of the fight, who watched everything in the vicinity of the garden, found it abysmally unfair.

Reinhard also thought it was unfair.

Not Garfiel. He said: "I fight best with my shields, or fists; but you can use your maximum, even on a wooden sword, I will bear it." That is, he recognized how strong Reinhard was - and that with a real sword, the guy would be a monster - but still, there was an underestimation on Garfiel's part.

Reinhard easily caught one of the tiger boy's fists and then another, "About that before, I'm sorry that you interpreted things that way Garfiel, but it wasn't my intention to do that to you at all." Said he sadly holding all that applied force as if it was a joke, "I don't feel sorry for you."

Garfiel pulled his arm back with maximum force upon hearing that and he then concentrated on delivering more and more strikes with equal measure strength, to the point where his muscles burned. Frowning, he looked away from the knight's honest gaze with disgust and guilt.

"..." Maybe he overreacted? Yep, he definitely overdid it perfectly. Garfiel internally admitted to himself. And not. Garfiel Tinsel was not someone who would cling to immaturity to get what he wanted just because he didn't get it. But still…

"Aaahhh!"

Even if he agreed that he had been overreacting and putting too many unrealistic expectations on himself, it didn't mean he was going to give up here and now.

Resilience was the key to everything, after all. Try, try, until you succeed - until you win.

Fwussh!

The wooden sword, it danced through the air in search of a more than perfect strike, connecting exactly where Garfiel didn't expect it and–

"-Gah, gkk…" The crack reverberated, and there were a few gasps from the 'audience' that only consisted of the inn staff, Felt camp and two members of Emilia camp. He ignored it, and mostly the excruciating pain.

His hand connected like a fist in the grass with a punch, he was subdued. The woody blade lined up before his emerald eyes.

Finally, in the game he was playing — was,

checkmate.

You lost, that's what he said inside his own mind. He looked at his captain and Beatrice. They watched him with neutral expressions, not overly excited and not disheartened. In other words, there was no surprise.

He was expected to lose in the face of the impossible.

Garfiel looked down at the grass, trying to understand what he was feeling inside his chest.

Reinhard retracted his sword when he concluded the fight was over, he didn't try to offer a hand to help him up, in a sign of respect for the boy (Garfiel had refused the first few times Reinhard had tried to help him).

So it was kind of the knight's consideration, maybe he concluded it was about the boy's pride or something. Garfiel, faced with these conclusions, would say the opposite and try to deny it, but even he knew that it wasn't that simple and that, in fact, there was pride included.

"Aaahhh!"

An attack with a fierce scream. Garfiel attacked Reinhard while he no longer pointed his sword at him. It was not an attack from the knight's back and not a surprise attack at all. It was Reinhard after all, so he would defend.

So he went with everything...

Only to stumble in a totally… totally ridiculous way, he'd say. He spat on the floor as he got up once more, so it was another failure for the growing list of failures.

"If I cannot successfully attack you, I will do my best to endure everything you have. May come! Come! I can handle it!"

Bold of himself? Maybe, but he didn't care about common sense. Not at this moment, at least. Now it was time to fight, time to try, time to forget what is and what is not; it was the right moment to try to remember that what he will do here will determine his victory.

Yeah, if he keeps trying–

The sword saint sighed wearily as he put away the wooden sword. "I'm sorry to say this, but I think enough is enough–"

"No! …No, let's continue. I already understood how I can get something out of you, you'll see." Garfiel paid lip service while maintaining a defensive stance, the same one he used against Elsa Granhiert. "I won't give up until I can defeat you! My amazing self doesn't–"

"Garfiel-!" The authoritative voice rang out in the background, making the two opponents' heads turn suddenly towards the source.Now, why is that…!?

Subaru. His captain.

"Let it be, you lost."

"Wh-what?" Garfiel's eyes widened in shock. His mouth was wide open as he didn't even know how to react. "Captain…" This had hurt him deeply.

No, he shouldn't give up! Garfiel wouldn't give up now...

But Subaru, who had his arms crossed, didn't seem to be moved at all by the expression he had on his face. Hardly – as Garfiel had never seen the captain act, he said: "Accept that Reinhard was kind enough to offer you several chances, now it is time for you to back off and become stronger, not to throw a tantrum!"

This left him unsure of how to react; like he... Why him, why was he saying that? Why was his captain looking at him that way?

Crack.

"I-I…" Garfiel looked down completely bewildered. It wasn't a tantrum, it was just the genuine refusal to accept defeat as long as he could do anything. As long as he could still move, could still fight, could still speak; he was supposed to fight, wasn't he?

Footsteps could be heard as Garfiel refused to look up. "Garfiel."

Subaru placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "Let it be, you can try again another time; but right now, you must focus on what's important."

"..."

The captain lets out a tired sigh and Garfiel refuses to look up, as Subaru immediately removes his arm from Garfiel's shoulder, "I need you now. Beatrice and I are leaving, there's something important I need you to know. You can do it? Can you help us?"

Garfiel looked up at the image of the face he admired, the coldness and sharp look did little to make him dislike him, but it was still hard and painful, and it hurt.

"Betty was in awe of his resilience, I've known few who dared so fervently to fight a sword saint to win, I suppose. You're not a boy to give up, but now Betty recommends listening to Betty's Subaru, in fact."

In the end, Garfiel decided to follow them, maybe there really was something important and that justified the way he was treated. But still, he refused to say a word.

If not for such a request, he would probably be somewhere else but here, wandering around alone.

When Garfiel accompanied Subaru and Beatrice to the main avenue to go who knows where, he felt disconnected from the other two. His mind could only travel back to those moments where he fought the sword saint, and the miserable defeats he suffered under the knight's perfect rule.

Every attack, every blow, failed. Garfiel attacked, dodged, and lunged at the man with all his might. But nothing helped, he always returned to the starting point, the ground.

He got up, granted, he tried again. But he tried to fail, failed to try - and again - he failed to try – and that was frustrating, his frustration. Yes, this was Garfiel's frustration; failing to try again, only to fail again.

A problem unique and his alone, something he felt no one could understand at this moment.

In his vision, there was the captain and Beatrice walking quickly through the streets of Priestella, completely unaware of the pain he felt, not the physical pain (for he was strong), the emotional pain. The pain of having heard a no after failing, and being discredited.

Garfiel hated it. However, nothing could be done to change such an outcome, so obviously, he couldn't complain if he were to say something himself. So, after the fact, he didn't yell, complain, opine, or offer anything. He just stood there, following the pair into too much anguish.

"You will need to trust me..." Asked the captain suddenly, looking uncomfortable asking that of them. Why? Ah, he unfortunately didn't know.

Nonetheless, Garfiel nodded - only half listening to the conversation - as he kept reliving the important moments of the fight he had earlier.

"Betty already trusts Subaru, in fact. You can say or say anything and Betty will listen and help, I suppose."

For some reason, Subaru looked uneasy and suspicious of their confirmation, still hesitant to elaborate on his earlier words – there was extreme doubt in his eyes. Which, in turn, worried the spirit that interrupted the walk along the sidewalks of the avenue and tried to reaffirm the conviction about the trust that she placed in him with a serious look.

And–

"–You also trust Betty's Subaru, isn't that tiger boy, I wonder?"

Oh, what a foolish question, that much was obvious. Because if not, why would he be here when he could be anywhere else wallowing in grief, huh?

Translation: "Obviously. The cap'n is the captain. That alone represents my unwavering trust in him. The sage's trust in the dragon was the last to die, after all."

"Excellent…" There was a sigh coming from the black haired boy as Beatrice herself splayed her face with her palm. Subaru straightened up with a serious look on his face before speaking, and Beatrice readjusted herself onto one leg as she crossed her arms with equal seriousness, and Garfiel...

"The Witch Cult will attack this city tomorrow…"

Ah, that was it… Garfiel sighed wearily.

"…Wait, what did Betty's Subaru say–" Garfiel closed his eyes as he listened to that frequent and completely friendly argument between them, he felt his own body's strength slipping away. Fading after feeling let down. For some strange reason he expected the captain to say some important words to get him out of this spiral of suffering, but that proved false when— When, he said that the witch cult would attack the city… "Ha…?"

Garfiel blinked repeatedly, his body frozen and frozen in place as he absorbed the spoken words into a bold statement. The witch cult? Cultists? Was it an attack?

Damn.

How did an issue that he assumed was not as important as pushing harder in his own daily training routine suddenly become this? What was up with that, huh?

Beatrice continued to speak in a worried tone amidst a discussion of possible plans and actions that could be taken: "—should we then look for Emilia and the boy in green now, I wonder!?"

But still-

"Gah…! T-That's..." He stammered as he tried to find the right words to say, but they didn't come as he inwardly scolded himself, amidst surprise, how foolish he had been to only worry about superfluous problems while the captain had such problems in mind.

Oh.

That was exactly why Subaru had been so tough back then, why he was dealing with the witch cult while he was being unjustifiably immature.

Fuck, fuck, I was such a fool. Really, the smallest flames only burn when recognized… I need–

"Garfiel!" Subaru exclaimed in a firm tone. "Are you with us or not? I need you to be firm and strong."

Strong, yes, strong.

"Garfiel boy," Beatrice spoke this time, "Betty and Betty's Subaru are in a tight spot, we need you up to speed, I suppose. Pull yourself together right now, in fact."

"Sorry. What – What should we do? I trust you, cap'n, know that. Otto-bro and Emilia-sama came out of the carriage–"

"No. We are not looking for those two right now." Garfiel stopped in surprise, again. It was another surprising statement, something unexpected to shake the foundations of the bases that made up who was the captain.

Wasn't Subaru concerned to be at the princess's side as soon as possible?

No, there must have been something else at play that he didn't understand.

Just hear them say, no more ignoring things!

"What does Subaru have in mind, I wonder? Where are we going anyway? Seeking help other than the sword saint, I suppose?" That... That seemed ill-considered if Garfiel could say it.

Despite the stubborn resilience he'd displayed at the inn in the fight against Reinhard, he wouldn't deny that having the guy on their side would be of immense help, no. It would be the ultimate help.

There's no one Reinhard can't beat, after all.

It was one of the sayings he knew about the sword saint of that generation. The guy was just built differently. A true hero, powerful and unshakable.

A real sword.

If only he could be as strong a shield.

However, this was not important, there should - then - be focus immediately. The captain didn't call the sword saint, it meant there was a plan!

"Captain, what's your plan?" Garfiel was finally attentive and listening to everything. "I will trust everything and do my best to help you as the greatest shield!"

"Okay, I'll tell you that we need to go straight to Town Hall. We are looking for someone, or more specifically a group, the council of ten."

"Town Hall, I suppose…" Beatrice looked in a direction from which everyone else looked too. There it was, still a little distant, but still possible to see it. It was not as tall as those other towers that were towering in the city, but it was evident over those roofs and general buildings in the city.

They began to move, marching towards the place. And the feeling that another world had been revealed to them was reverberating in each of them. Like a truth that was deeply embedded in you - when you were totally unaware of that truth.

Which is to say, an epiphany in a way. And, a bad one.

As they followed Subaru's fast pace. Garfiel himself asked him several questions, which he answered insofar as he intended to make them as aware of the facts as possible.

Also, "That group of ten, you had talked about them earlier when we arrived in town."

Beatrice nodded, looked at him and explained. "The council of ten represents those ten responsible for governing this city, I assume. It is important to know that although Pristella is a town within Lugnica, it still has its own laws and rules different from the rest of the nation, in fact. Does Subaru think they might be targeted by the cult somehow, I wonder?"

Great, were they the good guys? Garfiel wondered. They needed to save them before the cult got their hands on these guys. That's probably why there were only them, maybe not to draw attention.

"It's not a question of 'if I think' but when. For they will be targets. This council's group possesses something of extreme importance that the cult will do everything to achieve." He opened his hand to explain. "There is a key, something that will unlock a secret kept beneath the depths of this city... "

The girl's eyes widened in understanding, "Hmm, now that you mention it, I can guess where you're going, I guess. Is it a question about the key that would allow access to the remains of the dead witch beneath this city, is that correct I wonder?"

It made sense, if there was a witch buried here, naturally the cult would take her out... for reasons... Yes, Garfiel concluded - they were lunatics. But, there was nothing he could do to change that.

Garfiel slammed a fist into his palm with a determined expression, "We need to get in there as soon as possible so if they want the witch, there's no way we're going to give them away. And if they insist we'll kick some ass."

"Yes, Beatrice. And, Garfiel, we're not going to let them succeed - you can trust me." Said Subaru with confidence in his voice, he turned around with a more neutral expression shortly thereafter, "It will be one of the demands the cult will make on this city, the day of tomorrow; the archbishops of sin and their lackeys will be dominating this city and the flooding in late tomorrow. If they don't get what they want."

The tiger boy's eyes widened. He looked around at the walls. And with that, he remembered Beatrice saying earlier. "You said this place was like a trap, a trap set over a lake. This means that…"

"It means that just like in the sanctuary, we will all be hostages here." Quickly concluded the raven-haired boy, Beatrice nodded with her eyes closed, and Garfiel gritted his teeth at the prospect laid out on the table.

At least this time the clown bastard isn't here.

Be more positive, Frederica would say. He is positive, Garfiel prided himself on being able to see the positives in moments like these - and without Roswaal here, bah, it was definitely a win like no other. Ram would punch him in the jaw for thinking that though.

"There will be no escape, and the cult won't give up until they have everything they want." Subaru clenched the fist of his hand tightly. "That's why we need to intercept the group first of all, and find this key to be under my domain."

City Hall was closing in on them, and despite that, it seemed like this endless walk wasn't over yet. "And there's more – they don't just want that key."

"No?" "No, I wonder?"

"Ha, If it was that simple…" He closed his eyes before opening them again to just stare directly at Beatrice. "You need to know that they are targeting – you – Beatrice."

The girl naturally widened her eyes upon hearing this, taking two steps back and then looking at the city hall with a different expression. Caution.

She tried to remain calm, being targeted by the cult wasn't exactly an issue, or at least it wouldn't be if Subaru wasn't involved, "Betty wonders why, but given your expression, it doesn't look like you have the answer..."

"No, I don't. But I'm not just telling you this to get your reaction, I want you to be aware of the overall plan." His eyes moved, "You too Garfiel."

The tiger boy nodded.

"There will be a total, four main things which the Witch Cult will require tomorrow. Among them, the key and Beatrice. Naturally we will be targets, this is a fact. But, don't think that's a bad thing - it's an advantage actually."

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and Garfiel just cocked his head in confusion. "How would that be an advantage, in what kind of situation would that be an advantage, I wonder."

She was wary, and firmly hoped he wasn't thinking what she was thinking.

"Naturally, in such a situation, we will act as bait."

"B-bait, in fact!?" She stopped suddenly, pulling his arm right after. People watched the girl's outburst as she didn't give a shit and just focused on the boy's face with an expression of pure concern. "You can't be serious." She said without adhering to the custom of adding 'I suppose' at the end.

"I am definitely serious." He stared at her to prove it, and that was enough to have her on a tightrope of emotions. "Of course… of course it would be, how could Betty be so short-sighted, I wonder…"

"Cap'n, why do we need to actively become bait? Wouldn't that make our movements more difficult? I assumed there would be a big attack tomorrow, the way you said it..."

"There will be." He simply reaffirmed.

"Betty then demands to know why Subaru has such a plan in mind. When Betty's Subaru took on the big rabbit along with Betty - we played such a role - and that's where I think you're getting that plan, I suppose. But in that case, we had no choice–"

"Do we have a choice here?" He stopped to look into her butterfly iris eyes. "If we take away the items the cult wants in their possession, we'll have an advantage. If we have those items specifically with us, we'll have another advantage. And if they have to adapt their plans because of all that, we'll have an even more advantage. they will have to deal with me, with me having their purposes under my control. Everything will revolve around my choices, my actions and inactions. And then, they will have completely lost control of the situation as long as their choices revolve around my plans. As long as the their choice revolves around me. In the end, we will win!"

Subaru finished saying with pure conviction in his voice, he spoke and spoke in such a relentless way that it even scared Beatrice a little. Looking at him with genuine concern ever since, Garfiel wasn't much different as he absorbed what was being said.

The logic that was said by Natsuki Subaru. That as long as things went as he planned, there would be victory. That the cult would need to adapt to this by changing things up, bringing him victory. That he would need to have everything under his control, for them to have victory.

Arrogance.

Arrogant and arrogant, she would say. No, they would say, both. No. It would be something anyone would say...

He was being arrogant,

"This is not right, stop it now!" snapped Beatrice, lacking her peculiar habit of finishing sentences. She looked at him angrily, waiting for him to change his expression the least bit.

He, no. He dared to stare back at her.

A stalemate was then formed. And of the two warring parties - as Garfiel just watched from the sidelines - neither was ready to give in.

"Captain, I think you could explain all this better, I understand your logic and it actually makes a little sense to unbalance the norm these guys expect, but still..." He looked nervously between the two, while they didn't meet. moved a millimeter, "Beatrice-sama is genuinely worried and needs something more than that. After all, the walls of pride never surpass those of humility.

Subaru took his moment to glare at Garfiel this time, his gaze hard and sharp. What was with that expression? It felt so different, yet so familiar. He looked ready to take revenge on anyone who dared to interrupt his plans and that was bad, but...

He seemed to relent as he let out a sigh and looked away,

"... The cult has the great advantage of having in their possession their gospels, which narrowly predict future events." Beatrice softened her gaze even more as he began to explain, and Garfiel also sighed in relief. "It is limited, as you yourself know, Beatrice." He snorted, "But, that limitation doesn't stop them from still having an advantage, which is why I haven't called many to this endeavor, and not even Reinhard..."

The girl's eyes widened, "That's because you suggest the gospels would adapt to major changes in the sacred text, I suppose." She guessed at a logical conclusion.

Another sigh, "Yes. The important thing is: we need every advantage until the moment arrives where we can have Reinhard on our side. The text clearly envisions him and all those capable of making major changes in their desires, so we can't have everyone on our side right now. But that's why I'm here. And that's why Otto is on Emilia's side."

Beatrice was understanding his explanation, until the existence of the boy in green was reminded, she then turned to Garfiel who snorted in a small laugh. "What are you laughing at, I wonder? Does it have to do with the boy in green with Emilia, I wonder?"

"Certainly is to do with Otto," Garfiel nodded fondly, "Otto-bro is possibly not mentioned in the holy texts of these lunatics. The clown's book was there to prove it, when he wasn't even foreseen and got in the way of that bastard's plans."

"Hmm," Beatrice rubbed her chin as she offered Subaru an appraising look, "That explains a lot, I suppose. If the boy wasn't predicted even by the Book of Wisdom, who would say these cheap copies would…" She sighed, "Still, that didn't convince Betty that she should allow Subaru to go through with his plan, I suppose. "

Subaru frowned, but there was Garfiel to intervene.

"And that's why you and I are here, Beatrice-sama. The captain hoped we could help him with that, so he brought us with him. Though he might not have the strongest of them all or have all the advantages he needs, he called whoever he could for help." Garfield smiled.

The black-haired boy in question looked at Garfiel slowly, in the end he nodded and spoke again: "Yes, that's why I asked if you could trust me. And like you said—"

"Betty trusts Subaru, in fact! But, that doesn't justify her putting him in danger, I suppose." She pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand and her dress with the other, in growing annoyance. "However, Betty… won't be stubborn or refuse to allow the plan to go through – I suppose. Still though, be aware," she glared back at him, "when this is all over, Betty will have some serious words with Betty's Subaru who's been acting so cocky and arrogant, in fact. Hmph."

"..." Subaru sighed, possibly relieved that she accepted.

"See that there, Captain?" Garfiel smiled with enthusiasm and warmth in his voice, "We are on your side," Subaru looked at Garfiel and the hand that was placed on his shoulder, "no matter what, we'll be here for you. Let's defeat these guys! After all, strength in numbers overcomes any obstacle."

"..."

A… a small smile graced Emilia's knight's face, "Yeah, you finally said one that I understood." Then, quickly returning to facial neutrality, he looked at the two, those who trusted him; well, it seemed fitting. And he finally moved back towards their goal, "Cease delay, we can't waste time."

"How cute~" Said the presence of the crystal.

"Tsk."

When Anastasia Hoshin met him, she had high expectations.

Factual expectations, which proved true in the first moments of conversation and admissions. It was, then, granted: Natsuki Subaru was indeed someone interesting and curious.

Who aroused Anastasia's tremendous interest and made her want decisions and remain at least cautious. Mainly - that is - just in case and mostly out of curiosity. It was her superficial motives at least.

Understanding him, however, was not so easy.

That's why,

"Well, I guess it's not really a problem to concede such a concession to you. In fact, I was just in a meeting with the city council... you know, business…"

"I don't doubt that. And, I appreciate you doing this favor, which I will certainly repay you in the future."

Anastasia fiddled with her hair as she smiled and walked over, "Hmm, nice to know you're so honest about it. Fufu~"

"Well then shall we go?" She asked. "They are busy people and I suppose we shouldn't waste time here. Time is money after all."

And they were, because she could easily offer him such a request. Being ushered into the presence of Priestella's ten city councilors was not something she would have trouble facilitating for them.

Why does he need to do this? She did not know.

But, he did, given the look and expression he had on his face. It seemed to be something he needed to do, whether she helped him or not. Which left the question, did he really need her for this? Or did he have some kind of ulterior motive? And, did that really match the personality that was Natsuki Subaru? On another note, perhaps the court magician had some kind of political interest and asked his house knight's official to come here, on a secret occasion?

Questions, lots of them.

Anastasia lightly touched the fur on the white fox-shaped scarf around her neck, an item that brought beauty to her appearance; even more than that, much more confidence for herself. For it was good to know that Echidna was always with her at times like this. The moment when she could finally satisfy some of the doubts they had about the one who helped defeat the white whale and the archbishop of sloth.

"This hallway is longer than I thought, huh." Said the boy Garfiel, a formal member of her rival Emilia's camp.

Ok, so for the record, she had in tow: Natsuki Subaru, Garfiel and Beatrice (the great Yin spirit). Along with Julius who accompanied her and Echidna secretly as an inanimate item.

And she managed a happy expression to have so many members of the half-elf camp here. After all, she could find out about everyone.

"The city government has several administration folders referring to many different areas of politics, each special room here refers to a portion of that. So if you put the facts together, you'll know that this is quite different from the style of government that Priestella is based on - which is Kararagi. Or at least on this front, it differs quite a bit." She made small talk while explaining a bit of the place to the boy Garfiel. Explaining the reason for the extension of the town hall and the many rooms and places within it.

And…

"Anastasia-sama, is there something you forgot when you left?" One of the security officers who found them entering the waiting room spoke up. The one she had seen and talked with just before she left. Anastasia shook her head and looked towards the large door, closed and protected by two more employees.

It was the large wooden doors that were rarely visited by the general population and even by people like her.

The door to Priestella's council of ten.

"I need one more meeting with them, I have something," She looked at Subaru, "something important to take care of, would you kindly let me know?" She smiled.

"Of course, I will. I will see their availability at the moment, but it is likely that you will be able to come in."

She nodded in understanding, it wasn't exactly a problem finding them. At least not for someone with as many connections as she did. Like any other advice, here too there would be protocols to be followed.

And, given that formal protocol was finalized with Kiritaka Muse's departure just to meet Emilia, they would be fine to slip in easily for a more informal conversation. Whether Natsuki Subaru would be satisfied with that, she didn't know. But he could meet the man separately later if he wanted. She would help him with this.

As Julius chatted with Subaru, she chimed in too intently, "So is there a specific reason for this, to want to see them?"

"Yes, something important. You'll naturally find out when you come in, so I made a point of calling you as well."

Oh, she nodded in satisfaction. For, she understood that she was right in assuming that he wanted something more from her than just being a guide to lead them to the council. So with the following facts, she gathered: it was something urgent, because he didn't have an appointment; his interests involved her, as he always seemed comfortable having her here, carrying on forced conversations; he hoped to reveal something to her, as he threw small crumbs of information too directly, narrowing the path for her to reach predetermined conclusions by him, in other words possibly setting the stage for something at least surprising.

Aside from her own observations, Anastasia also couldn't help but say: he's definitely different. But who was she to say anything? There was never an exact tracing of who this boy really was.

The boy who came out of nowhere; walked into a royal candidate's camp out of the blue; yet, he aided in defeating mindless calamities - again - out of nowhere. She took a deep breath, and once again sought Echidna's presence by touching the scarf, the spirit responding with a slight twitch.

A boy with no logical origin...

Coupled with that and his behavior, she even noticed the general inconsistency of his friends as well. Quiet, alert and too indirect. The last point, indicating that they wanted to pass little information on to her, in contrast to Natsuki-kun's own actions. In conclusion, this defined that they were following some kind of pattern under his behavior and trying to adapt to his actions on the basis of improvisation.

In other words, they were hiding something that he had specifically instructed them to do.

Hmm, interesting...

The door was flung open, and everyone turned to take a look, conversation stopping immediately.

"The council has no problem having another audience, Anastasia-sama. Please enter with your guests."

- But what did he want with her? Was it a coincidence that he met her here? He clearly knew they would meet at the inn later, but why was he here now when she had been the one to arrange all of this since then.

A big coincidence or he planned everything from the beginning... Or a mixture of the two, who knows, she still didn't know, unfortunately...

The council was made up of men and women of varying ages and appearances. It was curious, because she would humorously admit that she would expect a council like this to involve the old and the wise for some reason. Perhaps Lugnica has embedded this kind of prejudice within her mind, it was a country that followed rules and customs after all.

"Anastasia Hoshin-sama. It is a pleasure to meet you again, even though our last meeting was less than ten minutes ago." Said one of the advisors humorously, the accent clearly recognizable as Kararagi's.

She smiled, "Well, something happened and I had to bring a friend of mine. He very fervently inferred the opportunity of talking with all of you."

Subaru Natsuki nodded as his eyes searched for one more presence, he frowned. "It is a pleasure to stand before you rulers of this city. Natsuki Subaru the half-elf knight, and these are my companions, Beatrice and Garfiel Tinsel."

That was quite a bow, and quite a change of pace worthy of overcoming, eh. Anastasia pondered inside her mind, she also added the sight of Natsuki Subaru carrying herself with grace to a list of strange and surprising things about the boy. A contrast between black and white, compared to the vision he made at the initiation of the royal selection.

"Oh, Natsuki Subaru," the counselor in the middle of the row of ten seats (one empty) smiled with a bit of interest in his voice, "This is the name of the hero who put an end to laziness, isn't it?"

"Not alone, but yes. It was a collaboration between me, and everyone here. A plot to defeat the witch cult."

Another said, using a garment of, clearly, Karagian precedence, "So we were happy to welcome you to our beautiful city, I hope you and your lady are satisfied with what you've seen so far..."

"In a way, yes. But that's not what I came here for." His neutral face turned into a serious expression.

"Hmm." Council members looked at each other, some shrugged and others just nodded in understanding. In other words, everyone focused solely and exclusively on him.

Is their interest motivated by Natsuki-kun's actions in the past?

If so, that showed his popularity in action. People seem to listen to him now.

"We are here on Emilia-sama's recommendation, we have learned that an attack will take place in the city tomorrow."

Silence. But also…

"!?"

Surprise. "By Od... If I may ask... By whom... exactly will this attack be carried out, Subaru-sama? This coming from your mouth and even more so from the royal candidate Emilia, raises much alarm among all of us."

Yes, by whom exactly? Anastasia was looking at him with an intensity that wasn't quantifiable. The boy who warned about the sloth attack, warns about another supposed attack... A peculiar pattern, that's what.

"By the witch cult, obviously. In an attack specifically targeting this council and subsequently all citizens of Priestella." Said him.

"..."

Well, it wasn't easy for anyone to take that in. Especially when hearing it coming from Natsuki Subaru's mouth. The result would not be peaceful at all.

"And why…we exactly…?"

Subaru raised an eyebrow at such a bowed to the rested side, the weight of her body to the other leg, feeling pressured by the gravity of the situation.

The female counselor who sat in one of the chairs said, "Isn't it obvious? The cult is clearly targeting what only we have as a secret..."

What do they have in secret?

"If I may interrupt," Julius snapped into the midst of the budding argument. "Certainly first of all, we need to make sure that this really is what it's supposed to be."

"Hm, do you suggest that Natsuki-kun is lying, Julius-kun? Or at least mistaken?"

Natsuki-kun looked at them neutrally.

Julius sighed, "I'm not suggesting such a thing… Everyone knows that if there's anyone who can be trusted in such a case, it's Subaru. However, I'm still torn between trusting completely and blindly or adhering to unfounded doubt."

"In other words, we need more evidence and facts." She concluded. "So, Natuski-kun, can you elaborate for us?"

"Certainly. The cult seeks the key to unlock the witch's tomb beneath Priestella. Which only the Council of Ten has access to."

"That would explain us being targeted… although, that's not with me at the moment… And maybe…" The counselor looked at each colleague's face nervously in search of a reaction. "No?"

"No." Another counselor, a woman, shook her head. And accordingly all the other seven did the same. "That leaves just one more candidate."

"Kiritaka Muse-sama…"

"Tsk." Subaru clucked his tongue, crossed his arms. "Well, at least Emilia is in the guy's presence."

"It could still be a mistake, no, Subaru-sama?"

"It's not. They will, in fact, attack. You'll need to come up with a contingency plan in a hurry and mostly get out of here."

"But wait, Natsuki-kun, maybe you can still offer more than just desires and goals in a supposed attack, right? How can we prepare amid so much uncertainty."

Julius nodded and looked to his friend for more information.

Despite everything, I'm trying to get some more information from him. Following the standard precedence that exists in Natsuki-kun, I can trust that he is telling the truth about this attack.

"You want proof huh... This isn't too hard." He smiled, "However, I think if I say that the Witch Cult is specifically after your wily scarf and you, I think you should believe me, am I correct?"

"H-how…" Anastasia's eyes widened enormously in surprise. She felt something similar happen with the Echidna spirit tied around her neck.

He knew about Echidna.

But that wasn't possible,extremely unlikely. She never told this to anyone, the existence of the spirit called Echidna was never leaked, nor was it ever mentioned in or out of her camp. And though they didn't have a contract as such, there was a connection between them lasting at least a decade, a connection only between Anastasia and Echidna, no one else.

So how–in what way? Such privileged information was unnatural; not something that could be spontaneously accepted.

And to prove it all, even Julius - her knight - someone she trusted enormously, even with his own life - was confused and had no idea whether what Natsuki-kun said was a joke or really serious; given the expression the greedy royal candidate made, he possibly tended to believe the second option.

So the greatest mystery of all was,

Who are you Natsuki Subaru? Adequate answers to a question, or at least best for satisfaction,would be those who followed the right questions. So it wasn't: how does he know? — Or, because she could find no more than him in the story.

It was purely a matter of simply knowing who he was. For so far, nothing of his behavior of note a pattern… comfortable for her, yes.

The people in the room looked at him with a mixture of confusion and tension, that is, after Natsuki-kun's words. And he stood there completely calm about it.

Certainly if she said, 'no, I don't know what you're talking about' together one strange look from her, which would denote incomprehension, the idea that he was a reaction-seeking buffoon could become a possibility, in the same way that it happened in the initiation of the royal selection, in the castle. And he would consequently lose all their confidence.

However, she obviously wasn't going to do that. First, because she wouldn't allow herself to be so cruel. Second, because he was definitely correct. Third, because they were on a tightrope between life and death.

"Anastasia-sama?" Julius took her hand, it was visibly shaking. She retracted her hand, letting go of his suddenly. She swallowed and…

"I… I'm here to help however I can. Tell us everything." She said after being successfully convinced.

Tension rose in the room after those words from the royal candidate. It was proved to all them, then, that he had actually managed to convince her that the Witch Cult would attack tomorrow.

The center's counselor was on his feet in an instant, drawing glances, "We need–"

But it was a pity that Natsuki-kun was wrong, because...

Tremor.

"Woah, what was that!?" A shout sounded from one of the council chairs.

Anastasia found herself in Julius's strong arms, he protected her from the dust that erupted from above, and especially from the heavy blow that the structure of the city hall received.

More screams sounded as the doors opened,

It is…

The sound of static sounded filling the gap between thought and reality.

"Well, well, what a magnificent city this is… Too bad it's full of disgusting meat bags!"

The voice spoke in a hateful tone and was frankly irritating to hear. A breach of the violation of the right of every human being, when the disgusting sound resonated inside one's mind.

Mockery and mockery cloaked in words, a narration that made one shiver.

"Worship the wondrous voice of this beautiful and adorably lady - Capella Emeralda Lugnica - archbishop of sin of the Witch Cult, representing lust; with you all at my beck and call!"

It was, in fact, an attack by the Witch Cult.

Chapter Text

"We are doomed…" One of the councilors said, as he sat down unceremoniously in the chair, both hands reaching to his face in despair. "How did this actually happen?"

Anastasia was completely shocked that her prediction, regarding there being a revelation, about the boy next to her was actually correct. Obviously, she had not known before that this was an attack by the Witch Cult itself. But it would not be strange for her to assume, given the precedence of who Natsuki Subaru was. But now that it was basically confirmed, she didn't know how to react. Her eyes just staring at him with a certain hint of wariness, admiration, and mostly curiosity.

The calm in the room was diminishing, the tension rising for what was only a few seconds after the archbishop of the sin of lust made her presentation and the announcement that they were effectively arrested. Anastasia clenched her fist tightly, thinking about how everything she had planned had fallen through.

Natsuki-kun sighed, and smiled as if this was all something normal. He promptly stated, his voice firm, "As you heard, we don't have much time. If you don't want to die, you'd better make an effort to fight for your lives."

"You knew this would happen, since when? Why didn't we know about this before?" Another counselor, blond hair and blue eyes, asked Subaru, indignation in his voice, possibly for the cult and for Natsuki himself as he exclaimed, "Why did you only tell us this now, Natsuki Subaru!?"

"Hmph. There was no way to do it, why are you asking such a ridiculous question?"

"But-"

"-It doesn't matter! Please, Natsuki-sama. What should we do, now?" Was the woman counselor's questioning, in measured desperation, looking for guidance from the boy who knew everything.

"Capella is on the upper floor, as you heard. Arguments are pointless. Let's run away from here, that's it." Natsuki-kun said simply, walking toward the exit door. "As long as we wait here, the more chances we have of dying."

"Subaru, don't worry, I will be accompanying you with my sword for this battle." Julius said, standing next to Anastasia. "Anastasia-sama, I suggest you stay alert to run without me by your side at any moment. The archbishop above will possibly notice our escape."

"She will notice." Natsuki-kun assured, his eyes looking up.

"I see." Julius nodded. "That being the case, we will need to be quick. Let's get out of here."

"Wait!" Exclaimed the male voice, alarmed. The man who said this, projected himself upright with a face of desperation and nervousness. Long beard and white hair. Having been silent from the beginning, this man, the center's counselor, finally released the disembodied fear from his voice to speak. "You can't go! Not now!"

They stopped.

"... If we hand over the key, the location, and who owns it, maybe they will spare us!" The man turned to the other counselor, explaining to them in a clear tone, "Yes, that's right. They demand it, you heard it - she told us so! We can't deviate from that, from what has been planned. After all, there is always something expected of us."

"What... Leo-sama...?" The counselor looked at him, confused expression on his face. "Are you thinking of using Kiritaka-sama's life in exchange for our... safety?"

"Why not? He abandoned us here, what else do you think he was doing, when he ran away like a coward. He probably knew that and didn't say anything to anybody! I can only think of his little smile when he left here; he and that singer are probably already in some random shelter claiming their thanks to fate for having had the opportunity to be safe and sound. So there is no point in blaming the great Natsuki-sama, who had the courage to let you know about something when he knows about it, unlike that scoundrel Kiritaka."

"... What...?", Natsuki-kun asked, stopping near the exit and just turning his head slightly back, his eyes focused on the face of the counselor who cogitated on this. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I am talking about the danger we are in now, that is what you need to understand." He argued. "If all this is happening, it is for a reason, a foreseen and predetermined reason. It is considered a price in the quest for salvation. Therefore, we must adapt and follow the best possible path, the one that is offered to us willingly, not out of malice or insanity. But out of survival."

The silence filled the room followed by his words, the people who had stood up looked at each other. The man, now alone in the center - without even him realizing it.

Anastasia noticed how Natsuki-kun had a glow characteristic in his eyes, he asked in a measured tone of voice, "... Give in to their demands?"

"If necessary…" replied the counselor.

Anastasia frowned, feeling Julius' grip on her hand, speaking in a low, measured tone he said, "Anastasia-sama, please stand back."

Meanwhile.

The advisor, Leo - took something out of his pocket.

"If you cooperate like me, they will spare everyone," His words made everyone flinch slightly, "she told me, she promised me - here - look! It is written…" He showed the hardcover inlaid with the commonplace details of a small, black, paperback book.

That is-

"The Salvation! It's not something I wanted, but it's something I needed. The holy text saved me. It will save you too, just don't try to change what's already set, and it'll be fine–"

"How do you dare!" Julius' voice sounded, idignant.

The sound of the sword being withdrawn from its resting place startled Anastasia a little as she was released from Julius' grip and placed further back by his strong hands. It was Julius who lifted the blade of silver metal in the direction of man. And Julius glared.

Glared directed at the Witch Cultist…

Anastasia watched in amazement as the truth unfolded, that same man hiding under a veil of lies, the same man she had talked to about business just before, who was pleasant to deal with and easy to cooperate with...

In the same way, her blue-green eyes followed in search of some unwanted expression on the faces of every other counselor of the ten. Palpable concern that the others were also traitors.

Fortunately, they seemed not to.

While everyone walked away from the one man, it was proven that he was unique, a black sheep in the middle of the flock. He was the only traitor, apparently someone who had been in the city's group of counselor all this time, while working secretly for the Cult.

Probably he had made things easy for the Cult.

"I didn't want that, but I had to do it..." Leo tried to argue, looking at everyone, at his colleagues, at her, and even at Natsuki-kun. "It was all I could do at that moment... It was the only option I had... Or they would..." He shook his head. "That's why I facilitated their entry into the city, allowed them to store resources within the city and the maintenance of their operations. I even facilitated the arrival of carriages from Gusteko..."

"I understand now. It was you who helped establish this perimeter around the city, holding us all hostage to fate. And, I feel compelled to say. To even consider joining the Witch Cult while ruling a city of innocent people under the name of the kingdom is an unprecedented betrayal of the dragon kingdom and the people of this city, never in history has there been such a scandal, Leo-sama. This, it's not only a betrayal to the kingdom. It's a betrayal to any self-respecting person in this world. A betrayal for those who give their lives to save the lives of many. A betrayal to the knights of the kingdom."

"... You were always strong, weren't you? Always the best of the best, always someone willing to fight to sacrifice himself. That's why I feel admiration for you, the best of knights! That's why I can also respect you...! But don't you dare use your standards as a ruler to measure things here! Not everyone is capable of sacrificing for others."

"You are a coward and a disgrace. A disgrace to the kingdom. I, Juulius Jukuulius, must bring justice to this house by eliminating you."

"Y-you would never understand. You would never understand what it means to be desperate in the middle of an impossible situation, while walking the tightrope between life and death...! You would never understand my selfishness..."

"Hmph." Julius pushed a few strands of hair to the side, looking at the man suddenly. "... I'm sorry you had to go through such a situation," Julius stated with regret, sword still raised in the direction of the cultist advisor. "But, that in no way justifies your choices. You had a duty, a path to tread, a people to defend…"

"... And you betrayed them, succumbing to your own selfishness at the expense of thousands of lives."

"..."

The man stopped, looking down in shame, the hand that still held the book fell limp at his side. It was as if he had grown tired of hearing all those truths. The man's face was still full of despair, the tears were living proof of that.

And especially the sound of the tearful and broken voice that came out of the counselor's lips, "I….. I - I didn't want to die…"

In a way, she felt compelled to feel a little sympathy. He didn't seem evil in essence, just someone desperate who made a very bad choice. An exchange that should not be made, ever.

Everyone knew it from before, from the moment the Archbishop of Lust odiously announced the presence of the Witch Cult in everyone; the hideous motives of the Cult; the loathsome desires of its own evil nature; and, most importantly, the threat to drown thousands of people under the peaceful waters surrounding this city. The situation was nothing short of desperate. Thousands would die. And if they didn't. At least a few hundred would die for sure. These are at least the expected results of the Cult, even if they are defeated in the end.

So yes, he, this man made an unfortunate exchange involving human lives, it was something unforgivable.

But the feeling - for her - was at least relateable to sympathy - such was the sadness in his voice,

"... I'm sorry..." He said closing his eyes tighter as if feeling the weight of guilt, she thought he was someone unprepared too.

He still regretted it. That didn't excuse him - no - it didn't. But still...

It's not something I can't understand, I feel sorry for him...

And yet, he opened his eyes to say, "I can't go back and pretend I didn't choose this, I'm willing to... G-guh... Ah- AAAHHHHH... Ah-You, what you did-Gah-!" Anastasia's eyes widened as blood gushed from the man's body, and by the crimson blade that slid out of the man's body in a clean cut that split him in two.

The sound of the body falling in two pieces to the ground caught everyone's attention. Mainly by the screams of excessive agony of him trying to reach something with his hands. The book that had been kicked in disdain, sliding over the pool of blood that had spread across the wooden floor, until it met its untimely end as the flames scorched it, turning to ash delivered to the air.

"... !?" It was all so fast. She barely noticed when Julius squeezed her arm again trying to push her away slightly.

Then,

N-Natsuki-kun…?

"Captain…"

"Subaru…?" Julius watched in astonishment, as did everyone else who had expressions of disgust on their faces as they looked away from the crimson blood oozing out.

"Hmph." He had his back to them, in front of the fallen body, he had arrived there at an impressive speed, when did he do that?

"... There is no forgiveness..." The sword he used was no longer in sight, but the blood that lightly stained his hands did. "... For a man who succumbed in such a way, there is no longer any hope for salvation. The only remaining fate is death."

And- "M-My fate... my salvation..." Flames - ember and fire - appeared in a spontaneous combustion as if by magic, and the man's eyes went wide. "Aaahhh-"

"-B-Burn–stop it!" In agony he screamed, he screamed with all his might! Still alive, and burning. Screaming, torn in two, but burning. Screaming but dying while burning with the hottest - cold - flames he'd ever known.

"Captain!"

Then…

… For a single finger snap,

"S-subaru!"

Stopped. The fire - the flames - stopped - ceased. Accompanied by his screams, which stopped.

"..."

The spirit still looked nervous, but she couldn't help saying, "S-Subaru... We need to leave, get out of here. Betty's Subaru needs to come with us, actually." She held out her hand to him and he looked at her, for a while, but in the end nodded.

Anastasia gulped, as Natsuki-kun– No, as Natsuki Subaru moved towards the door. "Yes yes. So what are we waiting for? A Cult attack has just begun."

Anastasia could only stare at him, turning as he walked past her with a brief, neutral look to her - while - always walking. As Natsuki Subaru held out her hand to the spirit, he stopped; Garfield stared at him, and finally nodded when Beatrice accepted his.

Then they walked through the door, the blond boy following shortly thereafter.

"..."

"My lady, I think we should follow them." Announced Julius, "We cannot risk your safety here."

Natsuki Subaru…

That sword, her mind searched for meaning. A culmination in the midst of thought took her to distant lands, tales of glory and tales of suffering.

Those flames… Her mind searched for meaning, meaning through the power, through the authority felt in the atmosphere, in the slight heat of the embers turned to ash in the air, in the blood spread across the ground slowly turning to reddish vapor.

Yes, her mind searched for meaning, especially in that expression of his. She remembered that in that instant, he briefly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

She remembered, her mind still searching for the meaning.

"Well, what are you going to do when you get there, Natsuki-kun…?"

"You will naturally find out when you enter, which is why I made a point of calling you here..."

… "Anastasia-sama."

Oh.

"Anastasia-sama…" Julius-kun said, taking her out of a trance state.

"..." She nodded, her body still feeling light in a strange numbness, "Yes, yes, Julius - yes."

Julius turned, sword still in hand.

"… All of you please, I humbly ask you to come with us. We will take everyone to a shelter that will provide adequate security. I will defend each of you with my sword, don't worry."

There was general agreement in the form of nods, followed by hurried footsteps. But, that's not before she herself looks towards that man who suffered, the blood, the ashes.

It wasn't that she didn't agree with the action, probably really had no way for that man who sacrificed so many lives, be saved. No. Julius would probably come up with the same result, all to bring everyone's safety here,

but…

Still, she hadn't expected this as she searched for meaning.

… Not from Natsuki Subaru.

She actually had her expectations exceeded...

Anastasia was not very athletic.

That is, she didn't run much. And, only on rare occasions, she literally ran. Now is one of those occasions.

And what an unfortunate occasion it is, eh.

"Keep running, Anastasia-sama. Protect her - Subaru!" said Julius, stopping and turning in the opposite direction. Raising his sword with piercing eyes as his spirits visibly hovered over him, Julius spoke, "I will stay to stop their advance, serve as a distraction so that you all have a chance to escape."

He declared, as she stopped running as well suddenly.

"Julius..." Her eyes locked on his, with concern evident in her gaze. The crowd of hooded cultists was approaching in the distance, all coming from the direction of the town hall, which was still in sight.

She didn't want him to stay, he was at a distinct disadvantage, a single knight against dozens of monsters.

"Trust me, Anastasia-sama. I don't intend to fall here."

But she had to trust him. He was a knight, the best of them. And most of all, he was her knight.

Julius Jukuulius. He would fight for her and everyone's safety here, he was honorable like that.

But, she–

"It's no use running away now, all that's left is to fight now."

She turned her head towards Natsuki Subaru, the others doing the same when he said that. The group obviously wasn't just the three of them. There were everything from the remaining council members, even the two other members of the Emilia camp.

And, that wasn't important right now. What was important now, in fact, was the eruption of the great roar of a bestial beast, which approached from above. With hard, black scales and sharp teeth bared, a being that should be almost legendary emerged.

That is, the being that flapped its great wings with great noise, that blocked the sunlight with grandeur and that was preparing to land with arrogance.

"Holy crap." Garfiel cursed.

And he was right, because holy shit...

Landing on the ground, in front of a dozen lesser cultists as a barrier between them and the town hall, was the biggest object of importance at the moment.

A dragon, one that smiled at them.

"This lovely lady has arrived~!" And he spoke, the dragon spoke. "Look how many little animals we have here, and you all look so scared, should I take one of you with me just to get one little bit of my precious love?"

That voice. It was grave, monstrous even. But it also had similarities to that hateful female voice from earlier, that of the archbishop of the sin of lust.

Gazing agape, Anastasia—no, not just her. Everyone, gaping at the dragon, felt intimidated by the growing imminence of danger.

The situation was already getting worse.

Then, finding no alternatives, Julius, who was already adopting a battle and fighting stance, elegantly holding his sword in his hand and trusting the battle clamor of the swirling spirits, warned again ready to go with his own sacrifice to their escape, "… Even if it's not the best of solutions, I still recommend that you all get out of here and—"

The dragon's paw connected with the ground suddenly and provocatively, causing a loud crash to startle everyone as he watched them with malice, the dragon spoke.

"So, will it really be the little knight who gets a little love?"

Anastasia looked at her knight with worried eyes, she wanted to ask him to flee too, "Julius…"

However, happily: "We should stay too, right, captain? We can fight that beast, the amazing me doesn't want to back down now."

— So, if they were going to fight on his side, if he was going to fight on Julius' side against the Cult...

"Yes, yes, neither do I. You can go, we're staying. And, Julius, don't make that face when you know we're still here to fight." Said Natsuki Subaru with a flat expression, indicating with one hand in a dismissive 'shooing' gesture for them to leave soon.

'They' meaning: herself and the counselors only.

— she could trust…

Natsuki Subaru refused to back down as he took a few steps forward, alongside the white knight. The other two were doing the same and standing beside him with serious faces.

And Julius directed a single look between them and him, a complicated expression on his face. "Subaru… Even though I appreciate your help, I'm still afraid this situation is by no means salvageable. If you stay, you will…"

"To die?" He let out a sarcastic laugh. "...Not at all. I can handle pressure situations with more fervor than before, after all."

"Hmph. Is this knight really forgetting that Subaru has Betty here? How disrespectful I suppose."

"And so am I, man. I'll be fighting alongside you with my shields," Garfiel made a sweep with both arms, drawing sparks from the two hot shields they clashed with. "It doesn't matter if it's a dragon or whatever. My incredible self will face it anyway! Strength only died when the warrior doubted, after all."

"Very well… So, I am honored to receive this support." Julius closed his eyes in resignation, then opened them again with determination. "It will be like that time with Sloth."

"It will be."

— Anastasia could trust that everything would be fine as long as Julius Juukulius had Natsuki Subaru by his side.

"Then? Until when, you loanable meats, think this lovely lady will wait for your little talk to unfold, huh? Mom is getting impatient, and she firmly hopes that you are just discussing who will sacrifice to receive all of Mom's love and affection, being her new pet."

"Tsk."

"We are going." Anastasia said, looking at every face that sacrificed for their safety. "And don't die, Julius. Promise me that, please."

"…Yes, I promise I won't die, Anastasia-sama. I do not intend to break that promise in any way."

"... Thanks."

"Betty recommends you leave soon, I assume."

"Yes yes. We are doing this…"

Sound of strong blows reverberates through the intermediaries. And with a brief glance, one could notice how the dragon was somehow clapping with an extra set of…arms?

She frowned.

"How cute, Mom would approve of this display of love if it weren't completely false."

"Get out of here." Warned Natsuki.

So she went, with the other seven in tow.

She heard a few dozen footsteps behind her as she turned to run, and along with them, the deep, reverberating voice of the dragon, which said with authority, "No. Let them go, just defend this town hall trash while Mama plays with these little meats here."

Anastasia sighed nervously, at least their escape would be successful,running. And yet, she wished fervently that it would be the same for them, that there would be success.

Now it was time for her to regroup, and for her to do what she does best. Lead.

I won't be long Julius-kun.

Emilia learned something important when she was at the sanctuary, she needed to be strong.

To be strong in the midst of duty imposed on her and for the desire she had always longed for - which was to save those she unjustly took the lives of by freezing them.

That's why she understood: she needed to be strong.

But amidst the desperation, panic, and desperate running of the city's innocent citizens amid an attack by the infamous Witch Cult, this was a little more difficult than she thought.

Well, she didn't know if she could.

In the midst of a confusing and complicated situation; and having a duty to protect someone slightly injured - but still injured - as well as a dear friend of his. She still felt overwhelmed, as there was still the inner worry in Emilia's chest as she felt confused and uneasy feelings about a boy who was now not by her side to be protected.

Subaru, Beatrice and Garfiel. People she would say: it was her responsibility to keep them safe. But now, with them out of reach, and the current situation she needed to keep these two safe.

She didn't know - how - she could stay strong for so long.

But she did.I need to be strong, that's the way it is.

There was, by no means, the answer of where she would need to take that strength from her, but she would find it.

Sighing, Emilia continued to hurriedly walk towards the destination expected by them – by 'them' – it meant: Otto-kun, Kiritaka Muse-san and herself.

Their destination, the inn.

And that for three : finding Subaru; find Reinhard; Regroup.

That is, if they really had it there anyway. Chances are, she knew, Subaru wouldn't be. Anyway, they needed to go.

"We need to go to a safer place, we cannot stay in these streets." Otto moved as he spoke to them.

"Yes, but it's a bit complicated…" Kiritaka-san struggled to speak, he felt weak, even though she had healed most of the wounds he had picked up on the way to the Muse Company, she still wasn't able to heal. it completely. "I can't just run tosecurity as long as I am unsure of the safety of my dear Liliana-sama…"

And, there was this situation as well. Kiritaka-san needed to find someone he cared deeply about, just like she did.

But...

"We really understand what you mean, Kiritaka-san." Emilia replied, touching him gently on the shoulder in the midst of the walk hurriedly. The man looked at her a little suspiciously. "...However, we cannot run the risk of having you in danger. And, Lilian-san is probably hiding at this exact moment."

He turned his face away, while pouting, "You don't know that…"

"… I don't know with complete certainty, however, I do know one thing…" Emilia continued, remembering the image of her friends, "I also have someone who is lost forthere… They left the inn, where we were, for a walk through the city. I fear for their safety, and I'm sure they fear for mine too..."

"..."

Otto watched from a glance as the two argued a short while ago, his head turning from side to side as he moved purposefully through the streets.

Emilia little thought was given to it, and focused where she needed to at the moment, on helping Kiritaka-san feel better, "... And just like them, I'm sure Liliana-san must worry about you too, just as you do for she."

"… Y-Yes. She is, she must be... My dear Liliana, I, that's why I need to save her, look for her, protect her from the evil of the world..."

"Yes. But that's also why you need to retreat to safety right now, Kiritaka-san. What would Liliana-san's reaction be if she knew you didn't save yourself?"

He looked down, searching for words. "She… Listen, I understand…. For now I will do what you ask of me, for her…"

"She would be happy about that! Trust us, we'll work it outthis unfortunate situation… Otto-kun, are we far away?"

"Well, more or lessEmilia-sama…but we should get there soon. We have to remember that we are hiding our presence as well… Your appearance can be… a complication in such a situation."

Kiritaka-san looked at her sideways.

And she sighed looking down, for it was true. "Yes I know…"

Minutes passed, and they followed the routes Otto had instructed them to follow. Curiously, the streets became more and more empty. still had fewpeople running the opposite way or in the same direction as them, but that was it.

Probably, at that time, most of the population should already be sheltered inside the underground shelters she heard about. It was a good thing to know at least.

But it made everything more frightening and tense, because everything seemed emptier and to the fact that all of this was a direct consequence of the Witch Cult's actions.

In theory, they had control of everything.

And... "You…!" came the muffled voice of a man who stopped running next to them, pointing at them in alarm.

"Huh? Who is this guy in the weird helmet?" Kiritaka's eyes widened as he raised his arms towards the man, his cheek rigid when feeling threatened by the strange man, because he was, in fact, strange.

A flashy presence, but in a weirdly bad way?

Therefore, the only replica of man was, "Uh… Well…" The man rubbed the back of his helmet when asked, adopting a more relaxed posture and less open to misinterpretation, although he still held that sword he had in his hand.

And Emilia - obviously - recognized him. The presence was the same one she remembered seeing, a long time ago. That same way of talking, and acting. When she was looking for someone in the royal capital, hehe was there for her.

He was looking for someone then too, now, well, it was probably the same thing, she supposed. So, at the familiar sight, she managed a faint smile.

Less, of course - Otto - who asked: "Yes, who are you…?"

"Al…!" Emilia promptly responded in the few seconds of interaction that passed between the man noticing them and getting their attention.

"Ah…" Otto made a sound as he seemed to understand the man's identity and who he was affiliated with.

Kiritaka looked between the two, and mostly at her.. "Is this man an acquaintance of yours, then?"

"Yes, exactly. He is the knight of the royal candidate Priscilla," she said with all the certainty in the world, then paused with her fingers under her chin, "Or was he supposed to be... Sorry, Al-san, I'm not so sure about that. You really are, aren't you, Al-san?"

"Eh... that's about it... The princess is... No, that's not important. You're going back to the inn where you were, right?"

"Yes we do." Otto replied, with a strange expression.

"Yes." Emilia also confirmed. "Did you go there? Subaru had already returned when you went there? Have you seen him at least?"

"Yes, no and no. This actually confirms a lot for me… See, I… This is just a coincidence here, but while we're at it, I need to tell you: get some shelter, quick. where youplan going there is not safe, do not go there. And, Reinhard is nowhere to be seen, the guy is gone. Everything is different dude…"

"Ah… Yes, if there is no one else there, maybe we should do as Al-san instructs." She looked at Otto when he suggested.

"You're right... Well, the plan was to protect Kiritaka-san, so the next choice should be a nearby shelter, do you know the way to one?"

"Well...-"

""There's one near here."" Said Kiritaka-san and Al-san at the same time.

Al continued, "That's right, there's one nearby. You must go there now. Crusch Karsten will probably also be there helping to protect the civilians, she has been helping with their evacuation as well. And yes, I met her on the way, she wasn't alone. Get together with her, plan something clever, and save us from this…!"

Then he started running again.

Emilia held up her hand for him to stop, yelling, "Wait! Al-san, where are you going…!? Come back…! … He's already gone, shall we follow him?"

"Better not, Emilia-sama. He must have something in mind when he's in such a hurry. Maybe he's looking for Priscilla-sama, and that's it."

"…Yes, that must be it."

"Crusch-san! It's really a relief to meet you here..."

"Emilia-sama…"

When Emilia, Otto and Kiritaka arrived at the nearest shelter, they had to go down a kind of ramp that led to a large reinforced door below. It was open, and to everyone's surprise and relief, there was the figure of the woman with green hair.

With her serious and fearless countenance, she softened her gaze to notice their arrival.

Crusch Karsten, as always, wore that militarized outfit that was part of her personality and made her have an air of authority and grandeur. A sight familiar to the half-elf who had known her at least a year ago.

So, Emilia smiled in relief when she got to Crusch's reception. Otto introduced himself right after, together with Kiritaka-san.

"It is a pleasure to meet you personally. And you're hurt, you better get him inside now. Felix can treat you right away."

Kiritaka humbly thanked him. "I appreciate it, Crusch-sama. I've heard a lot about you and your campaign. However, my main wish is to keep the promise I made to Liliana-sama…"

Crusch raised an eyebrow at Kiritaka's statement that he refused to elaborate further, then an inquiring look at Emilia, who shrugged.

Otto stepped forward, and said, "If we could go in now?"

"Of course. It's great to have allies like you here right now."

The interior conveyed the idea of a really tight place, even if in practice it wasn't. People were practically on top of each other; the tension, fortunately, was not so great. But there was this strange atmosphere, an uneasiness, for which Emilia couldn't identify the reason, permeating her chest.

And possibly so much in everyone's chest here, they felt uneasy as they watched Emilia's group. They looked at them with tired, wary and scared expressions. From time to time, she noticed the fleeting - but harmful - glances of those who stared at Emília's silver hair and ears.

She hid them this time, it was better for them, they were all scared after all.

In the area that should have been the makeshift medical wing, there were white sheets and sheets spread across the floor, people lying in pain and resting; and healers who did not stop attending to any of them. Focusing on the path they took as they accompanied Duchess Karsten, Emilia was introduced to familiar faces...

And mainly,

"Emilia-sama, it's good to see you…" Felix managed a tired smile as he greeted her, she smiled back the same way.

Also, through this, "Ah, so it's you." The werewolf who said that was Ricardo, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, adopting a more than serious expression. He was part of Anastasia-san's camp, Emilia recognized him. He looked at them with a mixture of interest and disappointment.

"Sorry, you look like you were waiting for someone else." Emilia took the initiative.

"Bah, waiting for two someone actually; my lady and the knight. But I know they're going to be okay, even with all this going on out there."

"Why are you here? And you're not looking for them?"

"Well, see for yourself, the boys over there." He pointed with his chin at the blond boys lying down, and receiving immediate treatment from Felix.

Mimi, Tivey and Hetaro Pearbaton. Or more precisely - Mimi and Tivey - who she mosted focused, as they were heavily injured.

"What happened?"

"They had to fight someone far above their level." Crusch replied, "Fortunately they managed to survive, but the disaster was done. In fact, most of those who are here shared the same fate."

"This is horrible…"

"Don't even tell me…" Said Otto to complement Emilia's horror.

Looking sadly at the dozens of wounded, lying and settled on the uncomfortable ground, Emilia and Otto had in equal measure a feeling of insecurity at the consequences of the onset of the attack.

"And, if that's all it was - it would be all right - but it's not." Another voice spoke from the corner, sounding old and strong at the same time. Emilia turned around, noticing the tuft of white hair and the face of someone aged, and easily recognizable.

"Wilhelm-san…"

"Emilia-sama, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet you again, even at a delicate time like this..."

"I feel the same too, Wilhelm-san."

Wilhelm smiled, then adopted a more serious expression, "I'm not going to lie, our situation is not easy at all. You may have heard it yourself through the broadcast that was made earlier, this is just the beginning."

"Indeed..."

"And they won't stop until they have everything they're looking for." The old man clenched his fists angrily, feeling the pain of those poor people who were caught in the crossfire. "They are in control, we are mere hostages to them now."

"We'll change that, old man." Ricardo said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a serious expression. "Even if it looks bad, we can figure out a way to sort this mess out."

"... I don't doubt that. However, we need to recognize that the odds are against us right now. We cannot afford to believe that it will be all right if we do nothing."

"That is why we are gathering all we can for retaliation." Crusch spoke in tone explanatory to Emilia, while herself in the center, "… Emilia-sama must have caught a small glimpse of the towers of this city, correct?"

"Yeah, this is where the archbishops of sin must be, we heard about it earlier."

"Exactly. Unfortunately, we're shorthanded to fight every single one of them, so a poorly coordinated attack now could be worse than doing nothing."

"And about the Sword Saint? Where is he right now?" Otto asked the question as he timidly raised his hand.

Wilhelm frowned.

Crusch shook her head, probably with a growing headache explained by the hand she placed on her temple.

"... We don't know where he went. The same way we don't know where the members of Camp Felt are currently."

"It's definitely a loss for our side." And it was. At least until they found him. And Emilia at least tried to keep her head up, even if things were so bad.

They would find a way, they must to.

Footsteps were heard, "It would - would be a loss to your side - if you didn't have me here,"

They all turned, towards the woman with the orange hair and crimson eyes, her dress swaying as she walked with exalted confidence in her stride.

"Priscilla-san…"

"... Rejoice commoners, Mineself will join your side to end this disaster once and for all."

Priscilla Barielle smiled confidently as she closed her fan.

And that's it!