Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

——There was only "Nothingness."

Within the nothingness, a hazy, incorporeal consciousness looked around.

This was the "Dark Garden" that Natsuki Subaru was extremely familiar with.

Subaru Natsuki's consciousness saw a figure that was very familiar to him—

The Witch of Envy, Satella.

That voice seemed to be in sorrow, in tears—

"Please, don't let them know... Please... Don't tell them... Please..."

Satella didn't seem to be talking to Natsuki Subaru, but rather pleading with an unknown existence for something.

Seeing Satella—the Witch of Envy who looked exactly like Emilia—Natsuki Subaru subconsciously wanted to reach out and wipe away her tears, to soothe her sorrowful heart—

"I... I will definitely save you."

…… ……

"Gaze Upon Your Arrogance, Witness His Pain."

These were the last words the silver-haired girl Emilia heard before coming here, but saying "heard" might not be accurate because the voice seemed to come from her mind.

"Where... is this?"

Emilia blinked her purple eyes in surprise, looking around, asking the question with her signature ethereal, silver bell-like voice.

This was a space that wasn't small, rather, it was very spacious.

The first thing Emilia noticed was the unusually large, strange gray curtain in front of her, next to which was placed a strange, metal-like box. Above the "head" and "pillow" were two metal rollers, and in front of the metal box was a... mouth? Or a projector?

Emilia turned her leg and, upon closer inspection, saw countless red chairs, as if made of some animal's skin, looking grand and exquisite, something only dignitaries could afford.

The chairs were arranged in rows, each row behind another, forming a stepped structure, with each row higher than the one in front.

After observing the unknown metal box without success, Emilia had no choice but to explore the rows of chairs.

"What's happening to me..."

Emilia began to think about what had happened to her to bring her here, but—

"Why can't I remember anything?"

She couldn't help but put her hand to her delicate chin, covering her neck, and tilting her head in question.

Emilia completely didn't remember what happened before coming here. It was as if she had amnesia, her mind a blank slate.

…… ……

"This is... Lady Emilia?"

A voice interrupted Emilia's thoughts.

"Huh? Who is it?"

It was an unfamiliar female voice, and Emilia turned to trace the source of the sound.

Although Emilia didn't remember her voice, as soon as she saw her appearance—

It was a girl with blue bobbed hair, bangs covering her right eye, azure pupils, pink lips, smooth facial curves, somewhat childish and cute, and wearing a maid outfit, about one and a half meters tall.

It was Rem, the maid whom Natsuki Subaru guarded day and night, who had been sleeping all along.

"Re... Rem? Are you Miss Rem?"

Emilia was somewhat shocked and a little incredulous. According to Subaru's description, wasn't Miss Rem swallowed by the Gluttony Archbishop, losing her "name" and "memories" and falling into a vegetative state?

"Hmm? Miss Rem...?"

The maid girl, Rem, felt a little strange at the somewhat unfamiliar and distant tone and address, but still grabbed the sides of her skirt with both hands, crossed her feet behind her, and gently bowed her head and bent her knees in greeting:

"It is Rem. The head servant of Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers..."

Rem first spoke in a formal and serious tone, then changed to a tone hiding deep affection and continued,

"And Subaru-kun's attendant, Rem."

"Miss Rem... Rem, how did you wake up? I'm very—curious."

Although Emilia had forgotten her, according to Subaru's description, the Emilia who knew Rem would definitely be happy to see this, so Emilia asked with a smile.

"What do you mean by wake up...? I'm very sorry, Rem doesn't quite understand what Lady Emilia talking about."

Rem tilted her head in confusion, and at the same time, she was very confused as to why she was here. She only remembered hearing the sentence "Gaze Upon Your Arrogance, Witness His Pain" in her mind, and then she came here, and as soon as she arrived, she saw Lady Emilia, so what happened now.

"Rem!"

A shout suddenly echoed through the room, and before either of them could fully react, Rem was hugged by a pink-haired girl who looked exactly like her, Ram.

"You're awake... You're awake, Rem!"

Ram burst into tears, rubbing against Rem's chest, getting Ram's eyes and a corner of Rem's clothes wet with tears.

"Si... Sister, what... what exactly is going on?"

Rem was a little confused, and not to mention, everyone here was very confused.

Where exactly is this place? What does "Gaze Upon Your Arrogance, Witness His Pain" mean?

"Rem? Your memories have returned?"

"Si... Sister, Lady Emilia, Great Spirit?"

Two more voices came, and two more people arrived. One of the voices was very familiar to everyone, it was the Great Spirit Beatrice with her light cream-colored, drill-shaped hairstyle.

But everyone's attention was drawn to the other voice, a voice filled with endless guilt...

"...Is that me?"

Rem, who had just finished hugging her sister, looked at that person with even more confusion, and couldn't help but think that she was looking in a mirror—

This was a person who looked almost exactly like Rem, except for being older. If there was any difference besides appearance and age, it might only be in clothing and hairstyle.

Rem had blue bobbed hair, while this woman had long blue hair; Rem was wearing a maid outfit, while this woman was wearing a unique Kararagi outfit, which seemed to be called a kimono.

"This... another dream..."

It seemed that this long-haired kimono woman regarded this situation as a dream.

The long-haired kimono woman, Natsuki Rem, knelt down with a thud and cried out in pain...

"I'm really sorry... Sister..."

…… ……

"So—these are all the known information so far—"

Roswaal said in a drawn-out voice.

Currently, those who have arrived here include Emilia, Rem, Ram, Beatrice, Roswaal, Puck, and a Rem who is suspected to be from another timeline? It cannot be ruled out that more people will come later.

"And also, we heard the sentence 'Gaze Upon Your Arrogance, Witness His Pain' when we came here, except for Betty? Why didn't Betty hear this sentence?"

"And we have all forgotten what happened during the transfer..."

the young girl Rem added in a low voice.

The last memories of Emilia and others were that they went to the Empire to find Subaru, the last memories of the young girl Rem were that after defeating the White Whale, she and Crusch brought the wounded and the White Whale's corpse back to the royal capital when they encountered the Greed Archbishop and the Gluttony Archbishop, and the last memories of the young woman Rem were that she had just finished feeding her daughter Spica.

Just as everyone was thinking, the metal roller next to the metal box in the distance began to rotate, and a light shone on the gray curtain, and a large projection was displayed—

【【】】

"I see, the story ends here."

Natsuki Subaru flipped through the manga book, muttering to himself in the convenience store...

Chapter Text

Chapter 02:. Beyond the Great Waterfall and the different possibilities

【【】】

"So, the story ends here, huh?"Natsuki Subaru muttered to himself while flipping through a manga in a convenience store...

[[]]

"Subaru!"

"Subaru-kun!"

"Darling!"

【【】】

A gray screen projected Natsuki Subaru's shadow. He was holding a book in an unknown room. Then, Natsuki Subaru put down the book, looked at a couple reflected in the glass, took a breath, and placed the book on the shelf.

"I still don't want to eat natto after all..."

With that, Subaru put down the paper box he had picked up earlier and grabbed a strange bag and another paper box.

[[]]

"This... feels a bit familiar."

Emilia felt a sense of familiarity looking at the bag, and Ram nodded in agreement.

Subaru mentioned that it was something called corn potage flavored... what? There was also something called tonkatsu ramen flavor, which was even used as a reward for sculpting a snowman when Puck was in his mana frenzy.

"Could this be..."

Emilia blurted out, and Roswaal added:

"Subaru's—hometown."

Subaru had said that his hometown was from a Far Eastern country, which everyone found strange, since the Kingdom of Lugnica was already the easternmost point. Beyond that was the Great Waterfall, so many people thought Subaru came from—

"The other side of the... Great Waterfall."

Beatrice muttered to herself.

Before they knew it, they were sitting back in their chairs, their attention once again focused on the gray screen.

Both Rem were curious about what the hometown of their beloved was like.

【【】】

"That'll be 363 yen."

The person behind the counter said to Subaru.

[[]]

"It seems he's—buying something,"

Roswaal said.

【【】】

Upon hearing this, Natsuki Subaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook? Then he took out coins from the notebook's crevices.

It seemed these were the currency of Subaru's hometown.

"It's an early Showa ten-yen coin..."

After paying, Natsuki Subaru picked up the bag and walked out of the store.

As he walked down the street, a tall, four-legged, strange creature ran past at high speed.

Subaru didn't seem to find this creature strange and continued walking forward a few steps.

"Well, yeah, it's weird if my eyes don't feel strained after being cooped up in my room playing games all day."

It seemed Subaru's eyes were strained just now. He reached out and rubbed the corner of his eye, and in just a moment...

The world in Natsuki Subaru's eyes began to change. It gradually ceased to be the world Natsuki Subaru knew and instead became familiar to the viewers here.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Subaru's voice was calm with a hint of confusion, as if he hadn't realized what was happening yet.

[[]]

"So that's how Subaru came here."

Puck, the small cat floating beside Emilia, made his signature androgynous voice.

"This is truly... interesting—"

Roswaal's lips curved into a mysterious smile as he said this.

【【】】

"This doesn't look fake at all... Could it be... that means..."

"Is this the 'summoned to another world scenario?!'. " Subaru's voice echoed in a corner of the Kingdom of Lugnica.

[[]]

"So why did Subaru come here in the first place, I suppose?"

Beatrice pondered, but before she could dwell on it, a bewitching voice came:

"Ara? Where is this?"

It was a tall, languid-eyed beauty with waist-length hair tied up, wearing a black cloak, and skin that was extraordinarily white. Against that skin, her extremely red lips stood out even more.

"Elsa!? Aren't you dead!?"

Emilia was incredibly shocked. Indeed, the bewitching woman was the Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert, who had fought against Emilia's group many times.

Elsa looked at Emilia, slightly surprised:

"You... the beloved of my beloved. If I were to kill you, my beloved would surely be even more excited when he kills me."

Elsa said things that were hard for everyone to understand, speaking to Emilia in a still bewitching but seemingly emotionless tone, while also taking out a kukri blade from her bosom.

"But for the sake of my beloved's wish, I can only wait until you obtain the throne..."

Elsa continued to say things that others couldn't understand, and then put away the kukri blade.

The sub-zero atmosphere warmed up slightly, and Emilia lowered the hand she had been preparing to cast magic with.

"Her beloved? Wish? What was she talking about?"

Even her employer, Roswaal, couldn't understand. Rather, he couldn't figure out why Elsa was alive again.

Of course, they didn't know that only Elsa and her beloved knew about this matter, that sentence.

The words that Elsa had heard surpassed any love confession, spoken by her beloved, Natsuki Subaru: "I really want to kill you. Not today, nor tomorrow. But, I will kill you someday."

"Ah, Elsa is here too. Where is this?"

"Meili?"

Elsa responded.

Meili's addition exacerbated the severely unbalanced gender ratio of the scene.

"Ah, it's you, the one who stole Big Brother's heart!"

Meili said, pointing at Emilia.

It was strange. Meili should have had more than just this reaction to seeing Elsa, who was like her older sister, dead, and her attitude towards Emilia was also very distant, even though they had become half-companions in the Sage's Tower. It seemed that the biggest possibility was...

"They, like that Rem, are existences from different possibilities, I suppose..."

Beatrice said softly.

"Ara? This is..."

"It's Big Brother!"

Elsa noticed the big screen, and Meili quickly added.

【【】】

"That's what I'm going to say... I'm going to make you deeply regret it!"

On the screen, Natsuki Subaru's shout drew everyone's attention again. Natsuki Subaru used all his strength, and with a right punch, he knocked a strong man to the ground, then jumped up and kicked another man unconscious.

"It seems my stats in this world are indeed very strong! As soon as adrenaline is secreted, I can definitely win—"

But in an instant, Natsuki Subaru immediately knelt down and begged for mercy when facing one of the men with a knife.

[[]]

"Subaru!"

"Subaru-kun!"

"Darling!"

Emilia, Beatrice, Rem, and Natsuki Rem all shouted, filled with concern and worry.

After all, if it were the current Subaru, he could use Invisible Providence to get rid of him, but the Subaru in the scene couldn't do it.

In the chaos, Subaru was constantly beaten by the three men.

This made them realize how fragile Subaru was in this world, but this boy still protected them again and again...

"Rem will kill them!"

Rem said angrily.

If one of them was there, they could immediately protect Subaru, but unfortunately, they could only watch—

【【】】

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way! You guys over there, you're blocking my path!"

[[]]

"Huh? I seem to have stolen the insignia and was running away at the time, but why is big bro here? And being beaten up by Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley."

"Felt-sama."

The former rogue, now the fifth candidate for the throne of the Kingdom of Lugnica, Felt, and the knight of knights, Reinhard van Astrea, had just arrived here.

"Ah, even Reinhard..."

Emilia covered her mouth in surprise, unable to imagine what kind of existence could forcibly teleport this red-haired superman here.

"Emilia-sama and everyone, although it's sudden, it's been a while."

The red-haired superman Reinhard placed his hand on his chest and gave an elegant bow.

Reinhard also saw Subaru's embarrassing state just now. Although Subaru's physical fitness was indeed poor compared to him, and it was normal for such a thing to happen, Reinhard was heartbroken to see his friend being treated like this but unable to step forward to protect him, but fortunately, next...

"But if Julius were here, he would probably be disappointed by his friend's actions."

Reinhard thought.

【【】】

"That's enough, villains."

At this moment, a silver bell-like voice interrupted everyone's thoughts, causing everyone to refocus their attention on the screen.

Chapter Text

【【】】

"It ends here, villain."

Emilia, a beautiful girl with waist-length silver hair and heterochromatic blue-purple eyes, makes her entrance.

[[]]

"Huh? That's strange?"

Emilia widened her blue-purple eyes in confusion, tilting her head in thought.

She didn't have any memory of this.

In her memory, her first meeting with Subaru was in the storage house while searching for her insignia, and shortly after that, she fought Elsa.

Reinhardt was also bewildered because, in his memory, he heard Subaru's cry for help and rushed to his rescue.

【【】】

"I cannot tolerate your continued mischief—it ends here."

[[]]

"How meddlesome, you lot."

Priscilla drew her crimson-colored fan from her ample bosom, fanning herself while expressing disdain for Emilia's heroic actions in this scene.

"Ah... I..."

Faced with mockery, Emilia said nothing, mainly because she was too confused.

'Is this an illusion? Or what?'

"Priscilla-sama, please watch your words."

Rem stepped forward, refuting Priscilla with a respectful yet serious tone.

In this situation, if it were Subaru-kun, he would definitely retort. Since he's not here, Rem will act on his behalf.

But since Emilia-sama is here, Subaru-kun should be able to overcome this crisis.

"Ignorant masses."

Priscilla had no time to reply; she was already intrigued by this magical screen and focused all her attention on it.

... ...

By this point, many people had arrived at the scene, one after another. Presumably, no matter who else comes, everyone will be used to it.

Some people had already sat on the red chairs, watching the screen displaying the scene.

"Um... Felt-san, do you have any memory of this?"

Emilia asks Felt, who had somewhat participated in the events in the scene.

"Huh? Hey, don't ask me; I don't know what's going on. it's weird. I was indeed planning to run this way, but when I saw Reinhardt was here, I went somewhere else. That is to say, I didn't appear in this alley at all."

"Then... um, what does Reinhardt-sama think?"

Crusch Karsten, the head of the Karsten Dukedom who had lost her memories, asked Reinhardt.

Some people cast expectant gazes at Reinhardt, but Reinhardt showed his apology, bowed, and said:

"I am very sorry to have disappointed everyone. I have no memory of this scene. I only remember Subaru asking me for help, and I rushed to his aid upon hearing his voice. My memory is completely different from the scene shown."

"What happened after that, Reinhardt?"

The most excellent knight, Julius Juukulius, who arrived late, pressed his close friend Reinhardt.

"In my memory, after getting to know Subaru, Subaru left. Connecting Subaru's words, I came to the slums and encountered Felt-sama asking me for help."

"What exactly is... going on?"

Elsa and Meili digested Reinhardt's words; in their memory, this story was another version.

In the version Elsa told Meili, Subaru called a large number of royal capital guards to fight Elsa, and then Reinhardt arrived, defeated Elsa, and was rescued by Subaru.

Just as everyone was thinking, the white-haired old man with an imposing presence, Sword Demon Wilhelm van Astrea, seemed to sense something...

He slightly moved his finger—

"Rom! Ah, hey, old man! Put the sword away!"

Felt, who was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the giant Rom, saw the Sword Demon instantly placing his sword on Rom's neck.

"Bartz..."

Rom immediately interrupted the Sword Demon's speech upon hearing this.

"Not 'Bartz' or anything, just an old man. Sword Demon Wilhelm Trias, if you want to kill this old man, come on."

"Wilhelm-san!"

Emilia and the others are surprised by this scene.

"Hey, Reinhardt, quickly stop your grandfather!"

Felt said hurriedly.

Wilhelm looked around, then looked at Bartz, no, Rom, and said:

"Married into the Sword Saint family, now called Wilhelm van Astrea."

After speaking, Wilhelm put down his sword, and the atmosphere eased.

"In any case, let's continue watching the screen's content first. Don't miss the important information in the screen due to discussions that may never yield results with the existing information."

Anastasia Hoshin said so.

"I agree with Anastasia-san's suggestion. Let's observe the subsequent developments in the screen first."

Wilhelm put the sword back into its sheath, agreeing with the great merchant.

"Tch, how verbose."

Priscilla clicked her tongue.

"Damn, isn't this a movie theater?"

Next to Priscilla, Al, who had just arrived, looked around and, seeing the familiar place, couldn't help but say softly...

"Ah! Lia, look, I'm making my appearance!"

"Ah! It's brother!"

Beatrice's Puck turned everyone's attention to the screen...

... ...

【【】】

After a long time in various senses, on the screen, facing Subaru's "Satella" address to her, Emilia, who was surprised, was asked the reason by Subaru, and after a moment of stunned silence, shook her head:

"No... It's nothing. There's one thing. After retrieving the insignia, I want to apologize to you."

"Although I don't know what you're apologizing for, I'd actually rather hear 'thank you' than 'sorry.' If you could add a cute smile, that would be the best."

"Idiot."

Emilia responded to Subaru's boring joke with a smile.

[[]]

Emilia, outside the screen, couldn't help but smile, seeming to think of something, and said softly:

"Speaking of which, Subaru is always helping me. Next time I see Subaru, I must repay him in a very—special way."

On the screen, everyone saw Subaru helping Emilia find the insignia to repay her life-saving grace. Facing the matter of helping a lost child, which was unrelated to finding the insignia, Subaru also went along with Emilia's temperament.

Just as Emilia was thinking about how to repay Subaru, her attention was once again drawn to Subaru, who was muttering to himself while illuminating the area with a Lagmite ore—

【【】】

"So, what kind of monsters will appear next? Judging from the style of fantasy works, whatever appears is not a joke."

Subaru walked forward cautiously.

[[]]

"This is really... getting stranger and stranger—"

Elsa, outside the screen, watched all this. This was increasingly different from her memory, and she substituted herself into this scene, thinking of something bad.

"Could it be..."

Elsa had an ominous yet expectant premonition.

In the scene, Subaru arrived at a place that looked like an inn or tavern.

"Ah! It's indeed here. I thought it looked familiar just now. Right, Rom?"

Felt outside the screen said this while looking at this familiar environment.

【【】】

"If I hand over the wooden tag to the guards, I feel like I can catch them all in one fell swoop."

"Hmm?"

Subaru seemed to have stepped on something..."What the hell is this?"

Stepping on it, the "squish" sound entered his ears, and a strange sensation transmitted from his foot to his brain.

Subaru bent down and lightly smeared the sticky substance he stepped on with his fingertip. (and in the eyes of Wilhelm, Reinhardt, and others, they had already seen what it was—)

Blood.

"Ah...?"

[[]]

Most of the people inside and outside the screen widened their eyes together, making incredibly surprised sounds, especially Subaru, Felt, and Rom.

"Rom, this is!?"

"The old man in this scene..."

Rom looked carefully.

In the scene, a huge corpse with a severed arm and a cracked neck was lying there. That was Rom, who was still in shock outside the screen.

【【】】

"Ara." Elsa outside the screen and a female voice inside the screen overlapped, but it is better to say that the voices were exactly the same.

"It seems I've been discovered. Then there's no choice. Hmm, hmm, there's really no choice."

[[]]

This voice? It's Elsa!

Just as a group of people wanted to turn their attention to Elsa, the movement in the scene next stole their attention once again.

【【】】

Thud!

Accompanied by a dull hitting sound, Subaru's consciousness was dominated by scalding "heat."

When Subaru tried to check, everyone already understood the reason.

Subaru's abdomen was torn by a sharp blade.

[[]]

"Subaru!"

Emilia is in fear.

"Subaru-kun!"

Rem was worried.

"Darling!"

Natsuki Rem was concerned.

"Subaru!"

Beatrice was worried.

"Boss!"

Garfiel raised his heart.

"Subaru..."

Reinhardt, Julius, Wilhelm, and others lamented their powerlessness; even if they were strong, they could only watch their friend suffer.

"This is... his intestines... ah..."

Elsa's body trembled while heating up,

"Could it be... this is the reason he wants to kill me... ah..."

"Eh...? How could big brother..."

Meili was a little incredulous.

"Subaru is... Subaru-kun is!"

"Calm down, Rem. Since Barusu is still alive and well, he will definitely overcome this difficulty."

"But... but!"

Rem and Natsuki Rem said in unison, almost wanting to rush in and immediately treat Subaru.

But they couldn't do it.

【【】】

"...Subaru?"

A silver bell-like voice came.

[[]]

Emilia and the others relaxed a little.

"It's okay, I'm here, I'll treat Subaru, right? Right?"

Emilia anxiously asked herself. She wasn't confident because she had a strong, ominous premonition.

In the scene, another scream rang out, completely crushing the hope that had just risen in everyone's hearts.

【【】】

"...Ugh."

Emilia, in the scene, fell down powerlessly, very close to Subaru.

[[]]

"Lia!? What exactly is going on!"

Puck's heart clenched. Looking at this scene, it frantically thought about who else could save its daughter in this situation.

It? No, it couldn't do it at all because it knew very well that it was currently in slumber, and the fallen Emilia could not actively consume her soul power to awaken it.

"If they don't receive treatment soon, Subaru and Emilia-sama will..."

Felix spoke the cruel truth from a doctor's perspective.

【【】】

Subaru desperately reached out to Emilia, even though his body was getting weaker, even though blood was flowing, even though he was about to die.

The boy desperately grabbed the girl's hand.

"...Wait."

[[]]

Subaru said... 'wait?' Did Subaru have any trump cards?

Everyone could only hope so.

【【】】

"I..."

"I will definitely..."

"I will definitely save you."

In the next moment, he—Natsuki Subaru- died.

Chapter Text

【【】】

"I will definitely save you."

In the next instant, he—Natsuki Subaru, died.

[[]]

Boom!

Strangely quiet, time seemed to stop at this moment.

Everyone was stunned into place.

"Subaru... Subaru?"

Emilia reached out from the screen, the hand Subaru held before his death, staring blankly.

"This... this!"

Both Rem were completely stunned, tears streaming down their faces.

Emilia, seeing her knight unable to protect himself, Rem, seeing her lover pass away, Julius and the others, seeing themselves powerless to protect their friend, Wilhelm and the others, seeing their benefactor die, and Ferris and the others, unable to save the life that was lost, all felt heartbroken.

"Is that it?"

Only Priscilla, the scarlet bride, showed a bored expression.

"This... this is impossible!"

Beatrice's big eyes were wet, her mind in chaos.

"If Subaru leaves, then Betty... Betty..."

Beatrice trembled her lips, helplessly touching her cheeks with her small hands.

"I see, so that's how it is, so that's the condition, teacher."

"Huh?"

Beatrice was instantly stunned by Roswaal's words. She lowered her hands, raised her head, and looked at Roswaal sitting on the left:

"Co... could it be..."

Beatrice questioned Roswaal.

Roswaal did not respond, but his crazed smile seemed to confirm Beatrice's guess.

But Beatrice was still not too sure.

What if he really...

No, even if there's only a sliver of hope.

She looked at the screen again...

【【】】

"...What's wrong, kid? Suddenly spacing out? Want some Appas?"

Subaru put his hand to his ear:

"Huh?"

"Appas! You want to eat them, right? You came over here to ask, but suddenly you're all spaced out, scared me half to death... are you buying or not?"

"Not buying, I told you; I'm a penniless devil who never dies."

After that, Subaru was chased away by the Appas store owner.

Subaru poked his head back and forth, and said with everyone outside the screen:

[[]]

"—What's going on?"

"Hey."

Garfiel, showing his two rows of sharp teeth, asked the stunned Otto beside him.

"Ah, what's wrong?"

"The boss just died... right?"

"Natsuki-san should have died... right?"

Garfiel and Otto stared at each other with wide eyes.

The situation was similar for the others, except for a very few who were stunned.

"Subaru-kun didn't die?! Then what was that just now..."

"Thank... thankfully that's the case. Subaru..."

"This is really, this is really, just as I guessed—Natsuki Subaru."

"Such a performance is what pleases me."

"Huh? You too, brother?"

Thinking there was no need to hide it, Roswaal stood up and announced to everyone:

"Natsuki Subaru is a man who can make everything start over. His ability... his authority is perhaps called 'Return by Death'."

With Roswaal's statement, the room fell silent again.

"Huh? So... so that's how it is?"

After the silence,

Some, like Otto, were first confused, but then suddenly understood, but there were also some—

"Hmm... just as I thought."

"Yes, Anastasia-sama, I had a feeling as well."

There were also some who had already guessed, like Anastasia and Julius.

"Barusu always manages to seize the opportunity inexplicably..."

Ram recalled what she had said in the Sanctuary before.

'Could it be... could it be... no...'

You can't think too much about this, once you do...

"Ah... ah... ah! Is this... is this true!?"

Rem barely steadied herself, but Rem directly softened and knelt on the ground.

Emilia's eyes also flicker with tears, and she shakes her head.

Beatrice and some others who were closely connected to Subaru also showed expressions of grief.

If, if this is true.

Then, Subaru's seemingly lucky grasp of the winning opportunity every time makes sense.

His seemingly lucky grasp of the winning opportunity every time is actually...

...bought with the stacking of his deaths...

"If that's the case... then... then why didn't Subaru tell me and everyone else?"

Does he think he can't rely on me? Or is it for some other reason?

Emilia thought sadly.

Why, after so many years, hasn't my husband told me a single word? Rem was thinking the same thing.

"Unless..."

Beatrice said tremblingly,

"it's because of some kind of restriction that he can't say..."

"It seems that should be the case, Lia."

After everyone gradually came to their senses, they suddenly remembered that Subaru and Emilia had just been killed by Elsa.

Emilia looked at Elsa.

"Then. Elsa-san, can you explain?"

Elsa heard this, looked at the client Roswaal, and was about to say something, but Roswaal preempted her.

"That's right, Elsa was commissioned by me."

"Huh?"

Emilia, Rem, and others are shocked.

Emilia pressed her beautiful eyebrows and said with a voice tinged with anger:

"Roswaal, why are you doing this?"

Roswaal shrugged and said:

"Anyway, you'll see it sooner or later—there will be an explanation after the screen—"

Seeing Roswaal refusing to talk, everyone didn't want to waste time on this.

Everyone refocused their attention on the screen.

Looking further down meant having to see how Subaru died.

In the midst of this, we don't know how many times we hurt him.

But they had no choice, this was almost the only thing they could do here.

It was as if...

"Some existence wants us to see these, we... have no choice."

Otto said this.

... ...

"Ah, it's this scene again."

Otto casually complained.

【【】】

On the screen, Subaru ran into those three thugs again, Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley.

"Yo, kid. Come and play with us."

Subaru stared blankly at them.

"Hey, what's with you, looking like a moron?"

"He must not understand the situation. Just tell him."

The three let out twisted laughter, mocking the dizzy Subaru.

[[]]

"Tch, three idiots."

The poisonous-tongued, pink-haired maid Ram looked at the three thugs with disgust, saying this.

"Here, I need to apologize."

Reinhardt lowered his head:

"Our Royal Capital Knights have failed to completely clear out these kinds of people in the Royal Capital, it is a dereliction of duty."

"When we get back, we will strengthen patrols in this area."

Julius echoed.

【【】】

"Forget it, kid. Anyway, leave all the stuff on you. Then we'll let you go."

"Oh, oh, okay, okay. Everything is right. I'm in a hurry, that's the best, come and get it."

Seeing Subaru so obedient, the three said:

"Then get on all fours and bark like a dog! Bark a few times to beg us to spare your life."

[[]]

"Too rude."

Julius narrowed his eyes, suppressing his voice as he looked at the three thugs.

"Hey, what's in the heads of those three guys, Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley."

Even Felt couldn't help but complain.

After a while, the scene came to dusk, and Subaru went to the loot warehouse in the slums and found Old Man Rom.

Garfiel, while staring at the screen, said:

"The boss hasn't realized his ability yet."

Anastasia:

"Although he doesn't know the situation, Natsuki still knows to go to the slums to investigate, but..."

"Too reckless, is that what you mean?"

Al scratched his helmet with his fingers in response.

"Even if your personal strength isn't good, you can still win with numbers. Barusu is really..."

"Hey, don't talk about the boss from God's perspective. Speaking of which, is it time to meet that Gut Hunter?"

"Not that fast yet,"

Julius said.

On the other side, Emilia and the others just wanted Subaru to leave here quickly, the Gut Hunter was not someone he could deal with, but they couldn't interfere.

They showed worried expressions because of their powerlessness.

"Speaking of which, what about Natsuki's trading skills... but I'm very interested in this magic tool of his."

Anastasia showed a merchant's gaze, sizing up the "magic tool" that Subaru took out to trade with Old Man Rom in the picture.

And only Al in the room knew that this was actually a mobile phone.

"This... I have an impression that Subaru-sama used this to find out the time of the White Whale's appearance."

Wilhelm's memory was still fresh, or rather, he would never forget that scene in his life, the scene where Subaru announced that he knew the location of the White Whale.

【【】】

"It feels like there are a lot of irrelevant people here." Elsa appeared in Subaru's current loop.

[[]]

"This loop is still not the world in our memories, which means Subaru this time..."

Reinhardt pondered.

"he will still... die."

Otto added.

【【】】

In the picture, Elsa stood up, finished her milk, and looked at Subaru:

"Speaking of which, kid, what do you want to do with that badge?"

Subaru blurted out:

"The badge? Oh, oh, I want to find the original owner and return it to its rightful owner."

The scene was instantly silent.

[[]]

"Ah, Barusu is so stupid."

Ram clicked her tongue.

【【】】

"...What, so you're a related person. Then there's no choice."

The strong killing intent Elsa showed made even the slow-witted Subaru realize that he had said the wrong thing.

Then, a flash of blade light quickly appeared...

At the critical moment, Felt hurriedly hugged Subaru's waist and took him away.

"Oh, you dodged it."

Elsa said, staring at them.

[[]]

"Thank goodness Felt-san saved him."

Although Emilia was still very nervous, she also thanked Felt for saving his life.

"Ah, well. You still have to save people's lives when you see them."

Felt was a little shy about her heroic act, scratching her head, and then turned her attention back to the screen.

【【】】

In the picture, Old Man Rom and Elsa fought.

"Oh oh oh oh oh ah ah!!"

He picked up a big stick and swung it at Elsa.

[[]]

"Old Man Rom..."

Felt watched the battle with great concern, she knew that her Old Man Rom couldn't beat her...

【【】】

"Crap..."

Subaru said subconsciously.

"It's okay. Old Man Rom can't lose! Since I was old enough to understand things, I've never seen Old Man Rom lose!"

[[]]

"Uh..."

Looking at herself on the screen, who was extremely confident in Old Man Rom, Felt was a little embarrassed, but she was more concerned about Old Man Rom.

At least I hope that in this loop, Old Man Rom can escape death...

【【】】

"Right, I forgot to say—milk. Thank you for the treat."

[[]]

"Old Man Rom!"

At this moment, Old Man Rom fell.

I thought I had made enough mental preparations, but I still couldn't accept it.

Felt, who had walked to Old Man Rom's side before, couldn't help but get closer, as if repeatedly confirming his life and death.

"Isn't this old man living well?"

Old Man Rom said in as dashing a tone as possible, and rubbed Felt's head, hoping to reduce her anxiety, but in fact he was also a little uneasy, because Felt might also be next...

【【】】

"...I'm really sorry, kid, for dragging you into this."

In the picture, after saying this, Felt rushed towards Elsa...

If she also fell, then it would mean that only Subaru was left.

Chapter Text

【【】】

"...I'm really sorry, buddy, for dragging you into this."

In the scene after saying this, Felt rushes towards Elsa.

Felt used her Wind Blessing to launch a surprise attack on Elsa quickly...

[[]]

"Did it work!?"

Felt was expectant.

"No, not even close."

The Sword Demon Wilhelm shook his head, narrowing his eyes and announcing the outcome of their duel mercilessly.

【【】】

Elsa twisted her body in the scene, barely dodging Felt's surprise attack.

"Wind Blessing. Ah, that's nice. It seems the world favors you—it's really envy-inducing."

A hint of loathing appeared in Elsa's eyes, and she instantly slashed from Felt's left shoulder to her right.

"...Ah!"

Felt rolled heavily on the ground, losing consciousness, and died a few seconds later.

[[]]

"Lady Felt..."

Reinhardt frowned slightly as he looked at Felt in the scene, muttering softly.

"So, the royal family in such a world..."

Julius frowned.

Now, only Subaru was left, trembling with fear.

"Subaru..." 

Beatrice looked at the scene with heartache, wishing she could hold his hand and tell him not to be afraid.

"Subaru is too weak for us... yet he protects me time and time again..."

Emilia's heart clenches.

"Subaru-kun..."

"Darling..."

"Subaru-kun is..."

"Darling is..."

"Rem's hero, he will definitely stand up again."

The two Rems thought in sync.

As long as he realizes his ability, he will definitely...

Everyone believed in him.

【【】】

Accompanied by the sound of a blade, Natsuki Subaru died once again.

"...Hey, buddy, don't space out. Are you going to buy some appas or not?"

Seeing Subaru spacing out, Kadomon raised his voice:

"Hey, what's wrong with you, buddy?"

"Seriously, how inexplicable..."

After Subaru said this, the screen went black...

[[]]

"It seems Natsuki fainted."

"Subaru looks a bit unsightly at this time..."

Looking at Subaru, whose behavior was unbecoming of a knight, Julius said softly. Then he shook his head:

"No, Subaru is not a knight at this time, and he is not yet mature, so some gaffes are unavoidable."

【【】】

When the scene reappeared, everyone first saw the water on Subaru's body.

It was the water that the appas stall owner poured on him to wake him up.

Afterwards, the worried appas stall owner took care of him simply and gave him a water bottle.

Subaru shook off the water on his body, and the water droplets fell to the ground, splashing. He hugged his knees and squatted down, forced to recall the deaths he didn't want to remember.

At this time, a frosty shadow stole Subaru's gaze.

"Wait—"

Summoning his legs, Subaru ran towards that girl.

"Wait, wait a minute... please, wait for me..."

That girl—Emilia noticed Subaru's call and looked at Subaru.

[[]]

"Eh? Oh no..."

Emilia, outside the screen, suddenly realized that Subaru didn't know her real name yet and still thought she was called "Satella." So, what would Subaru call me?

The answer was obvious.

【【】】

"Wait a minute—Satella!"

"Please don't... ignore me. It's my fault that I suddenly disappeared and didn't listen to your instructions. But I worked hard, too. I went to the loot house once after that. But I didn't see you."

Emilia stood at a distance, staring at him.

"I'm really sorry for talking to myself... but I'm really glad you're safe."

[[]]

"Don't."

Emilia, outside the screen, covered her eyes anxiously with her hand.

Allow him to call you that, understand him calling you that, please, I...

【【】】

"What... do you mean by that?"

Emilia, in the scene, shows an extremely angry face.

"I don't care who you are, but how dare you call me by the name of the 'Witch of Envy'! what do you mean by that!?"

Huh?

Subaru was instantly stunned in place.

[[]]

"Don't..."

An extremely guilty face twisted Emilia's cute face.

I was the one who told him my name was Satella. What right do I have to be angry?

Even though she knew that the her in the scene was completely unaware of this, but...

Her body trembled, and Emilia's nails dug deeply into her palm.

Even though she knew that the her in the scene was completely unaware of this, she still felt extremely guilty.

【【】】

"What's... going on?"

Although Subaru did think it was reasonable for her to be angry, he never expected the reason for her anger to be this.

Emilia still stared at Subaru with a sharp gaze:

"I'll ask again, why are you calling me by the name of the 'Witch of Envy'?"

"No, it's because... the person who told me to call you that was..."

[[]]

Yes, it was me who told Subaru to call me that, but I...

【【】】

"...I don't know who told you to call me that, but you have really bad taste. You call me whatever others tell you to call me, you're also at fault.

The symbol of taboo—'Witch of Envy.' You actually chose such a name that is taboo even to say."

[[]]

Please, don't say anymore.

The words I'm saying must have hurt Subaru deeply...

Even so, Subaru is still so...

【【】】

"...Since you're okay, I'm leaving. I'm busy."

Subaru stayed where he was, not knowing how to respond, and just then, a small figure darted out.

[[]]

"Ah, it's me."

Felt said this.

【【】】

In the scene, Felt quickly steals Emilia's insignia.

"Ah! Could it be—"

Greatly shocked, Emilia immediately reached into her robe to find the insignia, and the result was naturally,

Nothing.

Subaru couldn't help but shout:

"Felt?!"

Felt in the scene paused for a moment, but still ran quickly towards the alley.

Emilia subconsciously extended her palm towards Subaru, as if to release magic, and said loudly:

"I've been tricked. So you called me to stop me just to steal something... are you also an accomplice!?"

[[]]

"Don't!"

Emilia, outside the screen, couldn't help but shout.

Am I going to kill Subaru next?

But in fact, even if Emilia really released magic, she just wanted to trap or stun Subaru, but Emilia outside the screen was already unable to think calmly.

She was extremely terrified of this— if she really killed Subaru in the loop. Then...

What qualifications do I have to be liked by him, to be protected by him...

Fortunately, Emilia in the scene seemed to realize that it was more appropriate to chase after the thief; she changed her mind and ran towards the alley.

"That's... great."

Emilia, outside the screen, breathed a sigh of relief.

And some people on the side were a little uneasy, especially Rem and the others...

Yes, this situation would have been entirely possible if I had killed Subaru...

This became an absolute taboo in the eyes of Beatrice, Rem, and the others, and they dared not think about it.

If I had killed Subaru...

Rem bit her delicate tongue anxiously, and Natsuki Rem also anxiously dug at her fair arm.

I can't imagine...

Chapter Text

[[]]

If he killed Subaru before...

Rem bit her delicate tongue anxiously, while Natsuki Rem nervously scratched her fair arm.

Unimaginable...

【【】】

"Hey, wait a minute! You've got me all wrong! Please!"

Subaru ran towards Emilia to clear up the misunderstanding, cursing inwardly:

"Can't anyone be a little nicer to me? What the hell was the reason for summoning me to this other world?"

[[]]

Can't anyone be a little nicer to me?

Yeah, who could be nicer to him?

After seeing Subaru's past experiences, Emilia and the others feel like their previous kindness to Subaru was insignificant.

【【】】

"Crap... a wall?!"

Subaru ran into a dead end in the alley.

[[]]

"In this loop, Emilia-sama didn't save Barusu, and went straight to Felt. Subaru naturally couldn't catch up with Emilia-sama and Felt, who can use magic and have the wind's blessing, so... he lost them."

Ram rationally analyzed the situation.

【【】】

"I could climb over... but I don't think I can catch up with them. So, if I can't catch up here, should I go to the loot warehouse? Since Satella and Felt are still alive, then Old Man Rom should be too..."

Subaru muttered to himself. Even though he didn't know the situation, he decided to go to the loot warehouse first.

Just as he had this thought, the familiar faces of Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley appeared once again.

[[]]

"Ah... as expected. Those three idiots."

Felt said softly.

【【】】

"Give me a break! There's a limit to how much you can fail to learn from your mistakes!"

Subaru yelled at them.

[[]]

"Speaking of which... boss hasn't realized his ability yet... that's a bit..."

Garfield chimed in.

"Stupid."

Ram added flatly.

No one denied Subaru’s suffering, but at this point, the sheer fact that he hadn’t figured out 'Return by Death' yet was downright facepalm-worthy.

Seriously, by the second or third loop, most people would’ve caught on, right?

【【】】

"Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

The small Camberley put his hand on Subaru's shoulder, seeing his dazed expression.

"Get out of the way. No matter how you look at it, I don't have time to deal with you. I need to go confirm something right away."

Just now, Subaru had intended to give in, but he was completely stunned when he saw the corn potage-flavored snack in his pocket because in his memory, Old Man Rom had already eaten it.

Subaru pushed Camberley away, only to be intercepted by the remaining two.

"Hey, you, be honest with us!"

Subaru said with a hint of anger:

"Get out of the way! There's a place I have to go see."

[[]]

"Looks like Natsuki has finally noticed something."

Anastasia said, watching from beyond the screen.

"Ah! Subaru!"

Julius watched Subaru on the screen.

【【】】

"Ugh!"

Subaru wanted to go confirm something, but a sudden strange feeling in his waist made him look back.

Rachins stabbed a knife into Subaru's waist.

"Hey! You stabbed him!"

"Well... it can't be helped, if he escapes outside, wouldn't things get out of hand?"

The tall Gaston turned Subaru's body over, driving the knife deeper into his body.

"Stop it, you idiot! This is no good. If you damage his abdominal organs, he'll die, hey!"

"...Find... something... valuable..."

"Guards..."

The voice gradually blurred and faded away.

Subaru died once again.

[[]]

Wasn't this death a bit...

Priscilla frowned, looking at the screen with disdain.

"Ah, bro, you this..."

"Hey, wait, do I have the right to laugh at him?"

Al thought.

Had he ever died so foolishly before?

...

Forget it, he's died too many times, he can't remember, he won't think about it.

【【】】

"Hey, young man, wanna buy some appa?"

A familiar voice came. Old Man Kadomon asked Subaru.

"I can't even finish walking this road, I'm such a wimp."

Seeing Subaru's irrelevant answer, Kadomon frowned.

"How many times have you seen my face?"

"Huh? What do you mean by how many times? This is our first time meeting. I won't forget your obvious outfit and fierce eyes."

"Don't mention the eyes. By the way, what's the date today?"

"Tammuz Month, the fourteenth. Halfway through the year."

"Oh, thank you. So it's Tammuz Month."

"So, young man, want some appa?"

Then, Subaru put his hands on his hips and confidently replied:

"Sorry, I'm an infinitely poor guy!"

"Get lost if you're not buying!"

[[]]

"Sigh."

Beatrice rubbed her head, feeling both sorry and helpless.

"Really, he finally realized it. Stupid Subaru."

【【】】

On the screen, Subaru finally realized his power—

"Return by Death."

In the scene, Subaru is organizing information next to the appa stand.

"First of all, me, that is, well. Every time I die, I return to the initial state, more formally called 'time rewind'... let's call it 'Return by Death'.

Then... since I can rewind time, that means Satella didn't come to help me in the 'fourth loop', which means all the favors I wanted to repay are canceled.

In that case, I'll forget about those crappy things, sell my phone to get some starting capital, and use my modern knowledge to live a comfortable life in this other world."

[[]]

"Ah... no."

A conflicting feeling filled Emilia's heart.

If Subaru had really left at that time... that would have been better, he wouldn't have encountered so many things...

Even though that's what she thought, but...

She didn't want him to leave.

I'm really selfish, aren't I...

"Subaru-kun..."

Rem and the others also deeply agreed.

【【】】

"...But, there are also good guys who will save people even when they are in danger..."

Subaru said.

But isn't that you... Subaru.

"Even if Satella doesn't know me, Felt steals the insignia, and then Elsa that guy... this won't change no matter how many times I redo it, is this historical inertia..."

Subaru stood up and ran towards the alley.

"Knowing that the people I once knew are going to be killed, I still... can't leave it alone! This time, I'll try my best to at least get her to honestly tell me her name!"

[[]]

"Subaru..."

Emilia covers her mouth with her hand.

The memory of that scene was still fresh in her mind, it was the first time she met Subaru in her eyes.Subaru is really, too easily satisfied.

He put in so much effort, just wanting to know my real name.

"This guy is really gentle."

Felt said.

【【】】

"Here, should be the place where I first met the fake Satella?"

Subaru found the alley by asking the appa stand owner and wandering around.

"After all, it's a completely different place from the dead end where I was killed the third time—ah."

"I'm tired of seeing your faces, dumb, dumber, and dumbest."

[[]]

"Ah? Haha, this guy really guessed their names right."

Felt couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, I didn't even realize it. dumb, dumber, and dumbest, haha."

Al laughed as if he had heard a joke.

Those three familiar faces came again.

【【】】

"It's so difficult to meet the fake Satella and Felt."

Subaru couldn't help but complain.

"This completely unexciting guess came true. By the way, what do you guys want this time?"

"What's that guy been muttering about since just now?"

"He must be confused, so you should tell him."

At this moment, Subaru lowered his voice and shouted loudly:

"Guard —!"

"Someone, come quickly—call a man over here!"

[[]]

"Doesn't that voice sound a bit like..."

Emilia was stunned.

Although the voice wasn't exactly the same, it was indeed somewhat similar.

"Doesn't that sound a bit like... Miss Natsumi? It must be a coincidence."

In the scene, Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley fell into a panic, and Reinhard also immediately remembered. Reinhard raised his voice:

"Everyone, this is the scene when I first met Subaru, which means..."

【【】】

"...It ends here."

That dashing, red-haired young man made a brilliant appearance.

[[]]

"Finally back on track."

Anastasia smiled and supplemented Reinhard's words.

Chapter Text

【【】】

"...It ends here."

That dashing red-haired youth made a dazzling entrance.

[[]]

"Finally back on track, huh."

Anastasia added with a smile to Reinhard's words.

"What a heroic entrance, Reinhard."

Felt teased with a laugh.

"Not at all, it's my duty."

Reinhard bowed his head slightly.

"Back...on track? But this isn't how I remember it."

Elsa murmured to herself.

【【】】

"No matter the reason, I cannot tolerate you continuing to inflict violence on him. It ends here."

The red-haired youth, the red-haired superman Reinhard, arrived with an imposing presence.

"Are you...Are you kidding me?! This isn't fair!"

Rachins, Gaston, and Camberley, seeing Reinhard determined to stop them, immediately fled in panic.

Afterward, Subaru and Reinhard introduced themselves to each other.

"Um, actually, I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a silver-haired girl wearing a white robe around here?"

Subaru began asking Reinhard about Emilia's location.

"Silver hair and a white robe..."

Reinhard pondered.

"If I were to add anything, it would be that she's a super beautiful girl. Also, a cat...but she probably wouldn't show it off. That's all the information I have."

"...What do you need that girl for?"

"Lost item, or rather, looking for something? I just want to return something to her."

Reinhard thought for a moment and said: "I'm sorry, I have no leads. If you don't mind, I can help you look."

Subaru waved his hand: "I can't trouble you that much. It's okay, I'll look around later."

[[]]

"Huh? Natsuki-san didn't agree?"

Otto was a little dumbfounded, then thought again:

"That makes sense. Natsuki-san is new here and doesn't know the Sword Saint's strength. He's probably afraid that even the Sword Saint can't defeat the Bowel Hunter and would be sending the Sword Saint to his death for nothing."

If Subaru had agreed to Reinhard's request, it would have been much simpler.

That's what everyone was thinking. Then, in the scene, Subaru asked the fruit stall owner, Kadmon, and headed towards the slums.

"Boss is in a hurry this time. He really wants to quickly make a deal with chief and leave the slums to avoid the Bowel Hunter."

"But this guy still wants to go alone..."

Ram facepalmed, speechlessly watching Subaru hurrying towards the slums in the scene.

【【】】

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

To better blend into the slums, Subaru had dirtied himself up. After finding Felt's location, he planned to quickly complete the transaction with Felt, but at that moment, he almost bumped into a woman.

[[]]

"That voice is..."

Rem immediately became alert and glared hostilely at Elsa on the side.

【【】】

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. Don't be fooled by my appearance, sturdiness is my strong point--Eh?!"

Subaru looked at the woman in front of him in shock.

Elsa, the bewitching woman who had taken Subaru's life multiple times.

[[]]

"Could it be... The loop end here?"

Emilia's heart clenches.

"Don't worry, Emilia-sama. This is already a familiar timeline to us."

Otto comforted her.

"I hope...so."

Emilia responded.

【【】】

"...Although I'm a little concerned, never mind. I don't want to cause a commotion right now."

Elsa's departure after a brief conversation relieved Subaru.

Afterward, Subaru found Felt, and the two chatted and bickered as they headed to the loot warehouse.

Subaru still preferred to make the deal on the spot, as time was of the essence, but Felt was dissatisfied with making the deal on the spot, and Subaru reluctantly had to go to the loot warehouse.

After arriving at the loot warehouse, the transaction officially began.

Just as the transaction was underway, a knock on the door sounded.

"...Who is it?"

Old Man Rom looked at the entrance of the loot warehouse.

"It should be my customer--although I think it's a bit early."

Felt in the scene walked to the door and opened it...

"Don't open the door! You'll be killed!"

Subaru shouted in horror.

[[]]

"Elsa came this early this time?"

Meili looked at the scene curiously.

"I remember!"

Emilia's memory was indeed correct.

【【】】

"I wouldn't do something as terrible as killing people without saying a word."

Emilia had arrived at the loot warehouse.

[[]]

"Uh...so, if there was no boss, Emilia-sama could have found this place faster?"

"It seems...so."

Otto responded.

... ...

【【】】

Not long after, just as in his memories, Elsa arrived.

"Puck! Defend quickly!"

Faced with Elsa's surprise attack, Subaru immediately reminded Puck.

Elsa's blade struck Puck's magic circle, saving Emilia's head.

[[]]

"Boss reacted really quickly!"

Garfiel couldn't help but praise.

"Oh, now that I think about it, I was wondering why Subaru knew my name back then, now I know."

Puck recalled.

【【】】

"...A spirit. Hehe, how wonderful. I haven't seen a spirit's innards yet."

Elsa stared at Puck excitedly.

Felt angrily looked at Elsa and berated her for not keeping her promise, but Elsa said that since the owner had come, she had no choice but to change her plan and kill everyone here.

"You didn't do your job and brought the owner here. There's nothing to complain about if you're killed."

Elsa said this, and Subaru couldn't stand it anymore: "What are you talking about! You! Don't bully kids! You bowel-loving sadist! You're going to destroy everything because the plan went wrong. Are you a child?! You have to cherish life! Do you know how much it hurts to have your stomach cut open? I know!"

[[]]

"This...is very much in Subaru's style."

Julius recalled the moment he publicly insulted the knights.

"And Subaru really..."

Subaru had really been cut open.

Emilia and the others looked at Subaru with heartache as he said it casually.

【【】】

Elsa looked dumbfounded in the scene:

"...What are you talking about?"

[[]]

"No, it seems this is..."

Wilhelm knew what Subaru was doing.

【【】】

"Alright, stalling is complete. Let's go, Puck!"

Just like that, Emilia, Puck, and Elsa officially begin to fight.

Everyone watched the battle intently.

[[]]

"Ah, my mana is running out."

After the battle had been going on for some time, the great spirit Puck said this as he watched himself in the scene.

The truth was that Puck had fallen asleep, and the situation had shifted from Emilia and Puck's advantage to Elsa's dominance.

【【】】

"We can't just watch anymore."

Old Man Rom held his club and prepared to join the battle to help Emilia.

Subaru spoke to Felt:

"The odds are uncertain. In that case, just watching silently will only lead to missed opportunities, you understand, right, Felt."

"I know. Even if we're going to escape, we should act."

Felt stood next to Old Man Rom and looked at Subaru:

"What you said earlier...I was kind of redeemed by you."

[[]]

"Uh...how embarrassing."

Felt looked at this scene awkwardly.

Why did I say something like that back then? By the way, why are those two blue-haired ladies and the light orange-haired little girl staring at me with those strange eyes?

One of the turning points of the story is when Old Man Rom is knocked out.

【【】】

"Are you alright?! I can't worry about so much, if I touched something I shouldn't have, don't mind it!"

Subaru quickly grabbed Felt and saved her before Elsa could hit her.

"If you didn't say that, I would have thanked you honestly--by the way, why did you save me?"

"I don't know! My body moved on its own! If I have to say, we're even now! Although you probably don't know what's going on, don't forget it!"

[[]]

"So Subaru saved Felt-sama— I will remember this kindness."

Reinhard said as he watched this scene.

【【】】

In the entanglement, Felt successfully escaped.

[[]]

"So next is..."

Reinhard muttered.

In the fierce battle, the story welcomed its final scene.

【【】】

"It ends here. It seems the situation is critical, but it's good that I made it in time. Then— it's time to bring down the curtain on this stage."

Reinhard made a dashing entrance, and the scales of victory instantly tipped.

[[]]

"Ah, the situation was really urgent back then. By the way...thanks."

Felt reluctantly grinned and thanked Reinhard.

"Felt-sama doesn't need to thank me. If it were other guards, they would have done the same. I just did what I should have done."

Reinhard said.

"Hey, that monster appeared, but...it seems big brother won't save Elsa here...it's okay, Elsa can escape."

Meili muttered to herself.

【【】】

"Reinhard...?"

"Yes, Subaru. It's been a while. Sorry, I'm late."

Reinhard and Elsa exchanged pre-battle lines, and then they fought...

No, it should be said that Elsa constantly launched fierce attacks, while Reinhard easily defused them with his exquisite swordsmanship.

[[]]

"Such swordsmanship..."

Wilhelm watched carefully, thinking of his younger days.

"Oh right, little girl, you saved me too, thank you."

On the other side, Old Man Rom watched the scene and thanked Emilia.

【【】】

In the scene, Emilia made excuses while healing Old Man Rom.

"I'm going to heal him and then use this favor to gather information. Since I'm his savior, he definitely won't lie. This is for myself."

[[]]

"Ah, it's really embarrassing to watch these now...I could have just saved him if I wanted to."

Emilia, outside the scene, was indeed a little embarrassed.

【【】】

After the treatment, mana could finally be absorbed by Reinhard at will.

Subaru notified him that he could act.

Reinhard nodded.

"What do you want to show me?"

Elsa asked.

"The swordsmanship of the Astrea family."

Then, the two exchanged names.

"'Bowel Hunter' Elsa Granhiert."

"'Sword Saint Family', Reinhard van Astrea."

Then, with Reinhard's ordinary strike, the earth shook, houses collapsed, and Elsa disappeared without a trace.

[[]]

"Ah, this is really."

Even though everyone knew Reinhard's amazing strength, they couldn't help but be amazed to see such power with just an ordinary strike.

"Ah, so handsome, a hero."

Only Al crossed his arms and looked at this scene with some contempt.

【【】】

"It's finally over."

Subaru looked at Emilia repeatedly to confirm.

"Why are you always staring at me? I think it's very rude."

"No, no, not to mention your limbs. your head is still attached to your body, right?"

"Of course, right? Can you not say such terrible things?"

Subaru grinned:

"Yeah, no need to ask. Of course, my limbs aren't broken, there's no knife in my back, and there's no big hole in my stomach!"

"It sounds like you've really been stabbed and had a hole in your stomach."

[[]]

"Ah...what the boss said is all true."

This scene is both sad and funny.

【【】】

Just as they were thanking each other, Reinhard felt something was wrong:

"Subaru!"

"The target is the stomach!"

Subaru reacted quickly, picked up the club, protected his stomach, and blocked the fatal blow for Emilia.

[[]]

Ah, that's right.

Al couldn't help but think to himself.

Why are there so many glass cannons in this world? Even Emilia would be gone if she was stabbed.

"Ah right, it was here. Subaru was injured in the abdomen to protect me, and then he was taken to the mansion to heal."

【【】】

The next story was also the first meeting that many people remembered with Subaru.

Saving Emilia, Elsa saw that she couldn't get her hands on it, so she had to leave in anger.

It seemed that things were finally over, and Subaru could finally resolve the doubts in his heart.

"Are you alright?! You're too reckless!"

Emilia said to Subaru.

[[]]

"He's always so reckless."

Emilia, outside the scene, looked at Subaru seriously and said.

【【】】

Reinhard first apologized to Subaru and then was interrupted by Subaru.

Subaru looked at Emilia: "I'm your savior. And the heroine I saved is you. In that case, it's not too much to ask for some appropriate thanks, right?"

"I understand. But only if I can do it."

"Then I have only one request— I hope you can tell me your name."

[[]]

Everyone—both inside and outside the scene—was stunned.

"Ah…" 

Ram sighed, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Ram heard Emilia-sama say it before, but she didn’t quite believe it. Now, however… it seems Barusu truly is a man without desires."

Roswaal smirked, his usual theatrical tone laced with amusement.

"And yet~, he’s also~… incredibly greedy~ and covetous~."

【【】】

"Emilia."

"Eh..."

"My name is Emilia. Just call me Emilia. Thank you, Subaru."

She held out her hand:

"Thank you for saving me."

"Ah, this is too unfair."

These were the last words Subaru said before he fainted.

At that moment, as if the play had ended, the screen slowly darkened until it disappeared...

[[]]

"Take a good look at the possibilities of other worlds/--."

Chapter Text

[[]]

Just then, as if the play had ended, the screen slowly dimmed until it disappeared...

"Take a good look at the possibilities of other worlds."

!

"It's that voice again!"

Otto said loudly.

When many people arrived, they heard the sentence "Look directly at your arrogance and witness his pain" in their minds, but they never heard it again.

When the voice sounded again, everyone was surprised.

And this time it was different from the last time. Although most people heard the sentence "Look directly at your arrogance and witness his pain" before coming here, there were still a few people who didn't, such as Beatrice. But this time everyone heard it.

Then, the screen lit up again...

Elsa looked at the screen.

【【】】

"—I will...I will definitely save you!"

It was still Subaru's voice, but it felt different.

[[]]

"Heh... feels very persistent."

Otto couldn't help but say.

【【】】

"Safely back...?"

In the picture, Subaru came to the fruit stand again, talking to himself like this.

[[]]

"What's going on?" 

Rem murmured, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Shouldn't Subaru-kun be at the mansion by now?"

Everything on the screen contradicted her expectations. Subaru had saved Emilia - only to end up injured. In her memories, and in the recollections of Emilia, the two Rems, Beatrice, and the others, the next scene should have been the mansion. Subaru, honored as Emilia's savior, receives treatment and enters Roswaal's service.

That was how it was supposed to happen.

"Perhaps that sentence holds a clue... I suppose." 

 mused, her small arms crossed as she tapped a finger against her chin. The ancient spirit's usual haughty expression softened slightly in thought, though she'd never admit to being genuinely curious.

"'Take a good look at the possibilities of other worlds'..." 

Emilia repeated softly, voicing the cryptic phrase that had echoed in all their minds moments ago.

"Ah, look!" 

Garfiel's voice cut through the tension as he pointed urgently at the screen. Beatrice huffed at the interruption.

【【】】

Subaru lowered his head, picked up a twig from the ground, wrote the character "正" (zhèng, meaning "correct") on the ground, and then erased it with his foot.

"Ah—this summoning to another world is much more uncomfortable than I imagined... Let's go."

[[]]

"This feeling..."

Elsa's heart was pounding, her eyes dazed:

"Ah—it's you."

And Wilhelm said:

"Hmm... it feels similar to that time, but not quite... the aura has changed."

As he said this, he recalled his evaluation of Subaru's eyes:

Those were the eyes that people who had wandered on the line between life and death many times would show. It was once... no, those eyes belonged to someone who had stepped into the realm of death several times and then returned.

【【】】

Subaru continued to clench the branch and walked towards that familiar alley.

[[]]

"Can't Barusu take another route? He obviously can't beat them."

Ram complains about Natsuki Subaru's repetitive and meaningless behavior.

Yes, if they weren't holding knives and he had the element of surprise, Subaru should have been able to defeat them, but against them with knives, Subaru wasn't so sure. There was no need to gamble his life here, and there was no need to meet Emilia in this way. Why did he have to do this?

"No, that's not right."

Wilhelm, Reinhard, and others saw the anomaly.

【【】】

"Hey, what's with that dumb look on your face?"

"Looks like he doesn't understand the situation yet. Let's tell him."

In the picture, Subaru had a gloomy face, lowered his head, stared at them with his eyes, and walked towards them step by step, as if very heavily.

Then, the scene in front of them shocked everyone outside the screen.

Subaru used the not-so-sharp branch in his hand to insert it extremely accurately into the strong man Gaston, and Gaston fell down.

While the other two were stunned, Subaru grabbed the hair of the knife-wielding Tongue-Cut Rachins and threw him out, slamming him hard against the wall.

Just like that, another one fell.

"Eek!"

The small Camberley looked at the two who were beyond saving, still thinking about whether to run or save them.

"Foolish..."

Subaru said softly, then grabbed Hambali's neck and pressed him against the wall.

Ignoring Camberley's struggles, Subaru just kept strangling his neck.

"Including this time—do you know how many times I've met you?"

"Uh... ooh..."

"Eighty-eight times. Practice makes perfect. Ridiculous, isn't it?"

Then, Subaru threw away Camberley's body. Just in case, he stomped on the heads of the three men continuously.

Was this skill the same as the weak Natsuki Subaru they knew?

[[]]

"What... is this, I suppose!?"

Beatrice's voice carried an unusual edge as she gripped her own sleeves tightly. The usually composed spirit found herself unsettled by the scene before them.

The group's shock wasn't directed at Subaru's efficiency in dispatching the three attackers - that much was expected after countless loops.

What made their blood run cold was the calculated cruelty in his actions. While no one could fault him for retaliating against those who had killed him repeatedly, this merciless approach contrasted sharply with the Subaru they knew.

Their Subaru would have subdued them non-lethally, or at minimum, granted a quick death.

"Why would Subaru...?"

Emilia's voice trembled slightly, her fingers unconsciously rising to clutch at her chest.

This familiar yet unfamiliar feeling made their hair stand on end.

Only two spectators seemed pleased with this development. Elsa's lips curled into her characteristic bloodthirsty smile, while Meili watched with detached amusement.

The implications of Subaru's "eighty-eight times" remark hung heavily in the air.

"My, my~, it seems we’re observing yet another branching possibility~. Much like dear Natsuki Rem’s case, or our lovely Elsa’s~."

Roswaal drawled, his mismatched eyes glinting with intrigue as he fanned himself lazily.

"In this possible world... Subaru has died here at least... eighty-seven times..."

Yes, this was only at least eighty-seven times because not every time he returned from death would he see them, and Subaru would also try to take other routes.

【【】】

After leaving the alley, Subaru once again saw Felt stealing the insignia and running away quickly, with Emilia chasing after her.

Subaru watched their figures disappear into the distance and said:

"Wait for me, Satella. I will definitely save you."

[[]]

"Ahhh~," 

Anastasia sighed, her fingers idly twisting the fur trim of her scarf, a wry smile playing on her lips.

"Natsuki-kun here doesn’t even know Emilia’s real name after dyin’ at least eighty-seven times. Now that’s just plain pitiful, ain’t it?"

Her Kansai-ben accent thickened slightly with amusement, though her sharp merchant’s eyes held a glint of something more calculating beneath the playful tone.

"Hm…" 

Reinhard rested a hand on his chin, his usually composed expression turning thoughtful.

"It’s possible that in this world’s branching path, Subaru never encountered me at all. If our meeting was a key factor in—"

He stopped abruptly, realizing he might be overanalyzing. The Sword Saint’s tendency to approach everything with earnest diligence shone through, even in speculation.

【【】】

This time, Subaru chose to use a human wave tactic.

"Great! Great! But, it would be nice if you could let me have fun for a while longer!"

[[]]

"Ah, it's exactly the same as what Elsa told me!"

Meili pointed at the screen with her finger and said in surprise.

【【】】

In the picture, Natsuki Subaru, as a kind-hearted civilian, told the guards that he knew the whereabouts of the Bowel Hunter.

Now, a group of guards were all rushing towards Elsa.

But as the picture showed, this was useless. Elsa was extremely excited and went on a rampage like she had opened a Musou game.

"This... won't work either..."

Subaru observed all of this from the rooftop.

"Ah, I didn't expect the difference in strength between ordinary guards and Elsa to be so great."

Perhaps Subaru was expecting the guards who guarded the royal capital to be able to fight Elsa to a stalemate, and even if they couldn't, they could suppress her with a human wave tactic.

But with Elsa's strength, this was not possible.

"It's probably a waste of time to keep watching."

Subaru planned to leave.

[[]]

Julius's grip tightened around his knight's crest, his usually composed features twisting in quiet anguish as he watched the projection.

"Subaru... has grown numb to death itself." 

He murmured, the words tasting like ash.

"At this point, he must be planning to... End his own life to restart again."

The unspoken horror lingered - that his friend now treated his mortality with such chilling pragmatism. The knight's gloves creaked from his clenched fist, powerless to intervene in this possible timeline.

"Ah~..."

Elsa's breathy sigh cut through the tension like a knife through flesh.

Her crimson eyes dilated with perverse fascination, fixated on a flickering figure in the corner of the screen - a certain fiery-haired knight reflected in the blood-smeared glass. Her tongue darted across her lips.

【【】】

"It's over."

Reinhard appeared.

That shining figure, even if Subaru didn't recognize him, was attracted to him.

Finally, as everyone outside the screen expected, the Bowel Hunter was completely defeated by the Sword Saint.

Subaru stared blankly at this scene...

Then, he cried.

Chapter Text

【【】】

As everyone outside the screen expected, the Bowel Hunter was completely defeated by the Sword Saint.

Subaru stared blankly at this scene...

Then, he cried.

His body trembled, and tears dripped onto the ground.

[[]]

"Subaru..."

Emilia bit her lip, watching the crying Subaru.

How wonderful it would be if I were there to comfort him...

Emilia, the two Rem, and Beatrice all thought.

"What Natsuki-san couldn't achieve even after sacrificing countless lives has been easily accomplished by others... This must be why Natsuki-san is crying..."

Otto, who considers himself an ordinary person, deeply empathized.

"Subaru..."

Reinhardt showed a look of sadness:

"I don't quite understand..."

... ...

【【】】

"Why... why did you help me?"

Subaru pointed the guards in the opposite direction and rushed towards Elsa, who had fled and was squatting on the ground with her back against the wall.

[[]]

"Ah~ yes, that's it."

Elsa outside the screen couldn't help but writhe her charming body, looking at the scene with love.

【【】】

Subaru looked at Elsa, who was covered in wounds and shockingly injured:

"The guards are desperately looking for you. But I pointed them in the opposite direction, so it will take them a while to pay attention here. How are your injuries?"

"It hurts. It really hurts, like I'm going to die... It's wonderful."

"Although I can't understand your hobbies, it would be troublesome if you died. I want to do something for you."

[[]]

"Subaru is..."

Julius muttered to himself first, then, realizing something, continued:

"He knows his weakness, and even if he hates, he wants to increase his strength. One increases strength because of love... the other increases strength because of hate... This path..."

Beatrice compared her original world with this world, a painful expression on her face:

"This path... is a wrong path, I suppose..."

【【】】

In the scene, Elsa heard Subaru's words and said:

"...Can you find the road to the southeast of the slums? That way, I can meet up with my sister, and she can treat my injuries and prepare an escape route."

[[]]

"Ah. She finally mentioned me."

Meili was excited to see herself finally mentioned on the screen.

【【】】

"Sister!? Haha, to call them sisters, how shrewd, hopeless."

Subaru lifted Elsa up, letting her lean on his shoulder.

"I can't figure out your purpose."

"Hmph. I just want you to owe me a favor. It might be useful someday."

"A favor... huh? Unbelievable~ don't you want to kill me so much?"

Subaru was silent for a moment, then said:

"Ah, yes, that's right. I want to kill you very much. Not today, nor tomorrow. But, I will kill you someday."

"Ah~ ..."

At that moment, both the Elsa in the scene and the Elsa outside the scene let out seductive breaths in unison.

"Wonderful. You and I, gathered together because of hatred. Someday, surely, definitely, you will prove what you said to me. This is really—exciting... It's wonderful..."

The two Elsas both showed the smiles of girls in love.

[[]]

"Ah, this..."

Garfiel and Otto were a little confused by this scene.

"What a strange way to woo someone, bro."

Al scratched his helmet, making such a comment.

"A weirdo, but I don't dislike it."

Priscilla fanned herself while smiling.

But the most surprised were probably Rem and the others.

Emilia, Beatrice, and the two Rem were all stunned.

They wanted to show some expression but didn't know how.

【【】】

After a while, Subaru took Elsa to Meili.

"Goodbye, big brother. Thank you for helping Elsa."

Meili thanked him while treating Elsa, while Elsa just watched Subaru leave with love—

"We'll meet again someday, right?"

......

Subaru, to confirm whether he believed Satella had retrieved the insignia, went to the loot house again.

"This is really... unexpected."

The frozen loot house appeared on the screen.

[[]]

"Ah... this is really amazing."

Old Man Rom said outside the screen.

"It seems we had a big battle, Lia."

Puck sat on Emilia's shoulder and said to her.

"It looks like... I went a little too far."

Emilia looked at the screen, slightly surprised.

Then, Subaru confirmed that everyone was safe, Emilia retrieved the insignia, and Felt and Old Man Rom were taken away by the guards.

"Hey, how come I can't get rid of you in this world either?"

Since she was taken away by the guards, Felt will eventually be discovered by Reinhardt in this world, right?

Felt looked at Reinhardt and couldn't help but complain.

【【】】

"Ah, this..."

Subaru suddenly realized that he had no goal.

He helped Satella retrieve the insignia and let her live, so what should he do next?

"Crap. Should I die again and ask Elsa why she had Felt steal Satella's insignia?"

[[]]

"Don't..."

Love yourself more, please, Subaru.

Emilia said softly to the screen.

"So careless about his own life... Subaru."

Julius shook his head at the Subaru in this world.

"Hmph—"

Only Roswaal was very satisfied, he hummed with a drawn-out tone, and also with some regret:

"If the Subaru in my world was like this... then my wish..."

【【】】

"I want to know more about Satella—can you tell me?"

Subaru put his hands in his pockets and called out softly.

Then, as if to respond to the call, rows of black figures suddenly appeared.

Hearing the order, the group of black figures bowed in unison and then disappeared immediately.

[[]]

"Witch Cultists!!"

The two Rems outside the screen shouted in unison.

"Subaru-kun... Subaru-kun..."

"It seems that in the previous loops, Barusu had already met Witch Cultists."

Ram frowned tightly, showing an extremely disgusted look.

"But... but why do they listen to Natsuki-san?"

Otto asked curiously.

Rem realized something.

Subaru-kun's body has the fragrance of the witch, and the smell is getting stronger from time to time. Is it related to the smell?

But anyway, since the Subaru in this world is related to the Witch Cultists, then the Subaru in our world...

Rem was afraid to think about it.

In the end, the Subaru in the scene still didn't choose to commit suicide, probably because he thought it was too much of a loss.

"But... the Subaru in this world has found his goal... to dedicate himself to Emilia-sama."

Julius said so.

【【】】

Then the scene changed, Subaru was in a place that looked like a cave, and a Witch Cultist was kneeling to report information to Subaru, the information was about the kingdom's royal candidates.

Among those candidates, there was Emilia.

Subaru looked very surprised, clapping his hands:

"Royal Selection! Silver-haired half-elf! Recommended by Roswaal L. Mathers! So it's not Satella, it's—Emilia! No wonder she has a noble aura in her gestures."

[[]]

"N... no way."

Emilia was a little flustered by Subaru's sudden praise.

"Lia, I'm very confident in my etiquette education."

Puck advises Emilia to be confident.

"S... speaking of which, how long has it been?"

Emilia asked.

The scene looked like a long time had passed.

【【】】

"So her lying about her name can also be explained! To prevent others from suspecting that I have a relationship with her, it's to keep me away from danger! How cute..."

( Natsuki Rem, outside the screen pouted gently, Rem lowered her head slightly, and Emilia was both shy and ashamed. )

Then...

"—Natsuki Subaru! Beloved believer! Are you here!?"

A familiar, sharp voice sounded.

[[]]

"Petelgeuse!"

Julius shouted in surprise.

That madman, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti—

The Sloth Archbishop appeared.

Chapter Text

【【】】

That madman, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti—

The Sin Archbishop of Sloth makes his appearance.

[[]]

"Ah, I apologize."

Julius, the most excellent knight, apologized for his lapse in composure.

But no one here blamed him, as everyone was in shock.

"Eh... G... Geuse?"

The most shocked was, of course, Emilia.

He was simply not the Geuse she knew.

He looked emaciated and lifeless, but his eyes were intensely and fanatically diligent.

"Geuse..."

Beatrice showed a heavy and sad expression.

Beatrice had long heard that Geuse had been brainwashed by the Witch of Vanity, Pandora, but seeing it with her own eyes still made her heart ache.

"Ahem, Geuse is truly pitiful."

Puck's expression was as heavy as Beatrice's.

"It's been~ a long time... hasn't it~?"

Roswaal no longer drew out his words.

"Geuse... after being brainwashed by Pandora, he became like... this..."

Emilia was clearly the most unable to accept it.

No, he has already passed away peacefully, don't... grieve too much.

I just hope that in this world... he can also rest in peace.

Emilia tried her best to suppress her sorrow and continued to look at the screen—

【【】】

"So, what do you want from a recluse like me?"

"Don't you know? In this country, at this moment, a foolish activity is about to take place!"

"Are you talking about... the Royal Selection?"

"Precisely! The Royal Selection! But, that's not the problem! What's important isn't the Royal Selection, but the existence of participating in it! That silver-haired half-witch!"

[[]]

"I remember... the madman Petelgeuse wanted to conduct a so-called 'trial. '"

Julius recalled.

【【】】

"That attire! That origin! It is a blasphemy against the Witch! It is an existence we cannot ignore! Now is the time for the trial! To see if she possesses the capacity befitting a Witch, and if so, to bring her under our banner! We must test her!"

[[]]

"Sorry. My dear daughter won't join your Witch Cult. Although you wouldn't use conventional methods to get Lia to join the Witch Cult, would you?"

Puck flew from Emilia's shoulder to her palm as he spoke.

【【】】

"So... you want my help?"

"That's right, that's right! Although I've told others as well, those unfaithful fellows can hardly respond! The only possible 'Wrath' is currently very far from the kingdom... Therefore, we must go!"

[[]]

"In the original world, only Petelgeuse conducted the so-called 'trial. ' Now that Petelgeuse has... Subaru as an 'accomplice', he extends an invitation to him."

Julius analyzed.

"Speaking of which... it seems Petelgeuse originally wanted other Archbishops to come, but they probably wouldn't help. Only Wrath Archbishop who might help is far from the kingdom... Could they be in the Water Gate City?"

Otto added and asked.

"However, even in this world, Subar-dono's love for Lady Emilia remains unchanged. So... this is just using Petelgeuse."

Wilhelm said as such.

【【】】

"Understood. Ah, speaking of which, if the Witch Satella is to descend into the world using a half-witch as a vessel, what will happen to the person who is the vessel?"

Subaru asked, seemingly casually.

"She will be sacrificed! But, it is incredibly glorious! If possible, I would like to exchange with her! If sacrificing this body can satisfy Satella, no matter how many times, no matter how painful, I can endure it, only hoping to welcome the time of reunion!"

"Is that so? She will be sacrificed—"

[[]]

"Ah—that smile, as expected, he's going to..."

Elsa saw Subaru's dark and wicked smile and licked her red lips.

【【】】

"Well. Even if I say this, you probably won't believe me."

Subaru took out a sharp sword from his clothes, stabbed it into the madman's body, and twisted it back and forth.

"Wh-why..."

"Petelgeuse-san, among the people I hate, you're actually one of the better ones."

Petelgeuse then fell...

"Traitor! A traitor who betrayed the Witch's love! Unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable!!"

"You've worked hard to prepare until now. Pretending to be mentally ill, but you've considered everything so thoroughly. Speaking of which, I've repeated this over four hundred times to stop you. So, you're the person I've spoken to the most in this world, and I even felt a bit of friendship... So, targeting Emilia. Regret it forever."

[[]]

"F-four... four hundred times..."

Emilia finds it hard to believe.

How much pain did he have to endure?

Just for me!?

"Ah—four hundred times, that feeling of hatred—it's unbearable."

Elsa watched the screen with fascination.

"Friend... friendship or something... with that guy... haha... it's a bit hard to accept."

Otto scratched his cheek with a wry smile, a way he concealed his pain.

"But... Subaru can indeed see the 'Unseen Hand', but how did Subaru break Petelgeuse's 'Fingers'? Also, there's 'Possession'."

Just as Julius was wondering, the screen provided the answer—

【【】】

"Your, body!"

Petelgeuse used all his strength to try to seize Subaru's body.

However...

A faint red light flickered on Subaru's finger.

"You can't possess a spirit mage who has a contract with spirits, right? Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti."

"Natsuki Subaru!"

Facing Petelgeuse's death throes, Subaru kicked him away and stabbed his face fiercely.

The Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, died on the spot.

[[]]

"Ah ah! I'm about to appear next!"

Meili recalled, pointing at the screen.

【【】】

"Hmm? It seems it's over here."

Meili rode Guiltylowe, known as the Black King of the Forest, to Subaru's side.

[[]]

"Whoa! It's Guiltylowe!"

Otto couldn't forget this big guy.

It was when they were still in the Sanctuary that Subaru took Otto and the others to Roswaal's mansion to rescue people, and Meili came with this Behemoth.

What did Natsuki-san say? A face like a lion?

"Mm-hmm, that... It's called 'Fingers', right? I solved it. When Big Brother was about to kill that disgusting uncle, I was quite confused because, in my eyes at the time, that disgusting uncle was Big Brother's companion. But oh well, let's just call it repaying a favor."

【【】】

Meili on the screen also showed confusion:

"But is this okay? Aren't these people Big Brother's companions?"

"Is that so. If he hadn't planned to kill me in the end, maybe we would have just been friends with a bit of an age gap. But unfortunately, he still planned to kill me, so unfortunately, we're not friends."

Subaru shrugged, and Meili pointed at her lower lip with her finger:

"Hmm—then, because I don't plan to kill Big Brother, am I Big Brother's friend?"

"From that logic, you're right. I'm your friend, Meili."

"Ah, that's great. In that case, including Petra and the others, I have many friends."

[[]]

"Eh, Petra? Right, speaking of which, the reason Petra isn't here is..."

Emilia suddenly remembered Petra.

"That's right, why isn't that child...?"

The blonde maid, Garfiel's sister, Petra's beloved senior "Frederica Baumann" also thought so.

The people present were basically more or less related to Subaru; even Priscilla and the others had a shallow relationship of "knowing" him, so Petra should also be here.

But she wasn't.

The screen was still playing.

【【】】

"Eh, that's surprising. Although it's a bit rude to say, you actually have friends."

Meili smiled upon hearing this:

"Yes, I do. But, well, they've all been killed by me."

Chapter Text

【【】】

"Oh, this is unexpected. It might sound a bit odd, but I didn't know you had friends."

Meili smiled upon hearing this:

"Yes, indeed. But, you know, I've already killed tā men all."

( The Author used the word "他们" (tā men), which means they or them or in Japanese "彼ら" (かれら, karera) ).

[[]]

"Huh?"

Emilia’s silver eyebrows knitted together as she mentally replayed Meili’s casual words.

Tā…men? That sounded like a foreign term. Could it mean… "them"? But if Meili’s "friends" weren’t actually friends—

Her eyes widened.

Then Meili's "friends" might not actually be "friends," but perhaps "cooking oil," an unknown food?

Does Meili saying she killed "cooking oil" mean she ate "cooking oil"?

( In Meili’s twisted idiom, "killing cooking oil" = slaughtering people as casually as frying food. )

Emilia couldn't help but ask Meili beside her:

"Meili!"

Emilia dropped to her knees, suddenly at eye level with the assassin child. She gripped the girl’s shoulders with desperate sincerity.

"Friends aren’t for killing! They’re companions to laugh, cry, and grow with!"

"Oh, my daughter is really something."

Puck rubbed his little ears with his fluffy cat paw.

Meili tilted her head, thinking for a moment:

"Hmm—like me and Elsa?"

"Uh... maybe... that's right, yes, yes."

Emilia’s eager nodding faltered.

"In that case, Petra and the others are indeed that kind of relationship with me. But I just have to kill them because of work."

Meili wore a matter-of-course expression.

It was like talking to a brick wall. It seemed Emilia's "friendship education class" had failed.

…… ……

【【】】

"But, wouldn't it be okay to just ask the kingdom's knights instead of specifically looking for us?"

Meili asked Subaru with confusion.

"If I did that, part of my goal wouldn't be achieved."

Subaru explained.

"Go...al?"

Meili was a bit puzzled.

[[]]

"Oh—I see—now."

Roswaal, outside the screen, smiled mockingly.

He wanted to push the credit for killing the Witch Cult, the Sloth Archbishop, onto Emilia.

…… ……

【【】】

The mansion was engulfed in flames.

"Wh...at... What the hell!!"

The scene changed, and a white-haired man was roaring in anger.

[[]]

"Ah, he looks familiar... It's Regulus!"

Emilia exclaimed in surprise.

【【】】

Regulus Corneas, the Greed Archbishop of the Witch Cult, roared in front of the burning mansion.

"Number Ninety-two! Number One Hundred and Fourteen! Number One Hundred and Twenty-three will do too! Where are you!? Where are you all!? What do you take me for!? To leave me behind... to die on your own in this situation, how irresponsible can you women be!?"

[[]]

"Dying on their own... it seems."

Julius showed a hint of sadness.

It seemed Subaru had come to defeat the Greed Archbishop, Regulus, and in order to defeat him, Regulus's 'wives' had all died.

"Sylphy and everyone..."

Emilia shows an even sadder expression.

She was Regulus's 'One Hundred and Eighty-fourth,' no, she was 'Sylphy' who belonged to herself.

And Elsa looked at Regulus with disgust:

"'I' should come out and end this guy's life."

【【】】

"No matter who it is, they're all underestimating my precious assets—"

Regulus, in the screen, was ranting but was interrupted by a seductive voice.

"—I hope you can shut that mouth of yours that sounds so unpleasant."

"Wh...at!"

Elsa kicked Regulus in the face, sending him flying.

"Ho...w."

"This fire is your many wives' 'divorce papers' to you. To put it simply, the false love bound by fear has come to an end."

Elsa walked step by step.

[[]]

"Here... how many times has Subaru looped..."

Beatrice whispered painfully.

She euphemistically used the word "loop" to avoid using the heavy word "death" as much as possible.

Yes, even defeating the weakest Great Sin Archbishop, 'Sloth' had resulted in over four hundred deaths, so how many times had he died to defeat the strongest "Greed"...?

【【】】

"You thief! Who do you think I am!? Hurry up and atone for your foolishness..."

[[]]

"Tch. A man like this, killing him a few times isn't enough."

Elsa outside the screen had just finished speaking, and Elsa on the screen gave a response.

【【】】

Elsa instantly cut off Regulus's arms.

"Immortality? Invincibility? I don't know which one you are, but as long as I know the inside story, it's not a problem. Right now, you're just an annoying bug."

"—Like you. *****!"

[[]]

"Eh? Puck?"

Puck blocked Emilia's ears, preventing her from hearing the last two words Regulus said.

"I don't want Lia to hear such foul language... Ah, no, I can't let my daughter see this scene either."

Puck, who cares about Emilia's mental and physical health, quickly covers Emilia's eyes.

"Hey, Puck! I can't see anything now!"

"No—you can't watch."

According to the descriptions of others to Emilia afterwards, Regulus seemed to have been cut into pieces.

【【】】

"How can I tolerate such foolishness! I, I am the most perfect existence in this world. I don't ask for too much, I am content and happy, I have no desires, I live a simple life... How can such a perfect me... be wantonly manipulated by you flawed humans..."

"If he's usually scolded so harshly, then he'd definitely want to file for divorce."

[[]]

"Ah, big brother appeared."

Meili said this outside the screen.

【【】】

That black-haired boy, Natsuki Subaru, appeared again.

"I didn't expect them to assist me to this extent, Mr. Regulus."

Subaru smiled as he informed him of this news—

His wives had willingly committed suicide in exchange for his death.

[[]]

"As expected... they hated him to the bone."

Julius said.

Even in death, they wanted revenge. This must have been their resolve.

Everyone thought so.

"Krugan... rest in peace."

Wilhelm said in a voice so soft that only he could hear.

【【】】

In the scene, according to Subaru's request, Elsa threw the battered Regulus next to the fire, quietly waiting for his death.

…… ……

[[]]

"Ah... this is!"

Julius bit his lip hard.

In fact, Julius had had an ominous premonition since just now.

Now, Subaru's goal should be to help Emilia become king. He killed Sloth and killed Greed, all to push the credit to her.

But besides merit, there is another way to become king...

That is—

Eliminate political enemies.

【【】】

In the scene, Julius fell down after drinking the poisoned wine given by Felix.

"I'm sorry, nya. Really... I'm sorry, nya. I didn't want to do this either. Really, really, nya."

In the scene, Felix looks at Julius with extreme guilt.

【【】】

"Hey! What's going on, nya!?"

Felix, outside the screen, was dumbfounded.

Chapter Text

[[]]

"Hey! What's going on, nya!?"

Felix, outside the screen, was dumbfounded.

[[]]

Julius collapsed on the ground, poisoned.

And Subaru walked over step by step.

"No wonder you're called 'The Best,' Julius Juukulius."

[[]]

"Subaru!"

Emilia couldn't hold back any longer.

She couldn't accept Subaru like this.

Emilia trembled slightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Beatrice and the others also looked sad.

They realized even more how precious the genuine Subaru from their world was.

Their hearts cherished Subaru even more.

Even though they knew that the Subaru in this world didn't know Julius, but…

It was still so painful.

"Subaru…"

Julius looked at the ruthless Subaru on the screen with complicated eyes.

"Juli…us…?"

Anastasia was also stunned to see her knight in this state.

"Then… then why is Felix… was he… threatened by Natsuki Subaru-sama…?"

Crusch, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but ask.

"Don't know, nya, don't know, nya! What's going on?"

As a healer, he actually poisoned someone; as a friend, he actually killed his friend.

Felix was a little broken.

[[]]

"You bastard, who are you…?"

Julius asked Subaru's identity while lying on the ground.

"If you know your position, you should pay more attention to your surroundings. After all, you are the knight of a king/election candidate who is currently in the eye of the storm. Of course, you have to consider that it's not just your master who will be targeted, but also you. But…"

Subaru then reached out and stroked Felix's cat ears and then stroked his head.

Felix also showed a happy expression.

"But it took me a lot of effort to comfort the sad person. I didn't expect to worry so much about other people's lives, but it was worth it."

[[]]

Huh?

Now, everyone inside and outside the screen was stunned.

Felix, outside the screen, didn't know what to think and reached out to touch his hair, then couldn't hold back:

"Ah—what, what, what is going on, nya!"

"Crusch-sama, Crusch-sama, this is fake, right? Right?"

Felix quickly turned his head and asked Crusch repeatedly.

How disgusting, how disgusting, nya!

Although he didn't hate Subaru, seeing Subaru stroking him and him showing such an expression was really disgusting!

"Felix… although it's painful, Subaru poisoning me should be to make Anastasia-sama withdraw from the election or lose, but what's going on with Felix? How did Subaru make Felix obey to such an extent?"

Julius thought painfully.

"Tha… that, Julius…"

"Felix…"

Felix didn't want this scene to create a rift between the two of them.

Looking at Felix's complicated look as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, Julius spoke:

"It's okay, Felix. This is just something that happened in another world."

Julius tried to comfort him in a gentle tone as much as possible to reassure Felix.

What exactly happened to Felix?

Felix looked at the gentle Julius and fell silent.

The only situation he could think of that would make him like this was related to Crusch-sama.

After all, for Crusch-sama, even such a thing… I…

Subaru just said that it took him a lot of effort to comfort the sad person…

The sad person must be Felix.

Why was he sad?

Without a doubt, it was because of Crusch.

[[]]

"What… what are you planning to do…?"

"This has nothing to do with you anymore. Don't worry, in my plan, as long as you're gone, there's no need to harm your master. Ah, but if she still wants to resist, it's hard to say."

[[]]

"As expected… it's because of me."

Anastasia frowned.

[[]]

Subaru looked at Julius's eyes, which showed concern for his friend Felix and regret for his master—

"A knight to the death. It's hateful."

The Best Knight, Julius Juukulius, died.

[[]]

Felix, outside the screen, gritted his teeth. He really wanted to rush in and slap himself and then kill Subaru…No, he should treat Julius first…

"Hateful…?"

Julius repeated Subaru's words on the screen.

Subaru had repeatedly expressed his dislike for him.

But he knew that Subaru wasn't sincere, and he would also sarcastically retort.

But now, he couldn't make the so-called "retort."

Expressing dislike in the same way, it was obviously different on the screen.

"Subaru…"

Julius was saddened by himself and Subaru in this world.

If it weren't like this, they would have become very good friends.

[[]]

"Subaru-sama, did I do a good job?"

"You did well. Sorry for making you do such a painful thing."

[[]]

"Die, what qualifications do you have to apologize to me?"

Felix, outside the screen, clenched his fists.

[[]]

"It's okay, nya, as long as I can help Subaru-sama. Because this is all for creating the future that Her Highness and Subaru-sama desire, right?"

"Ah, yes. For this purpose, we can't let your friend live."

"Yes…"

Felix gently tugged at Subaru's sleeve, sadly silent.

[[]]

"Your… Your Highness!? Is it Fourier Lugunica!?"

Felix was shocked by the "Your Highness" mentioned by himself on the screen.

Fourier Lugunica.

The kingdom's fourth prince.

Even now, he would feel extremely sad when he remembered that Crusch-sama had lost her memory of Fourier.

The sentence "I also want to see the future that Your Highness dreams of" had already been forgotten.

After that, Felix remembered the secret resurrection technique and the blood of the divine dragon.

On the screen was the future that Your Highness I mentioned was—

"Marry you as my wife, and let Felix be our knight. Then, guess what? The three of us can always be together. This is my terrifying happiness. How is it?"

This was the confession that His Highness had made to Crusch-sama before his death, and he would never forget it.

Then…

Is Subaru using me for the reason of being able to revive His Highness?

... ...

Before anyone could think more, Otto spoke:

"Eh? Am I also involved!?"

[[]]

"—Oh, looks like you're still busy?"

"Same as the agreed time."

On the screen, Otto came and talked to Subaru.

"Yes. After all, time is limited, and a merchant's way of thinking is 'time is money.'"

"You still dare to call yourself a merchant, your skin is really thick. You're the 'Merchant of Death,' right?"

[[]]

"Although I don't know why, that's a cool nickname!"

Garfiel couldn't help but shout loudly.

"Ah, what the hell is this nickname… If according to Natsuki-san's saying, this seems to be called… chuuni?"

Otto was first ashamed of his awkward nickname, and then he had a huge question.

In this world, what is my relationship with Natsuki-san? How did Natsuki-san find me?

And…

"Why do my eyes look so disgusting? And that outfit!"

On the screen, Otto was wearing a suit and a black tie; his eyes were lifeless, looking like a walking corpse.

"It's like seeing my zombie version… haha, a little disgusting."

Otto made a joke that wasn't so funny to him to suppress his discomfort.

[[]]

"Speaking of which… I haven't asked your name yet."

Subaru asked Otto.

"I haven't introduced myself, and I don't plan to give my name. Of course, I don't plan to ask the guests' names either, so everyone can feel more at ease."

"Well, you're right. It's not like we can become friends."

"Yeah, once something happens, we'll become enemies. Befriending someone like you will end up like this, right?"

Otto pointed to Julius's corpse.

[[]]

"Natsuki-san…"

In this world, they were just a pure business relationship, not friends at all.

Natsuki-san was one of Otto's best friends, and Otto also hoped that he could have a place in Natsuki-san's eyes.

But in this world, it was really…

... ...

"Ah, speaking of which, from here on, I can't remember what happened after that. Elsa?"

Meili asked Elsa.

"Hmm… yes, although it's surprising, I can't remember either… no, in our memories, the story ends here, right? And then we came here."

"Is that so? That's fine. I want to see what will happen to Big Brother after that!"

[[]]

"—It ends here."

In the city burning with flames, Reinhard said to Natsuki Subaru in front of him.

Chapter Text

【【】】

Massive flames ruthlessly engulfed the city.

Subaru held the girl's corpse, gently closing her eyelids.

[[]]

"This is... the royal capital!"

Reinhard looked at the scene with great surprise.

"Ah! Why is that my corpse!"

Meili looked at her own dead body in shock.

"Ah—so that's how it is..."

Elsa nodded as if she understood, a hint of sadness finally appearing in her eyes, and then said:

"Meili... really didn't meet a good big sister."

"Ah, what good big sister or not. I'm very happy following Elsa."

Meili said to Elsa.

【【】】

"Even... so."

In the scene, Subaru desperately ran towards a specific place...

What was Subaru going to do? What happened here?

Just as everyone was pondering what had happened, a somewhat miserable but familiar voice interrupted their thoughts, drawing their attention back to the screen.

"—It ends here."

That hero arrived once again.

Subaru saw the incomparably radiant Reinhardt and said:

"Reinhard van Astrea... ahh..."

It seemed clear now.

Subaru had burned down the royal capital, and Reinhardt had come to stop him.

[[]]

Reinhard's gauntleted hand clenched unconsciously, the metal creaking under his grip.

The scene before him—Subaru standing amidst the flames of the royal capital, eyes burning with determination to fight him—was a truth too cruel to deny, yet impossible to reconcile with the boy he knew.

"Subaru..."

The name left his lips like a plea, heavy with disbelief.

Subaru not only burned down the royal capital but also wanted to fight him.

"With Barusu's pathetic strength, why would he...? Hmm—"

Ram had thought that with Subaru's strength, he shouldn't be fighting Reinhardt head-on, but she guessed the reason—

"Just like Meili just now, everyone Barusu could manipulate is already dead. Even that cursed 'Return by Death' has its limits, it seems."

"Indeed... so, that includes me. It seems my revival count has run out."

Elsa said softly. Her smile was disturbingly serene, as if discussing the weather rather than her own demise.

Emilia's breath hitched.

"Why would Subaru do this...? For... me?"

Her voice trembled, hands clutching her chest. Even if it's for me, there's no need to burn down the royal capital, right?

I don't understand... I really don't understand...

If it's to burn down the royal capital for me... then...

【【】】

"It seems I don't need to introduce myself. I also can't control myself to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

[[]]

"What am I..."

Reinhard’s breath hitched—a rare, human imperfection from the flawless Sword Saint. His gloved hands trembled slightly as he stared at the projection, where a version of himself stood drenched in unnatural shadow, eyes burning with something utterly foreign: hatred.

"Oh, this is truly—amazing, the peerless ‘Sword Saint’ Reinhard~ is actually filled with hatred? My, my~."

Roswaal’s sing-song voice sliced through the tension, his heterochromatic eyes alight with perverse delight. He fanned himself lazily, as if watching a particularly entertaining play.

【【】】

Reinhard's eyes in the scene were no longer calm but filled with passion, the passion of hatred.

"You can hate people too, 'Sword Saint'!"

"I'm also surprised. I didn't expect such emotions to exist within me."

Natsuki Subaru clapped his hands with a smile:

"Discovered a new you? Happy birthday. Happy birthday to you, Reinhardt."

"Sorry, today is not my birthday. But, it will become your Memorial Day."

[[]]

Al's helmet tilted with audible metallic creaks as he rubbed his chin, the amusement in his voice barely concealed.

"Hmm... How's lil' bro gonna handle Mr. Perfect Hero? Might be useful intel for later, haha!"

The hollow echo inside his visor made the laugh sound more ominous than cheerful.

Across from him, Reinhard sitting motionless - the very image of the heroic ideal cracking at its foundation. His cerulean eyes, usually bright with unwavering resolve, were now clouded with something unprecedented: hesitation.

"Subaru..."

The name tasted like ash on his tongue. In his mind's eye, he already saw their inevitable confrontation - the Sword Saint's blade meeting his friend's desperate fury, but then...

【【】】

"Hahaha, really. Don't make me laugh, Reinhard! 'Sword Saint'! The sword of the Kingdom! You, are you a knight protecting the Kingdom of Lugnica!? Take a good look around. Where have you protected this country!? Tell me!!"

Subaru hysterically yelled.

[[]]

"No! Look around!"

Julius' voice cut through the stunned atmosphere like a blade, his knightly composure shattered.

This scene shocked everyone completely.

The revelation struck like a physical blow. Before them, the entire Kingdom of Lugnica burned—flames licking at the sky, turning dawn into hellish twilight.

"HOW THE BLOODY HELL DID THAT BRAT MANAGE THIS!?"

Old Man Rom shouted.

"This fire... Ahh~... Such warmth."

Elsa admired the masterpiece of her beloved.

Besides the fire, there were also the wails of men and women.

It was like hell.

Ram’s fingers dug into Rem’s shoulder—both sisters frozen as the scent of burning wood and flesh resurrected childhood nightmares.

words were needed; the memory of their village’s destruction flashed between them.

"It's just like... the demi-human... war."

Wilhelm and Old Man Rom clenched their fists.

And Reinhard—

—The Sword Saint who never faltered—

—bit through his own lip.

The coppery taste of blood grounded him as the screen showed his failure incarnate: A kingdom he swore to protect, reduced to ashes by the one person he couldn’t save.

【【】】

"This is, the birthday present I give to you! A trap I prepared to kill you! Do you like this gift!?"

"To... kill me...?"

[[]]

"I... I understand."

Julius's features couldn't help but twist:

"He doesn't want to kill Reinhard... but to kill the 'Hero,' to remove his name..."

"Kill... the Hero?"

Emilia's silver eyelashes fluttered in confusion.

"Even the Sword Saint is merely human,"

Julius continued, each word laced with knightly anguish.

When he stands powerless before a kingdom reduced to ashes, when countless lives slip through his fingers... the legend of the 'hero' dies. This—"

"—is how you kill a "Hero"."

Julius, who valued the name of knight immensely, understood this pain, so his emotions fluctuated greatly at this scene.

Reinhard remained motionless.

The golden hero's head bowed slightly, his usually radiant sapphire eyes shadowed beneath lowered lashes.

For the first time in his life, the man who could wield any sword found himself defenseless against a blade aimed not at his body, but at the very meaning of his existence.

【【】】

"Do you think I tried how many times to kill you!? Do you know how many times I challenged you? Several times, dozens of times, thousands of times!"

"—"

Reinhardt in the scene didn't understand, of course he didn't understand, in this world, only Subaru knew what had happened.

[[]]

"Subaru..."

But Reinhard outside the screen could understand.

Why would Subaru say that? Thousands of deaths just to defeat me?

I... don't understand... Subaru.

"...Thousands of times..."

Rem painfully repeated Subaru's exaggerated record of his own deaths.

Death, in Subaru's eyes, was just a number, but Rem would never treat it as a number.

"Thousands of deaths... for... me...?"

Emilia wasn't moved by Subaru's great dedication, but felt very complicated, so complicated that she didn't know how to express it, but Subaru in the scene probably knew that this was wrong.

Emilia couldn't help but scratch the back of her right hand with her left hand, hoping to alleviate this discomfort.

【【】】

"So! I, will kill you from the level of a knight! Smash the exaggerated signboard of 'Sword Saint' to pieces! Trample it underfoot, defile it with spit!"

"Just for, this kind of thing."

"Just for this kind of thing!? Ahh, yes, that's right! It's just for this kind of thing that I used up the lives of everyone around me, just to drag you down to the ground!!"

[[]]

"It appears that Ram's expectations were correct."

Ram squinted her eyes slightly and gave a firm nod.

"True enough... though it’s unfortunate that he can’t be the one to end my life. Still, giving my life for him wouldn’t be such a bad conclusion."

Elsa, feeling both sorrow and contentment, embraced this fate as her final chapter.

【【】】

"You are a hero, Reinhardt. Although I can't kill Reinhardt, I can kill the hero—this is, the way I kill you, Reinhardt!"

Both Reinhardt inside and outside the screen fell silent.

Both were shaken.

[[]]

"Ah, this is quite the headache."

Felt roughly rubbed her temples as she made her way to Reinhard’s side.

"...Felt-sama? Ah—"

"That... how do I put it? The titles of 'hero' and 'Sword Saint' were just labels forced upon you by those despicable people. In short, none of this is your fault. As I recall, the kingdom has rules that prevent you from going out unless it's a special situation, right? So you're not to blame for not stepping in at the start.

And now that things have spiraled to this point, it’s only natural that it’s beyond your ability to fix alone.

Rom and I get overwhelmed when we’re juggling too many responsibilities, so it’s no surprise you feel the same in a situation like this."

Felt reached out and took Reinhard’s hand, offering him comfort.

"Felt-sama... thank you."

Yes, how could I let myself be weighed down by this? I still have a duty to help Felt-sama ascend to the throne—not to mention my responsibility to eradicate all the ugliness in this world."

【【】】

Then, in the scene, Subaru dropped the pretense—

"...Why?"

[[]]

"Eh? Subaru?"

Beatrice looked at Subaru in the scene.

【【】】

"Why, are you so strong? Why, are you so strong that I have to let them all die, to reach the point where I can touch you?"

Just like when he first saw Reinhardt's strength.

Subaru cried.

[[]]

"Subaru… he wasn’t originally like this."

Beatrice reflected on the resolute Subaru from this alternate world.

This Subaru had just shed the facade of pretending to be strong.

In their world, Subaru sometimes acted tough, but at least they were there to support him. However, the Subaru in this world—

He was utterly alone.

Would Subaru in their world ever secretly cry like this?

Emilia couldn’t help but wonder:

"If only I could be like you… If only I could be as virtuous and capable as you, with the strength to save everyone… I… I envy you so much… I… I even hate you for it…"

"Ah, it seems that even Natsuki in this world wishes to be a good person."

Anastasia sighed softly, brushing her hair back with a wistful expression.

Now that she thought about it, when the boy first arrived in this world, he longed for immense power—but what had that desire ultimately led to?"

【【】】

"—I, want to become like you, Reinhard."

"—I, can't understand your feelings."

I... really can't understand, but...

[[]]

Reinhard, observing from outside the screen, contemplated quietly and resolved to make an effort to understand more as time went on.

Meanwhile, within the scene, Reinhard narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly, his body language suggesting he was preparing to take action.

"Though verbal attacks did manage to have some impact, it’s still insufficient. Mr. Natsuki will likely enter the loop again and search for alternative methods—ah, no!"

Otto exclaimed in sudden realization.

【【】】

"—Is it too early to give up?"

"You are—!"

The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert, covered in blood, struck again, slashing at Reinhardt with a blade, but Reinhardt easily blocked the attack with a hand chop.

Then, the knife shattered.

[[]]

"Ah, that's wonderful! I thought Elsa had already died! But she really is completely devoted to big brother, to go this far for him. But—"

Meili was relieved to know that Elsa was still alive, yet at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that Elsa’s fate was sealed, her tone growing somber as she trailed off.

"Elsa..."

Emilia gazed at Elsa, both within the scene and beyond the screen, her expression a mixture of emotions too complex to untangle.

【【】】

"You're really inhuman, you."

Elsa in the scene said after seeing Reinhardt's shocking behavior.

"It seems I didn't manage to die. But seeing this situation, I want to die again."

"Elsa..."

"Meili... is that so, already dead. This little sister really didn't meet a good big sister."

Elsa, inside and outside the screen, said the same thing.

[[]]

"Ah, I’ve already said it. I’m truly happy to follow Elsa."

Though Elsa couldn’t hear her on the screen, Meili responded all the same.

"Ah, this is really, just like then."

Garfiel recalled the day he had first become Subaru’s subordinate and went to the mansion to support him.

He didn’t know how many times Elsa had been brought back to life, but in the end, he had finally succeeded in killing her."

【【】】

"It seems I have to add revenge for killing my sister. Can you dance with me?"

"You don't have any weapons. And don't you know who you're protecting right now?"

[[]]

I just can’t comprehend it...

Another thing I don’t understand.

Objectively speaking, the Bowel Hunter at this moment shouldn’t be able to defeat me… so why is she still persisting with her attacks?

Reinhard thought deeply, his brow furrowed in confusion.

【【】】

"I don't really like these complicated things. I only do what I want to do. The person behind me can always let me do what I want to do. So, he is a VIP."

Elsa responded.

[[]]

If it were me, I would probably do the same.

The two Rems looked at Elsa, who was planning to fight to the death, with understanding in their blue eyes.

【【】】

"This time, it must be the last chance. I'm very happy. Really, it's great."

"Elsa! I...!"

Subaru lamented towards Elsa.

[[]]

"Eh, no way? Elsa is thinking of?!"

Emilia covered her mouth, unable to bear to look at the next scene—

【【】】

"Farewell."

Elsa looked back at Subaru one last time, then rushed towards Reinhard.

[[]]

"Elsa—!"

Meili, outside the screen, couldn't help but shout in pain.

"It seems—this is the result. Although I regret that he didn't kill me, it's still okay."

Elsa said this.

【【】】

"—Damn it!"

Subaru took advantage of Elsa's stalling time and quickly ran in another direction.

Just as Subaru was running—

"You are..."

[[]]

"Guiltylowe!"

Otto shouted.

"Little Kiel! Really, a good boy."

Meili praised him with a wry smile.

【【】】

"You... Meili... is already dead..."

With the sacrifice of Elsa, Meili, Guiltylowe, and others. Exchanging for Subaru's escape.

[[]]

"Ah, how should I put it... it's kind of touching, really. It’s just that—the bonds between everyone, or something like that."

Otto scratched his head, a sheepish smile forming on his face.

... ...

【【】】

"It ends here, villain."

[[]]

"Eh! It's me!"

Emilia was utterly astonished.

But, yes, in this situation, I suppose I should step forward to help.

【【】】

"—Emilia."

"You know me?"

Emilia outside the screen was a little nervous, in the eyes of herself in this world, this was the first time she had met Subaru.

How would I treat Subaru?

How would Subaru face me?

Emilia looked at Subaru, smiling at her.

Emilia asks: "What's so strange about that?"

"No, sorry. How should I say it? I feel so happy. You that... that what, haven't changed at all. It feels like I've been rewarded."

"What... do you mean? Where did you and I?"

Sure enough, that me hasn't met Subaru.

Even though we haven't met even once, Subaru actually...

Do I really deserve Subaru to do this?

"You are..."

"Lia, no, don't seriously listen to what he says."

"—Is Puck, huh."

[[]]

"As I expected, I haven’t met or come to know Subaru either, but Subaru has always kept me in his memories."

Puck gazed at his counterpart from another world, who still held such deep concern for his daughter.

【【】】

"Don't call my name casually. So, you've made such a big mess, what are you going to do to clean it up?"

"It will be cleaned up. Just as I expected... anyway, there's nowhere to escape."

"—Hmm? You're really straightforward; how suspicious."

[[]]

"Subaru said... it will be cleaned up."

Julius observed the conversation between Subaru and Puck within the scene, his expression growing contemplative.

"It will be cleaned up,"

He murmured. With no way for Subaru to escape, the place of reckoning, the final stage for the curtain call, was clear—here.

"It seems Subaru's wish is on the verge of being fulfilled—I truly envy him."

Roswaal spoke, his tone layered with both admiration and a tinge of wistfulness.

【【】】

Subaru unbuttoned his gray-green tracksuit, revealing a black short-sleeved shirt:

"From now on, please treat what I say as the ravings of a madman, so forget it after listening."

[[]]

"Madman... yes, what's the difference between the current Subaru and a madman... no, he is a madman, just like me."

Roswaal admired Subaru with a crazed smile.

【【】】

"Eh?"

Emilia in the scene was deeply puzzled.

Of course, she was puzzled; after all, she neither knew what Subaru had done for her nor knew Subaru as a person.

[[]]

"Ah, I think I get the gist of it. Lil'bro is planning to push all the credit for this onto the half elf-sama, huh? This is really... is that what they call 'a heavy burden'? That half elf-sama looks incredibly stressed right now."

Al glanced at Emilia, who was watching from outside the screen.

Emilia’s expression was a mixture of emotions; she seemed to want to say something but hesitated, her breath catching slightly as she held back.

【【】】

"The fire that burned the royal capital was set by me. And not only the royal capital but the whole country is now in this sea of fire; no one can stop it, including the 'Sword Saint.' Reinhardt's name will be swept away."

"Burned the whole country? You... you're planning to destroy this country?"

"No, that's not it. The reason I did this is because this is the only way to let you become king."

[[]]

"Subaru!"

Emilia anxiously clawed at her slender arms, tears welling up in her eyes. Did he really go through all of this… just for my sake?

"Ah, as expected, half elf-sama couldn’t handle this kind of emotional weight and could only resort to this method to ease the discomfort. Lil Bro's performance is truly overwhelming, leaving half-elf-sama breathless and only adding to the pressure."

Al thought to himself.

"Just as I thought—Subaru... no, Accomplice-sensei is going to—"

【【】】

"The flames of destruction that will push this nation to ruin—the one who ignited this calamity wasn’t defeated by Reinhardt, nor by the Divine Dragon, but by you. None of the other royal candidates could ever achieve a feat as great as this."

"You are the hero who shattered the stagnation of this world after four hundred years, vanquished all the Archbishops of Sin, and saved this world!"

"This… how could that be possible…? What… what are you saying!? Stop it! I don’t understand any of this at all! What are you talking about?! I don’t… I don’t understand!! You’re lying, lying, lying! Because… I… why… why are you doing this for me…?"

Emilia sobs uncontrollably within the scene.

[[]]

"Why do you have to go this far for my sake... right..."

Forcibly assigning merits to Emilia that aren’t hers, without considering her feelings, and making her cry...

"Is this truly what you desire... Subaru?"

Beatrice spoke with a pained voice.

"I don’t want it, I don’t want any of this! I just want the Subaru I originally knew! This Subaru is too strange!!"

Emilia shook her head violently, her hair whipping around as tears flew back and forth, scattering to both sides.

【【】】

"—Look at me, Emilia. Look at me, hate me, remember me."

Subaru opened his arms and walked towards Emilia step by step—

Then, he put his left hand on his right clavicle and bowed—

"I am the Witch Cult, Archbishop of Sin representing 'Pride,' Natsuki Subaru! I am the one who burned the world, shook the country, killed the hero, and then—"

Subaru rushed towards Emilia with all his strength.

From the moment Subaru started announcing his name, everyone suddenly understood.

Currently, only the Archbishop of Pride is absent among the Archbishops of Sin. Emilia is only one Pride away from eliminating all the Archbishops of Sin, so he needs to be killed by Emilia.

[[]]

"Archbishop of Pride...?"

Wilhelm murmured softly, his voice tinged with uncertainty and quiet contemplation.

【【】】

"I am the one who burned the world, shook the country, killed the Hero, and then—"

[[]]

"Subaru! No!!"

Emilia, watching from outside the screen, screamed and wept, but alas, Subaru couldn’t hear her cries.

【【】】

"—The man who was killed by you."

Subaru's heart was pierced by the ice pillar Emilia had released.

[[]]

"No!!"

The very thing she had feared the most had come to pass.

Even though this tragedy had never occurred in the world she knew.

【【】】

"Why..."

Emilia was extremely puzzled, She wanted to ask the reason before Subaru's flame of life was extinguished.

"..."

[[]]

"Subaru?"

Emilia, outside the screen, with tears streaming down her face, gazed blankly at Subaru with a heart full of sorrow and confusion.

【【】】

"—I love you."

As the words fell, the screen gradually darkened...

"So, the Pride IF is officially over. Next is the main line."

Chapter Text

【 "—I love you."

As the words fell, the screen gradually dimmed... 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ara~?"

Elsa's voice lilted with amusement as her body began shimmering with golden particles.

"My, my~... It seems I'm being summoned back~."

Beside her, Meili blinked, her wide eyes reflecting both wonder and a flicker of apprehension as her form started dissolving.

"Huh? My body's glowing too!"

she exclaimed, holding up her translucent hands. For a moment, she studied them curiously, then grinned—a smile tinged with the faintest trace of wistfulness.

"It seems our sisters are leaving. It was a short time, but it was a pleasure being with you.

Elsa murmured, her tone gentle yet distant.

With one last wave, Meili beamed brightly despite her fading form.

"Bye-bye, weird big brothers and sisters! Tell Big Bro I said—"

Her final words dissolved into sparkles, leaving an empty space where laughter once echoed.

And just like that, the two left.

"The hell? Why do THEY get t'leave first!?"

Garfiel asked blankly.

Why can they leave?

"A reasonable deduction, I suppose~, the world that belongs to them has reached its conclusion, unlike our own..."

Roswaal analyzed.

... ...

After a while, the silver-haired girl, Emilia, finally managed to soothe her emotions after witnessing Subaru's various actions.

And the screen lit up again.

"Look, it's starting again!"

Otto pointed at the screen.

"Familiar ceiling."

That's what Rem and Ram thought—

We're back at the mansion, finally back in our world.

~█████ IF Line ~

A rough sensation came—

"Ah!"

Meili quickly looked around.

"I'm back! This is... huh? The temporary cache in the slums?"

Strange, how did I get back here? I remember this place being abandoned after Big Brother saved Elsa.

...

"Oh~... this is...?"

Elsa's perspective was very dark.

After adapting to the darkness, she looked around—

So familiar, this is the loot storage, and around me—

Observing her surroundings, a familiar smell of blood assaulted her, and following the scent, she saw the corpses of the giant old man and the girl.

"Could it be...?"

A light came.

It was the unique light of Lagumite ore.

"So, what kind of monsters and demons will appear next? Judging from the style of fantasy works, whatever appears is not a joke."

Hearing these familiar words, the girl couldn't help but blush.

"What... the hell is this?"

The black-haired boy stepped on something sticky, intending to lift his foot to check—

"Ara~, where did this cute little brother come from?"

The girl suddenly appeared before the boy could check, which startled the boy. As the boy was about to exclaim, the girl used her left hand to cover the boy's mouth, and her right hand leaned against the wall, trapping the boy against the wall.

Blushing, panting, she looked at the boy with dazed eyes...

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Oi, this place... Ain't this where tha' boss used t'hole up?"

Garfiel’s golden eyes narrowed slightly, and recognition the place.

"Indeed. We even weathered quite the spectacular battle here, if you'll recall."

Otto responded to Garfiel.

【 Seeing Subaru waking up in the mansion in the picture and casually opening a door, Beatrice—

"...What a guy who makes me angry from the bottom of my heart, I suppose."

"Even with so many books, there isn't one I can understand, I suppose... How disappointing, I suppose."

Subaru casually flipped through various books as if he were in his own home.

"Looking at other people's bookshelves so impolitely, and even sighing... Are you deliberately picking a fight, I wonder? If so, I'll keep you company to the end." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Haha... still so casual... Natsuki-san."

Otto smiled wryly.

"Sigh, Subaru's first impression on me was a noisy and impolite, offensive fool, I suppose."

"Uh... I can't argue with that..."

Otto scratched his face in response to Beatrice.

And Beatrice rested her cheeks in her hands, sighing like a hamster, recalling their definitely unpleasant first encounter.

"But I still have to thank this unpleasant first encounter, I suppose, for allowing me to meet Subaru."

Beatrice said in her heart.

【 "Speaking so harshly, you're really wasting that cute face of yours. Come on, smile, smile."

Subaru smiled at Beatrice. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Um, that's good."

Emilia was a little uneasy at first, but seeing her Subaru back, she was completely relieved.

Therefore, Emilia responded to Subaru with a cute smile, although Subaru didn't know.

"But y'know~, Betty's got a mouth jus' as poison-tongued as Sis-Ram's—GYAHHH?! OWOWOWOW!"

Garfiel was grabbed by the ear by Ram before he could finish speaking.

"It's because Subaru was so rude at first, I suppose. But... it's really familiar, the Forbidden Library..."

【【】

【 Just after a quarrel in the picture—

"Betty is reaching her limit, I suppose. I'll give you a little lesson, I suppose."

Beatrice walked up to Subaru:

"Don't move, I suppose. So, do you have anything else to say?"

"D-Don't... don't hurt me..." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ugh..."

Seeing Subaru's strange lines, Rem pouted outside the screen.

【 Beatrice's hand was placed on Subaru's chest, and then Subaru instantly collapsed to the ground.

"Uwa...!"

"It seems you didn't faint, just like I heard, I suppose. You're a sturdy fellow."

"What did you do? Drill Loli..."

"I just interfered with the mana in your body, I suppose. Your mana circulation method is very strange, I suppose." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

Recalling the questions she had at the time, Beatrice had two possible answers.

One was that Subaru was from another world, and the mana of people from that world was like this, or it was the influence of Return by Death.

【 "Alright, now I know you really don't have any hostility, I suppose. And, your various offensive and rude behaviors towards Betty before can also be forgiven with the mana I just collected, I suppose."

After Subaru and Beatrice bickered with each other, Subaru fell unconscious again. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

Beatrice's cheeks puffed out in indignation, her small hands clutching her dress.

"How utterly ridiculous, I suppose! Betty never wished to harm Subaru in the first place, in fact!"

Her voice carried its usual haughty tone, but the tips of her ears turned pink.

"Ohhh~? Is that so~?"

Puck floated upside-down, his mischievous grin widening.

"Ah, and then..."

The two Rems exchanged glances—one smiling gently, the other nodding in quiet recognition. There was no mistaking it: this was their first meeting with Subaru-kun.

【 The screen shimmered to reveal a dimly lit mansion guest room, dawn's pale light filtering through the curtains. There, in the bed—

"Oh, he's awake, sister."

"Yes, he's awake, Rem."

Ram's sharp pink eyes narrowed first, her voice dripping with trademark condescension. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Rem!"

Ram exclaimed.

"It's Rem-sh... Rem."

Emilia held back the title "Rem-san."

"Barusu often tells Ram stories about Rem, but unfortunately, I forgot... but now..."

"Now I can take this opportunity to see the story of Rem that I'm very—curious about."

Ram and Emilia were excited to learn about Rem's story.

"Ain’t gonna lie—I’m damn curious ‘bout that girl who’s so dead-set on followin’ tha’ boss."

Garfiel also said.

"I... me too."

Even Otto joined in.

"Um... everyone, please don't have too high expectations."

Rem didn't think her story was so wonderful; on the contrary, she wanted to know what happened to Subaru here.

【 "Originally, I was a night owl, or rather, half a midnight tribe, but I actually woke up in the morning..." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Huh? That's not right."

"This... is not like this."

A sense of unease struck.

The hearts of the two Rems were raised even higher.

When I first met Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun held my hands and my sister's hands, but this is not the case.

This means... Subaru-kun will die in this loop...

What if... it was me?

The two Rems were extremely uneasy.

Chapter Text

【 The screen shimmered to reveal a dimly lit mansion guest room, dawn's pale light filtering through the curtains. There, in the bed—

"Oh, he's awake, sister."

"Yes, he's awake, Rem."

Ram's sharp pink eyes narrowed first, her voice dripping with trademark condescension.

Subaru looked towards the window, and Rem and Ram said knowingly:

"It's seven o'clock on Yang Day, Guest."

"It's seven o'clock on Yang Day, Guest."

"So, if we don't count the brief awakening last time, I've slept for almost a whole day. But, considering my record is two and a half days straight, it's nothing much." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Uh... Natsuki-san seems quite proud?"

"Subaru-sama, this is really..."

"Natsuki, you, time is money."

Otto, Wilhelm, and Anastasia simultaneously offered harsh retorts.

"Ah, it's a pity Rem isn't here, otherwise she could have admired Subaru-kun's sleeping face for a long time."

Only Rem gave a positive evaluation, and then felt jealous that Natsuki Rem could admire Subaru-kun's sleeping face every morning and evening.

【 "Oh, the glutton is talking, Sister."

"Yes, the good-for-nothing is talking, Rem."

"Hey, who are these two sisters who have been criticizing me like a stereo from the start?" 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hmm..."

Rem felt ashamed of her attitude towards Subaru.

She remembered that at that time, her attitude towards Subaru wasn't very good.

What a shameful memory of not knowing how good Subaru-kun was when she was young!

"Ah, it seems like what Barusu said is true, it wasn't love at first sight. Rather, is Barusu lying to Ram? How could Ram's cute sister fall in love with that Barusu."

Seeing Rem's attitude towards Barusu, Ram judged.

"Sister! Even if it's Sister, you can't say that about Subaru-kun!"

"Sister! Even if it's Sister, you can't say that about Darling!"

The two Rems spoke to Ram like a stereo, as if in a picture.

"Alright, alright, I won't say it."

Faced with her beloved sister, Ram took a step back.

But... does this mean she really... killed...?

Rem re-examined her attitude towards Subaru-kun at that time and came to this reasonable guess.

But...

No, it must not be like this.

Subaru-kun said that Rem was Subaru-kun's first date, and since Rem doesn't remember, the date must have happened here.

Since Rem and Subaru-kun went on a date, Rem probably didn't want to kill him...?

That must be it!

Rem told herself.

Her heart didn't dare to face that guess.

【 "...Couldn't you wake up a bit more peacefully?"

In the picture, just as Subaru was bickering with Rem and Ram, Emilia arrived after hearing the noise. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"It's not the scene I remember."

Emilia said with some worry.

【 "You've got great taste! The person who picked the clothes has great taste!"

In the picture, Subaru couldn't help but praise Emilia, who was wearing pajamas and was unguarded. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hmm... Does Darling like these kinds of clothes?"

Natsuki Rem said softly, and she secretly noted it in her heart.

【 "Although I don't know what you mean by that, it's a pity. I know it must be something boring. And I heard Beatrice played a prank on you, I was a little worried... What a waste of concern." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hmm? Prank? Who would be bored enough to do that. That's what Onii-chan said, right."

"Ehehe."

Puck lightly stuck out his tongue.

【 "Being able to see you as soon as I wake up makes me feel great! So... although I'm a little afraid to ask..."

What did Subaru want to ask?

Was it about Emilia's health?

Or his own health?

Everyone was curious.

"Um, this... do you still... do you still remember me?"

Subaru put his hands together, revealing an uneasy expression as he asked. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"I see."

Everyone thought of that sentence—

"I don't care who you are, but how dare you call me by the name of the 'Jealous Witch', what do you mean by that!?"

"It seems like that incident left a big psychological shadow on Little Bro."

Felt said.

"I..."

Emilia was also wondering if it was that incident that made Subaru so uneasy.

Just thinking about that scene made Emilia feel very uncomfortable.

If she blamed herself? The Emilia in that world didn't know Subaru, so it was normal to be angry at being called the Jealous Witch;

If she blamed Subaru? It was clearly herself who initially told Subaru her name was "Satella".

Perhaps I just didn't want to hurt Subaru, regardless of whether I was at fault or not.

I'm sorry...

Emilia apologized painfully in her heart.

She didn't know if she should apologize, she didn't know if that version of herself did anything wrong, but she just wanted to apologize.

No, rather than apologizing, saying thank you is more pleasing, Subaru told me this initially.

Emilia endures the pain and continues to look at the screen—

【 "I don't like that gesture of yours, and the question is a bit inexplicable. Someone as memorable as Subaru- how could I forget so easily?"

Emilia expressed her dislike for Subaru's gesture of putting his hands together, and Subaru felt relieved.

... ...

Afterwards, in the conversation, the two began to discuss taking a walk.

"Want to go for a walk?"

Emilia asked.

"A walk?"

"Yes, a walk. I was originally planning to do my daily routine in the garden. Let's go together."

"Daily routine? Watering flowers?"

"It's talking with the spirits. Contacting them every morning is one of the conditions for forming a contract with a spirit."

"Then, I'll go with you and also do some rehabilitation training, Emilia-tan."

"Hmm, as long as you don't make too much noise... Hmm? What did you just say? What does 'tan' mean? Where did it come from?" 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Emilia... tan."

Emilia, outside the screen, covered her lips with her hand, repeating this title.

She didn't expect it to sound so intimate and reassuring now, she wanted to hear it more...

The power brought by this sentence at this time was no less than the "Emilia-tan" she heard in the Sage's Tower after losing her memory.

【 "Although I suggested the walk, don't push yourself too hard. Because you were seriously injured."

"Emilia-tan healed my injuries. Thank you for saving me. Dying is really scary, for real. once is enough."

"I think you can only die once normally... No, I shouldn't say that. I'm the one who should be thanking you. Didn't you risk your life to save a stranger like me? Healing your injuries is what I should do."

Subaru revealed a lonely expression. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Remembering nothing, only Subaru remembers, hiding the memories that belong only to him in his heart, Subaru must be having a hard time."

Puck said, while Emilia and the others felt their guilt deepen.

【 "Second set of radio calisthenics! Reach forward, then straighten your back forcefully—"

"Eh, no way, what!?"

Arriving at the garden for the walk, Emilia expressed her bewilderment at Subaru's actions. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"HOLY—! BOSS BEEN HOLDIN’ OUT ON ME! THAT’S SOME NEXT-LEVEL TRAININ’ RIGHT THERE! THE GREAT GARFIEL’S GONNA MASTER IT FIRST TRY!"

Garfiel’s golden eyes widened to saucers as he shot upright, quickly following Subaru's movements to do it.

Chapter Text

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hah?! The hell kinda trainin’ is this?! Boss’s keepin’ secrets from me! The Great Garfiel’s gotta learn this too!"

Garfiel scrambled to mimic Subaru’s movements, his excitement barely contained.

"Pfft… radio calisthenics? Damn, that takes me back."

Al chuckled, rubbing the back of his helmet as nostalgia hit him.

"Quite the peculiar motions, aren’t they?"

Anastasia tilted her head, watching with mild amusement.

"Hmph… acceptable. A decent warm-up."

Wilhelm crossed his arms, giving a firm nod of approval.

"Ah, radio calisthenics… my darling does them every morning with Rem and the children."

Natsuki Rem’s voice softened with fond remembrance.

At that, Rem immediately perked up, eyes sparkling as she turned to her alternate self.

"E-Excuse me! How does Rem… I mean, how do Subaru-kun and I do them together?"

Her eagerness was palpable, cheeks faintly pink as she leaned forward in anticipation.

【 "I saw you upstairs... You seemed quite senile."

Subaru and the others finish their walk, and Subaru also learned about the mansion's owner, Roswaal, from Emilia.

Now, they were heading to the dining room.

Seeing Beatrice's disdain for his radio calisthenics, he responded:

"Why are you saying such things first thing in the morning? You little loli."

"What does that mean? I've never heard of it, but it's unpleasant."

"It means you're too young to be in my range of targets. I'm not interested in little ones." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Subaru is lying!"

Beatrice, outside the screen, refuted Subaru's words, puffing out her cheeks.

【 Beatrice in the scene was clearly unaffected by Subaru's words:

"Being so rude to Betty only makes you seem more pathetic."

Subaru ignored Beatrice, looked around, and assumed one of the lower seats was his.

"I might allow you to teach me about dining etiquette, you know."

Subaru said to Beatrice.

"Utter insolence. If you don't know, you should humbly ask for guidance." 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Haha, knowing that guy's personality, if the boss really did that, she'd definitely teach him."

"Shu... shut up."

Beatrice turned her face away, responding to Garfiel with a tsundere attitude.

【 "Rather than bowing my head to you, I'd rather brazenly sit in the seat of honor and get scolded."

Subaru directly sat in the seat of honor. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"This... is beyond improper."

Julius pinched the bridge of his nose, his knightly sensibilities deeply offended by his friend's behavior.

"Tch. With such an ill-mannered Barusu, is it any wonder Ram and Rem treated him poorly at first? ...Not that Ram would be any kinder to him now."

Ram crossed her arms with her usual sharp-tongued disdain.

"Subaru-sama, this is truly..."

Frederica sighed, her ears drooping slightly in secondhand embarrassment. Beside her, Ram merely clicked her tongue in agreement.

"Hmph. I find no issue with him behaving so in that clown's abode."

Priscilla flicked open her fan, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Bro... you're seriously making us Earthlings look bad right now."

Al groaned inside his helmet. Even if Subaru didn't know this world's customs, was basic decency too much to ask? Mentally, he disowned his fellow isekai'd companion as an embarrassment to their kind.

【 "Oh well. Let's put the seat aside for now. Don't you have any words of gratitude for Betty?"

"Gratitude? Didn't you shake off my hand when I asked for help? You actually want me to thank you. What kind of education did you receive to come to that conclusion? I'd love to see what your parents look like!" 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Betty was the one who tended to Subaru’s injuries, in fact. It is only natural for Betty to expect some gratitude, I suppose."

Beatrice huffed, crossing her arms with an air of justified pride.

"Though at this point, Subaru likely does not realize... Hm? Subaru claimed Betty shook off his hand?"

Her small brows furrowed slightly as she extended her own plump little hand, remembering—

The warmth of his grasp in the burning mansion. The way she had clung to him then, and how she would never let go again.

...Wait. Mother?

A sharp pang struck her chest.

"Even Subaru has no right to speak of Betty’s mother!"

Her fingers curled into tiny fists as she glared at the screen, a storm of emotions swirling behind her violet eyes. The scene continued, each moment pulling at threads she had long tried to ignore.

【 "Excuse me, guests. I will now serve the meal."

"Excuse me, guests. Here are your utensils and tea."

Salad, bread, tea, these common table companions were placed on the table by Rem and Ram. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"I heard Barusu say Rem's cooking is delicious, and now I see it really is."

Ram proudly puffed out her small chest.

In Ram's memories, which were affected by the Gluttony Archbishop, she had been cooking during Frederica's vacation.

It was a busy and terrible time... but thinking that only she and Roswaal-sama were in the huge mansion, it wasn't so bad.

If this inexplicable matter can end, then with the addition of a cute sister, she will be much more relaxed.

"Sis... Sister-sama, it's all as it should be."

"No need to be humble, Rem-san, it looks really good."

The great senior Frederica gave an affirmative evaluation.

"Oh~it seems it's my turn to appear~"

Roswaal lengthened his words with a grin.

【 "Ah ha—quite energetic—hmm. That's a good—thing, a good—thing."

Roswaal arrived in his clown attire. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"This is quite the shocking entrance."

Otto smiled wryly.

【 "Hmm... do you have to hire a clown to liven things up before every meal? I really don't understand the thinking of rich people."

Subaru clearly misunderstands Roswaal's identity. 】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Pathetic Barusu..."

Ram's expression twisted with disdain.

The version of her on screen was clearly struggling to hold back her irritation.

"Well, it's only natural for Natsuki to have this misunderstanding, right?"

Anastasia nodded, showing sympathy for Subaru’s confusion.

"That fool’s constant imitation is to blame, I suppose."

Beatrice huffed, her tone dripping with contempt for Roswaal’s clownish appearance.

Most of those present shared the sentiment, their disdain evident for the way Roswaal mimicked that person.

"...Is he truly that woman’s grandson? Their manner of speech is uncannily similar."

Wilhelm’s thoughts drifted to the late Roswaal J. Mathers.

Though he had found her bothersome, she had often sought him out before his marriage to Theresia. After mentioning it to his wife, it had somehow angered her—yet she had still been a great help.

Moreover, she was the one who told Theresia that I challenged forty elites to prove that I had the strength to take the "sword" from her, which led her to rush to the scene, thereby formally becoming engaged to Theresia.

"Roswaal J. Mathers... I never bid you farewell when you passed. My apologies."

"Hmph..."

Beatrice caught Wilhelm’s quiet murmur.

When Beatrice was in the Sanctuary, she learned that Roswaal had achieved another kind of immortality; Roswaal had always been Roswaal.

Forget it.

Beatrice dismissed the idea of telling Wilhelm that the Roswaal L. Mathers next to him was actually the Roswaal J. Mathers from back then.

"It seems that Wilhelm-san still remembers... Grandmother."

For once, Roswaal didn’t drag out his words, pausing briefly after "remembers," an uncharacteristic hint of sorrow slipping through.

"Of course. She was a benefactor—how could I forget?"

"I~s that so? Had Grandmother lived to see the Sword Demon, as dashing in his twilight as in his youth... she might have pursued you all over again."

Roswaal’s usual theatrical lilt returned, masking the fleeting melancholy.

"Please, spare me the trouble."

"Fufu..."

For a moment, Roswaal’s smile softened, as if recalling the stubborn boy from decades past. Then, just as quickly, he schooled his expression and turned his gaze back to the screen—

Chapter Text

【【 After Subaru, Emilia, and Roswaal finished their conversation, Subaru finally learned that the clown-like man was actually the owner of the mansion.

"You said the country's situation... is it very bad?"

After discussing the current state of the country, Subaru asked. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"It is indeed quite bad."

Otto recalled the social turmoil and power struggles following the death of the previous king.

【【 "It's not very pe-aceful. Af~ter all, the Kingdom of Lugnica doesn't have a king right now."

"But, shouldn't the king's descendants inherit the throne in such situations? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"That's usually ho~w it goes. Bu~t, the origin of the matter dates back half a year. When the king passed away, a plague appeared in the city that only targeted the royal bloodline.

"Curr~ently, the 'Council of Sages' is managing the country. Although they are all renowned and capable of handling national affairs, the kingdom cannot be without a ruler for a day." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Your Highness..."

Watching Roswaal mention the plague on the screen, Ferris once again thought of Fourier Lugunica.

【【 "I see, I'm starting to understand. So, the kingdom not only doesn't have a king, but it's also in turmoil due to the selection of a new ruler, causing chaos. Relations with other countries will gradually deteriorate, leading to a state of isolation. So, at this time, a foreigner of unknown origin appears here... Hmm... I'm super suspicious!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Suspicious...?"

Julius suddenly realized something he should have realized earlier.

That Subaru was indeed very suspicious from the start.

But I and many others didn't realize this, probably because—

"It's Subaru's efforts that dispelled any potential suspicion."

Emilia praises her knight's efforts.

【【 "By the way, why... does the owner of this house call Emilia-tan 'milady'?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's only natural to use honorifics when addressing someone of higher status."

"Uh, so that means Emilia-tan, you are..."

"My current identity is one of the forty-second generation 'Royal Candidates' of the Kingdom of Lugnica, and Roswaal L. Mathers is my backer."

Subaru was shocked:

"My previous disrespect... I wouldn't have enough lives to atone for it." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Indeed, it's very like Natsuki."

Anastasia smiled, narrowing her eyes.

Come to think of it, Subaru's attitude towards these royal candidates seems to be quite casual.

"Casual... or rather, arrogant?"

Al joked.

"Hmph, I actually like this little bro's attitude. Ever since Reinhardt took me away, many guys have been overly respectful towards me, making me uncomfortable! It's much easier and more enjoyable to chat with someone like little bro."

Indeed, the others recalled the scene of Subaru and Felt bickering with each other, neither of them putting on any airs.

"I find this kind of person quite refreshing."

Priscilla, who was used to others flattering her, said.

【【 Afterward, Subaru briefly learned about Roswaal and also learned that he was Emilia's supporter.

"So, let's get back to the main topic. I understand that Roswaal is Emilia-tan's supporter. From Emilia-tan's words and actions, I can see her naivety and simplicity, but she's very cute. It must be very rare for her to act alone in the royal capital yesterday, right?"

It seems Subaru was talking about the day the insignia was stolen.

"It was probably the first time. Ram should have been with her." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ehh? Don't say it!"

Emilia, outside the screen, blushed.

However, in the scene, she herself revealed the truth:

【【 "Um, it's not Ram's fault. Yesterday, I... I should say I gave in to curiosity, so I wandered around and got separated from Ram." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ah—"

Outside the screen, Emilia's face was as red as an apple, covering her face with her hands, letting out an embarrassed cry.

"Ah, this..."

Otto and the others from Emilia's camp also felt a little awkward.

"I didn't dare to make a move easily when I saw a pink-haired girl next to her at the time. I didn't expect her to act alone."

Felt's words made Emilia and her camp even more embarrassed.

Al rested his hands behind his head and muttered:

"Half-elf lady, two great spirits, Ferris, and others... Well, how should I put it? it feels like a grand social death award."

"But speaking of which, I've been thinking about it since just now. Since this screen is showing Natsuki's perspective, but Natsuki is also part of Emilia's camp, doesn't that mean... that by watching this screen, we can also learn information about Emilia's camp?"

"...Yes, that's right, there's no way around it."

Otto nodded, and the others in Emilia's camp reluctantly accepted this fact.

If the screen only presents Subaru's perspective, then it is indeed unavoidable.

After people like Elsa and Meili leave, we should quickly come up with countermeasures.

【【 "So—what exactly do you wa~nt to say?"

Roswaal asked Subaru.

"It's simple. It was your negligence that led to the loss of the highly esteemed Emilia-tan, and I'm the bad guy who took advantage of the situation. Now that I've found an opportunity, I'm naturally going to extort a hefty sum." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"This... isn't how I remember it happening,"

Emilia murmured, her lilac eyes clouded with confusion. In her memory, Subaru had humbly requested to become a servant, not—

"Tch. Finally showing your true colors, Barusu?"

Ram's sharp voice cut through the air, her usual smirk in place.

"Sister!"

Rem protested immediately, her blue eyes flashing with protective fervor. indicated to Ram that Subaru was not that kind of person.

Ram knew; she was just being sarcastic.

"Nah, I get where bro's coming from. Dude's just being practical, Hell, I'd probably pull the same move."

Al chimed in, scratching his helmet.

"How dreadfully mundane,"

Priscilla sighed, her golden fan fluttering dismissively. Her crimson eyes gleamed with unspoken hunger—for drama, for spectacle, for anything but this predictable grasping at wealth.

She wanted something unexpected, not the cliché of extorting a hefty sum—

【【 "What kind of request do you ha~ve for me? Currently, I cannot refuse. To cover up the fact that the insignia was lost, I will spare no expense. We-ll, what do you want?"

"Hehehe, you're truly a great noble, very understanding. A gentleman's word is his bond!"

"You're quite the talker. I see, a gentleman shouldn't make excuses, I will not go back on my word." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hmph, boring."

Priscilla said with some disgust—

【【 "My only request is—hire me to work at this mansion!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ah... some things never change!"

Then Emilia smiled.

Emilia's lips curled into a warm smile as she watched the screen. That was just like Subaru—always putting others before himself, no matter the world or circumstance.

But...

A small frown flickered across her face. Was that really all right? After everything he'd done, after all the effort he'd poured into helping her... was this all he would ask for himself?

The same thought seemed to occur to others in the theater. Some exchanged glances while others simply sighed—whether in exasperation or admiration, it was hard to say.

"Hoh? Now this has become interesting. I suppose I'll watch a while longer."

Priscilla's fan snapped shut, her crimson eyes gleaming with renewed amusement as she leaned forward, a smirk playing on her lips.

The fool's predictability had bored her, but this? This selflessness was almost entertaining—

Chapter Text

【【 "My only request is—hire me to work in this mansion!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hah? I don't get it at all."

Felt scratched her head, her crimson eyes flashing with confusion.

"If it were me, I'd be demandin' a fat stack of coins, no question! Bein' some stuck-up maid? No way—freedom's way better!"

"Personally, I'd leverage this chance to establish a proper business venture."

Otto mused, mentally putting himself in Subaru's shoes.

"But becoming a servant after nearly dying to save a royal candidate... and for the Emilia camp at that?"

He sighed, rubbing his temples.

"This is... quite unexpected."

Anastasia remarked, her usually sharp eyes widening slightly in disbelief.

"To go through all that trouble only to settle for servitude—especially under a faction with such a... complicated reputation. It's rather difficult to comprehend."

"Perhaps he seeks to forge a deeper connection with Lady Emilia through this position?"

Wilhelm suggested thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

"Yeah, that's part of it."

Al chimed in, leaning back in his seat.

"But let's be real—dude also just needed a job. Gotta survive in this world somehow, right?"

The theater buzzed with mixed reactions—some baffled, some calculating, and others simply shaking their heads at Subaru's unconventional choices.

【【 "I'm a complete pauper right now. Although I could demand a huge sum of money to squander, securing a sustainable livelihood is a better choice, right?"

Subaru explained. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Pfft—nah, that's not it at all. The guy's just making excuses."

Al scoffed, waving a hand dismissively.

"Let's be real—he's totally smitten with our half-elf lady here. With an in like that? He could've demanded a fat stack of cash as startup funds and lived large off his otherworlder knowledge. But nope!"

He threw up his hands dramatically.

"Between survival and simping, bro chose the latter. Priorities, am I right?"

A shadow flickered across his helmet's visor as memories of Sword Slave Island surfaced—those brutal early days when he hadn't been given such cushy options.

"However, this shows that the guy's goal is the half-elf lady. In that case, directly—"

【【 "In that case, instead of being a servant, wouldn't it be okay to be a freeloader or something?"

Emilia in the picture replied to Subaru like this. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ah, right, that's what I wanted to say. Being a freeloader can also bring you closer, right? You can eat and drink without worrying about working."

Emilia in the picture says what Al outside the picture wants to say.

【【 And Subaru in the picture realized this and immediately regretted it, but the words had been spoken, and Subaru officially became a servant in Roswaal's mansion.

"In any case, that's how it is. Relying solely on Ram-chin and Rem-rin to maintain the normal operation of the mansion must be a heavy burden. Just think of me as a male servant. Please take care of me." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ram... chin?"

Julius whispered.

"Rem... rin?"

Wilhelm wondered.

This address... is somewhat nostalgic.

The two Rems thought together.

Since the day they fell in love with Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun has basically stopped using this address.

"This... what's wrong with that? Betty is even called 'Beako' by Subaru... Ugh!"

Beatrice said boastfully, but because of shyness and other reasons, she felt that she shouldn't have said it, so she blushed and covered her mouth.

"Haha... the Great Spirit-sama has already said it. But. Emilia-tan, Rem-rin, Beako, Ram-chin, Ros-chin... I wonder if Natsuki-san has any other strange nicknames for anyone else."

Otto said with a smile.

"Ah... I wonder what nicknames the boss would give to everyone here. I'm a little curious."

"Crunchy Shark siblings or something? Haha."

Al looked at Garfiel and Frederica from a distance, joking in a low voice.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, bandit helmet man? Are you looking for trouble?"

Although Al joked in a low voice to avoid being heard by the siblings, he was still discovered by Garfiel, who retaliated with Al's strange attire.

"Ah, ah, sorry, is that okay?"

Al glanced at the two rows of large fangs Garfiel revealed when he said "ah" and then apologized.

【【 "Oh, oh, that's amazing."

In the picture, Subaru was surprised by Beatrice's "Door Crossing."

"I see. In other words, this magic allows any door in the house to lead to your room. It's perfect for NEET, and it's convenient when you're in a hurry to go to the toilet."

"You're not very surprised... By the way, what does 'NEET' mean?"

Emilia asked curiously.

NEET?

Not only Emilia in the picture didn't understand its meaning, but also the others outside the picture didn't understand.

Subaru quickly explained:

"Sacrificing oneself for the family members who return home after a hard day's work... is the guardian deity who always protects the family," 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Hmm... like Rem and Nee-sama, Frederica-sama?"

Rem tilted her head and thought.

"Ah! That sounds so cool! A guardian deity of the family!"

Garfiel was very excited about this.

"Oh, so it's just a shut-in otaku. What's it called... is it called 'Home Security Force' or something?"

Al thought it was funny that Subaru compared otaku to guardian deities of the family.

【【 Then, having officially become a male servant, Subaru became colleagues with Rem and Ram.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the head maid in the house, named Rem."

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am an ordinary maid in Roswaal-sama's mansion, named Ram."

"Ah, Nee-sama suddenly became straightforward. Although I'm not qualified to say that."

"Because you are a guest... no, Subaru, you are about to become our colleague, right?"

"Because you are a guest... no, Barusu is a worker of equal status, right?" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"So the nickname 'Barusu' comes from here. But Ram-san, I've been curious about it for a while but haven't asked. Why do you call Natsuki-san 'Barusu'?"

Otto looked curiously at the maid, Ram.

"It doesn't mean anything. Ram just changed the order of the pronunciation of 'Subaru'. But I didn't expect that even in this world that will be repeated, Ram would call Barusu 'Barusu'."

Ram was somewhat surprised.

"How should I say it? It sounds a bit familiar, but I can't remember it. I feel like I've heard this nickname before... Oh, isn't this the destruction spell from Castle in the Sky? So nostalgic."

Al said.

"Speaking of which, we should be able to see Rem working next, right? I'm really looking forward to it."

"Me too."

Ram and Frederica both expressed their anticipation.

And the two Rems couldn't help but think of the things that had been bothering them:

"It seems like the relationship has gotten a little better... I hope... it's not Rem pretending."

Rem and Natsuki Rem hoped so much that her improved attitude here was not an act.

She remembered that at that time, her heart was closed, and she wanted to eliminate all unstable elements that threatened to disrupt Nee-sama and the life at that time.

Therefore, her improved attitude in this situation might be an act...

No, it must be an act.

She can't... deceive herself anymore.

However, Rem can still hope that in this loop shown on the screen, she will develop feelings for Subaru-kun and go on a date with him.

Subaru-kun's loop must have been caused either by the Witch Cultists or by that giant canine magical beast.

She didn't kill Subaru-kun- absolutely not. Otherwise, why would Subaru-kun redeem Rem? And what qualifications does Rem have to be redeemed by Subaru-kun?

Absolutely not...

Chapter Text

【【 "Well then, Barusu, let's go." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

In the scene, Ram and Subaru are alone.

"Although it can't be ruled out as a coincidence, it's more likely that Rem is busy with something else and can only have Ram take Subaru."

Otto analyzed.

"Yes. Subaru-sama told me that Rem is usually very busy."

Frederica agreed.

【【 "Ah, are you planning to keep calling me that?"

In the scene, Subaru asks Ram about the nickname "Barusu."

"Yes, Barusu. Since Roswaal-sama instructed me to, I'll take Barusu on a tour of the mansion first. Don't get lost. You should be able to manage that much, right?"

"I'm not Emilia-tan. I won't run around out of curiosity."

"Subaru!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

Emilia, both inside and outside the scene, called out with a red face.

"Ah... really..."

At least Subaru and the others in the scene knew, but outside the scene, it was a public execution.

"Judging from Ram and Boss's daily conversations now, she really wasn't lying; the nickname 'Barusu' has been used until now."

"But does Ram really think Natsuki-san is the type to run around? Isn't he...?"

Otto wanted to prove that Subaru wasn't like that, but suddenly remembered Subaru wandering around in the previous scene, so he lost some confidence in the scene where he found the Great Spirit.

"Hard to say."

Ram responded curtly and harshly.

"Uh... haha. Let's keep watching."

Otto chuckled and looked at the screen—

【【 "Although I'm reluctant, let's go, Senpai."

Ram was going to take Subaru to familiarize himself with the various areas of the mansion, so he had to leave Emilia, which he was reluctant to do temporarily.

"Let's do that, Barusu. See you later, Emilia-sama."

Ram pinched the hem of her skirt and gave a bow. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

Garfiel, watching this scene from outside the screen, couldn't help but say:

"Oh, cute. When can Ram do that to this great me... Ah! Ouch ouch! Ram!"

Ram once again pinched Garfiel's ear hard.

"Ah! Mimi too, Mimi too! Hmm... how to do it... Uwaa!"

Mimi jumped around to attract Garfiel's attention, then imitated the maid's bow Ram made in the scene, but she did it clumsily, almost falling over, but luckily, Garfiel caught her.

【【 "Subaru, I'll do my best... so you have to do your best too."

Emilia, in the scene, cheers Subaru on in the face of a brief separation.

"What's with this? It makes me so happy. Okay, I'm feeling motivated!"

To everyone's surprise, Subaru imitated Ram like Mimi, pinching the hem of his tracksuit and giving a bow. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ah, Boss is disgusting."

Compared to Ram's bow, Garfiel gave a completely different evaluation.

"Ram-san's is standard, Mimi-san's is clumsily cute, but Natsuki-san... I have to admit it's a bit disgusting."

Otto couldn't help but comment.

"Very... very cute, obviously."

Rem disagreed.

Natsuki Rem looked at Rem with an expression that said,

"You have good taste."

"But still, if the movements were more standard, and then Miss Natsumi did it, the effect should be very good."

Otto thought, finally.

【【 "You look disgusted, Onee-sama, I'm just kidding. I haven't studied maid culture, but I wouldn't confuse maids with male servants. Oh, right, is there a uniform or something?"

Faced with Subaru's pretentious bow, both Emilia and Ram, who had just left, gave it a low rating.

And Ram in the scene responded:

"Clothing is important. Clothes that fit... hmm, I remember there are some."

"Good. Then let's go change clothes first. I think I'm particularly suited to formal wear. I'll let you admire my elegant and noble appearance later."

Subaru gave a thumbs up, Ram looked at Subaru's body, and said:

"There's a servant's restroom on the second floor. Go change there. According to Barusu's size, the clothes of Frederica, who resigned two months ago, should fit you." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ah, now that I think about it, Onee-sama and Boss are about the same size, except for the chest... Ah! Why the ears again! It hurts! Onee-sama, I'm sorry!"

Frederica pouted and stepped forward to twist Garfiel's ear forcefully.

"Sigh, Garfiel, keep your mouth shut. You've had your ears pinched three times already."

Otto was very helpless.

Now Garfiel's ears were red.

"So... so when this great me met Onee-sama again after many years, I was shocked by Onee-sama's size."

Garfiel rubbed his ears as he recalled.

"Speaking of which, I remember Ram told me that Subaru-sama's servant outfit was modified based on my maid outfit."

"I'm sorry to have tainted your clothes with exhaust fumes."

"Ahaha... it's nothing like that."

Frederica and Ram said to each other.

"But rather than resigning, it's more appropriate to say taking a vacation?"

Frederica corrected Ram's wording in the scene.

The scene was still playing.

【【 "Oh, perfect timing for resignation. Speaking of Frederica... isn't that a woman?"

Subaru seriously suspected that Frederica was a woman, which was indeed the case.

But the point was that Subaru seemed to think that he, as a man, was not suitable for wearing women's clothes.

"But the body size is about the same as Subaru's."

Ram emphasized that the body size was similar.

"But the gender is different, right?"

Subaru emphasized that the gender was different.

Ram facepalmed:

"Elegant and noble formal wear... what are you dissatisfied with?"

"I'm dissatisfied with everything! If Emilia-tan wore it, I would pay to see it, but if I wear a maid outfit, who would accept it? What if it awakens strange fetishes in me? I don't want to have that kind of fetish!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Well, Natsuki-san, even though you say that, Miss Natsumi doesn't agree."

Otto smiled and said in a voice that Emilia couldn't hear.

"Haha, right, right, Otto? No, Audrey Suffret-san."

Garfiel remembered Otto's cross-dressing and laughed as he hugged Otto's neck.

"That's right, Garnet-san."

Otto also smiled and retaliated.

Ah, remembering the time when I and Boss... no, and Big Sister Natsumi Schwarz attended the banquet.

Garfiel recalled.

"Ah, wait, something's wrong."

Otto and Garfiel said in unison.

Does this mean that the screen will show that scene later?

The two instantly distanced themselves, covering their eyes with red faces.

Ah, so embarrassing.

The screen wouldn't slow down because of their embarrassment, it continued to play.

Chapter Text

【【 "Hey—Ram-chin. I just tried it on, but..."

"That nickname is really annoying. What's wrong with the clothes?" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Speaking of which, has Miss Ram gotten used to that nickname?"

"It's not so much that I'm used to it, but rather that Barusu might as well call me 'Ram-chin.' Now, besides 'Ram-chin,' he also often calls me 'Big Sister.'"

"Well, isn't having another little brother a good thing?"

Old Man Rom casually said.

"Who wants a little brother like Barusu?"

Ram also casually responded.

【【 "It seems like it doesn't fit well. The problem lies in the shoulders and short legs, right?"

In the image, Ram scrutinized Subaru's shoulders and legs.

"Can't you just say 'the pants are too long'?! The shirt feels fine, but the shoulder area of the jacket is a bit tight. I usually work out when I'm bored, so my upper body is a bit muscular. So, the pants can be rolled up, but the jacket can't be altered. But, I know I can shorten the pants myself."

Subaru helplessly expressed that the clothes didn't fit.

"Putting aside Barusu's surprising talent... no matter what, I can't let you go to work looking like that. People will doubt the mansion... and even Lord Roswaal's taste."

"He's the one who dresses like that. What taste are you talking about?"

Ram was deeply displeased with Subaru's disapproval of Roswaal's attire. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"I really can't say anything bad about that guy—dodge!"

Garfiel said while dodging, as if avoiding an ear pinch.

"Who is 'that guy'? Just Garf."

"Well, it's fine—after all, everyone—says that."

"Garf, hurry up and thank Lord Roswaal for his magnanimity."

Ram snorted, looking at the dodging Garfiel and Roswaal, and gave up on the idea of chasing after him to pinch his ear.

"But Subaru-kun's tailoring skills are really good, it's one of Subaru-kun's countless merits... um."

Rem introduced Subaru's strengths to everyone and then regretted it a bit, covering her mouth.

After all, Subaru-kun is so charming, I can't keep saying things like that; other women will fall in love with Subaru-kun.

"Not only that, but his job is tailoring... no, not just that, but also designing clothes."

Natsuki Rem said.

Natsuki Rem recalled Subaru from the world to which she belonged.

"In simple terms, he's a fashion designer, probably using modern knowledge. But I didn't expect that brother to be good at this."

Al said softly.

【【 "Since you're useless on the inside, you should at least be neat on the outside, otherwise, you're completely worthless. Anyway, put off shortening the pants for now, and fix the jacket first. Rem, come here."

"You say, come here... It's not like she'll come whenever you call."

"Did you call me, Big Sister?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

Rem immediately appeared. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Wow, is this Cao Cao?"

Al couldn't help but comment.

"Rem here is probably..."

Rem said softly.

Although Ram in the image explained it as Rem, she just happened to be there, so she came when called. But Rem showed an uneasy expression.

She felt that she was actually secretly monitoring Subaru.

Hurry up and fall in love with the infinitely charming Subaru-kun. What a woman with no taste.

【【 "I want to see it all now, but I also want to wait until she puts it on..."

"What are you muttering about? Please go inside."

In the image, Rem was going to fix the clothes for Subaru, so she took Subaru to the dressing room, where she saw many clothes.

After Rem urged him on, Subaru quickly walked in.

"Please stand there straight, raise your hands to shoulder level."

"Okay, okay, I understand. I'm counting on you."

"—Eep."

"Please don't make strange noises, Subaru. It's annoying."

When measuring his size, Rem's breath made Subaru cry out. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Saying it's annoying, Subaru-kun's cry just now was so cute!"

And don't be so mean to Subaru-kun.

Rem thought to herself, looking at herself being so mean to Subaru-kun.

"As expected, Boss is still a man. The meaning of 'also want to wait until she puts it on' just now is that he wants Emilia-sama to wear it, right?"

"I... I wouldn't look good in it."

Outside the screen, Emilia hurriedly responded to Garfiel's judgment.

"Lia, you need to have more confidence in yourself."

Puck said.

【【 "Speaking of which, you're all in maid outfits. Don't you have any other clothes?"

Then, in the image, Subaru noticed many kinds of clothes and asked Rem.

"When accompanying Lord Roswaal on official business, or when working at the mansion, it's fine to wear this uniform. From the perspective of showing identity, there's no need to explain when wearing this outfit, Rem thinks it's reasonable."

"I'm not talking about whether it's reasonable or not... I think beautiful girls have an obligation to dress up more beautifully and be pleasing to the eye." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Obligation? Sigh, what is Subaru saying?"

"I can't agree."

Julius sighed, and Reinhard expressed his disapproval.

"Hey, then why did you dress me up like that?"

Felt remembered the uncomfortable dresses she had been wearing since following Reinhard.

"I am very sorry for making you feel dissatisfied, Felt-sama. I will design a new set of clothes for you."

"Ah, I said that's not what I meant."

I don't know if Reinhard misinterpreted my meaning or what.

"It's obviously very cute."

Old Man Rom praised Felt after she was dressed up.

"Even Old Man Rom!"

Felt was helpless and had to continue looking at the screen—

【【 "Let's not talk about Big Sister, but even if Rem dresses up, no one will be happy."

"Anyway, I would be happy."

"Would making Subaru happy have any benefits?" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

That benefit is enough, right?

Rem thought to herself.

【【 "The life of a maid would be more motivated, and it might improve work efficiency. Aren't you pursuing rationality?"

In the image, Rem shows a surprised expression in the face of Subaru's "rational" explanation. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Oh, our ice queen finally has other expressions."

Al teased Rem in the image.

【【 "Rem doesn't understand, what exactly made Subaru say that."

"Even if the hairstyle and uniform are the same, the difference in personality will show in the choice of clothes, I'm looking forward to that.

Although you're very suitable for wearing maid outfits, the twin attribute also matches this outfit very well." 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"It seems that Boss wants Rem to show more of her personality."

"But... I have a bad feeling... according to what Natsuki-san described about Rem-san, Rem-san didn't at this time... no, she was suppressing her personality, so Natsuki-san's words..."

【【 "...It's none of your business. What's wrong with Rem being the same as Big Sister?"

Everyone discovered that Rem showed the coldest expression so far. 】】

Chapter Text

【【 "...It's none of your business. What's wrong with Rem being like Sister?" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Haaah... as expected, that nagging feeling in my gut was spot-on."

Otto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with a worried frown as his gaze lingered on the unnervingly cold face of Rem.

"This sister of Ram's is a bit different from what the boss described. How should I put it, meticulous, and doesn't want to change? This meticulousness might not have anything to do with me, but not wanting change..."

Garfiel grumbled, arms crossed in a clear sign of displeasure.

"Tch. Favorability's plummeted, hasn't it?"

Al crossed his arms in an X.

"Ram remembers that Barusu said... Rem used to be closed off."

Ram said with a slightly pained expression.

"Hmm? Rem?"

Emilia noticed the abnormality in Rem—

Rem's eyes were filled with tears, her body leaned forward and trembled slightly, her mouth was tightly closed, she clenched her left fist, and slammed her right hand on the armrest of the chair.

Thump!

"That woman is too much! Rem... wants to punch her! She's so close to Subaru-kun and doesn't appreciate or cherish it!"

It's normal for Subaru to step on a girl's landmine and get a cold face, but it seems Rem just can't accept that the girl is herself, and can't rationally restrain herself.

【【 "Ouch!"In the scene, Rem finished measuring Subaru's body, Ram finished introducing the mansion to Subaru, and Subaru began the work of peeling vegetables. 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ah, he cut himself! We need to treat it quickly."

Emilia said this because Subaru accidentally cut himself while peeling potatoes due to his inexperience.

Natsuki Rem also watched with great heartache,

"Hmm... In Ram's memory, Barusu's peeling technique was terrible, but not this terrible. This is Barusu's original state. Has he never peeled before?"

Ram watched the minor injury with a visible pang of sympathy.

"Perhaps Subaru's original world lacks such root vegetables that require this tedious process, I suppose. Though whether his world even possesses vegetables at all is questionable, in fact."

Beatrice, her arms crossed, mused aloud,

"Or perhapsthe shops in Subaru-kun's world sell these vegetables already prepared?""

Rem put her finger to her lips, tilting her head and guessing.

"Their attempts to understand are rather fascinating to witness."

Al, leaning against a soft fabric chair with a wry smile, observed their speculation with amusement.

【【 In the scene, Ram looked at the bleeding Subaru, narrowed her eyes, and said:

"You haven't reflected at all. Barusu, don't you know what improvement is?"

"But, senpai, I've never touched utensils other than chopsticks before. And it's fine for me, but even you are responsible for peeling, what's that about, don't you have the dignity of an older sister?"

Subaru responded.

"Ram will use her strengths and take on the work she's good at. But now is not the time for Ram to take action."

"I heard before that your ability in your area of expertise is also inferior to hers, right?"

"Are Sister and Subaru ready?"

Rem had already perfectly prepared the food with amazing speed, then looked at Ram and Subaru, who were slowly peeling:

"As expected of Sister, even the way she peels is a beautiful sight."

"You're being so openly biased! Please evaluate my work performance, too!"

"...Looking at the way you peel, I feel sorry for the vegetable farmers."

"Don't say that, you'll hurt my feelings!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Sister's peeling is indeed a beautiful sight, but Subaru-kun's efforts are even more picturesque."

The Rem outside the screen praised Subaru while acknowledging her sister's elegant peeling.

"Oh, is that little Rem? It seems she'll be an excellent wife in the future, nya."

Felix was surprised by Rem's perfect cooking, looked at Natsuki Rem, and then at Rem, praising her.

Natsuki Rem lowered her head, seemingly thinking,

"I'm still far from enough."

"No, no."

"Hmm~..."

On the other side, Roswaal gently closed his eyes, recalling the days when only Ram was in the entire mansion in his flawed memory, and then sighed slightly.

"Although I heard it from the boss, it's still surprising after seeing it. If the boss is clumsy, Ram is skilled, then Rem is perfect."

Garfiel was also very surprised by the presented scene.

"I really want to eat the food made by Rem-san."

Otto said.

"Um... if there's a chance, Rem can make a meal for everyone."

"And Rem can too."

Natsuki Rem also joined in.

Rem and Natsuki Rem said this to everyone in Emilia's camp.

"Although Rem doesn't have a deep impression of you, she has heard everyone talk about your outstanding contributions, so this is a thank you."

Rem said this to Otto.

"Thank you very much, Rem-san, I will look forward to it."

Otto replied with a smile.

"Ah, it seems that with Ram's guidance, the idiot Barusu has learned, too."

【【 After Ram's tip of "fix the knife, rotate the potato," Subaru began to peel potatoes decently.

Then, everyone noticed Rem, who was silently watching Subaru. "If you stare at me so passionately, I'll be embarrassed... uh, what's wrong?" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"I've had a premonition for a while..."

Julius said, making eye contact with Wilhelm, silently nodding to each other.

"Rem-san is secretly observing Subaru-dono."

Wilhelm said he and Julius shared a judgment.

——

No one around objected.

"Umm..."

The two Rems lowered their eyelashes, they also knew this, they were indeed watching Subaru-kun like that at the time.

They could only hope that Subaru would dispel his vigilance later; at least Subaru's loops were not caused by them.

【【 "...It must be Barusu's ugly appearance that's too eye-catching. Especially his hair, it's so tasteless."

In the scene, Rem wanted to explain something, but was interrupted by Ram.

"I think this hairstyle is quite nice, though."

"At least it's not suitable for a servant. Isn't that right, Rem?"

"...Ah, yes. Yes, it's indeed a little bit, slightly, somewhat concerning."

"It seems you care a lot, I'm so sorry!" 】】

......

~Inside of the Theater~

"Ram-san glossed over it."

Anastasia said.

"But, the boss said he cut it himself. Did the boss really do this hair himself?"

"Then I really can't imagine how Natsuki-san did it, haha."

Although Ram in the scene was more likely to be glossing over it, it did remind everyone of Subaru's strange hairstyle.

"Barusu even said it looked pretty good."

Most people here have a relatively low opinion of Subaru's hairstyle.

It seems they've found a common topic, they could probably have a fun Subaru hairstyle roast session.

Of course, provided Rem, Emilia, and Beatrice aren't present.

Chapter Text

【【 "Rem, if you don't mind, could you help Subaru trim his hair?"

"Whoa, having a girl mess with my hair, I'll get nervous and my hands will tremble."

On the screen, Ram followed up, asking Rem to cut Subaru's hair.

"Sister?"

Rem seemed puzzled.

"...Rem is concerned about Subaru's hair, that's why she's looking at him, right?"

"...Yes, that's right. I feel like if it's combed and the ends are trimmed, it'll look better." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"This is... to prevent Subaru from suspecting, so Ram chose to say it outright and have Rem cut his hair."

Outside the screen, Julius rested his hand on his chin, saying this.

"Looks like it, after all, Rem in the picture seemed confused. If it was really because Natsuki-san's hairstyle that she was paying attention to him, then Rem shouldn't be confused."

Otto responded.

"Haircut... promise..."

Rem said softly.

If that's the case, Rem must find a chance to give Subaru-kun a haircut, to fulfill the promise from that ended world.

She nodded, and once again looked at the screen with her blue eyes—

【【 "I'm exhausted—ah!" Then the scene suddenly and without warning switched to the evening, with Subaru lying in his private room. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Hey, what's going on? You bring us to this weird place, and you don't let us see everything? Don't tell me, boss, suddenly fainted just now!"

"Maybe we can guess that Natsuki finished his work for the day and returned to his room?"

Anastasia guessed.

"Hey, give us an explanation, it's annoying."

Garfiel was very dissatisfied with this.

Without a word, they dragged us here, and they don't let us see all the scenes.

"We could have admired Subaru-kun's hardworking figure."

Rem also felt it was a pity.

But they were helpless and could only continue to look at the screen—

【【 "Well, if it's too luxurious, it'll make people feel suffocated, so living in this kind of room is fine." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah, I can relate to that."

Felt recalled the oppressive feeling she had in the Sword Saint's mansion.

"It's better to be casual, right? Being too formal and luxurious would make this great make me uncomfortable."

"You get it, kid."

Felt showed her canine teeth, looking at Garfiel appreciatively.

"Same here."

Garfiel smiled, revealing even more exaggerated teeth.

He didn't dislike this woman.

【【 Then, the sound of knocking on the door in the scene once again attracted everyone's attention.

"I'm Rem. Subaru, are you free now?"

"Ah, yeah, yeah. I'm not doing anything weird, you can come in."

"That kind of statement makes it even harder to believe, excuse me."

In the scene, Rem opened the door holding clothes. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Oh, that's pretty fast, considering how busy she is with work. Natsuki-san is really lucky to have met such a perfect maid."

Otto's comment carried genuine admiration, though his tone held a hint of wistfulness.

"Oh no, no, Otto-san. For Subaru-kun, these are nothing, rather, it's Rem's good fortune to have met Subaru-kun."

"Otto-san, someone as excellent as you can easily find true love, too."

Rem and Natsuki Rem said to Otto one after another.

"Ah, haha, is that so? Although I don't think so."

Otto shook his head and smiled wryly, two figures appearing in his mind, one was the little cat who made him heartbroken.

I wonder if my brother can grasp such a good girl... haha...

【【 "Well, although I'm unwilling, it's been altered perfectly. The arms can rotate freely... How is it, does it fit?"

In the scene, Subaru didn't take off his gray-green tracksuit before trying on the clothes Rem had altered, but put them on directly.

"Adding that strange and rare gray outfit, if there was a strange costume contest, no one could beat you."

Rem responded.

"Very well, you didn't praise me. But I do have that much self-awareness!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah, right, now that you mention it, not only the hairstyle, but the kid's gray-green clothes are also strange, especially with the servant's uniform over these strange gray-green clothes."

Felt blurted out, pointing at the screen with her trademark bluntness.

The observation made several attendees reevaluate Subaru's outfit. While they'd grown accustomed to his strange attire, seeing it again highlighted just how out of place it looked in their world.

"Hmm... I wouldn't call it ugly, but... how should I put this? It's certainly... unique,"

Anastasia remarked, her merchant's eye analyzing the fabric with mild bewilderment.

Nods of agreement spread through the theater. Most shared the sentiment—not offensive to the eye, but undeniably peculiar by their standards.

"Well, naturally, clothing from Natsuki-san's world would seem unusual here, But conversely, if we were to visit his world, wouldn't we appear just as strangely dressed?"

Otto mused.

"Pfft—nah, we'd probably get mistaken for cosplayers, Though with this crew's looks? We'd be swarmed at one of their comic conventions."

Al chimed in, rapping his helmet with a metallic clang.

【【 "So, what about the bottom?" The scene continued, and Rem asked Subaru about the pants. Although they fit better than the top, they were still quite long.

"The bottom... Ah, you mean the pants? Crap, I forgot. If I had a needle and thread, I could fix it myself."

"Rem has a needle and thread, should I alter them for you now?"

"Alright, give me the needle and thread. I'll use my sewing skills to make you look at me with new eyes."

"You struggled to peel a skin when preparing lunch today, are you asking me to expect someone like that to be skilled?" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah... i-it seems the Subaru in the scene has misunderstood something."

Natsuki Rem's cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled those flustered yet precious memories—moments filled with both warmth and shyness.

Natsuki Rem's cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled those flustered yet precious memories—moments filled with both warmth and shyness.

Anastasia leaned forward, her merchant's curiosity fully ignited, a playful glint in her sharp eyes.

"Hmph! Then prepare to be amazed, in fact! Betty's contractor possesses needlework worthy of admiration!"

Beatrice crossed her arms, her small frame practically radiating pride. Having witnessed Subaru's meticulous stitches countless times—whether mending her dresses or patching up his own ridiculous tracksuit—she spoke with absolute confidence.

【【 "Hehe, you can only underestimate me at this moment, you'll be surprised later."

In the scene, Subaru confidently picked up the needle and thread Rem handed him and quickly altered the pants.

"...I was startled, you're really skilled." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Hoh~ Not bad at all."

Anastasia's lips curled into an approving smirk, her merchant's eye recognizing genuine skill when she saw it.

"Tch. Of course he's got talent—ya think Rem-nee would praise just anybody? Boss is the absolute coolest!"

Garfiel practically vibrated with pride, his sharp grin widening as he watched Rem's stunned expression on screen.

His boss wasn't just strong—he could sew? Now that was what Garf called a real man!

【【 In the scene, Subaru showed off his results, and Rem looked at Subaru, stammering:

"That... Subaru. About what happened at noon..." 】】

Chapter Text

【【 "Um... Subaru. About what happened at noon..."

"Huh, noon? What... what happened at noon?"

"Ah... never mind, it's okay if you don't remember." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Eh? Did Subaru-kun forget?"

Watching from outside the screen, Rem knows she's referring to the haircut.

"Master Subaru does keep his promises, doesn't he?"

"Indeed. It seems Subaru took the haircut promise at noon as a joke."

Puck said, sitting on Emilia's right shoulder.

【【 "Are you talking about the hair thing? I thought that was just an impromptu joke. You want to cut it for me?"

Looks like Puck was right.

"No, Rem just thought it would be meddling if I brought it up myself. Even though we're colleagues, Subaru is Emilia-sama's benefactor, and his status is different."

"You're being so humble, I don't even know how to respond. Is that really what you think?" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"What Natsuki-san said, 'Is that really what you think?' is probably about Rem-san's phrase 'status is different.' Natsuki-san probably wants to be treated as a colleague more. But it's understandable, Natsuki-san himself is suspicious, and he's also the great benefactor who saved Emilia-sama; these reasons make it hard for Rem-san to truly treat Natsuki-san as a colleague."

Otto analyzes.

【【 "It seems my position is indeed awkward, I'm not self-aware enough. Sorry, I've troubled you."

Subaru, on the screen, realizes his special status and apologizes.

"No, it's Rem who said too much. Please forget it."

"Not giving up easily is what makes humans difficult to deal with. So, I'll make a deal. If you agree, I'll forget what just happened." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Faced with what Rem-san considers a slip of the tongue, Natsuki is going to make a deal. But based on Natsuki's personality—"

【【 "If you can help me trim my hair neatly and comb it, I'll forget what just happened."

"..."

"It's kind of awkward when you choose to be silent." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"As expected, I'm not surprised at all."

Al muttered.

The others were slightly surprised, but then they thought it was reasonable if it was Subaru, so they didn't say anything.

"But... Subaru-kun can ask Rem for more things."

Rem said.

And Natsuki Rem nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

【【 In the screen, facing Subaru's small condition, Rem breathed a sigh of relief:

"Emilia-sama also said that Subaru is a person without desires."

"That's strange. Shouldn't someone like me, who's putting on a show, leave people dumbfounded, or even make them fall for me..."

"Sister said that Subaru's eyes are very lewd when they're alone, so Rem was actually prepared for that kind of proposal."

"That's such excessive slander!"

Rem bowed:

"The condition has been noted—Rem agrees to Subaru's request." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah, it seems the two are getting closer?"

"It seems so, Rem-san is even making sarcastic jokes. The atmosphere between them isn't as awkward anymore."

Otto responded to Felt.

"Increasing affection."

Al watched like he was watching a story, then made an "〇" with his hand.

【【 Afterwards, on the screen, since it was late, Rem was about to leave and asked Subaru if he could wake up on time.

"To be honest, I'm not confident. I can wake up with an alarm clock, but I guess there aren't such convenient tools here. Do you have animals like chickens that crow in the morning here?"

"...That seems difficult. Then let Rem or Sister wake you up tomorrow morning."

"Really? But, I feel bad about using my seniors as alarm clocks..."

"Rem will also have a headache if you sleep until evening."

"How much do you think I like to sleep?!"

"At least a whole day, probably."

Rem left the room. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"They're getting closer."

Rem felt a little relieved, they were teasing each other like friends.

"And Ram just substituted herself in, even though Barusu is suspicious, she can probably eliminate the suspicion."

Subaru gained trust and got closer.

Even though this means Rem probably didn't kill Subaru-kun, but...

"That magical beast..."

Rem raised her heart again.

【【 "Not bad, not bad. No problem, I can do it. It's said that your handsomeness increases by fifty percent when you look in the mirror right after a shower. I feel like that's really happening now." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Huh? Why did it skip again?"

Next should be Subaru sleeping and then welcoming the next day's work, but the screen suddenly jumped again, not knowing where it jumped to.

"It looks like the garden at night."

Frederica said.

"Ah, it's me."

Emilia said.

【【 In the screen, the moon was high, and Subaru walked to Emilia's side:

"Oh my, what a coincidence to meet you in a place like this."

"You interrupt my routine every day, and you still say it's a coincidence... We live under the same roof."

Subaru began to look flustered. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Subaru-dono."

Wilhelm immediately realized what Subaru was going to do, but seeing his clumsy appearance, he remembered himself when he was young.

"My, my~ Emilia-sama is quite the oblivious one, isn't she?"

Anastasia's fox-like smile widened, her fingers tapping playfully against her chin. The merchant princess found the whole situation endlessly amusing—watching the half-elf completely miss Subaru's painfully obvious efforts was comedy gold.

Ram clicked her tongue.

"How typical of Barusu to be this transparent."

"Sister!"

Rem protested, though her cheeks were slightly pink—she couldn't help but find Subaru's awkwardness endearing.

【【 The two chatted like this, one word from you, one word from me, and they talked about work.

"I only got an 'S' rating when I shortened my pants and sewed the apron button, the others were all 'C'."

Subaru said.

"You really only do some things well."

"Because I've been taught this way since I was a child, rather than being a useless person who's good at nothing, it's better to be someone who's good at some things."

"I see, that's great. Subaru also has advantages that it can be confident in. And you're not afraid of difficulties when you do other work, and you continue to work hard, isn't that amazing? Ram and Rem have also secretly praised you."

"Really? My seniors actually praised me in front of you in secret; that's admirable. Even if I cut my hand with a knife, knock over the bucket, and mess up the laundry, these things will accumulate goodwill!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"It seems this is at least one day later. But... so many messed up things, really a useless Barusu. But, it seems the relationship has really gotten a lot closer."

Ram looked at the screen, then looked at the relieved Rem, and finally looked at the screen again—

【【 "You better reflect on these things. But you must be very tired every day, right?"

Emilia, on the screen, said that she should reflect on these mistakes.

"Super, extremely, really tired. I really want to borrow Emilia-tan's lap to heal myself."

"Okay, okay. You're still in the mood to joke, it seems I don't need to worry."

Emilia gently poked Subaru's forehead with her finger. Subaru fell down and looked at the moon—

"The moon is beautiful."

"Because it's out of reach."

"Although I didn't mean to say that, your answer hurts my heart!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"M-Moon... moon... moon...?"

Rem repeated the word softly, her fingers pressed to her lips as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning.

"Moon (tsuki)... as in 'like' (suki), perhaps?"

Anastasia's sharp merchant instincts immediately picked up on the wordplay, her lips curling into a knowing smirk.

"Ah—moon... like...!"

Rem's eyes widened in realization, her cheeks instantly blooming pink.

"Tch. Where did Barusu learn such cheap tricks? What a playboy."

Ram crossed her arms, though even she looked mildly impressed by the cleverness of it.

"Whoa! I knew Master had game! It's not that he can't flirt—it's just that Emilia-sama's denser than a brick!"

"I-Is... is that really what it means...?"

Natsuki Rem's fingers fidgeted slightly, her expression caught between flustered and conflicted. Even knowing this wasn't her Subaru, the implication made her chest tighten.

"This..."

Wilhelm was also quite surprised.

"Why didn't I think of something like that back then? If I'd said that to Theresia..."

But even if he had, he likely wouldn't have had the courage to voice it. The thought made him chuckle ruefully.

Wilhelm smiled bitterly.

"So this is how Little Bro charmed ya, huh?"

Al elbowed the air playfully.

"No! In fact! Subaru only acts this way toward Emilia!"

Beatrice hurriedly clarified.

"Subaru... told me his feelings that early?"

Emilia's breath caught. She remembered his confession in the Sanctuary—but she hadn't realized he'd hinted at it this soon, even if indirectly.

The only one who didn't seem particularly shocked was Al, who just leaned back with an amused snort.

"Classic Little Bro."

【【 And the screen continued. Subaru accidentally showed the wound on his hand with a band-aid on it. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"A wound?!"

Rem had an ominous premonition.

【【 "Speaking of which... I know you're working hard, but how do you get so many scars on your hands?"

Emilia asked Subaru worriedly.

"Oh, oh, it's simple. Just tonight, when I went with Rem to the village near the mansion to buy things, there was a small animal like a dog playing with the animals, and it bit me hard." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"That magical beast!"

The two Rems shouted at the same time.

That is to say... Subaru-kun/Darling will die because of this.

"Ah... um."

Emilia, Ram, and the others also suddenly realized.

Chapter Text

~Inside, the Theater~

"That magic beast!"

Two Rems shouted angrily at the same time.

"I've heard everyone talk about the magic beast attacking the village. Although I had doubts before, I can now confirm it. Natsuki-san was killed by the magic beast's curse in this loop."

Otto said.

"Then, in this Loop, the villagers of this village..."

Reinhardt lowered his eyelashes.

"Interesting. I'll see how he breaks this situation."

After finishing speaking, Priscilla put down her right leg from her left leg and switched legs.

【【 "I should go back to my room soon. What about Subaru?"

Emilia, in the picture, asked Subaru.

"I have to sleep with Emilia-tan, so I'm going back too."

"Say that after you've finished your current work."

"How dare you say that? Then, just you wait and see. My legend as a handyman is about to begin!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Lil bro doesn't know that death is right in front of him, and he's still joking around."

Al said, crossing his arms.

【【 "Oh, right, tomorrow, let's go take revenge on the kids in the village... no, let's go on a loving date... no, how about we go see that cute little animal?"

Subaru raised a finger to Emilia, looking at her as he spoke.

"Why do you keep changing your words? And, um, I... I don't mind going with Subaru, and I'm also curious about that little animal."

"Then, let's go!"

"But if I go with you, it might cause trouble for Subaru..."

"Okay, I understand. Let's go!"

"...Were you even listening to me?"

"Yes! How could I miss a single word from Emilia-tan!"

"I hate Subaru the most."

"Ah--ah--what's going on?! Suddenly, I can't hear--any--thing--"

Emilia, in the picture, was amused by Subaru's exaggerated appearance. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

But Emilia, outside the picture, wasn't so happy.

I was worried that I would cause trouble for Subaru because of my appearance, after all, I still felt self-conscious about this appearance at that time...

No, that's not the point. The point is that promise.

"I remember that after that incident, Subaru and I would sometimes go to Arlam Village..."

Subaru remembered the promise and fulfilled it.

And I forgot the promise.

Even though I know I don't remember at all, even though I know that this scene never happened in the world I'm in...

But it's hard.

I clearly value promises so much.

"Subaru..."

Emilia was in pain because of this.

"Subaru-kun."

Come to think of it, although Rem was Subaru-kun's first date, Emilia-sama was Subaru-kun's first invitation...

No, how could Rem think like that? Rem should be thinking about Subaru-kun's loops.

"...Um."

Ram was thinking about something, and then she spoke:

"However, it seems that the starting point of the loop has changed to the first day at the mansion. After all, this time, the memory was different there. Afterwards, we can use this method to determine where the starting point is."

... ...

"It's Betty."

Beatrice looked at the screen--

【【 "Hey, little girl loli, have you been sleeping obediently? If you sleep too late, your growth hormones will be secreted less, turning you into a little adult."

"...He actually saw through the 'Door Crossing' so naturally."

Subaru guessed the door correctly and arrived at Beatrice's Forbidden Library. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Yeah, Beatrice, is she--"

"Unfortunately, Lia, once a curse is activated, it's almost impossible to save someone."

Puck shook his head.

"But... but the curse hasn't been activated yet, right?"

"Um... I think it's already starting to activate."

"Why?"

"Because I believe in Betty."

"Eh?"

Emilia was puzzled by this, and Puck pointed to the screen--

【【 "What do you want from Betty?"

Beatrice glared at Subaru and asked.

"No, nothing. I'm just going to sleep, so I wanted to say hello. I was going to give up if I couldn't find you after opening three doors, but I found you on the first try." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Speaking of which... why can Natsuki Subaru always guess Beatrice-sama's 'Door Crossing'?"

Crusch was a little curious.

"Because Subaru and Betty are both 'Yin' attributes."

Beatrice responded softly, her attention all on the screen.

【【 "Just how sharp is your intuition..."

In the picture, Beatrice tugged at her twintails as she complained.

"Can I play with your hair like that?"

"Only Onii-chan can touch Betty... Enough, just get out of here."

"It's too unfair for Puck to monopolize you. But whatever, I'm in a good mood right now, so I'll forgive you."

Subaru turned to leave, and Beatrice in the picture said softly:

"...It has nothing to do with Betty."

Closing the door, Subaru seemed to hear Beatrice's lonely mutter, so he opened the door again, but the result was just an ordinary guest room, and opening it again was the same. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Do you see, Lia? Betty wouldn't stand by and watch someone die. Since she didn't save him, that means--"

"The curse has already been activated..."

Beatrice said bitterly.

What did I do in those skipped days? If I had noticed earlier...

"That's right. If he could still be saved, Betty would definitely find some excuse, like owing him a favor, to help Subaru undo it, but now it's too late. Now, Betty isn't saying anything, so that Subaru can die in ignorance, without panic, and without pain, although that's a bit of a disservice."

Puck added.

"Ah, it's Rem."

Ram noticed Rem in the picture and said.

【【 "What are you doing? Are you checking if the door is closed tightly?"

Rem in the picture saw Subaru opening and closing the door repeatedly and couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, yeah, I've been hearing creaking noises in the hallway these past few nights. I was wondering if it was because of that... Ah, it's Rem."

"Is there something on your mind?"

"No, the little girl Loli's Forbidden Library was just here, but now it's disappeared."

"Do you need something from Beatrice-sama? You can tell Rem if you want."

"I was just going to say hello before going to sleep. It's nothing... special. But you're still working, Rem. You have to get up early tomorrow, so you should go to sleep soon."

"I just finished delivering tea to Roswaal-sama and Nee-sama. I'll rest after I clean up the dishes."

"What are those two doing so late... Oh, oh, never mind."

After that, Rem stared at Subaru's hair. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"She's completely eliminated her suspicions."

Ram said, looking at Rem's reaction in the picture.

"If she still suspected Subaru, Rem-san would be secretly observing Subaru from the side. And just now, she was only looking at Subaru's hair from the perspective of the promise, not staring at Subaru's expression and actions with suspicion."

Julius agreed with Ram's words.

"But Barusu is really, what is he saying?"

Ram blushed at Subaru's "What are those two doing so late?".

"But because of that... but because of that..."

Rem bit her lip, looking at the two who were getting closer.

【【 In the picture, Subaru also noticed Rem's gaze and said:

"I can't find a chance to fulfill the promise at the same time. You seem to care about it too, Rem."

"...No, Rem doesn't 'care' that much... not at all."

"I feel like you care a lot, which makes me feel even more guilty!"

"If you want, how about cutting it now?"

"Cut it now... You mean start cutting it now? But it's already so late."

"Trimming the ends and washing it quickly won't take much time. Because if you don't cut it soon, Subaru will only talk the talk and won't let Rem fulfill her long-cherished wish."

"You're even calling it a long-cherished wish! Um... but sorry, Rem, I have a date with Emilia tomorrow. I need to get up early as soon as possible and finish my work quickly, so staying up late would be a bit..."

"I, is that so... It's okay. It's Rem's fault for making an unreasonable request. I'm sorry."

"Ah... so, how about tomorrow night?"

"...Night, is it? I understand. Then, tomorrow night it is. This time, it's really a promise."

"I don't know what's stimulating you so much, but this time it's really a promise, it's tomorrow night."

The two made a promise, and Rem bowed and left.

"When I go to the village on the date tomorrow, I have to find some reason to send those kids away. Right, before that, I have to investigate if there's a place with a beautiful view or a flower field."

Subaru muttered to himself as he lay down on the bed. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Because of that."

Rem outside the picture bit her lip even harder.

After Subaru-kun dies, everything will start over, and the bond that Subaru-kun has built with everyone...

It will be broken.

Then, the screen gradually darkened...

【【 "That's right, Natsuki Subaru--today, will be the moment of breakthrough!"

Natsuki Subaru woke up in the luxurious bed from the beginning. 】】

Chapter Text

【【 "That's right, Natsuki Subaru—today will be a moment of great leap forward!"

"..."

Rem and Ram in the scene looked at Subaru in surprise.

"What the heck! So you guys were here! How embarrassing, so embarrassing! If you were here, you should have woken me up! Ah!"

Subaru buried his head in the quilt in embarrassment, his face flushed with shame.

Then Subaru noticed that the two's reactions were not right:

"Wait a minute, your reactions are hurtful. When you witness someone's sensitive side, there should be a little more...reaction, right?"

"Sister, sister, he seems to be greeting us intimately."

"Rem, Rem, he seems to be greeting us familiarly." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Reincarnated, huh?"

Anastasia said.

"Wow, compared to that, his eyes are really different. Just now, his eyes had a sense of closeness, but now they only have a sense of distance and politeness...and suspicion."

Al made two big crosses with his arms, as if to indicate that the two people's favorability had been reset to zero.

"But...how is Natsuki-san's reincarnation starting point determined?"

"At first it was the fruit stall, now it's the mansion..."

Wilhelm pondered, trying to find the common ground between the two starting points.

"Ah, Barusu is really..."

On the other side, even Ram, the delicate maid whose emotions are mainly expressed in her heart, looked a little sympathetic on her face.

"Rem..."

How much harm did Rem inflict on Subaru invisibly...Ah!

Just as she was about to immerse herself in pain, Rem suddenly realized that this scene was still different from the scene in her memory.

"Is it that magic beast again?!"

Bang!

Rem couldn't help but roar, clenched her right hand, and slammed it against the handrail with all her strength again.

Was it that magic beast that killed him again this time?!

Natsuki Rem also gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, thinking so.

"And...and..."

Rem clearly remembered that the witch's scent on Subaru-kun's body would occasionally intensify in an instant, and in her memory, this moment was also when the scent intensified.

Could it be...every time Subaru-kun restarts, the scent will intensify? Then Rem's trust in Subaru-kun...

【【 The screen would not stop playing because of Rem's wails and thoughts.

"Huh? I feel so weird. What's wrong, you two seniors? It's already strange enough to come and greet me in the morning, but if you've already rehearsed your lines, that's just too malicious."

Everyone could see that Natsuki Subaru had a strong, ominous premonition.

"Sister, sister. It seems the guest is still a little confused."

"Rem, Rem. It seems the guest's brain is broken."

Subaru pressed his chest as if in heartache:

"You two...haha, this joke is really not funny. These words..."

After that, Subaru discovered that the wound bitten by the dog-like creature had disappeared.

...Subaru buried his face in the quilt again—

"Why...did it go back?!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"But to be honest, being told by these sisters that it's because of a curse feels like a spoiler; it's a bit boring. Even though brother doesn't know, we already know."

Al said softly, he didn't dare let others, especially those sisters, hear him.

Because he also knew that saying this made it seem like he was treating Subaru's suffering as an interesting story, and it wouldn't be good if they heard it.

【【 "Guest, guest, you don't look well, are you alright?"

"Guest, guest, you look like you have a stomachache. Did you wet the bed?"

"...Sorry for worrying you...how should I say it, I just woke up, I'm just a little confused."

Although Subaru wanted to prove that he was fine, he still distanced himself from Rem and Ram physically.

"Guest, please don't move rashly, you still need to rest now."

"Guest, sudden movements are dangerous, you still need to rest peacefully."

But Subaru couldn't help it and quickly fled from here. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah, his former friend has become so indifferent. Subaru-san wants to show that he's fine, but he still can't take it."

Otto sighed and said.

"Brother, I originally thought you had better conditions than I, but now it seems...it's actually a different point of pain. If I'm purely in physical pain, then you're the one with...mental pain."

"Subaru-kun..."

"Subaru..."

Rem and Emilia remembered the scene in the picture, Subaru's expectation for that hard-to-reach "tomorrow".

Wanting to go on a date with Emilia, wanting Rem to cut his hair, and finding beautiful scenery during the date...

All disappeared.

"It might be disappointing, but wouldn't the boss doing this increase suspicion? In Ram and Rem's eyes, the boss's series of actions after waking up are very strange."

Garfiel's words made everyone realize one thing: now, in addition to the magic beast's curse, the suspicion of Rem, Ram, and others could also be fatal.

"Then...what should Subaru do..."

Julius whispered, then he asked and answered himself:

"Leave here, or find the cause of death."

【【 "If we play paper sumo, we might have an advantage. Haha."

Subaru, in the picture, opened a door while running and entered Beatrice's forbidden library, and he curled up in a corner, trembling and mocking himself.

"...Coming in without even knocking, you really are an unreasonable guy. Also, how did you see through the 'Door Crossing'...just now, and now too."

"Sorry. Just for a while, let me stay here. Please." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah, Natsuki-san is a bit... depressed."

Otto said.

"No, this is only temporary. I believe that the boss can..."

"Stand up again."

Garfiel and the two Rems reached a consensus, and the three said this sentence at the same time.

"But, since Betty in the picture said that, it seems to indicate that this reincarnation is Subaru's second time waking up in the mansion."

Beatrice said.

It's just a pity...At this time couldn't give comfort.

【【 And in the screen, Subaru also did this analysis, confirming that the save point was the second time he woke up in the mansion.

And he continued to analyze:

"Could it be that the conditions are different from last time? Before, I thought that I would go back when I died, but in fact, it would automatically go back after about a week. No, I didn't spend a week here; if I did, I would go back to the fruit store with the scarred boss.

But, if I really died, then why would I die? Everything was normal before going to bed. After falling asleep, there was no situation where I could feel 'death'." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"If it really goes back automatically, then it's really troublesome."

Otto said so.

If that were the case, it would mean that Subaru's past few days would be restarted forever, but the facts proved otherwise.

"It's understandable that Subaru thinks this way. After all, this time, Subaru's subjective feeling is that he feels nothing, no pain, and from Subaru's perspective, it's really hard to think about who killed Subaru."

Julius said.

【【 "In that case, maybe I didn't reach the clearance conditions, so I was forced to reincarnate...I've always been a casual player who gives up at the drop of a hat and directly looks for a walkthrough to clear the game..." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Player?"

"Clearance?"

Julius and Reinhard looked at each other. Julius showed a questioning expression, while Reinhard shook his head regretfully.

【【 "It's really boring and useless to talk about life and death with human standards. In the end, you even say some nonsense, the so-called 'not worth mentioning' is talking about this."

Beatrice on the screen was also confused by what Subaru said.

And Subaru stood up, facing the door.

"Are you leaving?"

"I have something I want to confirm. I'll be depressed later. Thank you."

... ...

"...I will take it back. Although I don't know who's playing tricks, I'm going to take it all back and make you cry. I'm already fascinated by her smile that night, don't underestimate my obsession."

Subaru seemed to want to replay everything that had happened before, walking and chatting with Emilia in the garden, and finally saying a word to encourage himself. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Rem's hero stood up."

Rem smiled.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26. The "Great Saint Sword"

【【 This time, Subaru chose the same route as before.

The same conversation, the same choice of male servant, the same work. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Why is Little Bro replaying everything exactly the same? Won't that lead to the same ending?"

Felt asked, puzzled.

"Perhaps he wants to stay up all night on the day of his death to find the culprit or the cause of death, or perhaps he has other plans, but the time for action hasn't arrived yet..."

Julius tried to understand Subaru's behavior and offered an analysis, then took a deep breath and continued:

"If it's the former, then this could mean... Subaru intends to exchange his life for information, he's going to sacrifice himself."

Although it's unknown if Subaru really thinks that way at this moment, Julius's idea is not without merit.

Because if Subaru could clearly recognize his own strength at this moment, he might not think he could defeat the culprit that night.

He wasn't aiming to defeat the culprit, but just to learn the truth about the culprit.

"If that's the case..."

Beatrice recalled the Subaru from the previous different world, who called himself "Pride," and couldn't help but feel fear.

"Of course, this is just speculation. Subaru may think the time hasn't come, so he's temporarily taking the same actions as last time."

Julius said this to comfort Beatrice, then thought of Subaru's words and actions on the day the King candidates gathered:

"Or... Subaru hasn't objectively recognized his strength yet."

"Ah, Subaru-kun!"

Rem blushed as she watched Subaru soaking in the bath.

【【 "I don't know why, but this is completely different from last time. It's like preparing a cheat sheet, but when you look at the exam paper, you realize the subject is wrong, it feels like a waste of effort... What exactly am I redoing this for? Although it's still chores, the difficulty is completely incomparable to last time.

Last time I was exhausted, this time it's also very difficult... Damn it, I thought it would be easier if the work content was the same."

Subaru soaked in the huge bathtub. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ah, this... Should we ladies excuse ourselves?"

Anastasia said half-seriously, half-jokingly.

"Yes, please excuse yourselves. Gentlemen, too."

Rem responded to Anastasia's half-joke very seriously.

"Subaru's body is quite sturdy, isn't it?"

Felix looked at Subaru, then at Rem, and smiled mischievously.

"Fe... Felix-sama!"

Rem was a little embarrassed by Felix's meaningful smile.

"But speaking of which, Natsuki-san's work difficulty has increased... It seems..."

"Because Barusu learned the work in the previous loop, he's not doing basic chores this time, but an advanced version. However, the degree of suspicion is also..."

"It seems so. In the previous loop, Natsuki-san gave the impression of being poor, so poor that no one would think such a person would pose a threat to the mansion or Emilia's camp. But this time he's not that bad, and he's also familiar with the layout of the mansion, and understands the schedule... Too suspicious."

"It's very suspicious. I don't deny Barusu's tragic experience, but this is too stupid. he could have realized he was suspicious from the beginning, why did he forget now? And he was planning to replicate the last time, he should have stuck to it..."

Otto and Ram said back and forth.

"Not only that, but also the scent..."

Rem said softly.

【【 "Especially this time, I don't even know the reason for the return... Since the difference is so big, I can't rely on memory alone, right?"

Subaru in the picture muttered to himself while soaking.

"...Hello, can I join you—in the bath?"

The "magnificent" Roswaal appeared. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Wow, how magnificent,"

Al remarked with a laugh, commenting on Roswaal's "Great Saint Sword."

"Ah... It appears we must excuse ourselves, ladies,"

Anastasia reiterated.

"Yes, please excuse yourselves. Gentlemen as well,"

Ram responded this time, repeating the sentiment.

Subaru, at least, was in the bath with bubbles obscuring the view, but Roswaal stood there unabashedly.

"I'm not—that—shy—so, everyone, please take a good look,"

Roswaal declared with playful laughter, showing no sign of embarrassment.

"What would Natsuki-san say if he were here..."

Otto muttered, rendered speechless.

"What's magnificent? Let Mimi see!"

Mimi exclaimed with curiosity. However, Garfiel and Anastasia swiftly covered her eyes, one shielding the left and the other the right.

The group demonstrated their vigilance, ensuring that scenes unsuitable for children were shielded from view, as Anastasia and Garfiel exemplified.

"Hey, Puck, why are you blocking my eyes again?"

Emilia protested, pouting at Puck's repeated intervention.

Apparently, the definition of "not suitable for children" also encompasses mental age.

【【 "I've booked this place, I refuse."

Subaru in the picture not only refused Roswaal's request, but also seemed to think his eyes were dirty.

"This is my bathhouse, it's my property—everything, of course, I can do—as I please."

"Then don't ask me. Just come in if it's just a small matter like taking a bath."

"Oh—my, you're really unforgiving. And you don't understand, this bathhouse is indeed my property..."

Then, to the bewilderment and shock of everyone outside the picture, Roswaal knelt on one knee and used his hand to lift Subaru's chin:

"As a servant, you could also be said to be my property—right?" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

At this moment, everyone outside the picture looked at Roswaal inside and outside the picture with strange eyes.

"Roswaal-sama..."

The two Rems puffed out their cheeks and said softly.

"There have been women among the many generations of Roswaal... I hadn't thought about such a boring thing before, but now it seems..."

Roswaal, who had been a woman, had already changed his sexual orientation from heterosexual to bisexual.

Beatrice dared not continue her inner speculation, but looked at Wilhelm and showed a hint of pity.

"This..."

Rem looked worriedly at Rem, who showed a "don't worry" expression.

"That guy finally got into the bath."

Garfiel saw Roswaal enter the bath, and lowered his hand with Anastasia and Puck.

【【 "So do you think you can get along—harmoniously with Rem and Ram? Those two have been working here for a long time, they should know how to treat their juniors—right?"Roswaal in the picture asked Subaru.

"I'm not very familiar with Rem yet, but I get along very well with Ram. On the contrary, I think Ram is a little too familiar. Not to mention senior or junior, that girl's attitude hasn't changed since I was a guest."

"It's noth—ing, Rem will make up for any shortcomings. The two sisters must help each other. From this point of view, those two are really—doing a good job."

"In my opinion, Rem is always smoothing things over, and Ram is a degraded version of her sister. But Rem says, 'Because Ram is the older sister, so Ram is more amazing,' that reckless attitude really scared me." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Ram just seems casual. Barusu really didn't see the suspicion hidden beneath the casualness. Speaking of..."

Because Ram is the older sister, Ram is more amazing.

This sentence made Ram very concerned.

How could she not want Rem to have a true self?

In this regard, I thank you, Barusu.

Ram smiled and continued to look at the screen—

Chapter Text

【【 "Continuing to talk will only invite trouble... Well then, I'll take my leave, senior. See you tomorrow."

In the scene, Subaru finished his bath, changed in the changing room, and walked out, encountering Ram. After a brief chat, Subaru intended to end the conversation.

"Barusu, what are you going to do next?"

Ram asked Subaru.

"Nothing, just go to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow, so that's a given, damn it. Senior, waking up early is the only thing that really sucks."

Then Ram nodded, closed her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and said:

"Then, Ram will go to your place later, wait for me in your room."

"...Huh?" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

Both Subaru inside and everyone outside the screen said "Huh".

"Uh... what is Miss Ram going to do?"

Otto looked at Ram outside the screen and asked.

"How lewd."

"I just asked what you were going to do, right?!"

Otto protested Ram's response.

"Honestly, Ram doesn't even know what she's going to do."

Ram said this.

"No wonder Subaru and the others misunderstood. After all, Miss Ram only said, 'Will go to your place, wait for me in your room', without specifying anything. I think Natsuki seems to have misunderstood too... I'm kind of looking forward to Natsuki's reaction."

【【 "So, this perfect bed is only for me to sleep peacefully, it won't have any other use!"

Subaru's reaction was to clean up the bed neatly after returning to his room.

"There's no special meaning, no special meaning. Mind like still water, mind like still water. Calm down, calm down. One Emilia-tan, two Emilia-tan, three Emilia-tan... It's heaven!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Sigh, idiot Barusu, what are you lewdly expecting there all alone. Although I don't know what Ram here wants to do, she will definitely disappoint Barusu's expectations."

"Telling himself there's no other meaning, but taking action to make the bed, Natsuki is indeed a man."

Anastasia teased.

"However, it's also possible that he's trying to distract himself. After Subaru finishes tidying up, he might also have the idea that he doesn't want such a clean bed to be ruined."

Julius tried to find a reasonable explanation for his friend.

【【 "Too noisy, Barusu. It's already night, be quiet."

Ram in the scene arrived, dissatisfied with Subaru's noise.

"Uwa!"

Subaru seemed to be startled... no, he was startled and jumped up, hitting the wall.

"I just told you to be quiet, and you're still making such a loud noise, you're hopeless."

Subaru shouted:

"What kind of personal rules are those! Listening to you makes me worry that I'll lose even basic common sense! Why exactly? What do you want to do to me?"

Ram snorted, sat on the desk, and said:

"What are you spacing out for. Barusu, come over here."

Ram beckoned to Subaru to come over.

"So, what difficult task are you going to give me this time?"

"What are you talking about? Ram is going to teach you how to read and write, so hurry up and sit down."

"This is the first time I've heard of this?!" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Haha, Subaru's reaction is really strong, still that little boy."

Puck outside the screen laughed, while remaining silent to Emilia's question of "why is Subaru's reaction so strong?".

"Literacy... oh."

Ram looked at her own actions on the screen and instantly understood what she wanted to do.

"He even hit the wall... If I encounter this situation in the future, I definitely won't be like the boss, but my heart will be calm!"

Garfiel said confidently.

"Darling is so cute, it's like..."

After learning that Ram was going to teach reading and writing, Rem put down her worries and remembered that first night, her darling's reaction was not as strong as on the screen, but it was quite similar, and she thought it was very cute.

"But this is really surprising... Ah, no, I forgot Natsuki is a foreigner, sorry."

Anastasia was surprised that Subaru was illiterate, but suddenly realized that it was normal for Subaru to be illiterate.

"I hadn't thought about this before, probably because the writing of our world is deeply ingrained in our hearts, and now I remember that Mr. Natsuki is illiterate."

Otto said.

Yes, in everyone's eyes, this is a matter of course, but Subaru, as a foreigner, may not find all the so-called "matters of course" so matter-of-course.

Ah, and also including the conversation between Subaru and Roswaal just now, he knew nothing about common sense concepts such as "Mana" and "Gate".

When Subaru and Roswaal were bathing together just now, they also talked about magic, and Roswaal also told Subaru some basic common sense, and Subaru also learned about his attribute "Yin" there.

"Ah, it reminds me of when I learned the writing of this world, it was really hard. Then let me look forward to Miss Ram... Ram-sensei's teaching ability."

Al crossed his arms with a melancholy expression, reminiscing about the past hardships.

【【 Subaru in the scene was confused, and Ram explained:

"Looking at your performance today, Barusu, I know you're illiterate. If you're illiterate, I can't let you go shopping, and I can't leave you notes, so I have to teach you. First, I'll give you a simple collection of children's fairy tales.

From now on, every night, Ram or Rem will accompany you to study together." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Every night, huh..."

Otto whispered.

He knew that this so-called every night was actually not many at all.

"Ah, what is the boss drawing?"

Garfiel curiously looked at the notebook on the screen—

【【 "Natsuki Subaru arrives... Good."

Taking out the notebook, Subaru wrote "Natsuki Subaru arrives" in Japanese.

"Now is not the time for you to draw and play. Because you have to get up early tomorrow, time is limited."

"No, this is the writing of my motherland... but you really can't understand it." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Hey hey, my mother tongue is not some kind of drawing.

Al was a little hurt.

"Ah... it looks a bit familiar, like our ancient writing."

Anastasia said with a smile.

"Ah, after all, your 'Hoxin' is a fellow countryman of Japan."

Al responded.

"Mr. Natsuki's homeland writing... I can't understand it."

Otto said something that was taken for granted.

In this way, the teaching officially began.

【【 And Subaru, who seemed to be thinking about things while learning, opened his mouth:

"To be honest, I don't think I'm very likable. In the future, I will cause you a lot of trouble, but I will try to be useful as soon as possible. Please take care of me."

Subaru said heartfelt words, but found that Ram didn't respond, and looked back at Ram...

Ram fell asleep. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Huh? Is this Ram's brain broken?"

Ram outside the screen was extremely surprised.

Chapter Text

【【 Meanwhile, Subaru stood in the middle of Arlam Village, covered in dirt.

"My physical strength hasn't changed, so I guess I've learned a little about how to keep my body from getting tired."

Subaru muttered to himself, and from his appearance, some viewers outside the screen guessed that he was waiting for someone.

"Subaru, sorry to keep you waiting. Are you alright?"Rem arrived, carrying shopping bags. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"What? Did they skip ahead? Oh well, I doubt Subaru would do anything to Ram."

Ram said.

Just now, after Subaru noticed Ram had fallen asleep, the scene suddenly switched to here.

"But, even though we now know that Natsuki-san isn't that kind of person, this is just from a God's-eye view. The Ram-san on the screen doesn't know that. Falling asleep in his private room when Natsuki-san is so suspicious, that's really..."

Otto scratched his face.

"Really, I don't know if the me in the screen had a screw loose. Even if that me was certain that Barusu wouldn't do anything to me, he could still have lewd fantasies about Ram."

Although based on Barusu's character and the fact that Barusu on the screen is still alive, she can confidently say that he didn't do anything, Ram still doesn't understand why she was so defenseless and fell asleep there.

"Speaking of which, why does little bro always make himself so dirty? I remember the first time I met little bro, he was covered in dirt. Although I know from that big cloth that little bro made himself dirty on purpose that time, this time it's not on purpose, and it looks even more pathetic."

Felt couldn't help but complain.

Because this Subaru is covered not only in dirt and dust, but also in snot and tears, it's not like last time, but it's even worse, since last time was on purpose, and this time it seems unintentional.

"But for Felt to say that, the sense of patheticness is even greater."

Old Man Rom said.

After all, Felt wasn't exactly a clean child before, but compared to Subaru's uncleanliness, it's like a small witch meeting a great one, making Felt unable to help but complain.

"Could it be... is this the first date that Subaru-kun was talking about?"

Rem curiously widened her eyes, wanting to know what the date that troubled her, the date that didn't exist in her memory, was like.

【【 "Oh, oh, I'm alright, I'm alright. Remrin, did you finish your shopping?"

The Subaru in the screen seemed to be waiting for Rem. After Rem arrived, Subaru replied like this.

"Yes, it went smoothly. Subaru is very popular with everyone.

"I don't know why, but I've always been popular with kids. Is it because of that? My irresistible maternal traits attract childlike innocence or something."

"It's because children, like animals, can size people up. They can instinctively tell whether or not they can bully someone."

"Isn't that a compliment?! But even so, just what is it about those kids' overly familiar attitude...? If they casually approached my cool aura, they might get hurt. Didn't they sense that?"

"One moment you're talking about maternal traits, the next you're pretending to be cool. Subaru, you're really busy all by yourself."

"Although 'all by yourself' sounds a little grating, I also feel like this way I won't be burdened by things and can live leisurely. Coming to buy things with Remrin is really nice. But speaking of which, those kids lack respect, so I don't like kids."

"Has Subaru shown the children anything that would make them respect him?" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Pfft."

Al couldn't help but laugh out loud, his shoulders shaking from laughter.

"I can't hold it in, they're just going back and forth, it's so funny. What is this? A two-person version of rakugo? Ah, no, it's more like the straight man and funny man, hahaha."

Al was a little regretful that the current Rem had lost her sharp-tongued attribute.

Actually, there were many times when his brother said something casually, and then Ram-san and Rem-san would sarcastically dig at him, and his brother's funny responses would really hit his funny bone, but he held it in, but this time Rem's three consecutive sharp-tongued remarks were really too much for him to bear.

"Ah—the first date..."

Both Rems didn't expect that their longed-for first date would be with the sharp-tongued Subaru-kun/Darling.

The filter shattered.

【【 Then, the Subaru and Rem in the screen started talking about learning to read and write.

"Speaking of which, how's Subaru's learning progress going?"

Rem asked Subaru.

"It's going well... Although I want to say that, things aren't that simple. No matter what, it takes time and patience to cultivate. Just like love!"

"Let's hope it doesn't wither midway."

"Remrin, your comment right now is making my love wither!"

Then Rem showed a smile. 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"It's strange, is this a successful attempt to gain goodwill and trust, or is all of this just a performance by Ram-san and Rem-san?"

Anastasia felt strange.

If it's a performance, then there's no need to perform to this extent, being so defenseless as to fall asleep, and without any flaws, the acting is too good; if it's not a performance, but Natsuki's performance in this loop, if you put yourself in the shoes of the two sisters, it's indeed relatively suspicious.

"No matter what, the cool lady's smile is still quite beautiful,"

Al said, then continued to look at the screen—

【【 "But, if he falls asleep on the bed during the teaching process, I'll lose motivation. I hope she doesn't do that."

Subaru complained about Ram sleeping in his room.

"Onee-sama probably did that on purpose to make Subaru work harder."

"What's with your blind worship of your sister? It's really extraordinary, it's almost like a demon's help."

"Like... a demon's help?" 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

"Like a demon's help?"

This time, the Rem in the screen and the Ram outside the screen were confused at the same time.

"Like a demon's help."

Both Rems heard that long-lost phrase that was enough to tug at their heartstrings, and couldn't help but tremble:

"So that's where that phrase first appeared."

【【 "It's the demon version of 'like a godsend'. Like a demon's help, doesn't it sound good?"

The Subaru on the screen explained.

"Do you like demons?"

"Probably like them more than gods. Because gods basically won't do anything for me, but I heard that if you talk to a demon about the future, it'll laugh with you." 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

The three Rems inside and outside the screen simultaneously bloomed with brilliant smiles—

Laughing and talking about the coming year with a demon, that's actually my dream.

Just like that phrase.

"Hmph, how foolish."

Ram crossed her arms, blew a puff of air at the hair hanging in front of her forehead, and showed a complex smile, but it was still easy to see that it was a positive smile.

I don't know if she was calling Subaru, Rem, or herself foolish, or all of them.

"Oh, Ram is being tsundere!"

Garfiel laughed loudly, pointing his finger at Ram.

Then Garfiel, who Ram thought was getting carried away, had his ear twisted by Ram again. This time, the force was greater than the previous two times.

Chapter Text

【【 "Then, let's have a match, destiny..."

Subaru and Rem's "date," which neither of them realized was a "date," came to an end. That night, Subaru once again asked Emilia for a date, and Emilia was confused by the word "date."

Subaru explained it as "a man and a woman going out together." According to this definition, Emilia pointed out that Subaru and Rem's outing at dusk also counted as a date, which startled Subaru, who hadn't realized he had been on a "date" with Rem. 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Rem doesn't want to concede this point to Lady Emilia."

Rem pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction with Subaru's "That doesn't count! Please don't count that!" in the scene.

If it really didn't count, then Lady Emilia would be his first date.

"However, even though Natsuki-san is looking forward to tomorrow's date..."

Otto then fell silent.

During Subaru and Rem's "date," the wounds from the Demonic Beast bite were revealed, and everyone had to accept the tragic fact that he would indeed be looping again.

【【 "With my heart beating so fast, how can anyone sleep?"

Subaru, in the scene, was sitting on his bed. 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Subaru isn't taking action even on the day he's destined to die; is he planning to sacrifice his life to find out the cause of his death?"

Julius said.

In this loop, Subaru was stiffly imitating the previous loop, except that this moment, he wasn't sleeping.

"That might be the case. He wants this loop to be the same as the last, so his cause of death remains unchanged. But even so, if he's going to throw away his life, then he shouldn't have made a promise with Lia..."

Puck was somewhat dissatisfied, making a promise and then dying arbitrarily, violating the agreement of that world.

【【 "Falling asleep now is no joke; it's not like playing online games..."

Subaru looked sleepy, rubbing his eyes. 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Subaru-kun is trembling!"

"Subaru is... trembling."

"Subaru?!"

Rem, Beatrice, and Emilia exclaimed simultaneously.

"If... if this is the cause of death, Subaru might..."

Julius thought that if this was the cause of death, Subaru might think he died of poisoning, which would deviate from the true cause and lead to more incorrect loops.

【【 "This is bad, this, could this be... Ugh!"

Subaru looked deeply troubled as he staggered out of the room.

"He-help..." 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Subaru! Open a door, just open a door!"

Beatrice shouted.

She believed she could welcome him, even if she couldn't save him, at least she could let him die peacefully.

"Subaru-kun is asking for help... please, Rem, that me... hear Subaru-kun's call!"

"Subaru... is he going to my room?"

Emilia noticed that Subaru was climbing the stairs step by step, struggling so much that even describing it as crawling was an understatement, and his destination was her room.

Was he seeking help from Emilia?

"At least... I can try not to let Subaru suffer so much..."

Emilia whispered.

。。。。

"Look!"

Wilhelm heard a sound and reacted immediately.

The sound of chains rang out.

"Ah... Garfiel! Block Rem's eyes and ears!"

Ram had a bad feeling and immediately stepped forward, burying Rem in her chest.

"Si-Sister... Sister, what is this?"

"Don't look, don't listen. Garfiel!"

"Alright, alright, you got it."

Garfiel activated his demi-human form, standing in front of Natsuki Rem, blocking her view with his massive body and covering her ears with his claws.

"Um, doing this is troubling, Rem. Please move."

Natsuki Rem was anxious to know what had happened to her husband.

She began to struggle against Garfiel's claws.

This strength is significantly greater than Ram's in her normal state; I must take this seriously! The boss is really amazing, capturing the heart of such a girl.

Garfiel also began to exert force to make it difficult for Natsuki Rem to break free.

Anastasia also sensed something was wrong and blocked Mimi's eyes.

"Uwaa, why won't you let Mimi watch again!"

【【 "...Ugh?" In the next instant, although everyone couldn't see clearly, it was certain that a sharp object, a weapon, had blown off Subaru's left arm, and his body was sent flying.

"The sound of chains..."

The next moment, Subaru's skull was shattered, and the screen instantly went black. 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"..."

Her chest was soaked, and the pain in her arms was real, but Ram bit her lip, saying nothing.

"Si-Sister! Is Rem... is Rem?!"

Rem still heard the sound of chains.

Rem's tears soaked the fabric in front of her chest, and she hugged her tightly.

"If... if that's the case... why did Subaru... why Rem?!"

Ram opened her mouth:

"This is also to reduce Barusu's pain."

Hopefully, saying this would alleviate Rem's pain.

"But even so... even so..."

Rem seemed somewhat relieved.

"Ah, it's over. She's really strong."

On the other side, Garfiel noticed that the boss had finished looping, released his claws, and deactivated his beast form.

"Please move!"

Natsuki Rem forcibly pushed Garfiel away and looked at the screen—

【【 "...Ah!!" Subaru woke up screaming.

"My left hand...! My left hand is still there, right?! Ah... I'm back... no, I should say it's good I'm back..."

"Ah, sorry, good morning."

Subaru realized he had seemed to scare them, so he looked at the two maids.

"Sorry for the trouble, Natsuki Subaru is starting again! By the way, what time is it?" Natsuki Subaru, looping again. 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"What exactly happened just now? Can anyone tell Rem?"

Perhaps because the soundproofing of Garfiel's giant claws in beast form was very good, Natsuki Rem didn't hear anything, but why block Rem's view? Natsuki Rem had a terrible premonition that she didn't dare to think about.

"Um..."

Everyone fell silent, and it seemed that no one would tell Natsuki Rem what had happened.

"Ah, the Rem who killed Subaru must also be heartbroken."

Ram thought.

Ram felt that although it was more suspicious than the first loop, after a series of efforts, the suspicion had been reduced to some extent, and the relationship had been brought closer. Her unguarded sleep and Rem's blooming smile wouldn't lie.

But...

Just as she was about to give up her suspicion, she saw Barusu twisting and crawling towards Emilia's room...

Wouldn't anyone be suspicious?

At least give him a quick death.

Ram guessed what the Rem in that scene, the one who killed Subaru, was thinking.

She just hoped that Barusu wouldn't do anything suspicious next, as Ram didn't want to make Rem sad.

Then, Rem separated from Ram with red eyes.

"Rem can rely on Sister more."

Rem gently shook her head, wiped away her tears, and forced a smile.

"...Um, but Rem hasn't seen Rem's hero break the situation yet."

Then, Rem composed herself and looked at the screen again—

Chapter Text

【【 “I’ve caused trouble for the two of you. Natsuki Subaru is restarting now! By the way, what time is it now?”

Natsuki Subaru looped again.

。。。。。。。。

“So… is there a magic that weakens the opponent and kills them as if they were asleep…?”

After greeting the two maids in the morning, Subaru came to the Forbidden Library. He looked at Beatrice and asked:

“If you ask if there is or isn’t, then there is, I suppose.”

Beatrice replied. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Natsuki found the right direction, that’s a good sign.”

Anastasia said from outside the screen.

“But… It’s still not the scene we remember.”

Emilia said with some worry.

“Then we can only hope Subaru grasps this direction and doesn’t go astray, breaking the situation directly in the next loop,”

Julius said.

【【 “Although I know the keywords are ‘magic’ and ‘chains’… I still don’t know anything. So, this time I’ll just use it to gather information.

If the conditions for ‘Return by Death’ are the same as last time…”

On the screen, as usual, he was taking a walk in the garden with Emilia, and now it was time to make a request.

“Just say whatever reward you want. Come on—speak your wish.”

Roswaal spread his arms, asking with a drawn-out tone.

“Then, let me be a guest, eating and sleeping as I please in the mansion. However, I won’t trouble everyone for too long, three days will be enough.” 】】

......

~Inside, the Theater~

“Information is too insufficient… so he has to abandon this life again.”

Otto said.

“And Subaru is only staying for three days, which means he will leave the mansion after three days… which means Subaru wants to leave the mansion he considers dangerous, and then secretly observe the culprit?”

Julius guessed.

“However, on this day, Barusu basically went around asking people questions everywhere, who would you suspect if not him?”

Yes, after becoming a guest, Subaru went around asking questions everywhere. Although Rem and Ram didn’t pay much attention to him, this only made the problem clearer.

Ram even had a premonition that this time, before being killed by a curse, he would be killed as a suspicious person.

“Maybe Subaru gained the trust of others in the first loop, and then forgot about being suspicious in the subsequent loops.”

Puck said.

“And if Rem isn’t mistaken… Subaru-kun’s scent has increased again… Please, please don’t do it again…”

Now, everyone could see that Subaru’s suspiciousness had reached an unprecedented height.

【【 “Although it was short, thank you for taking care of me. Especially Rem-rin, thank you for the delicious food you usually make. As for Ram-chin… well, how should I say it, the toilet was cleaned very cleanly, right?”

Since the third day after this loop began, Subaru had prepared his belongings and the tool bag Roswaal gave him, ready to leave the mansion.

Although he had gathered various information before this, there wasn’t much actual progress.

“Sister, sister. The guest’s polite words are terribly hopeless.”

“Rem, Rem. The guest’s polite words are terribly unpleasant to hear.”

“Shut up, I really can’t think of anything else. But anyway, thank you.”

“Subaru, thank you. If you encounter any trouble, you are always welcome to come back.”

Emilia waved goodbye as Subaru left.

Afterward, Subaru came to the forest a distance away from the mansion, arriving on a hill, where he could see the entire Roswaal mansion.

“Okay, this is the place.”

Subaru said to himself. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Just as I guessed. Subaru wants to find the real culprit.”

Julius said from outside the screen, recalling his earlier guess.

【【 In the screen, Subaru looked at the Roswaal mansion and spoke:

“Emilia’s room is clearly visible. If there’s anything unusual, I can definitely spot it immediately. Anyway, it’s tonight, now I need to wait for things to happen.”

After a moment of talking to himself, Subaru opened the tool bag.

“Rope and a dagger to cut the rope… but using a dagger like this will definitely get me scolded, right? It’s fine if it’s just for cutting rope, but in the worst case… It’s for suicide. Ha… can I really do something that terrifying…? If I do this, they’ll definitely be angry, right? I used the dagger for the wrong purpose again… ”

“I’ll definitely get scolded, I hope I get scolded. I don’t want to die—and I don’t want them to die either. I should have said it, Natsuki Subaru. Even if everyone forgets these things in the loop… You will remember.” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Oh—Natsuki is quite prepared. Is he trying to give himself a fighting chance?”

Anastasia said.

“Natsuki-san said ‘If I do this, they’ll definitely be angry’, the ‘they’ here seems to be them from the first loop…”

Otto was a little sad. In his eyes, Subaru was practically mourning the dead; after all, those loops had disappeared and ended. Subaru would never see the Ram and Rem from that loop who were sharp-tongued towards him again.

【【 The sun set, and dusk arrived.

“Speaking of which, Rem didn’t go out shopping this time…”

Subaru seemed to have been monitoring the mansion for a long time and noticed a difference from the previous loop. Then Subaru smiled. Was he recalling the date he had with Rem at this time in the previous loop? He then slapped his face.

“I still have to observe for more than eight hours, where do I have time to do silly things now? Concentrate, concentrate…”

“Uh!”

Subaru heard a sound— 】】

。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“It’s the sound of a tree being hit and falling down!”

Otto exclaimed from outside the screen.

Is it a magic beast?

Now, even Ram wanted to deceive herself. At this moment, if the culprit wasn’t Rem, it could only be a magic beast in the forest, but besides that big one, which magic beast could have such great strength?

It’s not a magic beast, but…

Ram thought while looking at Rem next to her…

“Who is it!? Could it be again…”

Ram gave Garfiel a wink, telling him to shut up before confirming the culprit.

“This… Is this a magic beast in the forest!?”

Natsuki Rem didn’t dare to face her guess and could only bring up the fact that there were magic beasts in the forest at this time in her memory.

“This… This is… No, please…”

Rem’s heart pounded wildly, and she looked at the screen pleadingly—

【【 Subaru tied the rope around himself, jumped off the cliff in one breath, then threw down the tool bag and ran desperately.

“Could it be… I was completely played with!?”

Subaru escaped to a dead end on the cliff.

“If you have the guts, come at me!”

Seeing that there was really no way out, Subaru had no choice but to face the culprit directly.

A weapon flew over, and Subaru used his jacket to deflect the weapon, which stabbed into the rock wall.

“Alright, you brat, hurry up and come out! I went through a lot of trouble to see you!”

Subaru gripped the dagger and roared angrily.

Then…

“…It can’t be helped. It would have been best to end your remaining life without you knowing.”

A familiar voice came.

“…You’re lying… Rem?” 】】

。。。。

Chapter Text

【【 “……It can’t be helped. It would have been best if it had ended without me knowing.”

A familiar voice came.

“……That’s a lie…… Rem?”

The blue-haired maid, Rem, slowly walked over. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Sister, please step aside!”

Ram and Garfiel once again blocked Rem and Natsuki Rem.

“Sister…… please……”

“……”

Rem’s voice was choked with tears.

“……”

Ram was silent, then stepped aside. She looked at Garfiel and gave him a look.

“Ah, fine, fine. Ram sure knows how to order this great me around.”

Garfiel made way for Natsuki Rem.

They shakily stood up, approaching the screen one step at a time.

No one would be so oblivious as to disturb them.

What met the eyes of the two blue-haired girls was a Rem who was terrifyingly cold towards Subaru, holding a morning star.

“Ah……”

If the previous time Rem killed the dying Subaru could be explained as ending his pain and giving him a quick death, this time there was no reason to be found.

“Ah……!!”

Rem was stunned, her trembling hands clenched and placed on her chest.

“Rem…… kill…… killed……”

Natsuki Rem’s state was definitely not good either; the thing Natsuki Rem feared most had still happened.

“Rem, these are…… nothing is set in stone yet, Barusu might not have died here.”

Ram was still comforting Rem.

。。。。。

But the fact that she wanted to kill Subaru-kun was already undeniable, regardless of whether Rem actually killed Subaru-kun.

Rem was heartbroken.

“No…… no!”

The two Rems pleaded in unison with the woman who doubted Subaru.

Don’t doubt him.

He wasn’t a suspicious person; he was the person Rem loved.

【【 But the Rem on the screen couldn’t hear their pleas.

“If you don’t resist, Rem can let you go easily.”

“……Do you think I’d say ‘Please do’ and agree to your suggestion? Get lost.”

“Excuse me. Yes, that’s right, the guest is indeed that kind of person.”

“Why are you doing this… can I ask such a common question?”

“There’s nothing difficult to understand. Better to kill a thousand wrongly than let one go. That’s a maid’s principle.” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Better to kill a thousand wrongly than let one go…… huh? The way the Mathers educate their maids is truly……”

Anastasia smiled bitterly.

“Subaru-kun, run! Get away…… get away from that woman!”

Rem stretched out her hand, wanting to convey the message.

【【 “Does Ram…… know about this?”

Subaru asked Rem.

“Rem planned to end all of this before Sister found out.”

“……Do you really not trust me that much?”

“Yes.”

Rem nodded without hesitation, her voice decisive.

“I’m so pathetic. I actually mistook us for getting along well.”

“Sister……”

“I don’t want to hear it! Take this!”

Subaru held out the magic device he called a phone and released a white flash that would bewilder opponents—at least, that’s how everyone understood it.

Then he took the opportunity to knock Rem over and ran away. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“See? I told you, people in this world are glass cannons fodder.”

Al complained.

Subaru… must be very hurt.

On the other side, Emilia thought.

The time they spent together was shattered by a simple “Yes.”

Why……

And the two Rems, seeing Subaru run away, asked this question.

Why…… just now, using the flash, Subaru-kun could have killed that stupid woman with the dagger he carried, or at least injured her to buy time to escape, but why didn’t Subaru do that……

They knew in their hearts why Subaru didn’t do that, but they so desperately wished Subaru could have done that. And then……

“Subaru-kun!”

“Ahhh!”

“Tch, as expected, Ram is here too.”

Seeing this scene, the two Rems were unable to stand up, kneeling on the ground, while Ram also clicked her tongue—

【【 A distant wind blade cut off the part of Subaru’s right leg below the knee, interrupting his escape, and he fell down.

Although the screen didn’t show who sent the wind blade, it must have been Ram.

“Ahhhhhhh! My, my leg ahhh!”

Subaru screamed in pain.

。。。。。

“O Mana of Water, please heal this person.”

Rem walked over, healed Subaru, and then—

“If you die so quickly, I won’t even be able to ask the information I need… I’ll confiscate this for now.”

The Rem on the screen forcefully took away Subaru’s dagger.

So what was Rem going to do next? No need to think about it.

“I ask you, are you an enemy of Emilia-sama?”

“……My heart will always belong to Emilia.”

Then, the chain whipped fiercely across Subaru’s upper body.

“Ahhhhhhh!!” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Noooo!!”

It seemed that this pain was not only on Subaru’s body but also in Rem’s heart.

The two Rems trembled, tears streaming out continuously, screaming at the cruel scene displayed on the screen.

“Rem……”

Ram looked at the two Rems in grief, but she didn’t go forward, perhaps thinking they needed to cry.

【【 “Who hired you?”

The Rem on the screen interrogated Subaru again.

“……Hired for free by Emilia-tan’s priceless smile…… Ahhhhhhh!!”

Just like that, the two began a cycle of Rem interrogating and Subaru giving answers that didn’t satisfy Rem, resulting in him being beaten.

When Subaru was about to die, she would heal him, and then the cycle would continue. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Stop hitting him…… please!”

Rem and Natsuki Rem knew this was useless, but they still lowered their posture as much as possible and pleaded.

“Natsuki-san doesn’t yield even like this……”

Subaru’s level of respect in Otto’s heart rose another step.

“Uwah…… women are scary…… ah no, maids are scary……”

Garfiel looked at the Rems collapsing and screaming in front of him and said this.

“If it were this great me, I would probably give the boss a quick death out of respect for his unyielding spirit.”

【【 “Then, Rem will change the question. Are you from the Witch Cult?”

“Eh? What Witch Cult?”

The screen continued.

“Please don’t play dumb! How dare you say you have nothing to do with it when you reek of the Witch! There’s a limit to how fake you can be! Because Roswaal-sama said to treat you well, Rem was observing the situation…… but even monitoring you was painful, I couldn’t bear it anymore…… even knowing that Sister was only pretending to take care of you, that’s why she treated you kindly!”

The Rem on the screen roared.

“……”

Subaru was silent for a moment, then cried.

“……Why…… I know, I already guessed…… After being beaten like this by Rem, I knew there must have been something behind being treated kindly before. But…… I didn’t want… to hear it. Why, you don’t remember! Why do you all leave me alone? What did I do? What do you want me to do…… What did I do wrong? What’s wrong with me? Why do you hate me so much? Even that promise…… I always…”

He collapsed, crying and shouting.

“I…… but towards you……”

Finally, another wind blade flew in, cutting Subaru’s throat. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

This girl named Rem was saved by a boy she had killed.

This woman named Natsuki Rem was loved by a man she had killed.

“What right does Rem have……!!”

The girl and the woman shouted in unison.

Let it be, let it be. Rem no longer had the right to accompany Subaru-kun in this form.

Let it be, let it be. Rem no longer had the right to continue as a wife.

From now on, she would atone… willingly become a slave…… atone……

“Ah, luckily it was Ram who killed him in the end…… Although I’m sorry for Barusu, but……”

If it had been Rem who killed him in the end, Ram wouldn’t know what state her sister would be in.

“Mm…… mm.”

“Mm? Lia?”

Puck looked at Emilia, nodding and humming, then she stood up again and walked to the two kneeling Rems.

“……Stand up.”

“……Emilia-sama?”

The two Rems, with red eyes, slowly looked up in a daze.

“You two, stand up for me.”

“……”

“Subaru told me that he is the hero in your hearts, so what you should be doing now is cheering for your hero and watching him return victorious, isn’t it?”

“But even so……”

“Don’t think about ‘even so’ or atonement or anything like that. Subaru saved you later, doesn’t that prove he has forgiven you? If you still feel guilty, then encourage him and support him even more.”

Then, Emilia held out both hands, gesturing for the two Rems to stand up.

“……”

The two Rems each took a hand and slowly stood up.

“……Yes, Emilia-sama.”

Don’t disgrace yourselves again, and even more so, don’t make Subaru-kun suffer anymore.

Subaru-kun definitely wouldn’t want us to be like this……

。。。。。

Rem and the others returned to their seats, composing themselves.

On the other side, Al said in a low voice:

“Isn’t my brother being too kind? If it were me…… this blue-haired lady definitely wouldn’t live, it’s too tragic.”

No one heard Al’s muttering.

The loop began again—

Chapter Text

【【 "...Ugh... Ugh!" Subaru's loop began once again with a scream as its opening line.

"Guest, guest. Have you calmed down now?"

"Guest, guest. Have you finished your tantrum?"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Subaru screamed again upon hearing Rem and Ram's voices. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

Beatrice and the rest turned their hopeful gazes toward the twin maids—only for Ram to offer a slow, resigned shake of her head, her usual sharp composure softened by regret.

Beside her, Rem’s shoulders slumped, her fingers tightening against her skirt. "I’m sorry…" The words went unspoken, but the weight of them lingered.

This timeline… was not the one they remembered. Unlike Ram and Rem's memories, it seemed this loop was not the one that would break the situation.

【【 "Ram and Rem, those two, were very worried about you."

Emilia looked at the silent and depressed Subaru in front of her with concern.

Then...

"That's right..."

Subaru, thinking of something, looked at Emilia seriously.

"...There's something I want to tell you, Emilia."

Upon hearing this, Emilia's expression became tense, and she sat up straight. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"I wonder what Subaru wants to tell me..."

Emilia felt a mix of curiosity and hope. She was unsure of what Subaru had to say, yet she couldn’t help but wish that he would confide in her—that way, she could be there for him. Her eyes remained fixed on the screen, watching the Subaru within it—

【【 "Emilia, I return by dea — ..." 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"So that’s it—he’s going to confess."

Julius’s voice held quiet astonishment. Around him, others shared the same realization, as if they’d all overlooked the obvious. Subaru’s relentless cycles of suffering had buried this simple truth, and in turn, made them forget it was even an option.

"Why ain’t the screen movin’?"

Garfiel frowned at the frozen image, scratching his head.

"Betty suspected before that there might be some taboo, and now it seems my guessed was correct, I suppose."

"Pfft—maybe the WiFi’s crap and it’s buffering. …Nah, that ain’t— ugh!"

Al wanted to make a joke, but he seemed to have seen something he shouldn't have on the screen.

【【 At that moment, Subaru, Emilia, or rather, the entire world paused.

Then, a black mist appeared and gradually changed shape... 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Huh?! No way... No freakin' way! Is this...? Is this really...?!"

Al's voice cracked with panic as he stared at the screen, his usual laid-back demeanor completely shattered by whatever he was seeing. His outburst drew confused glances from the others in the theater.

【【 Then, the mist on the screen formed the shape of a hand.

The black hand inexplicably entered Subaru's chest, looking as if it were caressing his insides.

Finally, the screen ended its brief pause.

"...Subaru, what's wrong? You suddenly stopped talking. I'm worried."

The Emilia on the screen was worried about Subaru's silence.

And Subaru was trembling with fear... 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"AAAAHHH!! Why you?! Stay back! Don't come any closer!!"

Al's terrified screams reverberated through the theater, his metallic armor clanking as he recoiled.

"Al, control yourself. This racket is unbecoming."

Priscilla snapped, fan fluttering in irritation.

"P-Princess? Ah... right, haha! Yeah... That... that thing should be Lil Bros problem. Let Lil bro deal with it! Has nothing to do with me! Nothing at all!"

Al's laughter rang hollow as he forcibly calmed himself, gauntleted hands trembling.

"This is—"

Reinhard's eyes widened in rare surprise.

"The Witch of Envy, I suppose!"

Beatrice shouted, clutching her dress.

"The Witch... What's her connection to Subaru? It must relate to that cursed scent clinging to him."

Julius' grip tightened on his sword, anger flashing across his usually composed face.

"Wait wait wait, this isn't funny. In another world, he'd be a high-ranking Witch Cultist with that stench. Don't tell me... Natsuki-san's actually the 'Archbishop of Envy' without realizing it?!"

Otto blurted.

"Otto-sama!"

Rem and Natsuki Rem both refuted Otto's statement.

"Logically, the Witch Factor requires the previous holder's death to transfer. The Witch of Envy isn't dead—just sealed. Therefore, Subaru couldn't possibly be her Archbishop."

Puck reasoned, floating with crossed paws.

"Brother is right. It seems Subaru's 'Return by Death' is likely given by the Witch of Envy... But why forbid him from speaking of it?"

Beatrice analyzed further.

"Looking at Natsuki's reaction, trying to say it out loud is very painful. Facing the loop, he can't say anything and has to hide the pain in his heart... It's unimaginably cruel."

Anastasia sighed, fingers twisting in her scarf.

"Anyway, quit yappin' and keep watchin',"

Garfiel grunted, golden eyes fixed intently on the screen.

。。。。 。。。。

In the dark void, Natsuki Subaru's consciousness quietly stayed here.

"That's all..."

Subaru's consciousness heard something.

"That's all, please, please don't let them know anymore... Please..."

If Subaru remembered correctly, the "Dark Garden" had always been her domain, but she seemed to be bound by something. What had happened?

The Witch of Envy pleaded, but there was no response here.

"If... they knew... it would be fine, let them see clearly what they did to the one I love..."

The tone changed,

Envy... No, Satella said this.

"No, I can't tell them... These are all moments that belong only to me and my beloved..."

Satel... No, the Witch of Envy retorted.

。。。。 。。。。

【【 "Wha, what's wrong? You've been really strange since just now? If there's any problem..."

The Emilia on the screen asked the trembling Subaru.

"...I have a request... Leave me alone."

After saying that, Subaru lay down on the bed as if he had given up. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Damn... boss has completely given up."

The group watched Subaru's broken form with silent understanding. No judgment came - not even from Julius, who simply clenched his fists before letting them fall slack.

He knew what he should say - that one must remain strong, that despair solves nothing. But the words died in his throat. Julius had never known this particular agony: being torn from his world, stripped of power, drowning in unanswered questions. Facing such trials... he couldn't honestly claim he'd fare any better.

【【 "—If I die this time, maybe there won't be a next time..."

"...You've become quite a good-for-nothing."

The Subaru on the screen muttered to himself, and Beatrice walked over. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Betty is coming to find Subaru? With Betty here, maybe."

Beatrice hoped that the self on the screen could do something.

"Brother said, maybe there won't be a next time... Oh—I used to worry about that too."

The fear that the number of deaths was limited, that period was really nerve-wracking.

【【 "I'm not in the mood to have a lengthy discussion with you. What are you here for?" Subaru, on the screen, asked Beatrice.

"...Brother and that girl asked Betty to come see you. Because you looked strange after you woke up, they suspected that Betty had done something when you first woke up. Since you're fine, Betty is leaving."

"Wait a minute. You feel sorry for me, right?"

"I don't."

"I'm going to report to Puck."

"Hmm... Maybe I feel a tiny~ bit sorry."

"If you feel sorry for me and want my forgiveness, then promise me one request."

"...Tell me about it."

"The morning of the fifth day... that's the day after tomorrow morning. Until that time, can you protect my safety?" 】】

Chapter Text

【【 The screen went dark, indicating that Subaru had fallen asleep.

However, what puzzled everyone was that usually, when Subaru slept, the scene would skip. This time, it didn't.

Simultaneously, the screen was filled with screams, the clanking of chains, and the sound of gushing blood. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Natsuki is having a nightmare?”

Anastasia guessed.

“The dream is filled with the little guy's tragic experiences, so it seems like he's having a nightmare.”

Felt agreed.

“Subaru...”

If Betty were there, she could try to comfort Subaru, but I'm not present.

“Repeatedly cutting ties, being killed by those he trusted... these have really caused Subaru significant psychological trauma.”

Julius said softly.

“Ah, no. The nightmare seems to be subsiding!”

Otto reminded everyone.

【【 In the scene, hands faintly appeared, but they were too blurry to distinguish whose they were.

。。。。。 。。。。。

“...How long are you going to keep sleeping soundly? It's the agreed time, so Betty had to come over even if she was unwilling. You're really quite leisurely, aren't you?”

The screen lit up, and Beatrice woke Subaru up in the Forbidden Library.

“Huh? I actually slept through the crucial fourth day, I'm truly a fool who doesn't know what's good for him... Uh, Beatrice, although I think it's impossible, I'll ask anyway, did you hold my hand while I was sleeping?”

“That's really impossible, I suppose. Even if it were Brother's request, Betty would refuse.” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

"Lies, I suppose! Though you may be another me, Betty won't be deceived, in fact!"

Beatrice retorted inwardly.

“Has that day arrived? I have to say, While Subaru’s strategy granted him survival… the core crisis remains unresolved...”

“Ain’t that the truth, bought time ain’t the same as bought solutions.”

Julius and Anastasia said.

“Then, according to what the boss said, when th’boss had that nightmare, someone grabbed his hand, yeah? Gotta be Emilia-sama, right?”

Garfiel scratched his head, grinning.

“That's indeed very possible, Frankly, I’d wager she’s the only one who could’ve reached him in that state.”

Otto agreed with Garfiel.

【【 Subaru stayed in Beatrice's Forbidden Library. Since Subaru had only learned the “I-characters” of this world's script, Beatrice even gave him a book of I-characters.

。。。。。 。。。。。

After an unknown amount of time, Beatrice sensed something and spoke to herself:

“...They're calling. They're calling Betty. Hmm? Oh, right, you're here. I forgot, I suppose.”

“You can forget someone even when they're right in front of you, that's a terrible joke, even if it's a joke.”

“There's a more urgent matter to attend to—Brother is calling Betty.”

Beatrice finished speaking and intended to go outside.

Subaru quickly tried to stop her:

“Hey, hey, wait! If you go out now...”

“You can stay here. As long as you stay here, you'll be safe, I suppose.”

Beatrice left.

Subaru walked to the large door and also wanted to open it. He hesitated.

“Ah, damn it, what's the big deal about something this small!”

Subaru encouraged himself, opened the large door, and then the dazzling sunlight poured into the room. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Hoh? So he actually made it through?”

Anastasia said.

“The little guy finally broke the curse of not surviving this day.”

Felt said.

“No... While that may be true, Ram feels something is amiss...”

The pink-haired maid's brow furrowed as she stared intently at the screen with some unease—

【【 “Ha, haha...” Subaru in the scene couldn't help but laugh.

“Haha, what is this, something like this... So easy, haha...”

Then, Emilia's appearance interrupted Subaru's solitary joy.

“Emilia?”

“Subaru, where did you go?”

“No, I...”

“Because... No, let's not talk about that first. Anyway... just come with me.”

“Where are we going... Hey, listen to me, Emilia-tan. The results I've achieved now, I worked very hard to...”

“Ahhh!!”

A scream echoed through the mansion.

Ram's scream.

Following Emilia, Subaru saw the dead Rem. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Huh... strangely satisfying.”

Al muttered under his breath, barely audible.

Ram's fingers dug into her sleeves as realization struck.

“Rem... Rem! Could it be... In the first few loops yesterday, Barusu and Rem went to Arlam Village to purchase supplies, and Barusu was bitten by a magic beast, leading to his death. Now, without Barusu accompanying her, the magic beast's target has become...”

Her voice threatened to crack, but she forced it to steady.

Although she felt grief emotionally, she knew rationally that this was not a tragedy that had happened in her world. She used reason to restrain her emotional grief and spoke as normally as possible.

“I agree with Ram-sama's judgment...”

Julius responded in a low voice.

“Uh...”

The two Rems saw their first death on screen and didn't react as strongly; instead, they were stunned for a moment.

The thought “Good riddance” flashed through their minds.

Perhaps thinking this way could alleviate some of the guilt...

No, how could Rem think that?

Rem had already seen how sad her Sister-sama was after she died, how could she think that? She couldn't make the same mistake again.

【【 “Don't touch her! Don't touch... Don't touch Ram's sister.”

Ram in the scene roared at Subaru, who wanted to approach.

“Although asking this might not be appropriate... but, guest, could it be that you~ know something~?”

“Wh-why are you asking me... this?”

Roswaal questioned Subaru.

“...Subaru.”

Emilia looked at Subaru, seemingly pleading for him to say something.

“...If you know anything, tell us.”

Subaru seemed to want to run away, and Ram used a wind blade to scratch Subaru's face. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Subaru-kun... Sister-sama...”

Rem bit her lip, wanting to speak but unable to.

Rem... Rem is useless, she hurt Subaru-kun again, and made Sister-sama sad...

“Mr. Natsuki must want to reveal everything now. But he can't say it.”

Otto sighed.

“It's really too frustrating.”

Al said softly.

“Please don't look at Subaru with that kind of gaze anymore... He can't give any answers...”

Emilia sadly looked at herself on the screen, who was giving Subaru a pleading look.

“Ram-sama is using a wind blade to pressure Mr. Natsuki... Ah, it's Beatrice-sama!”

【【 “...It's Betty's principle, a promise must be kept, I suppose.”

Beatrice appeared and used her hand to block the wind blade Ram had sent out, protecting Subaru.

“Beatrice-sama”

“Subaru, please. If you can save Ram, if you can save Rem... Please.”

Emilia expressed her trust in Subaru and pleaded for him to say something.

“I'm sorry...”

Subaru turned and ran outside.

“Subaru!!”

“...I'm going to kill you!” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Subaru... ran away...”

Julius stated the fact with a heavy heart.

“Boss is headin' straight for the goddamn cliff edge!”

Garfiel's shout cracked mid-sentence.

“Cliff...”

Cliff? Ah, yes, that's right, jump down, end this terrible world, it's for your own good, Barusu.

Ram knew that she shouldn't think this way inwardly, but... hurry up and jump down, end this world that is bad for everyone.

【【 “Cliff...” Subaru looked at the cliff and muttered, his knees trembling.

“Just, just one step... I can't even do something this simple...”

The screen turned dark again. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Did Mr. Natsuki jump?”

Otto asked.

“No.”

Wilhelm looked directly at the screen—

【【 “...You've finally woken up, I suppose.” The screen lit up again, it was already dusk. Beatrice had woken up Subaru.

“Why...”

“What are you saying, I suppose?”

“Why did you come here? I...”

“Betty has a contract with you, it's to protect your life, I suppose. If the contract partner shows such an ugly appearance and jumps off a cliff to commit suicide, it would affect Betty's reputation, I suppose.”

“Bodyguard... We should have agreed that it would only be until this morning.”

“...Betty doesn't remember discussing a deadline, you misunderstood, I suppose. And, if you were to die where Betty could see you, Betty wouldn't be able to sleep well, I suppose. So if you want to escape, then Betty will help you escape outside the territory. Alright, staying like this has no meaning, I suppose. Get up quickly before you're discovered.” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Whoa! Never figured Beako'd turn out ta be such a good child! Makes a guy all misty-eyed, ya know?”

Garfiel scratched his head before nodding vigorously.

“Who are you calling a child, I suppose.”

“Betty...”

Emilia looked at Beatrice.

Whether it was me, or Rem, or others, we all did things that made Subaru sad, but only Beatrice...

“Beatrice-sama...”

Compared to Rem, Beatrice-sama is indeed more suitable...

“Next, Subaru will either escape from here, or...”

Julius looked at the cliff in the scene—

【【 In the scene, Beatrice reached out her hand to Subaru.

Subaru held her hand, stood up, and confirmed the sensation...

“Hey, hey. You, what are you suddenly doing... Why are you rubbing Betty's palm, I suppose?”

“Hand, when it's held, feels like this... You, did you hold my hand just now?”

“...It's truly a lifelong regret, I suppose. Because you looked so miserable and pathetic when you were sleeping, I suppose.”

It seemed that Subaru had fallen asleep after just arriving at the cliff, and Beatrice had noticed the uneasy Subaru and held his hand.

“Someone... held both my hands... Ram, Rem.” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Whoa! This mighty warrior totally thought it'd be Emilia-sama! Didn't see the twin maids comin'!”

Garfiel was slightly surprised, but thinking about it, it made sense.

“So in that nightmare... it wasn't a single hand he felt, but two. That changes things.”

Otto said.

“Wow, boss seems to have made some kind of decision!? Wait, Ram is here!”

【【 “I finally found you—I absolutely won't let you escape again.”

Ram arrived.

Beatrice and Ram faced off, one determined to kill Subaru, the other determined to protect him.

In this tense situation—

“Pull.”

Subaru grabbed Beatrice's curly hair, pulled, and then let go.

“Hmm, feels good.”

“You, you, you, you... What are you doing?! In this situation, you, do you want to die, I suppose!?”

“Don't be silly, I don't want to die at all. Death, really, is something you only need to experience once at the very end of your life. I truly believe that.”

Subaru said as he walked in front of Ram.

“...How audacious. Have you finally come to seek death? Barusu.” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Hell yeah! The boss finally cracked the code! Now what's gonna—”

“Subaru has made up his mind.”

Julius bowed to his friend in his heart, showing his respect.

“His aura is different... Rem's hero has truly stood up!”

【【 “I'm sorry, I was too useless and made you so sad.” Subaru said to Ram.

“You really do know something about Rem...”

“No, I'm sorry, I really don't know about that. To be honest, there are too many things I don't know. But... now I want to know these things I don't know.”

“—What are you saying now? Rem is already dead! The situation cannot be reversed! Even if you investigate something now, what good would it do?”

Ram didn't seem to take Subaru's words seriously, but of course, she had no idea what Subaru was truly expressing.

“I won't pretend to be cool and say I can do something. Because I truly didn't do anything, which led to this tragic situation. My words lack conviction, I know that best myself.”

“What do you know about Ram and Rem?!” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“What do you know about Subaru!?”

Beatrice roared with the same anger as Ram in the scene.

“Uh... I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, I suppose.”

Beatrice looked at the people who were looking at her and closed her mouth.

【【 “Yes, you're right, I'm completely ignorant of the crucial issues. But... you don't know either, do you?”

“Know what?”

Subaru and Ram spoke back and forth.

“I! Love you guys the most—!”

Subaru shouted as he turned and ran towards the cliff—

“...This is something only I can do!”

“I absolutely must kill you!!”

Ram roared.

“I absolutely must save you!!”

Subaru shouted.

Finally, Natsuki Subaru breathed his last.

The screen went dark. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Hmm...”

The knights stood up in unison and performed a knight's bow.

“Subaru-kun, he definitely can...”

Rem was moved by the previous scene.

Everyone began to look forward to how Subaru would defy fate, and then—

“Look closely at the possibilities of other worlds/—”

Chapter Text

~Inside, the Theater~

“Take a good look at the possibilities of other worlds/”

The familiar voice resounded in everyone’s minds once again.

“This is... who!?”

Wilhelm had been paying attention to the words in his mind, but then sensed killing intent. However, he only saw a shadow.

Rather, it was good that Wilhelm, the aging Sword Demon, could see a shadow. This speed surpassed the reaction of many people present, meaning they couldn't even see a shadow.

“Hahaha, after our parting in the Empire, let me see how much your strength has grown!?”

It was a lightning bolt that dared to charge at the red-haired Superman.

Like a frozen frame, countless afterimages swirled around Reinhard.

And Reinhard, after a slight surprise, dealt with it easily.

“As expected, as expected, you're strong! Yes, this is how it should be, this is how it should be! Only then is there value in using my dream sword 'Masayume' and fiend sword 'Murasame'!”

“Although I don't know how you got here, I have no intention of fighting you.”

“Shut up, shut up, aren't you going to show me the 'Dragon Sword'? If you don't, this stage will be very boring, the audience will get tired of watching! Watch me turn you into – Ugh!”

Reinhard’s leg kicked the young swordsman in the neck, and the scene fell silent...

“How, how is it... the same as... back then...”

Cecilus rolled his eyes and fainted.

“Excuse... excuse me, who is he?”

Emilia asked, looking at the fainted swordsman boy.

“One of the Empire's generals, 'Blue Lightning' Cecilus Segmunt.”

Julius replied while frowning, recalling their encounter in the Empire back then.

“Hmm...”

Wilhelm was silent.

He had long heard of the fame of Blue Lightning, who could be said to be the next Kurgan.

The Sword Demon could probably imagine what it would have been like if his younger self had challenged Reinhard. It would probably be like this... no, perhaps even worse, after all, in terms of swordsmanship alone, the Sword Demon and Blue Lightning were close in strength, but Blue Lightning's weapon was superior.

“Wait, this is...”

On the other side, Ram looked at the screen in surprise –

【【 “—What's so strange?” In the picture, the pink-haired maid Ram was riding on Subaru, using her hands to fully choke Subaru's neck.

And this was a world of ice and snow.

“—What's so strange?”

That Ram repeated again.

And Subaru looked calm and composed, as if he had accepted the fact of his impending death.

“—What's so strange?”

Ram repeated once more.

“—What's, so...”

During the final repetition, Ram collapsed, unable to bear the burden, but her eyes were still filled with intense hatred.

Subaru weakly stood up and picked up a stone –

“—Absolutely, I will kill you.”

This was the last sentence before the screen darkened. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Hmm...”

Ram was silent.

Absolutely, I will kill you.

This was what Ram said when she chased Subaru in the loop, where she misunderstood Rem's death and thought it was related to Subaru.

Was Barusu picking up a stone to smash Ram to death?

...That's fine too.

I misunderstood him and wanted to kill him, so it's normal for him to kill me.

“...From the sentence that appeared in my mind, it can be seen that this is indeed – another worldline.”

Roswaal, outside the screen, his mismatched eyes glinting with calculated intrigue.

Roswaal found some kind of pattern. It seemed that every time a breakthrough was about to be made, the sentence “Take a good look at the possibilities of other worlds/” would sound.

If that was indeed the case, then there was only one possibility: after Rem's death, facing Ram's pursuit, Subaru did not choose to die but escaped.

。。。。。 。。。。。

“Ah... this! You bastard, how dare you do that to my sister!

“Calm down, Garfiel... Roswaal-sama?!”

Garfiel, angered by the scene he had just seen on the screen, glared at Pack, but was advised to calm down by Ram.

But Ram discovered something that shocked her even more –

【【 Roswaal was slumped in a wheelchair, lifeless, looking like a complete invalid.

On the other side, Frederica and Pack were confronting each other.

“Great Spirit...-sama.”

“I'm sorry, Frederica. You are not wrong – it's just that I want to protect what I value most, and this is the most correct way to do it.”

“Why, do you have to do this...”

“I told you, didn't I? All my actions are for Lia – I was wrong about Roswaal, he is just a pitiful person.”

“—As a maid, I cannot tolerate your insult to the head of the family, to the master.”

“No, you are also a pitiful child. Only you are still desperately protecting this place that is already at its end.”

“Emilia-sama will be sad.”

“Unfortunately, I am very fond of Lia. After all, I am a parent cat who cannot be without my child.”

Then, Pack froze Frederica, and not only that, it seemed that Roswaal's entire territory was frozen.

And Roswaal looked at Frederica, reaching out to cast magic, as if to protect her –

Swish!

Roswaal narrowly dodged the sword strike at the cost of losing his left arm.

“Oh, the move just now is not something just anyone can do. I was truly impressed.”

The one who attacked Roswaal was the Blue Lightning, Cecilus, who had suddenly rushed out earlier to challenge Reinhard to a duel.

“Cecilus Segmunt, the head of the Nine Divine Generals of the Empire.”

Roswaal recognized him.

“That is truly a great honor.”

“However, how did this happen~ again? Could it be that during the time when Lugnica is deciding the next king, the Empire is going to violate the treaty and commit such violence?” 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“This...”

Otto desperately thought, but couldn't figure out a single thing.

The amount of information was simply too large.

“Why is Roswaal-sama like this...”

Ram was heartbroken by Roswaal's decadence.

“The hell’s with Boss causin’ a damn ruckus the second he hops worldlines?! And where’s this timeline’s version of him even at?!”

Garfiel asked while looking at the screen again, hoping the screen could provide an answer.

【【 “Ah, this is a misunderstanding. I am currently on leave from the Nine Divine Generals... I should say retired, and it has nothing to do with the Empire. I am not playing with you; the Empire knows nothing about my actions. Of course, my loyalty to His Majesty is still in my heart... However, I also have my own reasons.”

The Cecilus in the picture clarified that it had nothing to do with the Empire.

“Then, it is even stranger. You are willing~ to give up your position as a general of the Empire to come here~. What reason could possibly make you do this~?”

“It's simple. Someone promised to show me the way to the Heavenly Sword.”

“Heavenly Sword? That's unexpected. You don't seem like the kind of person who would be willing to be someone else's puppet.”

Upon hearing this, Cecilus explained his view on life as protagonists, supporting characters, actors, and audience, and then said:

“I probably don't dislike people like you; in fact, I admire you, but this is my duty. Court Magician of the Kingdom of Lugnica, Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers, your head, I will take it.”

Cecilus drew a sword.

“Can I ask you a question? What is your employer's name?”

Roswaal seemed to accept the fact that he was about to die and made a final request to Blue Lightning.

“Ordinary citizens call him a villain and a heretic. He earned his bad reputation for his incredibly evil and tyrannical actions – the 'Purge King'.

But, he himself told me to tell you his real name... Natsuki Subaru.” 】】

Chapter Text

【【 “Just as I thought, it's you.”

Then, Cecilus beheaded Roswaal. 】】

。。。。。

~Inside, the Theater~

“Purge King... Subaru?”

Emilia was completely shocked.

“Ah, brother's gone completely insane, 'Purge'... kill everything and get revenge on society?”

Al thought.