Chapter Text
When you have been killed so many times, even the touches of death become indiscernible on the skin.
Subaru stood before the appas stall, his vision still blurred by what he’d just been through.
Yet again he got his abdomen slashed by a knife, his guts spilling all over the ground. Subaru gasped for breath. Why. Why. He almost had it! He was this close to getting that BITCH, so why was it even more…
“Hey kid! Kid?”
Did he get the timing wrong? Now that he thought about it, he might have made his move two seconds too soon…
“Hey kid, you listening? Someone wants to speak with you.”
This time he’d definitely get the timing right. Right as she lifts her arm, he would…
“ANOSA!”
Someone suddenly clamped a hand on his shoulder, startling Subaru out of his thoughts. Before he could figure out what had just happened, he was grabbed, yanked, spun around, and fixed in place before someone.
“I’ve called you so many times, though I didn’t call your name, but that’s because you didn’t tell me your name, so that’s your fault. On top of that, you kept on ignoring me, which is, once again, completely on you. You should know that what you have done is a complete violation of my rights!”
What?
Subaru still hadn’t fully recovered from his most recent death and, to be hit with this tirade out of nowhere, he didn’t even know what to say. He could only stare dumbfounded at the person who grabbed him——a skinny man wearing a long white coat, his white hair and golden brown eyes particularly bright under the sun. The dangling earring on his right earlobe also caught Subaru’s attention.
Noticing Subaru was distracted again, the man seemed even more livid, if possible.
“Snap out of it!”
“Huh? Ah, sorry sorry. I’m Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I clueless, I'm also broke beyond compare! What do you need from me?” Subaru said, hoping to appease this man’s temper.
The man seemed satisfied with his response.
“That’s right. That’s how it should be. When you speak to me, make sure you always give me your full attention. As your reward, I shall introduce myself. I’m the witch cult’s Archbishop of Greed, Regulus Corneas.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! So what’s the witch cult?”
Subaru first spoke in astonishment, even clapping his hands to show his admiration. And just as Regulus lifted a brow in pleasure, he quickly spoke the latter half of his sentence.
“You little...!”
As expected, Regulus was pissed off.
The appas vendor was also pissed off.
“Go elsewhere if you aren’t gonna buy anything!”
Subaru didn’t blame him for getting mad. Plus, he himself was a busy man who was just summoned to a new world. What could a complete stranger want him for? With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Regulus had an arm raised preparing to attack the man for his insolence, but gritted his teeth and decided to follow after Subaru instead.
The two of them walked till they were in an isolated spot in the slums. Subaru stopped and turned around.
“So why are you following me? What could you possibly want from me?”
He stared cautiously at the white-haired man who had been talking his ears off for the entire way here. But despite that, the man never tried to force him to stop walking, as if cautious of what he would do.
“What I want from you?” Regulus repeated, confusion evident in his tone. “That should be my question!”
Regulus Corneas was the Archbishop of Greed. His power, status, and wealth were undoubtedly ranked at the top of this world. With the Authority to stop the time of anything, he was undeniably a subject of admiration by many.
Following orders from the Gospel, Regulus began working on paperwork this afternoon, taking care of matters within the cult.
There was a lot of paperwork piled up but that wasn’t an issue.
…Until his vision spun just as he capped his pen, preparing to take a break.
An enemy’s attack?
Regulus sneered. No matter how many of them came for him, the result would be the same——
There was not a single person before him.
Warm sunlight showered over him.
What the… What’s going on?
As someone whose Authority also had to do with time, Regulus sensed something was wrong with the time immediately. He grabbed a random wife who was just passing by and learned that time had indeed been reversed a few hours back.
Which meant he had gone back in time!
Who did it!?
Regulus wanted to investigate this thoroughly, but he couldn't ignore the newest orders from the Gospel. He must stay inside his manor and take care of all the paperwork this afternoon……
It’d be fine. Regulus Corneas had all the time in the world. It wouldn't hurt to let that bastard roam freely for a while longer. Sooner or later he would find and capture them and punish them for violating his rights.
He just had to redo his paperwork all over again. No big deal.
…Turns out, it was a big deal.
Because that motherfucker turned back time FIFTY. GODDAMN. TIMES.
Regulus sat slumped over his chair with a hollow look in his eyes.
No nono no NO! This could NOT be happening! Something had to be wrong! Shouldn't an Authority or Blessing that had control over time be extremely rare and difficult to activate!? Shouldn't there be some crazy hard prerequisites before time could be reversed!? Why was this bastard able to do it over and over AND OVER AGAIN!?!?! As if they had no limits!? And that motherfucker perfectly timed it so time was reversed right as Regulus finished his paperwork!? This had to be a targeted attack against HIM! It HAD to be! An attack of infinite paperwork HELL!!!
“AHHHHH I GIVE UP!!”
Regulus threw his pen onto his desk where the stack of paperwork lay innocently, paperwork he could almost recite from memory.
“Right now, right this moment, I’m going to find that bastard and show them what I’m made of!”
And that was how Regulus Corneas met Natsuki Subaru.
In an isolated spot in the slums, Subaru listened, slightly bewildered, as Regulus borderline interrogated him.
There was a lot he wanted to say about this situation, but…… Considering the man before him was clearly a self-centered bastard who loved to hear himself talk, Subaru lost all will to proceed with this conversation.
Repeatedly dying had built up quite a bit of fatigue and right now Subaru wanted nothing more than……
“I want to kill that woman and take back the badge, so everyone can live happily ever after,” he said almost like he was venting. But upon seeing the perplexed look on Regulus’s face, Subaru realized belatedly that he was momentarily blinded by anger. “On second thought, I don’t necessarily want her dead. I just… I just want…everyone to live.”
Subaru let out a long sigh as Regulus who had been observing him this whole time snickered.
“And here I thought you were some impressive legendary figure blessed with such a powerful Authority. Turns out you’re just a pitiful little guy with a messed up head.”
“What did you just say?” Subaru felt his anger rising. “What do you even know about me!? I was robbed of my original life and thrown into a foreign place, completely alone! I was killed again and again AND AGAIN because I had no one to guide me or help me! I… I had… I have nothing……”
Subaru knew that Regulus wasn't wrong.
He could feel it too. His mind was slowly being corrupted by negativity and all the inexplicable things he had gone through. If this were to continue the same way it had been for the past fifty loops, it probably wouldn't take long for him to completely lose his morals and everything that kept him grounded as a sane human being.
If that were to happen, even Subaru couldn't predict——and he didn't dare predict——what that Natsuki Subaru would do and what path he would take.
In that case, Subaru suddenly felt a sense of gratitude for Regulus, despite how much this man loved to hear himself talk. He was the first person to listen to how Subaru truly felt, though he also mocked Subaru to his chagrin.
“Anosa, you’re distracted again. Honestly, you’re hopeless. You have a nasty stare and a bad temper. You can't get any worse.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Tch.”
Regulus approached him, staring intensely at his face.
Subaru was clearly uncomfortable with his social boundary being broken without any warning, but he didn't move away or turn his head.
“At least you have a useful Authority. You’re young and don't look half bad. It would be better if you’re a girl though.”
“Hah? What are you talking about?”
The Archbishop ignored Subaru and pressed a hand on Subaru’s chest.
Authority——”Little King”
“Become mine!”
